2019-01-06: A Frantic Escape! The Mysterious Locus Black Appears!?

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  • Log: A Frantic Escape! The Mysterious Locus Black Appears!?
  • Cast: Lunata Croze, Jacqueline Barber, Ethius Hesiod, Catenna, Kourin, Lydia Seren, Prissa, Carina Wynne, Arleph Ardan, Tesni Inoue, Id, Melody Wynne
  • Where: Photosphere - External Defenses
  • Date: January 06, 2019 (ICly takes place on December 1st.)
  • Summary: The Caravan Kinship, though separated in the chaos of the battle for the Photosphere, manages to reunite, just in time to escape the Photosphere as it begins to crash down. But Id is right on their tail... and a mysterious stranger, who is clearly in no way related to any of them, makes an appearance...

====================<* Photosphere - External Defenses *>=====================

The Photosphere is not of this world. From a distance, it looks like a massive orb -- the size of a large city -- smashed down against a local mountain, and cracked open. The orb is made of interlocked hexagons of some translucent golden substance, and within, powerful technology can be seen.

This place is not safe to approach. First, one without the proper mechanisms will encounter a shimmering barrier of light that repulses all but the strongest ARMs. Second, there are patrols of Metal Demons and their beasts, all keeping a close eye on the Photosphere.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygpjMbQeBas
DG: A party led by Jacqueline Barber is now entering Photosphere - Escape.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
==========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>==========================
========================<* CHALLENGE - No One Stops *>========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 It starts with a sudden impact of mental anguish being pressed into your      
 neural receptors. It's terribly painful but brief, then a loudspeaker turns   
 on in the distance and you hear Id's voice.                                   
                                                                               
 "Did you think you could just leave...?" His voice is absent the usual rage   
 and fury. If anything, it's tired, but most of all it's empty. "You cut my    
 brother down like an animal... and you think you can just leave?"             
                                                                               
 "I'd want it to hurt. I'd want it to hurt and hurt and hurt and I wouldn't    
 want it to stop. I would never want to get used to it. Isn't that right,      
 Ruby...?"                                                                     
                                                                               
 "So I won't stop. I don't have the luxury to stop. I will kill you and kill   
 you and kill you and kill you. That boy you called Fei can't stop me          
 anymore..."                                                                   
                                                                               
 "After all..."                                                                
                                                                               
 "He was never real..."                                                        
                                                                               
 Rather than strike directly, a crimson blast suddenly blasts through several  
 walls and into the ceiling before your group, sending a hefty amount of       
 debris blocking your escape!                                                  
=Dungeon Conditions: Overwhelm================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

        Lunata, Shalune and Jacqueline had momentarily become separated from the rest of the Caravan Kinship.

        They fell onto a lower series of metallic slats when the Photosphere lifted up entirely and started to part away from the ground in full; while this would've been a real panic, the audible roar of the Rephaim's wings eventually brought the three childhood friends from Adlehyde back up--

        --in time for the voice to cut straight through to their minds.

        Did you think you could just leave...?

        Lunata lets out a wheezing groan as she kicks -- yes kicks, the Rephaim's in a horrible state after its battle with Lolithia; on its black pulse-shifting armour are rents borne of several blasts of supercold energy and a large rend from where the Golem's claw had gotten straight through.

        "Go, Jay, c'mon-- the others're waiting..." Lunata wheezes. A familiar wisping black ooze was starting to pore out of her limbs, a familiar sight to Jacqueline from back when they faced John Dee. When the necromantic magic that held her together was reaching its ends.

        I will kill you and kill you and kill you. That boy you called Fei can't stop me anymore...

        "..."

        Lunata snorts for a moment as she murmurs, "Fans are always so demanding."

        She shifts on the Rephaim, but-- her eyes widen as the crimson blast threatens to tear through the group; she jerks the controls forward and exclaims, "Watch out!"

        In the end, it's best that it's a 16.7-sharl robot that eats the brunt of the massive crimson blast; there's a *PINGGGG* that comes terrifyingly close to infringing on the shows with Theses of Cruel Angels -- before the Pulse Shift Barrier of the Rephaim starts to melt away as its surface starts to catch on fire, and it crumples onto one side.

        And it starts to fall, as it drifts and shifts along several floors exposed and Lunata looks up with a sharp groan. "J-just go, Jay, everyone! I'll be--"

        A second salvo comes and sends the winged Gear plummeting down below in a plume of smoke, down towards what's left of the Gutter...

        ...

        Well, she probably was going to say 'I'll be fine'. But even with the blast tanked by the Gear, several large segments of the wall and ceiling are still coming in your general direction...!

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline winces as a wave of intense anguish hits her. It's not hers, but she feels it just as intensely as if it was. It's overwhelming, and it takes a second to recover from.

"Wh-what was...?" She murmurs, looking to Lunata. Her words are halted by the sight of that wisping ooze - she knows what that means.

"Lunata-" Jacquelien starts, before the voice over the intercom cuts her off. She goes quiet, and listens.

Jacqueline is...understandably concerned but how hard Lunata is pushing herself. She can tell that Lunata is reaching her limits. She wants to tell her to stop, that they can figure out another way...

...But she knows, realistically, that with the situation as it is, that's improbable. That if they want to escape - and perhaps even just survive - now, with Id tearing his way through the Photosphere, they need to use everything they have.

And so Jacqueline dismounts from the Rephaim to join the others, looking up at the Gear for a brief moment. And then it moves, taking the crimson blast that would surely have annihilated the lot of them.

"LUNATA!" Jacqueline cries out, taking a step forward as the Gear begins to plummet. She holds herself back as Lunata entreats them to just go, her hands tightening into fists.

"Lunata...be safe..." Jacqueline murmurs, shutting her eyes tight and exhaling. She then draws a red bottle from with her bags, looking back to the others.

"...You heard her. We need to get out of here, quickly!" She says, then tosses the bottle into the midst of the falling before striking it with a conjured spear of flame, causing it to erupt.

Jacqueline must have been saving that for a while - wait a second, aren't those Lunata's glasses she's wearing??

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, No One Stops.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Ethius is not exactly 'fresh' off of destroying Mother. No one is. He is also back to trying to hide his face with a hand which is going to continue to be a thing - maybe even symbolic of some new questions people have grounds to ask about what it was Mother was trying to engage, and why he seemed to know exactly what to do in order to stop it from doing... whatever it was it was going to do. There were many witnesses to this. Something about Ethius was exposed bare. What, though? (Other than his face.)
        As the Photosphere's path starts to veer towards certain collapse and ruin, things are catching on fire all around him. Sirens blare their warnings. Debris slide and tumble.
        The man has a stride to his step, a balance - maybe even a comfort?! - no one should in these circumstances, ever, as an incomprehensible and timeless fury rains destruction and difficult-to-grasp truths upon them all. The Rephaim collapses to the floor(s) below under catastrophic structural damages, as more pieces of wall and ceiling start to collapse in around them.
        Ethius thinks faster than his stomach can remind him about the amount of lost calories from his spellcasting thus far. Without skipping a beat, he goes about an especially dangerous method for his present physical condition - the inefficient quick casts in which to try and weld significant spans of length with blasts of sorcerous heat, back to back, not even losing a syllable when the place rocks again. Patterns of light form around him with every successful cast, as he tries to dam up the rubble falling their way with, well, itself.
        The challenge of clearing away any existing ones barring their progress forward is left to another.
        He calls no further attention to himself.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, No One Stops.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

IT'S STILL DECEMBER OKAY


The rush of relief that came over Catenna upon the death of Mother has been replaced with a wave of horror and urgency. The Photosphere is coming apart. She's done her best to keep ahead of things, but the attack by Solaris and the battle raging outside aren't lost on her.

Particularly not when Rephaim goes crashing into the wall.

<This does seem to be degenerating rather quickly, doesn't it,> Saarda-Shanta muses from Catenna's shoulder as the Moon Shaman flinches away, pushing herself up against a wall with a hiss of breath to try and keep herself clear of the falling debris. She clicks her teeth together, looking up towards the looming shape of Rephaim, then back to those who came along.

Eventually she does begin to move forward, doing her best to try and move some of the debris away with her bare hands. Trying to gravitate it in a hurry would be impossible; the effort involved in restraining Mother took a lot out of her.

DG: Catenna has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, No One Stops.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin didn't participate in the fight against Mother directly--she was fighting off metal beasts. She has rejoined her friends, but now there's this blockage. Kourin sighs and sets to trying to clear away the barrier...

Spirit barks once at Saarda-Shanta as Kourin and he rejoin the group, tail wagging.

DG: Kourin has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, No One Stops.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Earlier on The Fereshte

"Um..." Lydia says, looking over to the gear rising over the Photosphere. "Oh shit....oh shit it's that asshole... But I haven't seen Jay and the others leave yet..." She looks out towards the rising Photosphere before shoving Hammer at the wheel. "I gotta find Jay! Wait for Riese and the others!"

She hops back into the Photosphere, rushing through the base. It's okay, she thinks, this isn't the first time she was plummeting to her doom from a giant sky fortress. It's just this time she's falling with the fortress. It's okay. It's fine.

NOW

Lydia starts bashing in through the debris from the OTHER side of them. "Guuuuuys!!!" Lydia says. "Are you there?" CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG.

"Hang on okay???" CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG.

Lydia does, surpirsingly enough, seem to be pretty healthy all considered. Her fight for Riesenlied didn't really hurt her physically too much and she's had a chance to catch a breather.

MEANWHILE ON THE OTHER ALT

Id peers down towards the Gutter and murmurs. "Is that all you have got Rephaim?" before he continues on his campaign of senseless(?) destruction.

At least, it seems Lunata's sacrifice(?) bought everyone some time.

DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Good Luck Bat toward her party's challenge, No One Stops.
<Pose Tracker> Prissa has posed.

 
do you remember
the horrible time in december

Prissa exhales as she looks downwards. The titanic machina they are in is falling. Someone is speaking to them but Prissa makes herself not hear outlander language for a moment, even as names are cried out.

Prissa leaps forwards and shifts herself around to slam her feet into a large piece of rubble, letting momentum, hopefully, push her through! Her head snaps up as she looks towards Lydia, saying as she does, "This is rough, huh."

DG: Prissa has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, No One Stops.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

The massive ship is falling apart. Id psychically cries out his anguish. The situation is dire. But out of nowhere comes a voice calling out a hopeful rallying cry...!

"ROCKET-O PUUUUUUUNCH!!"

And a large metallic fist the size of a man's torso, barely looking like it's holding together, rockets out of the shadows and straight into the pile of debris! It explodes.

"Never fear, CaraKin!" calls out Locus, now with TOY-ACCURATE ROCKET-O PUNCH ACTION, as she lands among the party. "While you were fightin', I found a neat thing that can help us escape." It turns out Locus was switched out of the active party for the final battle. Rude!! But she doesn't seem particularly resentful about that, at least.

She thumbs towards what hopefully USED to be a coherent debris pile. "I just gotta remember where I left it!"

T-This really isn't the time for a sidequest, Carina!!

DG: Carina Wynne has used her Tool Rocket-O Punch toward her party's challenge, No One Stops.
==========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>==========================
========================<* CHALLENGE - No One Stops *>========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 It starts with a sudden impact of mental anguish being pressed into your      
 neural receptors. It's terribly painful but brief, then a loudspeaker turns   
 on in the distance and you hear Id's voice.                                   
                                                                               
 "Did you think you could just leave...?" His voice is absent the usual rage   
 and fury. If anything, it's tired, but most of all it's empty. "You cut my    
 brother down like an animal... and you think you can just leave?"             
                                                                               
 "I'd want it to hurt. I'd want it to hurt and hurt and hurt and I wouldn't    
 want it to stop. I would never want to get used to it. Isn't that right,      
 Ruby...?"                                                                     
                                                                               
 "So I won't stop. I don't have the luxury to stop. I will kill you and kill   
 you and kill you and kill you. That boy you called Fei can't stop me          
 anymore..."                                                                   
                                                                               
 "After all..."                                                                
                                                                               
 "He was never real..."                                                        
                                                                               
 Rather than strike directly, a crimson blast suddenly blasts through several  
 walls and into the ceiling before your group, sending a hefty amount of       
 debris blocking your escape!                                                  
=Dungeon Conditions: Overwhelm================================================
=====================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 1 *>=====================
==========================< Results - No One Stops >==========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   0 --(10)--> 10                 Fail
Brewte Force                        1   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carina Wynne                        0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Rocket-O Punch                      2   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Rally    
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kourin                              0 --(10)--> 10                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prissa                              0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Good Luck Bat                       2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen           
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catenna                             0 --(10)--> 10                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Overwhelm
Effects: Strengthen(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 So you know what's the problem after killing a massive creature like Mother is?
 
 She's probably got the whole place set to blow. Oh and THAT GEAR is coming out of the depths, radiating rage, hatred and just raw killing instincts. There's just only so much something can take. A shame, Arleph feels. He'd wanted to get a closer look to the computer systems now that Mother is dead.
 
 Arleph is running, ignoring the psychic cries by holding the side of his head as he runs along. He's bloodied, burnt and limping lightly on one foot. The ship is falling apart and here he is, trying to get an opportunity on the whole matter.
 
 Then they get separated.
 
 "KEEP MOVING ONWARD!" Arleph shouts through the debris, holding on tight to some part of the metal. "THERE'S BOUND TO BE SOME PATHS UP AHEAD WE CAN LINK BACK UP WITH. WHEN IN DOUBT, KEEP MOVING OUTWARD AND AHEAD, KEEP GOING UP."

<Pose Tracker> Tesni Inoue has posed.

Everything has gone to hades in a hand basket in some ways, Mother had been stopped, another thing was bothering her too about Ethius. However there was no time to worry about this it was time to run, she'd avoided that nightmare gear for the moment and not ended up dead.

 "YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE ARLEPH!"

 She's running like the Devil was after her. She was so glad the last years on this world had hardened her up. Several years ago she'd not have been able to run this fast for /this long.

 "How is there a AMWS like this?!"

 The stress of the whole affair getting to her as she keeps running. Hoping to not see the strange alien machine ever again....

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

        Jacqueline is screaming towards Lunata, but she's too far gone as she stares up and grimaces and whispers out a last, "Be safe..." even as she hears that taunt from Id and decides, no, screw it, she's going to be the adult for once and not respond to it.

        Donning her glasses, Jacqueline pulls out a profoundly explosive bottle and impales it with flame, lancing it and the debris through in one fell swoop -- WHOOM!

        Ethius follows up as he chains casts and continues to maintain weight with his spells as he fights rubble with rubble, proving to all that he's quite the rubble rouser.

        All this proves to be quite effective for Catenna to push what remains out of their way, alongside Lydia barging through and helping with her cyber-powered body and Prissa next to her. Arleph finds himself with the group as he shouts and points out a way up. Tesni questions her fellow spaceman on strange terms not knowable to anyone. They all shove, they all push, as Kourin also joins on in with Spirit giving very important moral support.

        And don't forget--

        ROCKET-O PUUUUUUUNCH!!

        Lunata slaps her forehead and pulls up a notepad program on the Rephaim's cockpit, because Heroic Shouting can be heard from miles away:

        * give the rephaim a rocket punch

        Sorry, Lunata, the Rephaim's too much of a Real Robot for that...

        One explosive burst of punching, flame-lancing, melting and good ol' pushing later and you're clear... but where are you going to go, now that you've left the ground?

        MEANWHILE

                            ....... you all right?
                           ... .... can you hear me?

        "... yeah ..."

                                 back then...
            ... you lunies could get by with just skinned knees...

        Lunata blinks a few times as she gawks and stares towards the open cockpit door, then towards several of her side cameras.

        The Rephaim is lying on a giant bed of flowers in the middle of a church in the Gutter in a shot that's probably going to be used for promos, trailers and symbolism for the next half a decade.

        There's a Gear-sized hole on the church's rooftop.

        A decidedly boxy Tainted is standing where the Rephaim's chest cavity is. Flowers adorn her from top to bottom, and she's positively radiant.

        Radiant, because her LED tube is on, proudly vending flowers for 1 Gella each. According to the programmed prices on each of her rows.

        "Flower for a gella, miss? And maybe a ride out?"

DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>==========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Bound By Gravity *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 You come upon a grouping of conveyor belts on your path out of the            
 Photosphere. Unfortunately, the conveyor belts are moving towards you and     
 not only that, but debris is falling on several of the conveyor belts,        
 forcing anyone trying to travel down them to jump between belts to avoid      
 being clobbered. Sadly, that's not the only problem.                          
                                                                               
 Weltall-Id happens to pass by in this moment and launches a burst of dark     
 energy behind the group, building into a black hole that tries to draw you    
 back and away from the conveyor belts and into oblivion. This does not make   
 the conveyor belts any easier either.                                         
                                                                               
 And with that, Weltall-Id just flies off to wreck other portions of the       
 facility, heedless as to whether you survive or not.                          
                                                                               
 What an asshole.                                                              
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG

"That noise...It's Lydia! She must be nearby!" Jacqueline comments, looking toward the others. "Move toward the sound of the noise she's making!"

Also heroically arriving on the scene is...!

"Locus! Thank goodness you're alright!" Jacqueline says. And she even says she found something that could help them escape!

"Really? That's wonderful! Lead the way, Lo-" ...Except she don't remember where it is... "U-um...well, that's okay! We'll find it..."

They needed every bit of help they could get - and there's really only one way to go. As they run, though, Jacqueline finds herself looking toward Ethius.

"I'm...unsure exactly what it was you did, but...you seemed to have stopped something terrible from happening. So...thank you." Jacqueline says, looking toward Ethius. "Did you...know that would halt Mother's plans?"

Soon enough, though, they find themselves facing an array of criss-crossing conveyor belts. At one point these were used to transports things all throughout the Photosphere(hey, teleportation isn't free!), but now they're serving to redistribute debris into inconvenient locations. Unfortunately, they're all going the same way - backwards - which means they'll have to run even faster to get where they're going, and jump from belt to belt to avoid the debris.

Which would be bad enough, if it weren't for Weltall-Id showing up. The red Gear launches a burst of dark energy, erupting into a black hole that draws in everything in its vicinity, consuming it utterly - and the conveyor belts are only making things worse.

"Th-this is ridiculous...what is this place even for...!?" Jacqueline gasps, running and jumping along the belts. This would be difficult even at the best of times, but she's exhausted and low on energy. She quickly reaches into her bag and draws out a green bottle, taking a swig. It helps give her some of her energy back...but only some.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, Bound By Gravity.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"A n-neat thing?!" Catenna asks Carina with a rapid blink. "At a time like this...."

The clanging of Lydia's bat helps! Soon enough, though, they've all linked up, and Catenna's bolting after Jacqueline, the Owlet fluttering after her. The Moon Shaman screeches to a halt, though, as she sees what's ahead.

Machines. Conveyor belts. All of them loaded with debris, and all of them running backwards.

Towards the black hole Weltall-Id just zapped into being. Gravity yanks at Catenna, and she throws her hands up with a growl. "Get moving!" she shouts at Jay over the din. "I'm going to try something!"

Clutching her Medium in both hands, Catenna focuses intently on the power of her Guardian. Shimmering white light builds up around her, soft and pure.

The pull of the black hole warps and shudders. It grows uneven; the hole itself distorts madly. The gravitational force commanding it begins to shrink and collapse in on itself, intruded upon by some other gravitic pressure. To look at the black hole is to tempt madness: As that second singularity opens up, light warps around the black hole and the second spell insanely, twisting into incoherent shapes the human eye can barely touch. Chunks of debris orbit the pair of gravity sources in bizarre looping patterns that seem to have an extra dimension.

Catenna doesn't stay to watch the black hole collapse. "RUN," she shouts as she sprints away across the conveyor belts as fast as she can.

DG: Catenna has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Bound By Gravity.
<Pose Tracker> Tesni Inoue has posed.

Something becomes painfully clear to Tess as she runs onward she needs to get a Gear, well that's the plan for if she lives. Oh look there's that horror AMWS again the Weltal-iD, fires one of it's weapons. Tess is already scrambling across the conveyor belt and pushes with everything she has to get the heck out of here.

 "I do not know and I blame Mother for it!"

 She calls out to Jac, as she keeps moving. Her body is screaming at her, but the idea of dying here? Leaving her work undone, her ship unrecoved and the Carvan behind? Is somehing she will not accept, she is not bound by Gravity damn it. She sailed the sea of stars and can someday do so again.

 "Not here...not like this."

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

"What's an AMWS?" Lydia asks.

Regardless, she busts on in and further, after a moment of thought adds to Prissa. "Riesenlied went back to save Siegfried but something bad happened I'm guessing because now the giant robot's out to rip the Photosphere apart!"

She gives glance between Jay and Ethius and frowns faintly. She isn't sure what they're talking about but it seems like Ethius did something sketchy.

Nevertheless this isn'treally the time for that because KILLER ROBOT IS COMING BACK.

Lydia pops open her skates which helps with the conveyer belts. "Clearly it's some sort of sporting arena!" Lydia tells Jacqueline. "For...sports, I'm guessing? Where they have to dodge...things?"

She skates for a bit before looking over to Prissa. "So..." Pause. "I'm guessing you guys aced Mother, huh? Nice job."

She will help fireman carry anybody who has trouble with the conveyer belt even though with that BLACK HOLE she might have a hard time pulling ahead.

"Ugggh that diiiiick!"

DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Radical Skates toward her party's challenge, Bound By Gravity.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin and Spirit dodge killer robot. They're very used to running, with all the practice they do.

"Who is piloting that Gear?" Kourin asks. "Why are they doing this?"

The trick rope goes out and helps yank anyone too close to the black hole!

DG: Kourin has used her Tool Trick Rope toward her party's challenge, Bound By Gravity.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 Arleph vanishes into a corridor as he's running alongside the escaping Carakin Party. That's when the Weltall-Id comes busting through the dark burst of energy that draws them out.
 
 Arleph comes running back out twice as fast, his eyes blood shot in panic with a stream of water at his feet being dragged out and sucked into the black hole beneath them, ducking out into another corridor, slamming into the door, slam it right open with a swing of his hand and rush inside.

<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

"Sorry Miss Jay, it's been a really long day," Locus says, putting her forefingers together and probably pouting behind her mask. "I'll set the MATRIX EYE to search for it!" She taps the side of her helmet a few times, seemingly satisfied for now.

She follows the group in either case, because there really is only one way they can go after all. And it's towards... the conveyor belt puzzle!!

"I think this is some kinda room for conveyor belts!" Locus exclaims in answer to Jay's question, insightfully. But even having solved this case doesn't help her so much run across them, especially when Id shows up to drop a black hole on them. What an ash-hole!

"Quick! Quickquickquickquick!" Locus stammers out as her ponytail narrowly gets sucked into the void before Catenna adds in a... counter-void? Carina has no idea how this works, but it seems to help her escape its pull for now. "Nice! But, if only I had that thing..."

Kourin asks some valid questions. "I was wonderin' that too! I ain't too good at paying attention to the plot!" What? It's true.

DG: Carina Wynne has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Bound By Gravity.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Ethius' eyes close for a moment, as though he somehow can find a moment to take a hand to his forehead EVEN WHEN EVERYTHING IS COLLAPSING AROUND HIM. A strange moment of detachment for a scene all too realistically standing to be one of their very last, as Jay pops him the question--
        The dashes trail-off indicates an interruption. The interruption is not him speaking. It should be.
        He can't use the chaos that unfolds some time later as a cover, because of the designation of 'some time.' There is ample period in this 'some time' for him to say something. If anything, the interruption is an entire lack of one, other than him walking forward all too leisurely.
        "Stay calm." Ethius says. About that... they have to traverse the conveyer belts, for one. The Spectral LEns comes out like clockwork where he has to convey (sorry) the bad news. "The means in which to redirect--"
        Weltall-Id seems to decide by proxy, however unwittingly, that Ethius-speech is not a free action and goes about doing what he does best, which is to say, make things worse. Ethius only survives looking directly in their direction for exactly three seconds. That is how long his composure can last, looking at the great machine head-on.
        "Move." He says this word a bit louder than he usually manages as he gets the harness for the Hot Air Sack around his wrist and - adrenaline trying to be a substitute for MP - casts the spell that makes it give him the ability to float over the debris, with one complication.
        Weltall-Id adds a black hole. Ethius has no traction.
        It is Catenna who may well save his life, but Ethius nonetheless makes a good show of quite possibly burning the hell out of his hand by repeatedly casting heavier, hottier yields of air that risks bursting the bag in the process.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Hot Air Sack toward his party's challenge, Bound By Gravity.
<Pose Tracker> Prissa has posed.

 
Conveyor belts. Wonderful, Prissa thinks as her descent finally leads her to land on one, crouching. She looks up at the passing Gear and she has a certain feeling. A feeling that she has felt twice before. Why, she's almost getting used to it! She hates that.

To Kourin she says, "At least there is no toxin."

After a beat, she says, "I don't know. As for your other question, I also don't know." She is digging out one of her few remaining javelins and hurls it forwards, where it embeds itself in a piece of geometry. This is rapidly proven wise when the dark gravity of the man Id draws her backwards. She immediately loops the rope round her waist and ties a knot, throwing up her arms as if to say 'what now?'

She is stuck momentarily, but she has also played goalie. Those who are drawn back will be caught by her, as far as she can. And when that horrid suction ends, she YANKS HERSELF FORWARDS REAL FAST.

DG: Prissa has used her Tool Zipline Javelin toward her party's challenge, Bound By Gravity.
==========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>==========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Bound By Gravity *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 You come upon a grouping of conveyor belts on your path out of the            
 Photosphere. Unfortunately, the conveyor belts are moving towards you and     
 not only that, but debris is falling on several of the conveyor belts,        
 forcing anyone trying to travel down them to jump between belts to avoid      
 being clobbered. Sadly, that's not the only problem.                          
                                                                               
 Weltall-Id happens to pass by in this moment and launches a burst of dark     
 energy behind the group, building into a black hole that tries to draw you    
 back and away from the conveyor belts and into oblivion. This does not make   
 the conveyor belts any easier either.                                         
                                                                               
 And with that, Weltall-Id just flies off to wreck other portions of the       
 facility, heedless as to whether you survive or not.                          
                                                                               
 What an asshole.                                                              
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
=====================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 2 *>=====================
========================< Results - Bound By Gravity >========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   10 --(0)--> 10                 Pass
Rapid Remedy                        1   Agility Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       5 --(0)--> 5                   Pass
Hot Air Sack                        2   Agility Effects: Resilient            
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carina Wynne                        5 --(0)--> 5                   Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kourin                              10 --(0)--> 10                 Pass
Trick Rope                          2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prissa                              5 --(0)--> 5                   Fail
Zipline Javelin                     2   Agility Effects: Stalwart             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         5 --(0)--> 5                   Pass
Radical Skates                      3   Agility Effects: Fanfare              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catenna                             10 --(0)--> 10                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           20 --(20)--> 40                Pass
Conditions: Overwhelm|Slow(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)|Resilient(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Blaming Mother is pretty reasonable for a lot of things, honestly. Jacqueline quietly agrees with Tesni, but right now she's too busy trying to run and breathe at the same time, which is harder than it sounds. But Kourin asks a question, a question which Locus echoes. That justifies an answer.

"I believe they're called...Id. I've never spoken to him personally, so I couldn't say why. But I felt it, a moment before he spoke - a wave of anguish. It doesn't excuse his actions, but...something terrible must've happened to him..." Jacqueline replies. "He also mentioned...Fei."

What was the significance of that...?

The important thing right now was that they keep moving. Jacqueline's potion gives her a little more of a boost, letting her fight against the conveyor belts. Ethius, meanwhile, elects to just fly away with his Hot Air Sack. It's a draining maneuver, but one that will prevent him from having to fight against the backwards push of the belts. Kourin uses her rope, giving everyone a lifeline to hold onto. Jacqueline is sure to take advantage of this. Lydia, meanwhile, skates right along, easily outpacing it. But...some of them are falling behind. Fortunately, Catenna has a plan.

She calls upon the power of Celesdue, the Guardian's power countering the black hole's gravitic pressure with its own. It begins to collapse...and then erupts, the shockwave sending everything in its vicinity flying.

This might include them, too. It won't be pleasant, but it could very well save their lives. It's a much better alternative than having been caught in it.

Eventually, they reach semi-solid ground. Jacqueline practically collapses, having to take a second to recover. In this time, she looks up to Lydia. She glances toward Ethius briefly.

She hasn't forgotten about the question.

She looks back toward Lydia then, with a nod.

"...Yes. Mother is...no more." Jacqueline replies. She just sounds...tired. It's not a victory she enjoys, even if it was a necessary one. She hesitates for a moment. "Were you, um...able to rescue Riesenlied...?"

DG: Carina Wynne has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>===========================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph *>===================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 There is a loud noise from somewhere above. It sounds like the combination    
 between an explosion and an earthquake.                                       
                                                                               
 And then, with a creak that emanates from all around you...the ceiling        
 collapses.                                                                    
                                                                               
 Towards you.                                                                  
                                                                               
 Maybe you can...hold it up? Or hit it hard enough it goes BACK up so you      
 have time to get away? At least you're not expected to carry an entire house  
 here. Or an entire Photosphere.                                               
=Dungeon Conditions: Collapse=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

"Hey, you did it!" Locus says in Jacqueline's direction, once she's back on solid, non-conveying ground. "You saved the world, y'know?" But another explosion resounds in the distance, reminding them to keep moving. And they do, but something... beeps. Locus' antennae waggle.

"This way!" she points, rounding a corner. And right there, just... sitting in the middle of the hallway, is...

                               MACHINE CYCLONER
          As Was Written in the Stars: A Motorcycle Shaped Like a Bug

Most people here don't have much of a frame of reference for what a motorcycle even is, but the purpose of the two-wheeled, metallic red contraption in front of them is fairly clear. What is less clear, however, is why its windshield sports antennae and a set of compound eyes that match Locus' to an uncanny degree.

"Pretty neat, huh?! It's some kinda steel horse I can ride! I found it just parked there, and it has my color scheme and everything!" Why? HOW? These are questions Locus seems unconcerned with right now. "It's too small to carry everyone, but if somebody's tired from runnin'..."

And then the entire hallway around them creaks, drowning out Carina's voice as the ceiling cracks and bends, large chunks of it beginning to plummet right over them.

"Oh come ON!" Locus says, swinging her arm back and, in a flash of light, conjuring up the launcher for a second giant steel fist. "ROCKET-O PUUUUUNCH!" she calls out as she swings the oversized fist back up and it rockets towards the ceiling. Mercifully, it doesn't explode on impact this time, instead opening its palm in an attempt to actually hold the ceiling up.

Does it work? Good question! Locus doesn't look, hopping on her new bike. VROOM.

DG: Carina Wynne has used her Tool Rocket-O Punch toward her party's challenge, Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Riesenlied," Catenna breathes in sudden realization. The look she throws towards Lydia is full of profound hope. She'd seen Mother lose control of the Ley, but that could mean anything, even Riesenlied's death--

She ends up falling back. Fortunately, Prissa is a great goalie. Catenna blushes as she thumps into the swordsmith's waiting catch. The Moon Shaman smiles gratefully back at her, blushing a bit. "Thank you."

And then--

                               MACHINE CYCLONER

"A... a steel horse?" Catenna echoes, blinking once, then a couple more times. "How? How could such a thing exist?"

catenna you travel in a literal cara-tardis why does a motorcycle surprise you

Anything else she says is lost in the sudden screech of the ceiling. Catenna looks up, then realizes how stupid an idea that is and begins to run as fast as her damn legs can carry her.

The ceiling begins to fall in, and boy is it falling in. Catenna can see the shadow on the floor ahead of her and hear the beams above her giving way. Scooping the Owlet up in her arms, she pours on as much speed as her legs can possibly bear in the hopes of getting out from under the falling panels before she ends up pancaked.

DG: Catenna has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph.
<Pose Tracker> Tesni Inoue has posed.

Thing keep gettin stranger as there's something sitting in the hallway she takes a look at the craft for a moment stares at it. She did not expect to see something like this. "Didn't think I'd see one of these here." She look at it for a moment and she stares.

 "Never been to the seed cities have you? It could just be the thing we need." Then the roof it coming down on them, she does not have stong arms but she will just start running more, they got to get out of here...

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

"Sure was!" Lydia tells Jay. "But then she went back in to rescue Siegfried! Despite ... being hardly able to walk." She frowns for a moment. "Geeze, she better make it back or I'm gonna be real nettled."

She slows down upon seeing the MACHINE CYCLONER and she oohs and aahs at it, a wrench appearing in her hands. "Maybe we can take a minute so I can take this apart and find out how it works and make a whole fleet of bug cycles and--" She pauses. "Maybe not, maybe not. Man that's so cooooool..."

Speaking of being nettled, now the ceiling is collapsing, stopping Lydia from gushing over the vehicle much longer.

Lydia swings her bat up with one hand and shoves her other hand up to try and keep the ceiling from crushing the group instinctively.

"Rgggghghhhh!!!!" She grunts. "GIVE US A BREAK ALREADY!"

DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Good Luck Bat toward her party's challenge, Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 Admist the things that are cracking and blowing through the ceiling, there's a clean cut explosion, a flash of light that cinders a clean, perfect circle with a figure coming out from it.
 
 Arleph lands like a sack of potatoes, a pained grunt, from the hole he made in the ceiling. He staggers to his feet, looks around, frowns. "... Well! Can't say I'm surprised I've met back with everyone ooohdearlet'skeepmoving."
 
 He stops, looking at the middle of the hallway he fell in, staring at the MACHINE CYCLONER. His mouth drops. Oh no. Oh no no no no.
 
 Arleph snaps out a few words, a symbological circle spreading out from his forearm, covering it in water. He snaps it in the machine's direction, grabbing to the VERY SOLID REAR of the machine. With a snap of fingers, two smaller circles extends beneath his feet, creating a small flow of water.
 
 "EVERYOBNE HOLD ON TIGHT TO THAT THING, IT'S GONNA BE ROUGH."

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin knows how to do! She's not commenting, at all, on the steel horse, it being completely new to her and just unexpected. Spirit sniffs it. But then things are falling, again. And Kourin, she knows how to do! Big ol' ice columns start forming.

"If you can keep it there I should be able to stabilize it..." she says, more hopeful than certain.

DG: Kourin has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Ethius shakes out the hand inside the repurposed loot sack in one of the more obvious shows of pain he's made in some time as Locus takes charge, revealing the...
        Ethius' eyes narrow slightly. There are still so many hanging questions he has. His head turns imperceptibly at mention of Riesenlied's name. Since Lydia is not spouting or screaming doom and gloom, then...
        "So she--"
        Ceiling.
        Lydia moves to throw her hand up, putting forth TERRIFYING NANITE STRENGTH to try and keep it from crushing them. She just might succeed.
        He doesn't have terrifying nanite strength. He runs his free hand across what's there as Lydia starts bashing the ceiling.
        "Miss Lydia." Ethius speaks as he strides forward with... still a bit too much composure. His fingers tap enigmatically on it. "I believe you have the right idea." He looks towards the mass of it. He has to risk being in there, to risk pancaking as Arleph calls for everyone to take a ride on THAT THING.
        ...
        He removes his hand from his face. Lydia can look over and see the white beard stubble, the lines of aging that pinpoint him as being in his mid-30s maybe? Mid or late? His expression matches his eyes, which is to say, hardly much of one.
        He is facing the prospect of being crushed to death with utter calm.
        "Hold that there." Ethius states as he starts to gesticulate with his freed hand, to apply a gentle but precise application of heat to enigmatically fuse a piece of heavy debris.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"...Yeah, we were." Jacqueline replies to Locus with a nod, still feeling a little subdued. Maybe a part of it is worry about Lunata - she still doesn't know if she's alright, and she'd been pushing herself so hard...

Thankfully, Lydia gives her a ray of hope. Jacqueline offers a slight smile.

"Oh, thank goodness...I was so worried about her. I hope she'll be okay..." She says.

Her thoughts are taken off of this, however, as Locus points them in a direction and they see what it was she found. It's...some kind of small, two-wheeled vehicle?

"...Wow, it um... It looks very..." Jacqueline stares at the motorcycle. Then Jacqueline stares at Locus. Then she stares at the motorcycle again. "Um...familiar."

No doubt this was a complete coincidence, even the fact that it has her color scheme and eyes.

Jacqueline, though, is more than willing to take Carina up on her offer for a ride. She'd probably end up slowing everyone down if she tried to continue on foot, so at least this way she could rest her feet for a little. But then, the ceiling starts to collapse!

Jacqueline holds on with one hand, while the other vanishes into her bags.

"Here, take one of these!" She urges everyone, drawing out some potions. She downs one herself, while she passes out one to everyone else. Including Arleph, who manages to reunite with the party!

"A-are you alright? It looks like a lot happened..." She asks before gesturing with her left hand - the one that was passing out potions. A column of earth rises up, joining Kourin's ice columns with the hopes of keeping the ceiling up.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph.
<Pose Tracker> Prissa has posed.

 
Id, Prissa thinks. What a plain name for something, someone, like THIS.

"What, Fei? That hot guy?" Prissa says with some disbelief, even as she hauls herself further forwards. Reclaiming her javelin, she answers Jay even if Jay asked Lydia, mostly. "Yah. You sure that Mother is gone?? Hah!"

And then they turn a corner.

To see.

MACHINECYCLONER

"Sick," Prissa says. "Can - Oh," Carina gets up ins, but Prissa does not object. Exhaling, she rolls her neck, and then the ceiling rumbles, and Prissa curses the speed with which events are moving.

"Lydia," Prissa says as she loops rope through the back of the MACHINE CYCLONER, where Arleph has shown an idea. "Pop out your skates. I'm going to ask you to carry me here, or rather, to let me also use your skates." She's learned the word. Skate! It's not just a fish!

(She also downs the potion because she may need that HP in a minute.)

From Lydia's back (whether she does the skates or not) Prissa tells Ethius, "You seem to be taking this all well."

DG: Prissa has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph.
===========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>===========================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph *>===================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 There is a loud noise from somewhere above. It sounds like the combination    
 between an explosion and an earthquake.                                       
                                                                               
 And then, with a creak that emanates from all around you...the ceiling        
 collapses.                                                                    
                                                                               
 Towards you.                                                                  
                                                                               
 Maybe you can...hold it up? Or hit it hard enough it goes BACK up so you      
 have time to get away? At least you're not expected to carry an entire house  
 here. Or an entire Photosphere.                                               
=Dungeon Conditions: Collapse=================================================
======================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 3 *>======================
=====================< Results - Wreck-Id, Wreck-Id Ralph >=====================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   10 --(12)--> 22                Fail
Brewte Force                        1   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       5 --(12)--> 17                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carina Wynne                        5 --(12)--> 17                 Fail
Rocket-O Punch                      2   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Rally    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kourin                              10 --(12)--> 22                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prissa                              5 --(7)--> 12                  Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         5 --(7)--> 12                  Pass
Good Luck Bat                       2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen           
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catenna                             10 --(12)--> 22                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           40 --(10)--> 50                Fail
Conditions: Collapse
Effects: Strengthen(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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> Carina Wynne has posed.

"Probably some kinda Metal Demon invention," Locus answers Catenna, a little distractedly. That would explain it at first glance, but... Obviously that can't be the whole story. "Haha, maybe later!" she tells Lydia. A fleet (swarm?) of bug cycles would be cool but also terrifying.

Jay sits behind Locus, who gives her a thumbs up as earth and ice pillars come up in an effort to prop the ceiling up. Lydia applies her terrifying nanite strength, which works surprisingly well but can't last forever. Ethius fuses debris, making them easier to hold up while Arleph and Prissa work a clever water-skiining/skating trick... and Locus grabs on to the handles and lets the engine roar.

"Hold on tight, y'all!" This might also be solid advice for Catenna and Tesni, as Locus rides past and the ropes follow. This might be too many people for a single ARM of that size to pull, but if you look at the stats on the official Machine Cycloner trading card you can probably see it has a nuclear reactor engine and can pull twelve megatons or something stupid like that.

And then the ceiling falls over the bike riding-and-holding-on-to group. Silence falls. All is still. A few seconds pass.

A moment later, metallic debris EXPLODES in shards of earth, ice and molten metal, followed by another giant fist spinning out of control. Out of the hole flies the CaraKin gaggle, all holding on (or having otherwise found its way out) after what must have probably been a sweet jump. There is a good chance that most people are screaming. AT THE VERY LEAST LOCUS IS.

Everyone is a little worse for wear, but at least they're still going!

DG: Ethius Hesiod has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================================<* Photosphere - Escape *>===============================================
====================================<* CHALLENGE - Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions *>====================================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
 You are going down the hall when suddenly an explosion erupts throughout the  
 facility and starts making its way towards you! Unfortunately, you aren't     
 going to be able to make it out of the way in time, but with enough power     
 perhaps you can show the explosion what's boss! It's like a Demon Wall, but   
 made out of fire! And approaching very quickly. And also contains a fair      
 amount of shrapnel!                                                           
                                                                               
 Best show it who's boss!                                                      
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Some way or another, everyone's along for the ride. It's a striking look, watching the teal-hued lighting of the Photosphere - such of it that is still functional and not blacked out by continued damages or what have you - reflect off of Metal Locus and her strange metal horse as a growing explosion follows from behind them. There isa flash of crimson moments before the clarity of this color is lost to fire and sound.
        Ethius is in the less-nice position of having to have both his hands holding onto some indeterminate part of this whole mess. Nothing around his face. No hands free for spellcasting. No time to sit back and catch one's breath, as the wash of heat starts to catch up to all of them while fragments of Photosphere race ahead and around them.
        There are many things Ethius does not seem to be willing or able to tell them. All of them are clinging onto some sort of hope that they'll make it out alive - they must, after all they've been through - anyone would internalize. They are facing ahead to the life they have hard-won for the planet.
        He stares into the bright blast of fire heading their way. Insane a prospect as it is for his fatigue, he dares part a hand from wherever (or whomever) he's looking to.
        He doesn't tell them the fire's catching up. He should, shouldn't he, an outside observer might say.
        He decides against, as he risks voiding what strength he has to hold on as he starts chanting some manner of Symbological spell to try and do some sort of vague but destructive purpose as regards this. He doesn't tell anyone to go faster, he doesnt' tell anyone to look behind them - but there may yet be some vague notion (...like FIRE AND LIGHT CATCHING UP FAST) that might compel someone to look back.
        Inwardly, he tries to take it upon himself, in silence, to deal with the issue the only way he knows how, as though he would continue to prefer they keep their eyes ahead - just as he attempted to politely ask them to do prior to their fateful battle with Mother.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Catenna ends up clutching the back of Carina's motorcycle.

"I DON'T LIKE THIS THING," Catenna shrieks as she's sped along. Her legs trail in the air behind her like a comet's tail.

Then something explodes. It's so loud that Catenna can't even be heard crying out in surprise.

Looking back over her shoulder as she tries like the dickens to keep ahold of the bike, she stares with her mouth slightly ajar. The fire is catching up fast. It could very well consume them all.

"PLEASE GO FASTER," she shouts over the sound of the explosion, as if it could actually milk a few more miles per hour out of this damned contraption of Carina's.

She doesn't have much that can stop an explosion. As the wind rips past her, she clumsily pulls a spell together, and a tidal wave springs out from around her to go crashing back down the corridor towards the blast front as she draws on the power of Lucadia to try and see her through.

It is not a great tidal wave because Catenna is dangling off the back of a speeding bike right now.

DG: Catenna has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline does, in fact, hold on tight. She clings onto the vehicle as tightly as she can, holding on so that she doesn't fall off as Locus accelerates into a sweet jump. She isn't screaming, but that's only because all of her energy is being spent holding onto the vehicle.

But...though she doesn't get through it unscathed, they do get through the crushing ceiling. But that's followed by an explosion, that is very rapidly chasing them. Ethius doesn't need to tell her this - Jacqueline looks back and notices it with a worried yelp.

"I-I'll see if I can...!" Jacqueline turns back, gesturing repeatedly. Pillar after pillar rises up from the ground, attempting to drain the explosion of energy as it eats through each one in succession. But it's rapidly eating through Jacqueline's energy, too, and she didn't have much of that to begin with.

Who'll be the one who emerges victorious in the end?

(Spoilers: It's probably not Jacqueline.)

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin and Spirit are holding on tight. How is Spirit holding on tight? By being a dog. Dogs work that way!

"This is thrilling but not 'fun', I think," Kourin observes without apparent jest. Sometimes she's weird that way. This is one of those times. Where she is weird. That way.

Setting that and Shatner aside, however, Kourin's ice walls help delay the blast and, because they're being evaporated by heat, create a cool steamy look to the explosion, making the scene EVEN MORE AWESOME.

DG: Kourin has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia runs out shortly after the Carinacycle, punching a Lydia sized hole through the debris. She pants for breath for a moment. "Okay...must be almost there... yeah..." She stands herself up dizzily before--explosions now too?!

Lydia runs backwards and she says, "Are you shitting ussssss??"

This is what she gets for not speccing into water or anthing and only having lasers and also rocks. Hmm. But maybe there's one way she can help!!

Lydia swings her bat repeatedly to deflect away shrapnel away from the group alongside heavier bits of debris. Hopefully that will help?? Lydia isn't really sure about the physics of this but you never know right??

She does give Ethius a small glance over, howver brief. Jeeze, she thinks, to think he can still keep his cool over something like this.

"I'm not sure what you mean by me having the right of it...! But of course I do!! I'm brilliant!!"

She isn't sure that Mother is gone herself, but she figures if Jay is saying so it must be true.

She doesn't have anything to say about that Fei jerk.

DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Good Luck Bat toward her party's challenge, Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

"I'M TRYIIIIIN'!" Locus shouts back, on the question of going faster, feeling like she's already exhausted the ways to speed up her vehicle as everyone is holding on to it, or at least to herself. Hmmm. Hey, maybe she should ask the gearheads to make her a sidecar later.

...Focus, Locus, focus!

"I don't THINK there's a rocket booster button on there," she says, glancing at her dashboard quickly before resuming dodging debris. To her credit, she's doing this very well, for someone who has only obtained this thing an hour or two ago, and has in the past demonstrated that she absolutely can't drive the CaraKin. "...wait, I've got an idea!"

She takes a hand off the handlebar to point it behind her. "EVERYBODY DUCK! ROCKET-O PUNCH!"

And the launcher appears and disappears, launching what was likely Carina's last Rocket-O Punch an inch past more or less everyone's head, and straight into the explosion. Shalune would likely be proud to hear that the burst does speed the bike up infinitesimally, though it does destabilize Locus' handling, sending the whole contraption wobbling for a short but potentially nauseating second.

"Whoops, sorry gang!"

DG: Carina Wynne has used her Tool Rocket-O Punch toward her party's challenge, Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

Arleph snaps his fingers again. The water skates extends for Prissa to get on. He smiles at her. Hey, it's one thing, it's cool!
 
 The rest of the ride is not cool.
 
 "WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO RIDE!?" Arleph shouts in middle of the cacophony, the symbologist missing a part of his hat that's been ripped cleaned off and one part of his sleeve having gnawed away by some of the stones that fly right part. He keeps his hands firmly on his Water Whips that keeps them ALIVE right now. "BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING WAY BETTER THAN I IMAGINED YOU WOULD!"
 
 The accumulation of pain, wounds and fatigue is starting to catch up to him, he can feel the various foams he cast on himself to take care of his wounds are starting to fall off already, from all the commotion. He snaps his head left and right fast, blinks and look fully over his shoulder, over Prissa.
 
 "Ah. Do something! I'll keep us afloat to the metal horse!"

<Pose Tracker> Prissa has posed.

 
The group keeps on keeping on. Prissa feels a little dizzy from all of the distortions in the ground. Are they falling? It's hard to credit, but what goes up doesn't stay up unless something keeps it up there.

And then before them is a wall. Behind them is an explosion as the Photosphere dies. Behind her mask, Prissa breathes in.

Something guides her hand as she reaches, not for Galatine, not for a knife, but for the long slim curved blade she has called a 'shamshir' when asked. She draws it out one inch.

                             O V E R D R I V E !
                                Sword Spirit
                    Tangerine Oil Quenched - Cut Thru!!!

A burst of orange light smashes forwards, laser-sharp and leaving a citrus-refreshed aroma in its passage.

Prissa slides the sword back into its sheath afterwards.

DG: Prissa has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions.
===============================================<* Photosphere - Escape *>===============================================
====================================<* CHALLENGE - Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions *>====================================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
 You are going down the hall when suddenly an explosion erupts throughout the  
 facility and starts making its way towards you! Unfortunately, you aren't     
 going to be able to make it out of the way in time, but with enough power     
 perhaps you can show the explosion what's boss! It's like a Demon Wall, but   
 made out of fire! And approaching very quickly. And also contains a fair      
 amount of shrapnel!                                                           
                                                                               
 Best show it who's boss!                                                      
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
==========================================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 4 *>==========================================
======================================< Results - Cool Dudes Shoot At Explosions >======================================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   22 --(25)--> 47                Fail
Brewte Force                        1   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       17 --(25)--> 42                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carina Wynne                        17 --(15)--> 32                Pass
Rocket-O Punch                      2   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Rally    
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kourin                              22 --(25)--> 47                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prissa                              12 --(25)--> 37                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         12 --(25)--> 37                Fail
Good Luck Bat                       2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen           
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catenna                             22 --(25)--> 47                Fail
Force                               0   Brute 
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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.
[OOC] Ethius Hesiod says, "that is a splat!!!"
[OOC] Carina Wynne says, "hahahahaha, oh my goddd, oh no"
[OOC] Arleph Ardan says, "yeah that's not unexpected."
[OOC] Catenna falls off the bike
[OOC] Carina Wynne says, "Yes, the mental image this evokes is everyone but Carina falling off the bike"
[OOC] Catenna says, "the good news is, i think we're out of Brute"
[OOC] Carina Wynne says, "Good, because I'm out of punches!"
[OOC] Kourin says, "oof"
[OOC] Prissa says, "Blew the minigame input..."
[OOC] Jacqueline Barber says, "What button inputs does Prissa's Overdrive require?"
[OOC] Prissa says, "Since I'm from the mobile side story, you have to orient the Sw*tch in the right ways, which isn't
very clearly explained."
[OOC] Carina Wynne pfff
[OOC] Jacqueline Barber says, "Ah, I see, I see..."
[OOC] Lydia Seren says, "makes sense"
<Pose Tracker> Tesni Inoue has posed.

Tes si along for the ride, somehow it's one heck of an experiance but by a miracle they are able to get though it alive. She now keeps moving once she gets lose. She keeps haning on maybe even to someone as she focuies her own powers and a wall of force will form behind the group and she strains to keep it up, it won't be for long but it may indeed help. Ot maybe it will not.
[OOC] Lunata Croze says, "is that why prissa has so many swords, because she drew them all from the gat cha"
[OOC] Tesni Inoue says, "We are weak vs explosions! D: who knew"
[OOC] Jacqueline Barber says, "Maybe Prissa...is the weapons gacha..."
[OOC] Carina Wynne says, "Makes sense... :|a"
[OOC] Prissa says, "gags aside i did kind of design on the idea that she was some kind of infinite crafting/reccetear spinoff"
[OOC] Prissa says, "that's why all my swords stack bonuses and weird effects"
[OOC] Carina Wynne says, "Haha, nice"
[OOC] Prissa says, "Please microtransact for fusion cores and rare mats"
[OOC] Lydia Seren says, "reccetear mobile"
[OOC] Jacqueline Barber says, "I really should finish that game some time..."

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Ethius can't stop it. It's not clear to the casual observer - or any, because of all the explosions - what spell he might be trying to cast or what good he thinks he could do, but he sure seems determined about it as some of the more panicked calls sound around him.
        Catenna screams they go faster as water washes ahead.
        Jay stammers something as earthen pillars rise.
        Kourin coolly raises ice walls that melt immediately.
        Lydia swings that bat recklessly, catching some of the shrapnel and occasionally clattering it noisily across architecture.
        Arleph's water skis leak more moisture behind him as he commentates about someone's driving skills.
        Tesni tries to stop the force with Symbological telekinesis.
        Prissa cuts the fire in half, where it burbles and wavers and tries to reform.
        "Don't look back." Ethius tries to call over this. It... sounds close to pleading, almost, by his standards. He's not succeeding in coming up with anything to stop it.
        The explosion rocks everything so hard, as Locus looks back and fires a Rocket-O Punch - with a problem. The ride will be jostled so much that she can't punch the explosion behind her, it gets re-routed ahead... where it punches a hole into the bulkhead that provides the narrowest opening in which to go through. Only just, and that is as the explosion catches up and bathes them in a wash of scalding heat before they can make it out the other end, tongues of flame tauntingly licking them. Some of them may now be partially on fire in its wake.
        That's not even the worst of what's to come.
[OOC] Catenna says, "Lemme pick up the next one"

DG: Catenna has drawn a new Challenge.
============================<* Photosphere - Escape *>============================
==========================================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 4 *>==========================================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Wounded Solarians *>========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
----------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------
 You come upon a group of wounded Gebler agents that are trying to find their  
 own way out of the facility. Despite everybody wanting out, these agents      
 seem just panicked enough that when they see you, they open fire with their   
 ARMs and even unleash a few ether assaults in your direction! Luckily with    
 enough throttling you can convince them to escape instead, or maybe you       
 don't want to bother with such niceties. Nevertheless, they'll ultimately     
 choose flight over fight if they fight drags on.                              
=Dungeon Conditions: Maim=====================================================
[OOC] Catenna says, "all the 3s"
[OOC] Catenna says, "all of them"
[OOC] Arleph Ardan says, "yeeessus"
[OOC] Carina Wynne says, "Jeez!! But at least I'm equipped to handle that one"
[OOC] Jacqueline Barber says, "Yes, CaraKin is much better at combat than brute..."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

When the explosion finally does pass, Catenna has to duck away for a moment so she can try and put out the fire that's licking at the edge of her coat. She ends up staggering down a side corridor. The Owlet flutters after her.

A few seconds pass.

Then Catenna comes running out of the corridor. She's more on fire now. "Bad idea, very bad idea!" she puffs before diving behind a chunk of debris.

After a couple more seconds, a small group of men and women in white and black uniforms burst out of that hallway. Several of them appear to be hurt, one bleeding pretty seriously from the shoulder. But the one in charge --

"Ohoho~ You're in our way, silly [Lambs]!" huffs the unit commander, a statuesque blonde woman with big blown-out hair, before leveling an incredibly fancy-looking ARM and beginning to fire away. Blasts of energy rip through the corridor. More firepower joins it. So do bursts of Ether, fire and lightning tearing towards the group.

"Who's a [Lamb]," Catenna mutters as she hunkers down behind the debris chunk. A few bullets scatter off of it. Clutching her left hand tightly, she finally leans out, then snaps off a spell. Gravity sweeps upwards.

The commander's in the middle of aiming her ARM when she's suddenly hurled off her feet and into the ceiling.

"Ohohohohohoooooh nooooo~"

DG: Catenna has used her Tool Celesdue Medium toward her party's challenge, Wounded Solarians.
[OOC] Carina Wynne says, "A-An ojousama!!"
[OOC] Catenna says, "Ohoho~"
[OOC] Ethius Hesiod rubs hands together, time for another moment.
[OOC] Catenna says, "(Fun fact: I had a Gebler ojousama character for like five minutes around launch)"
[OOC] Carina Wynne says, "Ooooh"
[OOC] Prissa says, "fortunately this will be a brisk pose for me, but lydia will like it"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

As foretold, the explosion wins.

It doesn't quite catch up to them, but the shockwave is enough to send Jacqueline flying from Locus's vehicle, through the opening where she crashes into the ground and rolls to a stop. She is, for a moment, dazed, but with a groan she manages to haul herself up...just in time to see a unit of wounded Gebler agents who've ended up in the same area.

As blasts of energy fly toward them Jacqueline raises up a pillar of earth to protect herself. She briefly takes a moment to draw out the Lifeweaver's Codex, finding an empty page in which to jot down a few notes on their ARMs.

"Please, cease firing! Now is not the time to be fighting amongst each other! We all need to evacuate, immediately!" Jacqueline urges. "There's enough room for both of us, but if it comes down to it I must prioritize the safety of my friends! Please cooperate! If you require an incentive, I have curatives I'd be willing to share!"

She hopes they'll be willing to listen to reason - she didn't want to let anyone else die here, even if they were ostensibly an enemy.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool The Lifeweaver's Codex toward her party's challenge, Wounded Solarians.
<DICE ROLLER> Lydia Seren rolled 1d100 <9> + 0 = 9
[OOC] Lunata Croze says, "LYDIA PSYCHO UP"
[OOC] Catenna says, "I never cease to be amazed at how much of a Wild Arms protagonist Jay is"
[OOC] Catenna says, "It's absolutely adorable"
[OOC] Jacqueline Barber says, "Aww, I'm glad you think so!"
[OOC] Lunata Croze says, "aww yes"
<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

"I'm really good at horses!" Locus calls back to Arleph, proudly. His compliment may be a little backhanded, and her explanation may not explain much of anything, but she'll take it anyway. "Hey, nice Orange Slicer!" she tells Prissa. Is that what it's called?

Then fire washes over Locus, the bike and everyone. The former two are not so flammable, but it's more of a problem for the rest. The armored heroine has to stay focused, too, to ride into the breach, and to safety!

Finally everyone can step off from this crazy train as Locus brakes to a halt. "Yeesh laweesh... Everybody all right? Talk 'bout a crazy ride..." Then Catenna runs back to them, on frickin' fire! More than before!!

"AW JEEZ. I'm too pooped for this!" Gebler agents pour in, including an ojousama! "Come on..."

Stepping off her bike, Locus extends her hand to reach, once more, into her As-Of-Yet Unnamed Locus Item Storage Space and pull out... a bag! She reaches inside and pulls out several... individually... wrapped... fruit pies?

"Locus fruit pies!" she announces, throwing the bag in their direction. "You look like y'all could use a snack! We really don't wanna be fightin' right now, y'know?"

Can the Gebler agents resist the appeal of moist flaky crust and real fruit filling? If they do, Locus is still open to punching-based options. She's flexible.

DG: Carina Wynne has used her Tool Locus Fruit Pies toward her party's challenge, Wounded Solarians.
[OOC] Catenna says, "carina you fill my heart with love"
[OOC] Carina Wynne :>
[OOC] Lunata Croze says, "oh my gosh"
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin doesn't love explosions. She and Spirit pick themselves up, as Jay and Catenna make some new friends.

"It's clear they're treating us as foes, Miss Jacqueline," Kourin says, crushing her rimebomb in her left hand. The glacial claw to which her friends may have become accustomed forms, and then she--and Spirit--are off.

You'd think a swordswoman would be at a disadvaantage against ARMs, but the way Kourin dances between the shots is incredible to observe. And it is, in fact, a dance--Kourin is humming a hymn to Althena as she fights.

For now, and probably to Jay's relief, Kourin's strikes are aimed to disarm rather than kill, though should it be necessary...

DG: Kourin has used her Tool Rimebomb toward her party's challenge, Wounded Solarians.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia, now covered in soot and with a fair number of shrapnel sticking out of her body. She is also partially on fire along her shoulders which she hasn't yet noticed, isn't exactly keen on seeing Solarian agents. She takes in a deep sharp breath as she sees the smalll squad and looks into the unit commander's eyes.

She recognizes that look in her eyes. It's the look...OF SOMEONE LOOKING DOWN ON HER!!

Lydia says, "That's it!! You dorks are going down!!" She yells as she runs forward and promptly gets electrocuted by ether and is sent flying back, landing on her back and her bat coming down and konking her on her head.

"Wuggghh...." Lydia groans from her position on the floor.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Even Ethius, who seems to thrive in environments where things are on fire, hard to breathe, or makes cute beepy noises and strange colored lights - in any combination thereof - seems to be on roughly even ground with the rest of them, emotionally, as he coughs and sputters after rolling across the cold hard Photosphere ground. A hand clutches his head.
        ...
        He hears footsteps. The flashes of color of uniform he sees...
        "Hide." He is insistent about this, enough that even through grievous injury he has enough ingrained reflex to hurl himself behind some of the debris for cover. The hand on his head goes down to his forehead...
 
        Nearly Three Years Ago
 
        The mountain ranges near Lacour. Near him, flame, and... shards. Stone? No, metal. He could hear the thrusters blaze through the skies. The boulder he hid behind was just large enough to obscure his person. He was able to see those colors converge upon the area, the position.
        Gebler. That was Gebler. Who were they, why were they there? What did they want?
        It was but a speck in the sky. The tiniest little gleam of silver the eye knew what it saw. It made him hunker down against the boulder further, until he re-evaluated... this was the only way.
        He looked to the distant drop below. Whatever his reason, he had to, before they...
        They...?
        There was a precision to his positioning, having maneuvered himself around the boulder he hid - having moved at angles that would have been difficult for that speck. He had to remove himself.
 
        Now
 
        Just as Jay tries to reason with them, there is a cloud of smoke and dust. A Powder Grenade. Ethius' familiar trick. He throws another piece of debris, loud as it might be, to cover his footsteps and try to track their sight somewhere else. With no bandanna around the lower half of his face and both hands needing to be free, there is a scant, split-second look at the man's face. What does the man look like when it is clear he might be - no, definitely is - moving to kill someone, or multiple someones? While taking advantage of Jay's genuine goodwill, without her knowledge or consent?
        ...
        There is no excitement on the man's face. Nothing to suggest a heightened fear, or excitement, or anything. After that split-second, he disappears fully into that smoke cloud to do what is probably most expected. Cast those awful spells, or deal with the matter by hand.
        Even now, he is thorough.

DG: Lydia Seren has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Wounded Solarians.
[OOC] Carina Wynne says, "It's great, too, because this sort of situation is 100% the ideal use case for crime-fighting
using Hostess products"
[OOC] Kourin says, "I feel like I hit a stride here--aha"
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Powder Grenade toward his party's challenge, Wounded Solarians.
[OOC] Kourin says, "and then Ethius drops looooongpost at me"
[OOC] Kourin says, "<3"
[OOC] Tesni Inoue looks at Catenna. "oh god is that who I think it is?"
[OOC] Tesni Inoue says, "I can't extra vote you for it sadly :("
[OOC] Catenna says, "OOOOO~HO~HO~HO~HO~HO~"
[OOC] Catenna says, "(it's someone different)"
<Pose Tracker> Prissa has posed.

 
Prissa, having spent her overdrive, is a little subdued. She's probably tired. Definitely determined. At least the only problem before them are... assholes.

Prissa has little experience with Gebler, other than the inimitable encounter with Loren "Curb Your Lambthusiasm" Voss. She knows it is a thing that exists because she's heard people talk about it, but many of Prissa's understandings of Filgaia are extremely sketchy.

But this, about Gebler, Prissa understands: One of them blasts Lydia, who has a metallic body. She is hurt.

Prissa advances through the fog, not saying anything in particular. Her desert-filter mask hides her face. "Hey," she says to the soldier coming down off his cast.

She then gives him a knife. Prissa does that a lot but in this case, instead of putting it handle-first into the man's hand, she puts it into the interior side of his leg the other way around before pushing him over. Having created a market for curatives, Prissa pulls out another knife and wheels on the guy with the combat rod who came for her. That man is stabbed in the butt.

<Pose Tracker> Tesni Inoue has posed.

Tess keeps pushing she's able to give some very limited protectio but she's bunrd it's horrible and she forcably keeps her jaw clneche least she cry out and the flames find their way into her muoth. She's alive she can heal, then comes Gebler. She's about ready to get her gun, she knows those uniforms from several years ago. If not for Carina's and Jay's pleas? Tess might have stsrted a fight.

 "Do you want to die or get out of here, we need to get out of here lets stop this and run."

DG: Prissa has used her Tool A Disturbingly Large Quantity of Knives toward her party's challenge, Wounded Solarians.
<Pose Tracker> Tesni Inoue has posed.

Tesni Inoue is also keeping to cover for the moment.
[OOC] Tesni Inoue says, "Still you do Gebler so well <3"
[OOC] Catenna says, "PRissa you wonderful human being"

======================<* Photosphere - Escape *>======================
==========================================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 4 *>==========================================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Wounded Solarians *>========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
----------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------
 You come upon a group of wounded Gebler agents that are trying to find their  
 own way out of the facility. Despite everybody wanting out, these agents      
 seem just panicked enough that when they see you, they open fire with their   
 ARMs and even unleash a few ether assaults in your direction! Luckily with    
 enough throttling you can convince them to escape instead, or maybe you       
 don't want to bother with such niceties. Nevertheless, they'll ultimately     
 choose flight over fight if they fight drags on.                              
=Dungeon Conditions: Maim=====================================================
=======================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 5 *>=======================
==========================================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 4 *>==========================================
=========================< Results - Wounded Solarians >==========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   47 --(0)--> 47                 Pass
The Lifeweaver's Codex              2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       42 --(0)--> 42                 Pass
Powder Grenade                      3   Combat  Effects: Fanfare              
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carina Wynne                        32 --(0)--> 32                 Pass
Locus Fruit Pies                    1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse              
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kourin                              47 --(0)--> 47                 Pass
Rimebomb                            3   Combat  Effects: Rally                
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prissa                              37 --(0)--> 37                 Pass
A Disturbingly Large Quantity of Kn 2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         37 --(5)--> 42                 Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catenna                             47 --(0)--> 47                 Pass
Celesdue Medium                     2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
------------------------------------< Party >-------------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           60 --(20)--> 80                Pass
Conditions: Collapse|Injure(1)|Maim
Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)
================================< Dream Chasers >=================================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 "Well, she's trying to negociate. That's more than I can say out of theses buffons." Arleph snaps in, holding on tight to his water sky whips holding on tight to the bikes. Fortunately, they are kinda FREE of that bit now, freeing one of his arms from the Water Whip to spread it out to the Gebler.
 
 He remember theses peoples. That sort of uniform, the symbologist narrowing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. It certainly feel like theses guys. Just... grunts, it seems. Damn. Ethius is also lost suddenly from his sight. That's another person he wants to keep his eyes on, after the last encounter with Mother.
 
 It'll be a lot more difficult living in the Caravan for a while, now.
 
 "It's really not the time for us to fight, you bunch of idiots! To that giant possessed gear, we're all a bunch of nails and he's the hammer, so get your charged, iconic appelations out of your head and KEEP MOVING YOU IDIOTS."
 
 A symbol shoots out, creating a shield populated with hundred of small hexagones. Truth to be told, it wont be as effectic. Etheric weaponry, at his current output level and fatigue, wont block a lot.
 
 Similarly, his hat is on fire after being engulfed in flames. He seems unaware of this.

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Leave it to Jay to be full of hope.

The CaraKin's founding alchemist makes her appeal to the Gebler crowd. A flurry of rayfire and lightning is her answer - though one of the more wounded recruits begins to lower his weapon.

"Lieutenant," he asks the blonde-haired unit leader, "Maybe she's right. Maybe--"

"Look!" another one exclaims "Look, they have Locus Fruit Pies! How could we fight them wh--"

"Oh, please!" scoffs the unit commander as she levels her rifle again. "Haven't you had enough to eat?" She tosses a package of Vienna sausages over her shoulder diffidently.

Then Lydia and Kourin go trampling in. The Gebler operatives don't seem to know how to confront these two; one of them loses his ARM to Kourin's sword, and another gets clocked in the head by Lydia's bat. Ethius hurls the powder grenade.

By the time he gets to his victim, however, he finds something interesting.

Namely, he finds that Prissa just shanked a dude in the leg and then stabbed another one in the butt.

The unit commander coughs away a faceful of powder, firing a few last covering volleys even as Catenna hurls a couple of her teammates away with a gravity toss. "Damn it all!" she growls. "Filthy [Lambs]! You haven't heard the end of this!!"

Yeah you have. The Gebler column begins to fall back. A couple of wounded officers grab Prissa's victims and drag them along.

"My glutes," sobs the poor man.

DG: Lydia Seren has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>==========================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - BART MISSILES *>========================
|Type: Climax      |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 You finally manage to find yourself out on a ledge on the side of the         
 Photosphere along what seems to be the remains of an observation deck. Up     
 above you and across the way is another observation deck where half of the    
 Tzadkiel lays dormant after being cleaved in twain by Siegfried. Nearby,      
 several fallen Gebler agents lay dead.                                        
                                                                               
 Suddenly Weltall-Id swoops around the side of the Photosphere, and hovers in  
 the air before you. Its weapon systems charge as it points a hand in your     
 direction.                                                                    
                                                                               
 Suddenly....!                                                                 
                                                                               
 A slew of Bart Missiles are launched from the Yggdrasill towards the upper    
 platform. The Tzadkiel tilts downward before collapsing towards Weltall-Id.   
 The battleship crashes into Weltall-Id and sends it tumbling downward         
 towards Filgaia.                                                              
                                                                               
 Unfortunately, several Bart Missiles are were launched in the direction       
 Weltall-Id was moments before and are are now in its path! GET OUT OF THE     
 WAY!!                                                                         
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Reckless, Fright, Overzealous==================
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

PIERCED IN THE BUTT BY AN AL BHED BY CHUCK TINGLE

"Wait--I remember this place..." Lydia says, hopping up to her feet. "This way!" She runs off through a set of hangar doors, leading the group to what looks like the remains of an observation deck.

"Wait this isn't the right one..." Lydia says. "Shit...but it's okay, it's okay... the Fereshte should be pulling around any second now." Lydia murmurs, looking around a bit before looking over to--

--to what look like a slew of dead Gebler on the ground. Were the Solarians they ran into out to recover their bodies? Is that what happened? Lydia covers her mouth and takes a few deep breathes into it.

Then she finally lowers her hand and shakes it out uneasily before looking up towards an observation deck up and across the way.

"That's....the ship that went after Riesenlied and us... Siegfried must've bit it there..."

She looks back, "Anyway it just looks like we gotta sit tight and--"

Suddenly that familiar red gear starts rising up and in front of the group like some kind of final boss monster, hanging in place as suddenly this particular dig team absorbs Id's full focus.

"Arleph..." Id says, the gear's focus settling on HIM of all people. "What are you hiding...? I remember what you said when we were fighting Yarobeleedt... 'Wedge between atoms'...Interesting turn of phrase... Are you also..." There is a small pause before he adds, "Doesn't matter."

He raises one of the gears arms up, aiming a glowing red sphere towards the group.

"You saw into my HEAD, Hesiod. Whatever you've seen...you must be eliminated lest this world be corrupted any further..."

MEANWHILE

Bart sees Weltall-Id menacing friends and allies over the horizon. "Sigurd...! We have to help them! Launch the Bart Missiles!"

"Bart...if we fire those missiles, we risk hitting the Caravan Kinship!"

Bart hesitates and then slowly pushes his hands off the 'FIRE BART MISSILES' button.

SUDDENLY

Bart missiles crash near that upper platform. There is a creaking noise and the gear looks up before the battleship crashes into Weltall-Id and sends it tumbling away!

"Oh." Lydia says. "That was anti-climati--AHHH!!!"

It seems more missiles are heading straight for the party! Lydia tries to skate and tackle Catenna away from the missiles' paths. Well, as much as she can!

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Someday I am going to have those people from the sky explained to me in greater detail," Catenna huffs. Gathering the tired-looking Owlet, she takes off after Lydia, whom she assumes knows the way.

The way to an observation deck full of corpses. Catenna pales, widening her eyes and bringing a hand up to her collar as a sudden wave of horror comes over her.

<It would seem that they have suffered as much as anyone this day,> murmurs Saarda-Shanta.

But it's soon elemental. The huge red Gear outside looms perilously large. Catenna's mouth opens a little as something occurs to her:

        We're probably going to die.

She's in the process of raising her hand when something crashes into her.

Something tall and metal and Lydia Serenish. With a yelp, Catenna tumbles backwards in Lydia's grip as the Bart Missiles begin to go off outside, with still more coming their way. They hurtle away - but it won't be enough on momentum alone.

Catenna wraps her arms around Lydia as tight as she can and keeps rolling. She tumbles across the floor and rolls the Star Shaman with her, hoping to roll her behind what paltry cover there can be from stray missiles. After all, as much as Lydia might be able to regenerate, Catenna's just a garden-variety meatsack.

DG: Catenna has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, BART MISSILES.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

        Is that all you have Rephaim?

        The Weltall-Id isn't the only Gear to resurface in front of the group; the Rephaim surfaces out of smoke a moment later, itself still smoking with visible flame coated across its armour. The Pulse Shift Armour has failed utterly at this point, guttering in an oscillating field that doesn't quite make it.

        Lunata is nearly squished against her monitor while piloting.

        "this cockpit... doesn't... have space for--"

        A pause as she stares back at the vending machine Tainted.

        "... a sweet gal like you."

        The Gundam Alert Beep whirrs, though, as Lunata pulls her head up and her eyes widen. "Jay! Everyone--"

        She scowls for a moment as she hisses, growling, "You think that's all I have?! You think that's all I HAVE?! I--"

        Weltall-Id gets dunked by Bart Missiles.

        "..."

        Lunata slacks for a moment and murmurs, "Thanks, Cap'n--"

        A Bart Missile dunks the Rephaim and it pirouettes into the distance in a cloud of wings and goes *TING*--

        "--MRGRGRGRGR--"

        She'll probably be okay--

        A translucent image of Lunata Croze saluting is seen superimposed over the Ellurian mountain range.

        --can't believe lunata croze is dead

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin is not scandalized by butts or Barts or Bart-Missiles. She's just disappointed, really. Of course this would happen. She's ready to show yet again how good she is at not being hit by things. It's a quiet point of pride for the young woman at this point, and a sign of how far she's come that she seems to be actually taking that pride. When first she came to Filgaia, she had none to speak of, after all!

Spirit is, as always, right with his mistress, safe from harm, and of course, the trick rope is a trick rope, ready to yank anyone to safety should they appear to be in imminent danger of crushitude.

The crushitude is not by Chuck Tingle. Being crushed isn't sexy.

DG: Kourin has used her Tool Trick Rope toward her party's challenge, BART MISSILES.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

For what it's worth, Locus let the Geblers run away with the fruit pies. NOT THAT THEY DESERVED ANY, probably.

"This is gross," she says, quietly, when they find bodies. She's still on her bike, because this thing is too big to carry, now. She could probably take it on more digs, but that would be a bit like taking a horse to one. It's just too big!!

"Oh! So that's gonna be our ride outta here?" she asks, regarding the Fereshte. "Good, goo-- Awwwww, frick."

Id is focusing on... Arleph? Locus turns to look at him, tilting her head curiously. But wait, that's not all! Their ride out of here crashes into the Gear, and ALSO there are missiles! There are just so many ways in which they are all having a bad day right now.

"Frig gosh!!" she says, turning her bike around to ride it away from the missiles' path. If people want a repeat of earlier, they don't need permission to grab on once again!

DG: Carina Wynne has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, BART MISSILES.
<Pose Tracker> Prissa has posed.

 
Prissa was tired after all of this. The sweet blood of the outlander was not compensation enough. That Gear again! She gazes at it and starts to mumble-sing something under her breath. She raises up her hands and puts them before her abdomen --

WHAM!

"I want no more such surprises," Prissa informs god, but god is not listening. "Hold this," she tells Lydia a moment later, and 'this' turns out to be one of her javelins: thus connected, she feels safe, although she is also jerked forwards, even as she calls out, "ETHIUUUUUS WHAT WAS THAAAAAAAAAT?"

Prissa does not specify.

DG: Prissa has used her Tool Zipline Javelin toward her party's challenge, BART MISSILES.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 Dead Solarians have interesting technology, Arleph snags, on the way, one of the Etheric guns, giving it a quick look and hooking it into the cradle of his elbow. With his energy reserves as low as they are, having a gun of some kind will be better than just slapping people over the head with his fists. It's an energy gun. He's familiar, passingly, with them. With his luck, they're probably DNA-locked, but at least that'll give him something to club something with, or anything.
 
 "That? That... seems like the Yggdrasil. Is it?" Arleph comments, squinting his eyes and peering over.
 
 Arleph takes a sudden step back in surprise at the Weltal-ID comes into view, looking upward at the cockpit of the machine. That's definetively the same voice as he's heard. So. That's what is going on... He struggles to shove down the fright and quite understandble dread building up already from deep within his guts, regaining his usual composure he demonstrate. He one he exhibit when he commands the forces of his magic. Some might call it arrogance. He calls it self-control.
 
 "... That's what you latched on?" The Symbologist replies to the red machine, straightening up and looking up at the Gear. "Please. What about you, young man? What are you hiding, beneath all that rage and bloodlust? What are you protecting? More importantly, kid..." Arleph adjusts his glasses, which are miraculously untarnished. Don't ask me how. "What feeligns are you running from?"
 
 One might question the logic of hounding on an unstoppable machine of supernatural, godly destruction. At this point, Arleph's pretty much banking on a constant in the universe he's dealt with, at least, two times in the past now.
 
 Bartz' missiles.
 
 Arleph makes a dash forward, tucking his arms around himself as he tumbles to gain some damn distance away from the incoming other missiles.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Ethius thinks to try and caution Lydia from speaking of any of this as familiar, as though the idea suddenly strikes him as-- he doesn't get time to finish that thought, no one has time to finish thoughts, technically no one has time to start them because everything's on fire, shaking, and going down as he runs along out towards the observation deck.
        ...Events happen.
        'Arleph...'
        Ethius is a whirlwind of motion as the terrifying red Gear situates itself in front of the lot of them. This is not a normal behavior for anyone to have. To look upon Weltall-Id is to look upon a known force of utter destruction. Ethius is a meat and bone speck of dust who sometimes aspires to be a slightly bigger flash of light and heat but still a tiny, tiny speck of what power can build in that outstretched palm.
        Ethius slams the butt of his quarterstaff against the deck in one hand. It is deafening. His other arm crosses inward to some slurred syllables. The Symbological shield he has, invisible to the naked eye, to ward off all sorts of ARMs fire. (It would do naught to stop whatever Weltall-Id could fling, except maybe keep some of his atoms floating closer together.)
        Ethius' eyes don't waver, looking upon it, maneuvering one step as though he were to try and position himself between the horror and the rest of them, staring down absolutely certain annihilation from that red glowing sphere.
        'You saw into my HEAD, Hesiod.' His forearm rises a bit higher. A break in the poker face, in so much that he does flinch. 'Whatever you've seen... you must be eliminiated lest this world be corrupted any further...'
        Ethius recalls his own personal revelation while in Mother's chamber. The source of that insight... in the depths of the Ruins of Memory. They, whoever they were, believed he was here to destroy something. There is something he must destroy - this is correct. This idea is clear. He is here to destroy something.
        Is i--
 
        BART MISSILES DON'T CARE ABOUT YO' CHARACTER DEVELOPMENTZZZZZZZ
 
        Ethius doesn't care about those Bart Missiles. His position shifts strangely little for these circumstances, even though his chance of withstanding a BART MISSILE are while cosmically much higher than whatever red sphere was gathering, it's in the range of 'enough leftover material for a closed casket funeral in a soup can' rather than 'actually survive it'
        Prissa asks a good question. The best question.
        "It is your invitation to keep moving, Miss Priss--'
 
        BART MISSILES DON'T CARE 'BOUT YO' AWESUM ONE LINEEEEEERRRRR
 
        This is because the Bart Missile he might be willing to stand down and blast deviates when more of the exploding Photosphere knocks it off course and slams into a place where the concussive force washes over and shoves Ethius back, at which point he still has the harness for the Hot Air Sack and the patchy-lookin' thing on his arm and ready. He'll have to catch himself with some ACTION HOVERING to catch up along with the rest...
        ...perhaps.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Hot Air Sack toward his party's challenge, BART MISSILES.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"I understand, Kourin, but...we have to try. Even the smallest mercy offered can someday prove helpful." Jacqueline replies. At some point, Ethius goes missing...but there's a cloud of powder among the Gebler operatives. Jacqueline frowns, just slightly.

Still, it seems like her words have had some effect, if only some. She can only hope that, one day down the line, things will become better.

But with the Gebler agents retreating, they can continue forward...where they stumble upon a grizzly sight. Jacqueline gasps, clapping her hands over her mouth.

"Wh-what in the world...?" She asks quietly, then looks toward Lydia. "...Siegfried?"

...He was dead? This was the first Jacqueline heard about that. But she doesn't get any time to dwell on it, as the Weltall-Id appears before them. Jacqueline glances toward Arleph for a moment, before looking back toward the Gear. Her hands tighten into fists.

"W-why are...you doing this...?" She asks. But then, her attention is absorbed by Rephaim, as it makes a reappearance.

"L-Lunat-ahh!" Just as Jacqueline tries to greet her, their platform and both of the Gears are rocked by very familiar missiles.

"Bart!!" Jacqueline cries out. This is the second time today she's had to worry about friendly fire! (The first was from Lunata herself.) "I am very cross about this!!"

Jacqueline dives for Locus and her vehicle, latching onto both and trusting them to be faster in evading the missiles than her own two feet. She does, however, take an opportunity to drink down another potion and offer one to Locus and whoever might be nearby.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, BART MISSILES.
DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Radical Skates toward her party's challenge, BART MISSILES.
==========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>==========================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - BART MISSILES *>========================
|Type: Climax      |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 You finally manage to find yourself out on a ledge on the side of the         
 Photosphere along what seems to be the remains of an observation deck. Up     
 above you and across the way is another observation deck where half of the    
 Tzadkiel lays dormant after being cleaved in twain by Siegfried. Nearby,      
 several fallen Gebler agents lay dead.                                        
                                                                               
 Suddenly Weltall-Id swoops around the side of the Photosphere, and hovers in  
 the air before you. Its weapon systems charge as it points a hand in your     
 direction.                                                                    
                                                                               
 Suddenly....!                                                                 
                                                                               
 A slew of Bart Missiles are launched from the Yggdrasill towards the upper    
 platform. The Tzadkiel tilts downward before collapsing towards Weltall-Id.   
 The battleship crashes into Weltall-Id and sends it tumbling downward         
 towards Filgaia.                                                              
                                                                               
 Unfortunately, several Bart Missiles are were launched in the direction       
 Weltall-Id was moments before and are are now in its path! GET OUT OF THE     
 WAY!!                                                                         
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Reckless, Fright, Overzealous==================
=====================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 6 *>=====================
=========================< Results - BART MISSILES >==========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   47 --(0)--> 47                 Pass
Rapid Remedy                        1   Agility Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       42 --(0)--> 42                 Pass
Hot Air Sack                        2   Agility Effects: Resilient            
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carina Wynne                        32 --(0)--> 32                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kourin                              47 --(0)--> 47                 Pass
Trick Rope                          2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prissa                              37 --(0)--> 37                 Pass
Zipline Javelin                     2   Agility Effects: Stalwart             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         42 --(0)--> 42                 Pass
Radical Skates                      3   Agility Effects: Fanfare              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catenna                             47 --(0)--> 47                 Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           80 --(0)--> 80                 Pass
Conditions: Fright(2)|Hesitate(2)|Overzealous(2)|Reckless(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)|Resilient(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 0 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.
DG: Lydia Seren has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>==========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Tzadkiel La Kill *>======================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 On the plus side, you are able to escape the Bart Missiles. On the negative   
 side, it seems the Bart Missiles knocked your ledge loose and you're now      
 tumbling towards Filgaia. To make matters worse, the half-a-Tzadkiel slowly   
 rises up in view, being lifted up by Weltall-Id.                              
                                                                               
 "Interesting ... but hitting me with a battleship is cheating. Take it        
 back!"                                                                        
                                                                               
 The Gear then flings the battleship in your direction. There is no escape!    
                                                                               
 At least, there is no escape unless you can very quickly figure out what      
 these 'parachutes' the fallen Gebler troopers are wearing are for.            
                                                                               
 What in the Guardians is a parachute? Good question. It looks like a          
 tablecloth tied by string that you wear for some reason?                      
                                                                               
 Well here's your chance to experiment!                                        
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Luckily, through their combined efforts, the majority of the group manages to avoid being directly struck by missiles! That's good! Unfortunately for Carina, it seems her bike is not one of those options. A missile is bearing down upon her when with a flash of dark light and a *TWING* the missile splits in two and flies past Carina along both sides, crashing to the ground along both sides of her and her 'metal horse'.

When the light fades, a metal-clade warrior appears that wasn't there before. A Hyadean? No. The figure is wearing an armor very reminiscent of Locus's, featuring a more angular version of her insect-like helmet. It is all battle-scratched black and silver, save for a billowing, red hooded cloak.

PSX-ERA BGM CHANGE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZE1mPeLrnU

"You who walk the path of light," The mysterious Locus begins.

                                 LOCUS 'BLACK'
                               The Masked Enigma

"WAIT!" Locus (Carina) bellows, spinning her bike around to point to the masked figure. "Sis! What are you doing here?!"

                                 LOCUS 'BLACK'
               Oh Right, That's Probably Carina's Missing Sister

"Locus 'Black'" does not answer. She looks over their shoulders and the reason why is soon made apparent as the Tzadkiel (half) is pushing up and above the precipice of the observation deck impossibly.

Locus 'BLACK' suddenly leaps off the edge of the observation deck without any further warning, vanishing from sight almost as quickly as she had appeared. She's so cool that Lydia wants to make an action figure of her already and she's only seen her for like 6 seconds.

Speaking of Lydia...Lydia watches, stumbling back in terror. Schrodinger appears on her head and places their paw in Lydia's face in an attempt to calm her down. She holds onto Prissa's Javelin like a security blanket.

"Interesting..." Id says, his gear slowly rising up above the precipice as well, holding the half a battleship in a dark aura extending from Weltall-Id's hand. "Yessss, Rephaim... I'll squash these fools and together we will bathe this planet red and--"

He pauses. Rephaim isn't there.

He rears back with his hand and focuses once more on Arleph, acting like he didn't just have his villain speech preempted and ruined by Bart Missiles and Rephaim's lack of being here by going into his villain speech for Arleph instead.

"You think I am the one running from my feelings? You think I am the one hiding the truth?"

"Your 'GUN' promised us a golden age. A great federation. We were sent out into the wilderness with a dream of the future you so selfishly keep to yourselves."

A crimson aura crackles around Weltall-Id, though the darkness around the battleship does not leave it.

"But that dream was a lie. You sent us here to die. But the memory of your betrayal lives on. Even now! Even if true revenge lies out of reach, I will not let your corruption infest Filgaia any more!"

"Besides," Id says, throwing the battleship at our heroes. "Hitting me with a battleship is cheating. Take it back!"

DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Schrodinger the Cat toward her party's challenge, Tzadkiel La Kill.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

Jay hops onto Locus' bike once again. "Sorry ma'am," Locus says, raising a palm to the offered potion, "can't drink while on the job." Mainly because... to do so would require her to remove her armor, and will she even be able to drive the bike anymore? It has her color scheme and everything!

But even the MACHINE CYCLONER can't outpace a Bart Missile, it seems! It seems Carina (and her passenger, unfortunately) might be done for... until the mysterious Locus 'BLACK' shows up and slices a missile in friggin' half!!

"WAIT!" she says, pointing to her double, "Sis! What are you doing here?!" As was, well, established just a moment ago.

But the black Locus is already gone, leaving questions unanswered like some sort of jRPG JERK. "MELODY!!" Locus extends a hand. "Oh come on..."

She pauses, seeing the shadow of the battleship flying right towards them. "Though I guess she had the right idea, huh." She turns to Jay... and Arleph, for that matter, "If you wanna get off, now's your chance, 'cause I'm goin' after her!!" She turns to look at her dashboard. "There's gotta be a button to extend wings or something on this thing. ...or if you wanna get on, that's valid too." Every outcome seems likely to end in terrible death! It's very exciting!

And after the decision has been made, she salutes the others trying to figure out what to do with the parachutes and RIDES THE MACHINE CYCLONER OFF THE FRIGGIN' EDGE. The good news is, Locus has already several times demonstrated the ability to slow down her falls. But from this height and for so long? That's another story! Let's see how that works out for her!

DG: Carina Wynne has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Tzadkiel La Kill.
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin would work out how a parachute works, but instead she's an ICE MAGE and creates a really awesome slide to go down like she's some kind of extreme sports icon. And then she lands safely in the snow below. Spirit barks and wags his tail, meeting her at the bottom because that's how dogs work in video games.

DG: Kourin has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Tzadkiel La Kill.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Locus Black," Catenna echoes with a quick blink. She finds herself in the same position as Lydia: Mostly just staring in wonder.

Then again, Catenna less wants to make an action figure and more figure out what the hell is in whatever it is the Wynne family drinks that makes them like this.

Keeping half an arm around Lydia, Catenna bites down to her lower lip, watching grimly as Weltall-Id begins to loom back into view, carrying half a battleship like a doomhammer about to pass judgment upon all of them. "Easy," she murmurs with a look down at the Star Shaman, then up again towards the huge Gear. She can hear what Id's saying to Arleph.

Federation? GUN?

The battleship is hurled before Catenna can find some suitably sassy way to elbow into the conversation. "Lydia, hold on!" she exclaims as she clutches the Shaman of Rigdobrite, rolls over a couple times - and takes Lydia with her as she falls off the edge of the observation platform completely.

This is not how Catenna likes to fly. Usually it involves hugging Cyre while he does his kittychute thing. This time it's a freefall. Lydia can hear Catenna whispering past the crackle and tear of wind as the two of them plunge downwards, unrestrained by parachutes, in the grip only of gravity. A few chunks of debris fall around them. A spell takes effect.

The fall slows. The gusting wind softens, just a little. But it won't be enough. The distance is too great.

But they're not alone. A tiny spark of shining blue light descends through the sky.

The spark doesn't stay small for long. The shimmering light expands as it swoops down beneath Catenna and Lydia - and as it curves under them, the two find themselves touching down on something soft and feathery.

"Saarda-Shanta," Catenna breathes, her eyes wide as she looks down at the broad back of the fully-grown Great Owl, big enough to bear herself and Lydia on her back now. The huge snowy owl's descent begins to level off as she sweeps around a chunk of falling debris at a glide.

<I suppose death is one way to stem the spread of corruption. But I suspect you may hear a few interesting things while you continue to hurt the people who love you most,> Saarda-Shanta observes quietly, her voice more felt than it is heard. It's not aimed at Lydia or Catenna.

She's got an eye on Weltall-Id.

DG: Catenna has used her Tool Saarda-Shanta toward her party's challenge, Tzadkiel La Kill.
DG: Prissa has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Tzadkiel La Kill.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

        LAST TIME IN CAN'T BELIEVE LUNATA CROZE IS DEAD

        An Arctican goat looks up from where it's casually chowing down on dried grass, no matter that a Photosphere just lifted up into the air and crimson explosions are erupting all around.

        It bleats a moment later and flees when a metallic object crashlands and reshapes the mountainside near it.

        Lunata's seeing red -- well, she's angry sure, but it's mostly the cockpit just flaring up with all the sirens racing from every single warning indicating that the Gear's got not much to go left.

        Lunata herself has landed on the vending machine Tainted's flowerbed in the landing, which is probably a metaphor for some sort again. Rusted machinery and flowers is a very Automata kind of imagery, y'know.

        "You're very... comfortable... miss."

        Unfortunately, she can't see the birth of another, mysterious Season 2 Locus which will put Carina's merchandising line in peril and relegate her to the hipster fans who insist the original was better.

        She does, however, see the crimson aura -- and the half of the Tzadkiel -- and grimaces as she punches down on a button that has a blob Shalune face marked on it.

        Its arms and legs are useless, but y'know... you don't need extremities when you have a hip-mounted railgun swivelling and locking into place, with its serial numbers filed off.

        An overhead targeting computer bursts out of its compartment and nearly bonks her in the head. She coughs out that inky black substance as she stares into its reticle:

                      |
                      |
                      |
                    ,-+-,
                  /` | `\
        ---------` -o- `---------
                  \, | ,/
                    `_+_`
                      |
                      | target: ROCK-ON
                      |
                      |

        "... y'know..."

        A pause.

        "I don't know jack compared to some of the real eggheads there. Nor you. Just a little simple country girl who got in well over her head... but..."

        She revs the lever back and twists the focus.

        "... I know I'm not happy with the world the way it is ... so maybe we've got that in common... so--"

        She squints down to one eye.

        Just gotta focus... on that battleship...

        "... Lunata Croze, XG-00 Rephaim! Shooting the target!!"

        A ramp shot follows, as the fork of the Rephaim's railgun pans with barrel cam: A burst of rampant electricity follows an explosion as the high-velocity round

        fires

        and then time resumes as it whistles past, snow sloughing off the Arctican trees.

<Pose Tracker> Tesni Inoue has posed.

Tesni Inoue lets the Gebler's go there's no time to waste on them. They need to get out, and the idea of wounded a few of them to make the rest haul them out of there likely kept it from being a bloodbath. Tess keeps moving thankfully not dead. She leaves Gebler behind and keeps to her friends. Oh god, it's the gear again, it's here again? What does it want now? She gets the warning from Lunata and to her horror she gets dunked by the missiles.

 "Lunata?!"

 There's nothing left to do but keep moving.

 She wished she had time to pick the Gebler agents' bodies for a comm unit, her plans would have need of it. Till it is time to run from the hellish motion, the Gear she's seen today will haunt her for a very long time.

 In the back of her mind Federation AMWS would have a hell of a time dealing with and at best it would a victory in the most hollow sense if they did overcome it for that thing would die on an army of corpses.

 This time there is very much time and need as the Red Gear does even more horrific Damage Tess moves to one of the dead Geble agents will grab the chute, she'll put it on and run leaping and will wait a bit before she pulls the cord seemingly having some idea of what she's doing or she just learns quick.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline manages to deal with some of the missiles through Sorcery, but one still remains - and it's coming in fast. But before it impacts, someone else deals with in - a person in armor similar to Carina's. Jacqueline stares in surprise, wondering who this mysterious figure could be...

...Until Carina goes ahead and blurts it out.

"Is that...?" Jacqueline murmurs, before looking back at Weltall-Id as the pilot returns to speak to Arleph. Jacqueline stares, blinking. ...What was he talking about...? She might have to approach Arleph about this late. But before she can dwell on this too far, Id throws a battleship at them and Carina comes to a decision.

"Wh-what? W-wait - w-well, I guess there's no time to do that...okay!" Jacqueline does not dismount. Instead, she inhales, and exhales, trying to psych herself up.

"If we're about to crash...I'll stop us before we hit the ground!" Jacqueline says. "I'm with you, Locus!"

This is incredibly stupid, but Jacqueline had gone with her this far. She might as well see it through, no matter where this takes them!

DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Tzadkiel La Kill.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

         Arleph rolled off from the explosion, managing to get himself some cover. Fortunately, it was not as bad as expected. He also know this probably just grabbed a few precious seconds as just a few missiles wont stop that bloody Gear just like that, neither would a damn ship. Not if it was doing that much damage to this place like it did.
 
         Thus, when it talks back to him, the symbologist had his eyes on one of the downed Solarians, more particularly, the parachuts packs on them. His eyes widens. He could jump off and just Slowfall himself down to the ground, but with his current reserves...
 
         Id talks back to him, just as he grabs forcefully one of the packs from the dead Gebler, looking up at the villain speeching Gear.
 
         His eyes narrows, sucking in a breath. A 'GUN'. The Federation. The idea that he's talking about a Federation that's in becoming tells him that's... No. That can't be, can it? How the hell would he know about that? Several theories flies into his head. None of them good.
 
         None of them important, right now. Questions to muse over when they aren't dead.
 
         "Well, Id, this is some facinating words you've just said, you have no reasons to lie. I don't think you're capable of it." Arleph says, heaving the parachute over his shoulders, staring at the Weltal. This thing could kill him very easily. All the more of a reason to keep that guy talking instead of ohcraphe'sthrowing a battleship at thing. "But I'm afraid it's time for us to jet. I hope you get to find calm for that rage, someday."
 
         The Symbologist leaps off, glaring out at the Cycler. With his remaining water whip, he lash out at the Bike, grabbing on the same spot he had and lash himself out at maximum speed, keeping a parachute as a good second choice in case... well, in case things go south.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        For a time, Ethius finds himself removed from the spectacle. He drifts somewhat distantly from the rest, and some of the finer details that unfold are lost to the loud, persistent noises of the environs. No, it's not tinnitus. He can't help but hear the sound of every nearby structure rending itself apart under the force, every errant spark that could set something aflame, and not have his mind race with a sudden understanding about what it might be, what it could be doing, and how that might affect... lots of things.
        This place is so noisy, even when suspended in mid-air from on high, with sensory overload from a gleam of black armor in the same general look as that Locus. From some of the finer details of the conversations between a being of pure unrestrained fury and Arleph. Even as the terrible crimson Gear lifts up half a battleship in preparation of throwing it. Even as...
        ...
        A free-fall. Some may have the means to deal with it, but Ethius can see that many of them are being committed to free-fall. The strange man closes his eyes for two seconds and exhales. Even as recent as the Elw ruins above Lost July, he's had to help them through free-fall. This time, there's no architecture in sight in which to safely guide one's fall.
        Ethius cuts off the Symbological spellcasting heat to his patchy-lookin' sack, allowing himself to dive after them. He adjusts his posture so that he descends ever faster down, to try to catch up to them. He can't account for where all their eyes are looking. He does not expect to be heard.
        One of the parachute packs are grabbed out from the air. He grasps it in one hand, momentarily, as if to demonstrate in brief that this is something someone should do. Grab it. Then he gets his arms through them with a more comfortable flourish for being in a DEATHLY FREE FALL than he ought to.
        A string. The string might be hard to truly see, but he grabs at the cord, resting his hand somewhere where the cord should be able to be found. He expects anyone watching might get it. He doesn't pull that ord just yet -
        He'll drift closer to anyone that looks like they're floundering, grab them in his free hand, and then pull the cord.
        In this way, they are properly Enlightened on the matter - but how does he know what this is or why?

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Spectral Lens toward his party's challenge, Tzadkiel La Kill.
==========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>==========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Tzadkiel La Kill *>======================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 On the plus side, you are able to escape the Bart Missiles. On the negative   
 side, it seems the Bart Missiles knocked your ledge loose and you're now      
 tumbling towards Filgaia. To make matters worse, the half-a-Tzadkiel slowly   
 rises up in view, being lifted up by Weltall-Id.                              
                                                                               
 "Interesting ... but hitting me with a battleship is cheating. Take it        
 back!"                                                                        
                                                                               
 The Gear then flings the battleship in your direction. There is no escape!    
                                                                               
 At least, there is no escape unless you can very quickly figure out what      
 these 'parachutes' the fallen Gebler troopers are wearing are for.            
                                                                               
 What in the Guardians is a parachute? Good question. It looks like a          
 tablecloth tied by string that you wear for some reason?                      
                                                                               
 Well here's your chance to experiment!                                        
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
=====================<* Photosphere - Escape - Round 7 *>=====================
========================< Results - Tzadkiel La Kill >========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   47 --(100)--> 147              Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       42 --(100)--> 142              Pass
Spectral Lens                       2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carina Wynne                        32 --(100)--> 132              Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kourin                              47 --(100)--> 147              Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prissa                              37 --(100)--> 137              Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         42 --(100)--> 142              Fail
Schrodinger the Cat                 2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catenna                             47 --(100)--> 147              Pass
Saarda-Shanta                       1   Wits    Effects: Cleanse              
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           80 --(10)--> 90                Fail
Conditions: Fright(1)|Hesitate(1)|Overzealous(1)|Reckless(1)|Stupify(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: Jacqueline Barber is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Ethius Hesiod is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Carina Wynne is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Kourin is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Prissa is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Lydia Seren is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Catenna is too exhausted to continue!
DG: The party has failed this challenge! All party members are now Exhausted. This attempt is over.
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has been fully Exhausted by Photosphere - Escape!
DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
==========================<* Photosphere - Escape *>==========================
=======================<* CHALLENGE -  Point Landing *>=======================
|Type: Escape      |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Sadly you don't quite make it out of the facility in time. The last thing     
 you see is a blinding flash of light and then when you wake up.../You're      
 lying face first in the dirty amongst debris that fell, head partially        
 buried in the ground or in some other unfortunate position.                   
                                                                               
 On the other hand, you're alive! Unless you die from embarrassment.           
=Dungeon Conditions: Suffer===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

5 Point Landing - Landmark - 2 - Conclusion - Treasure

You think you sort of have figured out how to use the mysterious sky person technology. You take in a deep breath and leap off but well...

You took a bit too long in making the jump and you don't quite slow down enough before hitting the floor. You painfully crash to the floor but at the very least, you manage to not hurt yourself TOO badly and have plenty of time to run away before the rest of the Photosphere lands on you. Or a gear does.

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Id responds to Arleph with the following, "I will calm my rage...when I rip the skeletons of the Solarians that plague this world, build a Hyperdrive in the planet's core out of their bones, cleanse the surface of all life, fuel it with Filgaian blood, and RAM FILGAIA UP YOUR MOTHER'S ASS!!" Saarda-Shanta's wise words go through one ear and out the other as Id is seeing MORE red after this interaction with Arleph than before it.

If nothing else, Arleph has learned that he can make Id angry. Congratulations! This is an easy skill to learn because it turns out it's pretty easy to do.

The battleship hasn't even crashed yet and he's charging another ridiculous chi blast through his gear's arms when suddenly--

LUNATA SNIPEPRISE

The Tzadkiel (half) explodes near Weltall-Id and sends it spiraling away from your party. Unfortunately, the explosion kind of speeds up everybody's escape as well.

Ethius's parachute skill is impeccable presuming NO explosion but with EXPLOSION he's going to have a bit of a rough landing.

Lydia is similarly taken off the platform and she finds herself freefalling, looking up at the falling base as she plummets with Catenna.

"Catenna..."

But there is OWL there to catch them before they fall. Of course, the owl is also thrown rather roughly from the explosion and will likely need time to reorient itself.

Carina and those attached to her bike give chase after Carina's sister, but though they're able to land, the explosion has gotten them all turned around, and they have TOTALLY lost sight of MELODY! Seems like you are going to be IN THE DARK about what she's up to for a little while longer!!

And Arleph and Jay are with her, and may feel a little dizzy from getting spun around like that.

Tesni similarly is able to chute down but has a rough landing...

...but on the plus side, you've all landed. Roughed up, but alive.

You're finally safe...from Weltall-Id.

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin pops up from the snow. So does Spirit. "Is everyone...alive?"

<Pose Tracker> Carina Wynne has posed.

"Mppphhhmph," Locus answers, her head in the snow, a little dejectedly.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

In the end, Jacqueline is hurled from Carina's motorcycle and sent flying. She shuts her eyes tight casts repeatedly...until she feels an impact. But it's not the cold, hard ground, instead...

...it's something soft and cushiony? Jacqueline blinks. She's a little disoriented but she manages to reposition herself in the soft pile she's found herself in.

Somehow, she's ended up in the back of a wagon. It's a very familiar wagon - 'Jay's Curios and Curatives'. And at the head...

"Ah...it looks like my calculations were correct, Miss Barber...are you alright?" The girl at the front asks. Jacqueline blinks and stares. Somehow, Heather Éclair, her old employee, has found herself in Elru and, moreover, has brought her wagon and her old horse??

Some others might have fallen into it, too. It's a rough landing, but it's better than colliding with solid ground.

Jacqueline blinks again.

"How did you...know I would be here??" She asks. Heather just smiles faintly.

"After you sent me that message, I had a feeling you'd be in trouble." Jacqueline blinks again. That doesn't explain much, but...

"I-I'm okay!" Jacqueline calls out, as Kourin asks if everyone's alive.

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

         Arleph, a little dizzy, but alive, have landed somewhat unceremoniously on the ground, splayed out all face first.
 
         He lifts a finger.
 
         His voice is muffled by the snow. "Alive." He push himeslf up, taking a quite mental inventory of what he snagged from the Solarians, his body and his face, in that order. He spies a glance up.
 5r "We should keep running."

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia Seren meanwhile, on the back of bird, throws up over the edge of bird.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

        The worst thing about adrenaline is how awful it all feels when it all comes crashing down on you.

        Lunata slumps her head backwards as she feels more of that viscous, black tar flow from a cut on her forehead. It feels awful. In a different, unpleasant way that isn't like blood cutting loose and feeling pain from a fresh wound. No, it's just another reminder...

        I hath received the defrayal of thine soul's sacrifice...

        Another reminder of Ge Ramtos. Of the Wheel.

        "I'm not happy... with this world..."

        She reaches out with her arm as she stares hazily towards the sphere at the centre of her cockpit.

        Right now, it looks so much like Filgaia, with how she's seeing double.

        "... 'm gonna change it ... then..."

        And so slumps Lunata Croze, in her last waking moments of the Photosphere Sequence: cuddling with a vending machine.

<Pose Tracker> Prissa has posed.

 
"I want to see the ship die," Prissa says, from the mud puddle she landed in.

Time passes.

A few moments longer.

Prissa pushes herself upright. "Okay, we can go."

<Pose Tracker> Tesni Inoue has posed.

Tess only now thinks about what ID said A GUN the Federation? Is there something else going on on this planet? Ideas pass into her head and none of them good, she'll have to talk to Arleph about this later. She's now even more worried about Ethius as he knows clearly how to use a chute, but it's not quite in time she would come to some time too. She finds that she's under something big, warm and squishy, she also feels like she's being poked in several uncomfortable and other places she's turning a bit red and make s muffled cry of help, get off me.

<Pose Tracker> Tesni Inoue has posed.

Tess only now thinks about what ID said A GUN the Federation? Is there something else going on on this planet? Ideas pass into her head and none of them good, she'll have to talk to Arleph about this later. She's now even more worried about Ethius as he knows clearly how to use a chute, but it's not quite in time she would come to some time realize a living breathing thing is on her and she makes a muffled cry of.

 "GET OFF ME!"

 She's also turning bright red the entire time and the worst part is she has no idea whom or what is on top of her.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        As Ethius falls, there is another wrinkle present in his contemplation as he finds that his descent is not as arrested as it ought to be. It is not as immediate a problem as he considers (it might be a little more than that, but anyway).
        I am here to destroy something. He internalizes. He has to go back to the earliest memory he has. He knows his feelings of Gebler and what they've done from second-hand information. He does not second guess that. There is just one issue, and it does play with a presumption he himself made in the company of the Black Wolves as they discussed an infiltration upon Aveh territory.
        The earliest instinct he had, the earliest memory he has available...
        ...He did not stand to fight them. Was it logistical? There were more than a few Gebler units there, even some of their hardware. He is here to destroy, but his first instinct was not to destroy... them. He considered the idea that he was a refugee, speaking that out loud during that meeting.
        He wouldn't retract that, he decides, that's a useful assumption.
        If he is here to destroy something... then... a context continues to be missing. What is also about to be missing is, in fact, a fully intact parachute, because a piece of debris just goes and pokes a hole in that chute, and that's a reminder that he's not in a place where he can navel gaze.
        The Hot Air Sack is within moments of being employed again through the usual preparatory steps, when collisions happen in a painful sequence of vague nature that ends with him sprawled out over a set of earthly (...Filgaia-ly) debris... and a warm body. And a swimming head where colors and sound are not clear.
 
        Tesni Inoue received: x1 Concussed Ethius
        ...
        She can see his face.