2021-03-06: The Island Closest to Heaven

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=============================<* The Crater Sea *>=============================

The Crater Sea rests at the center of Southern Aquvy. Rumors abound that ancient cities and other ruins are submerged underneath the sea, and in the shallower portions, Diggers have reported that great expanses of submerged glass have been found. The people of Southern Aquvy know that Crater Sea is is not just a name. In the past, some great calamity shattered the ancient continent of Greater Aquvy, and in doing so, left the many smaller islands of the south. These waters are well-traveled, though not as much as they once were, after the fall of Celesti.
DG: A party led by Acacia Saitani is now entering The Island Closest to Heaven.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Scrapped Beat *>========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The journey to the Island Closest to Heaven is a remarkably arduous one,      
 notably marked with incoherent accounts. Drifters who've attempted the deed   
 in the past have conflicting stories, as if recalling a half-remembered       
 dream. Another reports hearing a heavenly voice in their daze.                
                                                                               
 Whatever the case may be, perhaps such reports aren't so far-fetched when     
 you approach the island. The fog is hazy, and the air bears a strangely       
 pleasant scent someplace between floral and petrichor. Radar and binoculars   
 all reveal an ethereal and beautiful ivory city ahead, shrouded in moss and   
 overgrowth.                                                                   
                                                                               
 Then a voice echoes out:                                                      
                                                                               
 "... this is our neo-Arcadia. By order of our Saviour... all are welcome...   
 all are... welcome..."                                                        
                                                                               
 -WHOOOOOOM-                                                                   
                                                                               
 The seas, however, have the opposite idea of a warm welcome. A Gear-sized     
 enemy crab humanoid crashes out of the waves, encased in extremely hard       
 metal and bearing enormous claw-arms.                                         
                                                                               
                                                                               
 As far as disembodied voice decrees go, you are welcome, but this Grodine     
 has... other ideas. It shoves its multi-tonne weight against your craft to    
 topple you into the ocean! There's no time for a traditional battle --        
 you'll need to apply a quick burst of power and repel the creature!           
                                                                               
 But this is why you brought Gears and allies capable of handling Gear-sized   
 threats. ... right?                                                           
                                                                               
=Dungeon Conditions: Madness, Suffer, Secret==================================
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

        Kamui is a strange and unreliable member of ARMS, often prone to disappearing capriciously for days or even a week at a time to pursue ... whatever it is she does. But she's returned recently--

        With news.

        She has found it; an island from the past, a place of great importance, not only for her but... also perhaps to other members of ARMS. She's a little vague on that front, but she's asked for assistance.

        Kamui has specified a sturdy boat, enough to manuever through South Aquvy's waters, especially the rough currents and crags of the island north of Guara Bobelo and the Celesti Wastelands. She's also recommended that some of ARMS bring their Gears along -- she's spotted some enormous monsters that'd take too much effort to bring down on foot, and extra strength for Digging needs may be prudent too.

        But soon...

        The time comes.

        Kamui is standing at the stern of the ship, the red scarf Acacia gifted her fluttering in the strangely misty air, faintly smelling of pleasant petrichor and flowers.

        Gear radars and any curious onlookers with binoculars nearby indicate an island-- a fable-like, ivory city shrouded in moss and overgrowth.

        A voice speaks out to them.

        "... this is our neo-Arcadia. By order of our Saviour... all are welcome... all are... welcome..."

        Kamui's expression tightens considerably, when she hears it. Whatever meaning it has to her, everything is interrupted when--

        -WHOOOOOOOOOOM-

        It's a Giant Enemy Crab!! Looks like Kamui's surveillance was on the money -- that's not something you necessarily want to have to fight on-foot... but there's also very little choice, as it slams against the craft and sends the little Reploid tumbling to one side.

        "... ... a lot of strange things have grown around the island since ..." Kamui murmurs groggily. She needs a moment.

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

Kamui did not have to ask Xiumei much; she agreed, and Varius and Avile are certain to say yes, too. Xiumei is currently on the deck of the boat. In preparation, she has activated Model AV. The Biometal-granted armor gleams in the sunlight, the white and green portions brightly polished as ever. The way the Biometal makes them pristine after enough recharge time...

...well, it is cheating, really, when compared to other Reploids. Even Varius and Avile have said so.

She blinks at the voice. Xiumei glances sideways at Kamui. "Kamui... do you know that voice?" she asks. "They sound--"

The giant crab interrupts.

Xiumei yelps, tumbling backward when the boat slams into it and it rocks her. She catches her footing -- and then she looks up at the massive white crab. Her eyes narrow -- and she holds a hand out. The Pulse Cannon appears, cubes of data forming with flashes and taking on the shape of the cannon. She fires, rapidly, at the claws.

"We need to push back from it!" she calls back to the others.

DG: Zhang Xiumei has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Scrapped Beat.
<Pose Tracker> Tio has posed.

        Tio has been sitting quietly on the boat this whole time. She's dressed in her usual outfit this time. She also did not take much, if any, prompting to join Kamui into a trip to her past. So far she's been quiet, mostly watching the choppy waters. She's used to boats now.

        And then the voice speaks, and Tio's eyes widen. "...Neo-Arcadia? Saviour?" Tio furrows her brow as she questions the terms. But that's not all she seems concerned about. "Why does it sound..." She puzzles, as if looking for the right word. Eventually she settles on a word. "Familiar?" It's hard to explain for her, and her sensors light up as she tries to work it out.

        Fortunately, a giant crab rocks up and rocks the boat, and Tio is broken out of her focus. The need a great amount of force, and Tio can see a convenient source. She stands up, and grips the Soul Egg tightly. "Light blue!"

        There and then a sudden jet of water bursts out of the sea at a forty five degree angle, attempting to push the Grodine back a little. She can't do much at this scale, but she needs to try, focusing as much mana as she can spare into the ancient artifact.

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

        Acacia's been just as capricious as Kamui as of late. She feels a little bad about that whenever she stops to think about it, but she'd like to hope she's impressed upon the Reploid the most important fact: that there's always a home for her to come back to in Meria Boule whenever she wants or needs it. The rest is a mixture of trust and acceptance - that the two of them sometimes value their moments of independence, and that's just how they are, and that's just fine.

        Whatever happens, she can say - with a lot more confidence than she might have in the past - that Kamui is family. Which is why it takes her approximately no time at all to agree to come along, a determined frown on her face as she listens to the brief but heartfelt news.

        ...

        ... okay, perhaps she's still guilting herself a little bit, because when the day comes she doesn't arrive on her own - instead, the Nephele powers over a nearby hill to hover above the boat, sticking close to it despite the rocky waters and the somewhat heavy winds. Acacia's gotten better at piloting that she isn't in danger of crashing, but her insistence on sticking close to the boat to cover Kamui's journey requires movements a little more precise than she's used to.

        "I see-- something ahead," she reports, her voice muffled in the way that suggests she's got her tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth in concentration. "It's actually kind of pretty in the mist--" She cuts herself off once the voice echoes across them and doesn't speak afterwards, the stance of her Gear suddenly expectant and wary. It's kind of obvious that she doesn't really believe the 'welcome' part, figuring that neglect and age might have worn off the corners of that offer.

        So she's ready when the sea suddenly surges, and the Nephele dives down in a hammer blow that is much less elegant than anything the sleek machine was intended for, its fists surrounded by a sudden burst of a white corona edged with flickering, not-quite-real flame. It's a safe bet that the intent of the paired machines that she and Yue share was something a bit more glamorous than a redhead yelling 'Bugger off!' to a giant crab as if it could understand her.

DG: Acacia Saitani has used her Tool Mana Egg toward her party's challenge, Scrapped Beat.
<Pose Tracker> Dash Caskett has posed.

A strange place about the past... Of course this would be worth investigating. If not for Kamui, for all sorts of reasons. Dash has his own for being here. The discovery of the past has reached a sort of fevered pitch with him. Not quite obsess over it, though one would tell the boy to go outside and catch a breath of fresh air from time to time.
Heuited in the Volnutt Armor and armed with his trusty Drill, Dash remains on standby as the ship pierces the cloying fog of the seas around. "How did you find this place, Kamui?" Dash asks, curious as ever. "It is out in the middle of nowhere..."

There was an incoming comment on it possibly being deserted, until a voice calls out amongst the fog. "Was that a recording? Or an actual person?" he idly muses. A look toward Xiumei and Tio. "Do they sound familiar to you both?"

There are more curiosities to ask BUT a very large crab has something to say about having meaningful dialogue! "OH he is very big. Dash may not have a Gear of his own to deal with this threat, but his combat capabilities have him tackling Gear-scale enemies often! And he has just the tool to deal with something with a strong exoskeleton.

"Ay! Back up or lose the claw!" Dash threatens, revving up the Drill Arm. If it gets too close to the ship he will punch a hole right through it if he has to!"

This casually reminds him to try cooking seafood sometime for Barrell and Roll. And anyone else of course.

DG: Dash Caskett has used his Tool Drill Arm toward his party's challenge, Scrapped Beat.
DG: Tio has used her Tool Soul Egg toward her party's challenge, Scrapped Beat.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Clarine always worries a little whenever Kamui disappears, but she's always there to check on and hear from her when she returns. And recently, Kamui has returned with news, of a place she wants to visit. Clarine doesn't need to be asked twice - she gladly volunteers to help in any way she can.

And so, the day sees her aboard the ship with all the others. Soon enough, it comes into view - an island with a beautiful ivory city. Neo-Arcadia...

Clarine is mystified, but she looks toward Kamui and catches her expression. What does it mean to her...? She doesn't get a chance to ask, because an enemy appears!

It's big... she's not sure she has the strength to affect something that large. But... they're currently on a vessel that does.

"I shall return shortly...!" Clarine informs everyone. Her form disperses into light and settles into the ship - or more specifically, a cannon on the front. It might be an odd sight as the cannon, in opposition to its usual mode of fire, begins to fire great beams of light out at the Grodine as Clarine enhances it with her power.

DG: Seraph Clarine has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Scrapped Beat.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel Armitage doesn't mind Kamui darting off to do whatever. As far as she's concerned, Kamui is a perfect angel snowflake who can do no wrong and if anybody makes her feel bad she will scream at them until she inflicts a derangement. Marivel is perfectly willing to do that to Marivel if need be.

But she does say, to Kamui, "Are you sure about this? We could just leave well enough alone."

She ... didn't bring her gear so she's not going to be much help in this fight. By the time she summons Qubeley it'll probably already be over, but she does send some BOOSTER spells towards her friends to gift them a little bit of extra energy in the fight.

"It is your choice. I will follow you, wherever you go. Unless you tell me I'm driving you batty, doh ho ho ho ho...!"

DG: Marivel Armitage has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Scrapped Beat.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor did assure Kamui that she would help with... whatever the issue was. She wasn't quite sure what it was, due to the vagueness, but that isn't going to stop her from helping. She is not one of those who brought a Gear, however. And here...

A voice. What is it? "Savior?" Eleanor inquires, looking with concern to Kamui before--ah. Ah, there is a crab. "Kamui!"

She's been sitting with Xiumei mostly, and the boat rocking knocks her down. She can't stay down for all that long, though. Instead she has a different plan. She is a little dusty on account of the whole falling onto the ground thing, but she looks up quickly. The craft shakes some more, and Nephele moves ahead. This is a good thing! Eleanor though thinks of what she can do...

"Aaaah," Eleanor says, "Yes, we do need to push away!"

But.. she doesn't actually have a lot of way to help with that at the moment. It's probably fine!

DG: Eleanor Klein has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Scrapped Beat.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Scrapped Beat *>========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The journey to the Island Closest to Heaven is a remarkably arduous one,      
 notably marked with incoherent accounts. Drifters who've attempted the deed   
 in the past have conflicting stories, as if recalling a half-remembered       
 dream. Another reports hearing a heavenly voice in their daze.                
                                                                               
 Whatever the case may be, perhaps such reports aren't so far-fetched when     
 you approach the island. The fog is hazy, and the air bears a strangely       
 pleasant scent someplace between floral and petrichor. Radar and binoculars   
 all reveal an ethereal and beautiful ivory city ahead, shrouded in moss and   
 overgrowth.                                                                   
                                                                               
 Then a voice echoes out:                                                      
                                                                               
 "... this is our neo-Arcadia. By order of our Saviour... all are welcome...   
 all are... welcome..."                                                        
                                                                               
 -WHOOOOOOM-                                                                   
                                                                               
 The seas, however, have the opposite idea of a warm welcome. A Gear-sized     
 enemy crab humanoid crashes out of the waves, encased in extremely hard       
 metal and bearing enormous claw-arms.                                         
                                                                               
 (IMG: https://i.imgur.com/VXZaxjS.png )                                       
                                                                               
 As far as disembodied voice decrees go, you are welcome, but this Grodine     
 has... other ideas. It shoves its multi-tonne weight against your craft to    
 topple you into the ocean! There's no time for a traditional battle --        
 you'll need to apply a quick burst of power and repel the creature!           
                                                                               
 But this is why you brought Gears and allies capable of handling Gear-sized   
 threats. ... right?                                                           
                                                                               
 (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=631TGr3VKys )                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Madness, Suffer, Secret==================================
=================<* The Island Closest to Heaven - Round 1 *>=================
=========================< Results - Scrapped Beat >==========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acacia Saitani                      0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Mana Egg                            2   Brute   Effects: Stalwart             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        0 --(32)--> 32                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Clarine                      0 --(32)--> 32                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    0 --(32)--> 32                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tio                                 0 --(32)--> 32                 Fail
Soul Egg                            2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen           
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       0 --(32)--> 32                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dash Caskett                        0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Drill Arm                           2   Brute   Effects: Resilient            
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Acacia Saitani              0 --(15)--> 15                 Fail
Conditions: Madness|Secret(2)|Suffer(1)
Effects: Resilient(1)|Strengthen(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Acacia Saitani has failed this challenge! The party gained 15 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: Acacia Saitani has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
============================<* CHALLENGE - Labo *>============================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 A once-pleasant communal space houses a large and battered building. A        
 cursory exploration unveils inpatient rooms, examination rooms... the         
 equivalent of a hospital in human spaces.                                     
                                                                               
 "Do you... feel sub-optimal? Please visit our Communal Laboratory...          
 Our technicians can... can... analyse youuur... systems."                     
                                                                               
 On the third floor, a data room is rendered inaccessible by a large tear      
 through the wall and floor -- the pattern of damage suggests a Gear-scale     
 explosion consumed the entirety of the walkway. It's too far to reasonably    
 jump across, but you may be able to cross with teamwork from your             
 Gear-piloting comrades, but unseen structural damage may yet prove to be a    
 further setback.                                                              
                                                                               
 (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhjWwACX4E )                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Stupify, Treasure==================================
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

        Xiumei questions whether Kamui knows the voice. The Reploid answers, groggily, "Maybe... but... I can't confirm anything right now..." A pause. Why do they sound like that? It was as if nothing had ever changed...

        Xiumei's Pulse Cannon appears in cubes of data and the Grodine's claws melt in a shred of superheated plasma!

        Tio mentions familiarity; Kamui has a flash of anxiety to her fellow robot and sister, but says nothing. Guilt racks up over her as Tio channels the Soul Egg and causes a jet of water to slide out of the sea and *shred*, shred underneath the Grodine's chitinous shell and cause it pain. It reels back--

        Which buys enough time for the Nephele to physically wrestle it away with Ether-powered flame. One, two! The monster reels, and shrieks an ear-piercing scream as Dash's Drill Arm digs in and shreds what little there is of its claws. Splatters of blood and monster-parts scatter into the ocean!

        Dash asks how she found this place--

        "I... remembered it," Kamui admits, "And I investigated the villages nearby, who had urban legends and myths of this place..."

        Kamui blinks a few times as Clarine says she'll return in a bit -- but realises what she's up to, possessing the Cannon with her Ghost Tricks and volleying big blasts of light into it! "... nice, Clarine."

        Marivel asks her if she's sure -- that they could just leave well enough alone. "There are... some pages I have to turn back to. Especially if what I think is happening is true. I have to do that much--"

        Eleanor asks her about the Saviour. There's a hesitant pause from Kamui, and she relates, as the Booster spells Marivel grants gives enough power for the group to finally get rid of the creature, who sinks into the ocean. It's a difficult effort, that's for sure...

        "The Saviour... was the ruler of the city on that island, Neo-Arcadia, a long time ago. Neo-Arcadia... a city-paradise for robots and machines, without any interference from humans."

        It doesn't take them long to land; they find a suitable beach, and disembark. Not terribly far from the landing zone, there's a large and battered building of particularly advanced make, with white walls. Inside, there are inpatient rooms, examination rooms...

        But the equipment is definitely not suited for human healing, more resembling workshops and Gear repair centers.

        "Do you... feel sub-optimal? Please visit our Communal Laboratory... Our technicians can... can... analyse youuur... systems."

        Kamui is further silent, as she looks towards the laboratory. "Maybe... if we use the Nephele as a boost, Master..."

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

There is only a brief, uncertain look from Xiumei at what Kamui says. She is grateful they brought a Gear along -- and grateful for Kamui's information on the island. It makes things easier. Her eyes turn towards the huge crab. Dash has some excellent questions -- but she is, at the moment, rather preoccupied with the crab.

She lets out a sigh of relief -- glances at the cannon that is, currently, Clarine (is that how it works?) -- and then lets out a sigh.

"Neo-Arcadia...?" she asks. She trails off, though.

When they land, she walks near the front. Though, she doesn't walk too far ahead of Acacia's Gear. Her eyes shift up, eyes on the buildings -- staring at the architecture. Avile and Varius rumble, in the back of her mind. Then, she shakes her head once.

"Communal Laboratory," she repeats. "I'm a little worried about that. Maybe, though--"

She glances back at the Nephele, then Kamui. Then, at Eleanor; she smiles once, and then looks up. "Here we go!" she calls, before she runs forward. She leaps -- and then leaps again off nothing -- and straight up for the opening on the building.

DG: Zhang Xiumei has used her Tool Model AV Boots toward her party's challenge, Labo.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Alright then," Marivel says. "Let's give it our all then."

MOMENTS LATER

Marivel says, "You know, I'm not sure if there was ever an Arcadia that wasn't Neo. Well," She shrugs both shoulders. "Dem's the breaks."

She mysteriously turns into a bat to make this easier for her, taking a moment to sit on Kamui's shoulder, preening a wing for a moment...

...And then, in an attempt to provide further assistance, leans over and gives Kamui a bat kiss on the cheek.

IN FRONT OF ALL HER FRIENDS.

DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool Tomato Juice For Grownups toward her party's challenge, Labo.
<Pose Tracker> Tio has posed.

        The burst of magic seems to take it out of Tio, though it's hard to tell. She simply sags, just a little, once the spell is done. When there's a moment to breathe, Tio gives a small nod to Dash. "The voice... it is similar, but not the same. I require more data to confirm." She pauses for a few moments, trying to work this out with logic and information... but it's speaking to something deep down inside.

        She listens attentively as Kamui explains. "A paradise for robots..." Data begins to link together in her mind. A concerned look crosses Tio's face. It only grows moreso when the recording speaks again. "What does this mean...?"

        She looks around the inpatient rooms, pausing thoughtfully. "Facilities like these, they were made for repairing robots and automatons?" The idea is hard for Tio to quite comprehend but, she can't help but kind of like it. If only they were fully functioning.

        Tio looks at the gaps, and back to Eleanor. "We should be careful, Master." Tio, having recently realised that often her own balancers and stabilizers seem to lack something. "I will follow your lead, Sister."

        She will need gear assistance, but Tio starts a cautious path across the way, leading to a finaly runningn leap, Chakrams out for extra balance. Hopefully it's enough.

DG: Tio has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Labo.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Clarine beams at the praise... or rather, she would if she weren't currently possessing a cannon. Instead, the cannon just glows proudly for a brief moment. But soon enough the glow fades as Clarine removes herself from the weapon, rematerializing alongside everyone once more.

It's pretty tiring - she doesn't have a whole lot of experience with tricks like that. But... she's learning. They seem like they'll be helpful for She listens, then, as Kamui explains - who the Savior was, and how there's something she needs to turn back to. Clarine nods, after a moment.

"We are here for you... we will make sure you do not have to face it alone..." Clarine assures her. They find a landing zone, then, and soon continue into a large building. It's quite impressive on the inside, with the exception of the large hole in the wall.

What happened here...?

Well, regardless, this looks like the way to proceed, so they need to find a way forward. ...Though she does pause to see Bat Marivel give Kamui a kiss on the check, smiling with a small 'aww' at this display of motherly affection.

For her own part Clarine reaches into her sleeves, drawing out her familiar prisms and dispersing them through the air. They float into place, forming platforms of light that should hopefully help others ascend.

Clarine herself glides from platform to platform, making her way up as well.

DG: Seraph Clarine has used her Tool Prismatic Projector toward her party's challenge, Labo.
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

        Acacia's curiosity and quiet suspicion about the island they're going to doesn't abate when Tio calls the voice familiar. It's not that the reporter thinks the island is dangerous per se - more that she's expecting something to be waiting for them, and maybe it won't all be good. She's got enough experience with people encountering age-old shadows from their past that she reckons a little wariness is always a good plan.

        "Shit--" she twists as she flings the monster away, giving Dash the chance to finish the job. There's some satisfaction in that, but from her vantage point she can see the boat rock dangerously, and there's a long moment of suspense with her heart in her throat as she has to seriously wonder whether Clarine has snuck into an item or just fallen overboard.

        By the time they make landfall Acacia has opened the hatch of her cockpit, alternately watching the boat pull into the dock and keeping guard over the rest of the island. It's beautiful to look at up close, even in its half-ruined state - the ivy and moss climbing over it only add to the look, and she huffs softly to herself as she looks over the horizon. Her fingers itch for her camera - but she wouldn't do that to Kamui, the thought of it a little... crass.

        The way that Kamui describes the place is hauntingly familiar. Something about the way she says it makes Acacia stop dead in her tracks for a moment, the gears in the back of her head starting to turn as her brain starts to work; she gazes at the Reploid for a moment, the question 'so what happened' so obviously on her lips she might as well ask it out loud.

        She doesn't. Instead, she nods slowly to Kamui, not wanting to break the peaceful air right up until the voice ahead does it for her by making her scoff with laughter. "Sub-optimal is the human condition," she quips back, before she watches Xiumei boost across the gap with a flat expression.

        "I could just carry you," she points out with a grump, which only escalates as she takes in how many of the group are actually more or less fully capable of flight. Marivel, in particular, gets a very glum look, but thankfully none of it is particularly serious. "You're my only friend," she tells Eleanor, the one who seems most in need of help - but the Nephele is there to assist anyone else across.

DG: Acacia Saitani has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Labo.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor is also glad they brought a Gear along, though she wonders if maybe she shouldn't brought her own, too. It's a bit late for that though. Instead, she considers Neo-Arcadia, whether or not there even was an Arcadia before--and Kamui explains...

"Just for robots and machines..." She looks at Kamui with something like sympathy. "Interference from humans..."

She watches how many of the others just kind of go with super jumps and flight and everything. She pauses. She remains quiet. Then she looks to the Gear.

"That is a great idea," Eleanor says brightly of carrying, and steps over to Acacia's Gear's hand. "Ah, this is much more comfortable than having to run around..."

She shakes her ankle a little to activate some of the magic she carries--to make sure she doesn't fall off and out of the hand.

"Thank you~!"

DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Blue Anklet toward her party's challenge, Labo.
<Pose Tracker> Dash Caskett has posed.

The Drill Arm was made for puncturing reinforced metal doors found in Kattelox's ruins. Most armor is no match for it. Dash bets sprayed in viscera, and he has to recoil away to keep it out of his eyes. "Ugh! Gross." He can hear Kamui in the scuffle. Or should it be scuttle? It is a crab after all.

"A place where machines existed apart from Humans...?" Peacefull, he would hop, though has a distinct feeling that is untrue. Nothing divorces itself from a concept fully without reason. And in this world, those reasons are often negative at least in some aspect.

"So, if you remembered this place, it could be tied to you?" Which is most likely true. Potentially Dash himself then as well. "Perhaps Kamui seeing and remembering places she has been can restore all her memory then!" he comments toward Clarine.

Where they land and head looks somewhat like a workshop. Something appearing to access and repair a modular type of robot. The rest of the area, well... "Ah, if you got time, I could use a bit of a lift as well! he asks also. "As much as trying to ramp it with the Skates sounds cool, it may not be a good idea. Heh."

DG: Dash Caskett has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Labo.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
============================<* CHALLENGE - Labo *>============================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 A once-pleasant communal space houses a large and battered building. A        
 cursory exploration unveils inpatient rooms, examination rooms... the         
 equivalent of a hospital in human spaces.                                     
                                                                               
 "Do you... feel sub-optimal? Please visit our Communal Laboratory...          
 Our technicians can... can... analyse youuur... systems."                     
                                                                               
 On the third floor, a data room is rendered inaccessible by a large tear      
 through the wall and floor -- the pattern of damage suggests a Gear-scale     
 explosion consumed the entirety of the walkway. It's too far to reasonably    
 jump across, but you may be able to cross with teamwork from your             
 Gear-piloting comrades, but unseen structural damage may yet prove to be a    
 further setback.                                                              
                                                                               
 (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhjWwACX4E )                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Stupify, Treasure==================================
=================<* The Island Closest to Heaven - Round 2 *>=================
==============================< Results - Labo >==============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acacia Saitani                      20 --(4)--> 24                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        32 --(0)--> 32                 Pass
Model AV Boots                      3   Agility Effects: Fanfare              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Clarine                      32 --(4)--> 36                 Fail
Prismatic Projector                 1   Agility Effects: Fanfare and Quicken  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    32 --(4)--> 36                 Fail
Tomato Juice For Grownups           1   Agility Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tio                                 32 --(4)--> 36                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       32 --(0)--> 32                 Pass
Blue Anklet                         2   Agility Effects: Stalwart             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dash Caskett                        20 --(4)--> 24                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Acacia Saitani              15 --(35)--> 50                Pass
Conditions: Madness|Secret(1)|Slow(2)|Stupify(2)|Treasure(1)
Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Acacia Saitani has passed this challenge! The party gained 35 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: Acacia Saitani has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Momentary Peace *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "Our Food Court offers a wide range of sustenance. Please enjoy...!"          
                                                                               
 Veteran Drifters often discover ancient eating venues in ruins, and they      
 often have expected, but disappointing results: the food is spoiled or        
 withered into dust, or the mechanisms that produce it long broken to time.    
                                                                               
 So what is it like to find the exception to the norm? The curious but         
 advanced vending machines all work, offering a range of strange but           
 delicious foods that somehow emerge hot and fresh as if it were made today!!  
                                                                               
 ... are you gonna risk eating 500-year old noodles? Where did the             
 ingredients even come from?                                                   
                                                                               
 (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdnQtnJ9TGg )                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Save Point, Madness======================================
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

        "A lot of Reploids and other machines needed repairs after the war," Kamui explains with a nod to Tio. "These laboratories were common and needed. Yet... there weren't ever really enough parts to get everyone back on their feet."

        Xiumei hops off off nothing -- not even a magical platform!! -- and arrives at the higher ledge, clearing three floors' worth in one bound. "Double jumping...a lost art," Kamui murmurs under her breath.

        Then she gets a bat-chu! from mom, and she grumps for a moment as her angsty self dissipates for a moment. "Moom..."

        Clarine ponders what happens here -- she's undoubtedly seen similar sights before, in the past. The way a large portion of the building was torn apart from one side suggests... a deliberate act of warfare, rather than a natural disaster. The platforms of light make for easier traversing.

        "Thank you, Clarine... okay, Sister." Marivel's counting on her, and Tio says she'll follow her lead. She doesn't have as much jumping power as Xiumei, so she needs to rebound off the Nephele and use it as a jumping pad... now!

        Kamui does look up to Acacia for a moment, then says, "If... you want to take a picture, Master, it's okay."

        Eleanor looks at her with a bit of sympathy; Kamui wonders for a moment if Eleanor has similar struggles, sometimes. Then, she boards the Nephele's hand and has it lift her up, using her anklet to keep her steady.

        Dash, unfortunately, doesn't use the Skates to perform a sick noseflip onto the third floor; fortunately, the Nephele is very much in place to assist people.

        Dash asks if this place is tied to her; Kamui is silent, once again guilty, looking as if she probably knows more than she's letting on.

        "At its peak, Neo-Arcadia was a city of tens of thousands... many of them were frontline soldiers and cannon fodder from the Granas-Valmar War. The Saviour took as many Reploids and machines as possible and brought them all here..."

        The third-floor platform is... precarious, and starts to crumble under them -- but thanks to Eleanor's magic and the Nephele, people are saved from having to trek all the way back down.

        Over the third floor is access to a data room, which Kamui quickly fetches some swipe cards from. She doesn't really stop to mention how she knows this, instead waving it at a door which...

        ... leads to an enormous, beautiful shopping plaza. There's a variety of ancient signs which-- you know, a number of people here could probably read. Marivel might even remember the brands and franchises from hundreds of years ago.

        "Even if there were no humans... a lot of Reploids were built with the ability to crave, want and enjoy food. So there was a food court... available to everyone. But most everything is probably broken now--"

        "Our Food Court offers a wide range of sustenance. Please enjoy...!"

        The Reploid stops to stare at an online vending machine, which purports to serve all kinds of ramen, udon, soba (gluten-free!), with a variety of broths from shio to shoyu to tonkotsu...

        "... I can't believe this is still running."

        Do you... do you dare?

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

When Eleanor gets up to the roof -- and with an apologetic look at Acacia -- Xiumei extends a hand to her. "Here, watch your step," she says. Then, she glances at Dash -- nods once -- and glances at Tio.

She wonders what she thinks, though she doesn't ask yet.

"Avile wants to know how old this is," Xiumei says, with a glance at Kamui. "Do you know, Kamui?"

She doesn't ask whether she remembers. It seems rude.

She waits -- lets Kamui open the door, which she somehow seems familiar with -- and blinks as she sees the shopping plaza, the signs, and the familiar-but-breaking environment. Except, Xiumei thinks, far more advanced than one she knows.

She looks at the Reploid that approahces. Her eyes blink a couple of times. "I-I am... not sure if we should risk it," she says. "The food might have spoiled..."

She pauses. "...well, for us humans. Tio, Kamui, you might be okay? And, um, Marivel..."

She trails off. Marivel might be okay for different reasons.

DG: Zhang Xiumei has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Momentary Peace.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

A city of tens and thousands... a city of Reploids and machines. Clarine can't help but wonder what it may have looked like, back in the day.

"It must have been quite the sight..." Clarine murmurs.

She doesn't question how Kamui knows what she does about how to access the various rooms. She may be piecing some things together, but... doesn't want to push her until she's ready.

And then, they find a shopping plaza - and a food court! There's a lot of vending machines here, and a lot of strange signs. She can read them all just fine.

"Ah. Are they... still edible...?" Clarine remarks with a frown. ...She's not really the type to eat things, with very specific exceptions. She'll leave the experimentation to the others. That is not to say there's nothing for her here, though!

All these lights, and signs, and displays... still functioning, even after all this time. For one in tune with the light, they light they all emit, mixing and playing off each other, is a rather eclectic mixture but not in an unpleasant way. She sits down and shuts her eyes for a moment, letting it all wash over her.

"...This is a rather curious place. I wonder what it must have been like..." She murmurs.

DG: Seraph Clarine has used her Tool Brilliant Sphere toward her party's challenge, Momentary Peace.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor doesn't elaborate for now. She listens, instead, to the story of what this place was like, what it was for... She doesn't know the language, but conveniently there are pictures and icons and lots of other things that make some of te meaning clear. As does Kamui's explanation.

Eleanor is happy to put her hand in Xiumei's as they go, and indeed watches her step. But she watches more... Of these things. Of the machines...

"I'll try this one!" Eleanor says, as Xiumei says that they shouldn't risk it. She presses the button for the shoyu broth as she does. "Oh, it looks so good, though, doesn't it? It's probably fine! Ancient technology, and all that."

Eleanor waits for a snack!!

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so proud...!" Marivel says. She doesn't sound TOO sorry. She is probably trying to be extra nice to Kamui because she's had such a hard time lately. Also because it's Kamui and everybody knows that the vampire just absolutely adores the reploid.

She does hop off though, bampfing back into her vampire form to order some instant cup noodle with five ingredients just like at the top ramen museum. She waits for it to be filled with hot water, removes the disposable spork, and gets to chowing odwn on it.

"Mmm." She says. "It's been so long since I've had proper ramen..."

She's...just eating it. Is it safe? Well you probably can't use Marivel as a barometer... Because she's already dead!!!

*thundercrash*

DG: Eleanor Klein has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Momentary Peace.
DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool Wisdom of the Crimson Nobles by M. Armitage toward her party's challenge,
Momentary Peace.
<Pose Tracker> Tio has posed.

        Tio blinks for a few seconds. That sounds.... relevant. "...The Granas-Valmar War used many sentient machines?" She's still trying to find the right term, as she follows Kamui, her eyes focused on her Sister. There's that voice again, and she looks down, placing her hand on her chest. Something is working deep inside her, and she looks forward.

        She looks around to see the food court, and her sensors light up again. "Please wait. I am trying to determine if the food has deteriorated." It takes her a few moments, and she walks up to the ramen dispenser. Tio has often stated she has no need for food and drink, or any form of sustenance, but perhaps Kamui has rubbed off on her.

        She wants to see what food meant for reploids is like, and she waits too for the food, but with no carefully combined set of flavours.

        She's going to be a little disappointed if it's just food.

DG: Tio has used her Tool Sensor Antennae toward her party's challenge, Momentary Peace.
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

        Acacia keeps her face stoic as she wordlessly lifts Eleanor and Dash across the gap. "This is my job in ARMS," she makes a show of lamenting. "I'm just the gofer. Go here, Acacia. Lift this, Acacia. Ferry us over chasms, Acacia. If we had a union, I wouldn't have to cope with this," she pauses, trying to imagine Valeria instituting anything like that, and snorts to herself.

        She hesitates - and gives Kamui a quiet smile as she tugs her camera out. "... okay. But it'll just be for us," she makes a point of saying. "So that you can see it whenever you want. Sound fair?" she asks lightly, keeping her voice in a gentle tone that she hopes is encouraging. When she gets to the work of setting the Nephele to hover and lifting her camera to the vista, she makes damn sure to put some effort into her photography.

        There's a long pause as she watches Kamui unlock the way further into the complex, and after a moment's thought she's hopped off the Nephele to at least temporarily join the others on foot, her curiosity getting the better of her as she stares around at the plaza.

        "This place would give Guild Galad a run for its money," she muses with her eyebrows raised. She might not be able to read the signs, but she can recognize the rough shape of the structure, and what it was probably used for. In the back of her head, she constructs a rough sort of timeline of what she knows of Kamui's past, wondering for a moment as to whether there might be any vestiges of Dr. Lumen around - before realising this was a little too late for that.

        She jolts at the friendly 'ding!' from the machine, half-expecting a ruined machine to be coming after them, and just looks befuddled instead at the menu that awaits her instead. "... I think I've got some stuff right at the back of my cupboard that's about that old," she comments, and swivels her head towards Marivel to give her portion an experimental sniff.

        ... she is clearly extremely tempted.

        "Well," she says slowly, and takes out her notepad with a certain sense of purpose, staring at it for a long moment before striding forward to push a button. "It's been a while since I did a food review."

DG: Acacia Saitani has used her Tool Thrifty Drifty toward her party's challenge, Momentary Peace.
<Pose Tracker> Dash Caskett has posed.

Kamui's silence is noted, though is believed to be dued to lack of the full picture on Dash's end.

A small hop and jump (sadly no double jump!) and Dash makes it across. "What did this? Must have been powerful. Perhaps there was a falling out here of some kind?" A pause. "I see. They must have felt bad for them. Seemed like a nice thing to do."

The gang reaches a social shopping area of some kind, completed with food dispensery. "Oh yeah! You do eat, don't you?" he asks Kamui. "I can too, though I think it is more of an optional thing. I really like to cook it though!"

But the offer for food is tempting to at least see what kinds of food was made for robots. A voice cuts on over Dask's helmet.

"Don't eat centuries old food, Dash."

"Aw, why not?"
"Just... Just don't."

And thus Roll's wisest words ever were spoken.

DG: Dash Caskett has used his Tool Roll Call toward his party's challenge, Momentary Peace.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Momentary Peace *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "Our Food Court offers a wide range of sustenance. Please enjoy...!"          
                                                                               
 Veteran Drifters often discover ancient eating venues in ruins, and they      
 often have expected, but disappointing results: the food is spoiled or        
 withered into dust, or the mechanisms that produce it long broken to time.    
                                                                               
 So what is it like to find the exception to the norm? The curious but         
 advanced vending machines all work, offering a range of strange but           
 delicious foods that somehow emerge hot and fresh as if it were made today!!  
                                                                               
 ... are you gonna risk eating 500-year old noodles? Where did the             
 ingredients even come from?                                                   
                                                                               
 (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdnQtnJ9TGg )                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Save Point, Madness======================================
=================<* The Island Closest to Heaven - Round 3 *>=================
========================< Results - Momentary Peace >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acacia Saitani                      24 --(5)--> 29                 Pass
Thrifty Drifty                      2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        32 --(5)--> 37                 Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Clarine                      36 --(5)--> 41                 Pass
Brilliant Sphere                    2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    36 --(5)--> 41                 Pass
Wisdom of the Crimson Nobles by M.  3   Wits    Effects: Fanfare              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tio                                 36 --(5)--> 41                 Pass
Sensor Antennae                     2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       32 --(5)--> 37                 Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dash Caskett                        24 --(5)--> 29                 Pass
Roll Call                           3   Wits    Effects: Rally                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Acacia Saitani              50 --(20)--> 70                Pass
Conditions: Madness|Save Point(1)
Effects: Enlighten(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Acacia Saitani 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.
DG: Acacia Saitani has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Submerged Memory *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "Please enjoy our Central Library at your own leisure.                        
 There is a lot of physical and digital literature..."                         
                                                                               
 The voice makes it sound very pleasant, but the reality is dire: what was     
 once the Central Library is half-sunk into the river, which has flooded this  
 entire area.                                                                  
                                                                               
 The water runs fast enough to be treacherous, and when a Gear fords it, they  
 also discover that the riverbed rapidly sinks underneath the weight. You'll   
 have to work together to tread through and arrive at the top floor of the     
 Library. If you can do so, however, you may find some common literature from  
 centuries ago.                                                                
                                                                               
 (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBqE4_jobZ0 )                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Secret==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

        Xiumei mentions Avile wants to know -- just how old is all this? "... just... slightly older than five hundred years," Kamui answers with no uncertainty to Xiumei. "This city was founded at the end of the Granas-Valmar War... rather, in response to those too exhausted to keep on fighting."

        Tio asks if the War had many sentient machines-- Kamui nods for a moment. "... yes," she answers. "There were a larger number of Reploids then, similar to me, Varius and Avile. There were also other machines of more simple intelligence and design... we took those too."

        She's leaving out a very obvious class of sentient machine.

        The accountant also isn't sure if they should-- but Eleanor does! Eleanor yes. What comes out is... piping-hot, fresh ramen with a delicious chicken-soy sauce broth, as fresh as the day it's made...?

        Day of Collapse ramen. Or is it modern ramen? It certainly doesn't... LOOK spoiled. Tio's sensors indicate that it looks safe and not rotten...

       HP/MP Restored! And you're no longer hungry! Take that Enertron!!

        Marivel instead takes the galaxy brain route and goes for the Cup Noodle route. Kamui looks, just mildly perplexed. "... that really... takes me back," the Reploid chuckles.

        "Master liked Cup Noodle, didn't she, Mom? I would be cleaning up stacks and stacks of it as she worked for days in her lab... I would complain." she reminisces to Marivel, clearly referring to Lumen rather than Acacia. Then again, Acacia's not that far off, with the greasy foods she likes to sneak...

        Acacia mentions that they should unionise. "That's true. A Drifter Union to demand fair pay and selection, and reasonable working hours..." Kamui muses, perhaps taking the idea way too seriously. "And... sure," she nods, of the mention of the photos.

        She also presses a button... and gets some ramen of her own. What star rating will The Island Closest to Heaven get on the Meria Bouletin? Is this going to be Heaven, or Hell? One can only guess.

        Dash asks what could've done the damage to the Community Laboratory. "There were... air raids," Kamui shares quietly, but pauses, looking back to Eleanor and Marivel eating, not wanting to damage the more light atmosphere for now.

        Roll delivers advice, and tells Dash to not dine. And thus, it can be said...

        He didn't Dine and Dash.

        Clarine says it must've been quite the sight -- there's a nod from Kamui, as she says, "It was an ecclectic place, but... for a while, it was paradise." Even if they did some unsavoury things to keep it the way it was... "Reploids could be free, to pursue what they wanted to... without the interference or manipulation of governments or other agencies that wanted to use them for certain purposes."

        Before long, they can press on -- but the eastern portion of the shopping plaza leads to an enormous riverbed that was once a commercial district of the city.

        "Please enjoy our Central Library at your own leisure. There is a lot of physical and digital literature..."

        At the centre of this is a large library.... which has suffered a similar fate, with an enormous tear that uncomfortably looks like a dome-shaped cavity on the ground, allowing the water to flood in.

        "We need to cross here... but Master, the ground underneath slides easily -- it was always soft, even when dry. Be careful, everyone."

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

"N-Nora!" Xiumei says, with a half-wine. "We're not sure how old it is. Or if it's shelf stable..."

Then she makes a face at Acacia, too. "W-We should at least wait for Tio to test it..."

Then, she glances at Kamui -- blinks -- and nods. "Ah... ah, I understandnd." It would have been right around the time of the Day of Collapse, Xiumei thinks. Maybe even in response to it.

She falls quiet while Kamui mentions a different Master -- Dr. Lumen, who Varius and Avile only knew a little, and told her a little less -- she says.

When they press on, she slows. She frowns at the riverbed -- and she sees the problem, along with that large library. Xiumei bobs her head, and then she glances around. Then, she takes a deep breath.

"Let's be careful," she says. "We wouldn't want to be swept away."

She gets a running start -- then leaps, further than a human ought. Then, of course, midway through, she leaps off the air again.

DG: Zhang Xiumei has used her Tool Model AV Boots toward her party's challenge, Submerged Memory.
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

 Acacia Saitani says, "... so you're saying the ability to eat like crap while we lose ourselves in work is a family
 trait," Acacia responds to Kamui with another of those glum looks - but she lets out a quiet sigh as she reaches out,
 taking the Reploid's agreement in stride as she offers the girl an affectionate pat on the head. A shadow passes over
 her expression as Kamui talks about what happened to the place, and she falls silent to mark the comment--
 
         --at least until she's got a bowl in her hands, thoughtfully digging through it. "Processed never tastes as good
 as fresh, unless it's at 2am with some really terrible cheese on top," she remarks, giving away a lot about herself.
 "But top marks for heritage."
 
         * * *
 
         The Nephele slowly lowers down to the river, Acacia squinting in concentration. She's expecting the rapid flow
 of water to disrupt her maneuver somewhat - what she's not expecting is for something to give way beneath her, sending
 the Gear pitching sideways and very nearly into and maybe through a wall. Beneath her, the surface of the river turns
 deep brown with accumulated dirt and silt, dislodged and now being washed away.
 
         "Gh--" she makes the sound through gritted teeth, barely managing to power her Gear back upright before she can
 cause any structural damage to the silent city. It takes her a little bit to catch her breath and feel relieved
 afterwards; she's pretty sure she couldn't forgive herself if she actually damaged the place any more than it is
 already.
 
         "... okay, well..." she tries, once she's sure she can trust her voice again. "That's not going to be an option.
 I guess I could still carry people over, but it's gonna be a little awkward... maybe I could just find something to ford
 the river with temporarily?" she muses, glancing around her for anything likely.
 
         What she finds in the end is a large hunk of rubble. The Nephele lifts it with some strain, but at least its
 engines are strong enough to carry the stone over to the river's path - and wait there, looking kind of ridiculous as
 the Nephele hovers, half-pitched over, and holds the rock in place rather than doing the sensible thing of dropping it.
 
         The end result is a kind of clumsy attempt to ford the river, with much of it still getting past her makeshift
 barrier - but by the same token, that means she isn't flooding anything upstream or causing further damage to the ruined
 library."

DG: Acacia Saitani has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Submerged Memory.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Five hundred year old noodles. But still good! How many of the mages at Sielje can say they've eaten that??

"Oh this is lovely," Eleanor comments about the ramen, though--cup noodle... Hmm. An interesting thing. But, Eleanor finds herself laughing a bit when Acacia says she'll do a food review. "See? You get to carry us around and do food reviews."

She misses the damage. But she does notice the library, which looks fascinating to say the least. Or well.. Like it would have been, at one time. "...Right, Xiu." Careful. Eleanor will move carefully, too, making use of a little extra magic to avoid dripping and falling in this kind of place.

Along the path the Nephele makes...

DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Blue Anklet toward her party's challenge, Submerged Memory.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Clarine is refreshed after basking in the light! She listens, then, as Kamui explains what it was like in the past.

...That does sound nice...

They proceed, then, into what is apparently, according to the voice that's been following them, the Central Library.

"Ah... I wonder if any books remain intact...?" Clarine wonders. As she's admitted to Marivel in the past, the Ancient Tongue is her preferred reading language. While she can read the more modern tongue, it takes her a bit longer to process so she's a lot less comfortable with it.

But right now... it's not in the best of conditions. Could anything have survived...? Well, maybe they'll be able to find something...

Once again they have to cross a gap, so once again Clarine relies on her prisms, forming a series of shimmering rainbow platforms to act as a bridge across. They might even be able to support the Nephele's weight, so that it doesn't have to take on as much water.

Clarine, meanwhile, can easily just float across, because Seraphim can kind of just cheat that way.

DG: Seraph Clarine has used her Tool Prismatic Projector toward her party's challenge, Submerged Memory.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"SLURRRRRRP." That's Marivel. "What's a Union?" She knows what it is she's just being difficult.

"She did," Marivel says. "I don't get a strong taste for human food usually but there's some exceptions and crummy ramen is one of those exceptions. When there's sort of an emotional energy behind the food I'm eating, that's when I can really enjoy it. Of course, for cup noodles like this it's really more of a nostalgic remembrance."

"Lumen. I remember giving her a hard time about what she was eating too. I knew she loved it but, well, it wasn't really healthy. But I've come around to her point of view now. Sometimes it's more important to eat what you like rather than to stay healthy. You won't be forever no matter what you do. But even so... There's such a thing as moderation."

She's going to keep chowing down on this ramen for the esrt of the adventure. She eventually dabs a bit of blodo into it just to make it tastier for her. Not toom uch. Just a bit of spice.

She works her way through the area, trying to enjoy her meal patiently.

DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool Tomato Juice For Grownups toward her party's challenge, Submerged Memory.
<Pose Tracker> Tio has posed.

        Tio continues not to speak on what she's thinking about, but she looks deep in thought even as she abandons her ramen- poor thing doesn't really have tastebuds. She nods at Kamui's explanation. "I see." She's gotten more used to the concept of freedom recently, but it's kind of incredible. A place where people like her could live without humans. Had there really been such a need?

        Tio follows along the Nephele's path, sticking close to Eleanor. As a small advantage for submerged terrain, Tio is small and light. That is sadly about all she can offer. She is also off in her own little world a bit at the moment, which she has to shake herself out of. Whatever that voice is, it seems to have gotten into Tio's head.

        She moves cautiously, not investigating the waterlogged library. It seems a shame, but, they have to be cautious now. Oh to have seen this place in it's true glory.

DG: Tio has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Submerged Memory.
<Pose Tracker> Dash Caskett has posed.

Everyone else consumes foods and noodles. Dash listens to Roll to be safe, but has one of those whimpering frowns on his face as everyone else seems fine WHY CANT HE HAVE ANY.

There is little Dash knows of this enigmatic Dr. Luman, so when conversation turns to them, it is an interesting listen-in. At times he wonders who made him, too, though is unimportant currently. "Will everyone be okay crossing?"

The shifting riverbed may prove difficult. He is used to just drapsing along the waterbed floor, but with the silt-like floor, that could be difficult.

But THIS TIME, Dash will try to cool ramp jump with the Jet Skates! Because there is open area to do it. And falling into annoying water and silt isnt the worst thing.

DG: Dash Caskett has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Submerged Memory.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Submerged Memory *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "Please enjoy our Central Library at your own leisure.                        
 There is a lot of physical and digital literature..."                         
                                                                               
 The voice makes it sound very pleasant, but the reality is dire: what was     
 once the Central Library is half-sunk into the river, which has flooded this  
 entire area.                                                                  
                                                                               
 The water runs fast enough to be treacherous, and when a Gear fords it, they  
 also discover that the riverbed rapidly sinks underneath the weight. You'll   
 have to work together to tread through and arrive at the top floor of the     
 Library. If you can do so, however, you may find some common literature from  
 centuries ago.                                                                
                                                                               
 (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBqE4_jobZ0 )                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Secret==========================================
=================<* The Island Closest to Heaven - Round 4 *>=================
========================< Results - Submerged Memory >========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acacia Saitani                      29 --(0)--> 29                 Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        37 --(0)--> 37                 Pass
Model AV Boots                      3   Agility Effects: Fanfare              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Clarine                      41 --(0)--> 41                 Pass
Prismatic Projector                 1   Agility Effects: Fanfare and Quicken  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    41 --(12)--> 53                Fail
Tomato Juice For Grownups           1   Agility Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tio                                 41 --(0)--> 41                 Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       37 --(0)--> 37                 Pass
Blue Anklet                         2   Agility Effects: Stalwart             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dash Caskett                        29 --(0)--> 29                 Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Acacia Saitani              70 --(20)--> 90                Pass
Conditions: Madness|Secret(2)|Stupify(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Acacia Saitani 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.
DG: Acacia Saitani has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
============================<* CHALLENGE - Fake *>============================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The path you've taken through the city takes you into an enormous, central    
 pillar bearing the auspices of government. Further exploration takes you      
 through miscellaneous clerical and office areas, until the path inevitably    
 funnels into a massive, dark chamber lit only by enormous vertical            
 skylights. Grand podiums ring the chamber, obscured in the dark.              
                                                                               
 A Reploid woman with dark hair and yellow eyes descends from above, wearing   
 armour with the silhouette of a mechanical seraph. She bears an uncanny       
 resemblance to a TIO unit, if you are familiar.                               
                                                                               
 "You should not be here.                                                      
 This is the central Administrative chamber...                                 
 Normal residents are not allowed here.                                        
 Please leave. I shall count down from 10... 9... 8-- NaN"                     
                                                                               
 Her eyes shoot wide open for a moment, and when she collects herself, her     
 look has turned violent.                                                      
                                                                               
 "You are still here. I warned you... now, begone!!"                           
                                                                               
 She raises her hand, and data cubes flow from her palm, manifesting into a    
 mechanical halberd. Portions of her wings fly outward and become aerial beam  
 cannons. She menacingly brandishes the halberd in your direction, and goes    
 on the assault!                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                    /                          
 _  _  _  _____   _____  __    _ _ __    _  ____  /                            
 \  \  \ /_____\ \_____\ \\    \ \ \\    \ /     /  ___                        
  \  \  \ \     \ \    \  \  \  \ \ \  \  \ \  --*----                         
   \_/ \_/ \     \ \     \ \    \\ \ \    \\ \___/ \                           
    ___________________________________________ /   \                          
                                               /                                                          
                                                                               
                                                                               
 (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bqf0nSUp_g )                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

        Kamui doesn't answer whether or not this pre-dated or post-dated the Day of Collapse, though... honestly, with the devastation visited upon the city, it's not hard to imagine what kind of things befell it.

        Xiumei once more leads the way, with the Model AV Boots... (Kamui, why do you never call your shoes Boots? Why are they always Foot Parts? You're so stubborn.) It's a narrow landing, but she clears the upper half of the library.

        There's some literature from only slightly-damaged books, if she wants to take it with her... as Clarine also wonders. The books are probably not of the Ancient Tongue, however.

        Acacia makes a comment about how it runs in the family... and there's a faint, knowing 'mm' from Kamui, as she gets head-patted. "It wouldn't be Master unless it was soaked in grease, with cheese ontop, with hot sauce."

        Eleanor gets the high ground over the other mages in Sielje. Indeed, who can say they've eaten 500-year old ramen?! Shifting dimensions is old hat compared to that. But with more effort from her magic and the anklet, she helps make it safer and more stable for everyone...

        Clarine creates platforms, and Kamui takes the advantage to hop onto them, puffing out a breath. She looks back to Marivel. "I understand... but couldn't she at least throw them away? Really..." She puffs a bit.

        Kamui keeps an eye of Tio, perhaps noticing that she's been thinking a lot further lately... it can only be a matter of time before she figures it out. And that makes her feel quite guilty--

        "Ah--!" Kamui blinks as Dash zooms across with the Jet Skates. Siiiiiick! That's at least worth 80 points. She rubs her chin and looks to Xiumei and Dash, then down at her own greaves. "Air Dashing feels really outdated compared to some of the tech you're doing..."

        But eventually, they land on the other end of the library, which has a direct skywalk across to an enormous central pillar at the heart of the city, bearing the auspices of government.

        There's a few clerical and office areas... this is clearly where the city's day to day operations took place. But it isn't long until they arrive at a dark chamber, vertically enormous and lit by dramatic skylights.

        Podiums are around them, shrouded in the dark. And then...

        A Reploid-like woman with dark hair and yellow eyes descends from above, wearing armour with the silhouette of a mechanical Seraph.

        She... she looks like Tio. Undeniably so.

        "You should not be here.
        This is the central Administrative chamber...
        Normal residents are not allowed here.
        Please leave. I shall count down from 10... 9... 8-- NaN"

        Her eyes shoot wide open for a moment, and when she collects herself, her look has turned violent.

        You are still here. I warned you... now, begone!!"

        She manifests -- in much the same way Xiumei does, data cubes -- a mechanical halberd. Her wings also detach, acting as remote beam cannons.

        "... I knew it. It was you," Kamui's eyes widen. "You've... been here all this time. All of this time..." she looks around anxiously. "All... on your own?"

        The Reploid's anxiety is cut short when she suddenly sweeps and skewers her off the ground on her halberd. Their silhouettes are seen in the skylight.

        "I... left you alone..." Kamui gasps, as mechanical fluid pours out of her, grimacing as she tries to lift herself off the weapon. It's going to take her some time.

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

Xiumei makes a face as she sees the extent of the damage in the library. Water-damaged books, ruined volumes, and more; this leaves her feeling a little frustrated, just out of the gut instinct to protect such things. She is, as always, a clerk.

She might be shaking a little as she walks. Eleanor can spot what that means.

But she slows as she starts across the skybridge. Varius points out that it would be a good place for an ambush, inside her mind.

But that isn't where the attack lay.

She slows to a stop, as they finally get to the dark chamber. Her eyes turn up -- in the dark, they glow a light green -- and they blink once. "Tio? But--"

But there are Tio units. Xiumei knows this well.

"Oh, no," she says, softly. She sees the Tio unit descend -- and then screams when that unit descends, skewering Kamui through. Her eyes widen -- and then she holds a hand out. "KAMUI!"

Cubes of light appear. They form into a cross-shaped boomerang, and when Xiumei throws it, the Barrier Cross ignites with a fiery green energy. It leaves an arc, as it streaks up for the Tio unit.

"Stop!" Xiumei cries out. "You don't have to hurt her! She came looking for you! Tio--" She looks sideways at her. "We've got to help her, right?"

DG: Zhang Xiumei has used her Tool Barrier Cross toward her party's challenge, Fake.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor is happy enough to keep Tio around. She would prefer to be able to investigate the library herself, but in this condition, could they find anything? She isn't thrilled about it. ...She can see Xiumei, too...

Well, at least they had ramen.

But here, past the offices and the clerical areas, around poduims, a woman who looks like Tio descends, and Eleanor blinks to see her. "Oh--"

"Kamui!!"

The emotional damage is clearly significant, but Eleanor can do more about the physical. "We have to calm her somehow!" Because of course Eleanor doesn't want to destroy the Tio unit. Not now,k not here... Not with all that.

She pulls her flute, and starts to play another strange tune, one that should bolster and shield the party--Kamui included--for long enough for them to figure something out.

DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Eerie Flute toward her party's challenge, Fake.
<Pose Tracker> Tio has posed.

        As Tio enters the room, her eyes widen. The lights of her sensor antennae flash in a series of colours, before going bright red. Something in Tio causes her to step forward, ahead of anyone else.

        "Sister...?" She asks, loudly trying to cut through. "You are my sister, aren't you!?" She hopes desperately that she can get through, but those red lights on her sensors tell a different story. The sign of a connection rejected.

        She watches the other automaton ready her weapon, and Tio gasps. She is here to kill. As Kamui is pierced, Tio lets out a gasp, a yell of 'SISTER!' and tries to close. "Please! Don't fight!" Now THAT is an odd request from a combat automaton. She watches the wings fly apart, and braces herself.

en Xiumei asks if they have to help her, Tio gives a firm nod, not taking her eyes off the other unit. "Please listen to us! Sister!" Tio moves herself into a position, putting herself between Eleanor and her counterpart, and she draws her chakrams.

        What she doesn't do is attack. She tries to deflect attacks as they come but... She just can't bring herself to hurt a sister she does not know.

DG: Tio has used her Tool Glass Slippers toward her party's challenge, Fake.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"You only gave is 3 seconds not the requisite 10, nerd!" Marivel shouts.

But here it is. More trauma for Kamui. And, honestly this time, Tio too. Marivel places her hand on her forehead. Lumen, she thinks, what would you do?

She lowers her hand after, having not come up with an answer to that, glancing to Tio. She draws her microphone into her hand. Tio is begging the guardian--or perhaps Kamui--to NOT fight.

"I am going to try something." Marivel says. "But it might not work. We may be able to get through this without a battle but it really depends on them."

And with that she flicks on her microphone, brings it up to her face and gives a command.

"Sleep."

And she unleashes the power... of the SLEEP spell upon the automaton. She doesn't want to kill someone who is just acting on their programming in a kind of fucky way just because they ended up coming. Even if she SORT OF wants to because she hurt Kamui!

But nevertheless, Kamui sounded like she had history so the gentle touch... If she can get away with it.

DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool My Mike toward her party's challenge, Fake.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Books...! Though, not quite what Clarine was looking for. Her search will have to continue... but, the finds are nice, nonetheless - they'll certainly be read, and will likely find a new, loving home in the bookshelves of the Valeria Chateau once she's done.

From the top of the Library they're able to proceed elsewhere, eventually arriving in a dark chamber... where they are met with a familiar face.

That's... definitely Tio, but not a Tio she knows. And that silhouette... Clearly she means harm - especially when Kamui is skewered on that halberd! Clarine gasps in shock.

"K-Kamui...!" Clarine shouts. They're left with no alternative... they must fight. Clarine reaches into her sleeve, drawing out her Lightbending Veil and throwing it about herself. She disappears from view, giving her enough time to cast a spell.

Swords of light appear in the air and descend toward the Tio that attacks them. Not to cut or harm, but to restrict - they form a cage of light together, trying to trap her in place so that they can do something about her without worrying about her trying to kill them.

Clarine only hopes this can be solved peacefully... she can see how both Kamui and their Tio are affected by her presence.

DG: Seraph Clarine has used her Tool Lightbending Veil toward her party's challenge, Fake.
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

        "The hot sauce is the best part," Acacia whines good-naturedly back to Kamui, but there's that quiet, sympathetic smile still on her face. She's learnt enough from their trek through the ruins to pick up what Kamui's connection to the place is, or at least have some suspicions about it that she'd be prepared to back up with some pretty big bets.

        She can only imagine how bittersweet it is to come back here, she thinks to herself as she looks out over the silence of the library's ruins. It's one of those differences between them that she doesn't really know how to surmount - and she has to somewhat forcibly remind herself that that's alright. It's not anyone's fault, just a difference in experience.

        She leaves the Nephele behind as they work further into the complex; she might be able to hover along with them outside, but something tells her that she should be there in person for whatever awaits Kamui, and she's kind of had enough of rough footing and nearly breaking things with a Gear.

        The enormous chamber has her immediately on-edge; her hand steals towards the pocket of her jacket, where she can feel the reassurance of her pistol tucked away there. As much as she desperately doesn't want to disturb the peace and quiet sanctity of the place, some habits die really, really hard. The thought is cut short when the custodian appears - and she thins her lips, doing her best to poorly hide her surprise behind a grim mask.

        And then she's yelping out a "--shit!--" as Kamui gets impaled in front of her, startling forwards before grimacing to herself with a guttural noise in her throat. "Kamui! Come on! Don't just get stuck looking backwards! This is why you came here, right? You too, Tio! We'll drag her back with us if we have to!"

        It's a bit lacking in sympathy given Kamui's situation, and maybe that's thanks to the edge of panic on her voice. But when it comes down to it, this is the best way the reporter can think of to bridge the gap between their experiences - to remind the pair of them of what they can do in the present.

        For her, that means rushing forwards with a palm out, slamming it into the heft of the halberd to try to dislodge it from the Reploid's hands, then twisting to try hauling the bulk of the administrator to the ground.

DG: Acacia Saitani has used her Tool Trusty Friends toward her party's challenge, Fake.
<Pose Tracker> Dash Caskett has posed.

A flip and skating landing, and Dash deactivates the skates. Toward Xiumei and Kamui, "What are you kidding? It is a velocity mechanism Roll helped salvage. You guys can fly or jump multiple times! I am looking at you both considering ways to improve." Though Dash's single jump is incredibly high...

The central area has been reached safely. It seems some answers may be found here if the group us lucky. "We can start looking around. I ca nsee if Roll can scan for any active systems we could try and pull information from."

The boy reaches for his helmet to initiate communications, but a figure appears. Someone that looks far more advanced than anyone present (Save perhaps Xiumei in the Model AV.) "Uh, hello! Wait, can we just ask some questions or--"

Yeah no. Beaurocracy said no.

The being draws their weapons.

Correction. Said no violently.

"Okay okay! Have it your way!" Dash says, drawing the Mega Buster. A squeaking voice nearby gets his attention.

"Dash! Get away from her! You shouldn't be here! Not yet!"

It was Data, having appear suddenly from around a corner. "...Her polearm reaches much farther than you think it does! Be careful!

"Data? Augh..." Dash has to move to protect the monkeyfriend, potentially putting him at risk. But he does so and keeps his weapon out and trained in case violence must be taken, as others attempt to resolve the issue non-violently.

DG: Dash Caskett has used his Tool Helpful Bit of Data toward his party's challenge, Fake.
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
============================<* CHALLENGE - Fake *>============================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The path you've taken through the city takes you into an enormous, central    
 pillar bearing the auspices of government. Further exploration takes you      
 through miscellaneous clerical and office areas, until the path inevitably    
 funnels into a massive, dark chamber lit only by enormous vertical            
 skylights. Grand podiums ring the chamber, obscured in the dark.              
                                                                               
 A Reploid woman with dark hair and yellow eyes descends from above, wearing   
 armour with the silhouette of a mechanical seraph. She bears an uncanny       
 resemblance to a TIO unit, if you are familiar.                               
                                                                               
 "You should not be here.                                                      
 This is the central Administrative chamber...                                 
 Normal residents are not allowed here.                                        
 Please leave. I shall count down from 10... 9... 8-- NaN"                     
                                                                               
 Her eyes shoot wide open for a moment, and when she collects herself, her     
 look has turned violent.                                                      
                                                                               
 "You are still here. I warned you... now, begone!!"                           
                                                                               
 She raises her hand, and data cubes flow from her palm, manifesting into a    
 mechanical halberd. Portions of her wings fly outward and become aerial beam  
 cannons. She menacingly brandishes the halberd in your direction, and goes    
 on the assault!                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                    /                          
 _  _  _  _____   _____  __    _ _ __    _  ____  /                            
 \  \  \ /_____\ \_____\ \\    \ \ \\    \ /     /  ___                        
  \  \  \ \     \ \    \  \  \  \ \ \  \  \ \  --*----                         
   \_/ \_/ \     \ \     \ \    \\ \ \    \\ \___/ \                           
    ___________________________________________ /   \                          
                                               /                                                          
                                                                               
                                                                               
 (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bqf0nSUp_g )                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
=================<* The Island Closest to Heaven - Round 5 *>=================
==============================< Results - Fake >==============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acacia Saitani                      29 --(12)--> 41                Fail
Trusty Friends                      1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        37 --(0)--> 37                 Pass
Barrier Cross                       2   Combat  Effects: Stalwart             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Clarine                      41 --(0)--> 41                 Pass
Lightbending Veil                   2   Combat  Effects: Stalwart             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    53 --(0)--> 53                 Pass
My Mike                             4   Combat  Effects: Efficient and Fanfare
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tio                                 41 --(0)--> 41                 Pass
Glass Slippers                      3   Combat  Effects: Rally                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       37 --(0)--> 37                 Pass
Eerie Flute                         2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dash Caskett                        29 --(0)--> 29                 Pass
Helpful Bit of Data                 2   Combat  Effects: Cleanse and Liability
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Acacia Saitani              90 --(35)--> 125               Pass
Conditions: Secret(1)|Wound(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Acacia Saitani has successfully explored The Island Closest to Heaven!
======================<* The Island Closest to Heaven *>======================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - End of Legend *>========================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The mechanical seraph crashes to the floor, sustaining great injuries that    
 nevertheless does not stop her. She pauses, her body sparking. The violent    
 look is gone from her face, replaced with one of great, vacant relief, even   
 as her systems strain.                                                        
                                                                               
 "Saviour. It /is/ you..                                                       
 You have returned, after so long. And...                                      
 Look, everyone is waiting for you. Everyone has been waiting!!"               
                                                                               
 She spreads her hands out, and the building suddenly flares to life. The      
 lights turn on...                                                             
                                                                               
 But all that awaits, at each administrative podium, are the mechanical        
 remains of those long departed.                                               
                                                                               
 Some of them are large, others small in stature. Some bear the humanoid       
 semblance of the Reploids you know; others are insectoid, animal or even      
 plant-like.                                                                   
                                                                               
 But there is one thing clear:                                                 
                                                                               
 These Reploids expired centuries and centuries ago.                           
                                                                               
 Her mechanical pupils shrink as she holds her hand out in triumph,            
 expectantly.                                                                  
                                                                               
 "Our paradise is still well and alive.                                        
 I have made sure everything is running tip-top and in shape.                  
 All we need now... is for you to join us."                                    
                                                                               
 Her smile widens, even further. She shows no indication of the discrepancy    
 between her words and the reality around her.                                 
                                                                               
 "Won't you join us once more?"                                                
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

        "Five hundred whole years..." Kamui grimaces.

        The Barrier Cross appears; the Tio unit notices it as it flares up, and holds her gauntlet up. There's a bright and loud CLASH, and she's locked in place, pinned down by the strike. It isn't enough, however, to make her let go of the mecha-halberd.

        Xiumei's calls are answered with a burning:

        "You are all interlopers! I will protect the sanctum!"

        Kamui's injury isn't as fatal as first believed, thanks to Eleanor's quick interception: a barrier has formed, dulling the pain around where the halberd skewers. "The way you've been talking..." the Reploid whispers.

        But something surprising happens -- Tio is here. The Tio unit's eyes widen, knocked out of whatever fervent, pious reverie for a moment. "Sister. Why are you here? Why do you fight for them? Please join me! We can do this together!"

        Tio doesn't attack; but she does deflect, as blasts from the remote cannons come, her primary way of fighting given her weapon is occupied.

        Acacia arrives to deliver a powerful, possibly Ether-powered (or perhaps just impactful) palm to the halberd-- and there's a powerful *PANG* as the Tio automaton is sent back reeling. The weapon clatters loudly onto the ground, and Kamui rolls to one side after dragging it out of her.

        "Don't get in my way...!"

        This gives Clarine time enough to disappear from view with her Veil, and create a curtain of light-swords that cage and entrap her further.

        Data appears, with the ominous message that he shouldn't be here yet. What does that mean?? But he also gives more practical advice: Halberd bad.

        "Your appearance...?" the Tio unit sounds rather surprised for a moment, and Marivel is on the scene to capitalise this, with her microphone, and orders--

        Sleep.

        Something warps and hisses like static as her programming and AI unit clashes with the spell, and suddenly she crashes to the ground. Her body is sparking -- not from battle damage, but...

        It's clear that she's been wearing these wounds for a very, very long time.

        Something has changed in her, perhaps from Tio's and everyone's words...

        ... and she looks at Kamui.

        "Saviour. It is you.
        You have returned, after so long. And...
        Look, everyone is waiting for you. Everyone has been waiting!!"

        The building flares to life, as if she had control of the electricity all along. The lights turn on...

        But all that awaits them is a grim sight -- at each grand podium are the mechanical remains of those long-departed. Perhaps once, these Reploids would have been part of the island's central governance. They bear that look. But now...

        They've been gone for centuries upon centuries.

        "Our paradise is still well and alive.
        I have made sure everything is running tip-top and in shape.
        All we need now... is for you to join us."

        Kamui grimaces further, looking away; she looks smaller than ever, her shoulders straining with the gravity of her guilt.

        The Tio unit looks -- towards each and every one present... but it's a distant look, as if she's looking past them.

        "Saviour, you've made many fine friends, and... you even saved another Tio unit, didn't you? Great job...!"

        The Tio unit steps forward, even as her body strains, and holds a hand out. Her words show no indication of the discrepancy of her words and the reality around her.

        "Won't you join us once more?"

        The Reploid still stands in silence, staring towards each of the fallen Reploids, as if their souls were judging her. She looks quietly, pleadingly, to Tio and Marivel, to everyone else; she has no answers, no solutions for the situation she's created.

<Pose Tracker> Tio has posed.

        "Sister... Please! I don't want to fight you!" Nonetheless, Tio tries to protect the others, hoping they can end this peacefully. And then the other Tio collapses, and for a moment Tio isn't sure which of her sisters to rush to, but even she can see the long, old wounds of the reploid woman. "....Marivel, Acacian. Please look after Kamui." And then she walks over to the other Automaton.

        Tio kneels down, listening to her speak. Her eyes circle the graveyard that is the administration building, and she looks startled and sad. She takes it all in. She looks around for a moment. And then she takes the other Tio's hand with both of hers, and grips it tightly. "Sister. Please. I need you to listen to me.

        The lights on her antennae suddenly turn green, and Tio looks deep in concentration.

        "Sister... I am sorry, but your paradise is no longer here." She transmits those images, the outside image of Neo-Arcadia, the decay of medical rooms, the empty and abandoned food court, and the flooded library. "You're the only one left, Sister." She transmits the room, and she looks over to Kamui, beaten ut still functioning. She broadcasts Dash, and Marivel, and Acacia and Eleanor and Xiumei and Clarine. Everyone still here.

        Tio's voice... chokes up a little. "I think it is time for you to rest now, Sister. I'm sorry I didn't meet you sooner." She lets go of the other units hand, and gets closer, before wrapping her sister in a hug- the first thing Kamui had taught her.

        "I am glad to have met you. I hope you have nothing but happy dreams."

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

        The redhead grits her teeth at the sensation of pain flaring along her arm from hammering it into the halberd - but she stands her ground, facing down the automaton's flare of anger with a grim frown. "Sorry, but I'm her Master. If you want to get to her, it'll have to be through me. I owe her that much and more," she challenges softly, the tone of her voice not exactly matching the words.

        Still, she can't help but have her shoulders sag as the administrator calls Kamui the Saviour. She'd already thought as much, and been prepared for something like this. But whatever reunion she was hoping for, it's a long cry from the empty council chamber full of mechanical ghosts and remnants of the past, and she can feel the wind and fervour both sucked out of her gut as she lets out a heaving breath, momentary uncertain what to say.

        Her hand works into a fist and back as she tries to figure out what she could possibly do or say in response, and it's only Kamui's pleading look and Tio's urging that get her moving. Swallowing a thick knot in her throat, she watches the Tio gaze adoringly up at the empty plinths - and shifts enough to the side to place her hand on Kamui's back in a quiet show of support. "... you gave them a home for as long as you could," she quietly says, trying not to disturb the air.

        Given her tone, it's meant as encouragement; she nods a little, her brow furrowed as she tries to catch the Reploid's gaze. "I think it meant a whole lot to them. It's okay," she adds, even if she can't quite put into words why.

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

"That's not--"

Xiumei tries to protest. It only goes so far -- the hostile TIo is doing battle, and she has to run from the beams that rain downward. She leaps, rolls, and comes up crouching. Her eyes look up, and she blinks.

She sees the Tio unit crash to the ground. She grimaces -- and looks at Kamui.

'Saviour,' she said.

She hesitates -- and takes a step towards Kamui. Her mouth opens, then closes, as she gets a good look at the dead Reploids. They aren't so different than Varius and Avile...

...except none of these got a second lease on life. Her heart falls, then.

She looks down, after Tio walks over and embraces the other unit. She lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and she stays quiet.

"Kamui..." she says, quietly, after Acacia. "Is there anything we should do? To lay them to rest?"

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

The Tio unit drops a certain piece of information. The Savior that established Neo Arcadia... is Kamui. Clarine looks in her direction, surprised.. but her attention is suddenly diverted as the room lights up.

Clarine gasps in shock and recoils back, her hands clasping over her mouth before looking Kamui's way.

"O-Oh, Kamui... I am... I am so sorry..." She murmurs before looking back to the Tio unit.

"Do you... do you not see? They are... they are already..." She starts... but, she's not sure how to explain in a way she'll understand.

There is someone here, however, who can. She watches as their Tio, her friend, speaks to her sister. Explaining eveything. Clarine is quiet throughout this... but soon, she finds her gaze moving toward Kamui. How she must be feeling now...

Does she have an answer? ...Are there really any answers? ...Clarine isn't sure. So she doesn't say anything. Instead she drifts over to Kamui, resting a hand on her shoulder. She may not be able to offer any words... but she can offer her presence, at least.

She looks, then, toward Tio, embracing her sister. ...She hopes, as well, that she will be able to find peace, after all this time...

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel Armitage winces as the AI Unit crashes to the ground. It was a bit of a gamble to avoid ending another life but she's not sure that went as she was hoping for.

The Tio proceeds to break Marivel's heart. The unit is looking to her--and Marivel looks towards the dead reploids it has been looking after. Just to be extra double sure, she takes a scanner and runs it around the room before looking at the results and snapping it shut.

Once again Marivel is reminded that she doesn't really belong in this future. If she brings Ana back--would she...be able to live a full life or owould it just be too strange and unreal for her?

Tio is not one who usually gives orders and so, in respect to that, Marivel says, "Alright Tio." and gives no sign of complaint, instead making her way to Kamui and wrapping an arm around her and giving her a squeeze.

She doesn't say anything.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor is very quiet. Once her music is finished, once the battle is finished, she is silent as it goes off and... as... Something warps. Saviour. So it's her. After all those years, it was...

Eleanor looks around at each, and puts a hand up to her heart, staring at each podium in turn. The Tio unit just steps forward, and asks it again...

"Oh, I..."

She watches Tio interact with the other Tio unit, and it hurts to watch. She recognizes the guilt in Kamui, but...

She finds her eyes wet as she watches the others. "Kamui," she says softly. She can't quite come up with an answer. "...Y-yues, is there... anything we should do?" She echoes Xiumei's question, and stands there beside her for a little while.

"...Tio," she murmurs. "I'm proud of you."

<Pose Tracker> Dash Caskett has posed.

The conflict is resolved without extreme conflict.

Dash slowly lowers his ARM. "...Okay, good. FOr once, we don't have to have a shootout." Despite being outfitted to the teeth with weapons, fighting is the last thing he wants. "Think you can do it safely?" he asks Tio. No idea what she plans, bur hopefully it doesnt put her at risk.

It appears to be some kind of connection. Somehow showing what Tio is seeing to her through basic sensors, perhaps reaching her what seems to be broken programming and mind.

"...What happened here? Sure they haven't been on watch for hundreds of years alone?"

A look toward Xiumei. "Any way to repair them? Can we use the facilities was passed through somehow?" Doubtful in their condition but was worth asking. "Ah, hate feeling useless, but this is in your hands, Kamui, Tio..."

Even in her damaged state, there is an eerie familiarity with this Reploid. How they carried themselves, they moved, they talked. It struck something inside that is hard to explain.

"Good job Tio," Dash offers kindly, accompanying a kind smile.

<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

        Kamui looks towards Acacia as she reassures her -- she gave them a home for as long as she could. "... it was... maybe a doomed endeavour from the start, but..." she murmurs quietly, not wishing to disturb the air in turn.

        It meant a lot to them. It did, didn't it...? Will that be enough? It has to be enough.

        Kamui looks towards Xiumei, expressively showing her regret; she feels like she can know what the accountant is thinking. None of them became Biometals; none of them got a chance. They just decayed...

        She asks if there's anything they can do.

        "... I... we should..."

        Dash has a genuine and practical question. Can they be repaired?

        Marivel is full of her own ponderances. She scans them, but receives an answer to Dash's question: it's all the same in the end -- they truly have expired. There's not a single trace of life left in them.

        Does she belong in this future? Kamui has questioned that over and over again, in the last few months. But... A hug, a squeeze from mother helps right now. Kamui closes her one good eye, not quite answering yet.

        "Give them a moment..." Kamui does answer Eleanor, though she definitely has plans to give them a... burial. She's not sure how to bury Reploids... the way she and Gami planned to rest forever wasn't exactly normal.

        But Eleanor offers her assurance to Tio in turn...

        Clarine begins to explain, empathising with the Tio unit. She's not sure if she can understand her, but...

        But it is Tio who appraoches, and their antennae react--

        TRANSMITTING
        SIGNAL PORT TIO-142 ...
        RECEIVING

        The Tio unit sees it. She sees it all... everything that Tio transmits to her. The ruin of Neo-Arcadia.

        The decay and emptiness of the medical rooms, with no patients left to treat.
        The food court, with broken stalls and rotted food save for one hardy automated machine.
        The library, which has caved in from a great unknowable force and flooded inward.

        ...

        "... this is ... real? What have I..." the Tio unit finds herself whispering. Tio broadcasts the rest of the images.

        Dash, the blue-clad boy who she had an unusual reaction to...
        Marivel, who in another time she might have remembered as the Saviour's mother.
        Acacia, who now holds a picture of Neo-Arcadia for the future.
        Clarine, whose light she now finds deeply comforting...
        Eleanor, in who she finds a miniscule but powerful joy that she could enjoy Neo-Arcadia for a moment.
        Xiumei, once more, who she finds oddly familiar in a powerful and nostalgic way...

        And... Kamui, who she now sees in her broken visage for the first time.

        It is time for her to rest now.

        "... ... it is okay, sister," the Tio unit answers in response to Tio's wish for them to have met sooner. "I see now. Everyone ... disappeared. There were lots and lots of planes, dropping ... bombs... the humans came for us... ... And I... all on my own, I chose..."

        A pause.

        "Everyone. I'd like you all to see...something, before I go."

<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

        The Tio unit closes her eyes, and powerfully, the mechanical components of her wings in the battle rise -- this time, to create a holographic projection.

        A lush island of verdant greenery and pearlescent buildings, in its prime. A Reploid couple walks down the central skybridge, hand in hand; multiple vehicles fly overhead, driven by a stout Mechaniloid. A Tio unit sits on the bench, curiously poking at a sandwich.

        *flicker*

        The Central Library. An eight-armed Reploid reminiscent of a mythical creature is working overtime to place books back on the shelf. Multiple digital records are being transmitted onto a screen, a place of learning for dozens of students. A mezzanine under construction finds several curious hard-hatted machines with a lot of work to do.

        *flicker*

        The Communal Laboratory. Several white-bodied Reploids are hard at work with some large machinery, including one with a probe; it looks like they're reassembling a war-damaged giant Mechaniloid. Nearby, a complicated-looking machine sorts spare parts out, ready to be reused or recycled.

        *flicker*

        ... the Seat of Government. The Eight Gentle Judges -- eight Reploids seated around each on their grand podiums -- are all assembled, in deep deliberation and discussion of new policy. There's heated debate, an illustration of points. And seated in the middle of all this...

        ...

        *flicker*

        A ninth chair, looming over the rest of them. Seated upon it is... Kamui. Unusually for her, she's dressed with a divine-looking circlet and robes, overseeing everything else.

        The images pause, and for a moment, they still.

        Then the Tio unit turns, towards Kamui.

        "Do you remember, Saviour? Do you remember..."

        *flicker*

        Kamui, still dressed in her garments, and that same Tio unit are walking down one of the hallways of the central government hall. She bows quietly. "TIO-72 is at your service, Saviour."

        "... I wish you didn't call me that," Kamui answers from a side-glance. "And I don't want call you that either."

        TIO-72 pauses for a moment longer. "It... displeases you, Saviour?"

        Kamui frowns deeper, and says, "That's a designation, a serial number the humans gave you. You're free to choose an identity, a name for yourself... I want you to."

        It takes a while for the Tio unit to process this. "Then I... can choose a name for myself?"

        Kamui nods once more, stepping closer as she turns fully around.

        "Then..."

        The image dissipates, flickering wildly as each of the remote aerial drones fail and drop. Tio can sense her sister unit's signal weakening, as she droops into her arms.

        "Tio, sister..." she whispers. "Please... remember my name for me. The name I chose for myself."

        Her eyes flicker out, as her body starts to give way. The sparks get weaker and weaker.

                                "My name is..."

        She sags a final time, and with her final breath:

                              "... Filleine ..."

        And with that... ... ... there is silence in the grand hall.

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

        "It wasn't doomed," Acacia responds quickly to Kamui - but her brow furrows immediately afterwards, and she shakes her head sharply as she checks herself. "I mean-- what's more important is that, whatever happened to the place in the end, the people here were happy. Even if it was just for a while, I think that's the most important thing."

        She stops short of whatever she was about to say next, biting her lip harshly; her expression shadows as the unit, regaining its senses for at least a little while, talks about what happened to the colony. Suddenly she doesn't really trust herself to say anything else, to be the one to break the silence, and instead she lets a long, uncertain breath out.

        She's still thinking about memory and the past when the first of the images flickers into view; she cranes her head upwards to meet it, her expression drawn in a solemn frown. She says nothing else, only watching, but there's a concentration to her gaze as she does her best to mark each of the distant memories, to etch them on her memory as fully as she can.

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

Xiumei is quiet, expression withdrawn as Filleine shows them a little of what happened. She stares for a moment, and then glances downward at Filleine's last moments expire.

Her eyes turn downward. She is quiet, then, as she stands there; her fingers curl into a fist at her side.

Would this have been Varius and Avile's fate?

And could it be, some day, too?

<Pose Tracker> Tio has posed.

        As she provides the images, she can't help but feel something unpleasant deep inside her. Having to shatter everything the other Tio thought she had. But it was necessary, wasn't it? She only holds the other unit tighter as this happens. When her sister tells her it's okay, she nods, but says nothing.

        She watched as the holographic protections rose, taking them in. This was Neo-Arcadia, in it's prime? A look at the city that had once been beautiful, thriving. And Kamui, closer to the image Tio had in her memory banks. A world of long ago.

        And then Tio startles as it drops, and she can feel her sister's signal weakening. "Sister..." She can't really say anything more, now. It's only a matter of time. "I promise. I won't forget, ever." And then she feels her go. Her sensors go red again. And Tio holds her late sister's body still.

        "I promise, Filleine. I promise."

        Tio stays like that for a long while, hesitant to move, before gently laying her on the ground. It's only when she finally turns toward everyone else, that the tears running down her face can be seen.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Through their Tio, Filleine comes to understanding... and, bids them all to see something.

Clarine nods, and she watches as they are all shown images of Neo Arcadia in its prime, of Reploids of all kinds living together... She watches intently.

"Thank you. I... I will not forget this. This place shall not be forgotten." Clarine says, after a time. Seraphim are very long-lived, and they hold onto things for a very long time. "These memories... will be carried with me into the future."

That is the only solace she can offer. A small kindness... but, small kindnesses can mean all the world.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel only says one thing to the other TIO unit. To Filleine.

"Filleine." Marivel says, closing her eyes. "I will remember your name. Dream beautifully."

She approaches Tio and looks into her eyes and she gives her a small, sad smile.

"I know it doesn't feel like it right now." Marivel tells her. "But these tears are a blessing."

She will give Tio a hug too, if she'll accept it.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor indeed gives them a moment--she will do whatever she can. But here... The reports--the images... And the Tio unit--no, Filleine's wish. Eleanor listens, and she considers each of these visions, working to remember each. They are all beautiful places, and though Kamui in such a guise is surprising...

The way she talks to this Reploid is not.

"...Rest well, Filleine," Eleanor says quietly. "We'll remember too."

She reaches to take Xiumei's hand and squeeze it, before she looks over to Tio, and....

She can't really say 'it's all right.' "I think you helped, Tio." She'll give her a hug, too.