[IC] Dream Scar

Kurokiku · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kurokiku** on Wed May 02, 2012 9:17 pm

The Philippine Kingdom
A Ruin– The Oracle’s Sepulcher
The Nameless One

The End was approaching. How fast it would come, and what lay at its conclusion, even the Exile could not say. It Saw without eyes, and what it Saw rarely surprised it anymore. Such was the unfortunate consequence of eons upon epochs of Seeing- Watching silently. Patterns emerged, and swelled and grew until the point where it was difficult to see the trees for the forest. All of it was but swirl and eddy in the same unending dark.

But now, the End drew near, and as the Exile Watched, the mechanical beast came ever closer, with the mortal inhabitants aboard and straining always forward. Its lips curled into a smile, for it knew well enough what they sought, even if they themselves would never understand. Such an interesting way for it to play out- it had been expecting the one who called himself an architect of men. Alas, one small act of defiance had shifted the wind, and brought before the Exile something else entirely.

A different tree did not signal a different forest. The agent was unimportant, only the act.

The Exile shifted form, and emerged to greet its guests.

Above the Philippine Kingdom
The Decadence - Upper Deck - Midship
Rhys Wilcox, The Tempest

The days since the confrontation at Cassim (which he had sadly missed), had gone about their way rather slowly. Upon finally being relieved from his watch on the deck, Rhys had at last allowed his exertions to catch up with him, crashing in his small-but-serviceable quarters and sleeping for the subsequent eighteen hours. The entire reason he was given his own cabin was not, as many suspected, nepotism because of his military service with the captain, but rather because he needed long periods of recuperation after exerting himself. Such was the price of an imperfect cybernetic nervous system.

As it was, he woke sometime the next day, paid enough attention to notice that the crew had increased by some and decreased by others, as it had a tendency to do, but he didn’t bother learning names or asking after hobbies or any of that entirely useless nonsense, because chances were they’d all be pretty dead soon anyway.

He did take note of the scared-looking redhead, but only because the captain had mentioned that she wasn’t to be harmed. Now, Rhys was not exactly a polite man, and certainly had no qualms about violence, but he usually didn’t challenge the crew to fights unless he was angry. Ergo, the fact that Barvassi had mentioned it had less to do with his own habits and more to do with the wench’s importance. Apparently, she’d be leading them into and out of their death traps of choice for a while, since they were presently without a navigator.

Whatever. Women were boring and men were stupid, or some such adage his mother had been fond of. Rhys thought that was a bit unfair- everyone was both.

He was below deck, finishing up his repairs on Tempest, when the ship began to descend. Refitting the last metal plate, he hopped down from his perch atop the mech’s bent knee and wiped his oily hands on a nearby rag, looking up at the ceiling as though he could see through it to find out what was going on. He couldn’t, of course, but that didn’t make much difference. Pocketing Tempest’s call device, he stretched lazily and drifted up the stairs, poking his head outside to see everyone who knew what they were doing running about the deck and making ready to land. The moons were out, the one of them nearly full and the other about halfway out, which meant that there was quite a bit of light to see by, especially if you happened to have mechanically-enhanced vision.

Advancing to the prow, he plucked the spyglass from the short-scared-girl’s hands and looked through it. Below them lay the landscape of the Philippine Kingdom, and he could almost see the beacon of the ravein city off in the distance, but this was a much less-populated area from the look of it. What few buildings there were lay in ruins, lost to the shifting desert sands. There were quite a few bioluminescent plants in the area, casting the edges of toppled columns and walls into sharp relief.

Collapsing the glass and handing it back to the girl (who wisely hadn’t bothered to protest), he turned around smartly and helped finish the landing preparations. A small contingent of the crew would be left behind to guard the ship, but it looked like the majority of the able-bodied ones would be disembarking to walk straight into who-knew-what.

It sounded like fun, actually.

Once all the preparations had been made, the crew assembled and were led off the boarding platform by the captain himself. If nothing else, that alone convinced Rhys that this was the real deal: a good old fashioned treasure hunt. He tended to prefer raids, but even those could get monotonous after a while.

The girl with the strange device walked beside him, occasionally pointing the way but otherwise keeping quiet, and it wasn’t long before the sand grew more solid beneath their feet, giving way to what once must have been a bricked road. It led through a number of archways, and eventually to an entrance that was not noticeable from the sky: a grand set of doors that seemed to lead underground.

The group of them stopped for a moment, several of the crew gawking at their surroundings. It was understandable, perhaps: that path was bordered now by stone-cut channels, through which flowed water clear as crystal. The lit plants were enough to reveal several others: surprisingly lush growth and flowers he at least had never seen before, in all kinds of strange colors.

The door itself was flanked with two massive statues, constructed of metal and stone to resemble men, holding wrought-bronze axes the size of two fully-grown men. In front of the portcullis, though, stood a figure, and that sole sign of life was the only thing that Rhys bothered looking at. One hand slid into his pocket, depressing a button on the call device for Tempest. Something wasn’t quite right here; how often did ancient ruins have living people still in them?

Once the rest had finally noticed, the figure approached, unhurried. It appeared to belong to a female, and though his first guess was majnun, mostly from the eerie bluish tint to her skin, it wasn’t nearly so certain up close. Eyes too large for her face were a dark red from lid to lid, with nothing resembling an iris or a pupil, and her skin was a shifting canvas of blues and greys, apparently moving. She wore quite a substantial amount of gem-encrusted gold jewelry after the manner of wealthy ravein, and white robes of some kind that might have been a very, very old human design. Her lips were purple, and her hair a darker blue than her skin.

“And so the compass finds bearers once more,” she said, and her voice had a strange multiplicity to it, as if many people, all with different tones, were speaking in perfect unison. “A shame, that what you seek is no longer here. Though… I think you may yet still obtain it, if you possess the courage.”

A quick glance in the captain’s direction revealed the girl looking considerably confused by something, glancing furtively at the statues in the background.

“What say you, sky-pirates? A test of your merits?”

The Philippine Kingdom
Between the Great Asian Ocean & Japan Lake
Shroud Ruins – Proving Grounds
Summer - Noon - Day 7 - Cycle 3012

Their objective lay before them; it was clear what they had to do. Surge needn't bother with any questions, for it was obvious: the compass had led them to these ancient ruins to procure another of the Elusive Eleven which once belonged to the mighty Shroud. However, as fate would have it, the item in question had already been taken. But all was not lost, for if they too proved themselves worthy, they could still claim the artifact as their own. So, it was decided.

"We are not mere sky pirates, woman; we are The Asura. And if all that stands between us and glory, is a test? Then you only need to show us the way and prepare to be awed." Surge spoke with utmost confidence, displaying all the bravado one would expect from a degenerate-womanizing-pirate-captain.

The woman smiled, a secretive little expression that nevertheless belied something between amusement and a touch of condescension, but nodded and flicked one wrist, almost absently. Behind her, as if on cue, the massive doors parted as well. It was all very ominous and peculiar, one couldn't help but wonder if it was all an elaborate trap; the Architect had gone through much more to ensure Surge's death, in the past. Yet, the thrill of adventure was so enticing! The knowledge that danger could lie around the next corner and that death could come at any moment, was enough to flood one’s system with adrenaline. But if that wasn't enough, then discovering what was thought to be lost and acquiring treasures of priceless sums would surely seduce the soul. Looking back at his crew, Surge met each one of their eyes and nodded, receiving the same back meant they were ready. Once confirmed, together, in a single file line, they marched toward their destiny.

The door shut behind them, leaving no other choice but to go forward. The path was lit by bio-luminescent vines, which traced the floors, walls, and ceiling in a strange, unnatural pattern of straight lines and angles. They descended a few flights of stairs until emerging in a large spacious cavern. From there, the vines died off, leaving them to their own devices to navigate the darkness. As Barvassi took the first step, he must have activated whatever magic or technology that lay dormant, because at that moment the room came to life.

Large torches mounted along the wall ignited, revealing the room to be circular and dome-like with a giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. In the center of the room was a massive circular platform with engraved markings craved into the surface. Serving as guardians, large statutes were erected along the edges to protect one from a tragic fall. Surrounding the aforementioned platform was a pit of fire that reached unknown depths; despite this, the flames managed to climb to the top as if trying to escape. Dividing the pit was a pair of bridges that lead to and from the platform. Surveying all of this were balconies built into the walls. The grandest of them contained a single spectator: the woman they thought they had left behind.

"What lies before you is your test. You need but step into the center and display your courage and bravery in a feat of strength." The woman paused, but not so long as to allow them a chance to speak. "Aut vincere aut mori." Message delivered, their mysterious oracle dispersed and left them to their fate.

Barvassi and his crew did the only thing they could do and made their way center stage. Just as soon as they did, the bridges on either side collapsed into the fiery pits, permanently removing the option to retreat. Simultaneously, there was a pulse of energy that erupted from the center of floor and traveled up the statues. The statutes shook violently as they sprung to life, breaking free of their stone prisons to reveal their true mechanized form. Wary from their slumber, they clambered toward their challengers. However, Surge would not wait from them to breech their line -- several shots were fired from his Hand Cannon. The large ballistic rounds met their mark in the form of a single guardian's head. The towering sentinel stopped and fell to its knee, before recovering and continuing its steady march.

It was clear to Barvassi that this would be different from any battle he had fought before. These machines were more than nuts and bolts, they had another quality to them. Whatever it was, it would take everything they had to leave this room alive. "Well..." he sighed heavily, "I -- We really stepped in it this time, huh?" Barvassi joked as he removed his captain's coat and threw it aside, revealing his bare chest; the only armor he needed. He flexed and stretched briefly, before launching into battle with a morale-raising battle cry. "Give 'em hell!"

The Philippine Kingdom
Shroud Ruins – Proving Grounds – Central Chamber
Estelle Amorica, The Emperor’s Alchemist

Estelle was already uncomfortable. As the only person who actually possessed the ability and knowledge required to work the compass and the engine, she’d of course been required to follow the pirates into the ruin the map had indicated.

It was obviously of Shroud construction; no existing civilization possessed the capability and desire for designs and architecture like this. It was a commonly-held theory that humans, ravein, and majnun had taken splintered aspects of this “master culture” as it was sometimes called, for themselves, but none had the full grasp of it. The Architect wished very much to uncover the secrets of the past, to engineer the return of a civilization so great that its people might as well have been gods.

She thought it was power nobody should ever have, but she was hesitant to express this opinion in present company.

The statues had made her uneasy from the beginning. There was something almost… lifelike to them, as though they were something more than stone and metal. It was a problem alchemists encountered when trying to manipulate the human body; there was a factor that could not be precisely calculated that lent the reactions something of a mystic quality, a gap in understanding that came not from salt and water or whatever else you could name. It was almost, almost here, too.

As they proceeded deeper into the ruin, guided along what seemed to be the only real pathway, she could not disguise her curiosity. Carved into the stone walls around them were ancient tales of valor and glory, from accounts of old arena fights between the Shroud’s most dedicated warriors to the discoveries of the magi of old. One even appeared to be an alchemist, bent over a workbench with a pile of lead on one side and an aureate metal- probably gold- on the other. The inscriptions themselves were faded, but that one was not too hard to decipher: the philosopher’s stone. Estelle shivered, feeling a smidge guilty, before realizing that the group was leaving her behind and hurrying to catch up.

Their guide had reappeared, and if asked, she would have advised the captain not to speak to the woman in such a way, as she might well have the kind of information he needed. Perhaps fortunately, she was never really asked. As things played out, the woman vanished, and Estelle tensed, unsure of what that heralded. When the first creaks signaled the movement of the five statues that ringed the area, all about twice the height of the tall, green-haired man, she swallowed thickly, largely unmoved by Barvassi’s inspiring battle-cry.

It was almost ironic that of all people, she had such a concern for her mortality.

The great automata, for that was what they surely must be, the half-sentient guardians of the Shroud, were rushing forward, and Estelle grimaced. This would probably have to be a divide-and-conquer sort of thing, but it would be easier if they didn’t have to deal with all of them at once. Moving as quickly as possible, she took the bracelet on her wrist and transmuted it into a small knife, even as a few of the more battle-inclined crew took their positions or charged forward for direct engagement. Hurriedly, she scratched a small circle into the stone beneath her feet, then several other shapes inside of that.

By the time Rhys reached the opponent the captain had staggered, the circle was complete, and Estelle wasted no time activating it. “Stand back!” she warned those who remained; mostly the distance fighters or those that weren’t immediately sure what to do. Her open palms struck the ground with a flash of violet light, and she exhaled slowly, willing the reaction to take place.

The effect was immediate: radiating outward from the circle, the stone rippled like water for a moment, reforming into new shapes and hardening again until it was solid. What they had now were solid battlements, slanted so that they formed a v- shape towards her and away from the incoming sentinels, on the friendly side of the circle. Stairs on the near side of those battlements would allow those with ranged weaponry to climb up and fire from behind a solid stone wall, while the shape would keep any more than one automaton from breaching the line at once. Estelle, not particularly eager to be caught in the fray, immediately climbed one and perched herself on and end, drawing her bow and nocking it to a string, though how much damage such a weapon would do, she couldn’t be sure.

The Philippine Kingdom
A Ruin – A Pit – A Fight
Rhys Wilcox, The Tempest

This was the best news he’d had all damn day. Sure, it was beyond annoying that those stone doors had slammed shut behind him, leaving Rhys without the use of Tempest, but he still had a range of other military skills at his disposal, and more importantly, a great willingness to employ each and every one of them.

“Aye-aye, Captain,” he drawled with no small dose of sardonic irony. The easiest orders to obey were the ones that needn’t even be given, and he was hot on his old comrade’s tail, not stopping even when DeVargo paused to shoot. The opportunity presented when the fire staggered one of the statues was too much to resist, and Rhys too the opportunity to treat the automata much like Tempest: he leaped up onto its bent knee and latched his arms about its neck, swinging himself around so that he hung off the construct’s back. As expected, the thing could bear his weight, and stood again, if much more slowly than it would have otherwise, but Rhys was too busy examining its mechanical parts to care.

He found that he could not interface with it as he could with human-made machines, but this fazed him little. Of course, perhaps that would have been obvious from the fact that he’d just jumped onto its back. After a few moments, he found what he was looking for. “Neck and knee joints, kids!” he shouted so that the distance people could hear him, then released his grip, getting a swift kick at the back of the automata’s knee in as he went down. The corresponding leg bent awkwardly, but the creature didn’t quite fall.

No matter; that just meant this was going to be more fun.

That One Guy · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **That One Guy** on Thu May 03, 2012 5:32 pm

The Philippine Kingdom
Shroud Ruins – Proving Grounds – Central Chamber
Taissa Gillian, Gunner

As Taissa figured, she must have a thing for Captains, because Captain DeVargo Barvassi made her record continuous of having slept with every Captain she had served under, excluding her mother and brother of course. Her first night as an official gunner aboard Taissa had visited the Captain’s bed, and since then had even gone there for a second night, just to show her ‘appreciation’ she claimed. After all she and Charrask had all but simply waltzed in and taken prime positions on the ship, with Charrask working with a small redhead in navigation and herself manning the ship’s guns (which were in need of great attention mind you). In reality she was just horny, and she would have gone to the Captain more if she hadn’t laid eyes on the second mate. He was tall and powerful, and his voice made her almost melt. Oh boy, you guessed it, she had a full on crush. But Taissa being Taissa, her reasoning was quite backwards and silly. She crushed from afar, and preferred to bat her eyes at him from a distance rather than offer herself explicitly. She giggled when he passed and made cute remarks on purpose, trying to draw him in slowly. For Taissa sex was no big deal, but a crush, that was to be handled with care and savored with every flutter of the heart. The chase was the fun part for her, not necessarily the prize, but the feel of stalking her victim. Um, her crush, yeah, not victim.

Char was never too happy with Taissa’s ~~mis~~conduct, but she’d just pout and huggle him until he stopped huffing and puffing at her, he thought her crush was stupid and temporary, but she stoutly disagreed. Much like every other crush she had ever had.

Carrying Charrask in her arms as per usual Taissa joined the landing crew, staring at their surroundings as they made their way through, falling into single file along a bridge. “I’ve never seen water so clear; it’s all so…beautiful Char. Don’t you think?” Not just that, but the greenery and even the air was so fresh. Her eyes roamed everywhere but forward, causing her to bump into the person in front of her when they came to a stop. “Soooory.” She muttered quietly to Char, who had been squished momentarily. Taissa leaned to the side to catch a glimpse of why they had stopped. The answer came in the form of a tall womanly figure who looked something like a high class Majnun, but unlike any she had ever seen from afar. She too was beautiful though, and personally Taissa wouldn’t have spoken to her in the manner the Captain had, but Taissa wasn’t Captain material in the first place, so her opinion didn’t really matter. Besides, they were a bunch of badasses from what she had observed the past seven days, there were far more elite skilled people in this crew than in any other she had encountered; people who had very useful talents to contribute, including one hell of a hairdresser that was nice enough to groom her fur for her.

They accepted the challenge of course, and Taissa realized as they walked forward that she had little clue as to what exactly they were here for in the first place. She could have sworn some sort of speech was made, or maybe not, but the thought soon left her as she couldn’t care less once the doors slammed shut. Her grin turned into a smirk as she held back a chuckle, she was a Pirate through and through, and so long as money and freedom was in the payroll she wasn’t too concerned about the difficulty level of a mission or the specifics unless she expressly needed to be. She’d just ask Char later.

So when their escape route vanished into a crumble and a surge of energy ripped through the floor and into giant mechanical opponents, Taissa didn’t bat an eye before she let Char hop to the ground to power up while she whipped out her guns and began to shoot, her long barreled pistols providing quite the boom as powerful rounds unleashed themselves on the face of a mechanical soldier coming towards them. Estelle, as Taissa knew her from Char, worked her alchemy and made very nice walls of stone for them to take cover in. The ranged fighters included her and Char, and as it were the close combatants outnumbered the ranged fighters. She and Charrask glanced at one another and nodded, an understanding coming between them, they split up and took opposite ends to best benefit the group. Taissa came up behind Estelle, “Best to save those arrows for when they’ll be useful don’tcha think?” Taissa heard the tip yelled by cucumber (she didn’t know his real name so she made one up) and tried it out, firing at the neck of one soldier three times, her powerful rounds and precision broke him. “All be damned Cucumber is genius! No seriously put those away you aren’t helping anyone with those.” She told Estelle calmly, firing away, quite unconcerned. She took her next shots, aiming for another that was straying too close.

Basta · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Basta** on Thu May 03, 2012 10:20 pm

Above the Mediterranean Wastelands
The Decadence
Charrask Smarmi - The Explosive Fuzzball
Sharpclaws Shinyscales - The Sharp-Eyed Lookout

After the Captain had dismissed them, Sharpclaws showed Taissa and Charrask to their quarters in the lower hold. It turned out to be a cramped, musty room with two hammocks and a footlocker, but a room was a room. Of course ~~to Char's complete surprise~~ Taissa didn't stay the night the first night, nor the second...Not that Charrask minded. After spending three days in the same barrel as her, he needed a bit of space to himself. Or at least that's what he told himself.

"I don't care if she's knockin' boots with DeVargo...It's her own damn body. I don't care. Not one bit." Grimacing to himself, Char tossed about in his hammock, muttering and swearing under his breath. He cursed himself for growing used to sharing a sleeping space with his friend, and not having her there made for a restless night's sleep. It didn't help that he thought of Taissa as a younger sister, or something similar. He always disapproved of her lewd behavior, but rarely told her. After all, they were both grown adults, and if she wanted to take risks like that, it was her choice.

"Ah blast it. No use. Might as well get some fresh air," growled the platypus, rolling out of bed and plip-plapping his way to the top decks. The cool night air ruffled his feathers in a pleasant manner, soothing his nerves a bit. Char was just about to get comfortable when a massive hand grabbed him and hoisted him into the air. So great was the surprise that Charrask could only quack awkwardly and squirm a bit.

"Ah b'ahy, calm yerself. I'm jus' havin' a look-see. I never came upon a bird-thing such as yerself, 'n I wants ta see how yer put tageter, s'all," chuckled the not-at-all-soothing voice from above him. Sharpclaws twisted and turned his captive about, taking measurements and memorizing details, paying special attention to Char's unique tail. After a while, Sharp put his play-thing down and patted him on the head, moving to his station at the watch post. Char covered himself with his arms, unsure how to feel post-violation. Finally, the platypus retreated below-decks, shivering from the heebie-jeebies.

The Philippine Kingdom
Shroud Ruins – Proving Grounds – Central Chamber
Charrask Smarmi - The Explosive Fuzzball
Sharpclaws Shinyscales - The Sharp-Eyed Lookout

A few days later, things started to get exciting again. The Decadence, due to both his and his new acquaintance the Alchemist's guidance, arrived at a mysterious ruin. The crew offloaded and followed their fearless leader across some interesting terrain to a temple. Some woman in a robe was saying something, probably important somethings, to the Captain, but Char was so far back and so short that he didn't catch much of it. DeVargo seemed to get fired up about something, though, and he led them down into the temple.

"Taissa...I gotta bad feeling about this. Get ready for a scrape," warned the platypus to his companion. Sharpclaws simply cracked his knuckles and chuckled, not worried. He had faith in the Captain. After a while, even the dim light from the plants faded away, leaving them in total blackness. Charrask was tempted to conjure a fire, but at the same time, he wanted to save every drop of fuel he had in his tank for combat. While the Pepperpots were reliable, he only had fifteen rounds on him, and they were sort of a commodity.

Char didn't have to wait long to find out what their fate was, however. The crew stumbled into a room that seemed to light itself, which was both scary and interesting. The thing that captured Char's attention, however, was the enormous ring of fire that dominated the center of the room. Giggling to himself, Char knew that whatever was to come, he'd have a weapon on hand. As soon as they crossed a dinky bridge, the damned thing collapsed, stranding them on the island. Things got crazy as the statues came to life and everyone started shooting/fighting. Charrask and Taissa exchanged looks and took off in opposite directions, confident in each other's abilities.

Leaping up on one of the stone ramparts, Char began pulling great gouts of flame from the pit and hurling it at his attackers. Sharpclaws engaged another statue in a one on one duel, dancing around the bulkier, stronger foe. He whaled on it with his Skullbusters, leaving dents in the metal plating and sometimes throwing the contraption off balance. It looked to be a contest to see who would last longer, but the Decadence's crew knew each other well and worked together, and so they appeared to hold the advantage in this case.

Arke · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Arke** on Thu May 03, 2012 10:43 pm

The Philippine Kingdom
Between the Great Asian Ocean & Japan Lake
Aren Hollystone, Mad Bomber

The number of visitors was rather astounding and irritating to the Mad Bomber, who simply wanted to be alone. He was on the mend, was that not enough? Even as they flew over the Mediterranean Wastelands, he had even been graced by the presence of the First Mate, Roussan. The exact Ravein he did not want to meet.

He rolled over as he felt a large presence enter the Workers quarters. The Ravein wasted no time dancing around words like some would have, which allowed Aren to reply in kind. It had been far too much to expect that the Bear would not notice his absence from work, but to think that he would find out about his illness and to confront him! What was with all these visitors?! When the Bear had said his mind, Aren debated on ignoring him and pretending to be asleep, but the thought of being brought to Aellai when he was healing, and to think that a disposable slave would be deserving of such treatment was laughable.

"Drag me then, Filondar. Show concern where it is actually due, not to recyclable pieces of trash." He said bitterly, "I am soon to be better. There is no need for this." The socially ostracized foot-soldier rolled back over, concealing a sigh and a shiver as he finished defying the First Mate.

While it still took a little longer than expected, Hollystone was back on his feet. He was very much annoyed by all the new blood on the ship, and the odd looks they shot at his half-burned face when they thought he was not looking. The crew quarters was now bustling with people, and that left him little peace to fix up the delicate explosives he spent his time concocting. However, he finally did finish eventually, just as they were flying over what used to be the Philippines. Stowing the tools away for future use, he performed the last touches on maintaining his weapons which had been neglected for most of the trip. His quiet mumbling had returned once more, and soon most of the crew learned that Hollystone was not quite right in the head. Deathly silent when in company, his mouth ran like the Decadence's engine when he was alone.

They landed, in an area he was not familiar with. And with all unfamiliar areas, he brought extra ammo for his guns. Taking both the Arenburg and Skylight, he gathered his supplies and unboarded the ship with everyone else. He had heard rumors of some sort of compass device, but it was the first time he actually had the time to take a good look at the most aloof and quiet newcomer- Estelle. The girl was not built for hard labor like he was, which was why he did not see her as much as the other new whelp. His opinion of her was highly ambivalent, though Barvassi seemed to like her a great deal, because he didn't throw himself onto her like most of the other wenches on board.

They met with an Oracle, and was given a challenge that Barvassi eagerly accepted. Even if Aren felt he had the right to disagree with the decision, he still would have followed it due to the huge debt he owed him and Jan. He still, however, allow himself an exasperated sigh as they were lead through the room and into a dank hallway. It certainly did have the feel of a test chamber, what with the fancy designs and torches. His mouth twitched in anticipation, he wanted to blow things up. Eventually they reached a very large arena-like structure, with many stone statues decorating the edges. As they gathered around the center, it was soon realized that the statues were not exactly just statues. As they moved, A spark leapt through Hollystone's mind, moving so quickly that within a split second, a wide grin had spread across Aren's face as he slung Skylight around and loaded it with two grenades. Barvassi's slugs may not be able to stop them, but what's not to say an explosion at the joints would not? Firing off both grenades at an unoccupied automaton, he had to take a little care in controlling the explosions so the shrapnel didn't brain any of his comrades. Not too much restraint though. Didn't want to block the flow of dopamine that was released as each conflagration bloomed. Now this, this was where he was comfortable. Not sitting in a bed getting scolded by Roussan, not being reminded by Jan to do this or that, just blowing things up. It felt good.

He took a very faint notice of the battlements that suddenly appeared,though most of his brain was focused on pleasuring his body with every bomb Skylight launched toward the automatons. At some point, Hollystone was aware he had climbed one of the battlements closest to the fight, arcing grenades with wild abandon at statues that were not occupied with his comrades.

The Mediterranean Wastelands
Between the Great Asian Ocean & Japan Lake
Bryan Darco- The Monkey Man

An exciting turn of events, Cassim was. Though they did not resupply as much as they had expected, it was still a fulfilling pitstop that bolstered the ships reserves. Neyshak had left quickly after boarding the boat, and Darco immediately skipped off to Aellai to have his broken bones mended. Strangely enough, though he had seen the Mad Bomber stagger on board, he never saw him after. For a while, Darco simply assumed that he returned, then died of his wounds. The Monkey did what he did best for most of the trip. Though he remained uninformed of current happenings, he was just happy to be able to clamber on the ropes and scout out trouble using his natural athleticism that he was blessed with. And getting paid for it, but that was more of a secondary reward. The trip was peaceful though, and it allowed for him to lounge about most of the time on the crows nest, reading a book or chomping on some snacks. He finally brought the dishes that he carried up back down to the kitchens, where he spoke briefly with Neyshak.

Apparently, the bomber did survive, but was ill. Despite the time he had spent on the ship with the insane bomber, he still could never understand his beef with getting basic treatment like any other crew member. However, he did understand that some people just wanted to be left alone. He felt like complete shit when his leg had been completely ruined and he wasn't allowed to compete in any athletic tournaments, leg implant or no. Therefore, Darco kept his distance from the Bomber, though the new guys were taking interest in his plight. Even Roussan stormed toward the quarters with a dark look on his face. Offering no comment, the Monkey simply sat back and enjoyed the ride. He did attempt to flirt with Estelle a couple of times, but more often than not she acted very distant and rarely responded in a way that was interesting. After the fifth time where she simply looked at him questioningly, he decided that she was not the kind to get flustered easily from such comments and gave up attempting to elicit embarrassment from her.

They arrived in the Philippine Kingdom, or what was left of it. Apparently, they weren't just pirating anymore- they had some sort of goal. He had no clue what Barvassi and his employers were thinking, but it couldn't be anything impossible, right? It seemed odd enough, however. The Oracle was quite a sight. Since when did hardened pirates take advice from spiritual hags anyways? Was it because of the new girl? Either way, they walked down a fancy corridor and into a circular stone area. Couldn't be anything impossible. Proven utterly wrong. "Well bloody hell Captain." Darco managed to spit out, staring at the giant stone guardians that moved to attack them. There was absolutely, positively, and completely nothing the Monkey could do to these behemoths. His knuckle dusters would do little to no damage to the beings, he could not handle a gun for his life, and there were no weak spots for him to efficiently abuse with his talents. So, he decided to hang back. He wasn't Barvassi, he didn't have arms of steel. He wasn't a Gunner, he didn't have explosives. He wasn't a Majnun, he couldn't manipulate magic. This was one situation where his scouting and nimble movements would be worthless. And Darco was extremely frustrated about this.

Ezarael · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Ezarael** on Fri May 04, 2012 11:16 pm

The Philippine Kingdom
Shroud Ruins – Proving Grounds – Central Chamber
Neyshak – The Lost One

Cook, cook, cook, cook, and cook. That was practically all they wanted Neyshak to do since they picked up more crewmates. Cook, cook, cook, cook, and cook. Why couldn’t he have a fun job like Sharpclaws? Whenever the crocodile was polishing cannonballs he seemed to be more excited than any other time, he even said lots of funny things about the Captain and what he was going to do after shining all the cannonballs nice and pretty like. Cook, cook, cook, cook, and cook. This brought up a whole other question entirely. Why didn’t everyone just cook their own food? Sure where there were just a few people manning the ship it was easy to keep everyone happy and satisfied with their food, but all these new people meant he had to cook new things and stop cooking old things. That particular scenario meant someone else would complain about why he hadn’t cooked something in so long.

Cook, cook, cook, cook, and cook. Nobody seemed to understand the complexities of cooking and food. The Ravein could swear that he had to most difficult position on the ship and had to hear more complaints than anyone else on board. Why couldn’t they cook their own food!?!? Well…if they DID cook their own food then HE wouldn’t have any way to contribute, which would MEAN the Captain wouldn’t let him stay on the crew anymore, which would MEAN…okay maybe he was just getting too far ahead to be thinking like this. Whenever he started going much farther than two or three points everything seemed to grow real foggy and his mind started aching. So what was there to do now? Cook, cook, cook, cook, and cook. Just like that Neyshak forgot all about his qualms with his cooking duties and continued quietly preparing the crew’s meals.

Of course, when after they reached wherever it was they were going, he was really bad with names you see, the cook absolutely, positively, undeniably KNEW he had to do something else this time besides just sit on the ship and wait for everyone to come back with a nice spread laid out in the mess cabin. He would have everything done ahead of time you see, that way the food would still be waiting for them when they came back, just this time he would need to warm it up, well he WOULD need to warm it up. Not this time though, no he was MUCH too smart for those kinds of antics, this time he would definitely lay something out which wouldn’t need to be piping hot to be delicious. Cold cuts of ham with fresh rolls and blocks of yummy cheese, but he couldn’t just leave them sitting about, no that was too disgusting and filthy, all he needed to do was cover them up with a nice thick sheet and everything would be safe and sound. He was obviously becoming much smarter than he had been!

The place they were exploring was beautiful to say the least, and everything made Neyshak feel kind of warm and fuzzy inside, like he could just live happily in a place like this. It had gorgeous streams of lovely water, whoever thought to put a path in between the streams of water on either side were GENIUSES, and the plants proved amazing as well, their delicate light illuminating a still more vibrant landscape surrounding them. He had to keep up though, he needed to stay with Monkey Man on this go around and be a good scout so that way the Captain would know he was good for more things than just bringing him large slabs of meat and all manners of honey to him and whatever unclothed woman was in his quarters at the time. Come to think of it the new Ravein gunner-lady, which seemed like a nice name for her, Gunner-Lady, was with the Captain for two nights, and there was LOTS of honey involved then. Neyshak squealed terribly loud when he caught sight of her, that was the first time one was just up and running around like nothing was the matter, in fact his nose even burst into a river, gushing with blood when that happened. Of course he almost dropped the platter of food and strangled by the Captain, but what could you expect? He was surprised and maybe even scared a little?

Wait a minute…something was wrong here… They were walking up to some doors with statues and now…where were they? Who was that woman speaking to them? Why was the word “test” being thrown about like good times where to be had for all? Neyshak hated tests. He always did so poorly when attempting to complete one, unless it was cooking though, but even that was iffy. He didn’t perform well under pressure. Okay, he REALLY needed to stop thinking about the Gunner-Lady being all naked and the like. For some reason he just couldn’t get the image…wait…the statues are alive?!?!?

This was just too much for him to understand. He had seen all kinds of wondrous things happen whilst sailing the open sand-seas upon The Decadence but this was enough to break the last few little gears keeping his mind in working order, he didn’t have many left you see so the cook was extremely insistent upon keeping the last ones in perfect working order. Really though, it had to be statues, moving, and trying to kill them, and they were pretty intent upon killing the Captain and the guy who liked to knit. The green-haired man he could care less about, but if the Captain died, well let’s just say if the Captain died and the Meany was still alive there might be no place for Neyshak.

This definitely wouldn’t do. He had to do something. What could he do though? His blow-gun wasn’t any use here; they barely worked in a regular fight with REAL people. Maybe he could just run around, get in their way, and confuse them somehow? He seemed to be real good at that whenever it came to running away from Meany or the Scary-Lady. The Ravein’s only hope was to not lose his tail though, it was such a precious appendage…for some reason he knew it was going to go though…

Lady Ethereal · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Lady Ethereal** on Mon May 07, 2012 6:31 am

The Philippine Kingdom - Between the Great Asian Ocean & Japan Lake
The Decadence - Personal Cabin - Shroud Ruins- Proving Grounds - Central Chamber
Aellai Neha, The Ephemeral

Several days had passed since the Decadence had left the ports of Cassim towards a heading provided by one of their newest additions. It was also the moment that DeVargo had explained to the crew of their next voyage. Some were hesitant, and some were thrilled. Various reactions were seen, and all of them were acceptable to the very least. In the end, everyone had made the choice to continue on this journey that could be their last or be their greatest triumph. These were the inner thoughts of Aellai who was lounging upon her chair while closing a book that she had finished reading. The sound of it being closed reverberated within her private quarters which was followed by a soft sigh. "Why is it I have a terrible feeling about the entirety of this...?" She murmured to herself as doubt could be seen reflected well into her forest green eyes. Standing from her chair, she made her way towards to one of the windows of her room. It presented the view of the endless sand seas and the never-ending night.

Ever since she had made the decision to see DeVargo, Aellai had made an oath to herself to protect and to ensure the happiness of her sibling whatever it takes. It is why she is willing to follow him to the depths of the darkest pits. "Mother... please watch over us. " She softly said as she took out from her pocket a certain memento. So gentle, so careful, she cradled the ornate pocket watch like a precious gem. Placing a chaste kiss upon it, she allowed herself a small smile upon her face without pretenses. After doing so, she kept the pocket watch once more and glanced at her desk. Piles of documents, books, and scrolls littered it even the bed and floors of her chambers, Actually, her room would be more similar to that of a storehouse granted that it was more organized than her quarters. "I should clean up." With that said, the sound of the wind moving could be heard. Soon enough, her room was organized and clean. It was one of the few perks of being a Majnun in her opinion. Taking a look at the clock and calendar, she had noticed that it had 4 days since she had left the privacy of her room. Well, she was not entirely closed off from the crew during those days. Darco had came in to have his injury healed and all.

"I have been too preoccupied about researching and studying the Shrouds." Approaching her desk, Aellai took hold of a very old parchment. It held an interesting legend about the disappearance of the all-powerful Shrouds from this world. However, she was reluctant to truly believe what was inscribed on it. There was this certain nagging feeling within her that there was something more to this than what was being shown to them. In any case, she should get some fresh air on the deck and get some information of what has happened while she was absent from the crew's eyes momentarily. She have heard that they had new recruits from Cassim. It was always nice to have more companions aboard. She had yet to have met them properly since she had been too much preoccupied by her reading.

Exiting her room, Aellai felt the sudden stop of the Decadence. She could only interpret this that they have arrived to their intended destination. Like clockwork, the foreboding feeling was pulsating within her. She took a big breath to ease herself and at the same time decided to ignore it for now. Going to the boarding platform, she saw that most of the crew would be coming along while others were left to guard the ship. Usually, she would have stayed with the ship as it had always been. However, she was too much concerned for everyone's safety especially her brother's. Making her way within the group, she joined them inside the ruins of the Shrouds. Raising an index fair to the air, she then tasted it. "Odd..." She softly whispered to no one in particular. There was something strange about this place but she should not be too surprised as they are unearthing secrets of the old that should have been kept buried in her opinion.

Looking around, Aellai was also astonished by the lovely sceneries presented before them. But soon, the astonishment turned into wariness. They had all arrived at a massive stone door and before them a robed female could be seen. Based on certain characteristics, it would be logical to assume that the woman was a Majnun. Somehow, she was not sure that it was so. A short exchange of words erupted between the robed woman and DeVargo. Honestly, she sometimes wonder where her brother inherited his recklessness. Thinking about it, she remembered their mother was the same as well. Following his lead, they entered the stone doors that soon closed behind them. It had effectively trapped them with no choice but to move forward. Somehow, she was beginning to feel that they were reenacting some kind of adventure book series. However, those carefree thoughts were turned into fear as darkness surrounded them. Without ado, she quickly attached herself to someone. It did not matter who it was. She trembled.

Aellai had only calmed down once the light was once more present for them. She released her hold to the person she had blindly held onto like a life line. "Please pardon my rudeness." She apologized and was about to further explain her actions when the woman they thought had been left at the entrance appeared before them. Forest green eyes narrowed with caution as the mysterious woman spoke. "Aut vincere aut mori." After delivering that, she vanished from their sights. As a normal reaction, they all went to where the robed woman was before. However, what happened next made her finally understand what the women meant exactly as she repeated this time in a more interpretative tongue. "Either to conquer or to die..."

Ancient machinations of the Shrouds would certainly not be an easy battle. They were not a supreme culture if they were to be easily be defeated. The winds began to gather around her as she decided to gain an aerial advantage. Estelle as Aellai had recalled had cast an alchemic lore which produced battlements. The others had taken advantage of it while Rhys rushed into the foray much like DeVargo was doing. "Boys will be boys..." She muttered as she began to gather small balls of wind upon her hands and then threw them towards the Titans that they were put up against with. It would be best to aid them with support. Honestly, she was not certain how much damage she could do against such beings. After all, she had never fought one before. "Don't get too reckless now!" She managed to say towards the people battling the titans in close combat. Perhaps, this is why she was having that nagging feeling.

Crooked Thoughts · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Crooked Thoughts** on Tue May 29, 2012 4:26 am

The Philippine Kingdom
Between the Great Asian Ocean & Japan Lake
Shroud Ruins – Proving Grounds
Summer - Noon - Day 7 - Cycle 3012

While everyone struggled to penetrate the impregnable defenses of the shroud sentinels, their esteemed captain seemed to be enjoying their predicament. Forming a team that consisted of: himself, Rhys, Sharpclaws, and even the reptilian cook Neyshak; together, they worked as a cohesive unit responsible for destroying three of the lumbering automatons. With advanced tactics utilizing teamwork as Rhys and Neyshak provided distractions, leaving DeVargo and Shaprclaws to abuse the enemy with their large menacing fists and brute strength.

Meanwhile, the others were nigh successful in their own endeavors of keeping the remnants of their opponents from overwhelming those on the front line. They assumed this would be an easy task since the mechanized guardians only carried large axes. However, it was soon discovered that not only did their foes have melee weapons, but they also possessed some type of firearm which dispersed pale green projectiles of pure energy. They weren't sure what adverse effect it would have on flesh, but it was making light-work of their battlements. Despite this, their barrage continued to frustrate and suppress the enemy with superior ranged fire. In the end, they managed to destroy one in a violent explosion which claimed another as collateral damage.

"I could use a drink -- what about you, Gale?" DeVargo said triumphantly as he removed his hand from inside the hull of an unlucky automaton. Aside from a few bruises and a nasty cut, DeVargo was relatively unscathed by the battle. Sweat dripped from his brow an chest heaved slowly as he began the process of recovering lost stamina... consequently, this caused his words to stagger as he spoke. "All those who are no longer with us, say aye aye?" Voice full of question, DeVargo words were meant as a joke but still he reluctantly awaited replies, hoping that there would be no reports of fallen allies. His worries were quickly relieved by the fact that everyone still breathed. He was then free to survey the mechanical carnage that surrounded him. Bits and pieces of the robot guardians lay scattered on the now cracked and shattered ground, just outside the damaged ramparts. Regardless of the destruction and obvious passing of the test, DeVargo and his crew remained on the platform; void of an escape and an Oracle.

"In case you were blinded by our astonishing skill, your machine warriors have been reduced to piles of junk, woman. Have the Asura been proven worthy, or do you plan on baking us in this oven like arena?" DeVargo yelled, waiting for an answer. Nonetheless, all the pirate captain received was the sound of crackling flames and the heavy breathing of his comrades. The silence only managed to infuriate DeVargo, but before he could fill the air with his rage, a set of unstoppable events transpired.

Unbeknownst to the group below, a surge of energy pulsed across the ceiling of the proving grounds, causing debris to become unsettled and fall to the floor. The disturbance was enough to summon the attention of DeVargo and his fellow pirates. As their eyes looked up to the ceiling, they witnessed the violent shaking and rumbling as if the entirety of it was going collapse on top of them. Fortunately, this was not the case; unfortunately, the bulky chandelier would come crashing down. Instinctively, DeVargo moved to protect his crew and threw himself in harm’s way. He shoved nearby crew-mates out of the way before bracing for the impact. His entire body buckled, bringing him upon a single knee as he caught the ornate lightning fixture. It took every bit of strength for DeVargo to return to his legs and toss the chandelier into the fiery pit. By this time, the ceiling had ceased moving and all was eerily quiet only to be shattered by the sudden emergence of strange beast.

Leaping out of the darkness from the large cavern now in the ceiling, was three large plant buds draped in thorny vines. Two of them bloomed instantly, revealing grotesque mouths filled with numerous rows of teeth all dripping with saliva. They snapped at the occupants of the platform below, before a tongue-like appendage wiped across their would-be lips which was the universal signal for "I'm gonna eat you." Following their lead, the third bud bloomed revealing a beautiful flower with what looked to be a woman in the center. The woman's appearance seemed to calm the other heads, until a single slender finger pointed at the pirates. Their prey now identified, it was time to do their master's bidding.

A shrill scream signaled the start of the battle, and going with the tradition of women first, the Man Eater began pelting the pirates with large seed like projectiles. Although all of them missed, but hitting them was not the intended action. The seeds began twisting and growing, taking new shapes altogether until they had become lifeforms. Ten of them were now humanoids shambling on the ground, and the other five were avian creatures soaring high above. Simultaneously with this event, vines had managed to flank the Asura pirate crew members: Estelle their guide, the mad bomber Hollystone, the new gunner Taissa, and the ravein Sharpclaw; all of which who were now being hoisted high into the air to be fed to the Man Eater or the scorching flames. This left those on the ground, two choices: fight for their own lives and fend off the ground and aerial threats or save their comrades.

"A simple no would have sufficed." Was all the humble captain had to say in reply to the Man Eaters appearance. He then began ordering those still free to somehow assist with their appended crew-mates while he dealt with the other threats by drawing their attention and pummeling whatever ugly thing came near him.

Kurokiku · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kurokiku** on Tue May 29, 2012 12:54 pm

The Philippine Kingdom
Shroud Ruins – Proving Ground – Central Chamber
Estelle Amorica, The Emperor’s Alchemist

Estelle had realized in short order the futility of her chosen weapons, and the advice from the gun-toting woman had only served to reaffirm her uselessness. Of course, it was really the persistent pop and crack of gunfire that sent her off the battlements, and she made the drop without bothering to utilize the stairs, slumping against the tan stone and clutching her hands to her head.

Why, oh why had she agreed to this? It only made sense that pirates would carry guns, and that they would use them when threatened. It wasn't their fault that she couldn't handle it like a mature adult.

She was humming softly to herself, trying to distract from the unmistakable sound of igniting combustion powder, letting her eyes dart around frantically. She was not the only one without a means to fight, but she was certainly the only one handling it so poorly. By contrast, the lookout Darco, who seemed nice, but spoke in ways that were not immediately comprehensible to her, seemed more frustrated than anything else by his lack of involvement. She could hear the laughter of the second mate over the din, almost joyous, but with an edge to it that she could only identify as malice. Curling in on herself, she closed her eyes, trying to focus on anything else. The alchemical table of the elements was the first thing, and she ran through it with mechanical precision, the even cadence of the words only faltering occasionally.

She was just hitting Boron when she was unexpectedly seized, some foreign appendage slithering about her waist and hoisting her unceremoniously into the air. Much to her own chagrin, Estelle shrieked, fingers scrabbling at the steel-like vines holding her fast. Her legs kicked uselessly beneath her, and in her panic she looked around, up, and down, only to find that three others were likewise suspended while the rest fought battles on the ground. It would be unwise to shoot at the plant holding them, since it moved them about and the risk of getting shot was high.

The thought froze her, eyes wide with panic. It took a few seconds, but eventually she redoubled her efforts, kicking and scratching for all she was worth. The mind-numbing panic was enough to make her forget that her best chance lay in something much more calculated than visceral; it was as though she'd never been an alchemist at all.

The Philippine Kingdom
Shroud Ruins – Proving Ground – Central Chamber
Bryan Darco- The Monkey Man

The impatient, hollow tapping sound of Darco's metal foot against the floor grew in pace as he waited for the conflict to be over. Certainly, these things were no match for the crew, even if there were more where that came from. He debated joining the fray, but judging by the armor, that protected the automatons, he figured that his knuckle dusters wouldn't be able to hurt a single one no matter how long he swung from it's limbs. Sighing in frustration, he allowed himself to keep watch of their flanks, just as they always did back on board the Decadence. It seemed as though all fronts were covered. Thanks to the magical improvisation by Estelle, they had a nice little fort that allowed a good vantage point over the bigger stone adversaries. Things were definitely going very well.

A sudden movement sent Darco's eyes skyward, as the large ornament that adorned the ceiling shifted to come falling toward the ground. "Damn." Darco said blankly, his body instinctively moving away as it always did. An inane thought shot through his head, a wonder of how they would replace such a large object, and how often such things happened. Barvassi took charge, amazingly able to catch the object before it crushed a majority of the crew. However, Darco's shock did not peak there as a large botanical baddie slithered out of the hole left behind by the chandelier. "Double-damn." The Monkey laughed in a hysteric manner. A piercing scream brought the Lookout back to reality, though this encounter seemed more fantasy than nonfiction. The seeds that rained down produced horrific life forms that began to work to assault his comrades. While they seemed more easily affected by his method of fighting. Darco could hardly think fighting these without knowing their capabilities smart.

As his focus turned on the seed-creatures, a tentacle shot out and seized him. Within seconds, the Monkey had left the ground and was raised up toward the floral foe. "Triple-Daaaaaaamn!" Darco shouted, struggling against the vine. Once he realized the struggle was useless, he looked around and saw Estelle and some others acting in a manner not too deviant from his. The Monkey immediately struggled to regain some semblance of composure, otherwise the chance of any of them living would be zero. "Hey! Hey! Alchemist Lady! Calm down!" He hollered, trying to get his voice across despite being swung around by an angry tentacle monster. "Use your brain, buddy! Got any ideas to get us out of this mess?!" Darco hoped fro a coherent reply. The Monkey was ignorant of monsters such as this, and with his current powers (which is to say, no powers at all) he had no chance of escaping and had to rely on the closest person with some in order to have a fighting chance. If the Alchemist was completely hysterical, he could kiss his life goodbye.

The Phillippine Kingdom
Shroud Ruins – Proving Grounds – Central Chamber
Estelle Amorica, The Emperor’s Alchemist

Letgoletgoletgo. HavetorunhavetofleehavetoLIVEdon'twanttodiepleaseno- Estelle's thoughts were firing at rapid pace, so fast she almost couldn't keep track of them, Unfortunately, this enhanced cognitive movement wasn't helping in the slightest, and all it told her were things she already wanted to know. It was at times like this, when her animal instincts were driving her to panic, that she really did wish she were human, if only for the ability to override her fear with something, anything else. How ironic, that the emotion she hated the most was one that held her in its desperate grip so often. Fleefleeefleedon'tthinkrunFLY! But she couldn't fly, couldn't even flee, and-

"Hey! Hey! Alchemist Lady! Calm down!" The words broke through the haze mostly due to proximity, but also because, perhaps, they addressed her directly, and almost as old as primal instinct was social indoctrination that compelled her polite acknowledgement of an address. Of course, once she'd realized that politeness wasn't exactly situationally-appropriate, she was no longer really certain what to do at all. "Use your brain, buddy! Got any ideas to get us out of this mess?!"

Oh.

Of course, this was easier said than done. Every last one of her nerve endings felt like a drawn bowstring, taut and ready to snap. Her body still shook slightly, her fingers sliding over the smooth, metal-like plant flesh as she struggled for purchase. "Um, um, um," she stuttered, trying to force her neural pathways back down the familiar tracks of logical analysis. "Steel-like, but still biomatter. Has to be. I could alter composition of the outer shell, but there's a natural weakness somewhere..." Her eyes darted to and fro on the creature. The three buds at the center of the plant were as good a guess as any, and she figured the center one was probably as close to a weakness the thing was likely to have. Put the vulnerable spot as far away from everything else as possible.

With that working hypothesis in place, the next question was what to do about it. Her time was growing short, she observed, the plant moving all of them, particularly Darco, in closer to itself. Maybe he'd just be able to hit it directly?

That idea was promptly dashed when another piece of stone from the ceiling dislodged and fell in the plant's direction. Before it could hit, it bounced off a shimmering, iridescent shield around the buds and fell away harmlessly into the fire pits below. "Okay, I'm going to need to break that!" She called over to Darco, probably the only one close enough to hear her. "But I need to figure out what it is first. I think the middle head is the weakness, so if I break the shield, that's what you'll want to go after!" This she shouted so as to hopefully be heard by as many people as possible, but her voice was not known for its volume. The suggestion was implied, but hopefully obvious; you're close enough, hit it!

Darco, thank the heavens, received a fairly normal reply given the situation. Though Estelle's current state of mind left much to be desired, Darco could hardly consider his own impeccable. Her description of what she wanted done seemed easy enough. If she could break down the iron grip held by the juiced-up plant, he could easily clamber his way up to it's weak point and land a good blow. The shield was a bit of a problem, but because the Alchemist girl said she could handle that as well, it seemed like all he had to do was hit the center bulb. Shouldn't be too hard, right? He was certain his Knuckle Duster could do reasonable damage to it.

"You got it, Lady! Just let me get over there and you've got yourself a flattened bulb!" He shouted back, minding the creatures open mouth as the tentacles drew closer to it. "Preferably the sooner the better!"

Estelle kind of wished there were something clever she could say here; the situation she was about to be in was probably appropriate for one, but alas, she was too panic-addled to come up with anything suitably witty. Instead, she took a deep breath and forced the rest away, focusing instead on angles, distances, and calculations. Within moments, she had a likely trajectory worked out in her mind.

Now came the hard part. Feet, please don’t fail me now. Gritting her teeth and pressing her mouth into a firm line, Estelle concentrated on the mental image of one of her alchemical circles, Striking her hands together, she was glad for the flame-resistant gloves that she wore, which stopped the bright conflagration of orange and red from burning her. Instead, she pressed the magical fire to the vine holding her, willing its grip to loosen even slightly.

Predictably, the thing didn’t seem to like the fire, though she didn’t do much lasting damage. That cellulose really was the strength of metal, she was sure of it. Nevertheless, it did earn her a slackening of the vine’s hold, and the small woman capitalized, using her arms to haul herself onto the vine. Before it could curl around her again, she was off like a shot, relying on her preternatural bird’s sense of balance to keep her from falling and her mechanical legs to propel her fast enough. At one point, about halfway to her destination, the plant-limb gave a great heave in an effort to dislodge her, and she abruptly dropped, hugging the thing with all her rather unimpressive strength until it slowed and she could move forward again. It had less flexibility near the center, and so her balance stabilized, and she was able to reach back and grasp an arrow from her quiver.

The attempt to stab the plant was never meant to land, only to call up the shield, and she continued to hit it, studying the composition of the prismatic defense as well as she could. Biological… and magical. Her specialty had always been bioalchemy, but this was puzzling even her. Shaking her head, she left the enigma for another time. Regardless of the makeup of the shield, disrupting the generation mechanism should be enough, and a plant was still a plant, no matter how tough and arcane.

“I’m only going to be able to weaken it!” She warned, calling back to Darco behind her. “Once I’ve caused the reaction, you’ll have thirty seconds or so to shatter it; it’ll be like punching through… glass, maybe!” She wasn’t exactly sure about that, but it was the best guess they had.

Now for the circle… that was going to be a bit more complicated. It would have to be basically unique, and the bioalchemic circles she worked with often enough to have them tattooed on her person were quite general. This was an advantage, in that she could just will the changes and have something for basically any situation, but it would require much more of her own stamina.

“Please don’t let this kill me,” she murmured, not really sure of whom she was making the request. Calling the appropriate circle to mind, she made the necessary modifications to the image in her mind’s eye. This was all simply metaphorical, of course; she had discovered some time ago that while circles were powerful foci, able to decrease the cost of a transmutation, they were not the essence of the spell. This was why not just anyone could do alchemy- they had to be mages of a particular type.

And now her mind was wandering again. I can do this… I think. But what if I can’t? Oh nonononono, people need my help; I can’t fail just yet. She swallowed reflexively. No time. Don’t think, act. Nothing was further from her normal state of mind, but then this was not exactly a normal situation. Activating the spell, she guided the energy into the shield, using the arrow as a conduit to ensure contact with the shield. The barrier wavered, and she held her breath. It flickered in and out for a few seconds, then it lost all color entirely, looking very much like the glass she’d promised.

“Now, quickly!” she managed over the ringing in her ears. That had taken more out of her than she’d like, but she was fairly confident it wasn’t going to kill her. Oh, good… She slumped, fighting to retain consciousness, and just tried to hold on to the vine, which along with its fellows had grown more frantic with the weakening of its failsafe protection. She hoped the monkey-man could handle it, but her fear was spent, and the thought was distant…

His urging for a quick mental resolution was granted. Conjuring up some flame, she caused the thing to flinch, which gave enough time for Darco to squeeze out while the plant was busy attempting to reassert it's hold upon Estelle. He had no clue if any of the others took advantage of the small opportunity she provided, but hopefully it would be the only one needed to defeat the damn thing. How the hell was this thing even here anyways?

Even such a monster was no match for the Monkey's agility once he was free. Though Estelle could give Darco a run for his money with her accurate movements, The lookout used his experience in order to easily dodge around swipes, grab limbs, and easily clamber up and down the vines even as they violently swung to shake him loose. He could have overtaken Estelle, but given the situation, he decided not to show off. It was unlikely that she would swoon for him in this event. She called a warning out for him, and it was all he could do in the gigantic din the monster made to nod in a way that she could notice. He wasn't quite confident when she added "maybe" to her lines, but hell, it was the only chance they got.

The shield was looking pretty strong until the girl did some mumbo-jumbo that Darco couldn't have hoped to understand. However, he did notice the shield that materialize grow pale and discolored. Jumping the moment Estelle gave the thumbs-up, he quickly moved over to the shield, donning his knuckle duster. With a sharp jab, the shield shattered like a pane of glass. Just as she said. However, he didn't have time to marvel at her intelligence, as there was a bulb to flatten. The Monkey closed in on his target, cocking the small hammer on the unique weapon. The bulbs pulsated, almost asking to be squashed. Securing his legs, he landed a series of powerful blows onto the supposed weak point. It was soft and fleshy, which encouraged Darco to continue punching it like a training dummy. Finally, he unloaded all six shots on his knuckle duster gun piece into the weak point, before turning himself over and slamming it several times with his powerful robotic leg. By the time the Monkey swung away, the bulb was little more than a piece of tenderized steak. Neyshak would have loved that reference.

Kurokiku · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kurokiku** on Tue Jun 05, 2012 1:46 pm

The Philippine Kingdom
Ashore - Ruins – Killing Things
Rhys Wilcox, The Tempest

“Hm… I could use three. And then a nap,” Rhys drawled in response. This was an old habit of his and Barvassi’s: neither one of them ever really seemed to be taking things seriously, even when the situation warranted the most grave mindset they had.

Maybe it was an old soldier’s reflex: the two of them had seen combat so many times that the mere fact that their lives were at stake was no longer enough to induce fear, or in Rhys’s case at least, even caution. He was inclined to see just how close he could get to death without succumbing, and he could say with certainty that he’d stared right into the bastards face more than once… and laughed. Barvassi had men to lead and a mission to accomplish, but Rhys had neither of these things, and it made him even more reckless than his compatriot.

Hitting the last automaton running, he took a flying leap at the back of its knee-joint. The hit wasn’t too much in terms of sheer force, but it was, precisely-placed, and the construct staggered, slumping over and exposing its neck-joints to fire, which the long-range crew members were quick to take advantage of, and it fell on a more permanent basis not long afterward.

The Philippine Kingdom
Shroud Ruins – Proving Grounds – Central Chamber
Neyshak – The Lost One

Whatever reasons Neyshak had for so foolishly throwing himself out into a fight with a bunch of magically-animated statues was now beyond all comprehension as he really understood just how useless he was against these things. His claws and teeth were of no use against their metallic structure, and he was nowhere near as strong as the Captain was to be able to just man-handle the problem like he did. All he could really do was run, jump, crawl, and scrabble around, over, between, and under them so that they would have to take notice of him and not anyone else. All in all it was a rather insane notion that was putting his precious tail in jeopardy of being ripped from his beloved behind once again, and after it had just grown back into all of its glory so recently. What was a reptile to do in such situations when good-sense failed while stupidity and courage reigned supreme? Obviously the answer was move faster and hope the other guy is slower.

Their tactics eventually prevailed though, and the assailing statues were soon nothing more than large piles of scrap strewn about in a rather unfashionable manner, actually...he could probably make some high-quality pots and pans from what was left over. He would definitely need to take a few pieces with him back to the ship when they finished doing whatever it was they came here to do. The cook's loving thoughts of having new cookware crafted were soon thrown overboard as the Captain began yelling at the other lady again, and this time Neyshak could only guess he literally brought the roof down...."BRGAH!"

The sudden dropping of the big thing hanging down from the ceiling was not very agreeable with Neyshak's nervous tendency to dart in whatever direction seemed safest at the first sight of trouble. Unfortunately the little fellow also seemed to forget the fact that there were other people around him, and most of the times he had forgotten this fact he ended up in the same situation as he was now, tumbling into the green-haired Rhys and sending the both of them toppling over and rolling around in a tangled heap. Why was it always Rhys who seemed to be in Neyshak's path of retreat?

Once the stone goliaths were down, the place seemed to lose some structural integrity, probably helped by the needlessly-vague-woman-of-uncertain-parentage (he hated those), and one of the first things to go was the chandelier at the apex of the domed roof. Rhys got out of the way with plenty of time to spare, of course, but apparently not everyone was so adroit... or paying much attention to their surroundings.

Unfortunately, by the time Rhys saw Neyshak coming, it was too late to get out of the way. How does he keep doing that? You'd think that by now the Second Mate would know the telltale signs of an incoming reptilian, but alas. He was inclined to blame it on the height difference. Either way, he had his legs knocked out from under him and rolled to his feet with dangerously-narrowed eyes, brushing dust from his clothes with obvious distaste.

As it turned out, the reptile was saved from at the least a vicious tongue lashing and most likely some considerable violence by the fact that there was now a giant plant in the roof where the chandelier had been. It apparently decided to kidnap a few members of the crew, but the soldiers it spawned were enough of an issue that Rhys left those four to handle themselves. As it was, he was still contemplating teaching Neyshak what hammer-throw looked like with a Ravein when several of the plant-soldiers took to the sky.

Well.

That was a bit of a problem, wasn't it? Granted, they had several armed crew members, but those ones were going to be a bigger problem than the ground troops. Looking down at the ravein beside him, Rhys's face split into a not-entirely-benevolent grin. "Say, Neyshak. You ever heard the story of the flying lizard?"

Despite the danger posed by the appearances of yet another group of unsavory adversaries intent upon doing them harm, Rhys’s question forced Neyshak to pause in bewilderment. He merely stood in front of the maliciously grinning second-mate, well Neyshak thought he was always grinning maliciously but that was another story altogether, while attempting to fathom such an unorthodox question. He had heard of some lizards with wings, but there were obviously none of them around, so why would such a question come to mind?

The cook's eyes narrowed slightly and his mouth puckered into something that resembled an "O" in appearance, at least as close as a lip-less mouth could come to that shape, and his head tilted slightly to the left as he began to speak a simple question in reply, but unfortunately all he could manage was a feeble, "Wha-," before being man-handled by the green man, rather ungentle-like as well mind you. He still did not quite grasp the situation developing on hand until Rhys had grabbed both appendages on his left side and started spinning the poor Ravein around one time to gain some momentum. "Ohhh, you mea....BRGAH!"

Before he knew it he had been hurled into the sky towards the flying-enemies which were hell-bent on spilling their blood, in other words not the most desirable of places for the Ravein cook to be heading currently. His clawed hands and feet flapped with futility as he tried desperately to fly like a bird of do whatever he could to alter his path, that was not his destiny though, at least until he connected with one of the new enemies flitting about. It seemed the creatures were unable to lift much more than their own body weight as Neyshak's added mass began dragging the soldier upon which he was desperately clawing began sinking ever closer towards the ground, with a rapidity as well.

All Neyshak knew was that this thing had to die, or he would, so he quickly grasped one of the blow-darts tucked safely into his belt and began stabbing the creature furiously. Luckily the toxin seemed to work even faster on these creatures than most others, and it soon began convulsing violently, ultimately throwing Neyshak off some ten feet from the ground, it was a good thing that the reptilian had such quick reflexes and nimble movements. That fall might have seriously hurt him otherwise. There was bad news coming though...Rhys had noticed his descent and was making his way to send the cook hurling once again...it was definitely NOT a good day to be Neyshak.

Ah, but today was a lovely day to be Rhys Wilcox. This whole lizard-toss business, while admittedly rather taxing even on his enhanced body, was nevertheless entirely too amusing to forgo, and rather sound battle strategy to boot. Well, maybe “sound” was too strong a word, but Neyshak was making himself useful enough taking care of the airborne monsters that the long-range combatants hadn’t gotten to yet, and in the interim, Rhys was having perhaps slightly too much fun dealing with the ground troops.

For a boy who’d never belonged anywhere, Rhys had become a man who understood that there was only one place for people like him, and this dangerous, often bloody mess was it. His fist collided solidly with the jawlike area on one of the plant footsoldiers, and he ignored the fact that the impact split the skin over his knuckles open. That was the thing: while he could deliver more force than most people, his body wasn’t any more resilient than any other fit person, which was why being able to deaden his nerves helped considerably.

Following the maneuver up with a knee to the abdomen, Rhys blinked when his left arm was grasped by the creature, apparently trying not to lose any ground or take the tailor with him, one of the two. Twisting his arm, Rhys grasped the wrist and wrenched, intentionally dislocating his own shoulder to perform the same maneuver on the plant. Unfortunately for his opponent, only one of them felt it, and while the plant-soldier collapsed to the ground, Rhys nonchalantly popped his joint back into place, grimacing slightly at the noise it made.

He really needed to ask the Darco kid where he got those knuckle-dusters. He was beginning to appreciate the utility of not lacerating your hands every time you had to punch something marginally unyielding. Shrugging, he noted that Neyshak was on the ground again, and jogged over to give him one last toss. It was pretty clear that the battle was ending by now, and the others were competent enough at their jobs that not all of the aerial plants need be taken out this way. The big one in the center was drooping, looking very much worse for wear, and leaking some viscous kind of liquid that smelled pungently sweet. Rhys almost laughed. Don’t tell me the thing bleeds nectar.

On the other side of the plant, Estelle finally lost her battle with unconsciousness, and her grip went slack. The small girl slipped off the vine she’d been holding and plummeted towards the ground.

Lady Ethereal · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Lady Ethereal** on Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:52 am

The Philippine Kingdom - Between the Great Asian Ocean & Japan Lake
Shroud Ruins- Proving Grounds - Central Chamber
Aellai Neha, The Ephemeral

The automaton machines were finally defeated. Bodies of metal and steel littered all around the Asura crew. It was finally over. Aellai gently lowered herself to the ground as the winds that surrounded her form were halted. Looking around, she felt great relief that everyone was alive although not in the best of conditions. She would be needing to treat them first. But before she could do so, DeVargo had created a scene by calling out to the Oracle whom had led them to this chamber. Hearing her brother's words, she released a small sigh. Being too overconfident in things could only lead to trouble along the road. She began to make her way towards her brother in order to calm his adrenaline. There would be no harm in being careful especially with what they had been through earlier. Everyone needs a breather but it seems that this was not yet over at all.

A surge of energy pulsed within the chambers causing the chandelier to fall down on them. It was too fast for any of them react but DeVargo was able to shield them by carrying the whole chandelier. "Dee!" Aellai shouted with much concern. He may be strong but being too much reckless would harm him. Soon enough, DeVargo threw the chandelier away and what came next were monstrous man-eating plants. Flames surrounded them as she quickly made herself fly. It seemed that this was not over by a long-shot. Gathering the winds on her hands, she began taking care of the winged-humanoids that the monster plants spewed out. The speed of the aerial creatures were quite annoying as she was having a hard time focusing enough power to blast them away. Regardless, she was able to stop defeat a handful of them. But one of the aerial creature was able to hit her from behind due to a blind spot in her vision.

Losing her balance, Aellai fell to the ground with great force. She could feel her entire body radiating with pain from her disgraceful fall. "I did not expect that..." Slowly rising from her position, she caught sight of Neyshak flying through the air. It was rather an awkward yet astonishing thing to witness. She looked at the direction where the Lizard Cook came from and found the reason why Neyshak was flying. "Rhys... I should have known..." She was able to stand once more but was quite wobbly in her footing. It was then she felt a rush of pain to her right shoulder. She immediately grabbed it in response and noticed it was dislocated from her fall. Well, she did fall from a quite the height. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself to worry her injury later. There are other important things. For one, she noticed that Taissa and Hollystone needed help. The winds gathered around her form once more but before she could move an attack from the aerial enemy above distracted her. She was barely able to shield herself from that one. "You are starting to annoy me." She muttered under her breath as she made the rubble around her levitate and turned them into projectiles.

It was not enough to defeat the enemy but, it was enough to be a distraction for her to get a proper shot. Aellai released her ball of wind that hit the said creature dead center and the others as well. She fell to her knees weakened from her the fighting. But she needs to stand and help the other, it was then she saw Estelle falling to the ground. "Oh no you don't!" Gathering the winds, she made it surround Estelle cradling her and then slowly placing her to the ground. "She is safe..." It was at that moment that she didn't notice that one of the land-based minions were closing from behind. In fact, it was too close for comfort and was about to deliver a deathly blow.

[IC] Dream Scar

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