A Dream of Quiet (IC)

[Leliel]

"Hee-yup!"

Laughing sardonically as the attack misses without it even having to really move, the agata barrel rolls, splashing the battle canteen's contents across the battle field.

A few short gestures from the rider later, three great green tentacles uncoil from various spaces throughout the room as the stormy anima begins to gather. Two immediately dive for the flying ghost, growing suckers and pincers as they do, while one wiggles over to the living worker and literally falls upon him, splitting into a cage of coral as it does.

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Ichor Flux Tendrils: 10m, 1 will


Two clinch attacks on the ghost.

Tentacle 1: [roll0]

Tentacle 2: [roll1]

Clinch attack on Mr. Sucky Anti-Air (trying to capture him alive)

Tentacle 3: [roll2]

[Leliel]

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Huh?

Attack alpha: (9d10)[9][5][6][5][3][9][7][9][4](57)

Attack beta: (8d10)[9][7][6][4][9][6][6][8](55)

Attack...theta?: (7d10)[4][5][8][9][8][9][2](45)

[Recaiden]

The flying one laughs, expecting the tendrils to pass through him harmlessly, and it turns to a shriek as they both sink into and catch him. The one on the ground fares no better, being totally encaged by the tentacle-coral.

But just after they grab him, the sand around the ground starts to whip up in a spiral, which grows outward, picking up more and more dust and little rocks and then bigger rocks, which seem to dive out of the spiral at our heroes.

Sadly for him, the conjured storm has little effect on the tendrils.

((6 success attack for 4+excess success bashing damage to everyone within 15 yards))

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1 Die stunts to the aerial clinch, 2 die to the ground clinch.
(1d10)[2](2)
(1d10)[5](5)
(2d10)[2][2](4)

Did you preview your post? That messes up the rolls. And gamma comes third.
Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, (Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta ....)

Not going to lie, I thought Throne Shadow Form would be useless here until that charm came up.

And next is Pyrus!

[Rhyvurg]

Pyrus tucks the welder into his belt and punches his fist towards the ghost creating the sandstorm, throwing a bolt of fire in the shape of a dragon's maw.

(12d10)[6][5][10][8][9][5][10][10][10][4][1][8](86) Elemental Bolt Attack, 7L damage (3 motes +4L from fire)

[Recaiden]

The dragon-flame burns through the sand to the ghost at the center, striking between the caging tendrils. He screams as his corpus starts to burn away, but when the bolt dissipates he's still managing to hold himself together.

Of course, Raziel can destroy the ghost using the tendrils with a snap of his fingers.

[Leliel]

Which he does.

"Better luck next life, rogue element. Or not-you guys can reform a lot of the time."

There is a brief shriek, and the ghost's thanatomatrix is torn apart by two coral saws going in opposite directions, then only a brief wind as the ethereal remains are sucked into a grey vortex that seems oddly soothing-safe forever from the horror of soulforging, whether it be Oblivion or Lethe.

"You on the other hand? You're coming with us."

The captured worker's cage digs into the ground, making it harder and harder for him to escape.

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And that kids, is how you avoid needing to suppress Compassion for coup-de-grace; compared to being turned into soulsteel, even Oblivion ain't that bad. And to those educated by the Yozis, those are the only options for ghosts-the undead are indeed aberrations and would probably serve Creation better by letting go and getting a memory wash.

Also, yay thuamatobabble. The soul's fine, what bound it to the Underworld is not.

[Recaiden]

The last ghostly combatant slumps against his watery cage. "Wha-yes. Just don't kill me."

((Combat done. Raziel's planning to bring this ghost prisoner with you and oyu might want to do something about the one Drake knocked out, but otherwise, go on.))

[Drascin]

"Okay, we lost enough time here. What do you even want that guy for, Raziel?" Drake speaks as he looks around for any further trouble. He sounds even sharper than usual. Probably the worry.

[Leliel]

"Okay, we lost enough time here. What do you even want that guy for, Raziel?" Drake speaks as he looks around for any further trouble. He sounds even sharper than usual. Probably the worry.

"Didn't seem fair, killing some random guy who was just minding his own business on his job-he didn't choose who his boss was. True, I thought he was one of the living in the confusion, but still, it pays to show some mercy. Such as liberating him out of the employ of a guy who churns out soulsteel like dreams from Hegra.

"That, and (a) we have a hostage who can't just show up for work the day after his death, and (b) a subject for interrogation."

The agata lands, and Raziel strides up to the worker.

"And if you understood a lick of that, you should also know that Ichor Flux Tendril can dispense an anti-undead acid for no motes at all. So I'd be grateful enough to acknowledge the strong if I were you, anomaly."

Nice to see you're growing a bit of a backbone.

Hi Nuitan. And yes, I've become a bit more assertive ever since I gave up my cowardice. Honestly, I can't see why I was so attached to it...

[Drascin]

"Acceptable answer. Toss this guy into the cage as well, then, I didnt actually kill him" Drake replies, picking up the one he knocked out and tossing it at Raziel. "We'll see about setting them free far as possible from here if things don't go to **** in a handbasket. They'd probably just get tortured just in case they know anything if we left them here, anyway" he turns to the guy in the cage with a sharp look. "Which means I seriously suggest you don't try to escape and try to collaborate. We're here to screw your bosses, not you"

"Okay, then, enough time wasted!" and he beckons to the others to continue running before starting to so again himself, in the same second-place position as before, while trying to catch a glimpse of what's happening in the building area ahead...

[Scarlet Dragon]

Dancer nods in affirmation to Drake's suggestion. After a moments pause Dancer's legs become even more digitigrade than before and when he sets off stalking through the dunes he moves even faster than before.

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Spending the mote I gained from my stunt to add another Wolf's Pace Mutation which upgrades into Gazelle's Pace and going back into stealth which I believe I need to make another roll for
(10d10)[3][2][6][9][3][4][8][6][6][10](57) Stealth Roll
(1d10)[1](1) For ambushing purposes

[Recaiden]

The prisoner shakes his head, barely enough to see. "Not a lick. Ugh...We won't leave. Wouldn't think of it."

As thy get closer, they can see that what is going on ahead is a sort of chase.
The intruder is in the lead, pursued by ghosts, running, flying, diving in and out of the sand dunes. Chasing them are zombi and reanimated monsters and machines, dragging the ghosts down where thy can. Small fights have stopped moving, ghosts against reanimated, in the trail of the chase. The man is keeping to open areas, avoiding the walls of any buildings.

With no one chasing them to avoid, our heroes are catching up to even he who is running, and certainly closing in on those that have broken off to fight.
Drake and Dancer notice a strange thing. In some of the skirmishes closest to the back, the combatants have laid down their arms, rejoined forces, and rejoined the chase.

[Leliel]

(Earlier)

"Of course, that means we have to drag you along somehow....Hm"

Looking at the coral cage thoughtfully, Raziel suddenly grabbed and yanked as the Tendril dissolved. As he did so, he felt a mild tug on his soul before the cage turned grey and seperated, perfectly fine.

"What do you know, that worked! ...Still probably need to upgrade that charm before I can really abuse it, though. Oh well, at least we still have the cage. Hup, boys."

The agata took off, rider in tow.

(Later)

"Hm. Apparently one other Deathlord isn't particularly interested in letting the Lion get a foothold. Good, less doom for us to avert in the future.

"Right then, who wants to not involve ourselves in this?"

[Tavar]

"Not sure if we have too many options: we need to get through to the ship. Not unless we can get some way for the others to fly there."

[Drascin]

"The other? Oh, right. You're a Lunar Exalted, aren't you guys usually the most dangerous thing in the skies?" Drake comments offhand in a conversational tone as they run. It's taking him so much oxygen to keep up that his brain is mostly working on automatic by now. Come on, let everyone be too distracted to mount a decent barricade... "But yeah, I fly about as well as a block of granite so unless anyone has a hoverboard or something we better not slow down!"

[Scarlet Dragon]

Dancer hearing Drake's comment pulls out of the dunes and as he pulls up beside Drake, wings begin to sprout from his back. "You need ride?" He asks as the full moon on his forehead glows even brighter than before.

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Spending 4 motes to add the wings abomination to the menagerie of mutations already present putting me at 7 motes spent from my peripheral motes unless the 3 motes I spent earlier when we entered has receded

[Recaiden]

"They are no threat to me. I will run through." Not that Masque really bothered to stop walking to deal with the ghosts. As she speaks, an empty black circle opens up on her brow, drawing in the little light that reaches under her hood.

[Tavar]

Unencumbered, Wing soars ahead of the others. Some times he leads them towards safe paths. Other times, he leaves the others, trying to draw potential pursuers away, or to distract whichever side seems to be gaining the upper hand, so that no unified force can be brought down on them.

[Drascin]

Drake's pride makes him hesitate for a second. Everyone else is either running or brought their own means of locomotion, and he doesn't want to be the only one needing to be carried. His lungs, however, point out really fast that he's only going to be able to keep this up for five minutes tops and then he won't be in any shape to get though the ship's crew. He grumblingly holds on to Dancer.

Note to self: Haggle Nazri to get some means of flying commisioned. If I'm a ****ing zero zero agent now, I should get a jetpack.

However, all that is soon left for later as they start getting shot at, and Drake focuses on warning Dancer of incoming attacks, tapping him every time a bolt is coming so he can veer out of the way. Having a passenger with limited precognition does have its advantages.

[Leliel]

"Okay then. Let's declare ourselves Sir Robin and bravely run away!"

The agata braces itself for Pyrus.

[Scarlet Dragon]

After Drake gets on Dancer's back he notices there are several handholds he can use to stay on due to all the bony plates protruding from his body. Making sure his passenger has a tight grip Dancer takes off for the ship. Flying as nimbly as he can he swerves out of the way of impending attacks relying on Wing's guidance to pick safer paths and helped further thanks to his passengers help in pointing out threats.

[Drascin]

"I don't think "away" in "run away" usually includes "heading for the center of the battle! I'd be all for running away if we could, here, but that's not an option!" Drake replies as they head forward and approach the gigantic boat. He's feeling lightheaded. He has no goddamned idea what they're even going to do once they're in. How does one fly one of these things? He knows the theory, but he hasn't ever even used a rudder. Are they just going to get trapped? And even if they get it off the ground, how do you even destroy a thing made of solid soulsteel? Hell, he still isn't sure whether Masque mightn't just betray them in the end and take the boat to her Neverborn masters' ends.

One problem at a time. First get control of the ship alive, and then we'll make up something.

[Recaiden]

Pyrus might take the Agata's help, or he might rely on the Concordant Dragon's strength and leap over his foes. Either way, they haven't a hope of catching him.

Wing is the first to be seriously noticed by those down, below, so he attracts the bulk of the arrows, essence blasts, and thrown rocks. Nothing that does much damage. A few ghosts take to the air after him, but none can stay aloft long enough to contend with actual wings.

Most of those who would try to stop Raziel and the agata just hold and stare. It's probably fair to say that not a one has seen something beautiful since they died, if ever. A spine chain, unable to appreciate it, tries to rear up and drag the wasp down from the top of a dune, but a basic dodge overbalances it and topples the monstrosity over.

It's not much of a problem for Dancer to carry a passenger, but it does slow him down just a little. It's a good thing that Drake can see attacks before they come, or he might not have made it so easily.

Masque runs along beneath them. Most of the ghosts recognize her as an Abyssal and stand aside. A couple of guards, fresh from a fight with a necrotech lifting machine, attempt to do their duty and bar her way. One puts aside his fear entirely, raises a club, and vanishes, killed by some unseen magic. The others rethink and scatter.

Our heroes make it to the ship without any interference worth stopping over, but the other gets there first. As they are reaching the bottom of the ship, he's leaping off the shoulders of a spine chain and through an access point beside the bottom right engine/thruster/essence lifter/flying thing of some sort. That's not the only way in. There's a similar door near each of the five engine-things, and the scaffold that reaches over the top of the ship ahead on the left is sure to offer entrances. The most direct route is to follow him in, but...

[Rhyvurg]

"I'll see who that is, if anyone wants to come along. But we need to get this thing in the air, or see how to destroy it!" Pyrus leaps up after the other would-be ship thief.

[Leliel]

"I'll see who that is, if anyone wants to come along. But we need to get this thing in the air, or see how to destroy it!" Pyrus leaps up after the other would-be ship thief.

"Given my fighting style, I'm probably better off fending off attacks from out here. I don't think that area's particularly spacious."

[Drascin]

"It's not that I WANT to, but I'm also close-combat so I probably-"

Then something else comes to mind. "...actually, no. You're right, we need to get this thing in the air as soon as freaking possible. I don't know how to fly this thing but I'm almost sure I know enough about essence engines to turn it on and turn the safeties off, and from there I'm just going to point it diagonal and up and hope for the best. We can take care of whoever that guy is and finding the details of the controls while the ship flies. Masque, come with me. I don't want to go there only to find it requires some underworld essence to fire up or something. We're heading for the bridge."

And that way he has someone to have his back in case of trouble, he can make sure she doesn't go around killing people at random... and can make sure to keep an eye on her. She seems reliable enough, but paranoia never killed anyone.

[Tavar]

"Let's stick together: splitting up is just inviting them to overwhelm us individually."

[Recaiden]

"You are coming with us, coward."

No normal person could make the jump from that far away in one go. But this is Pyrus. He makes it in just after the other would-be boat-jacker, in time to see him disappearing around the end of the entryway to the left. The way in is narrow, but it clearly opens up just ahead. There's a recently broken skeleton lying by the door in. Poor guard.

In a few moments the rest of them (and hopefully Raziel too) will be making their way in behind him.

[Drascin]

"Yes, because heading for what is likely to be the best-defended part of the ship with only a woman that might well kill me as collateral as my companion is cowardly" Drake snipes. "It's ****ing insane is what it is but I'm doing it because Pyrus is right. If the legionnaires assault the ship we can't keep them out. There's not enough of us! This thing has to be in the air or already primed to blow up before they realize what we're trying to do or we're not taking it ever! Unless you have any better idea?" Drake looks at her with a frown as they land near the entrance.

[Rhyvurg]

"Hey! Don't make me chase you, I hate chasing things! I just want to talk! Oh hell..." He chases him anyway.