Outside 40: It's all downhill from here

[UncleWolf]

Skyport of The Mountain

35,000ft..

"Devil down below! Port side! Ready harpoons!" A muffled cry says, barely piercing the icy cold gale that rocks the ship Fortune's Wrath. "Comeoncomeoncomeon....FIRE!!!" Captain Blood shouts to his crew, finishing his line connecting him to his ship's mast before racing over to the edge, peering over to see a giant scaled beast wailing below them, unable to twist out of the harpoon lines and net that had been cast. Sky Devils were particularly nasty pieces of work with inch thick scales, a foot of insulating and valuable blubber, dagger long teeth, and a massive bladder full o hydrogen that the whale-shaped creatures used to stay aloft. Looking at the good catch, the Captain smiled behind his breathing mask, but his mirth didn't last.

"Captain! She's getting heavier! Someone's hit the bladder and the gas is escaping!" His Helmsman, Richardsdotter, shouts as she tears off her breathing mask. "We need to cut her loose! Especially this close to the mountains and before a bolt of lightning sets it off and we all go to hell!" After brushing her red hair aside she puts her breathing mask back on and continues to work the controls, trying to keep them from sinking too fast in the clouds. Cursing under his breath, Blood leans over to a speaking tube before tearing off his own mask to shout through the howling winds. "Blood to Drives! Can't we get anymore power?" "No sir! We've already gotten the Arcana Drives stressed to the point of arcing and to make matters worse the Spell Cannon have gotten ornery! Three of my best are working on calming them down!"

Accepting his fortune for what it was, the Captain sighed before nodding to himself. "All hands! Cut harpoons! Cut net! And hold on to your lifelines! If any of you blaggards fall to your death, I swear in my mother the Iron Matron herself that I'll kill you before you hit the ground!" Following his own orders, the Captain could feel the ship lurch several times as ropes were cut and the net let loose. With it done he turns back to the speaking tube. "Drives, Helmsman, bring us down gently. Let's try to salvage what we can. A partial hold is better than none."

Splatter Site

"As many of these things we've butchered, you'd think we'd get used to that smell." Bosun Titanus complains, using his pitchfork to scrape a large piece of bloody blubber off the craggy side of the mountain and into the hold of Fortune's Wrath. "Could be worse..." His partner begins to say, only to be stopped by the Bosun slamming a handful of blubber into his face. "Don't you dare finish that thought."

Blood, watching it all, chuckles as he paces along the sharp rocks before frowning when he sees the glint of something shiny. "Richardsdotter! Get over here!" He commands before skipping down several dozen feet to find himself face to face with a shining mirror embedded in the side of the mountain. Seeing his own reflection in it he can't help but stare, reaching out for the metallic surface. When his helmsman arrives she gives an appreciative whistle. " Cap'n, these mountains ain't supposed to have any sort of mineral deposits, so if this is one, we've hit the jackpot. Dunno what sort of mineral is this shiny in raw form. Absolutely beautiful though." She admits.

Blood smiles to himself and reaches up to stroke his goatee. "Let's grab some blasting charges. Whatever it is, I think our luck is finally starting to turn." He says with a grin, setting his arm around his Helmsman's shoulders and guiding her away. With their backs turned, they both miss when the mirrored surface slides upward, revealing a 10ft tall solid white eye.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lost Temple]

Violet flies along the tunnel unmolested, though she is able to detect high amounts of ambient magic, and, if Dena is paying close attention or if she has the programming for it, several mechanical traps. Once she reaches the treasury, however, Elereshur is waiting there for her, grinning, and extends a clawed finger at the drone unleashing a blast of energy at the drone that will likely destroy her if she doesn't manage to avoid it.

[Lost Temple]

"Oh? You can't bet on things that are guaranteed to happen? Like, say, the exits getting sealed behind us?" Ithuriel chuckles and shakes her head, following on after Dena.

Plan C...plan C. Ithuriel isn't sure what exactly plan A is. Is plan A just hoping that the doors will be open for them when they run out? If there's no way out through the actual exits, and they get locked off from teleporting out, what other options do they have?

"Hmm. Yes. Yes I do have a plan C, if it comes to that. And don't worry, I'm not going to turn my demon scanner off." Though it can't pick up on anything as specific as the type of beings being scanned, Ithuriel is keeping her good/evil radar up. Which means she'll probably have memorised exactly what shade of good/evil grey Dena is by the end of this, but...also probably means she'll pick up on the presence of Elereshur from a fair way off.

[Lost Temple]

"Plan A was to simply run out when the door was open." Dena explains. "Anyway, let's focus on what Violet see shall we?"
But If Ithuriel does warn Dena, Violet will spot the demon earlier and be able to dodge the blast of energy and then suddenly disappear in a flash, recalling back to it's owner. "Huh, that was close. Is that the only demon guarding the treasure? Since then we might actually have a chance as long we stay away from traps."

[Aric Kale]

Frozen Forest - Full of Location Tags...

The Mourning Hoplite nods gratefully to the Cleric's bubble of protection from this frosty hell. As for the golem, it simply walks until it sees the vampire and turns back. No survival instincts, just following orders...
When it returns, Hawthorn and the Athenian use their own form of silent communication using finger movements to relate something's up ahead.
We should proceed with utmost caution, he says, gripping his blade even tighter.

[Recaiden]

Outside the Village of Peacefield

A massive, flaming rock is descending from the sky at quite a pace. The inhabitants of Peacefield, used to fighting off marauding beasts, confused bandits and many other threats that wander in from neighbouring realities, see this and flee to their basements and a small tower in the centre of their town that serves as a small defensive position. These precautions would be pointless if the massive meteor hits the village, but it's better than nothing. And it seems to be destined to land about a mile to the south.

When it does land, the shockwave destroys several large fields, flattening and burning the crops, fences, hedges and in one case cattle. The stout stone cottages of Peacefield withstand the blast mostly untouched; the Temple to Meridia has had all its windows broken, and the houses nearest the blast no longer have any roofs, but that's it.

The cautious villagers emerge from their hiding places and assess the damage, turning south to see the meteor itself. Only, it isn't a meteor, it seems. Instead, it resembles a massive skull made of a mysterious black substance. It has left a large crater, yet the vast skull isn't in the crater. It seems to have bounced, only without coming down- it's floating, two storeys above the fields, and gazing balefully upon the community of Peacefield with its vast, empty eyesockets. The skull is about four storeys high, proportioned much the same as a human's skull on a massive scale, and a motorcycle could fit in the eye socket.

The descent of the meteor-skull has been watched from far-off telescopes, and a poorly-paid intern sent out with a camera to investigate it. But that will take time before they even arrive.

In the more immediate present, a young woman has appeared in a field (a peacefield?) that was leveled by the shockwave. She's pale, half-transparent, and standing just above the ground, walking stick resting lazily in one hand, looking up at the skull. This seems just the opposite of the last job, where everything was magical brainwashing smiley-faces. This could be a lot more exciting. She picks her way closer, aiming to get under the skull, avoiding the places where crop-plants are still burning.

[BladeofObliviom]

(I had a feeling I was forgetting something!)

[Ebon Citadel]

Sebastian actually chuckles at that, reaching over to take back his sketchbook. The emerald beetle crawls out of his sleeve again, moving down to it's masters fingertips to stare at it's own likeness.

"I was drawing this when the summoning... happened, I suppose. The thought came into my head and I'd created the little fellow before I thought to wonder why. It was a like, well, a second nature to me." If there's any saving grace, it's that he's deadpan enough one could, by great force of will, pretend that wasn't meant as a pun at all. Just an unfortunate choice of words.

"I've tried drawing other things. There's an odd impulse, I'd call it in an itch in the back of my skull. But I can't seem to make them come to life." His smile curls downwards with evident frustration. "I had hoped you could tell me why. Or at least what I'm supposed to be doing with this."

And asking a mass murderer for direction might not be his first choice, but it's not like any of this came with a book of instructions...

[Ebon Citadel]

Cyrus takes another sip of tea, taking a moment to stare at the drawing alongside its subject. He supposes he deserved that response, given the pun he'd made only a few seconds before.

"Well, I might have an answer to some of your questions. If you're having trouble making things work, it might not be you. It might just be that you don't have enough mana to draw upon. Now that I think about it, you looked fairly drained after summoning that beetle of yours. Are you drawing on your own life force as a source of green mana? Because that's not actually very good for you. In fact, it's the kind of thing that makes people die early deaths with chronic use, planeswalker lifespan boost notwithstanding."

A chuckle. How inappropriate for the situation.

"Like I said, consider relaxing in forests a bit more often. Get a feel for the world around you. I'm told the hunting grounds are flowing with Green, though they're a bit on the dangerous side. As for purpose, that's up to you. Magic is power, just like everything else. Green magic has two sides, split between community and ferocity. Whether you choose to bind yourself into preserving the nature of the world or to express yourself as civilization won't allow or simply to deny nature and do what you wish, it is ultimately your decision."

Was...was that actual, helpful advice from Cyrus? What's the world coming to?

[Earl of Purple]

Outside Peacefield

The crops were pale blue flowers that exuded an aura of calm around them, soothing extreme emotions and promoting positive ones, to create an area where violence is less likely. Not impossible, mind, but killing in anger is all but impossible, and where the flowers have scorched and died the effect has quickly abated.

Under the skull the ground is made of glass, the sandy soil vitrified and compacted. It's hot, but cooling quickly and there's nothing burning atop it. Looking up, the bottom of the skull is smooth and hard-looking, with no visible gaps or entryways into the massive construct.

[Ionbound]

Lost Temple

There are a few other evil-peaks around the demon Violet saw, though it's unclear if they're other demons or just cursed artifacts.

Frozen Forest

Well, unfortunately for out intrepid duo, Endure Elements is not going to do them a whole lot of good, as this is a magical cold effect, rather than an effect of the environment. So, the temperature proceeds to drop, unmitigated by the spell. By now, it's pretty easy to hear the voice of a young woman calling, Please! I know you're there! Please, just tell me...What is happening to me?!

[Hattish Thing]

Frozen Forest - Full of Location Tags...

The Mourning Hoplite nods gratefully to the Cleric's bubble of protection from this frosty hell. As for the golem, it simply walks until it sees the vampire and turns back. No survival instincts, just following orders...
When it returns, Hawthorn and the Athenian use their own form of silent communication using finger movements to relate something's up ahead.
We should proceed with utmost caution, he says, gripping his blade even tighter.

It appears the spell heats up the pair for about thirty seconds before fizzling out into nothingness, the bitter cold once again wrapping the hunter's in it's frosty maw. At last the two got to enjoy about half a minute of bliss. When the spell goes out, Shoyler sighs and explains. Must be magical... It takes quite a bit of power to overbear my spells. The monster must be close.

A little bit later, his fears are confirmed as his partner relays the information Hawthorn provided. Shoyler will begin to cast a few more quick spells, meant to boost the group's morale and combat skills. They'd need all the protection they could get. He'll cast Bless, Divine Favor, and Magic vestment, spells meant to enhance combat ability and to infuse the target's armor with holy magical potency. The group should be a bit better protected and stronger now.

Frozen Forest

Well, unfortunately for out intrepid duo, Endure Elements is not going to do them a whole lot of good, as this is a magical cold effect, rather than an effect of the environment. So, the temperature proceeds to drop, unmitigated by the spell. By now, it's pretty easy to hear the voice of a young woman calling, Please! I know you're there! Please, just tell me...What is happening to me?!

Shoyler was about to cast another spell before the screams disturb his casting. He'll begin to rush forward now, grunting out advice to the Mourning Hoplite as he loads his specialized heavy crossbow. Whatever that scream is, don't trust it. I've no doubt the voice be nothing more than a trap. Don't let your guard down here... He'll move forward, most likely coming across the voice eventually.

[Recaiden]

Outside Peacefield

The crops were pale blue flowers that exuded an aura of calm around them, soothing extreme emotions and promoting positive ones, to create an area where violence is less likely. Not impossible, mind, but killing in anger is all but impossible, and where the flowers have scorched and died the effect has quickly abated.

Under the skull the ground is made of glass, the sandy soil vitrified and compacted. It's hot, but cooling quickly and there's nothing burning atop it. Looking up, the bottom of the skull is smooth and hard-looking, with no visible gaps or entryways into the massive construct.

Well, that's very important. The girl takes some time to try and find intact living peaceflowers. If she could dig up one to transplant it away, well, that would make this investigation worthwhile all on its own.

[Aric Kale]

Frozen Forest

D-d-damn it! I was hoping for some...warmth. He shivers, gripping his xiphos all he tighter, his body entirely affected by Shoyler's magic. At the old Cleric's warning, he charges forward with his eyes wide open, ready to fight. The golem moves with surprising haste, easily keeping pace with the two men as it bares its sharp fingers. For Captain Dekaros! He cries upon sighting the firevamp.

[Ionbound]

Frozen Forest

The men will note that as they get closer to the being, she'll shout, "Wait! Please! Don't hurt me!" and that the closer they get, the more dangerously low the temperature will get, at levels of tens of degrees per foot as the get close. If they don't turn back, they'll begin to feel their blood thicken and begin to freeze in their veins, while the golem, if it continues it's charge, will have it's joints freeze up, and, at very close range, will have it's very structure rupture as the residual water in the wood that comprises it freeze and expand.

[The Bushranger]

Melody's Island

With the sun getting low in the sky, three figures come down near the cottage. I will let them describe themselves. One is an unconscious young girl, about 15 or so. Another is a pink kitty, who as soon as he drops the other two off, he flies away, quite posibly to never be seen in the Nexus again (()). The third, I will allow her to describe herself ((unless she too is leaving the Nexus. )).

((For the adventures on Grandpa's Secret Island, QuickTopic.))

The third is Quinn, the brunette paladin dropping to her knees as she's dropped off, Estia in her arms. She gasps, her face strained as she slumps fowards into the sand.

She's wearing a rather ripped-up floral one-piece swimsuit.

[happyturtle]

Melody's Island

Melody's Island



The third is Quinn, the brunette paladin dropping to her knees as she's dropped off, Estia in her arms. She gasps, her face strained as she slumps fowards into the sand.

She's wearing a rather ripped-up floral one-piece swimsuit.

Happy finishes the soup in a quick gulp, then runs out to meet Estia and Quinn.

[Lord Magtok]

Melody's Island

Magtok follows Happy, keeping rather close for someone who totally, definitely, absolutely isn't dating Melody's mom. He's also doing a remarkably good job of not looking at Quinn, which is also peculiar, seeing as he's obviously, clearly, unquestionably, positively not dating anyone present, and there's little reason to fear being hit upside the head if he was caught ogling. Nope, totally no dating of Melody's mother going on here, why would you even think that?

"So that one's Estia, then. And the other, Quinn. Hrm." Quite a weird, undignified way to make an entrance. Looks like Quinn had every intention of going tanning, until a land shark mauled her or something.

[Earl of Purple]

Outside Peacefield

There's a few outside the crater, getting steadily scarcer the closer to the impact point. It's possible, but requires the girl to either gather them on the way to the vitrified crater beneath the floating skull or leaving to gather them.

[Hattish Thing]

Frozen Forest

D-d-damn it! I was hoping for some...warmth. He shivers, gripping his xiphos all he tighter, his body entirely affected by Shoyler's magic. At the old Cleric's warning, he charges forward with his eyes wide open, ready to fight. The golem moves with surprising haste, easily keeping pace with the two men as it bares its sharp fingers. For Captain Dekaros! He cries upon sighting the firevamp.

Frozen Forest

The men will note that as they get closer to the being, she'll shout, "Wait! Please! Don't hurt me!" and that the closer they get, the more dangerously low the temperature will get, at levels of tens of degrees per foot as the get close. If they don't turn back, they'll begin to feel their blood thicken and begin to freeze in their veins, while the golem, if it continues it's charge, will have it's joints freeze up, and, at very close range, will have it's very structure rupture as the residual water in the wood that comprises it freeze and expand.

Shoyler stays a fair distance away from the creature, sensing powerful dark magic radiating from her. He knew better than to approach. However, he doesn't bother calling out to her. When it really came down to it, an undead with powers this strong couldn't possibly be turned or cured. It'd be like attempting to turn a lich. It doesn't tend to work out. Instead... the hunter instantly aims the crossbow at the supposedly newly turned vampire thing and fires. The bolts are silvered and magical, meant to paralyze any undead. Three bolts are shot out in one turn, the special nature of the crossbow allowing mutliple shots. All three of the bolts are aimed to the chest, meaning to instantly kill the vampire.

Shoyler took no chances when it came to hunting.

[Recaiden]

Outside Peacefield

There's a few outside the crater, getting steadily scarcer the closer to the impact point. It's possible, but requires the girl to either gather them on the way to the vitrified crater beneath the floating skull or leaving to gather them.

She'll take the time on the way to the crater, briefly flickering out of vision with the flowers and then reappearing without them.

Now, to the matter of entering the skull. The girl backs out from immediately underneath it, such that she can have a running start, and solidifies, becoming as opaque as anyone and settling down onto the ground. A little uncertainly, taking a moment to get her balance. Running towards the skull, planting her stave like an overly stiff vaulting pole, and leaping up. As she leaves the ground, she taps her thumb against the ring on her left hand and discorporates again, keeping her momentum but slipping free of gravity. She's aiming to hit the skull at about its mouth, hoping that even if that is closed and solid, it will be textured enough to catch on to.

[Earl of Purple]

Outside Peacefield

All that effort might not be necessary- the lower jaw is lowering as the mouth opens, and a rope ladder descends.

Inside the skull's mouth is a dark chamber, with four figures clad in dark purple jumpsuits with kevlar breastplates over the top preparing to climb down. Each has a heavy weapon slung over their back- a flamethrower, a minigun, a rocket launcher and a large cutting saw. The first one to start climbing down is the one with the cutting saw. All four figures are wearing helmets that completely cover their faces, but if the girl can detect such all four figures are dead.

[Recaiden]

[Peaceskull]

Not easily detectable. What she would be able to ascertain is whether they have feelings and emotions, hopes and dreams. As for necessity, she's going to stay with it, as the jump method allows her to stay incorporeal and hopefully safe from all the weapons that she can see, as she hovers near the rope ladder
"Who are you?"

[Earl of Purple]

Peacefield Skull

They have a crude sentience which expands to the emotions of anger, rage and hatred, but little further. They don't respond to the girl, but if they can see her the minigun-wielding figure will try to shoot her. If they can't, the flamethrower-equipped humanoid will unleash a stream of flames in the direction the voice seems to come from.

Whatever they're here for, it's not something peaceful.

[Aric Kale]

Frozen Forest

The men will note that as they get closer to the being, she'll shout, "Wait! Please! Don't hurt me!" and that the closer they get, the more dangerously low the temperature will get, at levels of tens of degrees per foot as the get close. If they don't turn back, they'll begin to feel their blood thicken and begin to freeze in their veins, while the golem, if it continues it's charge, will have it's joints freeze up, and, at very close range, will have it's very structure rupture as the residual water in the wood that comprises it freeze and expand.

Shoyler stays a fair distance away from the creature, sensing powerful dark magic radiating from her. He knew better than to approach. However, he doesn't bother calling out to her. When it really came down to it, an undead with powers this strong couldn't possibly be turned or cured. It'd be like attempting to turn a lich. It doesn't tend to work out. Instead... the hunter instantly aims the crossbow at the supposedly newly turned vampire thing and fires. The bolts are silvered and magical, meant to paralyze any undead. Three bolts are shot out in one turn, the special nature of the crossbow allowing mutliple shots. All three of the bolts are aimed to the chest, meaning to instantly kill the vampire.

Shoyler took no chances when it came to hunting.

Hawthorn gets about twenty feet away from the vampire before freezing solid. It doesn't explode, however, due to it's magical enhancements. Still, this gives Shoyler and Zander a good idea of the safe zone that they can approach. For now, the hoplite will have to hang back, though he hastily lops off some branches and works on crafting throwing spears with a knife.

Shoyler, we must finish this quickly, lest we freeze solid!
Naturally, he's hanging back, just outside of "the freeze zone."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Lost Temple]

"It kind of seems too good to be true, doesn't it?" Ithuriel frowns, not convinced it's going to be anywhere near that easy, "There's something else nearby, but I can't tell what. Could just be some nasty evil doodads in the treasure room. I'm not much good at disabling traps and the like. Do you have a way to clear the path for us? If there is just the one demon there, we'd better take a shot at it now before more of them come along."

[Shadowcaller]

[Lost Temple]

"Or the treasure is the trap. Evil demon gold anyone?" Dena suggests without looking away from the path ahead. "These guys are nasty though, apparently they can see through invisibility and illusions, are immune to poison and very resistant to all kinds of damage. So most of my misdirection tricks aren't going to be very useful. I bet holy power does a number on them though, which is why I brought you plus a number of these..." The drow smirks and pulls out this from one of her many pockets.

Now is the question, what does the room the demon stood in look like, could Dena sneak closer to it without immediately being spotted?

[Ionbound]

Lost Temple

Well, from what Violet saw, the demon turns to blast her, and the door was behind the throne. So, if she was sitting down, it would be quite easy to sneak in...But she did notice Violet, so she knows you're there.

Frozen Forest

The young woman shouts "Wait! Please, stop! Why won't you help me?" as the silver bolts narrowly whiz past her, grazing her sides, but doing no serious damage. She also continues proceeding towards Shoyler, likely putting him in the freeze zone. Which, needless to say, he's going to have to evacuate if he values his non-iced over state.

[Recaiden]

Peacefield Skull

They have a crude sentience which expands to the emotions of anger, rage and hatred, but little further. They don't respond to the girl, but if they can see her the minigun-wielding figure will try to shoot her. If they can't, the flamethrower-equipped humanoid will unleash a stream of flames in the direction the voice seems to come from.

Whatever they're here for, it's not something peaceful.

Disappointing, and yet oddly thrilling. A fight, and this part against people who pose little threat.
At least that's what the girl thinks as the bullets pass through her, not causing the slightest damage or trouble. The flamethrower, on the other hand, is something to dodge. She floats quickly to the ladder itself, trying to put one of the thing's allies between her and it as she climbs.

[Earl of Purple]

Peacefield Skull

The missile launcher guy and the minigun guy start hauling the ladder up as the cutting saw guy climbs backup. Their landing site is compromised, and until they have pacified the girl they won't disembark.

The flamethrower guy will try to get another burst of flame off at the ghost-girl, but doesn't want to incinerate his companion or the ladder, so if either of those is in his range of fire he won't shoot.

[Lex-Kat]

Melody's Island

The third is Quinn, the brunette paladin dropping to her knees as she's dropped off, Estia in her arms. She gasps, her face strained as she slumps fowards into the sand.

She's wearing a rather ripped-up floral one-piece swimsuit.

Happy finishes the soup in a quick gulp, then runs out to meet Estia and Quinn.

Magtok follows Happy, keeping rather close for someone who totally, definitely, absolutely isn't dating Melody's mom. He's also doing a remarkably good job of not looking at Quinn, which is also peculiar, seeing as he's obviously, clearly, unquestionably, positively not dating anyone present, and there's little reason to fear being hit upside the head if he was caught ogling. Nope, totally no dating of Melody's mother going on here, why would you even think that?

"So that one's Estia, then. And the other, Quinn. Hrm." Quite a weird, undignified way to make an entrance. Looks like Quinn had every intention of going tanning, until a land shark mauled her or something.

Jezebelle, not noticing the arrivals quite as quickly as Happy, turns to see where everyone, aside from Derek and Melody, is running off to. Then she sees Reinholdt flying off, leaving two people behind, and she knows one of them is Estia. Estia! she cries out, and is right behind the cyborg.

Happy, as likely the first to arrive, might notice that Estia looks a bit older. No, that'd be an understatement. When last Happy saw Estia, she was around 9 or so. Definitely not a teenager. The girl in Quinn's care is definitely in her early to mid teens.

((And just to restate it, the sun is going down. So it's getting darker.))

[DoomITP]

The Beach

Lee appears with a brief flash of light and heat on the sandy shore. He blinks rapidly, trying to adjust to the sudden change of light.

It's been a while...

[Beans]

The Beach

Lee appears with a brief flash of light and heat on the sandy shore. He blinks rapidly, trying to adjust to the sudden change of light.

It's been a while...

He is being watched.
Secretly.

From behind a huge-ass sandcastle.
So not secretly at all, especially given Margaret's black coat standing out against blue sky and pale sand.

But she's... mostly behind the sandcastle.

[DoomITP]

Lee looks at the sand castle curiously and walks towards it. He appears to have not noticed Margaret yet.