Outside 43: Where the sun hurts your eyes and burns your skin

[Arkhosia]

[Jaegers]

Sophia herself looks somewhat surprised, nodding.
Yep! She works over at the Magcave, where I live, and I tend to be her willing guinea pig and test subject. How do you know her?
She responds, curiosity and interest in her words.

[Cyber Punk]

The Tower- Second Floor

((Minor retcon: Hotaru is totally the kind of girl that would have played Skyrim at a friend's place at some point, probably while nursing a hangover. ))

Hotaru could run a DNA scan, but her focus right now is on Sanguine.

She does get the message, and her eyes turn red as her alternate personality rears her head for a few seconds. "Even a god can die, Sanguine." She says cooly.

She blinks her eyes as they return back to normal. "What?" She looks around. "Dizzy... weird. Uh, anyway... point taken, Sanguine, though you... wait."

Realization dawns on Hotaru's face.

"Your name is Sanguine, and you call your self a daedra... you're the Daedric Prince of Madness! Trust the Nexus to make sure I meet one of my favorite video game characters." Mentally, she adds: trust the Nexus to make such a person nicer or meaner than usual. Seems to be the latter in this case.

Usually seems to be the latter, to be fair.

"I'm sorry for laughing, Sanguine." She pauses. "I hope this doesn't ruin my chances of getting to meet Sheogorath; I would absolutely LOVE to meet the prince of debauchery! His pranks are something to behold, such artwork. I'm not much for pranks, but you should see me the few times I get drunk! Eh, I'd love to share a drink with him..."

[Recaiden]

Inside a Wreck

Nick nods.
With all his helmet's sensors he has pretty good night vision.
"So, what's the different between your two groups exactly?" he asks.

"The devalogues don't have lines. No families. Except in rumors that there's secretly an elder among them, I guess."
The linesman holds tighter to his box.
"They're reckless. Will try anything. They use the black magic of the Corrupter, and have no programming or picting skill among them. Abandoned our ancestral arts for that. There aren't very many of them compared to us. But actually, they're probably the most human of us."
They come to a door, which the linesman induces to open somehow. There's a sort of counter with stools in front of it in a wide spot of the hallway, and the floor slopes down a bit more past there.

[Inside a Wreck]

"Hear that, brother?" Dixie asks after examining the weapon in her hands. Together, they move up to the hole. "Might be more of that little bugger."

The two look at each other. They should probably just exit the spaceship and call it quits... yeah, no.

"Could be more treasure."
"Or maybe weapons to defend ourselves."
"Not like we have anywhere to go."
"Let's move on, then."

Carefully, they both climb into the hole.

Of course, it could also be danger. They're at the intersection of three hallways in a T. The flicker of flames and the source of the smoke are visible down the central hall, a whole room burning up. The left arm holds one of those funny little spiky folk, who is currently in the process of hurling a crude crystal spear at the twins. The right arm holds a closed door with no obvious handle or access point.

[Deathkeeper]

Inside a Wreck

"I don't know what Picting is. But that and computers are your ancestral arts? How are the rituals and stuff make them human? What does human even mean? I'm pretty sure you're a different species." Nick asks, confused.

[Recaiden]

[Inside a Wreck]

The linesman nods.
"Right. Well, the rituals don't themselves. They just, you know humans then. Good. We're Selyn: half human, half Corrupt. Some among the Lines and the Escaped are less human even than that. They stay human because they don't have any Line Elders among them like we do. The Elders are many-in-one. Part human, part Corrupt, part shield, part bottlebug, part machine."

He stops suddenly, taps the floor with a foot.
"This might be a good place. So what are you, then, Mi- Sgt. Richards?"

[Deathkeeper]

inside a Wreck

"I'm a griffin. That's it. What you see is what you get. Why are they more human if they're using Corrupt magic? I guess the Corrupt is some sort of cat then?"

He says, cutting another small hole and peering in.

[Recaiden]

[Inside a Wreck]

"Huh. Well I would have told you there's no such thing as griffins. But there's people as would tell you there's no such thing as stars, and look how wrong they were."

The Linesman shakes his head.
"They don't have anything else to be. The Corrupter was without shape, everything and nothing."
He says this last in a bit of a sing-song voice, something learned by rote.

Through the hole one sees the ruins of a drink storage room. Smashed boxes and bottles and liquor everywhere.

[ImpSyndrome]

[PASTURE OF GENESIS]
[LUNAR INFLUENCE: Phase 2/8]

Akane nods curtly, extending her hands and firing a volley of fey energy in the mass's direction before letting loose a powerful beam of light, searing and blinding.

The mass of quivering sludge is actually lifted off the ground by the impact, and it wails in dismay as it is enveloped by the beam of Akane's magic! As it lands with a gross-sounding *plop*, it starts to radiate a light similar to the kind that surrounded Coriolis just prior to his transformation. This light obscures the figure of the enemy for several seconds, and as one might have deduced already, a battered, nearly-dead human man is left in its place, face-down on the ground and struggling to regain his senses.

"Nice work," says the demonic Coriolis as it steps past Akane, oddly careful not to brush her with its wing. It approaches the weakened man, who tries and fails to stand up, and grabs him by the neck and shoulder, lifting him up to eye level with its two left arms.

Drawing the human forward, it growls, "Who sent you after me?"

"I-...It was that angel lady," the man sputters frantically. "V-Virginia or whatever her name-"

"Vijaya." The way demon!Coriolis says the name, he sounds disgusted, as if he's just been forced to utter a terrible cuss word. There are obvious questions to be raised at this point, especially some regarding this new name and its meaning to the winged demon. More immediately, however, is the question of what it plans to do with the derelict human, who seems to be struggling to retain consciousness...

[Deathkeeper]

Inside a Wreck

" for a thing with no form, a cat is an odd thing to make of people." says Nick, widening the hole and dropping down.

[Nalix]

[The Tower - Second Floor]

Phil, who knows nothing of daedra or Skyrim, listens to the exchange with curiosity. "So... would you like a better shrine?" he asks.

((I'm not sure what Phil should do here anyway. Also, I'm pretty sure that Sheogorath is the daedric prince of madness. My second favorite, next to Hermaeus Mora. Phil wouldn't know either way.))

[Cyber Punk]

[Inside a Wreck]

Burning room is a no-go, closed door requires investigating, spear requires dodging...

Currant learns his lesson this time and repels the spear back towards the spiky fellow, while Dixie pulls him off the ground while pointing the weapon at him. Her eyes narrow and she pulls the trigger of the weapon.

[Gullara]

[Jaegers]

Sophia herself looks somewhat surprised, nodding.
Yep! She works over at the Magcave, where I live, and I tend to be her willing guinea pig and test subject. How do you know her?
She responds, curiosity and interest in her words.

[Jaegers]

"Oh, huh. She's my girlfriend. I used to stay at the MagCave for a bit but then we got our own house to live in. It's much nicer." Mimi replies brightly, always happy to talk about her flower.

[Arkhosia]

[Jaegers]

"Oh, huh. She's my girlfriend. I used to stay at the MagCave for a bit but then we got our own house to live in. It's much nicer." Mimi replies brightly, always happy to talk about her flower.

Glad to hear that! Nice to know she only seems to live in her lab.
Sophia responds with a joking grin, taking a seat on the earth below her.
Joking aside, I always thought Riss was a nice woman, I'm happy to hear she has someone special.
Sophia speaks this with utter honesty, voice portraying such sincerity perfectly.

[Gullara]

[Jaegers]

"Well she probably does. That part of her. She's always in lots of places at once. Like... nine or something." Admittedly Mimi can never keep track of all the Risses. There's somewhere around that many, though. "I only need to keep track of one, though, cuz they're all the same person, pretty much." Mimi's gotten better to adjusting to that fact over time, even if it's still pretty weird sometimes.

[Arkhosia]

[Jaegers]

"Well she probably does. That part of her. She's always in lots of places at once. Like... nine or something." Admittedly Mimi can never keep track of all the Risses. There's somewhere around that many, though. "I only need to keep track of one, though, cuz they're all the same person, pretty much." Mimi's gotten better to adjusting to that fact over time, even if it's still pretty weird sometimes.

Sophia chuckles.
I'm not surprised. It wouldn't be her if she wasn't in her lab all day, even if it is just one ninth of her.
suddenly, an idea pops into her head.
Hey, wanna surprise her next test she runs? might be nice for her to learn you'll be joining in!

[Earl of Purple]

The Tower- Second Floor

"I could send you to see Sheogorath, if you want to party now. It'll be a blast; he's got a great party on, and I hear he's signing autographs." Sanguine's noted the discrepancy and is playing along. Sheogorath's autograph may or may not be signed directly to Hotaru's brain.

"This shrine's good enough. I'd love a statue, one accurately reflecting my heroic physique and daedric potency, but this room simply isn't large enough. Nor is any room within this Tower. As it stands, there's a bowl for offerings, a representation of my symbol and candles of devotion. And that, whilst simple, is all that is necessary in a shrine." I'm not sure Sanguine actually has a shrine in Skyrim. He has one in Cyrodiil, though I can't say I've had a character visit it.

[Abhorsen]

[Beach]

The aft is similar, though it's in the cargo hold where Tyrael and Michalson will find something actually interesting. Among the various other casks and crates of supplies, there's a much larger box that has been cracked open, spilling dark soil all over the floor of the hold. Inside that box is another opened box, this one long and rectangular - about large enough to hold a person.

"Grave dirt," Tyrael mutters darkly. "And what must have been a makeshift coffin. Kyrannor made it to land, Charter take it."

Standing, he turns to look past Michalson, out the hole in the hull. "... I can't sense any dead nearby, so he's long gone by now. Probably went in search of somewhere to hide from the sun, or find life to feed on."

[Morty]

[Beach]

"That appears to be the dark o' the situation," Michalson says, nodding. "Guess we'll 'ave to track it down the old-fashioned way. Got any dazzle that can help with that?"

[Cyber Punk]

"I could send you to see Sheogorath, if you want to party now. It'll be a blast; he's got a great party on, and I hear he's signing autographs." Sanguine's noted the discrepancy and is playing along. Sheogorath's autograph may or may not be signed directly to Hotaru's brain.

"This shrine's good enough. I'd love a statue, one accurately reflecting my heroic physique and daedric potency, but this room simply isn't large enough. Nor is any room within this Tower. As it stands, there's a bowl for offerings, a representation of my symbol and candles of devotion. And that, whilst simple, is all that is necessary in a shrine." I'm not sure Sanguine actually has a shrine in Skyrim. He has one in Cyrodiil, though I can't say I've had a character visit it.

The Tower- Second Floor

"Party? Autographs?! This is great, I never turn down a party, but I'm busy right now trying to clear the scum from this place."

Hotaru nods as he speaks, then starts to give her input when she stops and notices things. "I think... wait... wait one moment." She taps an invisible keyboard with one hand as she appears to think. The outside of her irises appear to glow. "Connected to the net, and now NexNet. I recall the Prince Of Madness wearing distinctive clothes. Also, your speech articulation is too... not-mad."

A holographic image of Sanguine appears briefly and she stares at it. Her eyes widen as it disappears. "You! You are the one I'm looking for, the debauchery prince." She looks like she's seen something incredibly desirable. "My name is Luna McGuire, codename Hotaru. But you can totally call me Luna, Sanguine. You should be the patron saint of all party animals everywhere!" She can't stop herself from fluttering her eyelids seductively.

[Recaiden]

[Inside a Wreck]

Burning room is a no-go, closed door requires investigating, spear requires dodging...

Currant learns his lesson this time and repels the spear back towards the spiky fellow, while Dixie pulls him off the ground while pointing the weapon at him. Her eyes narrow and she pulls the trigger of the weapon.

The spear slows, stops, and flies backwards at the spiky fellow, where it strikes him and goes through him harmlessly, like it weren't there.
He is pulled off his feet and looks around in a panick.

The weapon clicks ineffectually. Does it have a safety? Or is it not loaded with ammunition? Or is it just broken? The seamless swooping design and single moving part makes it hard to tell what it's meant to shoot, much less how it works.

Inside a Wreck

" for a thing with no form, a cat is an odd thing to make of people." says Nick, widening the hole and dropping down.

The linesman shrugs.
"It's weird, but that's how it happened."

He drops down the hole after Nick and heads out through the only door.

"Let's find somewhere dryer."

And so, probably, they walk for a while, until music starts to play, building up and up in volume, and the linesman slows to a stop, looking around in concern.

[Deathkeeper]

Inside a Wreck

That's pretty cheery music. Odd thing to be playing here.
"That sounds like Earth music. Odd thing to be playing." he says, continuing on without worrying.
Though his helmet remains on.

[Recaiden]

[Inside a Wreck]

"Wait, you know Earth? Was this an earth with griffins, or is it supposed to be the same as ours?"

The music builds up to a climax and then fades away into the background just as a cat-person in a jester's outfit tumbles out of a doorway.
"Welcome, welcome one and all to the Circus Passerine! All manner of entertainment and amazement await."

[Deathkeeper]

Inside a Wreck

"I can't possibly know which Earth you're from. But no, I'm not from an Earth that has griffins. My girlfriend is, though."
That sounds...confusing.
"I'm sure your circus is excellent, sir, but this ship is sinking into a swamp at a fairly alarming rate. Even if it's too big to sink completely before it hits rock, the place could easily flood. For your own safety I must insist you and yours evacuate." he says to the performer.

[Recaiden]

[Inside a Wreck]

"Uh, huh. Is she a griffin too, or does she just know of them?"
The disbelief in the linesman's voice is pretty heavy.

The jester-cat shakes his head.
"My good sir, the Circus Passerine has been traveling these parts for three centuries and more. Not a little water will drive us out. Only when there is no one else to appreciate the performance will we move on."
He does a cartwheel backwards and gives a bow. Something about the music takes a sinister turn. The notes, the rhythm, they all sound the same, but all of a sudden they bring to mind all the nightmareish clown scenarios one can ever imagine.

The linesman shakes his head.
"This is bad, Sgt Richards. We should leave."

[Deathkeeper]

Inside a Wreck

"She used to be a hippogriff. Sometimes she still is." he says simply.

"Well, good luck with your show then, sir. I'm afraid we need to rescue the people not so dedicated to their jobs, though. Have a nice day." Nick says respectfully, and with a nod of his head turns around and moves to follow the linesman's advice.

[Cyber Punk]

[Inside a Wreck]

Currant takes the gun from his sister and examines the gun thoroughly. Any latches or things that could reveal things about the gun?

It's all he can do now, he needs his sister to take the gun apart and try putting it back. For now, she's walked within talking distance of the creature and stares at it.

The twins address him, Currant still looking at the gun and Dixie looking at the creature. They take turns speaking for the both of them.

"What's with the hostility, you bloody thing?"
"We've had enough of barmy pots trying to get us browned."
"You had best start moving your mouth."
"North and South, brother." "Thank you sister. Start moving your north."
"And south."
"Whatever."

[Nalix]

The Tower - Second Floor

She never looked at me that way, Phil thinks with just a tad of reflexive jealously. "Well, I usually mix well with parties," says Phil. "Though Hotaru is right, we're in the middle of cleaning up this tower. I'd rather finish this job before starting the party. I have a few nasty tricks that might finish off whatever's left up there, especially with the help of these things." He gestures at the giant bugs behind him.

Phil is seriously considering a "zerg swarm" strategy. He's never seen zerg or tyranids before, but he's studied enough bio-magic to know that bio-mages (occasionally called druids) have directed armies of monsters.

[Abhorsen]

[Beach]

"That appears to be the dark o' the situation," Michalson says, nodding. "Guess we'll 'ave to track it down the old-fashioned way. Got any dazzle that can help with that?"

Tyrael shakes his head. "Unfortunately not. I do have some basic skill as a tracker, though, so I should be able to tell what direction they're headed, at least."

[Morty]

[Beach]

"Let's do it, then. Once I know the direction, I might be able to try something," Michalson says, rubbing his chin.

[Recaiden]

Inside a Wreck

"She used to be a hippogriff. Sometimes she still is." he says simply.

"Well, good luck with your show then, sir. I'm afraid we need to rescue the people not so dedicated to their jobs, though. Have a nice day." Nick says respectfully, and with a nod of his head turns around and moves to follow the linesman's advice.

"Oh-ho-oh! My good sirs, no one leaves until the act is over."
The crash of cymbals ringing together comes from what's now in front of him, from above the wine room. The jester zips forward a few steps, drawing a number of balls from his belt and starting to juggle. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. But in this skilled manipulation of tossing things, there's only sadness.
"You see, we have you surrounded. It's not often that so many interesting things and people wander by."

[Inside a Wreck]

Currant takes the gun from his sister and examines the gun thoroughly. Any latches or things that could reveal things about the gun?

It's all he can do now, he needs his sister to take the gun apart and try putting it back. For now, she's walked within talking distance of the creature and stares at it.

The twins address him, Currant still looking at the gun and Dixie looking at the creature. They take turns speaking for the both of them.

"What's with the hostility, you bloody thing?"
"We've had enough of barmy pots trying to get us browned."
"You had best start moving your mouth."
"North and South, brother." "Thank you sister. Start moving your north."
"And south."
"Whatever."

The gun is seamless and latchless. There's a lens at the front and a trigger at the bag and swooping metal fins and discs here and there.

The creature moves his lips, making meaningless popping noises, and leaps at Dixie, trying to claw her to bits.