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

[Earl of Purple]

The Tower- First Floor

Levelling up is an individual thing. Most of my characters gain knowledge by actually learning things.

The people in the apartment are all truly subdued, one killed by a plastic raven which is eating his plastic buttons. One is having a really bad nightmare. And the third tried to shoot the ravens, only for the invisible raven to rip out his Achilles tendon, leaving him open for the charcoal raven to spit flames into his face and melt his gasmask to his face.

Not sure what Phil's doing there, but Hotaru's headed upstairs.

"Got jumped by three of these raiders, but I'm fine. Killed one with shadow, smashed another's head apart and the third wrecked my breastplate, but it's all good. Found a coat for one of you guys. Reckon you'll find it more useful than me." Her father taught her some tricks involving elemental shadow and elemental pain. The shadow trick is good in self-defence, but nearly always fatal, so Zither would only teach it to Hotaru if she was sure. The elemental pain one transfers some wounds, but doesn't work with broken bones or amputated limbs- stabs, slices, and bruises only.

Cairn of Calamity

Actually, the lady- despite being short, and having cat-eyes- is human. The half-elves aren't paying any attention at the moment. "But the rewards aren't as great. Animal spirits are easy to bind and control, but with demons it's all about the bargains. Giving and receiving. We spread Ashan'Karei's name, and work to find the geode within which it is imprisoned, and in turn we have been blessed. Grunt's armour is his skin. Lady Haeline, as leader of this coven, has been granted the most, with magical potency, improved senses, and other things. I have also been granted magical potency, as befits my status as the coven's only experienced soul-binder. The others have blessings as well, though we three have the most." Grunt can't talk because his face is sealed behind a gasmask.

[Arkhosia]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

Sophia chuckles at that.
It's not that easy, i'm afraid. You have to slice a section within a meter-high, decameter-wide place on the nape and remove it completely. And while one canbe easy to kill alone, they tend to be in the company oth others
although, if you feel so confident, we could always have a little competition

[Deathkeeper]

Black Grove

The guardians and the centaurs have to shield their eyes with their hands to even have a chance to get a glimpse of the eagle flying above them. "It's too high up, no one could make that shot." Eve states. "I don't see what the big deal is anyway. If it comes down here to grab that sap, it's dead. Whatever it is." She gestures at the other centaurs who are appropriately armed with scary-looking bows.

Black Grove

Arty blinks. He completely stops what he is doing to stare at her, a frown increasing on his face.
"Are you....are you actually stupid? What part of 'drove a god mad for a thousand years' did not sound like a big deal to you? I kindly ask you to cease uninformed commentary.
Regardless, given the scale of the demonic energy I'm sensing right now, I cannot ignore the possibility that it has orchestrated something with this place. While I am personally against this whole plan in general, as it is a rather large, risky leap to solve a grave but short-term problem, I will say that should anything be done magically here I will assist in making sure that no demonic taint touches the workings." he says slowly.

[Gullara]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

"Pfft, and you'd lose. I could probably take down twice as many of those things as you." Mimi says with absolute confidence, disregarding any notion that she might not be capable of that.

((I hope Sophia is aware she would be recklessly endangering Mimi's life with a competition that revolves around a task that Mimi is almost certainly physically incapable of doing. ))

[Cyber Punk]

The Tower- First Floor

"Roger that. Can't wait to see it. Take care of yourself, Z. Over."

Hotaru'd wait to hear the answer, then cuts off the radio and gestures to Phil. "Right, Phil. Let's go!"

[Arkhosia]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

"Pfft, and you'd lose. I could probably take down twice as many of those things as you." Mimi says with absolute confidence, disregarding any notion that she might not be capable of that.

((I hope Sophia is aware she would be recklessly endangering Mimi's life with a competition that revolves around a task that Mimi is almost certainly physically incapable of doing. ))

The shifter chuckles at this.
Oh, no, that wasn't what I was thinking. I'm a shifter, which means I have a Titan form. Try and see if you can land a strike. I'm going to use a special power of mine to ensure you don't cut through my nape, and I'll pull my punches so I don't kill you. I'm afraid I very much doubt that you could kill a Titan at your size, so this way if you prove me wrong congratulations, but if I turn out to be right, it doesn't mean it costs you your life or the indignity of me saving you. Sound good?
Sophia offers, smiling with excitement in her eyes.

[Nalix]

The Tower - First Floor

Phil sees that the floor really is clear and moves in behind Hotaru as she goes up the stairs. "Right behind you, beautiful," he says.

[The Alexandrian]

[Holy Titillating Tentacles, Batman!]

Robin sure is religious, isn't he?

'Tis a subterranean lake! The water must be close to freezing down here. There doesn't appear to be any volcanic activity warming everything up around here, after all.

Rats! Just their luck! If this was a hot spring, Nicole and her senpai could go hot-tubbing! If only it was so! The apocalyptic ladies would be the newest (and the (potentially) most lethal) Nexusian couple before the day was through!

"We swim in this over-sized puddle for too long, and we'll swiftly die of hypothermia."

Nicole stoically observes, peeling off her clothing so that she won't be wearing sopping wet death when the two hapless prisoners reach the other side of the lake.

"I highly doubt that there's anything super dangerous alive down there. The vast majority of critters, especially the dangerous ones, cannot survive without light. We could probably catch a few fish in once we ford this icy pool, but there shouldn't be enough food in this place to support anything big."

Catching fish in an underground pool of water while clothed only in remarkably-concealing-for-being-so-scant swim wear? O, how the mighty have fallen! ...

Welp, at least they aren't ranting about rings and hobbitses!

-------
[Celica and Khyli]

Filing out reports. Ugh! Khyli absolutely loathes this part of her job! There's nothing glorious or thrilling about paperwork! It's just... Bleh! All the time, bleh! Not even blarg, just bleh! There's a reason for all of this nonsense, sure, but she's the bloody commander of the Helix fleet, and she shouldn't have to-

*Knock! Knock! Knock!*

"What do you want?"

"We've got a delivery for you from your sister, Nicole, ma'am."

"Bring it inside."

At this point, Celica should be ushered (at gunpoint) into Khyli's bedroom aboard a cloaked space ship orbiting the Nexus.

[Murkus]

[Outside Outside]

On the very edge of things, outside the Nexus proper.
On the storming mountain peaks where the snow roars like television static.

Whum. Whum. The heavy, thumping toll of the bell rolls over the ice-slicked slopes and the barren crags hanging with frozen daggers. It ousts speckled birds into squawking, awkward flight from their homes, as the thunderous sound shakes the snow from the pine needle nests. It rolls and bounces down the howling crevasses, between the high crests, through every inhospitable stone reaching up towards the black sky.

Whum.

It echoes from the highest reach of the highest mount, from past the gray stone walls of the frigid little abbey, alone atop of the world. From the rise of the belltower, so high the starry night falls away and clouds fat with purple lightning scars drift through its belfry. Whum.
Dust pours down the spiraling staircase, and icicles plummet from the edges of the squared roof as he strikes his staff against the great bell. Whum. The bell swings until the whole of the tower is swaying underfoot, the tongue bouncing loud against the filigree'd bronze.

He is skinny and wiry-muscled, the shapeless brownish sackcloth of a monk dripping from his shoulders, with curling wooly-gray hair, the same that covers his backwards bending legs all the way to the hooves below. Nubs of horn are tucked behind his long sharp ears. Teeth and bronze clatter on twine around his neck as he winds back for the next swing. Whum.

The bell tolls through the raging winds and to worlds beyond, and the monk grips the posts of the bellfry to lean out into open sky, drinking cloud with each breath he draws in against the wind. Sparks of lightning and crystal snowflakes fall from between his teeth. His words unfolds in a swirl of mist caught and carried away by the storm. "HEY!" He cups a hand to his mouth, and yells thunderous into the sky, "Hey demons, come demons! Come scaly-butt'd pitchfork tails, and darkwing'd specters, and things of crawling eyes! My soul is bright and cheap and barely-used!"

And so it is that the call is answered. The bell is old, and has gone a great stretch itself in its long life. That alone would be enough to draw the Road's eye, but hark, here, on the precipice over eternity, the bell and the plea carries to every corner and edge the great Web has. Satan and Asmodeous have surely just glanced from their regular Sunday night chess game to assess the distant sound, but still, no demon comes to answer.

Just a long, dark car parked in the snow below the abbey's belfry, sputtering idly as she awaits her master's feet and guiding hands. Cones of light from her great glass eyes gild the abbey's cobblestones. Ice glints in the cold night.

Just as the caller waited, so too will his carriage-master.

But not long.

Can't stay still too long, now.

[Gullara]

The shifter chuckles at this.
Oh, no, that wasn't what I was thinking. I'm a shifter, which means I have a Titan form. Try and see if you can land a strike. I'm going to use a special power of mine to ensure you don't cut through my nape, and I'll pull my punches so I don't kill you. I'm afraid I very much doubt that you could kill a Titan at your size, so this way if you prove me wrong congratulations, but if I turn out to be right, it doesn't mean it costs you your life or the indignity of me saving you. Sound good?
Sophia offers, smiling with excitement in her eyes.

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

"Pfft, land a strike? I'll land ten before you even blink." Mimi grins. "You're way too big and slow to handle me." It doesn't sound like she means after Sophia shifts either.

[Arkhosia]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger

Sophia chuckles.
If you're so confident, let's let you put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. I'd recommend stepping back. Like, really far back. Transformation tends to generate a lot of wind.
Sophia gestures to a safe distance about 15 feet away.
when Mimi reaches that location, Sophia extends her arm and cuts a vein with a knife, and a flash of lighting strikes her. Wind gusts from the impact sight as a great, 15 meter-towering giant forms. Sophia takes the form of an enormous, skinless giant, it's muscles lean and extremely fit. It's slender form towers 15 meters tall, and it-no, she bears bony armoring upon her joints. Guards of thick bone form upon her hands, forearms, feet, and calves, and a terrifying, jagged grin lies upon her lipless face. Long maroon hair cascades to her ribcage, and her narrowed eyes glow sky blue. She lets out a roar of challenge, a glint of excitement and competition in her eyes.

Spoiler

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[Holy Titillating Tentacles, Batman!]

Robin sure is religious, isn't he?

'Tis a subterranean lake! The water must be close to freezing down here. There doesn't appear to be any volcanic activity warming everything up around here, after all.

Rats! Just their luck! If this was a hot spring, Nicole and her senpai could go hot-tubbing! If only it was so! The apocalyptic ladies would be the newest (and the (potentially) most lethal) Nexusian couple before the day was through!

"We swim in this over-sized puddle for too long, and we'll swiftly die of hypothermia."

Nicole stoically observes, peeling off her clothing so that she won't be wearing sopping wet death when the two hapless prisoners reach the other side of the lake.

"I highly doubt that there's anything super dangerous alive down there. The vast majority of critters, especially the dangerous ones, cannot survive without light. We could probably catch a few fish in once we ford this icy pool, but there shouldn't be enough food in this place to support anything big."

Catching fish in an underground pool of water while clothed only in remarkably-concealing-for-being-so-scant swim wear? O, how the mighty have fallen! ...

Welp, at least they aren't ranting about rings and hobbitses!

Blanche nods, agreeing.
Right. We should keep our wits about us though, it never hurts to keep an eye out for such things.
She responds, testing the water with an errant toe and raising an eyebrow
It's actually pretty warm.

Spoiler

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[Celica and Khyli]

Filing out reports. Ugh! Khyli absolutely loathes this part of her job! There's nothing glorious or thrilling about paperwork! It's just... Bleh! All the time, bleh! Not even blarg, just bleh! There's a reason for all of this nonsense, sure, but she's the bloody commander of the Helix fleet, and she shouldn't have to-

*Knock! Knock! Knock!*

"What do you want?"

"We've got a delivery for you from your sister, Nicole, ma'am."

"Bring it inside."

At this point, Celica should be ushered (at gunpoint) into Khyli's bedroom aboard a cloaked space ship orbiting the Nexus.

And so the very much frightened, very much confused blindfolded bunnygirl is ushered in! she isn't doing much besides quaking in fear, really.

Spoiler

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

((Now Playing: "Boss Appearance" - Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne OST, composed by Shoji Meguro))

"Believe me when I tell you, Akane," Coriolis forewarns his companion as a huddled mass begins to take form from the blast, "that getting shot is not what you need to worry about right now..."

Too right, too, for the creature that emerges is decidedly incapable of carrying a gun. It appears to be a congealed, slouching puddle of sludge, its mass possessed of a sickening lime-green color dotted with mottled black splotches. Two eyes swim lazily near its "head", and a wide, shapeless mouth appears beneath them as it opens slightly. And then it speaks somehow, its voice only vaguely mimicking Basic language...

"f...FounD yOooouuU...! eaT you NoW...! EeeaaAAATTt..!!"

Coriolis twitches a bit and moves to holster his gun. At the same time, he glances to Akane and asks, "I don't suppose you know any spirit *magic*, do you? This particular freak won't even blink at swords or bullets...and that means I'll need a second to get combat-ready..."

Akane nods, and unleashes a volley of vermillion fae energy at the Mighty Poo Glob of Limited Intelligence, testing to see its response.

[Fenric]

[Linde Farm]

A woman in a silvery gray dress appears at the street end of the driveway. She is oriental in appearance, though pinpointing the exact country would be difficult, and she has fairly traditional appearing long black hair and dark eyes... so other than her rather unconventional method of arrival there is little about her that truly stands out.

She heads down the driveway toward the house at an unhurried pace.

[Deathkeeper]

Linde Farm

After passing the driveway, the woman is confronted by two sharp barks signaling the entrance of a medium-sized beagle. The hound stops at the lady and gives her leg a few sniffs, too well trained to jump.

"What's that, girl?" Comes a voice, followed by a man in a wide-brimmed hat.
"Oh, hello there ma'am. How can I help you?" Asks Jesse.

[Fenric]

[Linde Farm]

Noriko smiles at the dog, not disturbed in the slightest, then she bows politely for Jesse

My greetings, Mr. Linde. I have come on behalf of my dear friends Caroline and Steven to help finalize preparations for their wedding. I do apologize for any inconvenience, but we feel that a year is more than enough of a delay and it is high time they got on with it already. As such, we are advancing their planned date to late next week.

[Deathkeeper]

Linde Farm

Jesse looks shocked, but given that it's not entirely unwarranted he recovers somewhat quickly.
"Uh, well we were going to be a bit busy next week handling all the crops, but we can let the help handle it for one day. Thanks for letting us know." He says politely to the woman.

[Fenric]

[Linde Farm]

Noriko shakes her head

You need not worry about your crops: they will be tended to. It's not every week we have a wedding of this variety, and we want you to be able to enjoy it to its fullest.
Caroline has already made some arrangements for a cake and catering, but is there anything you would like help with as far as the wedding goes?

In fact, the last time two Messengers of this group of divine folk got married was Noriko's own wedding... to which we were sadly not invited

[Deathkeeper]

Linde Farm

Jesse moves his hat to scratch his head a bit.
"In terms of the wedding? Naw, I think we have it covered. Mom's got her dress, we've got suits in the closet, and we have a truck to get there. As long as someone's around to feed Bella everything should be fine on our end. Just one day, after all." Says Jesse cheerily.

[Fenric]

[Linde Farm]

Noriko nods

Very well: kindly make preparations to be at the Temple next Thursday by 9 am. We look forward to seeing you there.

[Deathkeeper]

Linde Farm

Jesse nods, replacing it and tipping it to the fine lady.
"Well, thanks for the heads-up. Will do. And see you there." He says with a smile.

[Fenric]

[Linde Farm]

Noriko bows once more

Most certainly: I wouldn't miss it. Fare well until then.

And with that she turns and heads back out to the road.

[Earl of Purple]

The Tower- Second Floor

They are now half way up the building!

The landing halfway up the staircase is creepy. The walls are covered in the heads of dolls, and the light flickers. Some of the doll heads are broken, with holes in them or missing eyes or patchy hair. Some of them watch the duo as they continue up, and one actually moves.

The second floor itself is identical in layout to the first, with four three-room apartments. The apartments here have a beaded curtain in place of a front door, a metal shutter like those in shops, padlocked at the bottom, a wooden panel door with boards nailed across it to block entry and finally a plastic stable door with a seperate top and bottom halves. Both Phil and Hotaru can see three people through the beaded curtain, one of whom sees the intruders and lets out a yell to alert the others as they grab a claw hammer and rush out through the curtain at Phil, swinging the claws at Phil's face. This individual is heavily muscled with a dark tan, and wears a pair of police trousers and mismatched trainers. His torso is covered in tattoos and scars, and a chain runs from a piercing in his left nostril to a piercing in his left nipple. Following him are a woman wearing a policeman's peaked cap and a ripped and stained wedding dress crudely hacked short to free her legs and carrying a battered revolver that she is struggling to load and a man wearing a pair of combat trousers and a child's blazer which is far too small. The second man has a large bowie knife and runs towards Hotaru, aiming a horizontal slash across her torso.

Hotaru can also see another four people in the bedroom of the stable door apartment, one chained to a bed as three others beat them with wooden boards. The incorporeal raven sits in the boarded up apartment, watching a corpse wander aimlessly from bathroom, to sitting room, to bedroom. The shuttered apartment is devoid of life, beyond a cluster of earwigs dwelling under the sofa, each half a metre long.

[ThirdEmperor]

And so it is that the call is answered. The bell is old, and has gone a great stretch itself in its long life. That alone would be enough to draw the Road's eye, but hark, here, on the precipice over eternity, the bell and the plea carries to every corner and edge the great Web has. Satan and Asmodeous have surely just glanced from their regular Sunday night chess game to assess the distant sound, but still, no demon comes to answer.

Just a long, dark car parked in the snow below the abbey's belfry, sputtering idly as she awaits her master's feet and guiding hands. Cones of light from her great glass eyes gild the abbey's cobblestones. Ice glints in the cold night.

Just as the caller waited, so too will his carriage-master.

But not long.

Can't stay still too long, now.

A llama dips its head to chew upon snow thistles, but a placid eye still watches the dark limousine bleeding light upon the frozen night. From every sharp cliff and sunken field it is the same, shaggy creatures encrusted in the snow turning their long, long necks to watch, with gazes silent and deeply intent.

This is not the first time. Nor is it the last.

They watch as the young monk comes running, his bare robes flapping in the whistling of the storm. As he grabs a door and throws himself inside, clutching his shoulders to cling to what little warmth he's carried with him.
Warmth and nothing else. The ring of teeth around his neck, the threadbare robes, the simple wooden staff dangling from a strap around his shoulders and slapping against the car's frame as he slips inside. Those are what he has to show for his life here.

"Anywhere else." He mumbles, and does not look too long at the other passengers. Anywhere else, and by any means, that's what he needs. To be away from the cold stone floors and the always dark and the judging stares of long-neck'd goats.

Upon a nearby rise of piled snow, one turns its back at last, with a quiet harrumph for the monk as he crawls inside.

[Gullara]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

Sophia chuckles.
If you're so confident, let's let you put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. I'd recommend stepping back. Like, really far back. Transformation tends to generate a lot of wind.
Sophia gestures to a safe distance about 15 feet away.
when Mimi reaches that location, Sophia extends her arm and cuts a vein with a knife, and a flash of lighting strikes her. Wind gusts from the impact sight as a great, 15 meter-towering giant forms. Sophia takes the form of an enormous, skinless giant, it's muscles lean and extremely fit. It's slender form towers 15 meters tall, and it-no, she bears bony armoring upon her joints. Guards of thick bone form upon her hands, forearms, feet, and calves, and a terrifying, jagged grin lies upon her lipless face. Long maroon hair cascades to her ribcage, and her narrowed eyes glow sky blue. She lets out a roar of challenge, a glint of excitement and competition in her eyes.

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

"Weird." Is Mimi's only comment, and then she's off. She flits upward at quite remarkable speeds. That's the advantage of being small with powerful wings. She pulls her spear off her back as she loops around Sophia to try and get at her neck.

[Terumitsu]

[The Woods]

Riss was surprised that it was just 'stiff' although she suspected that might just be downplaying it somewhat. "Suppose... There was a way to where you would regain the full use of that arm and maybe any other limb that was so affected by scarring.. Get rid of any tightness or residual pains or things like that." Riss began, wanting to test the waters with a hypothetical. "If that were a possibility, would you take it?" she asked. She would let Lillian fill in any potential drawbacks on her own just to see what she thought she might have to give up for such an opportunity.

Scarring wasn't necessarily something she personally saw the appeal of but given the way Mimi's mother seemed to be just showing hers off, perhaps it was just a cultural thing. Either way, it would be a good a time as any to... 'Test' out a new firmware for the nano-colonies on generally unaugmented individuals. An increase in over-all efficiency as well as reconstruction speed was always nice but being able to 'micromanage' the definition of different tissues and locations of the body in a more complex fashion was a useful feature as well.

[Murkus]

[Outside Outside]

The llama will find there are no passengers but he. The roomy rear compartment of the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith is open, empty, stained with shadows. The only light is from up ahead, through the partition, where the old towncar's torches burn gllittering swathes across the snow. Where the driver sits.

A small cap on a dark-haired head, peppered grey. A dark scarf. Broad shoulders in a driver's uniform. A proper driver, none of that new-age garbage. By all appearances he looks more regal than the sort of folks he might chaeuffeur around. A ruby earring dangles from his right ear, miniscule, sparkling like the most distant star.

"The ride isn't free," he says, without turning his head. "And it's never cheap."

The prospect's driver reaches down to put his car in gear. His leather-clad hand makes the old thing purr. She's been many other things than a car across the eons, but the car is one of her favorite shapes.

"There's someone I have to take you to meet."

[ThirdEmperor]

[Outside Outside]

The monk slides cautiously across the leather seats, feeling the engine's purring underneath with an obvious wince, and drawing himself tight into the corners to avoid the stuffy heated breath of the vents. He lays a hand upon his staff as he squints forward, to the shadow before the blazing headlights, with its polished clothes and twee little cap and the drip of light upon its ear.

Nothing could be more foreign, and no real magic could ever hold such fascination.

But when the driver speaks, the monk's mouth falls open without a thought. There's not a space for breath or for better judgement before the words come tumbling out. "Pff. I hope they're more than the kind of demon to wear earrings." It just shakes free from between his chattering teeth, and then a great puff of frost snorts from his nostrils, laughing in earnest surprise for what he's said. Then another, laughing for real because it's true.

What kind of devil doesn't know how to age with grace?

[Gullara]

[The Woods]

Lillian raises her eyebrows and gives Mimi a quick glance. "Well it sounds pretty good. What's the catch, though?" It sounds too good to be true even, but she assumes Riss is getting to some point.

[Cyber Punk]

The Tower- Second Floor

They are now half way up the building!

The landing halfway up the staircase is creepy. The walls are covered in the heads of dolls, and the light flickers. Some of the doll heads are broken, with holes in them or missing eyes or patchy hair. Some of them watch the duo as they continue up, and one actually moves.

"Creepy." Luna watches the eyes that follow her as she walks.

The second floor itself is identical in layout to the first, with four three-room apartments. The apartments here have a beaded curtain in place of a front door, a metal shutter like those in shops, padlocked at the bottom, a wooden panel door with boards nailed across it to block entry and finally a plastic stable door with a seperate top and bottom halves. Both Phil and Hotaru can see three people through the beaded curtain, one of whom sees the intruders and lets out a yell to alert the others as they grab a claw hammer and rush out through the curtain at Phil, swinging the claws at Phil's face. This individual is heavily muscled with a dark tan, and wears a pair of police trousers and mismatched trainers. His torso is covered in tattoos and scars, and a chain runs from a piercing in his left nostril to a piercing in his left nipple. Following him are a woman wearing a policeman's peaked cap and a ripped and stained wedding dress crudely hacked short to free her legs and carrying a battered revolver that she is struggling to load and a man wearing a pair of combat trousers and a child's blazer which is far too small. The second man has a large bowie knife and runs towards Hotaru, aiming a horizontal slash across her torso.

Hotaru lets herself fall down to the ground, dodging the knife in the process, then kicks the guy in the bollocks. She then directs a few thousand volts of electricity at the woman trying to load her weapon.

Hotaru can also see another four people in the bedroom of the stable door apartment, one chained to a bed as three others beat them with wooden boards. The incorporeal raven sits in the boarded up apartment, watching a corpse wander aimlessly from bathroom, to sitting room, to bedroom. The shuttered apartment is devoid of life, beyond a cluster of earwigs dwelling under the sofa, each half a metre long.

Hotaru decides she doesn't want people on other floors listening and decides to throw a sticky mute charge at the ceiling. It activates and heavily dampens the sound in the area for several seconds.

[Arkhosia]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

"Weird." Is Mimi's only comment, and then she's off. She flits upward at quite remarkable speeds. That's the advantage of being small with powerful wings. She pulls her spear off her back as she loops around Sophia to try and get at her neck.

Sophia swiftly pivots, her arm extending to grab the fae with her massive grip. Mimi may be able to detect that Sophia's holding back, her speed slowing to nonlethally snatch her out of the air.

[Nalix]

The Tower - Second Floor

Phil falls back along the stairs, starting to tumble down. The claw hammer snags his mask and gouges his cheek. He attempts to grab the man's arm as he falls back, and with his other hand sprays low grade chaos towards his attacker's torso.

[element: spirit]