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

[Earl of Purple]

The Tower- Second Floor

The man with the Bowie knife seems rather resistant to blunt-force trauma in that usually most vulnerable area, as beneath his trousers is a metallic codpiece. He tries to thrust his large knife downwards at Hotaru's belly.

Phil grabs his attacker's wrist, and therefore the man has no defence against the chaos magic, six tiny semi-corporeal fae-like beings flitting around his torso and slicing him with paper-thin knives, though they lack the length to do serious damage. He's also dragged down by Phil's fall, and grunts every time he hits a step. The spirits are unaffected by the fall, following the two down and losing substance to avoid being crushed.

The wedding-dress woman is hit by Hotaru's lightning, the silk igniting as the woman shrieks in pain. The heat triggers the bullets in her hand, three whizzing out of her grip and into the walls or ceiling, and one hitting the pistol and breaking the hammer. She stumbles back through the beaded curtain. Fortunately, Hotaru successfully muffled the sound, so those on the third floor- if there's anybody on the third floor; Hotaru still can't see through the ceilings- can't hear anything. However, the torturers in the bedroom do. They divert their attention from the victim's torso, to their head, more concerned about the victim's rescue than their fun.

[Gullara]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

"Hah! It's like you want me to hit you!" Mimi exclaims as she shoots upward, out of the way of the hand before it even gets close. She even tries to give Sophia's hand a little prod with her spear to emphasis her point. It has to be said, Mimi can move fast.

[Arkhosia]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

"Hah! It's like you want me to hit you!" Mimi exclaims as she shoots upward, out of the way of the hand before it even gets close. She even tries to give Sophia's hand a little prod with her spear to emphasis her point. It has to be said, Mimi can move fast.

as her hand is prodded and the miniscule injury heals almost simultaneously with slight puff of steam, Sophia emits a growl... no, wait, I think that was intended to be a chuckle. It's hard to tell. She leans towards Mimi with great celerity, trying to catch her in her maw with a great snap of her jagged jaws (still exerting caution to not bite mimi in half, of course). Even if she misses, her move may just push the pixie back into the extended hand behind.

[Cyber Punk]

The Tower- Second Floor

The knife barely grazes Hotaru's stomach, causing her to wince. A flesh wound that heals up quickly is released. His downward thrust provides an opportunity for her to counter, as she thrusts an electrically-sharpened fist straight at his heart.

Then she attempts to throw a nonlethal riot-control grenade (the ones that fire non-lethal balls all around) into the bedroom. It won't kill them, but it'd distract them long enough.

[Nalix]

The Tower- Second Floor
Phil grabs his attacker's wrist, and therefore the man has no defence against the chaos magic, six tiny semi-corporeal fae-like beings flitting around his torso and slicing him with paper-thin knives, though they lack the length to do serious damage. He's also dragged down by Phil's fall, and grunts every time he hits a step. The spirits are unaffected by the fall, following the two down and losing substance to avoid being crushed.

The Tower - Second Floor

As they fall Phil releases two more low grade charges, one in each hand, with one hand still holding onto his attacker's arm. While falling it's hard for him to concentrate well enough to form anything other than low grade charges, or unfocused mid-grade charges.
[Element: glass]
[Element: mist]

[Gullara]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

"In your dreams." Mimi dives down and forward, trying to scoot under Sophia's chin and fly around to the backside of her neck. If the pixie can make it that far, she will jab with her spear several times in quick succession.

[Earl of Purple]

The Tower- Second Floor

Hotaru zaps the knife-man to death, electricity coursing through his body and stopping his heart. Also loosening his bowels, so now there's a serious smell.

The grenade is timed for when the torturers open the stable door, unless Hotaru can throw grenades through walls. But it goes off and causes much havoc amongst those individuals with their wooden boards.

Phil turns his attacker's hammer-holding arm to glass from the elbow down. The man screams when he sees this, and tries to pull away. The mist charge hits his torso, filling his lungs with fog, thick and cloying, but not enough to drown or choke. His screams turn to panicked wheezing and coughing, wisps of mist trickling from his nose and mouth.

[Arkhosia]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

"In your dreams." Mimi dives down and forward, trying to scoot under Sophia's chin and fly around to the backside of her neck. If the pixie can make it that far, she will jab with her spear several times in quick succession.

Sophia didn't expect this movement, but recovers and reacts rapidly after a moment's pause. Her hand moves to "squash" the pixie, intending to imprison her between her palm and back. Mimi will see her spear doesn't go deep, and the punctures are easily healed in an instant.

[The Alexandrian]

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.

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]

[Kidnapped Killers]

*Blink!* *Blink!*

"It is?"

The water is warm?! Whaaaat? How? Volcanic activity? Could a terrifying foe actually dwell in this pool?

Nicole retrieves one of Undead Waldo's fragrant, decaying body bits from the pair's loot stash and pitches it into the water as quickly as possible. If there's a baddie living in there, a rotting arm should draw it out of the not so briny deep!

-------
[Khyli's Spaceship - Celica?!]

Nicole sent her a person? Seriously!

"What the hell is Nicole's problem! Why would I-"

GASPS! Is that? *Double-take!* *Sniff!* It is!

"CELICA!!!"

*Sudden tackleglomp!*

"I'm so happy to see you, Celica! I thought you were-"
"..."
"Who blindfolded her? WHO blindfolded MY GIRLFRIEND!!!"

Celica's blindfold is gently removed from her face, set afire, and hurled at the speechless guards who escorted Celica to Khyli's quarters. Grr! Cower! Fear Khyli's ungodly wrath!

[Arkhosia]

[Kidnapped Killers]

*Blink!* *Blink!*

"It is?"

The water is warm?! Whaaaat? How? Volcanic activity? Could a terrifying foe actually dwell in this pool?

Nicole retrieves one of Undead Waldo's fragrant, decaying body bits from the pair's loot stash and pitches it into the water as quickly as possible. If there's a baddie living in there, a rotting arm should draw it out of the not so briny deep!

Catgirl and Coquette Adventuring Co.

Blanche nods, retracting her foot and turning to Nicole.
Yep, don't know how either but it is. At least we won't need to fear of hypothermia.
as the arm sinks, nothing takes the bait. The catgirl thinks a bit, pulling on the chain to coax Nicole over.
Well, it's not exactly like we have other options. you want to lead this time?

[Khyli's Spaceship - Celica?!]

Nicole sent her a person? Seriously!

"What the hell is Nicole's problem! Why would I-"

GASPS! Is that? *Double-take!* *Sniff!* It is!

"CELICA!!!"

*Sudden tackleglomp!*

"I'm so happy to see you, Celica! I thought you were-"
"..."
"Who blindfolded her? WHO blindfolded MY GIRLFRIEND!!!"

Celica's blindfold is gently removed from her face, set afire, and hurled at the speechless guards who escorted Celica to Khyli's quarters. Grr! Cower! Fear Khyli's ungodly wrath!

Celica!

the poor bunnygirl is tackled as she slips into a period of disbelieving joy at the detection of Khyli's voice and then hugged tightly by said semiyandere girlfriend! her blindfold is banished and those beautiful green irises stare back at Khyli in utter joy
Khyli! I'm so happy to see you too! where have you been, what happened to you?!
the overjoyed and giddy as a schoolgirl faunus responds

[The Alexandrian]

[Catgirl and Coquette Adventuring Co. - 'L' is for the way you look at me!]

Blanche doesn't need to beckon Nicole twice! One tug of the chain that bonds Blanche to Nicole and Nicole rushes to Blanche's side to bask in her radiance like a moth to a flame! Nicole boldly attempts to go where no person has gone before, romantically attempting to wrap her arms around Blanche's midsection from behind and comfortingly coo to her.

"Don't be afraid, Blanche. I promise I won't let anything in there hurt you."

Her word is her bond, just like this GORRAM CHAIN!

"If it pleases you, I'll take point."

Nicole considerately answers, attempting to let go of Blanche (assuming her arm wrap maneuver was a success and that she didn't pay for it with a slap) and trudge deep into the tepid waters, daring something, anything to come at her, bro!

-------
[Khyli's Spaceship - Celica!]

When Khyli hears Celica speak, she's the only other person who exists in the whole wide Nexus. The soldiers beating a hasty retreat back to their posts are forgotten in a heartbeat. Lovingly, Khyli loses herself in Celica's eyes. Tenderly, she runs a hand through her one true love's hair as she caresses her cheek. A single kiss awakens long-dormant passion. At once, despair is vanquished and spirits are uplifted. Life pours into Khyli's haggard face; tears fall freely from her tired eyes. Emotion overwhelms the hard, battle-forged fleet commander. She cries without reservation.

"I'm so s-sorry, Celica! I couldn't- I couldn't protect you! I should never have left your side, not for an instant! I didn't want to put you in harm's way by taking you with me, but I was wrong! I'm sorry, Celica! I'm sorry!"

[Gullara]

Sophia didn't expect this movement, but recovers and reacts rapidly after a moment's pause. Her hand moves to "squash" the pixie, intending to imprison her between her palm and back. Mimi will see her spear doesn't go deep, and the punctures are easily healed in an instant.

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

Mimi gives her neck one more jab before pushing off. For someone her size it's easy to fly through the little gaps between Sophia's fingers. The pixie gives a whoop as she slips through and she circles around to the front of Sophia's face. "Gotcha, slowpoke!" She laughs and shakes her butt in the shape changer's face.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

Perfectly spherical, ten meters across, where something has melted and burnt its way down into the earth. Everything for a good little way around is dusted with ashes. But also with tents and hastily constructed buildings. People, more or less traveling, are gathered around, here where something has been, where faint blue light still sometimes flickers from the depths of the pit, bouncing up from further than anyone can see. It's calling to people. They might not know why, but some, without anything stronger to call them elsewhere, know that they should come.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

A Griffin pushes through the crowd. It's much easier to do this as a Griffin, being large and the point of your body forwards instead of up.
"Scuse me. Law-Griffin coming through. Where can I find someone in charge?" he asks.
How could the law ignore such an anomaly? They couldn't of course.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

The crowd parts, and people disperse to mill around a bit. Those who are armed move their hands close by or to their weapons, while those who aren't look for the best place to hide. The law-griffin's uniform commands...mostly fear, but that'll do the job. People hide in their tents and peer out through the screen. Nick might notice they're particularly focused on his wings, a trait nobody here shares.

"In-charge?"
A frazzled-looking heavyset woman scrambling eggs over a campfire looks up and shakes her head, loosely-tied brown hair bouncing. A badger cub is playing around her feet.
"Got nobody like that here."

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

"Alright. Then can you tell me about the anomaly here, and what you all have been doing gathered around it? I need to know if this thing is dangerous." he says, sitting back on his haunches.
It's understandable. His wings are very handsome. They would get all the females, if Griffins weren't incredibly rare, and generally matriarchal, and Nick didn't have a girlfriend.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

"I wouldn't want to fall into it." she jokes, stirring the eggs a last time.
"You hungry?" They're being partitioned into bowls with spoons now, set on a rock beside the fire. Can't help eyeing his wings. Don't particularly like wings, or so she'd thought, but they're quite handsome, really.

"More seriously, it's incredibly radioactive in and over the pit. You need a suit to get in without wasting away."

"We just...we're meant to be here, you know? Letting it go."

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Nick makes a face akin to raising an eyebrow.
"You're meant to be living next to a radioactive pit? And what do you mean,
Letting it go?" he asks.
"And no, thanks. I ate before I left."

[Lex-Kat]

{Not-North Forest}

In a non-descript forest, Judy leads Hector "Heck" Frazier. Off in the distance, a big cat roars. Birds flutter. An insignificant insect tries to land on Heck's neck.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

"It beats staying Inside." She shrugs, gives the badger its share of the breakfast, and takes a bite herself.

"Not a lot of trouble being made here. Don't you feel it? When we don't bother the pit, it doesn't bother us. Of course, we're curious, so we get suits and climb down ropes."

[Murkus]

[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?

The driver seems to flinch or shift, his shoulders tensing. It's not a moment later that he breaks down in giggles, and suddenly they're both hooting, the man behind the wheel's rich but scratch timbre put to good use as he rattles out a laugh.

The Road-lord turns his head to face the monk. His face is a rather pretty thing, the color of dried clay, still mostly smooth and mostly straight despite the ravages of age. His eyes are strangest of all - twin motes of red, set deep beneath his brows, glowing the exact hue of brakelights on some distant benighted highway. A cloud passes over the moon, and the monk is left staring at a silhouette, a shadow pierced with three burning red stars.

The Road-lord is smiling. "Sense of humor. Good. You keep that," he advises, shifting his gaze back toward the windshield and the frozen night. The motion will leave a crimson afterimage on his passenger's eyes. "It will keep you sane."

With the ease of the ages, the monk's driver begins to bring his car around as though he intends to make his way back down the mountain. Whether or not that's even possible in a car, he has more expedient paths in mind.

"Did they give you a name?"

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Nick nods, humoring the woman.
"I'm with you so far. And what do you see when you take those suits down? What happens?" he asks.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

"What does it look like? We see melted walls, metal and cinders. Further down there's caves. It starts to turn. It's not just like something fell, it was dug and made."
She looks around, motioning the griffin to come in closer.
"You start to feel what it feels. Afraid. Penned in, caught, desperate. It's hard to stand it for long without panicking and having to come out -or be hauled back up."

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Nick leans in, but at her words looks at her incredulously.
"You've got some sort of trapped psychic monster in here and you haven't called this in? What's wrong with you? I could have a team here to extract or blast the thing in an hour if I need to."

[Cyber Punk]

Spoiler: Earl's post

Show

Hotaru zaps the knife-man to death, electricity coursing through his body and stopping his heart. Also loosening his bowels, so now there's a serious smell.

The grenade is timed for when the torturers open the stable door, unless Hotaru can throw grenades through walls. But it goes off and causes much havoc amongst those individuals with their wooden boards.

Phil turns his attacker's hammer-holding arm to glass from the elbow down. The man screams when he sees this, and tries to pull away. The mist charge hits his torso, filling his lungs with fog, thick and cloying, but not enough to drown or choke. His screams turn to panicked wheezing and coughing, wisps of mist trickling from his nose and mouth.

The Tower- Second Floor

"That's just nasty." Hotaru thinks as the man voids his bowels, causing the place to stink. "What do these guys eat?"

Of course, she can't throw grenades through walls, but it does it work, anyway.

Hmm, to help Phil with the situation he has control of, of to help the poor helpless person being tortured? It being Hotaru, she prioritizes the latter.

Just shocking the room could kill the hostage, so this needs more finesse. Finesse it is.

Smoke bomb to block visibility of enemies, tase everyone that is not a hostage.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

The woman quickly reaches to put a hand over Nick's...beak? To stop him talking.
"Shhh."

"Maria? There gonna be trouble here?" A magnificently-bearded dwarven man holding a wedge salad and a pistol calls out. It's be a shame to have to hurt that handsome-winged bird-officer.

"It's fine. It'll be fine."
"We can't do something like that. And that's exactly why. Show up and blast it in an hour, without any understanding of what's going on? That's crazy. Couple people tried."
Those people are gone now.

There's a pair of people unpacking a conspicuously large net from their bags over in the corner of his field of view.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

"That's why I said extract first. If it isn't malignant it can't just be left stuck in a cave. We could send a little robot in, take a look without anyone getting hurt. Totally safe for everyone." the Griffin suggests with what little he can get out with a hand on his beak.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

Maria lets him go so he can talk freely.
"That sounds good. But what if the robot doesn't like what it sees? Huh?"
Or more likely, if he doesn't like what the robot sees.
"We got a thing going here."

The badger has finished his food and curled up just outside the fire ring.

[Cyber Punk]

{Not-North Forest}

In a non-descript forest, Judy leads Hector "Heck" Frazier. Off in the distance, a big cat roars. Birds flutter. An insignificant insect tries to land on Heck's neck.

[Not-North Forest]

"I like this place already." Heck takes a deep breath and admires the scent of the forest air.

Heck doesn't swat away the insect. Instead, he lets it land and tries to pick it up, turning that area of skin into rock to hold it in place. Then he'll look at it.

"Isn't nature wonderful? It can tell you things, show you things, all you need do is know how to listen."

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

"If it belongs in its own spatious territory somewhere else where it can be happy, that's not really your say. Besides, your town shouldn't be hurt by it being missing. And if it's dangerous, we can just mark the place off, let you do your thing, and keep an eye out in case it gets loose. " he suggests.