Outside 45

[Devixer]

The Dark Tower

Cherie sees many distinct images in the wall, of living friends being tortured, and of the dead revisiting their end. She sees the towering spires of the city she'd come to call home aflame. It briefly makes her hesitate, but this was nothing new. Half of these visions had already come to pass, and the other half played through her mind every time she imagined what might happen should she ever fail. Some lich-sorcerer-fake-god thing wasn't going to make her despair.

She looks at Devero and grins a little. "If I weren't, would I be here, weapon at the ready? I can't say for sure if this artifact truly does keep that being alive, but if it weren't valuable it wouldn't be guarded." Cherie steps past Devero and walks through the doorway. "Now then - chins up, everybody. I shall take point; make sure nothing goes for my back, please." Then she glances at Naku, with a wink. "The good lady being an exception of course."

[Recaiden]

At the Base of Mt. Enn

A strange chrome sphere drops from orbit, cutting through the night sky like a bullet from a gun, like a shooting star or meteorite in free-fall. It's briefly acknowledged by those who watch the heavens for such things, and then immediately ignored, for there are far stranger things in the Nexus's air, and this one isn't projected to land anywhere near civilization, anyways. It strikes a forest, burning the peaks of several pine trees, breaking the trunks of a few others, and finally carving a massive gash in the earth below, rending the grass and soil with ease. It's a gruesome, uncouth violation of what was otherwise a tranquil evening in an innocent forest beyond man's domain, and not just because the chrome projectile happened to crush an unlucky feral lasgoose that had been in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Really, with all the falling angels and ghost meteors and hostile aliens, it's a wonder anyone even notices.
But it's true; there's no time to spend on a Magtok making what looks like a mostly controlled descent in these busy skies.

[UncleWolf]

[Wayward Shrine]

Fettina shivers a tiny bit, chilly as they proceed deeper into the shrine. "Uh, oh, no. I don't mind," she says, still looking around. "How often do you, uh, get visitors to this place? I'm sure it would get tedious if you had to take care of someone all the time." Especially if they were in Tina's state, ow. The neon girl goes to lie on her belly.

Wayward Shrine

"I usually get a visitor once a week. They stay a night at the longest before moving on. Many choose to simply leave once they see me. I do not mind taking care of those who stay however." Nidda admits with a small shrug as she kneels down next to Tina. Afterwards she begins to sing in what seems to be a dialect of elvish that Tina likely won't be familiar with, but it feels like a song about love being won, lost, and found again. She begins by applying warming oils to Fettina's skin before she softly kneads the muscles around her spine first. Her hands, while soft, are strong and talented.

[Ionbound]

[Interrogation Room]

"If your organization really do exist, they can come an claim you without bloodshed." The interrogator replies calmly. "However, if you're lying, then you might be staying here for a long time. Unless, of course, you start telling me the truth. That might just be your key out of here, rather than coming with vague, poorly veiled, threats."

"Well they do. That said, you might not like them." Illeria smirks and continues, "Based on your reaction to me and my friend, at least...You guys really don't like non-humans, do you?"

As she speaks, Illeria is silently praying to the Light, or any other god that might be listening that Anika's having better luck than her, and that whoever her friends are are coming.

[Shadowcaller]

[Interrogation Room]

"We're asking the questions here." The interrogator states. "But we don't want you here, and you don't want to be here, so why don't make it easy for us-" They are interrupted by a sudden signal, causing the interrogators to exchange looks with one another. There seem to have been a disturbance of sort.

"Tell us, are a member of the organization known as "VIGIL" or not?"

[Murkus]

Wayward Shrine

"I usually get a visitor once a week. They stay a night at the longest before moving on. Many choose to simply leave once they see me. I do not mind taking care of those who stay however." Nidda admits with a small shrug as she kneels down next to Tina. Afterwards she begins to sing in what seems to be a dialect of elvish that Tina likely won't be familiar with, but it feels like a song about love being won, lost, and found again. She begins by applying warming oils to Fettina's skin before she softly kneads the muscles around her spine first. Her hands, while soft, are strong and talented.

[Wayward Shrine]

"Mm, why would anybody ever leave?" Fettina groans, resettling on the mat. "And why would anyone ever leave because of that?" She asks, a little more lucidly, and with humor in her voice.

Fettina's body cringes downward, and the drowess can watch all the small muscles of her backside tense. "Mmh..." She opens her eyes, just slightly. And asks, once the song is done,
"...Has anyone ever stayed for a long time?"

[Ionbound]

[Interrogation Room]

Illeria smirks as she notes the reaction and replies, "Indeed. Now are you going to let me go already? Or are they going to have to come get me."

[Recaiden]

"Well they do. That said, you might not like them." Illeria smirks and continues, "Based on your reaction to me and my friend, at least...You guys really don't like non-humans, do you?"

As she speaks, Illeria is silently praying to the Light, or any other god that might be listening that Anika's having better luck than her, and that whoever her friends are are coming.

Your prayers are noted. Of course, sometimes the answer is no, and sometimes, you need to have been careful what you wished for.

[Shadowcaller]

[Interrogation Room]

"If you had told us earlier, this could have been much easier." The interrogator says grimly, with a undertone of annoyance in their voice that can even be heard through the voice distorter.
They then gestures towards their companion. "Put her out."

Illeria will then be injected with a cocktail of drugs which will knock her out unless she can avoid the injection in her current position.

-----------------------------------

When she wakes up again, she will be in a non-descriptive white room. She is laying on a simple metal bed and her clothes, along with her other possessions is laying on a desk next to it. There is not other furniture inside the room besides a single door.

[Ionbound]

[Interrogation Room]

Illeria glares at the man and says, "I did-" She cuts off due to the injection, and wakes up, rubbing her head as she looks around the room. She quickly redresses and reclaims her possessions, then says, "Hello? Anyone there?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Interrogation Room]

Once she has gotten dressed, there is another signal and the door slides up. Behind is a small group of people in blue uniforms, they look gravely serious, their gazes on the blade Illeria have in her hand. "Ma'm." One of them says, gesturing towards the corridor behind them. "I must inform you that any use of your magic against law-enforcement will be considered a deadly threat. In addition, please note that your weapon have only been returned to you as a sign of respect towards your organization and the nature of your crime." They all still seem nervous though.

[Ionbound]

[Interrogation Room]

Illeria grins at their nervousness as she simply says, "Mmhmm," then heads out to meet her saviours.

[Shadowcaller]

[Interrogation Room]

She is escorted out what appears to be a police station, or perhaps a military facility? It is difficult to tell, but there are a lot of humans in uniforms around here. No one wear the same gear as the interrogators however.

Eventually, they get to a lobby where Anika is waiting. She is standing leaning against the wall, looking up as Illeria enters with her escort. "Finally. Let's get out of here." She says, apparently not wanting to waste any time.

[Ionbound]

[Interrogation Room]

Illeria nods to Anika and says, "Agreed. Let's get out of here. I don't want to spend another moment with these humans." She last word is said more as a swear than anything else.

[Shadowcaller]

[Law Enforcement Facility]

"Please use more caution while visiting New Inside next time." One of the officers says.

In response, Anika gives him this and walks out of the building. "Eat **** dirtbag."

Once outside, Illera will see buildings all around them with a heavily trafficked road just a hundred meters away from the Law Enforcement agency. There are even skyscrapers and a huge cathedral towering in the horizon. The two of them appear to be in a city, but this is not any nexus city, this appears to be a city of only humans. Or at least it does at first sight when compared to cities like Inside. Illeria can see a fellow who likely will remind her of one of the forsaken, and is that a elf in a hood? They seem to hide their inhuman natures, but they are still there. This of course makes everyone stare at Anika and her as if they were naked.

"Then I got bad news for you." Anika declares as she briskly walks away from the facility towards an nearby alley, away from all the onlookers. "Since you can't fly, you're going to be see humans for the next few hours. I don't even know how to get out of this place by foot to be frank." She pauses, looking to see if there is anyone nearby. As there isn't she continues. "What did they do to you? Are you alright?"

[Ionbound]

[Law Enforcement Facility]

Illeria grins at Anika's hand gesture, and struts her stuff as the pair walk through the city, uncowed by the looks she gets. When they reach the alley, Illeria nods and says, "Yeah, I'm fine. They didn't do anything I'm aware of, at least."

[Shadowcaller]

[Law Enforcement Facility==> New Inside]

"So what happened? I managed to escape and eventually tracked those bastards down. Apparently they're afraid of the orgs, which made things a lot easier. But you've gone for days, I thought they were performing tortured you or something. What happened in there." Anika asks, apparently Illera has been out for a while...

[8BitNinja]

Steve says to Naku "Sounds like a good idea. Please forgive me for wasting your time with my petty arguments about religion. I was letting my pride get the best of me." Steve heads for the stairwell upward and says to Luvon "Luvon, are you going with her or with me?"

[Morty]

[Lonely Tower]

"Not if you don't want to. I'll only show you what you have a use for. I'm really only a hand at ritual magic anyway, little one," Eschelle tells her. She looks up and flicks a finger, and the skeleton falls to pieces. "Now you know, unless you are a very certain kind of knight, it won't usually be skeletons you're toppling. You understand this, yes?"

Iknika tilts her head.

"Yeah, I guess so. Bad guys, monsters and stuff."

[Green Elf]

Steve says to Naku "Sounds like a good idea. Please forgive me for wasting your time with my petty arguments about religion. I was letting my pride get the best of me." Steve heads for the stairwell upward and says to Luvon "Luvon, are you going with her or with me?"

"I'll go down. It might help out, who else is going?"

[Lazorath]

The Dark Tower

"Alright then," Devero holds him palm against the wall as he lets Cherie take the lead before he looks to Luvon, "if you're coming down with us we should get moving. The sooner the orb's destroyed the sooner we can face the lich up top," his voice echoes, sounding less like a human's because of his dragon teeth, and tongue.

[Mee]

Steve says to Naku "Sounds like a good idea. Please forgive me for wasting your time with my petty arguments about religion. I was letting my pride get the best of me." Steve heads for the stairwell upward and says to Luvon "Luvon, are you going with her or with me?"

"Oh, you're fine. I thought it was an interesting discussion, and would not mind continuing it.

The Dark Tower

Cherie sees many distinct images in the wall, of living friends being tortured, and of the dead revisiting their end. She sees the towering spires of the city she'd come to call home aflame. It briefly makes her hesitate, but this was nothing new. Half of these visions had already come to pass, and the other half played through her mind every time she imagined what might happen should she ever fail. Some lich-sorcerer-fake-god thing wasn't going to make her despair.

She looks at Devero and grins a little. "If I weren't, would I be here, weapon at the ready? I can't say for sure if this artifact truly does keep that being alive, but if it weren't valuable it wouldn't be guarded." Cherie steps past Devero and walks through the doorway. "Now then - chins up, everybody. I shall take point; make sure nothing goes for my back, please." Then she glances at Naku, with a wink. "The good lady being an exception of course."

"I mean, I-" though this does raise a small blush from Naku, though she truly doesn't understand why, exactly.

"I'll go down. It might help out, who else is going?"

"I am-"

The Dark Tower

"Alright then," Devero holds him palm against the wall as he lets Cherie take the lead before he looks to Luvon, "if you're coming down with us we should get moving. The sooner the orb's destroyed the sooner we can face the lich up top," his voice echoes, sounding less like a human's because of his dragon teeth, and tongue.

Then Naku just frowns a bit. She's rapidly getting tired of being mostly entirely ignored. This is supposed to be her group she's supposed to be guiding, and she had even called point!
So, if Cherie had already started down the stairs, then Naku just follows a few steps behind. Otherwise, she goes to slip past Cherie, and take the steps a few at a time, more hopping down the steps in a pat-pat, pat-pat, pat-pat manner.
"Down we gooooo."

[UncleWolf]

[Wayward Shrine]

"Mm, why would anybody ever leave?" Fettina groans, resettling on the mat. "And why would anyone ever leave because of that?" She asks, a little more lucidly, and with humor in her voice.

Fettina's body cringes downward, and the drowess can watch all the small muscles of her backside tense. "Mmh..." She opens her eyes, just slightly. And asks, once the song is done,
"...Has anyone ever stayed for a long time?"

Wayward Shrine

"People have plans and goals. Few can stay here for longer than it takes to recover their minds, bodies, and souls." Nidda points out as her talented hands move to the muscles that tensed up so she can soothe them. "No one has stayed longer than a week. Either they chose to move on of their own accord, or like many the spider imagery simply bothered them even if they do not speak of it. I am under no illusions that many find my mask and spirit unnerving."

[Celticbear]

The Undertower

Those who go down this way find a wide expansive forest area with almost every kind of plant known held inside it. Above is not a ceiling as one might expect but a starry night sky At the far end of the "room" is a dark orb that seems to suck in the luminescent light of the forest. Guarding this orb is a colossal creature easily the size of a small skyscraper. The creature has the head of a snake, the body of a yellow leopard, the feet of a horse, and a red forked tail. The only sound filling the "room" is the creature's loud bark, akin to a pack of dogs.

[Mee]

The Undertower

Those who go down this way find a wide expansive forest area with almost every kind of plant known held inside it. Above is not a ceiling as one might expect but a starry night sky At the far end of the "room" is a dark orb that seems to suck in the luminescent light of the forest. Guarding this orb is a colossal creature easily the size of a small skyscraper. The creature has the head of a snake, the body of a yellow leopard, the feet of a horse, and a red forked tail. The only sound filling the "room" is the creature's loud bark, akin to a pack of dogs.

Under the Tower

Steve might want to reconsider going up, because he might very well be doing it alone.

Naku, though, skips her way to the bottom of the steps, and then stops, looking up at the creature. She's quite interested about the plants, and is curious if there are any new types of tea here she could harvest, but the creature rather takes up a lot of space, and its very presence demands attention.

"Awwww~" Naku coos a bit, twirling her parasol (that she still hasn't put away yet) again, and smiling at the creature. "Lookit da puppy! You're so cuuuute! Aaah lookiiiiit da puppy!" Naku says back to Cherie, when Cherie reaches the base of the stairs as well.

[Lazorath]

Under the Tower

Naku, though, skips her way to the bottom of the steps, and then stops, looking up at the creature. She's quite interested about the plants, and is curious if there are any new types of tea here she could harvest, but the creature rather takes up a lot of space, and its very presence demands attention.

"Awwww~" Naku coos a bit, twirling her parasol (that she still hasn't put away yet) again, and smiling at the creature. "Lookit da puppy! You're so cuuuute! Aaah lookiiiiit da puppy!" Naku says back to Cherie, when Cherie reaches the base of the stairs as well.

"Uhhh," Devero would frown in complete confusion once he'd reach the bottom of the stairs, first at the stars above where the ceiling should've been then at Naku's excitement, "those things...look quite dangerous," he informs in hope that Naku might not try to get close unless she was ready to fight it as he took a few seconds to absorb everything and continue on.

Until the rest of the team makes its way down, Devero would sit on the ground with his legs crossed beside a tree that would provide him with cover as the gold scales around his scapula would break apart, tearing through his flesh as two large wings would shoot out causing him to bite into his arms to keep himself from crying out in agony.
The process would leave him in slight pain for a few moments, but his recovery time would be abnormally quick.

[Devixer]

Under the Tower

Cherie initially looks a little miffed when Naku moves ahead of her. She was gonna take point, darn it, she was the veteran here! But then again, it's not like she was opposed to the sight of Naku skipping down the steps, so it wasn't all bad.

She looks around once she arrives at the bottom of the stairwell, second after Naku. "Hmph, more glamours and magic. Or maybe a portal?" Cherie is distinctly unimpressed by the sudden change in location. That giant creature, though, was a bit more substantial. She chuckles at Naku's reaction. "My, my, it certainly is a big one, isn't it?"

[Murkus]

[Lonely Tower]

Iknika tilts her head.

"Yeah, I guess so. Bad guys, monsters and stuff."

"That can be very hard. Do you think you can manage it?" Eschelle asks, looking at her ernestly.

Wayward Shrine

"People have plans and goals. Few can stay here for longer than it takes to recover their minds, bodies, and souls." Nidda points out as her talented hands move to the muscles that tensed up so she can soothe them. "No one has stayed longer than a week. Either they chose to move on of their own accord, or like many the spider imagery simply bothered them even if they do not speak of it. I am under no illusions that many find my mask and spirit unnerving."

"We-- ooh! Well." Fettina pauses in her reverie, closing her eyes again. "It doesn't bother me."

"But don't worry," she assures. "I won't bum around your place too long either. Got... places to be too. Goalie things. Same as everybody."

[8BitNinja]

The Dark Tower

Steve says "Are you sure no one wants to go upstairs? Because if not, I'm heading up alone." Steve begins to head upstairs.

[Green Elf]

The Dark Tower

Steve says "Are you sure no one wants to go upstairs? Because if not, I'm heading up alone." Steve begins to head upstairs.

Luvon replies, "No one here is going alone." He goes upstairs despite what he said earlier. "Make sure we can kill that lich when we're up there."