View source for 2927/Dungeon: The Forbidden Wing

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/08/30
|Location=Galianda
|Synopsis=A team of intrepid students have discovered that the Forbidden Wing of the Kramer Memorial Library is more than just a rumor. What lies beneath Alexander Academy, and what do they seek to protect from curious students?
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=42, 626, 627, 652, 655, 666, 670, 823, 829, 859
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The return to the Rare Book Room is uneventful. No one stands in the way of the group. Apparently, word already got around about the battle between DeSalle and the party team. DeSalle is even there at her desk, casually entering some information into her Mogtop as she looks over a stack of papers. The red pen is prominent. <br /><br />When they arrive, Eleanor looks up from under the brim of her Black Mage's hat and gives a small smirk. "Well then. You're at least showing some measure of sense, bringing a team with you instead of charging in headfirst. We will see if it will be enough." She stands, and walks to what looks like a wall and presses her hand to the surface. A magical seal appears, rings around rings with complex Patterns within appearing, and then vanishing... along with the wall, revealing the path ahead once more. "Past this entrance, you are on your own. You will survive or fail based on your own wits and capabilities. One of us will probably be through in a day or two to collect your remains if you fail. You will find that it is forbidden for a reason."<br /><br />Eleanor sits back down at her desk. "One more thing..." She says, and then leans forward, the shadows growing under her hat to cover her face, only her gleaming smile appearing beneath the brim. <br /><br />"If you break it... You have to clean it up."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>===========================================                 <br /><br />The passage beyond immediately leads into a circular room with a platform large enough for all to stand on, lit with deep blue-green lights from no apparent source. Once all have done so, the activation of the panel on one side with a not insignificant amount of MP provides a smooth descent. The thrumming of the magical elevator seems to indicate that they are rushed downwards towards an unknowable depth, clearly to some location far below most known areas of the campus. The air becomes cool and dry, losing the scent and heat of life that pervaded the school campus above. <br /><br />The shaft comes to an end, the elevator coming to rest as doors open, revealing a tall vaulted hall. There is a plaque on the wall near the entrance: 'REVIEW HALL'. Above them, there is a hollow booming noise as thick plates of reinforced metal close, sealing the shaft off from the world above and lending a strange, lingering sense of claustrophobia despite the size of the wide room. Books line the walls, reference material covering almost any Galiandan topic one can name. They are not rare books, though they show signs of use. <br /><br />Perhaps it is because of the tables that stand throughout the hall. Ornate, each one looks to be part containment unit, part magical analysis system. Each table has a clear crystal dome in the center with holes at about waist-height that are blocked off with what appear to be some kind of gloves. There is a screen on each dome, providing information on what is within the dome on a deep magical level. <br /><br />Two of them are occupied. One has a plain-looking longsword within, though the blade has rust-colored splotches on it. Another has an aged book with a black leather covering. It is stamped in silver lettering that states 'THE ABYSSAL GRIMOIRE OF MELIDUS THE BLACK, HERALD OF THE GREAT CONSUMER'. <br /><br />At the far end of the room is a heavy vault-style door. It is not locked in the traditional sense of the word, instead sealed with a simple mechanical bar system that locks the door into place. There is a pad for MP investiture inset into the surface.<br /><br />                     <span style="color:xterm221">(=====</span>  <span class="underline bold_fg_w bg_n ++ huw">ALEXANDER ACADEMY</span>  <span style="color:xterm221">=====)</span>                      <br />                     <span style="color:xterm221">(=====</span>  <span class="underline bold_fg_w bg_n ++ huw">THE FORBIDDEN WING</span>  <span style="color:xterm221">=====)</span>                     <br />                          <span style="color:xterm221">(=====</span>  <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">RANK:</span> <span class=" bold_fg_r bg_n ++ hr">B</span>  <span style="color:xterm221">=====)</span>                           <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;BOOK DUNGEON!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's probably full of all sorts of cool knowledge. And probably some dangerous stuff, okay probably a /lot/ of hazardous stuff, but Staren's confident he can handle it, especially as part of a large team.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Something's off-putting about the look the librarian gives them, though. After all, if cautious, professional people could handle it... wouldn't they be doing so /already/? Maybe Staren should think more carefully about oh hey what are those?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren looks curiously at the hazardous magic analysis domes, and nods approvingly. "Melidus the Black? What did /he/ do, anyway?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For the limited number of people that know Dominic and have wondered where he's been the past month or two, the answer is pretty simple: No longer living under his parent's house and cashflow, he has like six part-time jobs and works almost constantly when he's not studying. Too proud to ask the Union for financial aid in tuition, he's been working to pay tuition and a lot of his living expenses. Thus he's been incredibly busy and non-present for most things. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Totally Normal Fencer is here today, though, wearing a pair of jeans, a purple t-shirt, and a short-cut leather jacket. At a belt on his hip is the rapier he usually carries with him. He looks only slightly tired and in his hand is a drink. It reads on the side <span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ hy">Golden Needle - Cure Your Petrification And Get Moving Again</span>. It's an energy drink, obviously. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He shuffles past the librarian with a wave of his hand to greet her. And then he's heading down into the dungeon itself. More than the book, Dominic is inclined towards the sword. So he shuffle-walks over to the sword and tries to read some information about it, "Huh. A sword. Interesting."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's time for ADVENTURE! Into the depths of a DOUBLE SECRET library, no less! Marisa waltzes right into the RARE BOOK SECTION and gives Eleanor a cheerful wave as she passes. "Heyyyy there, prof~ Good to see you up and about again. Don't worry about us! We'll be juuuust fine!"<br /><br />Probably.<br /><br />Marisa may be underestimating a 'B-Rank Dungeon' somewhat.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After a short sojourn DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS, Marisa (and the others!) emerge in... A super-advanced magical archive that makes all kinds of happy fireworks explode somewhere in the depths of Marisa's wide, ecstatic eyes. "Oh, oh man, I bet there's ALL kinds of awesome stuff in here--"<br /><br />One of the displays contains a book. Somehow, impossibly, Marisa's eyes get even MORE sparkly. "The Abyssal Grimoire of Meldius the Black, Herald of the Great Consumer!?" There's a beat. Marisa's expression is static for a moment, but then... "I have NO idea who that even is, but I want it. I call SUPER dibs!"<br /><br />At her side, a sleepy-eyed young woman glances furtively away. She sort of fidgets, just a bit. J... jealousy?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So, let's get ourselves inside, huh?" Marisa chimes, striding BRAVELY AHEAD. "Time's a wastin'! I'mma have a quick look around!" Like... At the box containing the super magic book. She griiiins at the contents, reading over the box's analysis... But her eyes slowly trail up towards the great vault door. The realization of just what it is dawns... slowly, but it comes with a great, big grin, "Oh. I call super dibs unless whatever is in /there/ is even cooler! Let's figure out a way to get inside!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"We've got an /awesome/ team with us, DeSalle." Kyra puffs herself up proudly. She definitely seems to be taking the not-so-rumored FORBIDDEN SECTION serious enough based on the amount of gear (plus alchemized CURE-ALL weapon) she's carrying on her right now. "Oooh. Spooky. Anyone that touches my remains is going to get /so/ haunted." Even now, Kyra is taking this lightly just because due to recent events she feels like she damn well wants to. "-er, wait, break...what exactly?" <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course there's no answer, merely that smile. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Puffing herself up again, she strolls onward into the passageway. She'll even volunteer to run the elevator since she has a large amount of MP on her. And once down below... <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra goes right to the Grimoire under glass, checking the accompanying screen to the containment unit-and apparently immediately warring with Marisa over it. "You can't call super dibs, come on!" she whines, about to do something about it when her phone beeps at her. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pulling it out, she looks at it and...frowns. "...this some kind of new game...?" shrugging, she inputs a command and slips the mPhone away.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason is wary ofr the wing but it's been opened there's no changing that now, right? SO here she is hopefully there's not real bad blood over the fight before. She thinks thingds should be keppt lock downed right? She's a bit on edge however a she's looking things over. Either way they need to clear things out. She thinks back trying to place the name she's eyeing Marisa quite a bit more than the others here for the moment. She smiles at Cominic as he arrives and then she looks to Kyra for a moment and shrugs. <br /><br /> "I have no idea."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>DOMINIC: <br /><br />The sword looks to be a plain longsword, the weapon unadorned. The steel appears to be of average quality, with a steel-core crossguard dipped in bronze coating, with a twisted-wire hilt. The weapon appears to be worn, having seen much use, which might attest to the rust-colored splotches on the blade and crossguard. The analysis tools indicate that it is in fact blood. There also appears to be a set of Patterns inside the weapon that can be activated with the investiture of a small amount of MP.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>KYRA, MARISA, PROBABLY XIAO: <br /><br />The screen readout confirms surface findings: The book seems to be bound in genuine leather (of some kind, it's hard to tell). The lettering is silver inlay and the book appears to be bound parchment. <br /><br />If you want to get a closer look, you can either disable the safeties and open the containment unit or use the protective gloves to crack the book open that way.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just to make things clear: Audrey does not approve of messing around the Forbidden Wing. She also does not approve of Kyra, of Marisa, of fun, of freedom, or of Kyra.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is why the Heritor slash Monk has come, to ensure that at least people don't make a mess. Maybe out of curiosity too. BUT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THAT, SHUT UP.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wearing her standard metal-reinforced blue military overcoat, sheathed gunblade, etc. etc., Audrey walks with her arms crossed behind the group, baleful eye ever set upon the White Mage claiming to be leading them. And occasionally trailing to Dominic, of whom she does in fact approve, in contrast. She eyes the sword, but doesn't much say anything.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a funny thing about Kyra's phone going off. The timing is just too opportune really... But word travels fast about places rife with lost lore and forbidden knowledge. The message is probably very weird one to see...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;UIM: <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">TheGrim</span> is available for Summon. &gt;Y/N?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No sooner than Ramuhan girl hits accept things might get weird. A circle of bright white light forms on the ground, a figure emerging as though pulling itself free. Incoherent and blurred at first before resolving into better focus. A ghostly vision of a man in a travel battered shirt and jeans, blade slung at his hip and an electric guitar resting on his back. Glowing white and phantasmal he plinks at a ghostly cellphone in hand before glancing up, lips forming into a distinct frown.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Unh." It's as much of a greeting as he seems to give anyone.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ah. Audrey Stormfist," Dominic says as he looks at the weapon in the case. He tilts his head a bit and seems to nod to her. She even gets a faint smile, since he's persistently been on good terms with her even after stepping more towards a normal student. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Sword seems to have some ingrained patterns. You want to play Hammer-Dagger-Tome for who gets to try it out?" He asks to the Monk-Heritor as he holds out a hand and prepares to roll for which one of them does something reckless. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He does spare a glance towards TheGrim as the guy sort of just appears in a ghostly form in the middle of the library, "Huh."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle Edelwiess, Totally Normal Girl, sighs, as they stand within the forbidden wing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Each of these sealed items is gear sent from alumni for safekeeping. Great heroes and... other such types, send their old gear back that cannot be sold, for magical research.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She presses her glasses up her face. "The Great Devourer is a rather esoteric name for one of the cults that follow... Hmm, a particular being. His adherents are..." Mirielle takes out a journaal and flips through it. "Ah, here it is. A demon of gourmet consumption, rumored to be a terror of... Well, in this, the accounts are unclear. However, if the item is stored here, it is clearly powerful, perhaps even artifact level."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then Kyra summons a shady dude.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Please don't summon Akarusu with your phone, Hyral." She chides lightly.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ah, yes, in any case, it's best to leave them... alone."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle looks at the group. "This won't be happening, I place a one hundred percent certainty on that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; XIAO WAS TOTALLY HERE THE WHOLE TIME OKAY. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wearing her usual green getup, she strode into the rare books section and gave Desalle a smile. "It's okay! If we die, then make sure you pose Kyra and Marisa's bodies in strange and amusing ways before you cart us off. And take pictures." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Because that was important. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then they were off. Onto the platform, down down down...down some more...and there they were. "My...to think there was actually a place like this under campus." Tables, books, swords, GRIMOIRE- Xiao's eyes pretty much took on the same shine as Marisa's and she darted forward to have a look with the other two. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hmm..." The scientist mused to herself for a bit. She eyed the gloves, and then eyed the other apparent functions. "...Well the gloves would be the best bet. Let me try..." Stepping forward, Xiao slipped on said gloves and attempted to try and make contact with the book.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Sure I can!" Marisa grins at Kyra as she WIGGLEFINGERS towards the gloves set in the glass box. Oh man, all that ANCIENT LORE stored so tantalizingly close by! She could just reach over and take a peek--<br /><br />But then, XIAO. Marisa blinks, hesitates, then... ACQUIESCES!? "Heh, fine. You can take the first look THIS TIME. But I get the next one!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"By all means, Dominic, that one is yours. I would perhaps only ask to try it out once, once you've sharpened and cleaned it," Audrey answers, not in the slightest bothered by the idea of letting him have it. Dominic is one of the rare few people she gets along with, after all! Though truth told, he's lost some of his sheen since stepping away from the family business.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But, well, it's a Heritor thing too. She doesn't need to OWN the weapon. She just needs to use it long enough whatever memories and story are in it flow through her, and then the skill is hers. Giving the sword to Dominic and asking to borrow it later is just a better social move than calling dibs or winning it. Plus, once she's learned whatever's in it, it wouldn't be of much use to her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason looks over to grim as he makes quite a flashy enteance she seems a bit shocked but hey it's quite at his entrace. <br /><br /> "Grim." <br /><br /> She now looks to Dominic <br /><br /> "He's a bit strange but he's not an enemy." <br /><br /> She's going to start looking over the various items here her self as she's looking about is everything in here that dangerous? Or is it just keeping them locked away. She doesn't seem intent to actually unlock what is here. Still she's trying to see what she might find still she's starting to become more curious.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren is /briefly/ worried they're going to just open that containment device, but they seem to be using the gloves. Good.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then a... guy is summoned? "Ummmm.... So who, or what, are you?" He looks questioningly between Grimm and Kyra.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Xiao, that's gross, you're gross." she sticks her tongue out at her fellow Ramuhan. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hey, I totally know how to operate one of these things." Kyra gestures at the containment case around the grimoire. "So you should leave the handling to me, clearly." Not that 'how to operate' doesn't seem to be too hard to figure out, Kyra's actually worked with volatile agents before and knows just how careful people need to be with a containment case. "You have to be patient and slow when using them or you'll break i-gah!!" <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What she assumed to be some kind of silly social media spam turns out to actually summon a guitar-holding ghostly-looking dude. "Uh..! That's not Akarusu, last I remember he wasn't a ghost. Hey, um-" she waves at The Grimm. "-how did that just work? Really, I'd love to know." She really does. There's not a sarcastic bone in her body as she asks this.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>MARISA, KYRA, XIAO: <br /><br />The ominous grimoire seems to feel chill to the touch despite resting in a room temperature environment. The magical scanner seems to pick up a number of traces of power within the book, but nothing active. The dark leather creaks as the book opens, the weathered parchment within flipping randomly. Almost as if defying the wishes of the reader, the pages settle on the following page: <br /><br />THE RITUAL OF THE GREAT ABYSSAL FLAN<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Acquire one gobletful of essence of sweetness and grind it into fine crystal. Heat the crystals slowly over elemental flame until it has been subjugated into a dark morass and stir slowly. Too quickly, and the crystals will reform and spoil the ritual. Decant the rendered morass into the formation receptacle, ensuring that it has spread to sully all pure surfaces. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Within a separate steel plate, take up 12 measures of the essence of the mother that has been boiled and unified with the essence of sweetness, as well as 12 more measures that has not to create the Great Balance. To this Balance, one must cast the rendered bark of the tree of cassia, as well as four measures of the purest essence of the black cacao, shaved to its thinnest point. Subjugate the mixture under elemental flame, allowing the essences to meld. Once all has melded, remove the cassia bark and distill half-measures of the fauna Vaina and Amygdalus communis, as well as precisely one half-goblet of further pulverized essence of sweetness and two eggs of a Chocobo.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Prepare the infernal engine to three hundred and fifty degrees, no greater. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once the mixture has blended, let thy creation flow it into the previously corrupted formation receptacle and fill it, then place it within the crucible to be exposed to the raw power of the elements for no longer than one hour, or less if the mixture transforms to a golden state. Test your knife against its virginal surface and test the mixture - once complete, it should not adhere to the blade. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once tested, then expose the mold to elemental ice until cool, then remove from the formation receptacle. You may require the use of your knife to release the awaiting Great Abyssal Flan from its formation receptacle, or it may escape of its own will. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once released, it will require eight to ten people to attend to its dominion.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Fair enough," Dominic replies to Lyria, nodding his head when she seems to vouch for the strangely appearing man. He nods his head to Grimm and seems content to let him be. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Audrey, however, has his attention again. He nods to the Monk and says, "Very well," He reaches towards the case, "If it possesses me or some such, please break my wrist so I drop it," He asks her very blandly, fully knowing she can do and she would quite willingly do so at his request. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"How has work been?" He asks casually, reaching towards the sword to pick it up. He's wearing gloves, but technically it's the gloves he's usually wearing as opposed to hazmat gloves.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I would think something with the power to possess would have a warning of some nature nearby. And would not be available for touching," Audrey surmises, before giving an idle shrug. "Work is work. There will always be someone who wants someone else beaten up, or someone who wishes to be protected. KIRIN will always have work, as a result, and my desk will always have new piles of paperwork, schematic proposals, business opportunities or, more rarely, heads." She leaves up to Dominic's imagination how literal she's being.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"And how does your vacation from the cutthroat world of business fare?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>OH MAN ANCIENT SPELLS OF DARK AND TERRIBLE POWER! Marisa whips a TRUSTY NOTEBOOK out of one of her pockets and begins scribbling furiously--<br /><br />For about five or six lines.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she starts scribbling more... tentatively. She keeps going, of course, since otherwise it's a wasted page, but her eyes flicker between the book and her compatriots. She seems... uncertain about the nature of this particular recipe. And then...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's... It's a flan recpie, isn't it?" She asks, tentatively. "Like, an actual flan, the food. When the book said it was the written by the Herald of the Great Consumer... Does that mean it's a cookbook?"<br /><br />Why would a cookbook be sealed up in a glass examination box!?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiao's wide eyes read over the recipe. Every last word, every last instruction. ...But at the recipe went on, her eyes narrowed gradually till her expression settled on something akin to incredulity. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Is this.....is this a baking recipe?" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pause. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Because I think this is a baking recipe." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She attempted to turn another page. "Is this a cookbook!? Don't tell me it's a cookbook!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra reads over Xiao's shoulder. "....I've made that before. I swear I made that before. Because this one time I tried to make some dessert and it turned into this /thing/ that they made me hunt down and kill. Alma couldn't get the slime out of her hair for weeks."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well, uh," Marisa pats at Xiao's shoulder. "It might be a really good recipe! We should try it out, or something." Beat. She cranes her neck over to peer at Kyra. "I'm pretty sure we've established that you shouldn't go anywhere near a stove, Kyran."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Grimm proceeds to... Mostly act like he's ignoring people for a few moments before finally stuffing his cellphone in his pocker.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Lyria."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though his voice is a gruff drone, there's a bored recognition to his tone before shoulders roll in a shrug to Staren and his Summoner. "I set my Summon Name to allow summons. As long as you don't die I'll stick around." It's a quick, simple, and lazy answer that tells all of nothing. He's going right for the vault door, squinting at it, poring over the systems in place. He raps on the door, testing its solidity, before heading for the pad. Without prompt and unless someone stops him he pulls out his cellphone again, tapping a few keys, trying to access it remotely through complex Soul Sorcery, and see what he can do with it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Uhhh... huh." Staren gets a vague sense that interrogating Grimm Hardy won't get him anywhere -- he'll learn more by observation.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He makes his way over to the book to try and read whatever page Xiao is turning to.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>DOMINIC, AUDREY: <br /><br />Dominic opens up the case so he can pick up the blade. Nothing unusual happens as his hand nears it. He picks up the blade, and for several seconds, he looks it over. the balance is good, and the weapon seems to be a fairly normal example of-<br /><br />And then he feels a surge of MP leave him without him consciously investing it, as the world around him slows down... Or is he speeding up. At the same time, a dark rage begins to suffuse Dominic's mind, a desire to cut and destroy. <br /><br />And oh look, there's all those people right there. Uh oh.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It is a book of blackest secrets. If it is a cookbook, then it is still a book of blackest secrets. Even if..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle frowns. "A recipe for flan is a recipe for flan."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"And you can do it through a phone?" Kyra asks, her eyebrows lifting at Grimm. "That's pretty awesome. Actually, you should be fine. I'm the white mage of the group. The medic. If I die then something went really, really wrong in this dungeon. -hey, careful over there. I don't know if it's taking MP to keep your form together but the access pad on that thing is going to take some of it to function." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's not going to stop him otherwise. She's all for the 'doing ill-advised things in the Forbidden Wing' right now.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;OH SHIT SOMEONE OPENED A CASE<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren closes his visor and turns on Dominic. "What are you /doing/?! What if it's giving off some kind of, I don't know, poisonous magical radiation or something?!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That's stupid. That would be in a more secure case, with a warning label." Mirielle deadpans, pointing at the open case. "See? No radiation warnings."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What are you talking about? I took safety precautions. Audrey is going to stop me if something goes wrong," Dominic answers plainly as he reaches into the case. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic picks up the sword and instantly seems to freeze. There's an odd sort of internal clash as Sword Saint's desire to control a blade meets the Blade's desire to control its user. His purple eyes seem to glow for a few moments and there's a hangtime in the air while he parses out what to do with the new blade in his hand. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Several blinks happen before he turns to the room and parses out all the people. Which is the strongest? Which would be the best challenge? Action is important. He wants to do something. Hit something. Cut something. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He turns to Audrey, eyes still glowing purple. Whether he deems her the most immediate person worth a fight or he remembers that she was the check and balance to his risky maneuver, he seems to phase forward at an unnatural speed and swing the sword in a downward arc at her. He has always sort of wanted to cross blades with her anyway.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>GRIMM: <br /><br />It looks like the pad is an energy receptor of some kind. It might cost him about one Soul Arrow's worth of magical power to fuel whatever it will activate on the vault door. <br /><br />XIAO, MARISA, KYRA: <br /><br />Xiao pages through the book in despondant shock, but the grimoire does not brook such fickle constructs such as 'hope'. It is quickly devoured as the black truths of the darkest depths are revealed unto her, blasting her mind with the knowledge of how best to savor the screams of the innocent ocean crustacean as they are boiled alive, or the proper mental and physical proparations to whip the darkest and most dire of sweet creams. <br /><br />Yeah, it's a cookbook, albeit an exceptionally shady and dark one. Even so, you can't shake that there's some nagging feeling that one of these might actually summon an eldritch horror instead.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hmmn. Well..." Pause. Flip, flip, flip. "...It's down here for a reason I suppose. We shouldn't write it off because it reads like a cookbook. The results of these recipes might actually turn out to be impossible abominations of the blackest order and-" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A glance over at Dominic and Audrey's side. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "...And then there's that." She muttered flatly. "Just what did Dominic do now?" She stared for a moment longer before taking note of the sword in his grasp. That wasn't one of usuals. "Ah, I think that sword's doing something to him" She smiled and looked towards Kyra, pointing to the situation in progress. "Kyra! Go and save your best friends!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Helpful.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren facepalms as he hears Dominic's 'safety precaution' and also realizes that since he can't read galiandan he can't tell if those magical readouts say WARNING or anything like that. Well, he has software for that but he needs to activate it...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And Dominic is now attacking people for some reason. Staren charges forward, trying to knock the blade aside or out of Dominic's hands with his own (armored) hands.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason Says "All right Dominic if that happens I got some ideas to stop you." <br /><br /> She trusts Dominic though if things start getting strange he'll likely stop touhing it. She looks to Marisa who she semes she's most concerned about. She gets Grimm's greeting and she's accepted the man is gruff but hey? Given his life or is that unlife now? She can't really fault him for being in the mood he's in. <br /><br /> She pauses as she looks over to Dominic. <br /><br /> "Hey dominic how are you doing....oh this just went off the plank!" <br /><br /> Okay it may be time to enact the plans to stop Dominic, hopefully without any broken bones...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...why the hell was this thing put in containment anyway?" Kyra says as she continues shoulder surfing over Xiao. "It's just a cookbook. Some of this stuff sounds pretty delicious. Deviously delicious in a 'probably eating souls' kind of way but...still delicious." Kyra comments, lifting her phone so she can take a picture of some of the pages occasionally to copy the recipes. She breaks away to take a look at the info screen on the grimoire again to see if there's any reason why it's being contained. Seriously. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Xiao points out that Dominic is suddenly taking a swing at Audrey. She tears her gaze away and stares. And...stares. There is a long moment of Kyra considering if she /really/ wants to stop this from happening. Until: <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Dominic! Dominic, what the hell are you doing!?" she shouts, breaking away from the Grimoire/cook book.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>KYRA:<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Apparently the book arrived last week and it was just undergoing initial examinations. But she seems a bit distracted right now.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh. Okay, so maybe the sword CAN possess people after all. What an absurd thing to keep in a case everyone can just touch without a warning. Though perhaps they were counting on the good faith of people NOT touching it. What a terrible decision.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic's blade is met with the girl's forearm, as she braces and lifts it up. It cuts through her sleeve and lodges half an inch into her skin, her muscle tissue as hard as steel. She's still bleeding, but as she tightens that fist, the sword might become stuck in her arm. Her other hand closes, tightens, and suddenly flashes bright green.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Holy Sign."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She aims to deliver a punch to Dominic's chest, though the blow isn't intended to cause significant damage. It's still a punch, but the real power of the Holy Sign is that it dispels things. Berserk and Haste, assuming she's reading Dominic correctly, being such things!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Why break his wrist when she can just try that?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Undead Instant Messenger. Mobile app." Grimm grunts in reply to 'how do you summon via phone', barely glancing over his shoulder while fiddling with the MP pad. The sudden commotion halts him, the Phantom's pale eye locking on Dominic and Audrey in the commotion of an incipient berserker brawl. "Remember: Try not to die." Grumped at Kyra.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This guy is as sociable as a rock. But he figures out the proper Soul to MP conversion rate and presses another key on his smartphone, funnelling the requisite amount of souls directly into the pad.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Do not discount the power of blackest communion with the elements of cooking." Mirielle offers. "Kyra, do you remember what happens when you used Paprika within your chili, and I used it as a 'ritual reagent'? This sort of thing is the result - when you mix ritual and cooking, the creation of something bordering on the arcane can result. Also, who uses paprika in /chili/?" She accuses.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic starts trying to kill Audrey, which merely quirks an eyebrow. "Oh, are we dueling now? Dominic, please control yourself. Trying out your new sword can wait for later."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>KYRA IS GOING FOR THE COOKBOOK. ABORT. ABORT.<br /><br />Thankfully, Xiao has that well in hand.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I dunno, I'm pretty sure anything we make from the stuff in here would at least be super delicious. You'd have a decent meal before you end the world!" That's better than most apocalypse scenarios, right? Right. With EVERYONE ELSE dealing with Dominic's sudden fit of swordy madness, Marisa glances over towards the magical information panel, and detects That Which Kyra May Have Missed. She looks to Xiao, and slowly nods.<br /><br />Clearly, this tome must be removed from the library before Kyra has an opportunity to... utilize it.<br /><br />"So." She says, "Rock paper scissors?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic's Haste spell sees him phase around at an unnatural speed, avoiding the attempted tackle via stopping, dashing back, waiting for the tackle to miss, and then coming in again on Audrey. The sword comes up anew to come down on her before her hand tightens into a fist and she intercepts him with her forearm. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The punch with Holy Sign connects cleanly with Dominic's chest, causing a huge flash of light as he skids back across the floor and temporarily dispells the effects from him. As he comes to a stop, his eyes stop glowing and he looks up a bit, peering around as he regains his senses. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He then promptly shouts to Audrey, "Auto-Haste and Auto-Berserk!" Before putting the sword back in its case.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiao meets Marisa's look and slowly nods in response. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For the sake of all people in the multiverse, Kyra Hyral must never get lay her nefarious eyes upon this tome, for as long as they could muster.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren can't catch the hasted Dominic before Audrey resolves it. Apparently she can take a sword in the arm like it aint no thing. He glares at Dominic, crossing his arms. "Do you see why we don't just ignore safeguards clearly meant to protect us from dangerous magical items now?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic flatly looks at Staren, "Please do not come into my world and lecture me on how to undertake dungeons. If I wanted your input, I would ask for it," He notes, looking over to Audrey, "She had it well in hand quite clearly, it is not your place to lecture me."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Wow, neat. I wonder if I could make that UIM app stick to my phone permanently." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fortunately for Xiao, Marisa, and anyone with taste buds, Kyra is sufficiently distracted from the delicious Grimoire by the commotion between Dominic and AUdrey but not before Kyra offers a: "I put paprika in the chili so it was /red/!" she counters. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fortunately, Audrey has handled the initial and most pressing problem of dispelling Berserk and Haste on Dominic (via punching!). Until the sword is safely back in the case, Kyra seems to be primed and ready to re-cast a quick dispell if the effects flare up again. Once that no longer seems to be the case, Kyra /reluctantly/ casts Cura on Audrey. But only after she's cast Cura on Dominic first to heal the damage from Audrey's Holy Sign.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That worked out.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She has a huge open gash in her forearm, but that worked out. Audrey's wound will close on its own eventually, god bless Monk regeneration techniques, though that's not to say it doesn't hurt. And since that blade was old, rusty, blood-covered and dusty, she applies a Zaibatsu medical patch atop it, just to kill off potential infections. She could waste MP on purging that too, but why bother when you have healing items on-hand. And she'd prefer not to owe Kyra one!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra is casting Cura anyway. God damnit.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hnf. Thank you, Hyral."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the blade is put back into its case, Audrey produces a large piece of cloth, wraps it around the blade, and then opts to carry it if Dominic won't. Can't just leave this thing here.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"How unsafe. Whoever built this wing had no concern for procedure and safety. No, the people at fault here are the imbeciles who built a wing in a school dedicated to leaving dangerous objects on display for all to touch.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Neither of those are dangerous magical items. One has a mild effect. The other is a cookbook. Both are well, /well/ within acceptable risk levels even for casual use." Mirielle responds to Staren, before shaking her head. "Also, attacking someone under Auto-Berserk is a much more foolish idea than touching these items, in the least defended area of the Forbidden Wing. This is a research area - these items are available for removal from the cases, with only weak seals and no strong warnings. Take the surroundings into context." She councils.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra is handling the healing, so instead she incants Esuna, to make sure Dominic is cleared of negative statuses.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>DOMINIC is temporarily freed of the influence of the sword, and he stuffs it back into the containment case just before it inadvertantly pulls on his MP to refresh its effects. Presence of mind is a vaulable trait. The scrolling information on the containment unit screen continues to work, updating with the information from Dominic. Clearly, it's designed to account for things like this. <br /><br />Meanwhile, GRIMM gets to work on the vault door. He feeds the requisite power to the vault door pad and there is a glowing tracery of energy that spreads across the door, a heretofore unseen shimmering field dissipating over the door. Looks like he toggled off some kind of security system on the vault door. All that remains is to crack it open with a little elbow grease.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The fact that this is your world does not excuse your carelessness." Staren retorts, then turns to Audrey. "Oh, COME ON." He points in the direction of the librarian. "SHE SAID it was dangerous, and these apparatuses are clearly designed to allow safe study of dangerous magical objects. Such safeties should only be bypassed with proper precautions of our own! Or are you saying that /every/ student in this school is too immature to not touch every shiny thing they see, like a two-year-old! Does every small object in the school have to carry a warning label saying 'Caution, may be hazardous if swallowed by students'?!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yes, I am in fact saying the majority of students in this school are too immature to have access to this area," Audrey answers flatly. "Not that this is a judgement against Dominic, but," she gestures vaguely towards Marisa and Kyra. You know. Vaguely. VAGUELY.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Marisa completes the slow-nod exchange between herself and the Dark Knight, and promptly opens the case to squirrel the book away into one of her many Stuff Satchels.<br /><br />As long as they're quick about it, Kyra may never notice it's gone!!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With the subtle snatching complete, Xiao turned her attention away from the book's former holding area and towards Grimm, who seemed to be working on something else at the moment. She moved past and approached the man's back. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "What's over here? Is everything okay?" She asked curiously, leaning aside a bit to peer around his form at what he was doing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic gives Staren an even stare, "There are many rebuttals which I could give you to the statement you have just made," He places his hands into his pockets and watches Staren fairly calmly, "Instead, I am going to simply point out that you, of all people, have the least ground to lecture someone on a mistake. You frequently use Union outlets to engage in extensive rhetoric about being derided and treated like a child for your every failing. And yet your first response to my curiosity and research was to call me a two-year-old." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With that, he simply turns his back to Staren and walks away. His chest still aches a bit from Audrey's punch, but Kyra's healing has helped.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With his work on the pad finished, Grimm slides his iSoul back in his pocket. "Shut something off. Door probably won't kill whoever touches it now. Probably." He gives to Xiao.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Probably is really important there.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Still possible, though."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Which is why he isn't touching it himself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren blinks. "Well, perhaps that's why access is restricted and we were warned before going in." He holds his hand to his helmet. "When she talked about cleaning up what's left of us, I figured that was a reference to some tragic accident in the past. Not a regular happening." He sighs, then turns to Dominic. "For my every /imagined/ failing, and more sensible people have stood up and pointed out that I wouldn't still be alive if I were as careless as people imagine. My response is to you /suddenly/ opening and touching it without so much as a 'stand back everybody, watch and be ready for something to happen' And your test required cutting your friend, who... stopped it with her arm. ...So maybe that's reasonable, but could we be a /little/ more careful? The two-year-old comment was a criticism of /her/ defense of you amounting to 'Well, people should have known better than to put this in a school', which insulted you and every student here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hmn...well then." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiao strode past Grimm and reached out for the door, attempting to touch and open it. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Only one way to find out!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That's fine." Mirielle shrugs, as Grimm Hardy fixes the door. Reaching into a small shoulder-sachel, she undoes the clasps and reaches her whole arm in (bag of holding!), before drawing out an extra-long long pole. "Thankfully, I filled my schoolbag with..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Xiao just touches the door. "Ah."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She raises her extra-long poking stick. "I suppose it won't be needed."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The vault door opens with a ponderous noise and the rushing of released air, Was it climate-controlled in there? The thick steel door hangs open, revealing a catwalk that affords further passage forward through the depths of Chocobo. The vaulted ceiling continues above, dim blue illumination leaving great pools of shadow along the buttresses and ceiling areas. A faint current of air is felt, another note of chill that seems to pervade this area. The catwalk is solid, forged of a black material that appears to be steel. To both sides there are stairways that reach the floor below, as well as a small magically-operated lift. To one side is another plate reading 'VAULT 1 - GRADE 1 MATERIAL STORAGE'<br /><br />And below it, another. <br /><br />'WARNING: MANIFESTATIONS POSSIBLE IN THIS AREA'<br /><br />The floor below contained regularly spaced capsules, lit from within at the top and shining down like a combination of exhibit booth and containment unit. There appear to be dozens of these, each large enough to contain a person, stretching for some distance to each side. Those close enough to discern the contents of from this distance appear to contain various garments, from ancient rags to traditional clothes of Jobs. There is even the occasional Alexander Academy uniform down here. Each capsule seems to also contain an array of objects within, from weapons to other belongings. <br /><br />But why? <br /><br />There is a small placard on the front of each of the capsules, along with a blinking light. Most of them are green, but several open cases have no light, and a couple of them blink other colors, such as yellow or red.<br /><br />At the opposite end of the catwalk is another vault door, appearing to be designed exactly like the previous one. This time, it also has a plaque: <br /><br />'KEEP OUT'<br />'FOR AUTHORIZED USERS ONLY'<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle points at the KEEP OUT and FOR AUTHORIZED USERS ONLY.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"See? Those are the warnings we should worry about."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason has got the vault is full of thing that are hazards but they are not to the scale one might think. The really dangerous things likely are under lock and key and heavily guarded by more than one teacher the more she thiks about it. She looks to Staren for a moment, she poliotley however chose to not say whtever it was she looked like she was going to do. She preses on to join the others and she's eyinfg th warning and she looks at the information on the valut. She is going to be careful but the items in the capusels do get her attention. <br /><br />"I never heard of them having anything like this down here..." <br /><br /> She's going to scope out some of the tradtional job clothings in some of the capsules.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now that he's done his angry and self-righteous rant, Staren finally checks what his support AI has been bugging him about, and reviews his armor's sensor logs from right before the case was opened, when he was distracted by a spooky cookbook.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, that's awkward.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As people start down the catwalk, Staren shuffles after. But soon he's absorbed in his surroundings again. Outfits and lights?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Manifestations? What does that mean? And what do the colored lights mean?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Nice work on the door," Dominic says to Grimm in passing before looking at the Katana on his back, "Nice sword, too," He comments. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He has no real desire to dwell on Staren's statement. It was put out there, it was parsed, we all agreed to be more careful. He'll just elect to move on with everything as his hand falls to his hip and the sword it keeps there, "Probably best you keep it, Stormfist." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He looks around the vault in a bit of amazement at all the capsule-contained weapons, armor, and clothes. It's like being in some sort of monument to the history of Galianda's best as a whole, "I... wonder..." He says to himself in sort of a curious tone. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Keeping his eyes to plaques on the floor, he takes off at a brisk walk to try to find the sections where they'd keep some of the equipment from rarer job classes. The less commonly-seen job patterns.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Indeed." Xiao spoke in agreement with Mirielle. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then she strode forward, over the catwalk and over the floor below. "Hmmm...Curious." Without further hesitation, her anklets lit up and she lifted into the air, and then descended down below, examining various capsules at her leisure. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Why would clothing be kept down here? Are they cursed?" She passed by several typical job outfits and stopped at a capsule that was empty. "...How ominous." She glanced at it's placard to see if there was any mention of what was in it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Figured it was important." Grimm replies vaguely at the praise of his work, before the Phantom locks eyes with Dominic. "It's Awesome."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That is him introducing his sword by name. But it might not come across that way. He moves right along though, eyeing the varied signs, warnings, and blinking lights. They mean nothing to him except the word 'warning'.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eyes narrow, but for the moment he ponders the garments stored away.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Want me to get that one, too?" He means the super top tier authorized only access door, while idly tapping a finger on one capsule while glancing in at the clothes inside.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...maybe they're /remains/." Kyra says suddenly as she observes the outfits. "DeSalle did say she'd come down to retrieve ours if something happened. Maybe these are the remains of those who were destroyed by /forbidden knowledge/." Kyra makes spooky fingers as she says 'forbidden knowledge.' <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Idilly, Kyra takes a few pictures of the clothing-baring capsules, sticking mostly to the green ones but, after giving Dominic a warning look of 'I'm going to investigate this potentially dangerous thing', Kyra ventures near one of the capsules with the <span class=" bold_fg_r bg_n ++ hr">RED</span> lights to it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The atmosphere is somber here. It seems almost like a combination of a museum and a memorial... <br /><br />But the kind of memorial no one can see. XIAO looks to a placard on one of the empty capsules. The light is green, and the placard is blank. It seems to be completely empty. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.... Well, it's a good basis to start from. <br /><br />Dominic begins to wander the regular capsules. They are precisely and evenly spaced for reasons that are not immediately apparent, because it is most certainly not the most efficient method of storage. they would be all on the walls in dense lines if it were. Is it aesthetics? In a place where people aren't supposed to casually arrive? He walks past capsule after capsule, lights red, yellow, and green, placards with name, date, and Job, name, date, and Job, until the area begins resembling more of a museum than an alumni storage locker. Clothing, weathered with age. Placards with UNKNOWN in names and dates, and Jobs. Sometimes a capsule contains little more than rusted scraps. <br /><br />In the furthest back, he finda a capsule containing a weathered cloak of brown, the clasp broken on it, and a trio of blades, one a rapier, one a heavy broadsword, and one a scimitar, all pitted and rusted with age. These contrast oddly with the book lying inside, entitled 'LEGENDS OF THE GREAT WAR' <br /><br />The placard reads: UNKNOWN<br />UNKNOWN<br />SWORD SAINT?<br /><br />The light on the capsule is red.<br /><br />GRIMM gets an odd feeling as he taps on the glass of one of the capsules. Is something in the material responding to him somehow? It's not the same as the MP drain of the pads... <br /><br />Kyra begins wandering near one of the redlight capsules as well. Within is what looks like a thick overcoat and bandolier designed for carrying vials. In fact, there's several vials in said bandolier, with some kind of liquid within them. There is an ornate pistol sitting on a shelf in the capsule as well, the placard reading FAREN GALBARIA - 8214-8344 - CHEMIST<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason is now wandering to the variosu capsules she's looking with a good deal of interest she's now looking for any capsules which might relate to her home plate of Levithan, or either of her jobs. That being Machinist and Geomacer she's got a good deal or interest in her own people's history and her own abilities as well. She hears the warning from Kyra and Dominic as she moves to make sure her cutlass is ready should things get crazy. So for now though she searched the capsules be they normal, flashing with some red or other lable on them.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The rapier, the broadsword, and the scimitar all catch his eyes. Even at their aged level, he can tell they were once great weapons to have survived so long, considering the tube for the Saint seems to pre-date historical year-marking. If he can, he'll try to find a way to unlock and open the Sword Saint capsule. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The swords themselves may be long beyond usability, but Dominic is less interested in those as he is first the cloak, wanting it for a sense of fashion and history. The second piece that interests him is the book at the bottom, which he wants to try to pick up and thumb through. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"If the school truly forgot the treasures of a Sword Saint, recovering them could be worth quite a bounty," He might actually not have to work for a while.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>This isn't the first time Marisa has been in a place like this. The air is... somber. She and her dark-haired companion sail at a leisurely pace through the arrays of capsules, pausing here and there to read whatever plaques may have been inscribed. It feels... Well. It feels like somewhere between a memorial, a museum and a mausoleum.<br /><br />The belongings in these capsules, did they belong to ancient heroes? Were they interred here for a reason- perhaps for study, or for something else? What did the blinking lights mean? Marisa's brow furrows-- "Remains," she mutters, somewhat more serious than she's been since entering the Double Secret Library. "I think--" her eyes flicker towards a capsule, "I think this is something like... A memorial, or something. Manifestations, that might mean ghosts, or animating spirits, stuff like that. But why these clothes specifically? Some of them look... like, /really/ ancient."<br /><br />Beat.<br /><br />"Maybe they're, like... keeping a record of ancient warriors, or preserving their spirits, or something? Or they're... Maybe tracking the number of Jobs over the years?" She's no expert on Galiandan history, but this place seems like a treasure trove to the right kind of person.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hrm. Suspicious." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But altogether not what was at the forefront of her mind. What she wanted to know was; what was FURTHER in? And so she ascended into the air, up and over the catwalk before landing softly. Her anklets powered off and she proceeded on foot. As she walked, she produced a tablet from her sleeves and approached the vault door leading further in. She also produced a connecting cable and searched for any sort of security panel by the door to plug into and begin hacking away. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Touching the door directly didn't seem like a smart idea. "Let's see here..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle's explanation of the contents of this wing is enlightening, but still doesn't tell Staren what a 'manifestation is'. He's still expecting it to meat it might be haunted by the people these clothes belonged to.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;School and job uniforms mean little to Staren. He ends up following someone else.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Only thirty years?" he comments from behind Kyra, and shakes his head. "Tragic. I wonder how he died so young. ...Monsters?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then he looks at it a second time.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"A /hundred/ and thirty years?! ...How long do Galiandan humes usually live??"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...ah." Yes. The chemist setup is one Kyra is very familiar with. She bets that overcoat in there was filled with hidden pockets and loops for carrying things. As she crouches down to read the name, she squints, then re-reads the placard again, "...130 years? That doesn't seem right at all. They usually live to about eighty, Staren. I thought the world record was currently 110." she mutters, looking into the capsule where the clothing and gear remains. Her eyes drop down to the bandolier and the vials contained therein. Vials that are filled. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"....ooh. Top class mixtures from a top class chemist." she murmurs and immediately seeks a way to open up the capsule so she can examine the mixtures in the bandolier. Of course, the others are warned she's doing this in case some kind of alarm goes off when the capsules are opened. "Yeah, Marisa, that's pretty much it according to Mirielle. These are the items of the best of the best, it seems."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle, browsing through the storage area, doesn't touch shit. Touching shit seems like an absolutely horrible idea. But, as people talk, one statement draws Mirielle's attention.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One thing among all others.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic's thoughts on a Sword Saint's panoply.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Dominic, that's... They've already catalogued this, you aren't 'discovering' it at all." She looks at the box, her glasses shining with green, red, and yellow, hiding her eyes. "This is a tomb, well catalogued. A mauseoleum of rare artifacts. The only way it would be forgotten is, like an unused word in a dictionary - known and tallied, but not useful."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The capsule now has Grimm's attention. Peering into the capsule as best he can. It responds to him and in turn it now has his interests, narrowing eyes, the phantom squints, before deciding to take a risk.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He will try and open it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mirielle makes EVERYTHING CLEAR. Good! Not so good: Graverobbing... without proper readiness. "Hey, uh, if this IS a mausoleum- and I know my way around mausoleums-" Marisa peers over towards Kyra. "Usually disturbin' people's remains'll conjure ghosts up. So get ready if you do! Me, I'm not really a big Job Girl, heh."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You'd think he'd be famous enough that you'd have heard of him." Staren comments. "If a chemist living today invented something that let him live to one-thirty, would he tell people?" At the warning that Kyra's going to try to open the capsule, Staren looks around, nods, then takes /several/ steps back and pulls his pistol from its holster, holding it at the ready.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>XIAO: The Wicked Witch of Ramuh starts connecting things to the door. <br /><br />Her instincts are right, this time there seems to be a sophisticated ward and security lock inside the system. The system is designed to respond to specific MP pulses in a specific pattern and one of sepect intensities, like a combination lock. <br /><br />So, how good is Xiao at Mastermind? <br /><br />Meanwhle, the capsules are certainly pillageable. There are security locks on them that can be opened or you can simply smash the glass should you choose to. <br /><br />Kyra opens hers, and there is a low hiss as the glass slides out of the way. Everything seems cool. Grimm opens his as well, which happens to have what might look to him like a Harry Potter cosplay suit but to everyone else can be identified as a Black Mage costume, complete with an ornate-looking staff of some kind. <br /><br />Dominic also opens his, and takes the cloak. Everything seems fine. He reaches for the book... <br /><br />THUMP. <br /><br />Hey, what was that? Everyone looks around for several moments, perhaps, but the source of the noise seems to be gone. Huh.<br /><br />This is when everything happens all at once. An explosion of flame erupts in Grimm's face, as the overcoat reaches out and grasps for Kyra with a spectral hand. Before Dominic, the cloak is suddenly torn away and settles over an invisible form, one that picks up the heavy broadsword and unsheathes the rusty weapon in a smooth motion. <br /><br />Uh oh. <br /><br />                                             <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">1x</span> <span style="color:xterm205">Phantasmagoric Chemist Lv 39</span><br />                                          <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">1x</span> <span style="color:xterm205">Phantasmagoric Black Mage Lv 41</span><br />                                         <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">1x</span> <span style="color:xterm205">Phantasmagoric Sword Saint Lv ??</span><br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren was ready for /something/ to happen, but he was expecting the see-through-but-visible kind of ghosts, not this. He doesn't have a clear shot. And will a laser even /work/ on something invisible? He tries to line up a shot so that if he misses, he'll either hit the capsule Kyra /already opened/, or the wall. Hopefully ghosts don't refract light.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren aims for where the head might be if the clothes were on a person, and fires. The protoabstractum laser pistol bestows the concept of 'holy' element on the pulse of light. Staren hopes it's the elemental weakness of ghosts!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra reaches down for the bandolier, "I'll look this name up on the internet in a minute. I need to take a sample first." Just one of the vials. The curators wouldn't notice one missing, would they? How often would they come down to count anyway? Kyra pauses at the thump and looks over a shoulder, wary that a trap of some kind would have triggered. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Seeing nothing, she turns back to the now-opened capsule and picks up the bandolier. Just as she turns around, the overcoat moves and grabs her up by the front of her hoodie. "FFffffbaaaaaanish!!" she squeals, reaching out to grab the arm of the overcoat. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;White magic (correctly functioning!) flows through Kyra's arm and into the hand grabbing onto the overcoat, transforming into a low-level holy-aspect spell as it leaves her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Huh, what? Yeah, I guess you're right, unless the school forgot or something," Dominic says to Mirielle in that tone that humors the fact that she's technically correct, but that he wants to have his little daydream of uncovering Sword Saint relics. Like... imagine if he found Excalibur, the Blade of Saints. He'd be famous. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Interrupting his thoughts, Dominic has his newfound cloak yanekd off of him and settled onto an invisible form. The Fencer takes a few steps back and draws the Mithril rapier from his side, "A worthy foe, perhaps," Dominic says with a tone of hunger to his voice. All the jobs he's worked lately, either finding on his own or that Mirielle, have made him feel rusty. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He flicks the tip of his rapier a bit and says, "I won't let you impede my research into history," Before lunging forward with the blade, pressing an immediate assault, but careful to try to hit either the sword or the form under the cloak, but REALLY trying to leave the cloak undamaged.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps opening up the capsule was not the best idea. Though the wizard robe looking outfit knots the White Phantom's brow.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Before the thing explodes in his face.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A snarl and he throws himself backwards, body hurling in a sprawling roll. But it's not perfect, the Phantom's very essense seeming to flicker, white mist wafting off his form as his spirit tries to remain rather than dissipate.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Also it HURTS.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But the manifestation of the three phantom like spirits immediately makes him reach for his blade. But he does not pull it from the sheathe? No, he tilts the saya low, hand gripping in front of the tsuba as he lowers his stance, actually dropping to a knee and waiting for the nearest one- the broadsword wielding Sword Saint to approach, staring it down as if challenging. He will let it come into range and swing first.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then, like lightning, he will draw his blade from the scabbard and strike in one smooth cut.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason gets up from looking for various thing as the capsules open and well it seems whomever the things belonged to have risen from their graves. Maybe they are quite unhappy about being locked up? Or maybe it's the fact the they popped things open? Either way they got some ghosts of the past to deal with and she draws her cutlass. Her normal pistols remain holstere. She now makes ready to engage the spirits. <br /><br /> "Very well if you desire a fight after your ends, I will be happy to give you a reminder of what it is like to live have at it!" <br /><br /> She's aiming to go after the chemist's chost she darts in moving quite fast, Lyria has always been quite agile and this is no different as she attemps to get in a good slash or two on the Chemis's ghost. <br /><br /> "Well this is turning out to be an interesting evening!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Okay, so..." Xiao muttered to herself, observing the readings on her tablet. "I see." Well this was annoying. Doable, but annoying. Well, time to flex those hacking muscles a bit. She was going to need to do this more often. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "It seems to be reading MP inputs at specific intensities...so then..." She narrowed her eyes and focused, channeling MP into her tablet, through the cable and into the door's pad at varying levels of intensity. One, two, three, four... <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; BZZZT. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Not quite." She read the screen. Two of those pulses were incorrect apparently. At least based on approximation. She focused and tried again. One....two three...four. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; BZZZT. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Wrong again, but we're making progress." Xiao mumbled to herself, stroking her chin idly. "Based on the current pattern...I'll hazard a guess and say that..." She trailed off and input another sequence of MP pulses, culminating in her final, educated guess of the correct MP sequence.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>GHOSTS!?<br /><br />Marisa warned y'all about those ghosts!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Wow, it actually wasn't me this time. My track record's been pretty good so far!" The littlest bestwitch snickers as she pushes her broom to a slightly higher, orbit. With a wink of magical power, four of her orreries suddenly materialize in the air around her. Their light fills the somber chamber with all the brilliance of a dozen shooting stars!<br /><br />By which we mean she's starting by blasting the black mage with a few dozen bolts of mana-draining magic missiles.<br /><br />"Hey Xiao, take your time!" Marisa yells over the din of her own danmaku salvo, "We've only got what might be a hundred angry hero-ghosts to burn through here! Heh." Well, whatever! It should be fun at least, right? Right.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is a crackle of light as STAREN fires, his Holy Beam combining with the the Banish spell from Kyra. The grasp of the spirit is painfully cold, tearing at her life force but thankfully not her MP. These don't seem to be Chaos-Spawned Undead. The response blasts the manifestation back throgh the capsule, however, casuing it to shatter as almost-visible flows of ectoplasm spread... And then reincorporate back into the the invisible form. There is the faintest of visual distortions, like light bending the slightest amount as it passes through the forms as it gives an impression of a presence. formless, without identity... Or does it? The gun whips up into the Chemist's hand as it returns fire on Staren and Kyra, shearing bolts of ice firing through the air as high speed icicles in a blatant expression of not caring what Mirielle has to say. Lyria surprises the chemist from behind, cleaving into the form... But what is it going to take to bring them down? There's no visible sense of how much damage they are actually taking. <br /><br />Speaking of ignoring Mirielle, Marisa gets right to work raining down MP-draining bolts on the phantasm. The impacts blast the Black Mage through its own capsule and into another, shattering the glass. The contents within immediately rush outwards to join the melee, a fine coat and beret floating around through the air and emitting a droning, drowse-inducing sussurration.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=" bold_fg_w bg_r ++ hRw">ORATOR</span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=" bold_fg_w bg_r ++ hRw">SPEECHCRAFT</span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=" bold_fg_w bg_r ++ hRw">MIMIC DARAVON</span> <br /><br />Meanwhile, blade clashes against blade as Dominic meets with the shade. The broadsword twists, moving quicker than one might expect might be possible were it wielded by a mortal man... Or perhaps it truly is the ability of a Sword Saint behind the blade. There is a sudden flash as Awesome cleaves through the phantasm, catching the form with its edge. A moment later, the scimitar begins floating again, bobbing at the pair as if to say it has one for each of you... Moments before it spins, bearing down on the pair with a stunning combination of heavy strikes from the broadsword and deft, slashing strokes from the scimitar. With no visible body, it adds a whole new level to the challenge of attempting to predict the opponent's attitude and attack. <br /><br />                                             <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">1x</span> <span style="color:xterm205">Phantasmagoric Chemist Lv 39</span><br />                                              <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">1x</span> <span style="color:xterm205">Phantasmagoric Orator Lv 40</span><br />                                          <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">1x</span> <span style="color:xterm205">Phantasmagoric Black Mage Lv 41</span><br />                                         <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">1x</span> <span style="color:xterm205">Phantasmagoric Sword Saint Lv ??</span><br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ka-Splat! "Kyra! Are you alright?" Staren shouts, glancing between her and the ectoplasm, which is... reconstituting. *&^%. But this time... Staren can see it. Once he's noticed the distortion, he can't unsee it. "I see it!" Staren holsters the pistol and draws his plasma sword in a smooth, practiced motion. The blade burns <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_w ++ hWw">white</span> instead of the usual purple. More holy concept.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The icicle-bullets shatter against a field, suddenly visible as a hollow amber sphere around Staren -- the outside shows pockmarks at the impact points, with cracks spiderwebbing out around them. It quickly fades from visibility as Staren charges -- and stumbles, as he suddenly feels /very/ tired. He barely keeps his hold on the beam sword's hilt as he falls to his hands and knees. ...A noise? He mutes his helmet's internal speakers with a thought, but the armor itself can still conduct sound. Hopefully it won't be enough to conduct the effect...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic begins to coordinate his movements now that he's not fighting alone. He brings up his rapier, the broadsword clanging off of it before the scimitar whips around and cuts a jagged line through his shirt and across his torso. A red wound begins to bleed across his gut, though it's not shallow enough to create too messy of a scene. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic grins, "Such is the power of a legendary Sword Saint. I wish to see... what one would be like at their full power," He takes a LONG pause, "If they had ever existed at all," After all, they were considered by many to simply be legends. Myths, even, due to their rarity. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He pushes in aggressively, feet tapping against the floor of the room as one hand folds behind his back while his rapier flashes and glints, trying to strike again and again from skilled, purposeful angles. He doubts he can match this foe, blade to blade, using the rules of their world. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fortunately, he's got someone who can use Dark Souls rules. And one of those rules is: never let an enemy get behind you.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"..curious! I'm fine, Staren." Kyra murmurs as she realizes that the Chemist's manifestation is not dreaining her MP, only her life force. Still undesirable, however, and she is too happy to be free of the spirit's clutches once the three of them blast it away. "I'm surprised Banish didn't work! Usually that does well against ghost-like things. Eep!" Kyra takes cover behind another capsule as the manifestation starts firing away with its gun. Of course, she cannot help but watch the bolts fly by with appreciation for the ammo. Though it's probably not the best of cover to choose for this situation, Kyra does use it for the moment while she acts on Mirielle's suggestion. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"PROTEGA!" she cries out and the entire room glows bright green as barriers flare around each and every capsule in the immediate vicinity. It's a LOT of targets and it seems to take quite a lot of MP out of Kyra. Even more MP than a holy would require.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And now it has two swords. With his blade drawn now, Grimm puts up a struggling defense, parrying in a flurry of strokes of his own, each resounding impact of sword on sword making his arms more and more numb until he just backs off.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a hopping step at first, but then he's slowly backing away, letting Dominic draw the Sword Saint's attention and aggression. Without even glancing down he sheathes his katana, slow sidewards steps stalking his way in a circle around the phantom as he draws a serrated knife from his belt.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As soon as Dominic has its attention, Grimm lunges from behind, seeking to deal out single, brutal, merciless driving thrust of the razor edged knife into what he approximates to be the spectre's back.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason has no idea how much damage they need to do. For all she knows they are somehow bound to the school? She's not sure but this is beyond anything she expected down here. She's also feels a level of terror at the new being that has joined the battle. It's going to have to make her wonder. Fort now they are going to have to fight and avoid destroying more capsules and letting more spirits out, or are they angering them? She's not sure but she keeps going after thge chemist. <br /><br /> "You lived to a 131 impressive." She's not sure if she can hear them and she's going to attempt to keep them off Kyra.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle handles the planning expected of a Calculator, laying out lines of possibility and suggestions for others, before she burns to the heart of the matter. As she's largely ignored, she ducks behind some of the now-reinforced capsules, pulling a staff out of her bag. "Now, how to handle the lines of attacks."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Orators are dangerous powers, and there's one thing that she must handle before anything else. No need to use Mathemagic, when simple Green Magic will do.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Cease to be heard. Silence!" She intones, hurling the debuff against the orating jackass.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Even if it wasn't some horrible effect now, it /could/ be. She'd cut that off at the pass, and then reassess.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>WHOOPS.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So maybe Marisa can get kind of caught up in the whole laser beam-y, face-shooty thing. Sometimes that means that things get knocked around and vessels containing the remains of certain ancient heroes get broken to itty bitty bits. The witch laughs sheepishly as the Orator rises from the shattered shards of her glass tomb. "Ah, well, that didn't quite go as planned, but it's okay! I've got a plan! Celly--"<br /><br />The girl behind her perks up, rubbing lazily at drooping eyelids, "<span class=" bold_fg_g bg_n ++ hg">Mmmn? Master- do you need me?</span>"<br /><br />"Yeah!" The witch chirps, fighting through the dreamy haze with the power of STOLEN MP. It's apparently like caffiene. This explains much. "We're going to do THAT."<br /><br />"<span class=" bold_fg_g bg_n ++ hg">T-that</span>?" Celly murmurs, "<span class=" bold_fg_g bg_n ++ hg">But we haven't even--</span>"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"This IS the test run, my good book! It should work just fine! Probably. Long as we don't push too much into it. I'm sure it'll be fine! Worst case, we break a few more capsules." There's a long beat where the grimoire girl and the witch share a long stare with one another. It's significantly more incredulous on one side of the exchange. "It'll be fine!" Marisa repeats, zooming over towards the Orator, "Ready!?"<br /><br />The book breathes a long sigh, but moves her arms around Marisa's waist as a sign of... Trust? Possibly? "<span class=" bold_fg_g bg_n ++ hg">As much as I'll be. I guess.</span>"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Alright!" the witch reaches out into the halo of orbiting orreries and snags one as it sweeps in front of her. The entire quartet seem to freeze in place, almost like some kind of frisbee disk, "Here we go. ORRERYYY--" She pulls her arm back, winding the formation up, before hurling the whirling disk of spheres at the Orator and Black Mage, "--BOOOOOOOOMERANG!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This technique is one she'd seen ages ago! It's an old trick, one her master had handed down in her youth. Then, she couldn't quite work out the practicality behind throwing your remote magic focuses at the other guy. But now-- NOW she has the resources to add her own spin to the venerable spell.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The orrery boomerang DOESN'T actually try to collide with its targets. Instead, the four spheres would enclose it in a tight ring, each one suddenly glowing a bright, vibrant <span class=" bold_fg_g bg_n ++ hg">green!</span><br /><br />A glow shared by the Celaeno Fragments' eyes.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If the two phantoms don't get out of the way quick, it'll suddenly find itself caught in a sphere of whipping, storm-force winds and carried up and away from the rest of the cylinders. Only once it's out of the way does Marisa add to the onslaught herself... With LASER! Just the one, though, from her Hakkero. She's not quite got the whole remote firing options thing down pat yet.<br /><br />Though maybe she could incorporate Cold Inferno somehow...?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria continues to savage the Chemist, who is forced to change targets. The gun sweeps over to point at Lyria, giving Kyra breathing room and allowing her to call up the power of Protega to cover the capsules, reinforcing them against collateral damage.<br /><br />This doesn't help Lyria much as she gets ice bolts shot at her, but Lyria retaliates with her blade, skwering the form. It reels backwards, bouncing off a capsule as it turns to point its gun at the drowsing Staren. Look out, catboy!<br /><br />You know what helps with the drowsing problem? Silence. Mirielle identifies the potential battlefield-shifting power of the Orator quickly and casts out a Silence spell. The sonorous droning fades out, and away, the floating form looking almost panicked as it realizes it is no longer being heard. <br /><br />That doesn't serve it or the Black Mage well as the Orrery Boomerang blasts them both up into the air, sending them on a pop-fly for a Marisa Kirisame-style skeet shoot. And Marisa is loaded for angry youkai girls. Phantasms can't really match. With a hollow scream, the Orator vaporizes, his clothing falling to the ground inert, while the Black Mage struggles to retaliate with a massive blast of lightning towards the witch! <br /><br />The Sword Saint does not even let up. Dominic's admiration does not even register as the phantasm rallies, striking hard and fast. Dominic responds, pushing the spirit using his own skills and attempting to find a weakness in that guard.<br /><br />He finds none. There is a sense of unreality as Dominic probes and pushes. In some ways, it is like fighting a mirror... Two mirrors. Three. Every time he moves, he finds a blade there. Could this be what it means to understand the sword to such a degree?<br /><br />With a flourish, the scimitar knocks aside Dominic's rapier, turning and trapping it against one of the gleaming capsules. The other hand rises, the rusted broadsword seething with power as it is pointed towards the sky, beseeching the blade to unleash the terrible power. A line of light glows under Dominic, building up in radiant intensity... <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=" bold_fg_w bg_r ++ hRw">SWORD SAINT</span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=" bold_fg_w bg_r ++ hRw">SWORDPLAY</span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=" bold_fg_w bg_r ++ hRw">&gt; HOLY EX-</span><br /><br />THOCK. The sound is meaty and solid, as if the blade was shearing into flesh and bone, not spirit. The impact is perhaps... satisfying to Grimm as he drives the dagger itn othe spectre up to the hilt. In the end, it appears it was just a spectre after all, as surely the original would never have left his back open in such a manner... <br /><br />Or maybe this, too, is a lesson. <br /><br />With a quiet sigh, the gathering holy light vanishes and dissipates, the blades clattering to the floor and breaking on impact with the ground. The cloak flits downwards, settling upon the floor once more. <br /><br />                                             <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">1x</span> <span style="color:xterm205">Phantasmagoric Chemist Lv 39</span><br />                                          <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">1x</span> <span style="color:xterm205">Phantasmagoric Black Mage Lv 41</span><br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>XIAO: <br /><br />The trick about dealing with these kinds of codes is that once you know how they work, it's just a matter of time before you can crack them. Really, it's more or less intended to keep the less curious out. <br /><br />Well, less diligent, anyway. When the MP code is provided, there is another pulse, just like on the previous vault door, and a circular wave of light pulses out over the door through a multitude of almost invisible Pattern channels for MP. Deep within, there is a low KER-CHUNK as locks disengage, and security systems disengage. <br /><br />Now all that remains is to open the door.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The sound stops. What was Staren doing? He doesn't remember, he's so tired, he had an idea, there's a beam sword in his hand. Phantom! He looks up, looks around for the chemist. ...Which is right there, pointing its gun at him.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren reacts.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Adrenaline fills his system, jerking him back to alertness, time seeming to slow down for him. He manifests the energy wings for a split second, just long enough to get him off the ground and push him forward towards the chemist-ghost, as he thrusts the sword at its torso, trying to skewer it!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra makes a mental note to compliment Mirielle again later for an excellent idea in protecting the capsules. It does leave quite a bit of a hole in Kyra's MP pool, though, that gradually starts to fill in. Only gradually because seconds later, Kyra elects to widen the hole freely. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;More MP is funneled away from the white mage, though this one into another Banish spell. Kyra starts to sweat a little, perhaps finally feeling the effects of being low on magic particles as she directs the white magic spell into the phantom.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ahahahaha! It works! Marisa roars with victorious laughter as her EXPERIMENTAL WIND SPELL successfully contains the two spectres! They must be bound to their clothes, otherwise they'd probably be able to slip through MERE WIND. Of course, lightning, being neither clothing nor arrows, can also slip through wind walls, and Marisa's triumphant high means she's not exactly expecting THAT much return fire.<br /><br />The bolt strikes her, blasting the witch back to ground, and resulting in the abrupt termination of her spell. She hisses as she bounds off the floor, smelling mildly like burnt flesh and singed hair. "Fucking OW!" Marisa growls at the Black Mage as her winds dissapate, allowing the spectre to fall. Perhaps not quick enough to avoid a barrage of shot type-grade magic missiles, though. "Asshole! That stung! Not as much as Ramuh's, but STILL!"<br /><br />RAMUH!?<br /><br />Maybe she got hit by lightning over there, or something. OR MAYBE OTHERS HERE KNOW THE TRUTH!?<br /><br />Celly, for her part, seems to be mildly singed. Fortunately though, Marisa took the brunt of the damage.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A line of holy begins to form under Dominic. He wants to bring his rapier across to try to diffuse some of the incoming attack, but it's trapped against a capsule. Instead, his eyes flash again, the gold lighting up. Survival may be questionable, but if this is a real Sword Saint, he can figure out any move this guy uses and he doesn't want to pass on a valuable, if painful, learning experience. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=" bold_fg_w bg_b ++ hBw">SWORD SAINT</span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=" bold_fg_w bg_b ++ hBw">&gt; Obs-</span> <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fortunately (And perhaps a bit unfortunately), the chance to learn a new move by eating it to the face is not granted, because Grimm comes through for Dominic on that backstab. Dominic lets out a sigh of belief, salted ever so slightly with a tone of disappointment. Still, he flicks his rapier and gives Grimm a solemn nod, "Thank you. That opponent was likely beyond either of us, but together we bested him." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Taking a moment to catch his breath from the fight, Dominic throws the cloak around his shoulders. It may have a broken clasp, but it still wears perfectly fine if he's willing to move carefully. He'll check out the book later, but for now there are enemies still remaining. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With both of the enemy spectres being sent airborne, Dominic's options are limited for offensive aid. As a melee fighter, he simply elects to hang back with his sword at the ready, in case the battle moved towards the ground again and he could help the others.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Meanwhile Xiao made a little noise of contentment and disconnected her tablet from the door. "Mission complete~" She tucked the device and cable back into her sleeves and turned around and glanced down at the lower floor, intending to call out to the others and inform them of the disabled door, only to find- <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "...My, you've all been busy, haven't you?" The scientist commented casually despite the fierce battle flashing before her eyes, pressing a hand against her cheek in a whimsical manner. "Well. Don't mind me. Take your time finishing! I'll be waiting riiiiiiiight here." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yeah, real helpful.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That's always a pleasant sound.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Grimm removes his combat knife from the phantom as it fades, he twirls the blade once in his fingers before sliding it back into its sheath. Shoulders lift in a lazy shrug to Dominic. "Could've just shot it. Just didn't want to pop another one open and get more for the trouble." Muttered almost sourly before patting his katana.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Not often I draw Awesome, though. So."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Not bad." He concedes to the fencer, before unslinging the electric guitar off his back and playing a few test chords. Before wailing into a shrill series of riffs that cause the air around him to heat up. Suddenly a sphere of orange light manifests in front of him. It is a ball of pure fire, but it's not burning to the touch. Actually it's warm. Soothing. And anyone near it will start to feel their wounds mend.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"And what've you been up to." Muttered at Xiao.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is a low hum as Staren's holy-aspected blade hisses through the air, shearing through the chemist spectre in a quick desperation move before he gets put on ice. <br /><br />The blade cuts through, separating the creature in half, before being dissipated completely by the final Banish spell. It vanishes, the coat falling to the floor. <br /><br />The vials, notably, are still intact. <br /><br />Meanwhile, the Black Mage finds itself riddled with more bolts from Marisa, the MP-draining blasts finally overcoming the spirit and causing it to dissipate. <br /><br />Finally, all goes quiet, the memorial-become-battlefield silent in the aftermath of the battle. <br /><br />Now there's just kind of a mess.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason has got Kyra the time she needs, just as she hoped to do. The part that comes next? She's not thought that through all the way and wll this is going to hurt she's shot by a bladts of ice. The blast catches her knocking her off her feet as she loses he rblance she's been hit, she's bleeding and got some frost burn to boot as she makes to rise again. <br /><br /> "Not ... bad." <br /><br /> She starts to get up trying to get back up but she took a pretty bad hit here. She's got one hand on her blade as she finally gets up she attempts to make another strile but well she's more than a bit off balance but she's still got some fight left in her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In suitably Final Fantasy fashion, Dominic has a victory pose and phrase. It's mostly used in response to Grimm, "For someone of my skill, I saw their moves three steps in advance," He comments as he flicks his cloak back and sheaths the rapier with a flourish. He could get used to wearing a full-sized cloak, he thinks, instead of the half-sized one he wore as nobility. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He actually appreciates the healing of Grimm and he laughs a bit, "An interesting name for such a weapon, but. It is a great sword and I was happy to face such an opponent with you," He notes before looking around as the battle winds down. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Abruptly, he remembers that there is a book he wanted to check out. Cloak billowing around him, Dominic jog-walks his way back to the capsule to pick up and check out that copy of 'Legends of the Great War'.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiao smiled once they all finished up the rest of the manifestations. "Good! Good! You're all still alive! Now come up and let's see what's further in, shall we?" She turned around at that and approached the door again, grabbing the handle and opening it. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What was in here...? She was awfully curious. After berserker swords and ominous cookbooks, then memorials and apparitions. What would come next? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; AN ANCIENT ROBOTIC SUPERWEAPON CREATED BY A LONG DEAD CIVILIZATION FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF DESTROYING THE MOST EVIL DRAGON IN EXISTENCE? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She could hope.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>DOMINIC: The tome seems to be in better shape than the contents of the capsule, but not by much. The aged pages are near-illegible and several of the pages simply break in Dominic's hands before he gets the hang of turning the pages more gently. <br /><br />However, there is one portion that is legible enough to read: <br /><br />"And above and below, all peoples warred against the forces of the Great Enemy, for its faces and forces were legion, unending in their multitudes. Through the blessing of the Divines, great weapons were forged through techniques long lost to us. Names such as Longinus, Artemis, Bravura, Stardust, and others echo through time, inspiring some to try to reach those heights, though few have ever succeeded. <br /><br />Foremost amongst these weapons is the holy blade Excalibur, whose edge shone with mythril and purest holy crystal alloy and cast the servants of the Great Enemy back into the formless Abyss which spawned them. The last known wielder was said to be a great Knight, his name lost to time. The only records of his deeds live on in fragmentary etchings recovered by those who were apparently his battle companions found in the Sky Ruins of Bahamut: <br /><br />"... He demanded that we escape, and that he would either emerge victorious against the Dark Power, or it would be unable to escape. As much as it grieved me to admit it, it seemed the only choice. The edifice began to collapse as the three of us ran, Achros already preparing the Patterns of the sealing ritual as we reached the exit. Together, we invoked the Rite of the Seal, closing the way and binding the Key to the symbols of our fellowship. <br /><br />Just as we completed the Seal, the skies raced with light and darkness, and a great roar surged through the heavens. The ground buckled with fury, great flows of magma were hurled high into the air. We were forced to escape again as a great mountain surged upwards, burning red and ever flowing with the blood of Ifrit. <br /><br />The people of Ifrit were brought to their knees by the quaking of the earth as it rose. They looked up and beheld it, and, with trembling lips, they gave to it a name, in the hope that a name might pacify its fury. And it was called "<span class="underline bold_fg_r bg_n ++ hur">Gur'U'Guvul</span>", the Pillar Of Bloody Flame. None should trespass upon its slopes, and all who had disobeyed this creed were swallowed up in darkness and flame, never to be seen again..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With a few more shots, the black mage goes down! Not far away, the Sword Saint disperses as well. Marisa can almost vaguely hear a victory fanfare! Or maybe that's the electricity burning through the parts of her brain responsible for stuff like 'hearing.' The witch mutters as Xiao throws open the gates, but doesn't actually head up there quite yet.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a place for her to heal up before she ascends, after all. Marisa would really rather not have to fight the BIG END BOSS of the dungeon with a frazzled brain and scorchmarks. So, instead of BOLDLY GOING FORWARD without heals, Marisa parks briefly in front of Grimm's healing flame.<br /><br />To the undead's credit, his magic seems to work well! Or at least, Marisa seems to be feeling much better by the end of it. WELL ENOUGH TO CHALLENGE THE DEPTHS, even! "That should do it," she grins, "Thanks for the whatever-that-was. We should probably go 'fore Xiao sets off something she can't handle on her own, or something, though."<br /><br />AND SO MARISA GOES.<br /><br />TO ADVENTUUUURE and even more forbidden stuff.<br /><br />(She totally swings down to snag that black mage's staff before she leaves, though)<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>XIAO, MARISA:<br /><br />The final door opens...<br /><br />And what lies behind is a strangely small room. The air is rich with the tinge of ozone and lemon. It seems strange as it seems to convert from laboratory to study, but the floor here is wood, and the room lit dimly with warm light fixtures inset into the low ceiling. The walls are wood-paneled with lighted glass cases, one to each side. To the left is a plain looking book entitled 'Empty Words'. To the right is a ragged-looking notebook with no title. <br /><br />Ahead, however, is an almost altar-like design. Inset into the marble is another glass case, this one with spheres on stands to either side emitting crackling energy that surges down into glowing seal Patterns in the glass. The book has no title, but has an ominous-looking, twisted symbol that seems formed out of the evil-looking blackened leather. <br /><br />There... Doesn't seem to be any Final Bosses hanging out in here. Oh well!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren stares as the spectre is destroyed and its clothes fall to the ground. He blinks. That was a reflex, now it's over, the abrupt transfer to wakefulness has left him a bit too disoriented to do a victory pose. He looks around, sees no more immediate danger, so he turns the sword off and clips it to his armor again. Hmm, the creepy girl got the door open, but he's also curious about Kyra's prize...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;here's a reason why Kyra didn't pull her own gun or mixtures out on the chemist apparation. That, right there, is the reason. Kyra's quick to gather up the overcoat, which she will not be taking, but she will be patting down for hidden pockets and stuff, before putting back in the case. Very carefully, she slides one of the vials in the bandolier out of the holder and sneaks it into hers. The case is closed back up, and the lock reset by Kyra's White Sorcery 'healing' spell. "HEAL! The scar of the glowing sun!" she pauses, then turns around to look at the mess, "...seems I'll have to re-cast that one a few times." Yeah. It can make the /glass/ restore even. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Feeling pretty good about that, she swaggers over to Marisa and pokes her with a finger, using this glib way to deliver a Cura spell to the damaged witch. "Boop." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That done, she rejoins Dominic, lingering, reading over his shoulder and generally sticking closer to him now. The concern of a big final boss is there, even if there is no sign of such. If there isn't, frankly, she seems okay with that, content to soak up the knowledge in the book that Dominic has.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>THAT IS TOTALLY NOT A COOKBOOK-LOOKING THING.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Before ANYTHING else can happen, Marisa does what must be done, and quite judiciously calls "DIBS." The grimoire sitting behind her sighs wistfully as her master surges on ahead, towards what must be a phenomenally important book to be sealed away on such an extravagent altar. Marisa... pauses, there, though, her eyes flickering left, then right. She licks her lips nervously, before banking towards the ragged-looking notebook.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Apparently, she just can't resist dog-eared, otherwise nondescript notepads. Besides, this place is basically a magical laboratory, right? It'd be a waste to just grab the big, obvious shiny thing and get out. First, it's necessary to survey the lower-hanging fruit! She takes the notebook, and turns open the first page...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic does break a few pages as he eagerly pours through the book, only to find that, once used more gently, he finds the passage that most interests him. His eyes lock to the page and his finger gently runs over it, following line by line as much of it as he can read. He's intent on what he's seeing, and it's only as he finishes that something dawns on him. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He knew why this book was sealed away, despite its lack of magic. He knew why the Sword Saint guarded it so. He knew why Alexander Academy would prevent its existence from being known. Or at least... he had his theories. With all the sword users at the school... the Knights, the Warriors, the Fencers, the Holy Knights, the Paladins, the Templars, the Rune Knights. If they had known this book existed, knew the place where Exalibur might rest, they would pursue such a weapon. And as the book said, it would, those in power might worry, be the death of whoever so foolishly pursued such a thing. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It would be a fear, for many, that knowledge of the blade's existence and hypothetical location would draw so many wayward students seeking to make a name for themself, so many people in general seeking acclaim, to plumb the depths of that where they should not walk. To wade through darkness and flame, to descend where a man had given everything to seal something. And so many would die in the pursuit of such a weapon, and that would deter none, for the siren's call of such a blade is mighty indeed. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And, as Dominic closed the book and looked down at it in his hands, he contemplated this point. And, as he gently and quietly tucked the book under his cloak, he came to a decision: <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They were right. The call of the sword was too much to resist. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He does notice Kyra reading over his shoulder, but he trusts her to keep his secrets among public crowds. He smiles a bit at her as he puts the book away,"So hey. Find anything in that capsule that you're going to keep?" He asks her curiously as they walk along, content to hear about her own loot rather than his.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And in Xiao strode. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ....To find no final boss waiting for her. Just a small room. Smaller than what they'd seen previously. "Huh." She stepped further inside without worrying about any other forms of security, looking left and right. "Empty Words...no title...and then..." She looked towards the center altar. "Then there's that." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Obviously she would go for the biggest fish! With a smile, Xiao approached the altar, and knelt down to examine the apparent security device keeping it sealed. "...How to undo this..." She mused to herself, a hand against her chin as she looked over the thing, searching for any panels or controls linking the whole thing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What? I would never steal cultural artifacts from the school." Kyra says a touch robotically while nodding her head in a silent 'yes' at Dominic. Watching him, his reaction, after he reads the book he holds, Kyra can mostly guess what he's thinking right now-about how if others knew where that sword might be, they'd go to it en masse and find themselves gruesome deaths in a volcano. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"They got the last room open it looks like. At least I think it's the last room. I'm gonna go look! Let's go~" she loops an arm around Dominic's and pulls him along.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic's victory fanfare moment is met by a raised eyebrow from the Undead. But Grimm says nothing, and eventually his healing flame dies out, so he slings his guitar. "What's with the book."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nevertheless when that door cracks open, he eyes the book on the altar.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Briefly for a moment Grimm fingers at a small object in his pocket thoughtfully. He knows his Sorceries. and he knows when something looks like it could be ill worth the effort of retrieving, so he sort of hangs back.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra's not talking about her find. Thinking about it, he supposes she couldn't tell much without analyzing them at her lab or something, obviously. So, let's see what's behind Door Number Only?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Two books. "Empty Words? That doesn't sound so dangerous... unless, maybe, it's spells about manipulating void? Does that... is void magic a thing here?" He looks to the locals.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>XIAO looks over the security on the altar. This isn't like the door. As far as she can tell, the interlocking Patterns and constant hardline MP flow from the Academy power grid seems to indicate that this is /never/ intended to be opened. There's literally no code, no keyhole, nothing. It's a straight up sealing barrier. It'd probably take an insane amoune of firepower to just blow it open. <br /><br />Meanwhile, MARISA opens up the plain-looking ratty notebook and flips through the pages. There's some diagrams, minor black magic, nothing really interesting. Why the crap is this lame book in the super secure area?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle watches the others and gives a soft 'che'. "Dirty." She murmurs, pulling out a broom which she throws into the room to start cleaning up broken glass. As others gather around Marisa or loot the wreckage, Mirielle Edelweiss, Upstanding Character sets about to leaning things up.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Like a beret and overcoat from the Orator sealing place into her bag. It's virtuous to be tidy.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ah, a book was found?" She wonders, as her broom sweeps on its own by ~magic~ and she wanders over. "Yes, void magic is a 'thing' here, though I suppose it's a very chaotic one. Thus, an aspect of The Enemy. However, status magic and Darkness magic are kinder and less.. bad."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason is healed by Kyra thankfully, the damage to her clothing remains but that can be fixed easily enough. She looks to Dominic and gets the idea that he found something notable. She trusts him and while she'll watch to make sure the book isn't anything like that blade. She's now starting to look again for the thing's she'd been looking for before they went and woke up the guardians of the things here. Again she looks for anything related to her jobs of Machinist and Geomancer. Also anything to do with her home plate of Levithan. <br /><br /> "To think our school has skeletons like this in our cloest?" <br /><br /> She's not sure she wants to go to the last room yet.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Wow....this one is the real deal." Xiao mumbled to herself, standing back up as she stared longingly at the SEALED BOOK OF TERRIBLE BAD NEWS "There's no lock, key, code, anything. This is an actual, permanent seal. Whatever's in this book isn't going to be seen by us, unless we want to level the entire forbidden wing to break the seal." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marisa is given a pointed look. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then she stepped back and approached the last remaining book; 'Empty Words'. "Let's see here..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Well, for a dog-eared notebook, this one was kind of disappointing. Ah well, INTO THE BAG. Once she's done flipping through it and wandering around the laboratory, that is. There might just be something in there that might be... useful. Maybe a code hidden within the words and diagrams? Marisa's brow furrows as she pours over the notes. It CAN'T just be a perfectly ordinary notebook, can it? Hmmm...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Marisa perks up briefly, glancing towards Xiao, then up towards the altar, then back towards Xiao. "I'm sorry," she grins, "It almost sounds like you WANT me to throw my biggest guns at the deepest part of your school's library. I mean, I could try, if you guys want to... play DANGEROUSLY."<br /><br />"Seriously though, let's check out the lab before I burn it down, huh? Might be some neat stuff to take 'fore we torch the place."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"HEY SO YOU KNOW, I think leveling the Forbidden Wing is a BAD IDEA!" Kyra interjects. "Consider who is telling you this is a bad idea too, alright! Consider that it's coming from /me/ of all people meaning it must be a super bad idea!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle wracks her brain. "Empty Words, empty words... Maybe I... Just, you know, hold on, I may have some notes about this..." Mirielle suggests, pulling out a notebook in each hand and starting to leaf through her copious amounts of notes. "It'll just take me a second."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hey hey~ I wasn't suggesting we blow up the entire forbidden wing, unleashing a chaotic calamity upon the entire campus!" Xiao held up her hands in a defensive manner, smiling innocently all the while. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Just that...accidents happen, you know? Perhaps Marisa tripped, dropping her hakkero and causing a Final Spark to burst out, leveling everything in a ten mile radius!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Okay THAT sounded like a bad idea. She had to be trolling.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra may have to reach under the cloak Dominic now wears to get his arm. Not that he stops her, and in fact she's perfectly allowed to do so as he follows off behind and in tow. His answer to Grimm is a laugh, "It's a bunch of legends related to a Job that probably doesn't exist. I'm keeping it and the cloak as souvenirs, mostly, since I rarely need new equipment. I can think of few blades more fitting for me than my rapier." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Few blades.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>LYRIA: Meanwhile, Lyria looks through the capsules. There are several Engineer and Geomancer suits there, a couple of them showing significant differences in dress over time. It's kind of fascinating to see the changes over history, really. If this area wasn't so potentially deadly, it might be fun to play dress-up. <br /><br />Meanwhile, Mirielle acquires some ancient Orator's clothing. It looks very dignified. <br /><br />Xiao and Staren stare at the Empty Words book. There is a security lock on the case and a warning sign: CONTENTS ARE DANGEROUS FOR USE. The lock is a simple toggle, but hey, at least it looks like they have a disclaimer up. Maybe they figure if you got this far there isn't jack they're doing to stop you short of Super Sealed Book there. Which surely isn't sitting there taunting Marisa with its untouchability.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren looks at the girl suggesting Marisa 'accidentally' blow up the forbidden wing, releasing lots of 'Manifestations' and one super dangerous no seriously guys book. He looks back at Empty Words. "Maybe we could take a look at it /using/ one of those magic safety assemblies a couple rooms back?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiao read the warning. She considered it for a second. And then she reached for the lock, flipping it open. Once that was done, all that was left was....to take the book. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A moment passed. She looked aside at Staren. Then she looked back at the book. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "There's no need for that! I'll just....have a look. With my hands. I'll survive!" She decided after a moment, and reached right for the book. "Oh. If I die- never forget who I was~" She grabbed it, flipping it open to see what was inside...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason does get some images of the suites she's very tempted to look in but they re all pretty much neat she would have fun with it but after that last fight she knows better than to open these pods right now but one outfit catches her eye as she recalls a story her mother told her once about a Tide Caller and she looks intendly at it for a moment before whe goes and she sets her hand ont he pod as she looks in but pulls her hand away from the realse and turns to follow her friends to see what's going on with the books.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:666|Mirielle Edelweiss (666)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mirielle looks up, as Xiao goes for broke. She hurries out for the book, and...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Raises a hand. "It's dangerous to read that alone. Take this - Shell!" She casts quickly.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She doesn't move to stop Xiao, or complain. Nope. Just Shell.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...Right, yeah." Staren looks at the book, not really sure what to expect...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Xiao opens the book. It flips open surprisingly easily. <br /><br />This is surprising because the moment it is open, she notices that the book is empty.<br /><br />No, we don't mean blank. <br /><br />A literal hole in space and time, that promptly begins attempting to suck Xiao into the depths of that impenetrable, endless blackness. The suction begins to pull small objects throuhghout the room towards it as well, but Xiao is front and center, being dragged into what is probably a one way trip should she cross that threshold.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra will gladly wind her arm under the cloak to get at his arm. She does give him a brief look when he says 'few blades.' Few blades indeed. She'd want to ask him about that, but only when they're back at their apartment and alone. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra doesn't touch any of the books in the final small room this time. A book of Void holds no interest for her-and it's a damn good thing it didn't because it tries to eat Xiao. The only real thing she can think of to help with this is...well... <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra pulls one of the mixtures off her belt-no, not the one she pillaged from the Chemist. It's a white adhesive held in a flask that she hurls at Xiao's feet. Audrey would recognize this Slow-causing sticky mixture, which Kyra uses as she tries to buy some anchoring to the floor time for Xiao. It's only going to give a few seconds worth before the adhesive fails since it's not meant to be a permanent adhesive.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiao opened the book. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then there was nothing. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Literally nothing. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A VOID of nothing threatening to suck her in! And that's exactly what started to happen! Of course, instead of SCREAMING FOR HER LIFE...well, "WOOOOOW AN AAAAAACTUALLLLL VVVVVOIIIID IN A BBBBBOOOOOOOK." She yelled over the roar and pull of the void, slowly, gradually being pulled closer to the book. "THIIIIIIIS ISSSSSSS AAAAAAMAAAAAAZZZZZIIIIIIINNNNNNGGG." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiao please. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kyra's adhesive landed at her feet, anchoring her for....a few seconds, but soon, her feet separared from the floor and the book was drawing ever closer again!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a reason Grimm decided to hang back at the sight of the terrible evil books. One of them was bound to be a terrible trap. If not both of them. When one opens into a gaping, sucking, void, the phantom backs up even further. But... that's not going to present much of a solution is it. If that miniature black hole goes unchecked it'll probably kill him too.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Even as a phantom this is far from a pleasant experience, and after a moment's considertion he unslings his guitar again. A few bass-sounding plunks of the strinks and there's a flare of heat again as the white phantom becomes... Even more solid. The spectral mists comprising his body forming into a much more solid metal from the ground up until every single ounce of Grimm Hardy is a statue made wholly of iron. ... And then he moves.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With a creaking squeal of unpolished iron his every motion groans audibly, like metal bending against metal, every footfall hard enough to crack the flooring, he starts a stupidly slow trudge over to Xiao. One hand grabs the girl. The other reaches to slam the book shut.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren tries to grab Xiaou and pull her back. It's a heroic reflex, before he can think about whether saving her is really good for the world or not. Of course, then he might have trouble moving himself. "Cloooose the booook!" he shouts. Grimm has the right idea!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Were it not for the intervention of half of the people present, Xiao might have been lost in whatever void resides within the book for potentially all time. Despite how happy that might make some people feel, Kyra and Staren slow down Xiao's movement long enough for Grimm to interpose himself and force the book's cover shut. <br /><br />Immediately, the sucking force stops, and the book drops to the ground, completely harmless. <br /><br />Until it is opened again.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:859|Grimm Hardy (859)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Iron Grimm proceeds to take the book and stuff it in his shirt, still looking very irritable over the whole matter. "This is why you can't have nice things." He grunts.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yes that's from the guy who got everyone Invaded, earlier.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dominic simply smiles back at Kyra when she gives him a look. He's anticipating it being a long talk, most likely. For now, he's fairly content to simply have her arm around his as they proceed to the final rooms of the 'dungeon' they've entered. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Admittedly, he might be slightly relieved when the void provides a convenient distraction to let him not be glanced at in relation to oblique comments about blades he would or would not pursue the legends of. Instead, he brings up the cloak to try to brace himself in his footing and resist the void pull. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Luckily, all the intervention of the people trying to save the overeager researcher will seem to assure that the situation is being handled, "Nice work!" He shouts to Grimm, "Remind me to get your number so we can Dungeon Group again some time."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:823|Xiao Li Yu (823)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh? But I wanted to study iiiiiiiiiiiit!" Xiao whined at Grimm, making half hearted grabby hands at him, without actually seriously attempting to get the lost book. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After a moment she sighed. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Oh well, thank you for saving me from being sucked into an endless void for all eternity." She looked aside casually. "Even if I wanted to find out what was on the other side." Then she looked towards Kyra and Staren. "Thank you both as well." A smile was offered, and then she stretched her arms above her head. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "WELL! I believe that's everything. Shall we head back now?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Eh... yrwelcm..." Staren mumbles at being thanked for saving creepy science girl. "You know, if we want to find out what's on the other side, couldn't we send a probe or scrying sensor through instead?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then he looks to Grimm. "Thanks, but, um... what are /you/ gonna do with it?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:627|Souji Murasame (627)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The exit from the Forbidden Wing is without incident. DeSalle isn't even there to snark or greet you when you get back. It looks like pillaging the facility is either not particularly looked down upon or they figure if you're strong enough to get in there and take the stuff you're capable of using it all wisely. <br /><br />This kind of policy is going to get someone in /serious/ trouble one of these days.<br> <br>


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