View source for 3410/Scars of a Plague Before Undeath

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/11/17
|Location=Great Painting of Ariamis <PoA>
|Synopsis=Assorted post-TP investigations.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=6, 70, 168, 183, 253, 415, 560, 598, 626, 863, 880, 908
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The difference between the soaring, sunlit peaks of Anor Londo and the miserable place that nobody remembers the real name of, now only referred to as 'Blight Town' in distasteful murmurs, is quite literally like night and day. Gone is the brisk mountain air, the gleaming marble, the warm winds and the bustle of the city, as the entire thing is completely underground, buried beneath miles of natural rock, hewn masonry, and the full gradient in between. The destination in question is a gargantuan cavern, carved out by hundreds of subterranean tributaries over lord knows how many years, still audible as a constant, echoing tumble of babbling streams pouring from hundreds of feet up in the ceiling.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Predictably, it is essentially pitch black, save for the weak, combined glow of hundreds of blazing torches, barely pinpricks at a distance, set all over the dilapidated, ramshackle apparatus that could only be called a village in the most charitable sense of the word; a rambling cluster of old, sodden wood nailed together in whatever haphazard fashion that seemed to keep things falling over, hastily stitched together by endless ladders connecting myriad platforms supporting one or two hovels each at most. The entire thing is hoisted well, well above the ground floor, as the entire thing is a massive, unified lake, impossible to tell the depth of for the fact that it surface is totally opaque, covered by a thick layer of glistening oil, green-grey scum, bubbling gas from decaying matter, and jagged, floating debris.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's hot, even underground. It's humid. It's stagnant. It stinks to hell, which means the majority of the inhabitants aren't unexpected. The sound of waterfalls competes with the constant buzz of hive insects flying overhead, and the skitter, scrabble and squelching of things moving within the walls, or wiggling through the swamp. Grotesquely oversized things like bees or mosquitoes, massive spiders with misshapen faces and human hands for feet, scythe legged maggots the size of school buses sucking nutrients from the downflow into grossly distended abdomens, colossal leeches drifting in the ooze.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the other end of the cavern, the entire back wall is covered with what must be a thousand tons of spider's webbing, the nest the size of a large building, which nothing goes near. The 'inhabitants', nicely put, stick well up high. Though obviously humanly shaped at a distance, getting close to them is less than pleasant, as not one amongst them hasn't been ravaged by horrible boils, tumours, jaundice, leprosy, and some unidentifiable symptoms. At the very least, they aren't immediately hostile like last time, lacking the desiccated frame and burning coal eyes of a Hollow. In fact, they actually skitter away from visitors, snuffing torches and hiding in dark corners.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For the purpose of tackling Lordran's various plagues, Kyra did not choose to deploy with anything less than the full compliment of her medical gear. Not even the utility of the Matter Manipulator could cover all she needed, meaning she is lugging a heavy backpack (notably not her Moogle one but one that carries a lot more) in addition to her usual loadout. The healing 'gun' known as the CURE-ALL is not on her today since she had assumed that direct combat support would be secondary to the other healing efforts needed right now. However as they delve deeper into the cavern and glimpse the local wildlife, Kyra starts to regret this decision. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Halfway through, she arms herself with a half-mask that fits over her nose and mouth, filtering in clean air for her and keeping out most of the putrid smell. It does nothing to stop the nasty noises of the group's ingress, though. Fortunately, Kyra does not throw up. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She is one of the first people to attempt contact with the inhabitants, only to find them shying away from her into the darkness. Undaunted, she pursues, wielding a flashlight of her own. "Hey, wait! Come back! I'm a medic, I'm here to help!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Psyber is here, though he looks distracted. He's got a tablet with him and seems to be working at a nebulously named 'Project AHAB' on it that he keeps out of anyone's sight. Especially Nathan. ESPECIALLY NATHAN. Which is actually surprisingly hard, since he's also Nathan's meatshield and personal attack dog. It helps that he's like a foot taller than Nathan, though. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You need a water bottle, Nathan?" Psyber asks as they walk, holding one out to the librarian as the humid and hot stagnation of the place starts to settle in. The tablet is tucked into his coat and he switches to taking out a Colt Python, sticking around Nathan and takes potshots at anything that tries to get in too close. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What's your first step here?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe had come back once more armed amd ready she knew this would be a cleaning and aid mission. Some of the locals were not a threat and would need to be helped, there were also monsters and hostile creatures that would need to be cleaned out for the sake of the local population and the surrounding area. Tomoe paused for a moment at Kyra who was far better suited to help people with healing she was here to keep those who'd come to help protected. <br /><br /> "Nathan? Sir? Orders?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:908|Gudako Ordria (908)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's with Lezard that the late teen magus Gudako arrives, accompanied by her Caster and a second spiritual presence of equal weight-- one assumes, her Berserker, and one wouldn't be wrong. Dressed in the usual white and black, the auburn-haired teenager is only a nudge shorter than her pink-haired, blue-robed fox-eared-and-tailed Servant, and there's a bloodstain her her right shoulder. White clothes don't clean easy, it turns out!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Where a first-time visitor might not normally enjoy the sights of an area like Blight Town, the magus is smiling wide and creepy, like she always does. Heat or humidity don't seem to bother her, although that's not a natural thing. Rather, one could see she has an ofuda stuck to her back, inscribed with various symbols in Japanese-- LUCK, COMFORT, PROSPERITY, the assortment of good fortunes. It's magically charged, so one assumes... it's portable, personal A/C. Among other things.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How absurd it would be to have a Caster and not abuse the fact.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She watches as Kyra runs for the sickly locals, tilting her head but still smiling. "I'm not sure you could help them. They look sick, in the purge-it-with-fire way. Oh! You could help them if you have a flamethrower. Do you have one?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She turns to look back to Lezard.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So where are we going for our date? This place is cool! It's got that ancient, cursed, dark-infested tomb-city look, complete with plague victims and wildlife." 'Date'. Certainly not what Lezard would call it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If Haguro wasn't feeling wary just by hearing Blight Town's name, she's definitely feeling out of her element by the time she arrives. Granted, she had prepared for a place full of sickly... Sickness and refuse everywhere, but no amount of words could prepare her for this. And the /stench/. The stench! If she hadn't thought ahead of time to bring some nose plugs, she'd probably have passed out already. She also made a promise, so she's going to see this through! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Those planks look shaky... And rotten. They could fall at any second." The Fleet Daughter sighed, peering at the murky 'water' below and at the locals retreating into the darker recesses of the place they called home. "And who knows what kinds of... Everything the wood is teeming with. Do you think we'll need somewhere cleaner to work and for the people to recover?" Inwardly, she's really hoping the answer is no. And yet, she's prepared for the worst already. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At least she isn't wearing one of her newer uniforms today.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:880|Nero (880)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The first thought that Saber had about this place was... <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Ye gods, could this hovel smell /any worse/?" She whined right off the bat, a hand coming up to cover her mouth ineffectively. Had she eaten anything, she may have puked. Thankfully, she hadn't. Being a Servant had it's upsides. Aside from the whole 'you're dead' thing. That was something. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Urgh, Praetor, do be careful." The Servant grumbled, one hand remaining at her mouth, the other keeping a firm grip on Aestus Estus as she walked alongside Kyra. If it weren't for the fact that it was kind of her duty to keep her Master out of danger, she would have shifted to spirit form a long time ago. Alas, that wasn't an option at the moment. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "And do be quick about it." She added, following as her medic of a master went pursuing a retreating inhabitant. "I feel as if I will empty the contents of my stomach any moment!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yap yap yap, whine whine whine. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Business as usual.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Binsfeld's seven hells, this place.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It really doesn't matter that Mizuki can effectively shut off her ability to smell things in this case; Blighttown is just as much an affront to all her other senses as it is to her nose. Staving off the apocalypse seems to have done very little for it, painfully little, which means that the literal seas of putrescence below still beat against a bronzed mire of what is hopefully muck, which serves as the stage for skulking troglodytes who've no rights to exist in any place or any time, to say nothing of whatever other Godawful biological excretions this place might've concocted since her last visit. Ugh. She would never have returned unless she thought the group might earnestly be able to clean this place up, and that is exactly why she is here. If Lordran is going to become as peaceable and pristine as it was in bygone days, -surely- doing away with this cesspit is the first key, essential, integral step on that path.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a small mercy knowing that Quelaag and her sister keep a home nearby, knowing that something, -anything- Mizuki can consider less of an abomination can still be associated with this hole. She might even pay them a visit if she has the time later -- it has been far too long since she last checked up on the pair of them, and she's very interested in knowing how the latter has faired since she was extricated from her old, tainted form. In a way, it makes her especially glad to know that her and the General's combined efforts succeeded in preventing conflict between them and Quelaag: either one of the sisters might've been despondent without the other, but this way they will always have comfort. And perhaps there will even day when Quelaag, too, can be 'cured'? If she still seeks such a thing, of course. There's no guarantee that she hasn't acclimated to her present circumstances by now.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ah, distractions, distractions. Mizuki gingerly shakes her head in some meager attempt to refocus her attentions, looking to Priscilla. She'll, erm... show them where they need to go, won't she? Yes. And then she will see them out of this miserable abyss quite expediently, right? Of course, of course. So until then Mizuki simply lingers near to the group, perhaps sparing Nathan and Psyber each glances of curiosity and obfuscated intent, keeping her wings drawn constantly to spare her feet any contact with the ground.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No. She is absolutely not going to let her feet - nor any aspect of her pseudophysical apparition as a matter of fact - touch any aspect of this environment whatsoever. That would be completely unthinkable.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kazusa Ujikane is doing her level best to keep a brave face on and keep up with the group.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unfortunately she doesn't have much of a poker face.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Aheh... this is... kinda like some of the creepy places you see in the darker comics sometimes, huh," she murmurs, to no one in particular. She's sticking near Psyber for the moment, hands in her pockets and a half-mask similar to the one Kyra wears on her face, and for the most part she's trying not to look at any one place too closely. "So, uh... I know we're here to do stuff, but I wasn't real clear on what exactly kinda stuff we're supposed to do, I just saw we were here to help Priscilla and that it all sounded like some kind of adventure, sooo..." So she signed right up without reading the details.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:168|Nathan Hall (168)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thank you, Psyber." Nathan says, taking the bottle and chugging it. Looks like he could do with a bit of a boost on his Storms in Fall abilities, considering the fresh air generation he needs to maintain his composure. "Now. As some of you may or may not be aware," He says, explaining as he walks into the area. "The inhabitants of this area were, at one point, afflicted with undeath, and were associates of the Witches of Izalith, who we successfully negotiated with and helped to recover. Having assisted the Gods, I now seek to assist the people who remain afflicted with the blight of this area."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He seems to look like he's stretching out, in a sense. "We have several priorities. One is the removal of toxic ecological elements. That is a euphamism for killing monsters that perpetuate the toxic ecology. Purging the parasites from this location is one objective. Please also consider applying medical assistance directly to the inhabitants. Their sicknesses respond most effectively to 'transfer' methods that take the blight from them and transplant it elsewhere. Another task is purging toxic sewage elements from this area as well, and creating appropriate channels for water flow. Terrain manipulation and purification are advised here. The town itself requires additional measures taken to make it more habitable. Architecture and building assistance should be begun immediately. Channeling, water flow shifts, medical assistance, purification, architecture, building, engineering, and similar are all required where possible. Additionally, exploration to determine locations of high plague and toxin concentration for extreme purification is required."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Are there any questions?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>This is a pit of sickness, disease, and suffering. A place where the Darkness rules and the outcast and the refuse, those who have sunk even lower than mere distastefulness dwell. <br /><br />But even here, Lezard Valeth can find things of use. Standing on a litter held up by a number of undead, the Necromancer slowly progresses through the toxic muck that makes up the horrible bog in the depths. A small number of roving crystalline golems are with him as well, uncaring about toxicity. Every so often, Lezard points at a piece of wildlife and a golem moves ahead to slowly subdue and engulf it. <br /><br />He will make use of this place but like hell is he going to deign to /touch/ it. There's enough room on the litter for Gudako and Caster as well, of course. He scrupulously ignores the mention of a 'date' and simply adjusts his glasses in the dimness. "I does seem to have that. I believe if one is seeking out a flamethrower, one of those spiders over there can suffice." The Necromancer points out one of the misshapen, horrific bog spiders, which is in fact trying to roast a golem as it is getting engulfed by the crystal entity. <br /><br />"I believe that a study of some of these creatures could be worthwhile for research purposes. They must have developed some form of extreme tolerance to have even been able to survive this long." <br /><br />He folds his arms as he sees the others spread through the massive rickety construction near them with all the speed and consideration of a massive group of heroic types. <br /><br />He sighs, apparently doing his best to ignore the absolutely terrible stench. Showing such weakness would be intolerable to him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now that the great terrors of Lordran have... HOPEFULLY been illuminated, Emiya Shirou is less uncertain about coming in the flesh.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blight Town though... might make him regret the decision to come as himself, garbed in highly articulated grey, blue, and white metal armor. The knightly appearance is not quite like any suits native to Lordran or its neighboring countries, but the 'knight' look is pretty unmistakable.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"How does anyone navigate in here?" The young man complains. His stamina is on trial with it being so bloody hot, humid, and stinky. Being in armor is already unpleasant.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The only thing he can easily deal with is... the monsters, and maybe finding monster nests and wiping those out, or maybe aiding with routing filth away from the town. But first... this'll take investigation.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Since he can't really carry a lot of gear when he's all suited up though... Shirou will have to get creative about the lighting issue. For the moment, he Reinforces his eyes for better nightvision. It's harder than better RANGE, but still pretty effective.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He has also chosen to spend his time with THE ENTIRE REST OF THE GROUP between him and Lezard Valeth.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Heroically, Priscilla has made an effort worth half a gold star to attend herself. Last time she'd had the luxury to be able to sit outside and drop a pack of phantoms down the hole. Now she needs to be able to say that she actually helped in some small capacity. The crossbreed herself seems to have gone back to the classic fluffy dress today, owing to the fact that it doesn't absorb water and thus won't get horrible if she happens to fall in for some reason. Still, she seems very content to stand waaaay at the back, where the wooden planks are still laid over solid stone leading into the open cavern, at the edge of which she can see just about the whole thing, save for the utterly monolithic roots of the adjacent Archtree that burst through the far corner wall and sprawl into the cave and swamp, visible only once the group proceeds a little ways inwards.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She flinches slightly at the sound of gunshots, dialling in her radio after remembering what happened last time. "Proceed with caution, Sir Psyber. Firing off such weapons closer to the ground wilst likely agitate the entire hive as before." In the meantime, he's far enough away from the central area that the sound doesn't echo too much, mostly dying on the saturated air with misty cracks as a handful of toxic mosquitoes explode into blots of purplish gore, not really up to the job of soaking .357 magnums. Kyra has no luck in trying to chase down the locals on foot, being much quicker than her without belongings to weigh them down, and knowing all the little jumps, shimmies and ladders by heart to scramble around the awkward paths at remarkable speed. In fact they seem to actively avoid the flashlight beam. Educational half-dragon is still on the line. "These people were down here to beginneth with, Lady Kyra, for being rejected from even the slums and sewers above, or at least so were their ancestors. They hath ample reason to avoid contact, especially unfamiliar in kind."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The mages of the group aren't exactly going to have a hard time otherwise. This place is a crapsack hellhole. Not a single thing here knows how to use magic, never mind recognize or stop it. Basically nothing registers on the arcane radar in the entire place, save for something deep within the spider's nest, either weak but steady, or extremely powerful but heavily muffled, hard to tell. Perhaps unsurprisingly, as gross as the wood is to look and touch at, and as loudly as it complains when trod upon, it's as stable as could reasonably be expected; otherwise it would have crumbled to bits during the decades everyone was too . . . well, Undead to maintain it. Some places are definitely unsafe to walk, likely to sway violently or surprise-crumble underfoot into lower sections, but most of it is safe.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Sir Hall is correct in summary. The filth gathering into this place hast long since ceased with the abandonment of the city overhead, but by now is self-sustaining. The undesirable creatures maketh many nests within the adjacent places, this being their favourite feeding and breeding grounds, and art easily brought to wrath by bright lights and loud sounds, which I wouldst advise thou keep localized and not visible and audible to the entire cavern for simplicity's sake. The rebuilding of the structure itself wouldst be ideal but long-term. An additional worthy task wouldst be to clear the webbing surrounding the Bell of Awakening and the road to Lo- . . . Izalith."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:908|Gudako Ordria (908)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Explanations are provided by General Words.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Caster seems to pay attention, but Gudako is too busy sliiiiding over towards Shirou. Sliiiiiiding slowly. While he focuses on piercing the muck with his gaze so hard. Sliiiiiiiding in the back row. Until she's by him, still grinning, crossing her arms.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Having them side by side probably puts into focus the fact Gudako kind of looks like Shirou just that much more. If she was taller, it'd be even more obvious. "You could leave a trail of bodies on fire, make sure you don't get lost or kill twice in the same place! That'd be a way to navigate." IT SURE WOULD BE.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The imperial Saber steals her attention, and the magus glances over, musing loudly. "Ah! Petite, blonde! You're adorable! That presence and ability to carry yourself, you must be a Saber!" Three, four, five? She wonders. "Hmmmm. Four, yes! Shame, you must already have a master. Well! If she dies, just come looking for me~."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally Gudako's attention turns back to Lezard, she and her Caster returning to his side. "Capture and subdue for research, awesome! There's a bigger magical signal in the back out there, we should go get that one and anything on the way. Come on mister Valeth! Being carried like that will just slow you down."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Of course, of course, but I have you here with me, Saber, so I should have nothing to worry about, right?" Kyra grins over her shoulder cheerfully, the grin fading as Gudako suggests purging the plague WITH FIRE. "Hah, no, I don't have a flamethrower. And that's not why I'm here. Even if I can't help them now, I can figure out what's wrong with them and prevent it later." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nathan's words provide a clue to treatment already: these people benefit mostly from transfusion-like tactics. She won't admit that her methods are a little Lezard-y (ick) in that she IS interested in studying the things surviving here. They must have excellent immune systems, after all. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Splitting off from the group, no doubt with Saber in tow, Kyra tries to catch up with the Inhabitant but finds herself without any luck, scaling a ladder and promptly losing sight of her quarry. Sighing, she slides back down the ladder and waits, listening to Priscilla on the radio. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Then how am I suppose to help them if they keep running away?" she asks, frustrated, "Do I gotta hunt them down with tranq darts? Because I will." Even not knowing if her own chemicals will work against them. "Hey Saber, you're fast, do you think you could catch one of those people?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So they're going to be clearing this place out as best as possible in as many ways as possible. Kazusa is not suited to most of these tasks in and of herself. The only one she IS suited to, is the one that involves exploring for extra-toxic or extra-monstery places. So the only remaining answer with any semblance of acceptable safety is to transform into someone else, THEN throw herself into danger, which she will be better-equipped to handle.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's little wonder that the girl allows herself to fall back through the group, coming to a stop next to Priscilla and holding up a card. "So, uh, hey, Priscilla... you mind if I borrow your abilities for a bit?" she asks in a quiet voice, then gives a laugh that's equal parts embarrassment and nerves. She's still not quite able to hide her unsettled-ness at the situation.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shut up, unsettled-ness is totally a word.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "It's not that..." Haguro couldn't even bring herself to lie to Saber. The place really did smell horrible. Besides, it would have been rather hypocritical to say it didn't smell bad while she had those noseplugs on. Nathan's orders give her some more information to work with, although she's not completely enthused to hear it. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Building. Architecture. Medical assistance. Not areas of expertise for the Fleet Daughter, but certainly things she could help with to varying degrees! "I'll... I'll get to work, then. Um. Please try to get the locals on board quickly, then." She bites her lip before letting out a defeated sigh, starting towards the lower levels to get closer to the water itself. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There's no way to do this cleanly at all, so she'll just have to do it as quickly and safely as possible instead. Closing her eyes, Haguro takes a deep breath to focus herself before her form starts to disappear. As she does, another shape starts to form: That of a ship over 600 feet long! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The massive watercraft wobbles and strains unsteadily as she struggles to even fit in that underground lake, but fit she eventually does. With some effort, she might even manage to straighten out and steady herself enough to provide ample space for Elites and inhabitants to come aboard. The turrets don't seem to be active just yet, however, but they're definitely there.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The 'hunting monsters' part is something Psyber can do. The rest is, while a concern, not fully in his wheelhouse despite this being his project overall. So, when Nathan brings that up as a suggestion on what to handle, Psyber holsters the Python and instead takes out his Fetch Modus, flipping through it. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He tears off a page which turns into a bolt-action rifle in his hands with a swirl of light. After that, he's calmly smiling at Kazusa when she sticks near him, "Gross job, huh? But sometimes it's the least enjoyable places that need the most help. Often, actually." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not really needing a scope on his hunting rifle, Psyber lifts the weapon up and aims it, taking a shot at one of the spiders way up in the webs. He pauses briefly, works the bolt action, and then takes a shot at another one. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Nate. Spot for me in case anything survives or moves over here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe says "I'm glad we have come back to help them." <br /><br /> She recalls her first time through here that was quite the experiance and she's listening to Nathan's list of objectives. She gets the idea purging out the monsters that are there she's good at that, she knows this is going to be a very big effort but with the people who are helping here and the others they could likely call on she thinks they got a good chance to clean it up and help the people. <br /><br /> Pris' warning about firearms makes Tomoe think using her fire spells might be a bad idea down here. <br /><br /> "So take the house cleaning slow and steady then takes a deep breath. <br /><br /> "I'll get on the toxic clean up then, this is not going to be enjoyable." <br /><br /> She's going to move out now and keep in mind that she was told keep it slow and steady in her clearing out of the area. She can only guess though just what sort of effect it's going to have on her. <br /><br /> "Pysber? I'm heading in, want me to try and flush things out for you to take out while I'm at it?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:880|Nero (880)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hah?" Gudako's random outburst caught Saber's attention and she looked back towards the red haired girl. "..." Blink. Blink blink. "Four?" And a frown formed. "Four!? Utter nonsense!" Imperiously, she swung an arm outwards and spoke further. "I am not merely a four! I am the greatest that there is!" And proudly, she pressed a hand against her collarbone area. "But I shall allow your slight to pass, given that you have otherwise good tastes! Rejoice, girl!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The subject of finding her if Kyra ever dies isn't breached however. No way would she allow her Master to simply die. Therefore, the need to respond to that was at zero. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Her attention was grabbed by Kyra again, and the Servant puffed up, smiling brightly. "Indeed! As long as I am here, there is no need for you to worry about anything!" She fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Like a good little Servant, Saber followed along after Kyra, having momentarily forgotten about the rotten stench. "I do not imagine that the natives woul take well to be shot at, however..." With one hand grasping Aestus Estus, she brought her other to her chin, a pensive expression forming. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Praetor, you want me to capture one of those unsightly beings? With my bare hands!?" That was the important part. ".....Urgh..." She probably could, but...TOUCHING ONE OF THOSE THINGS- "I suppose it cannot be helped." A sigh escaped from her lips and her weapon's flame intensified, the light making it a bit easier to see the immediate surroundings. "Very well. Just this once!" Crouching low, Prana gathered into Saber's body, and then she burst forward, chasing after the individual who fled from Kyra with servant agility backing her charge. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If she'd able to get in range, she'd reach out and attempt to grab with her free arm.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Perhaps if we could make some sort of makeshift purification mechanism -- something like a strainer. If we could find some way of separating the particles of grime from those of the water, I might be able to see about disposing of the former individually. Surely it would be easy enough to use magic to move the water through such a device, wouldn't it? Telekineses is pervasive enough in the Multiverse that -someone- present should be able to move the water with some force." Is Mizuki actually making a proposal here or just talking to herself? It's not entirely clear which, and she doesn't make any attempts to clarify afterward, so it's very likely the idea will be utterly lost to the errant breeze... or that it would be if the airs here weren't so miserably, putridly stagnant.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Regardless, Mizuki eventually summons her sword and shield, eyes darting to Psyber when she hears his rifle fire. Still speaking idly and to no particular target, she says, "Yes. In order to make any progress in other areas we would first be well advised to rid this place of any obstructions. No sense in attempting to clean the water or remake architecture when some of these poor, unknowing blemishes on the face of reality will simply undo all we have worked to achieve." That said, she tightens her grip around her crystalline aegis. She anticipates that Psyber's shot will draw them all to this location, here, so for now she only waits. Waits, and conjures a hastening field around Psyber and Nathan both. Presumably this will allow them to communicate at a quickened pace, improving the rate at which the former can fire. All things ideal, this field could make Psyber fire at the speed of a fairly slow turret.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The moment the droves begin to spill from the hives that litter the rotten rafters and ceilings of this place, she will loose several arcs of light her shield in the hopes that she will be able to end the creatures far, far in advance of them ever reaching her. Or she can only hope that she will; it would be terrible if one of them actually /touched/ her, heaven forfend.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Shirou finishes looking around, he glances throught he group and... "Awaugh--" Stumbles a few feet away from Gudako WHEN DID SHE SNEAK UP ON HIM?! Unfortunately, aside from the odd fact that she has red hair, he's not terribly interested in her looks. It's more, well... "You! What are you doing here?!" It was bad enough that Lezard was around. Is he going to have to keep his eyes open for this person too...?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh well. Regardless, Shirou has a strategy all his own for dealing with the monsters down in the muck. And he can engage in it... FROM FAR, ABOVE, in the wooden walkways. He just keeps wandering until he finds a good vantage point that looks down, down into the mucky swamp...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Trace, on."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A small pulse of magic and his black, japanese-styled bow made of advanced metamaterials appears. A few moments of focus later... and a rather oddly-shaped crimson sword's mounted against the bow. Shirou takes a good minute or so to focus on it for a very good reason. He needs to make something efficient, aerodynamic, and he's never done it with AESTUS ESTUS before.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After some deliberation he again puts magic through the weapon. It slims down considerably, twisting up into a helix spiral. Flames erupt from some of the inexpertly-mangled twist-seams... but he takes aim!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Draws it back...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And sends a shaft of BURNING METAL down into the deep darkness at tremendous speed for a distant BIG DAMN MOSQUITO nest that's hundreds of meters down in the muck.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The BURNING SWORD-ARROWS don't require a lot of prana and won't be extinguished by the muck, but the muck will keep the fires from spreading past the nests. Handy!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:168|Nathan Hall (168)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nathan gets to work.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Psyber needs to not be low to the ground here, lest he unsettle the hive. Thus, with a brief burst of Hastur magic, Nathan is going to set up improved terrain. Mostly by bracing it against SUDDEN HAGURO SHIP. This should hopefully rile up slightly less of the entire hive. He also gets to work on his own assistance for the town. Hopefully, Psyber will be drawing off most of the heat from him, since he's going to clamp both hands on Haguro's deck and summon a pair of heavy golems, STALWART SERVITORS, who he commands to immediately begin using materials he crafts from his further Hastur magic to start trying to get some basic reinforcement done for the town on stilts.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;These clay jerks can handle being in the horrid muck, as long as nothing attacks them! And their industrial capacity is rather noteworthy. Combined with Nathan's own magic, he should be able to get the town a little more upright. Nathan directs them from Psyber's side, and between that, works as his spotter, trying to enhance his hunting of the hostile fauna.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lezard continues abusing crystal golems, possibly causing Lordran natives to twitch a bit as he demonstrates that the legacy of the Scaleless lives on in the hands of someone potentially worse. <br /><br />At least Seath was never unleashed on the Multiverse, after all. <br /><br />The Necromancer looks up, seemingly somehow /knowing/ Shirou is looking at him with the Stinkeyes of Enemy Perception. He smiles up to Shirou, not even bothering to move as a shimmering, flaming blade rips through the muck near him to shear a mosquito nest. <br /><br />You are safe here, Shirou Emiya. Here, and only here hecause Lezard actually cares enough to not get banhammered. Lordran is yet too useful. <br /><br />Meanwhile, Gudako advises him to follow her through the muck towards the back. "A greater signal, eh? Perhaps." Lezard folds his arms, however. "I am not stepping into this damned mud. It will ruin my clothes and likely carries disease and toxins that we can only dream of." He replies stubbornly... And then pauses. "On second thought..." He says, turning to produce several empty flasks from his coat, and throwing them into the mud. As they fill up, he sends an undead to go retrieve it, keeping them on bonecrafted hangers in the ribcage. <br /><br />Yeah, Lezard does that sometimes. <br /><br />He does look back to Gudako, however. "We can, however, proceed in that direction. I can simply teleport us there if you insist on charging ahead."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Priscilla frowns imperceptibly, especially way away from everyone else as a radio voice. "Please do not incinerate the locals. Others wouldst not taketh kindly to such violent action." She does pause at Kyra's question. "If thou must to maketh first contact. They art not particularly well armed, and no longer hath the aggression or endurance of a Hollow. It is unlikely they shalt fight, and perhaps be less ill-disposed once thou art able to demonstrate that thou meaneth no harm." She glances down to Kazusa as she is approached, blinking once, before switching the radio off briefly. "I cannot particularly imagine why mine own abilities wouldst be best suited to this task as opposed to others here, in particular for dealing with this toxic hole. Perhaps maketh request of one with flight or other traversal."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Haguro taking the form of a literal ship is helpful in that she won't suffer awful toxic burns, blood poisoning, and likely various forms of parasites with a metal hull in the water, but the swamp is actually quite shallow in a lot of places, mostly in the minority, but spread out in such a fashion as to make it a nightmare to navigate without running aground. As long as she doesn't turn the floodlights on, she'll probably be fine though, though significantly harming a heavy cruiser is beyond the abilities of roughly half the creatures present.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The choice of Psyber's hunting cartridge is also an apt one. It's likely to lose a lot of performance firing all the way for the far end of the cavern, but for the intermediate and close area it works perfectly fine. The crag spiders are pretty much just as bad as he might remember them, big, bloated and hard enough that half-hearted shots won't do much to them. They aren't particularly smart, several going down in quick succession, dropping off the ceiling and splashing violently into the muck below where they are immediately beset by writhing shapes under the water, but eventually, enough bullets ripping through the dense upper webs gets some widespread attention, a large number sensing the vibrations and clambering in his general direction, skittering over the rocks with their fourty triple jointed fingers apiece. The surges of light from the Crystal Ring Shield have quite a bit of travel time at that distance, but the way they tend to explode and the crag spiders' predictable path makes wiping them out one or two at a time relatively easy. Unfortunately, the bright light draws more of them, making a closer confrontation an inevitability. At the very least, Mizuki knows where they once came from. They're all over the place, but without the Burdened, there won't be any more eggs.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though the blight people can pretty deftly avoid Kyra tromping around with a hundred pounds of supplies, there's not much they can do when a high class Servant jumps right on them. The one Saber runs down makes it two platforms until he is snagged halfway through a jump, burbling unintelligibly as the Servant grabs him due to the hideous growth swelling from his throat, possibly glandular in nature. He kicks, wiggles and eventually attempts to bite her, but is predictably not going anywhere fast. She can feel many pairs of eyes on her from elsewhere, and probably pick up murmuring, but no approach.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shirou doesn't have much trouble firing his arrows. The relatively small amount of flame that traces through the air isn't much of an issue until it slots a hundred feet into a honeycomb crevice in the wall and lights it up like a kiln as the biological material catches alight. Predictably, the hive is quick to vacate, what must be hundreds of the awful creatures pouring out in a torrent of angrily buzzing wings, one in ten of them spiralling into the swamp as they burn up. Soon enough, the fire reaches the point where the hive is actually impossible to scape, inevitably killing everything left inside, but it's difficult to tell what percentage that is. The cloud seethes angrily in place, unaware of where the attack came from, but firing another arrow will point him out pretty quickly. Things are already much easier going slowly and methodically rather than sprinting breakneck through the swamp and pissing everything off, but still annoyingly complicated.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Raising terrain next to Haguro's form brings up a horrific amount of sludge that slowly slides off the lifted stone, including an unnerving number of bones and fresh, rotting carcasses, along with the ropelike things that squirm out of them and dive back into the water. A small platoon of thick, undulating, leech-like creatures come up as well, clinging to the rock like suckers, and eventually starting to make for the ship's side, chemically smelling the wet metal. Nothing in the swamp /seems/ to have much occasion to attack something made of clay just yet, but that might be a matter of time. There's plenty of their element to work with, even if they have to do the unenviable task of dredging it up, but it'll likely be slow going, and will need artificial drying in air this humid. Still, the support pillars are numerous and obvious.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Commensurately, the actually /dead/ undead have no real issue. The crystal golems used by Seath are also made exactly for this purpose, trapping and preserving live specimens in their transparent torsos for later examination. They're tough enough that a few feisty ones won't bother them, shaving off some glittering crystal flakes here and there, but only a handful of them won't last through the tedious process of clearing the whole ground floor, likely to wear down eventually.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:908|Gudako Ordria (908)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What a lively Servant! Gudako seems pleased with the imperial Saber's tone and presence, insofar as she ever looks pleased about anything anyway. Five, though? HMMMM. She'd have to consider that one very carefully. It takes a lot to be a five! Looks, popularity, marketability... it's a tough label to snatch.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, with that episode over, and Shirou not engaging her in conversation over her methods of navigating a dark place with things to kill in it, and Kyra not providing her quite the incentive to hover around the White Mage, Gudako focuses back on Lezard.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You say that like Caster can't ward off diseases and stuff. This is only the second worst mud I ever step in and the first time turned out fine!" She'll have to clean her boots later, sure, but really there are worst things that could happen here than getting her boots dirty. Those spiders sure indicate that.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ah, ah~ if you want to be lazy, sure. Let's get us over to whatever and start working! I wonder what it is. Caaaaaaster~?"<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I dunno, master. It's either a weak signal or really good at hiding. It really could just be a random magical sword or cultist," Caster takes a guess.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Whatever! Onward, mister Valeth~."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And this happens all the while people raise hell, shoot things, kill things, capture people, and generally make quite the noise and mess! The magus considers Berserker might enjoy cutting loose here, but there doesn't seem to be anything to gain from it. At least, not for her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He figured he couldn't punch out the supernatural spiders with even the good ol' .308, but luring them down to let Darwinism take its place is fine enough for him and works for the moment. He grabs Nathan by the back of his outfit and lifts him up along with him, hopping up onto the improvised terrain that Nathan makes him and taking the easily-injured librarian along with him. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The hunting rounds aren't give me as much punch as I'd like. Can you figure out what caliber I should be using so I can start actually getting them through their hides?" Psyber asks Nathan, narrowing his eyes a bit. For now, he tries to aim at their 'faces' instead of their shells.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Every time he empties the rifle, he's quick to reload, sliding five rounds into the bolt action and then going right back to work. He's specifically trying to cover Haguro and make sure no spiders can drop onto her deck and damage her infrastructure while she readies herself for cramped naval combat.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe is dealing with the toxic source as she heads on in ahead Pysber's shots are doing a fairly good bit at taking several of the hostile creatuers already. She sees Shirous action shich causes her to stop. Heading in up close might be a poor idea to charge on in she's starting to think making use of spells might be a better idea as she moves to back up those making use of her magic spell she starts to look for more hives and calls out. <br /><br /> "I think charging in was an bad idea to be but let's see how this works." <br /><br /> She starts chanting and golden runes fly about her body as she forms a spell. <br /><br /> Well Tomoe's learned in her time in the multivese she might have been a bit too bold for her own doing, but for now she's opening fire with fire of her own as she attemps to take out another hive she's spoted with bolts of flame. She doesn't let up as she readies another spell to follow up the first, the last thing she wants is to miss something and to get swarmed.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As a ship, Haguro's still fully aware of everything going on around her. The movement of the water, the improved land shifting about while she tries to support it with her own mass, and even the smells. Oh dear god, the /SMELLS/. At least she had the noseplugs to keep her from worrying about that too much in her human form, but as a ship? It's coming in much too clearly. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It's probably even worse that she can feel part of herself submerged in that water. Her underside scrapes against the bottom of the swamp rather loudly, and there's no doubt that she's probably not going to move much (or at all) while in this form. If anyone's listening carefully, they might even hear quiet whimpering reverberating from the ship itself. Thankfully, she's much sturdier physically than she is mentally, and the ship remains strong in spite of all the smells and impacts from the more hostile locals! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Probably because she can't move much with all the shallow water. That might prove to be a problem, especially with those leech creatures showing themselves. "Were those corpses? O-oh no... I think something's crawling on me!" There's another quiet whimpering noise from the ship, and the turrets even swing around a few times uselessly. It's not as if she can fire them at that range without damaging herself, her allies, or the town itself! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She does calm down considerably upon realizing that Psyber's taking shots at the ones she can't reach, however, and she even starts taking careful aim with her turrets at the cloud of... Bees? Bats? Whatever that swarm of flying creatures is. Although she only fires a few shots, she's careful to make sure they're safely away from anything that looks like actual architecture.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'Please do not incinerate the locals,' She says. Yes, yes, perhaps it's a trifle less than morally proper to deliberately run down creatures that are cowering in fear and attempting to avoid you. If they've found themselves in this, the literal bowel duct of Lordran, surely they must have had a challenging existence previously. Surely she can show them a bit of mercy now to demonstrate that this 'brave new world' they've wrought may accommodate them, too. So, certainly. She will do nothing to harm those creatures that show no interest in killing her, of course, but as for the rest... well. One unfortunately cannot lay a city nor pave a road without destroying what weeds they find where they would place asphalt and concrete. Likewise, certain weeds must also be buried here.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And these weeds are, as ever, incredibly persistent. It seems that no matter how many of these rotten flies her shield slays, three more emerge from the backdrop. As such, it's really only a matter of time before some reach her. Still determined to prevent herself from coming into contact with them, however, Mizuki establishes a dream barrier around herself before she begins using her sword directly. This way, any enemies that come within a few feet of her will be immediately targeted by any of ten-some daggers that levitate and warble about her person. These blades are unreal things only made corporeal by Mizuki's imagination, but within her sphere of influence they are nevertheless quite lethal.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So only after they survive her barrage of light arcs, blades, and then bullets when she has forsaken her bulwark for her revolver does she finally, disdainfully, resort to her sword. She takes full advantage of the opportunity to use Aelinos as it was meant to be used: as a thrusting weapon. She attempts to weave her way in-between her enemies, running them through and skewering them on the end of her blade. In one instance it's likely that she'll stab into one of the swarm, generate a portal on the tip of her blade, and use that portal to send another of the group behind herself so that they are in an ideal position to be hit with one of her bullets. She'll not lie -- she is somewhat glad of the opportunity to use her talents this way. She's not used her portals in direct confrontation in all the time since Aelinos emerged from the tumult on her world. It's giving her a plethora of new ideas, too.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Whenever there's a lull in the fight, Mizuki also makes a point of throwing another short series of speeding fields along whatever she can perceive as the general firing path of Psyber's bullets. To potentially give them a bit of extra 'kick' through enhanced velocity, at least until the general invents some less crude alternative.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lezard scowls as the various beasts down here happen to be strong enough to damage the golems significantly over time. Of course, if they were weak they wouldn't be /alive/ down here. <br /><br />Blighttown has no place for the weak. <br /><br />Of course, you know what else happens when you drop a big ship into semi-liquid mud suddenly? <br /><br />Waves. And that ship is the biggest thing this lake has probably ever seen. Lezard's eyes open as he sees the rolling, sluggish wave of mud crawling towards him and he begins rapidly casting a teleportation spell...<br /><br />But too late. Before he can teleport, the wave crashes into his litter, burying the undead, the golems, and Lezard himself as he is flung into the mud. <br /><br />There is a moment of silence as the Necromancer of Midgard vanishes under the brown tide... And then the cavern rumbles ominously, gleaming lights gathering in the air as Lezard severs his spiritual form from his body and manifests, seething with raw indignance. He stares down at Haguro with trembling, murderous twitches running through his hands before he turns away, making a gesture of indignant anger, pulling his homunculus vessel-body from the mud where horrible things began happening to it on contact as expected. <br /><br />Lezard's spirit form clenches a hand, and the vessel vaporizes in an implosion of purple flame, utterly consuming it. <br /><br />He looks back to Haguro, hanging there as he stares at the ship. "I will see you later." He says ominously, before he turns away and begins floating along with Gudako, likely planning to take out his sudden bad mood on whatever it is they find while his undead and golems catch up. Freed of their job as litter-bearers, the undead spread out at unspoken command to act as sacrificial shields for the golems. They're disposable.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:880|Nero (880)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sbaer grimaced. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Not out of any pain or failure. But...because this was just so disgusting. The struggling...man? Person? Thing? Well, it was no problem. She merely lifted him away from her as he struggled and tried to bite her. "Ergh...it is fortunate that I am technically not alive. This is a nightmare for the eyes." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Frowning pointedly, and shuddering after taking a breath through her nose, the Servant spoke again. "Be glad, impoverished citizen of the underground! For my Praetor, and her associates have decided to brighten your lives!" So she says. As she turns away hauling the unfortunate man back over to Kyra, something streaks past her vision. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was red and black and oddly shaped... <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ...Just like Aestus Estus in her hand right now. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Saber narrowed her eyes and followed the firing path over to it's origin; Emiya Shirou. "Sir Emiya! First it was that uncouth man in the red coat! And now it is you! Will the offenses never cease!?" And so she began to complain loudly as she hauled the captured man over the platforms before stopping right in front of her Master. "Here you are, Praetor~!" She spoke in a cheerful manner before immediately returning to glaring at Shirou. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "How many times must I make it clear! Aestus Estus is the symbol od the ruler's might! It is not a blade meant to be handled by commoners! Therefore, Sir Emiya, I hereby decree that further actions such as the reproduction of my imperial arms cease! You are not yet worthy!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A proud smile followed. "It is only after you have crossed a sea of corspes and made it to the other side, only after you have risen beyond what you percieve your existence to be, and grasped true radiance, that you may wield a weapon as divine as my own!" Beat. "But of course, I completely understand why you would trace it. It is a perfect weapon in every way! Such is befitting a ruler such as myself! Indeed!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Saber please.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fortunately for Saber, Kyra means it when she says she feels much more at ease around the Servant. Why, her and Saber could take over the world if they wanted! If only the other people here wouldn't frown at that. "People typically don't...and while I'm a good shot, I'd have trouble hitting a target in the pitch darkness down here. Especially if I can't /see/ it." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though if Saber will protest, Kyra will make her cute pouty face at Saber until she complies-which she does, thankfully, even without emotional manipulation. Priscilla confirms that this seems to be the right course of action, especially since the inhabitants aren't inclined to fight. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once saber has returned, Kyra quickly goes to work. She immediately takes blood samples and makes a quick set of pictures of the man's entire body. A Scan spell follows, followed by an experimental esuna to see if that at all helps with any of his afflickings. A simple cure spell is placed upon the man after that, a pair of items that sums of basic first aid in Galianda. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"See?" she backs her actions up with her words, "I'm here to help, not hurt. I'm not here to hurt any of you okay?" she pauses, then louder, "Thank you, Saber!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:168|Nathan Hall (168)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nathan is perfectly suited to the role. "Certainly." He says, with a quiet mutter. "A moment." And his glasses flash with a sudden flare. [SCAN], his Scholar ability, goes off, intended to perceive the anatomical and, presumably, caliber weaknesses of the spiders. Meanwhile, the golems will get backed up. Nathan isn't entirely helpless on the front of fire, though Lamia -- she's a lamia, I don't know what more description you want me to give -- when he summons her, is going to complain rather a lot. She'll provide FIRE backup to the golems, in times when the other combatants have drawn off enough attention from them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her fire abilities should be able to clear up some of the horrid humidity enough to sort of magically blast-furnace the dredged-up clay. Hopefully the horrid swamp purification can get to work next. These load-bearing golems ARE good for digging after all, so if he can get some better stability, enough to withstand the flow of water, he's going to start working on having his Golems, alongside Midgardsormr (massive godly earthsnake) to start digging a proper waterflow. Now, you see, normally wetlands loss is a horrible ecological drain on the environment, necessitating long-term restoration projects. But right now, this ecology is something that the group is actively fighting with, so when Nathan plans out his drainage systems and fresher waterflows connected to nearby lakes, he can do so with the actual specific intention of slamming mother nature in her horrid face, as far as Blighttown is concerned. For real, fuck every single one of these bugs.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Auwgh." Shirou splutters as he sees that what he thought was a fairly small nest is in fact about ten times bigger than anticipated. And far deeper. That's quite a BLAZE down there. And quite a tidal wave of muck thanks to Haguro. He's glad he's way up here. But no need to rush, huh?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He leans over, dismaaaaaay striking him whilst he analyzes the results of that action. Instead of clumsily mounting another arrow he lowers the bow and thinking caps at the mess down there.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How to kill all those damned things efficiently without calling a SWARM down on everything else? If only he had some kind of epically huge net to drop on them all, or... or what, really? How do you kill THIS MANY BLOODY HUGE BUGS without being a superman who can just wade through their wrath?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's brought out of these thoughts by the sound of someone angrily calling his name. Shirou jerks up with a start and looks over his shoulder, to find... Red Saber giving him a DEATHGLARE. "Hgghkh?!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;First Tohsaka, now this. His mouth cracks open as if he wants to say something. This demand is entirely unreasonable. How's he even supposed to do that? Wait, this is the second time he's been called a commoner... sheeeesh. "H-h--hold on, are you serious, Saber?! Those qualifiers don't even make any sense!" He's BALKING at her, a bit harmlessly angry. But he also gestures down into the dark and the gloom where buzz A THOUSAND GIANT MOSQUITOS. "Have a look at what we're dealing with!" The boy's just... spluttering, but simultaneously tensing up like a deer looking into headlights. Noooo he has no idea how to pacify the Emperor, none at all!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While still looking her way he now scratches at his cheek, thoughts gringing back up to speed again.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The .308 predictably starts getting more effective as the spiders get closer. It's not so much a lack of ability to penetrate so much as the horrible things have much different internals than the mammalian big game the rounds are designed to hunt. What can be construed is a face is a seemingly random collection of far too many baleful red, insectoid eyes, perched atop a dripping maw of more reptilian fangs splayed outwards like a lunging shark. Punching straight into the softer tissue at that angle seems to work a lot better, ripping through the length of the body and blinding them in the process, eliciting awful, burbling screeches as they come dislodged one by one.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's decent going at first. He might clear them all out like this in a few hours and with a lot of ammo. The problem is though, that the more noise they make, the more crawl from different parts of the cavern to investigate, and soon the bolt action is really having trouble keeping up. The speeding field from Mizuki holds them back for a little while longer, staying the inevitable, but only for a time. Taking attention off to cover Haguro intercepts a number before they reach her, but allows the rest to advance on himself, Nathan and Mizuki. Soon enough, they're dropping from the ceiling and crawling up the supports, advancing in from multiple sides, and then vomiting up writhing tongues of heaving, seemingly living flame, lashing out at him and splattering molten liquid all over the platform, sizzling and smoking as it chars through the wood. A number pounce upon Mizuki, but her preemptive readying has a dozen of them tumbling down the ladders trailing spurting blossoms of translucent green ichor, riddled with imaginary knives. The revolver and sword work well enough, but the fire attacks have deceptive range to them, and their erratic, flailing nature makes them difficult to weave between.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoe meets with much the same results as Shirou. One of the hives catches, which looks to be the second of six, and the cloud of angry wings doubles in size. Unfortunately the first swarm was already there, and sees where the fire has come from, immediately surging across the entire length of the cavern towards her, the droning growing to a thunderous roar. As they approach, blots of some vile, purple substance are launched in scores from their front ranks, splattering through her personal space with remarkable accuracy for dumb bugs. Translated to her avatar, a few of them hitting in quick succession will proc a rather nasty poison effect, draining her health at a medium pace with an uptime much longer than most game designers would deem fair.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra's blood samples will turn up with mixed results. There's an awful lot of inorganic contaminants built up that will probably be fatal in a few years, as well as an unfortunate number of damaged, potentially cancerous cells and severe vitamin deficiencies, but it appears to be relatively clear of parasites, and has a predictably Darwinian immune system. Scans do reveal several malignant tumours, which will likely require actual surgery or intensive magical care, but the magical first aid causes him to hack up a quantity of some black, tarry substance suddenly dislodged from his lungs, and clear most of the nasty looking sores on his skin, gaining some semblance of colour. Without so much grossness on him, he really looks like he can't be much older than his late twenties. A number of the others are surreptitiously peering from their 'windows' and 'doors', trying to see what's happened if the man hasn't been dragged away or killed yet<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nathan finds fairly usual results. The crag spiders are highly resistant to most forms of fire and basically immune to toxins, but are otherwise actually quite fleshy, more like extremely dense and partially calcified humans rather than arachnids. Lamia, all the way at the bottom corners of the cavern, goes by relatively unbothered, likely having to burn the odd leech, but too far out of the way otherwise. The wooden supports are soaked enough that she doesn't have to be particularly careful drying the clay, slowly forming broadening pillars. Haguro is mostly fine as long as she sticks to her tertiaries, brief bursts of her anti-air turrets and mounted machine guns doing little to distract the swarm from Tomoe, but any discharge of her bigger guns will likely meet with an immediate, overwhelming response. If she coordinates it well, she could potentially eliminate a lot at once. After all, she has great anti-fortification ability and multiple lanes of fire, but unfortunately, no mobility.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lezard has likely made the right move. It's probable that Kyra might have handled it if she'd gotten to him quick, but being buried under that much sludge is basically guaranteed to lead to several toxic substances entering the bloodstream, and god knows how much bacteria and how many tiny parasites, and so it might honestly just be more convenient to dump the body than wait for multiple uses of healing magic. Of course he'll likely know later once he analyzes those samples, finding an almost Mr. Burns-esque balance of so many horrible things that they somehow work in harmony together.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He, along with Gudako and presumably Caster, arrive at the far isle from there without further incident. They might expect the webbing to be thick and springy under their feet, perhaps sticky, but it actually appears to be a veneer over hard stones too regular to be natural. There's only one very obvious tunnel inwards, superficially winding, but here and there the odd silhouette of an actual pillar can be seen, indicating it to be a hallway. Eventually they arrive at what appears to be the top of a bell tower, replete with an actual bell, old beyond belief, the iron of which sings faintly with a forgotten enchantment, and with an impressive view of a sea of molten lava beyond, but the real magic seems to be coming from below, down dark stairs with an almost Mayan aesthetic, roughly in the direction of feminine speech in a language that oddly doesn't translate at all.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh sweet dear lord. -Incendiary discharge-? From their -mouths-?? The existence of that method of attack holds Mizuki absolutely spellbound for a moment by virtue of its sheer repugnance. Now, she had -sworn- once never to return here, hadn't she? She is fairly certain that that is the case. So why in the name of all that is just and right in the many universes did she come back, again? Yes, yes, she may please herself by saying it was to be helpful, to be rid of it, to see it all reformed; she could say any number of things, but all the rapture of virtuous intention could never make her any less horrified with her choice. It is quite literally raining stipends of flaming, bile-ridden biomass as these things are stabbed and made to fall to the floor of Blighttown. It is shockingly obscene.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So Mizuki is now more determined than ever to evade all contact with these horrible things. A tightly-woven plus sign (+) of portals appear in front of, behind, above, and right of Mizuki, making her left side - her sword arm - the only part of her body left undefended. The intention of the portals is to move any of the flames that come her way behind her if contact is made from the front or to her right if contact is made from above. She can only hope, and hope very fervently, that this will spare her a humiliating bout of uncleanliness.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She doesn't spare a moment more once she has her defenses readied. She maintains her dream field and uses it to send four more daggers at two of these 'flaming slugs', using her newly conjured guards to cover an advance more directly into the fray. Mizuki glides toward a third of the beasts, then a fourth and further if she's allowed, going for instantaneously fatal thrusts and slashes wherever possible. If all else fails, she'll default to her shield again and use the rays of light to cleave as many of them as possible into vertical halves.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mizuki really isn't going for elegance here -- she just desperately wants these things gone. They're even worse than the flies.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe is doing her best to get the hives cleared out and she's going to have be fast on her feet she hears them coming, she's not even sure what they are. They can't leave a hive intact they can not let a single one of these things live, or they might start over. The vile substance comes her way and she can't dodge it all. The debuff warning appear in the corner of her HUD. She looks and mentally cringes as it does horrible things to her digital body. <br /><br /> She's thankful for the support but there are so many bugs coming after. She's got another plan as she's going to change element she uses her blade to take a few swipes at the swarm even as she attempts to focus with the feedback from the poison isn't pretty and she won't last too olong with just how long this stuff will last, She chants as she attempts to dance back once more runes fly about her and then rays of light attempt to seek out as many of the bugs as possible to impale them on beams of light.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:908|Gudako Ordria (908)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lezard discards his dirty body like...<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;... well, dirty docks.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This does not seem to bother Gudako, and in fact it's entirely possible she's jealous. Now THAT'S an optimal way to purge bodily woes. She caught a cold once, it set her off a whole week. A whole week of being terrible and bad and behind schedule. If she could have just burned her body and roamed around as a ghost, she would have!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;... though, that was before getting Caster. Colds aren't much an issue anymore, really, but it's the principle of it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arriving at the belltower, Gudako knocks on the iron bell a few times, and then turns to her foxy Servant. "Hey, this is magical, isn't it?" she asks her.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's old, master! It might just be enchanted to ring louder. What else would you enchant a bell for?" ... wait. Wait, she knows. "Ah! Fireproof bells, of course! I know someone who could really use one of those!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's just a guess. Caster does try to figure out what the enchantment is, before they head down for the voice.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He realizes he's only making a small dent in the flow of these things, and he's changing up his tactics because of it. Psyber adjusts his aim and leans in closer to Nathan, making a shield for the librarian as he uses something besides the rifle, "Nate, you doin alright?" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The rifle is gone in a flash and a sword crackling with electricity is in his hands. This, he wings towards an incoming wave of spiders. His swords unique sort of lightning had proven effective in Lordran before, and he's hoping it will again as he seeks to blast waves of spiders with holy-electric slashes.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The swarm isn't dispersing nearly as quickly as Haguro would like. Sure, the smallers guns are doing something, but just doing that doesn't sit well with the Fleet Daughter. Plus, getting involved in the fight means distracting herself from the nauseating stench at least for a little while. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Then again, it's not like she can sink too far in such a shallow swamp, right? And with the swarm bearing down on Mizuki, Nathan, and Psyber, she'll just have to try it anyway! Aiming her largest guns at the swarm and angling the turrets for maximum area coverage, she bides her time as Tomoe starts to send those runes out. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The girl-turned-ship waits, and she keeps waiting. She holds her fire until those rays of light start flying at the insect-creatures. It's only then that Haguro finally fires as well, trying to time her shots to take out as much of the swarm at once before potentially drawing their ire to herself as well.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For now, Kyra stores her samples not wanting to fuss with them when she has a patient to discover. More detailed analysis would be available on the sample one she had access to the lab on her ship. However, she doesn't need to do this to determine that this person is suffering from malnutrition and parasites-he has other tells that the physical examination betrays. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Mmm, cancer." Kyra comments, "One of the few things a cure spell can't deal with." It may, in fact, make them worse though she doesn't say this part out loud having just cast a cure spell on the man. She sidesteps quickly as the man starts hacking and motions for Saber to quickly let him go. She'll probably be relieved to do so, but at this point she thinks he won't bolt on her. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Patiently, she waits for her patient to stop hacking before continuing though at this point, she does so with a question, "Hello." she greets, "Do you have a name?" <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For the malnutrition, Kyra actually reaches into her backpack and takes out a ration pack. Contained inside is a biscut-like substance that is very dense and very filled with nutrients. She offers it to the man, having remembered her experienced with similarly impovershed people back in Zeal.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lezard has gone from imperious to kind of a little sulky. He JUST REPLACED HIS BODY. THEY ARE EXPENSIVE AND TAKE TIME TO DECANT. Ugh. Between that and HEROISM, he isn't being all that talkative now, simply emitting vague bad vibes into the general area. He does, however, look over the bell with a shrug. "If I remember correctly, this is one of the famed Bells of Awakening." Lezard comments. "I am not quite familiar with the precise enchantments upon them, only that the Chosen Undead is by legend supposed to ring two of them." <br /><br />He tips his head, listening to the odd words. "Hmm. If the magical signal you detect is that woman, we may be disappointed. Lady Priscilla will ill allow us to research the remaining Witches of Izalith, and they are reputed to be fairly dangerous pyromancers in their own right... Though to be honest it is more Lady Priscilla that would stay my hand more than they. Regardless, perhaps something can be learned in a less direct fashion, if one can figure out a means of communication."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:880|Nero (880)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "No excuses, Sir Emiya!" Saber points righteously at the offending party dramatically as she says so. "These are the terms of which you must meet before you will be allowed to wield a weapon of such radiance!" Or so she says. All of that said however, she turned away to have a look at the swarm of insects that Shirou was currently pondering about. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then a smile formed on her face. It was not a good smile. It was a "I'm going to show off' smile. "Very well! I shall do you a great favor, Sir Emiya! I shall show you what it means for a true wielder of Aestus Estus to take the stage!" Kyra seemed safe, so Saber let go of her patient and stepped away from her, towards the swarm. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One step. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Her sword flared to life again. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Two steps. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The flames intensified, radiating around the blade and extending off of it in waves. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Three steps. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kyra would feel a not insignificant pull from her MP. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Four steps. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The otherworldly sword was raised back, and the Servant grinned. "Bear witness, Sir Emiya! This is true radiance!" And she dove forward. "Greatness unparalleled! The true strength of an Emperor!" Descending upon what is left of the insect cloud after Haguro is finished firing upon them. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There is a flash of steep and red, and then nothing. Saber lands. "Mhmhmhm! Laus Saint Claudius!" She suddenly proclaims. And as if those words were the trigger, a chain of fiery explosions suddenly lets off. Brilliant prominence, reminiscent of a fireworks display, rips through the swarm of insects, aiming to set fire to everything. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As befitting some of her ridiculousness. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Let it not be said that this might be a bad idea.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:168|Nathan Hall (168)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nathan moves rather quickly to his shielded position, rattling off all the information he can find and being protected fromt the horrid beasts and their fire, mostly because one shot might take him out at any moment. With a dramatic twist of the arm, he's going to lock his ice armor into place, letting it expand out from his gauntlet. "I will be fine." He says, his voice as calm as ever. "Keep your focus. I will assist." With Psyber covering the more immediately relevant angles, Nathan can establish defenses behind him, reinforcing Haguro against the advancing hordes using Hastur magic to alter the terrain in his immediate vicinity. They're spiders, so they can mostly climb over, but holy shit, Nathan does NOT want to deal with that spewed fire, and he'd rather Psyber not have to either. The barricades of sorts will delay the spiders and block the blasts, and that's all he can do with that dramatic magical line-tracing in the air in front of him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As many of them as there are, and as goddamn /awful/ as they are, not having literally every living creature for miles bearing down on everyone at once makes handling them a lot easier for experienced, combat capable Elites. Having both Psyber and Mizuki blasting away at them doesn't put the diminished crag spiders at good odds. Though they crawl over their kindred's corpses with frantic disdain to puke their fiery innards over the two, Mizuki's portals more often than not send it splashing right back on them, and the arcing bolts of holy electricity find them by simple physics, frying dozens of them at a time as the remainder are cut down by hails of daggers, bullets and sword thrusts. Eventually, the horde is broken, turning tail and scrambling off, reduced to middling double digits without doing much more than light damage. Easy enough to pursue and run down, or root out over a few more days with care.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Likewise, Tomoe's scatter lasers skewer scores of the fragile mosquitoes, going down in waves as she casts. They exchange fire with a constant, steady bombardment, splashing her from head to toe in the vile, vaguely corrosive substance, stacking several DoT procs on her at once, though after a few, all it does is refresh the timer, not escalating her health drain further; though the drop is starting to reach a precipitous speed, they don't appear to actually have any other defensive mechanisms; probably how they're preyed on. The bulk of the swarm immediately goes up in flames as Haguro fires her incendiaries straight into it, blowing apart the densely packed furball and sending hails of insect cinders sizzling into the swamp below, but inevitably, the loud report of the main cannons draws out the other four, the cavern becoming a deafening roar of angry wings as the number of airborne enemies suddenly doubles in size. Volleys of poison splash relatively harmlessly against her decks, eating through metal, but not at any weaponized pace. More concerning are the leech things crawling up her sides now, and the fleeing crag spiders dropping onto her from above, warded off for the moment by Nathan, but as he anticipates, working their way over and around.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The obvious drawbacks of Saber's marginally terrible idea are mostly nulled by the briefly preceding cannons. In fact, it actually gives her more of a target. A dedicated anti-swarm Noble Phantasm of the general element the creatures are weak to is even more effective, abruptly carving through half the current number of flying aggressors, instantly cutting them down to a more manageable size. Her Master appears to be busy with something possibly more constructive though. Her patient has no idea what cancer even is, and seems to not be able to speak at all with his vocal chords jammed with cancerous tissue, but he goes through the effort of scratching words into the grime on the platform that take the standard translation software in Union radios to puzzle out as the almost absurdly simple 'Gregory'. A boring, bookish dork's name. The moment he realizes the thing she offers is edible, he begins cramming it down, as if he expects something to come to steal it. Indeed, a few of the more adventurous others are starting to slip out from their hiding places at the smell. It's not like there could really be much to eat down here.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lezard is correct on both accounts. The bell is indeed one of the paired Bells of Awakening, not all that much to look at, impressive only as a very old and fairly nice medieval church bell, but its humility has a gravitas of its own, sort of like a holy man of deliberately plain dress. Caster will find that the bell's enchantments are very deep and very old, warding it against time and conditions as a secondary condition, but with most of its magic tied up in some sort of link to its twin. It seems like both of them ringing would generate a circuit of some kind for a fairly powerful, metaphysical signal despite their individually unimpressive aura, but even with EX rank magic, she can't really tell what the signal means to whom, being a matter of practical code rather than spellcraft.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The greater impression of magic intensifies as they venture further down, somehow muted by the webbing, growing past the point where it's fairly unmemorable and swiftly climbing to an unusually high level. As Lezard has anticipated, Gudako is laying eyes for the first on one of the Witches, specifically Quelaana, the youngest sister, clearly inhuman to various senses than just the eyes seeing her inhumanly pallid face, stark white hair and blood red eyes. She appears to be speaking to what appears to be some kind of eggsac laid by some grotesquely oversized arachnid, but a second later the sight of a human figure buried underneath it becomes visible, or more accurately, the eggs have been laid /inside/ of him, larger than he is and straining the flesh of his back. He appears to be fixed in feverish prayer as she speaks gently to him, an ruby red corona of oddly contoting fire from her hand slowly burning the eggs away with little hisses and squeals of whatever awful things were inside and waiting to hatch. There are quite a few of these types around, crawling across the floor pitifully, but a handful of them seem to have been processed, recovering a corner whilst eating some kind of . . . fuzzy acorn things. It looks like fire magic, but the senses indicate quite clearly that it isn't quite the same.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:908|Gudako Ordria (908)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"He's right, master~. The bell has a very powerful spell on it, but I can't discern what it would do. Maybe with more time, but I think finding a book that talks about it in-depth would be easier than prying its secrets out," Caster tells Gudako, who has already started wandering down the stairs ahead, not listening. Whoops.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With his suspicions confirmed and the three of them coming across a woman, evidently talking to giant spider eggs inside a person, Gudako tilts her head a bit, mostly trying to piece together what she's saying. It doesn't work, obviously. She's still smiling, at least!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So she's a witch? She seems kind of friendly, if you're into spiders! Hello, hello lady! I'm Gudako, this is Caster, and he's mister Valeth!" Introductions being done, she turns to Lezard and stage-whispers, except it's not whispering at all and she's using her usual volume: "Ssssooooo... what now? I bet those eggs she's talking to would be great for your research. Maybe they're like, special witch-spiders. Oh! Maybe you could trade her something for them, if we're not supposed to beat her up. But if she's putting eggs in people why would the Union care?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Subtlety is not her forte.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Caster warns: "Master, you should be a bit more respectful to her. She feels like a pretty potent magic-user. I couldn't guarantee protection." Unfortunately, Gudako just shrugs the warning off.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And so Aelinos is drawn out of a gaping wound in her penultimate foe, then an arc of light cleaves the last one of her group in half. They fall as so many before them, leaving Mizuki to desummon her sword and attend to damage control. Thankfully, in this case most of the damage is purely psychological. Her portals proved a fairly strong defense, but an imperfect one; several globs of that rancid, fiery mucus made their way on to her, burning her and forcing no small quantity of those glittering flecks that fall from her form when she is harmed to appear and subsequently flare out of existence. That really didn't do much damage to her, but the mere fact that something here had made contact with her, let alone some diabolical waste products produced by a Blighttown native, is enough to drive her up the hive-festooned walls.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So she is still a moment. She draws a deep, deep breath, closes her eyes, and imagines the immaculate interior of the Palace of White Lilies. Ahhh, the sterility of the hallways, the freshness of the open skies encompassing, the pearly white aura that so enveloped it all... there mere thought gives her some measure of reprieve. Some of the trauma ebbs away, only for her to have it all come rushing back when she opens her eyes to appraise the dismal state of the shanties that line this forsaken crevice of Creation. So when that breath finally ends and she has the opportunity to exhale some of her bitter aggravation, she does so with a potent scowl. The existence of this place is absolutely unconscionable.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And this is precisely why they're going to fix it. What exactly have the others been doing while she's been wrapped up in all this, again? Ah, well, she'll address that query on the radio. For now she's just going to fade comfortably out of existence and linger near Psyber for the remainder of her stay here. She is, frankly, very eager to leave, and she doesn't want to risk making contact with any more grime and gore this evening.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;... though all that said, Mizuki's eyes widen a moment when she realizes just how much issue she takes with the deplorable conditions here. I-Is she really so concerned with cleanliness? Even when she is one of the few creatures in the world privileged enough to evade any need for biological maintenance? Really, it's something of an embarrassing thought. She never realized just how much she embodied her projected archetype until this instant.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's just as well that she's invisible now. She's probably blushing a little.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Weeeeeeell. However that works, Shirou's suitably IMPRESSED by the collective firepower being wielded down there. Unfortunately there's not a heck of a lot that he can do to add to it all without completely emptying his limited prana supplies. But with the Servant and Hagura cutting an amazing swath through it... "That'll work!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dropping the bow, he forges Kanshou and Bakuya in both hands and HURLS them down into the darkness in wide arcs. Their mutual gravity drags the weapons through a swooping arc through what's left of the swarm. Might take down several of the things, but nothing on the scale the others are accomplishing!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He ends up... sweatdropping at Red Saber's bravado. "She's absolutely NOTHING like her." He mumbles to himself. Oh, he's impressed, but the appearance is just... TOO JARRING in some ways. Like nails on a chalkboard, this behavior and THAT FACE.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Why did she have HER face...?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:880|Nero (880)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Once the lightshow was over with, Saber straightened up and immediately had a round of obnoxious laughter. "Our foes have been routed! As expected of me! Ah ha ha ha ha!" And then she whirled around and pointed straight at Shirou, not minding the twin swords boomeranging past her. "Now you see, Sir Emiya? This is what it means to wield the might of a ruler! I hope you have properly witnessed this feat and burned it into your commoner's memory banks!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dispelling Aestus Estus, she crossed her arms and strode back over to Kyra's general vicinity. "For as bleak as your prospects of reaching true greatness, true radiance, are. I am not so cruel as to deny a man such as you a proper primer on the use of a blade of my calibur! Rejoice! For I am truly kind!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And to top it off, she huffed, puffing out her chest with her hands on her hips in a proud display. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ...Like a peacock, really.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe has been given a breather by the destroyer's primary weapons even as her debuff keeps stacking nad by this point her HP bar's a good way into the yellow and is showing no signs of going back up even with her battle healing, which serves only to delay the posion that's effecting het. Still they seem to be making progress and with Sabers help, Haguro's, Psyber,s Shirou's and others they have managed to beat the things back and Tomoe is getting the beck back to the group, and her HP's bar by when all is said and done, is in the red now. <br /><br /> "This is going to be a long time to clean this place..." <br /><br /> She just looks at Saber and would be putting in the sweat drop emoticon if she was in SAO or GGO she can only stare at Saber. Which likely only fuels Saber's ego even more.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This just gets that sweatdroppy look Shirou was showing much worse, though he tries to hide it in a hurry.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yeah. She's... NOTHING like her at all. Some part of him is churning violently at this disparity. Augh.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It was quite a show!" He agrees rather genuinely. ".. That wouldn't have gone so well if you weren't a Heroic Spirit though! Just charging into the thick of all that muck..." Oh look, he's worried about her. Maybe kinda!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shirou's like that! "We're gonna be at this for a while," He adds, glancing around the cavern. Which is HUGE. And stinky. And rotten to the core.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lezard frowns as he looks upon the Witch burning out the parasitic eggs, and adjusts his glasses. "These beings are afflicted with a type of parasitic egg that twists those who are inflicted with them. She is not putting them in, but she is killing them." He explains. "She is using a powerful type of Pyromancy that draws upon a far more powerful and dangerous source than normal Pyromancy, which has the power to not only destroy life, but alter it in unpredictable ways. I have been deciphering it myself, but my experiments have mostly resulted in... failures."<br /><br />Don't look in Lezard's basement. <br /><br />He shrugs with a sigh. "What would be far more valuable than these wretched parasites is her knowledge, but sadly only Master Hall has managed to successfully converse with them at all to my knowledge. If you wish to acquire some of the spawn, however, we can probably remove some from one of the others down the way." He gestures past the Witch, out into the caverous, demonic-looking area ahead.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Between Haguro, Shirou, Saber and Tomoe, the remainder of the battle is essentially nondescript. The poor magus gets pelted with an unfortunate amount of poisonous slush, but the only real threat had been the sheer volume of enemies, and pretty quickly they're torched and slashed out of the sky. It'll be a relatively trivial matter to burn the hives shortly after and seal off the little nooks they've been built in with some earth manipulation or low tier magic. That marks the end of everything aggressive that can get up high, and thus directly threatening to the 'town' itself, though the swamp below is still teeming, a serious issue for reasons besides. The spiders are fortunately being destroyed at the source by Quelaana, and so won't be a recurring issue. The platforms are in no danger of collapsing in the meantime, reinforced from below for the forseeable short term.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Quelaana quickly turns her head to look back at the sound of Gudako's, Caster's and Lezards voices, that ancient, gold-hemmed black hood falling back slightly with the sudden movement. She hesitates for a moment, biting her lower lip as she seems to think about something, before, surprisingly, managing a passable attempt at fumbling human speech. Well it only makes sense. It has been months by now. "Hello! . . . I am . . . removing . . . eggs. Only demons . . . come out of them. No good. Blight gone . . . Eingyi left . . . sister gone to find . . . others . . . Burdened . . . vermifuge." If either of them were present previously for comparison, hearing her speak in a tone any stronger than a hoarse, dying whisper would be kind of alarming. She shakes her head sadly. "Do not want. Chaos . . . spread. More eggs. More spiders. Didn't work."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:908|Gudako Ordria (908)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oooooh."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Woops, complete misunderstanding. So these are just random cave spiders, then. The same they saw on the way over! What a waste. "Nah, I'm alright. I don't have a use for weird pets," she answers.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Caster grimaces. "Bleh, bugs. Bugs are icky. I've rather experiment with cute things. Like rabbits! Not spiders."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Sooooo, this person is some sort of monster-slaying hero who uses fancy fire magic, then?" Ah, wait! She can talk! In-- translated. English? Common? Ah, who cares, it's actually understood!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You don't want chaos to spread? Why not? Chaos and excitement is what keeps people going! Peace just makes people weaken over time and become defenseless." Alright, Lezard might not want to let that girl do the talking if he actually intends to convince the ancient witch to share the secret of her powers.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Though, why you? Why can't it be all the other heroes running around? Is it because of the super special fire magic? If you wanted chaos to go away it'd be easier to give everyone the power to fight it than to try to fight it yourself." Whether or not she finds the prospect boring, she can't help but speak about optimizing the system when she can. Call it a compulsion.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lezard actually looks slightly surprised as the Witch speaks to him in a language that he can understand. "You can talk. I see." He does in fact suddenly reach out and cover Gudako's mouth with a spectral hand. It's as solid as flesh even if the gloved hand doesn't feel quite the same as leather might. <br /><br />It probably does absolutely nothing to make Gudako's gaze less unsettling. Possibly even moreso. "Please do not mind my associate, she is new to this land and is still learning much." Lezard states. "We can assist with your work if you wish, and help you to learn our tongue to make it easier to speak with people." He offers. "There is much we can learn from one another." <br /><br />Pay no mind to the slightly ominous gleam off his glasses right there. It's in his contract.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Quelaana smiles very briefly, but it disappears quite suddenly. "Not a hero. My . . . fault. People grateful. Tried . . . to help. Only suffered . . . in the end. I will . . . fix it. Burn spiders. Purge . . . parasites. Go back . . . to normal." She pauses thoughtfully, wrangling out the linguistics at work here. "Not chaos . . . Chaos . . ." the capital C is audible mostly in the way that the two words are audibly different before translation. "Perverted Flame. Old . . . mistake . . . mother made. This is . . . new home . . . on way to old home. Leave for old home when . . . all is right here. Sister find the others. Remove Chaos now . . . Bed is gone."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods a little more happily to Lezard. "I have . . . been learning! Soapstone signs and books. Talk to . . . people in Anor Londo. Make . . . agreement. Talk to Archlord . . . soon. Sister . . . better than I am. Come back again? Came come to old home. Lots of . . . time. Talk to sisters."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tomoe sees the combat has come to an end she's tired after a fight like this, well not physically but mentally? It feels like she's been through it all and her body thinks she needs to rest she lowers her weapon and pulls back seeing they have cleared out things for the moment.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:908|Gudako Ordria (908)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gudako can't much empathize with the witch, though she's not so far disconnected she can't grasp what's being explained. Kinda. That broken speech is still a bit hard to piece in places!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So you're seeking redemption for a super old mistake! That's a tough road, you know? But it sounds like you've been walking it for a while! Mmm mmm~."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The smiling magus doesn't contribute much more, leaving the trickery and lying to Lezard. Caster, on the other hand, looks sufficiently solemn and down that one could guess she probably has a much firmer grasp on the concept of guilt and regrets than her previously cheery attitude lets on.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lezard listens carefully, and nods. "Yes, we will return and offer our help in any way we can." He smiles, as if trying to assure the Witch that he is also in fact not a psychopath in his own way. <br /><br />But then again, this is Lordran. /Everyone's/ goddamn insane. "We will leave you to your work, and return soon." It's at this point that Lezard begins ushering Gudako away from the witch. Not because he's worried so much about damage control, but he wants to continue this when the heroes aren't around to GET IN THE WAY. THOSE MEDDLING KIDS AND THAT BOAT!<br> <br>


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