View source for 4098/Elimination: Urban Decay (1)

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/05/11
|Location=Lumiere
|Synopsis=An attempt to reduce the threat level of the Urban Decay results in the discovery of a new sub-area of it. Confederates, Syndicate, and Union work together to eliminate the enemy!
|Cast of Characters=42, 778, 903, 954, 974, 984
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:974|Carna (974)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Urban Decay is much as it has been in previous visits. A rambling, sprawling mess of buildings and streets and garbage and wreckage and the ultra-hostile Unlit lurking everywhere. Unlike simple, stupid zombies of many other worlds, while they are in many ways even MORE mindless, they also exhibit a predator's cunning. They lie in wait. They set up ambushes. They seem to have an awareness of their environment and how to use it. It's something LIKE instinct, but without the connotations of life, survival, or primitive awareness one would expect of a beast. This contradictory existence of theirs does not seem to bother them, lacking the sanity or self to even consider such ideas.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yet, despite the statements that have been made, that the Living have all died and that is why Lumiere is in this state... Because ALL life has ended... So far, if one discounts the mimics in the tower of Escher, no creatures that did not look at least basically human have been encountered. If the Unlit can come from ANYTHING that once lived, or at least borrow the forms of those that did, then where are the non-human Unlit? A question to consider certainly. But not the objective of this operation.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No, in this sunless, moonless, starless, murky ruin of a world-city the goal that brings together disparate parties is to attempt to purge as many Unlit as possible from the Urban Decay. The Urban Decay is actually where most Lanterns begin their existence as sane beings. And as apparently the closest thing Lumiere has to 'people' (if one does not count the native Lit who are now nearly extinct thanks to the Unlit who became Lanterns by feasting upon the sane Dead awaiting reincarnation), offering some form of protection by reducing the general threat level seems like a noble aspiration. Not all Lanterns are fighters, after all. Some are basically civilians. Merchants. Informants. Craftspeople. Or newly-aware undead existences that have yet to explore what it means to be sane before they are consumed by those they just ascended from.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A torturous existence of dying and dying and never knowing why. If that could be alleviated, why wouldn't you?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, there are other reasons for some. The Stone Devils, an Order based out of the City Limits, could use room to operate in their pursuit of a plan to keep Lumiere broken. To ensure the Unlit continue to exist, and Lanterns too, and to use them both in establishing a true empire of the dead, under the gaze of a former Lord of Silence, 'Los'. An empire of the undead with a god-like being guiding them to a future of fire and shadow and blood, and who in turn owe the Confederacy for their success... That could be a very useful ally.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There are many things to consider, as people arrive individually or together, and assemble or roam on their own through the not-do-deserted-as-they-seem streets, simply attempting to destroy the Unlit wherever they may be found. And yet...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To stop them from simply climbing back up from somewhere below, finding the soure of the invasion might be a good way to end it. And for that, delving into the darker areas of the Urban Decay may be needed... And facing enemies more fearsome than mindless shells.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:954|Count Kord (954)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kord came to Lumiere with purpose. In part, it was a secret alliance with the Stone Devils that drove him to try to destroy the mindless husks that the Unlit often were. His goals here were as ambiguous as ever, not even told fully to Karal, the person he hired to accompany him on this excursion so that he would at least have a competent warrior to watch his back along the journey.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He would not wait for the others. There is simply no point in moving in a large group. He would lead her silently past the mindless undead, striking down only those immediately in the way as he focuses entirely on finding a way down into the darker areas of the Urban Decay. He searches for those things that even the monstrous dead fear, the predators that bear no human form that seek only to eat and eat and serve no greater purpose besides.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's pretty good with that scythe. Scarily so, actually, enough that it takes very little exertion to cut down the least threatening Unlit. Still, it DOES take effort, which is why he's avoiding wasting his energy on trying to exterminate all of the small fry. He moves with a graceful and silent step, and with a ruffling of his cloak. "If a Lantern attacks you, do not second guess it. They are an enemy warrior that must be dispatched," he tells Karal without pausing much to wait for her or any others that he brought along with him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ebon Ribbon is not the most dangerous of creatures, even with her Ebon Streamers, but with Kord leading the way she merely picks off those Unlit that he either misses or passes before they come within range. If her draining power does not finish them, she wraps her ribbons around them and sends them smashing into a wall or other Unlit. Unlike Kord, she doesn't really have to worry about wasting energy. She draws more with each victim she claims. "They taste strange." the dark pony comments as they make their way through the town. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She takes note of Kord's skill with his scythe, and smirks lightly at his power. If she has to follow someone, at least it is someone strong and graceful, like herself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:984|Karal Rei Lin (984)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>In the customs of Grantine and - to a lesser extent - Lookshy, Karal Rei Lin is a mercenary as much as she's a martial artist. If there's going to be fights she doesn't mind fighting, she may as well profit from them!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, few would take a job into what seems to be a foreign Underworld and face the dead. She might be uniquely crazy in that the idea didn't ENTIRELY unsettle her. And the pay was good.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Trusting that her skills and, failing that, Solar power would see her to victory she signed up with little delay and dropped in behind Kord for the ride.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Down through a stomach-lurching warp gate and into a ruined, skyless city though.... THAT experience has her on edge. Bad enough that the place is filled with stagnant power she can't respire well and a trickle of power from outside that she can - it is, in her lexicon, a Shadowland.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Which means she'll need to rest longer between major bouts.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Understood, sir. You be on guard too! Who /knows/ what could come crawling out of such places."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On the way to the meeting place, whenever Unlit emerge to threaten them... Lin's upon them in a rush of light steps and a flash of steel that cleaves heads from shoulders the instant her weapon's drawn.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She doesn't seem TOO perturbed by the dead, despite occasionally wincing and making disgusted faces...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a disturbance in the Force, which means Kyle heeds its call once more as he begins to wander the multiverse. There's no alliance he has with Lumiere's residence, just curiosity and a niggling desire to help where he can.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He doesn't expect Kord to wait for anybody, so the Jedi just follows with a brisk pace in his steps. No reason to dawdle with this going on, so he just keeps his unlit lightsaber in hand while they're met with Unlit.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The weapon ignites with that high pitched whining hiss, before Kyle cuts an Unlit down when they rush the group. Another is hit with the force of a cannonball as Kyle uses the actual Force to send it flying towards the nearest hard surface. Good luck getting up from that one.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ebon gets a wary glance, but right now more important stuff is at hand, so he'll play nice long as she does.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren is here punctually. Armored, and again with the crossbow. Kord's plan sounds worth a shot -- if there's some 'source', attacking it would be more efficient than just purging the city of zombies. In keeping with the mission, he attacks only those directly in the way, and he tries the repeating crossbow with bolts dipped in holy water again -- this time with the ritual recalibrated to these things instead of walking corpses -- rather than use his noisy weapons, at least for this part of the mission. This time, the shot undead begin to burn, Staren pumping a fist in victory the first time he sees it -- "Yessss!" -- and then to frown as he sees that it's more of a normal fire effect than the 'burn to ash in seconds' effect it had on the draugr in Kingsmouth. He may as well have just used incendiary bolts... still, it's better than last time. Staren nods at Kord's suggestion. "From the sound of things, they come back anyway. ...Most of us don't." Losing his stack somewhere noone can get to could be a problem, but he's not going to go into the details of how his 'immortality' works with feds around.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ebon gets a curious look. "Who're /you/? I've been to Equestria tons of times and I don't think I've ever seen you... although, I guess I've mostly just seen Ponyville..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:974|Carna (974)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the mish-mashed group of Confederates, Union, and mercenary Syndicate move through the streets, cutting down Unlit as they're encountered, fending off at least seventeen ambushes, and having to dodge or disarm traps, AND a Lantern up in a tower shooting cross bow bolts at them that is probably more trouble to go after than to just stay out of sight of, they enter an area of unusual uniformity. Whereas most of the Urban Decay is a chaotic jumble of buildings and structures from various ages and cultures of Earth, the course they follow leads them through a run-down neighborhood which abruptly just stops. Its sloping streets, gradually descending and descending, terminate. There's a ledge here. And over that ledge can be seen even more of the same Urban Decay, though even larger if appearances are to be believed. Of course, it's hard to tell in this gloom just how far this lower plateau extends, but this is where that uniform appearance begins.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It appears that this is where every shopping mall in the world was dumped when the world ended, because that's all that can be seen. Stores, boutiques, towers, skybridges, parking garages, and buildings both intact and gutted with their windows and doors boarded up, or their walls exploded out into the streets to dump Cinnabon signs and torn-up stuffed animals, and coin-operated arcade machines in such numbers that they form a literal mountain...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Why this specific area should have such a theme to it is unknown.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But it's definitely deeper into Lumiere. And even from here, movement can be seen down in the streets, even if vague and extremely distant. How fortunate that there's also a mountain of escalators all stacked up against the side of the cliff, providing a function if unstable slope downwards...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:954|Count Kord (954)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The attendance of Staren and Kyle marks a look from Kord that could be perceived as impatient as he and his own party is followed. He just lets out a heavy sigh, having preferred a smaller team with people he can at least expect a certain kind of behavior from. The darkly dressed Yveltal-aligned man calmly disarms traps, taking his time and using paths that run alongside the normal road by climbing and hopping across obstacles using his inhuman agility.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Reaching the next area of the Urban Decay marks an area of particular note. A shopping area. Even someone with an antiquated notion of economic workings remarks, "A mercantile district...?" He doesn't think about it too hard. Using his ability to fly to keep his steps light and prevent the toppling of the escalators, he just leaps forward and glides down one graceful hop at a time, his scythe shimmering against his muted silhouette and his descent resembling some kind of ninja. He keeps his eyes out for Lantern activity on the way down, so he knows who to drop on top of like a fierce owl drops on a mouse.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A pair of vaguely shaped wings manifest from his back as he descends, helping him to drift down with some kind of magical force.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyle manages to alert the group to any ambushes and traps ahead of time, which helps them out of a jam more than once as they make it to the shopping mall. "Guess there isn't much in the way of merchandise left." He observes dryly.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hopping over a rail to the nearest escalator, he makes his way down the broken stairs with his lightsaber humming, the weapon providing a decent amount of light around him as he makes a descent downwards.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;All the while, he trusts the Force to warn him ahead of time of any threats coming his or others' way.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ebon Ribbon smirks lightly as she notices Kyle's wary glance, but she seems interested only in draining and destroying the Unlit today. "Do not worry, little human. You are not on my menu today." she says as they fight off errant undead. Staren's look and question draws a light 'hmph' from the pony. "And of course, all ponies are expected to live in Ponyville and be friee-eeends~." She puts on an entirely too cheerful expression and sing-songs the word friends, but the way her face drops back to a frown afterword makes it clear she does not have the bright outlook on friendship that many ponies do. Or even a bright outlook at all. She also does not go into where she is from. But, she does at least introduce herself. "I am Ebon Ribbon. It is nice to meet you." she says, speaking with manners but with very little sincerity. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After the team battles its way through the seemingly endless Unlit and avoids that one troublesome Lantern, Ebon Ribbon gazes over the vast destroyed shopping area, then down at the 'stairs'. "...this looks rather unstead. Staren, be a dear and test the most stable course for me?" she says, giving a move along gesture that Staren has likely seen Rarity use dozens of times. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whether Staren does so or not, others start making their way down. This gives at least some idea of where to go, and Ebon extends her five ribbons to act as safty lines as she starts down herself. Having no extraordinary abilities beyond those ribbons, she takes her time making her way down. It will probably take her a few minutes, depending on how tall the cliff is.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren blinks at Ebon. Well, it's clear what sort of person /she/ is. He doesn't have time to argue philosophy with her now, though... well, maybe he does, but it doesn't seem like the place for it. "I'm Staren. Nice to meet you too." He says, almost flatly. Then he walks down the stairs... flying would be faster, but it seems not everyone can do that and he doesn't want to get isolated.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:984|Karal Rei Lin (984)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lin ends up somehow managing to PARRY crossbow bolts with her sword, though it wobbles and flexes DANGEROUSLY from the impacts. One might question just HOW she's managing such, but not a one slips through her guard even though she's forced to backpedal and ajust her stance repeatedly. "Sniping from up there, good strategy..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But the counter strategy is to take cover and just keep on pressing through. She has no way to deal with that guy from here and her job's protecting Kord, dicing up nearby threats and striking out at targets of opportunity... not chasing snipers across the city!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well hopefully he'll run out of bolts or decide shooting her's pointless soon enough. And Kord, who's under her protection.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A few of those bolts DO end up close shaves though, her angles of impact being not quite right and nearly ricocheting into her arm or leg instead of nearly straight up and away!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Into the... bazaar district? A bizarre place indeed by Lin's standards. Its purpose is not immediately clear, but all the signs... she can read SOME of them. "Looks like a bazaar! A marketplace! Something. Not many stalls around.... everyone's rich enough to have had their own BUILDING?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The redhead can't help but stare in some level of disbelief. The architecture, the richness of this place, and yet... all in ruins.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lin has no trouble descending the mound of escalators, always staying one floor below Kord in case he falls and she might need to catch him. She hops around them much like some kind of strange ninja, stepping lightly - not any of her movements seem enough to rattle or shake or dislodge the strange stackwork, even if it would seem that her weight and inertia should do so.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But then she looks up, sees Kord just sort of float-stepping his way down and just... jawdrops.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Uh."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Seems her carefulness was misplaced in this one occasion.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:974|Carna (974)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As they gradually all make their way downwards, by one method or another (with some small scares for those using the escalator as the terrain shifts underneath them, but nothing actually falls or gives way) the disparately-minded groups and individuals find themselves standing on a street leading between two buildings linked by a trashed sky bridge. Those keen to danger, or with powers like the Force, may notice it sooner than the others. Something large and dark working its way through the bridge. It's long, and based on its outline, somewhat shaggy. And though it has four limbs it doesn't seem to be moving on them the way a human would. Infact... Six limbs? It stops to sniff at various points, but continues on from one building to the other--<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Only to halt, sniff the ground, then the air, and then turn its head to face those below. Its huge size prevents it from easily turning in the sky bridge, but from what can be seen of its darkened features, its malformed maw, its glinting eyes, and the general lupine shape of its head... It's like some oversized wolf. Though one that is longer than even a large wolf would be. Like it's been stretched, or like one giant wolf had the rear third of its body torn off, and another giant wolf had the rear two-thirds of its body torn off, and then the two-thirds of the second were sewn onto the two-thirds of the other.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It just altogether looks incredibly unnatural and serpent-like, while still retaining the anatomical features of a huge wolf monster. It sees those below, and it growls at them before hurrying along into the next mall structure.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...Well, that was disturbing and probably not good!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Especially when, about thirty seconds later, the stuck revolving doors of that mall explode outwards in a shower of glass and steel in tandem with the snake-wolf monster as it comes barreling out into the street, moving with terrifying speed given its bulk and the nightmare image of an apex predator coming right at them, snapping its powerful jaws, black saliva (or is it blood?) flying everywhere.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What a welcome.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:974|Carna (974)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>                             New Area Discovered:<br /><br />                            TTTT    HH  HH   EEEEE<br />                             TT     HH  HH   EE   <br />                             TT     HH  HH   EE<br />                             TT     HHHHHH   EEEE<br />                             TT     HH  HH   EE<br />                             TT     HH  HH   EE<br />                             TT     HH  HH   EEEEE<br /><br />              AA        RRRRRRR    CCCCC        AA        DDDDDD    EEEEE<br />             AAAA       RR   RR    CC          AAAA       DD   DD   EE<br />            AA  AA      RR   RR    CC         AA  AA      DD   DD   EE<br />           AA    AA     RRRRRRR    CC        AA    AA     DD   DD   EEEE<br />          AAAAAAAAAA    RR   RR    CC       AAAAAAAAAA    DD   DD   EE<br />         AA        AA   RR    RR   CC      AA        AA   DD   DD   EE<br />        AAAA      AAAA  RR    RRR  CCCCC  AAAA      AAAA  DDDDDDS   EEEEE<br /><br />                                <span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ hy">Ruins of Commerce</span><br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A dead shopping mall? "Maybe we could learn about the culture of the Living by seeing what they had for sale..." Staren suggests. But then there's a wolf. He levels the crossbow at it, but is waiting for it to display clear hostility before firing... and instead, it walks off. Well, okay then. He lowers the crossbow, and turns to head into one of the stores...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then another door explodes. Staren turns and takes to the air, wings manifesting behind his armor as he tries to keep out of range of the wolf, firing the crossbow. Will it even /do/ anything? But he at least has to try not to attract more hordes of unlit...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ebon Ribbon actually seems to find some fiendish delight in how Staren reacts. A light smirk crosses her face as she makes her way down escalator mountain. And a bit of jealousy as it seems everyone but her has a quick and easy way down. The pony has to be especially careful. Going down stairs is not nearly as easy as going up them, especially with four legs. She has to rely on her safety ribbons more than once, but she doesn't fall. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When they reach the bottom and start into the shopping district, Ebon raises an eyebrow. "...why would the dead make so many malls in one area? It seems more like one of those straits or plains in the Multiverse, if you ask me." she says. Then, her ears perk as she notices that wolf...thing. She is a bit weirded out by it. "What in...Celestia's mane?" she says. As it moves off, she backs away. That looked like a predator to her, and a hungry predator does not just leave. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When the door explodes outward, Ebon's own instincts kick in and her five ribbons fly toward it. "I will be no one's meal!" she exclaims as her five ribbons converge on a spot just in front of the charging wolf-ipede. The space in front of it dimples, then the area grows even darker as she creates a minor singularity. A black hole. It tries to draw the energy from the creature and tries to pull the creature toward it, and a few moments later it explodes like a powder keg. "Find your food elsewhere!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If this is a welcome, Kyle hates to see what would happen when unwanted guests arrive. He's on high alert, covering his corners before he senses a creature approaching them. "I sense...something, something nasty. We got trouble, guys."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then, lizard wolf thing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He adopts a fighting stance with his lightsaber gripped tight, using the Force to protect himself and others to repel glass shards a little too close for comfort. He flings back a few of the shards, before he closes in to try and slash at the creature to claim a limb.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:984|Karal Rei Lin (984)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Some instinct DOES indeed seem to guide Lin's attention towards the distant danger. On pure instinct she takes a combat stance, hand drifting down near her sword while looking up. "Some kind of wolf-lizard hybrid?!" Ohhhhhh crap it's noticed them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She checks over her gear while sticking near Kord. "Get ready for it. Doesn't look like it's gonna overlook---" CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The goes the mall foyer...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"--PREY!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Growling, she now actually DOES reach for that sword. "*HAAAIIIIIT!*"<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The very next instant she's skidding along the ground PAST the creature, a terrific wind flowing through the vacuum her lightning-like movement between here and there caused. Lin skids and twirls around on the ground, blade already sheathed. But her hand's on it again, and this time... now BEHIND the creature - having, if that strike went well, slashed a gash in its side - she charges it from behind. If she can close in then what follows is a flowing sequence of slashes and slices to test its hide!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:954|Count Kord (954)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The descent is uneventful, which is definitely good for Kord. He keeps his eyes on what the others are doing on the way down to the Arcade. He does notice the creature long before they get within combat distance of it. When it dips out of view and everyone waits, he grabs the scythe by the haft with his other hand. The war scythe's shine slowly melts away until--<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The beast emerges in a shatter of glass and a lot of noise!!! His eyes widen behind his helmet, and his head twitches to take momentary stock of where the others are and their trajectory in the immediate battlefield. He then dashes forward with his own fluid grace and not nearly as much speed as Karal. He tries to step alongside the creature into its periphery while it's distracted either with dodging or from pain, and he gives a nice big vicious swing of his scythe with a Dark-infused attack! A swing that is followed by a merciless disc of slicing shadow made of the creature's own shade!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:974|Carna (974)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren's crossbow bolts slam into the creature, making its spirit-flesh sizzle and smoke, and Ebon Ribon's singularity attack does heavy damage to the monster... Blowing the flesh off its skull front-body, leaving it skeletonized there. Now it's even grosser. It was thrown off course, and the slashes by Kord and Kyle and Karal remove some of its mobility, causing the wolf-snake-pede to come crashing into the ground and sliding forward with some missing limbs. It comes to a stop right in front of Ebon Ribbon.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Is it... Re-Dead? As Karal slashes into its hide from behind, finding the psuedo-tissue to be quite susceptible to her attacks, actually splattering in sprays of gore, the immobile beast suddenly returns to activity, snarling and snapping at the pony as it whips itself around to try to attack those behind it, even though large chunks of its body are missing and it is becoming increasingly skeletonized.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That whipping movement slams Count Kord through a display window into a dress shop with tremendous force, laying him out. He might still be able to get up and fight, and others can surely get to him eventually as well, but for the moment at least, the group is down by one member.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The thing seems to take damage readily, though the fact it's not already down for the count is perhaps surprising. Still, with this many Elites hammering on it, it shouldn't last much longer.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren keeps shooting it, but he decides to step up a little as the sound of a fight is sure to attract any nearby undead anyway. He fires his beam cannons, and then slings the crossbow over his back and flies down, beam sabers drawn, trying to dart in and slash at exposed bone. If he can find an exposed weak point, will this thing start falling apart??<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ebon Ribbon grins as the beast slides to a stop right in front of her, then dances back like a deer as it slashes and snaps at her. It manages to catch her in her left flank, causing her to cry out, but then it turns around and goes for those a bit more dangerous than Ebon. Still, the pony is not about to back off. She sends her snake-like ribbons out to wrap around the wolf-snake-thing, and starts draining what energy the thing has left. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ebon is somewhat slowed by the slash to her flank, so it is a good thing the creature is going after Kord and Kyle.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It ain't going down, we need a plan!" Kyle says, before he charges for the monster. Best he can do is follow Staren's method before slashing the beast's more bony protrusions, trying to take it out by pieces at a time. There's really no other fancy trick to this, just pure improvisation.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:984|Karal Rei Lin (984)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's so many WEIRD weapons and attack methods being used here that Lin's not so sure she brought the right weapon. Well in fact... maybe she did.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Gh... not much vitals to strike when it's this big and just keeps taking it!! Gonna have to change tactics!" Lin's forced to her toes when the creautre whips around and starts flail-biting. A fang manages to rip into her shoulder and again into her side as she backs up and fends off the slices with her blade. The fact that she isn't being ENTIRELY BOWLED OVER by its great force and weight - AND THE PAIN - is something, though.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But when its attention shifts again... she winces upon seeing Kord go flying.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, if he wanted to depend on her, he shouldn't've joined the fight.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Gotta say I'm pretty excited! Haven't dealt with a monster like this before!!" Sheathing her sword, what little serenity there was in her stance melts away in favor of boiling spirit and a wild grin. "Let's try THIS INSTEAD!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With a fierce woop she LEAPS up high, SPRINGS off a nearby building and whips around in midair like a twisting cat, both arms gripping... the air?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not just the air!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As lin SWINGS downwards something's pulled from nowhere. A handle as big as her arm seemingly of carved stone, wrapped thickly in cloth to soften the grip. This is the handle of a FAR, FAR bigger club - one nearly twice as long as she is tall, and shaped in a tapering, sharp angle very like the tooth of some unfathomably large beast being wielded by the point. At least it's symmetrical, more or less, but clearly NOT too well balanced.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What IS clear is that it SHOULD weigh two or three times what Lin does, yet... "HRRRYAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She comes SLAMMING down on the thing's spine with enough thunderous force that, should it impact, the GROUND BENEATH IT WILL SHATTER.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:974|Carna (974)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While the energy Ebon Ribbon absorbed from the other Unlit was dry and hungry, the Dead Lights she saps from this beast are more... Bloody and hungry. And there's a lot more energy to take than there was in the human-looking Unlit. As she drains it, it falters in its counter-attack. Staren's beam cannons blast away the remainders of the flesh on its front and back, and his sabers carve into its middle. When Kyle starts tearing into the dead thing as well, it's too much. The lightsaber severs the front half from the rear half, and actually tears apart, spilling putrid guts and several still-moving Unlit bodies onto the street. Somehow, its scent wasn't especially noticeable until now, and even AFTER being torn in half, while it doesn't smell GOOD, it isn't quite as awful as if this were a zombie made of skin.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To be clear, it's still extremely gross and rotten-scented. But not to the level that would cause living folks to instantly, violently get sick just by smelling it. The sight is another matter...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Thankfully, they don't have to fight a half-wolf now because the Solar comes flying down and smashes its head, shattering the pavement. Finally it stops moving, and this time for good. Probably. And hey, they haven't been attacked by more Unlit yet!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...Still probably best not to stick around for too long. And to maybe retrieve Kord. And when someone does... They find a Shrine of Light in there with him, with several skeletons in dresses sitting around the shop. Skeletons. Not corpses. Not shadow things. While some Unlit and even Lanterns have shown bones before, actual whole skeletons have not been encountered.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And these ones don't appear to be animate.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While there's no way to be certain... It's possible to extrapolate a story. A story of the native Dead of Lumiere, the Lit, who came here to try on dresses, and were trapped when the Unlit invaded. And they withered away here, with a Shrine that seems to be deactivated, and thus unable to save them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Whether the Unlit eventually found them or not, or even if that story is accurate, can't be certain. But they now have a way out of here without having to trek all the way back up the escalator and all across the Urban Decay. And that's something at least.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hnh. Finally. What /was/ that thing?" Staren comments, as it falls apart. Where is Carna? He'll have to show her the video later, see if she can ID it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When they go to check on Kord... skeletons! Staren raises his arm and almost fires the beam cannons before he realizes they're not moving. "...Hate this place." he mutters.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Don't know, just glad it's dead." Kyle wheezes, brushing shards off his sleeve as his lightsaber switches off. He begins to go look for Kord, getting him on his feet before they leave. Even if the guy's a Fed, no way are they gonna leave him around. Along the way back, he'll just be helping the count back to safety, as they get slowly leave the room. "Time to go, kids. Let's move it."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ebon shivers as she drains that energy, and as the creature collapses her ribbons retract and disappear into her horn again. Then, she limps lightly over to regroup with the others. Staren nearly blasting the inanimate skeletons causes her to snicker lightly. "It is not so bad. There is plenty of excitement, and plenty of energy to drain." she says as she steps toward the Shrine of Light. "Well, we have found a waypoint. Does this mean our adventure is done for today?" she asks. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It might be a bit surprising, how such a prissy pony seems to be ignoring the wound on her flank. She also goes to check on Kord, though she was not really worried about him. He seems a strong sort, and a simple toss through a building would surely not hurt him badly. So, she is a bit surprised when he seems to be out of it. "Hmm...I thought him a bit stronger than that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:984|Karal Rei Lin (984)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>SPLATTER-SMASH!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lin wasn't counting on the GORE factor of this awful thing. If it was a normal beast, well, okay whatever. Blood's one thing. But this dead creature's just plain PUTRID. "Aauuuuugh..." Nauseated, she pulls back and away before she gets FULLY covered in goop and gore instead of just splattered. A few backflips later - ungainly looking ones, given her weapon - she hits the ground with another heavy SLAM... just sort of standing on the huge thing. But she twirls it around with some lopsided movements and swings it to around her back as if attaching it to some harness. Well... there's no harness, but space itself blazes briefly as the thing just vanishes into midair.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she wastes no time following after Kord!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Which means it's time to talk.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Dark places are full of trouble. Can't always add labels to everything you find either! Thing was disgusting... I don't wanna dig around its body for any useful materials...."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Indeed. That is what makes them so fun." Ebon Ribbon says to Karal as she moves toward the Shrine and gives it a touch. "But, let us make sure this works. It would be bad if this is the reason these skeletons are here. Because this shrine did not work and these poor souls were trapped." she says. That, and she would like to head back and get her wound cleaned and dressed. Who knows what kind of supernatural cooties these creatures might have! "You were rather impressive back there. If a bit brutish." the pony adds, looking at Karal again.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:984|Karal Rei Lin (984)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Not like a sword was doing much to that thing." Karal exclaims roughly, as if maybe irritated over the 'brutish' comment. "Somethin' I'm workin' on." Mutter mutter.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She just doesn't really LOOK like the type to not burst out with enthusiasm and fury. JUST LOOK AT THAT RED HAIR.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well. SOMEONE's sword worked." She glances aside Kyle's way...<br> <br>
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