View source for 5804/Risen from the Depths-3

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/04/25
|Location=The Great Ocean
|Synopsis=Pending
|Cast of Characters=1154, 33, 513, 1139, 994, 6316, 670
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:1154|Wandering Dog (1154)}} has posed:'''<br>After a violent confrontation with a Lintha pirate fleet, a group of adventurers, heroes, and others from the Multiverse searching for the city of Luthe had recovered a magical artifact capable of fixing Oliphem's lens. The jar of glass-repairing gel was safely in Wandering Dog's hands, as he once again recruited them a ship to travel to meet up with the massive mountain of a watcher.<br><br>The sky was dark, night having fallen. Wandering Dog had requested for anyone with a flashlight or light in general to keep an eye out, especially if they could fly or had other abilities to allow them to scout. Once they reached the craggy rocks, Oliphem was easy to spot, being as tall as a lighthouse in the shape of a man made of stone and steel. Wandering Dog approached, getting his attention and being lifted up to it to give it the vase full of gel. It took the artifact's entire stock, but the liquid expanded, filling in the cracks on the lens. Oliphem turned its massive head around, glancing across the sea, and declared it could finally see again. It would be able to find Luthe as soon as it surfaced, in order to return the favor.<br><br>It would be a bit of a wait, though. Oliphem scanned the seas for quite a bit, until finally, it spoke up, that loud booming voice clearly audible. "I have found it." A consultation of sea charts with the direction and distance Oliphem saw the city rise from gave the crew their destination, and the ship was ready to sail. Luckily, it'd only be a few hours voyage, especially with the winds being favorable. Oliphem stood where it was, its favor repaid, now able to glance across the entire sea again.<br><br>While the ship sailed for its destination, Wandering Dog decided to amuse whoever was with them with stories of 'the time I fought a giant bear, the size of ten men, bare-handed'. It sounded pretty fanciful, and transcribed much like classic folktales. If asked, Wandering Dog would say it's someone else's telling of the story, and he's just repeating it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1154|Wandering Dog (1154)}} has posed:'''<br>The story would get interrupted at the climax, though, as one of the men on the top deck would hastily come down and tell them that they found it. A scrabbling of feet to the top of Wandering Dog and his men, and Luthe was right there, not even needing a telescope. It stood above the water, the massive dome-city ringed with towers, pods, and ramparts, the dome itself incredibly wide. Luthe had 40 decks, as people would remember, and the exterior observation areas looking into the city had solid windows, allowing a view into it. Exploring the entirety of Luthe would take a ton of time, and so luckily, that wasn't their objective once inside. Their objective was to stop the city's assault on the seas, no matter how they could.<br><br>Wandering Dog would immediately tell anyone with lights to turn them off, as with a glance from a telescope (which he'd share), it'd seem that they'd ramped up security immensely. Where before it was just the humanoid fishmen, the sharks who made up their militia, and the squidmen, all sorts of beastmen swam in the waters around Luthe, stood on the towers, and inside the flooded open bays and flight decks, which constantly spill out water. Men with fins like manta rays, or teeth like lampreys, or even dolphin-like tails now guarded Luthe, though the sharkmen still made up much of their number. There were more ways to clearly enter, buildings open to the sea, the massive flight deck in the middle of the city that was open wide (though also clearly the most guarded, with dozens of men standing tall), the damaged submersibles hangar still underwater, the sewage systems and pipes, and other ways in that could be imagined, but one stood out for Wandering Dog, who gestured to it.<br><br>In the side of Luthe, near the top, was a massive hole. It had been created by Leviathan during his return to the city, and while clearly under repair, was still a viable entryway. The height of it meant it didn't have much in the way of external guards, but also that getting up there would be quite difficult...if not for the abilities of those there. "If we want to approach it that way, broomboy might be able to get us up there. But it's probably guarded internally, so I wouldn't call it a stealthy route."<br><br>Wandering Dog would stretch out his arms, and take another look out. "So, here's the plan. I'll let you guys decide how we're approaching it, being the firepower. You all know the drill - Luthe is taking out ships belonging to the Realm because of big old whale god Leviathan's hatred of the Dragon-Blooded, I'd wager. We don't want that to happen, especially because they're a bunch of slaving assholes and a lot of people died last time we assaulted the city thanks to that big old whale. So our goal is to stop Luthe, preferably by finding and killing Leviathan, or shutting down the city. From the looks of it, they've recruited more beastmen." A gesture to one of the new guards. "We can do this stealthy, which means we probably want to go underwater, or we can do this loud, which means we should probably pick any entry point and slam our way in. We're going to be way outnumbered if we go loud, so we'll want a plan. And we'll want to decide fast, before they notice this ship. What are you all thinking?"<br><br>It's time to infiltrate Luthe. How are you going to do it?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;During the long wait, Arthur has been playing on his DS, but still quite attentive to WD's tales. Once they get here, Arthur shuts it right on signal, but his voice remains emphatic, though a bit muted and whispered. "Yeah, homie, I can SLINGSHOT us straight up in that GAP. Ought'a be a ROUGH LANDING, but I'm HELLA CERTAIN on the ACCURACY bit. We can use the BOAT for cover! I'm not seein' a whole ton of STEALTH TYPES that would turn down some DISTRACTIONS, just guessin', but I'm FOR SURE not gonna be able to do some STEALTH SHIT. Tried it a couple times, WORST for me. Can't get the STEALTH TAKEDOWN TIMINGS right."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So that's Arthur's plan: Just space-maneuver the boat straight into the hole at the top and use it for cover to blast their way inside and start breaking whatever they can, while stealthy sorts are free to do what they want. Arthur will be sidelined during any stealth openings, though, from the sound of it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finna was surprisingly pleased to see Oliphem's restoration! She'd heard the tale of Desus and the colossus of the sea when hearing of the abuses of the Solars. And now that ancient tragedy is dealt with!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So she's been in VERY good spirits for a great deal of the trip. Up until they neared Luthe. Then... she has seen fit to adopt her 'Clara' guise, the black-haired young woman of incredible similarity to Finna in build, but slightly baby-faced and with green eyes.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm always up for stealth and subtlety!" For more reasons tha one, since she is not willing to directly break one of the oaths of the Silver Pact. Even if it's for a different Creation.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But I don't know anything about how that city's stuff works. Shutting it down'd be tough if it was just me. Best I can do is sow some quiet chaos while someone else who DOES know gets to that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1139|All-Seeing Eye (1139)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; During the journey, All-Seeing Eye assisted Dog by providing his enhanced senses, using them as a sort of hazard detection. Staying in the hold of the ship, he listened for any disturbances beneath the waves, his reasoning being that Luthe was well known for its sub-aquatic means of assault. Despite not being abovedeck, one didn't exactly need enhanced hearing to understand Oliphem's booming declaration. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The discovery of Luthe, after Dog's fanciful stories, sees Eye's feet join the chorus of scrabbling abovedeck, albeit at a more leisurely pace. Once there, he surveys the increased security with a slight frown, his irises artificially rotating like the lenses of a camera, zooming his vision towards the city. Dog's explanation is heard, considered, and given a polite, if curt and somewhat distracted nod. "Yes," he says ponderously. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "The last time we were here, we managed to draw Leviathan's attention." Eye smiles slightly, as if aware of some secret the others aren't. "There was also that little... tussle within the city's power structure. Something about a coup." He shrugs, dismissing the thought with the gesture, then nods towards the whole. "Anyway, there was a lot going on. I think our best chance of finding Leviathan is... well, Arthur's idea." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One finger is placed upon his chin. "Or something like it! Perhaps we might draw him out with a bombastic entrance and a deluge of hit and run attacks to create the illusion of some sort of invasion. After all, Leviathan is a xenophobe as well as a fascist." The Exalt smiles brightly. "If his /precious/ little slave city were at risk, I'm sure he'd come running.~"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:994|Athela Valemore (994)}} has posed:'''<br>Athela made her way onto the deck with the others, having kept quiet about how much of a 'tall tale' Wandering's story had sounding.<br><br>That is all promptly forgotten as she makes her way to the edge to stare at the aquatic city beyond. "By Diance's crystal dress..." she murmurs under her breath, clearly in awe.<br><br>Unfortunately there is little time for admiration. She takes a turn with the spyglass as it's passed about, frowning a little even if what she sees does not surprise her. "There is too many enemies," she comments as she hands it to the next person. "Stealth would be a futile attempt, at least in entering. Once inside we may find ways to lose pursuers." If she can find a way to use Vaporeon or Goomy's abilities once inside, maybe. "But getting there..."<br><br>She listens to the other ideas being tossed around, particularly Authur's. "While I still fail to comprehend just how your... 'ability' works, laying seige faster than they would be able to respond, from the least expected vector, does seem to be the most applicable course."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6316|Rurufon (6316)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sadly, someone wasn't around to hear any of Wandering Dog's fantastic tales. They actually aren't around for consulting with Oliphem, living lighthouse of the western oceans either. Their involvement has been so literally null that they wouldn't be worth mentioning had they not suddenly shown up, and the fact that they knew not only where, but when to do so in order to drop in on precisely the disaster portion and nothing else, is maybe a little questionable.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Everyone can blame Arthur for this one. It's only after a while, after the first stage of the plan has been executed, and just as the ship is, out of the water, into the air, and plunging towards the gap in the dome, that he is subject to a sudden visitor showing up as politely and as asked-for as a particular genus of cat native to Wonderland.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's pretty much the least sensible possible time, but when the space-manipulated ship is sent flying into the breach, someone Arthur is passingly familiar with materializes on the upper deck railing right beside him, standing at an increasingly precarious slant to smoothly compensate for the pitch of the boat.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'd felt that this would have been an auspicious time to contact you, but it seems I had no idea what kinds of things your bizarre kind got up to in their spare moments. Is this a bad time?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br>Lyria Mason would normally be for kick down the front door find this heathen god and put it down, but that really isn't going to work here and she'd get no support for such a tactic. So it's time to be sneaking in to see what they can do. She kept an eye out with a flashlight of her own she would keep with Wandering Dog for the moment as they started to wait and she does seem to enjoy the story he has to tell. <br><br> She listens intenty until the climax hits when someone has notice to say it seems they had found Luthe. <br><br> Her light is turned off in short order, she has no idea what the force of the enemy will be like this time. She doesn't know but she's brought gear for fighting. She checks over her devices and moves to pull on the suit helmet which while used for sneaky operations is also set for under water actives, because when is it not when it comes to her people? <br><br> She looks to Arthur for a moment and nods for a moment. <br><br> "Arthur? I'll aid you with this."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur hears no particular objections. "ALRIGHT, HOMIES!" He shouts, rubbing his hands together. "BRACE YOUR SHIT, HOLD YOUR SHIP, and GET READY TO HIT!" He slams both hands on the edge of the boat, rocking it gently. Rurufon will find he doesn't actually arc through the air, and instead her presence suddenly establishes itself in the middle of a sort of weird twist in space. Geometry buckles around it very abruptly, as he links a segment of space just ahead to the threshold-concept of the opening atop the structure, immediately sucking a large chunk of water straight through the weird knot he's suddenly tied in space, and bringing the ship along with it at high speed.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!" He shouts, immediately launching the thing straight into the gap without even an intervening moment of arcing through the air. "WHO WANTS THAT SURFACE WAR, MOTHERFUCKERS?! I'VE GOT SPACE ON MY FINGERS, A CHEST FULL OF LUNGS, AND BLOOD FULL OF HEAT!! COME GET SOME!!" He shouts, already firing off sprays of lasers like a SHMUP hero. Apparently he took All-Seeing Eye's intentions to heart. And then very abruptly he realizes Rurufon's next to him.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, hey, what's up homie? You do heroism fights? 'Cause this is heroism fights." He says, still blasting and blasting. "Get up in this shit, yo, gimmie some blasts. What's those haps?" He's a little confused about how this happened, but as ever he tries as hard as he can to play this cool.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1154|Wandering Dog (1154)}} has posed:'''<br>Wandering Dog would give Arthur a hearty grin. "Alright! Operation Throw A Boat At Them, let's go!" He'd shout to his men to brace for impact, and then stand over the railing, holding it tight. Expecting it to be partially flooded inside, he'd sink into the power flowing through his veins, and give everyone the ability to operate underwater decently enough while they're around him.<br><br>When Arthur launches the ship, many of the guards alongside the city notice. It's very hard not to. Most run inside to set off alarms, while some futilely try to send jolts of electricity from their shockspears up at the ship, which is moving far too fast to hit or really even affect. "Yeaaaah! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Wandering Dog shouts alongside Arthur, his men panicking. There's a reason he's the boss.<br><br>As the ship slams into the hole, the first thing people will probably notice is that the water level on this floor is pretty high, draining out still. The second is that the layout of these decks have changed. The hole leads into deck4, one of the decks where the 'Traitorspawn' had been kept as slaves, and yet, they're no longer slave tenements. There's no humans to be found in here, curling up. There's no slaves anywhere. What instead lies here is a series of military barracks, built and fashioned for aquatic life. Soldiers of all sorts of aquatic life mixed with humanoid shapes immediately turn towards the sudden shouting and the gravity-propelled ship flying into their city. It slams through one of the barracks, sending men flying backwards, and Arthur's blasts take out several more...but there's a lot of them. The group is lucky that they're not actually all armed, and have to run into the deeper part of the city to arm up, sound off alarms (flashing lights and high pitched noises) follow, and overall get ready to try and attack the Elites.<br><br>From where they've come in, a few things can be noticed: there's a pair of lift shafts that probably span the whole city top to bottom, there's the massive staircases (one damaged heavily from the previous assault), and there's a throng of sharkmen with electro-spears rushing forward in formation, trying to split across the ship and board it. Wandering Dog moves to shout to the others. "Looks like the bastard tore apart his slave colony and militarized the hell out of it. That was fast. Pretty sure the command center's gotta be up top, from what I've been told by the locals, so that might be a good destination to hit...engines were down below a heavy level, as was their food supply and any weapons they'd still have. I'll go with whoever needs my boost. Let's do this thing!"<br><br>The sharkmen are, while not incredibly potent, surprisingly well-trained. They weave in and out of cover, focusing on ranged blasts with the shock spears over just trying to melee Arthur, an obvious ranged combatant. They're coordinating silently, and are trying to get into the ship so they can overwhelm it. The flooding is already messing up the boat, which probably won't be usable again in the future unless someone can purge it of water, so they'll have to find another way to get their crew to safety, who are the real risk here. Either way, everyone is at threat of electroshocks and lightning bolts, as well as having to adapt to the sudden flooding and push of the water against them. His gift allows anyone who accepted it to not drown, atleast!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:994|Athela Valemore (994)}} has posed:'''<br>Athela, not taking any chances, grabs onto the deck railing with all her might as Arthur slings the ship through his space-time warping things she doesn't really want to try and understand to reposition it hurtling through the hole in the dome. By the time she's getting her bearings back in order afterwards the ship is cascading towards it's new resting place somewhere below them.<br><br>But what gets her attention is the ocean water that's been tugged through the nether along the bottom of the ship, only to start to splatter away once the warping force has released the craft into it's descent.<br><br>Athela leans back a bit, then heaves herself over the railing, her cloak giving the appropriately flaring flutter behind her as she does so. As it lets go of the railing the hand behind her clenches around seemingly nothing as she reachs back to 'grab' the water with her hydrokinesis and starts pulling it away. She can't draw all of it, but it might help reduce what needs to be bilged out of the ship later as she takes some of it with her.<br><br>As soon as her feet hit the water level of the city and she doesnt' sink thanks to her water walking ability, Athela heaves the trailing arm foward as she makes a twisting motion with her hand. The water follows as it surges around her, winding into a spiral that goes screaming into the city like a giant waterspout.<br><br>Even if these creatures are resistant to Water caused damage, there is still the intense suction the vortex causes, pulling in whatever it can and slamming it around in the force and pressure. It'll still threaten to suck up and scatter any enemies that don't get out of its way.<br><br>Really Athela is counting more on the shock of a 'surface walker' suddenly turning the water against them to add to the chaos that the direct damage it's going to cause.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6316|Rurufon (6316)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The horned woman on the railing next to Arthur stands patiently through the ship's collision with the inner deck, swaying on her arbitrarily chosen railing perch, but maintaining her balance as the wrecked vessel comes to a jarring halt. The bronze bangles and chains on her body clink together loudly from the impact, but otherwise she remains totally quiet as the beastmen come out in force, looking them up and down and across as if expecting to divine some kind of special, secret meaning from their appearance, like somehow sharks and octopi are a cipher.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Heroism is a word that means whatever someone wants it to. I don't do things arbitrarily." says Rurufon, taking a couple of steps down the length of the railing and towards the water. Nevertheless, she extends one hand flat out in front of her, and a brilliant star of emerald light flares before her palm, which she begins aiming at the incoming soldiers. Where she points, the green radiance barks with the sound of clattering bells, automatic bursts of glittering phantom blades streak through the air punch wide holes through even the sturdier cover around, to say nothing of whoever gets in their way.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I will give you 'blasts' if I may have your ear for a moment." she says, indeed blasting away at the encroaching formation as she catwalks her way down to the water. "This place is as old as it is revolting. What pathetic creatures have been scrabbling and clawing each other for power. It reeks of chaos and tragedy and poorly wielded might." She makes a couple of swift slicing motions and a downwards drop with her left hand, and just as she reaches the water around her, it surges bright, caustic orange with powerful magical acid, which begins rapidly spreading away from the ship in all directions, making the water approach to the wreck /insanely/ hazardous. That's her part in contributing to the defense of the exit.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I can already tell. You're aiming for the top, aren't you? Please stay close, and I will help you make this quick. I don't know why you're bothering, but it can't be any worse than the intent I sense everywhere else in this place." When she finally reaches the water, it very politely and respectfully parts for her, evacuating her personal bubble so that she is left walking over dry ground. "Be quick."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1139|All-Seeing Eye (1139)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; All-Seeing Eye doesn't bother to hide his grin as the ship sails through the air, rather than the water. When it crashes into the barracks, he, too, is sent flying, but by choice as well as by physics. Dipping into a low stance to make the most of the momentum, Eye leaps at the precise moment the ship's hull disintegrates the barracks. Turning over in the air, he extends his arms outwards. His vision is awash in purple crosshairs, each one tracking the movement of the soldiers sent flying by the group's ostentatious entrance. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From his inverted position, Eye begins firing on those soldiers who are airborne, crossbow bolts flying out of his sleeves as he descends. They ricochet off of flying debris, pierce through adjacent soldiers, and even collide with one another to correct course. Those enemies who run to sound alarms are spared, purposefully so, to go along with the plan of drawing Leviathan out. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Momentum carries him to the roof of one of the larger barracks, and a timely handspring keeps him both from landing on his head. He's surrounded by water, making it easy for the amphibious defenders to flank him, but if this concerns him, he doesn't show it. From this vantage point, he can see Rurufon's effort to clear a path. Hm! Well, they'll never survive a force of this size without /his/ help, impressive as the acid might be. Eye thusly attempts to draw fire to himself, whether this is necessary or not. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Your false god's evil ends today! Face me, cowards!" The Exalt cracks a whip upon the roof and indulges in a mocking, throaty laugh, throwing his head back and apparently letting his guard down.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What the --BYEEEEEAAAAAHH!!!!" Finna splurts and splutters at the freakish use of magics she's never seen or heard about. Beyond that earlier portal. THIS IS DIFFERENT! Way different. She hunkers to the deck in a brief panic as motion is achieved without real distance... and all breaks loose.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the state of floodedness is revealed, she realizes that a bow will NOT do in this fight, as it won't work well underwater or when wet. Her Moonsilver bow would be fine, having the draw and power to fight water resistance... but would identify her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So she bites her lip as she peeks over the railing once the ship settles.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She lets out a woop at Arthur's antics though, clearly enthused by his attitude and showmanship! And whatever weird slang he's throwing around, that has her attention!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And with that, a decision is made. As the Water essence floods through her, giving her some ability to handle the waters... she makes her decision!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A moment's focus and a log exhale later, Finna draws deep from within her spirit. A well of thick, silvery energy flows from her disguise's skin. The colors of the moon in most of its phases - silver, blue, and even some black-purple mixes - envelop her completely in an obfsucating phantasm.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, she is a featureless humanoid wreathed in shadows, with color-shifting eyes and amorphous features that warp ad twist beyond all identification. Out comes her Moonsilver Powerbow from Elsewhere, wreathed in the same energies to disguise its markings.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Leaping from the decks and sailing through the air, she launches a half-dozen arrows all at once at different Beastmen guards, aiming for crippling but non-vital locations wherever possible.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That crew ought to find a Gate out on the deck. Leads elsewhere, to shore! That should deal with that, or so Arthur hopes.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shock spears are a good idea, because pain throws off focus and focus is definitely needed for ranged combat. Unfortunately, Arthur considers the entirety of Luthe to be one single target, and so the massive drop in his accuracy that comes from electricity surging through his body doesn't deter him from firing more. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" He shouts, still blasting bolts and beams out of his hands, now in a more wild spray and lances into Luthe's interior more chaotically. It's less like machinegun fire and more like artillery now. If they're moving into cover, they'd better stay in it. Though as always, it's more of a knockout blast than a true murdering thing. Lightning surges along his body in huge arcs, burning him and sharply dropping his Health Vial with flashes of crimson. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA, HELL YES! LET'S DO IT! LET'S GOOOOOO!!" He screams, powering through the pain and even visibly surging his Health Vial back up a bit as he just flatly disregards the suffering. "COME ON YOU ICHTHYOID MOTHERFUCKERS, I WANT MOOOOOOORE! YOU SONS OF BITCHES DON'T GOT A GODDAMN OUNCE OF HESITATION FUCKING UP RANDOM SHIPS, BRING THAT HEAT DOWN ON ME YOU SOGGY FISHFUCKERS, I'LL TAKE ALL OF YA!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There goes the whirling vortex. Arthur has tons of experience with whirling vortexes! A common space issue, and though this one is in water, he can well use that to close in hard behind that and press on behind it as a sort of "cover". "Yeah, I do a lotta shit ARBITRARILY. HEROISM!" Arthur shouts out to Rurufon as she goes along towards the water, and then he slips nearer to her bubble of parted un-flooding. "You got a PURPOSE on this, pretty sure. You gimmie a HAND on these ARBITRARY HEROISMS, I'll hear whatever you got on the DOCKET for those CHATS, yo." As All-Seeing Eye draws fire away, Arthur moves up further on Rurufon's position and sets his gravity barriers, giving her plenty of damage-reducing cover as they try to cut their way to the lift shafts.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br>It's time to get going with Arthur so away they go. She doe snot know Rurufon but give the strange woman a nod, Arthur seems chill about them, that's enough for her, right? Given how experienced of an elite that Arthur is. <br><br> She has a few things with her that could help but she waits as the ship is launched and slams into the hole she keeps her footing somehow, mostly due to dumb luck. <br><br> Lyria has her pistols out now adding to the chaos s they crash in moving ti pick off those whoa re making for their weapons. <br><br> "Here we go again! Come on you honorless dogs your fate awaits!" <br><br> She will also channel her own abilities as inspired by Athela Valemore to twist elements of the water against those here not as much as Athela but she will turn the water to attack those distracted by the amazing show of pwer on Athela's part...with tendrils of focused water.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1154|Wandering Dog (1154)}} has posed:'''<br>The group goes in hard, moving to push back their offenders. Athela creates a massive vortex, which sucks up a bunch of the beastmen and throws them around, snapping bones, disarming them, and overall throwing them into chaos. Finna's arrows impale through the arms and legs of several, pinning them to the ground. They're pretty badly messed up, though not immediately dead, though with Arthur's massive bolts and blasts, who knows how they'll turn up. Some of the barracks are blasted backwards, as Eye fires on several more shoulders, impaling throats and taking them out. They can't really directly compare with an Elite. He's able to reach above water level by climbing a larger barrack, and him drawing attention gets electricity coursing at him from those who can still fight, falling for what is probably a trap as sharkmen leap up to try and pincer him. He's just one guy, what could he do? Lyria blasts through several with both gunshots and tendrils, ripping soldiers apart. <br><br>The water is eaten away by the acid, leaving the ship safe for a later escape, as well as devouring those beastmen who try and risk it. Rurufon's personal space is unimpeded, letting her move through towards the lifts dry, though going up through the empty shafts will require some form of climbing, mobility, or some other ability, since she's pushing the water to swim upwards away from her. <br><br>The problem is, while they're clearing their area, more reinforcements are coming at a fast rate from other parts of the city. They'll be unable to protect the ship indefinitely, so Wandering Dog considers. "Go up, it shouldn't be too far for my boost. I'll keep watch down here and keep my men safe." <br><br>As more sharkmen approach, there's more electricity, including a burly beastman trying to ambush the bigger cluster of Elites near the ship, holding what looks like a handhold ballista. When fired, it lets off a massive electricity burst, frying through the water, lightning moving to surge in a large sphere and electrocute everyone in range.<br><br>Once actually finding their way up, one way or another, the group who ventures upwards would be mostly unimpeded, though more soldiers are moving through the shafts, some with regular spears that are trying to stab them on their path. The top of the shaft seems to lead to Deck 2 freely, or Deck 1 if they want to try and cut through what seems to be a heavy metal barricade blocking their way to the command deck. Either way, the shark men are pressing on them...and coming from somewhere near the lift shaft, on one of the two decks, is the sound of scraping. Some sort of...hook?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6316|Rurufon (6316)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Are you certain this isn't a bad time? It looks as if you're attempting to fight a small army." Rurufon says to Arthur, partway to the lifts and swiveling her arm to blast away beastmen on both sides. "I don't mean figuratively. They have weapons and training, and those here are only a small fraction of the entire beast. Was this really your best idea?" She sounds a smidge condescendingly disappointed, but hey, she's helping at least.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The sheer amount of magic she's dumping into the area is kind of ridiculous, swiftly swiss-cheesing defensible positions, blowing up mooks too injured to get out of the way, and pushing back the line attempting to close in on the ship with a tide of bone-melting orange and blood-streaked fluid, but any impression of being some kind of squishy archmage archetype disappears when the heavy lightning weapon is fired towards the ship and Rurufon grabs the biggest, bulkiest, muscliest sharkman within arm's reach (probably dead, but no need to be picky) and holds him up with one hand as cover from the massive lightning blast landing behind them.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her fingers are only somewhat less charred and smoking than the corpse when she tosses it again, but she pays it little mind at the moment, accepting the burns for what they are and clapping that hand down on top of Arthur's head when they arrive at the lift shaft. "Stay close." she insists, and then she very much does indeed make good on her promise of keeping things quick, when she and Arthur fade away at the end of Deck 4 and reapparate at the bulkhead of Deck 1. Even with stupid amounts of magic at one's disposal, skipping the insane vertical gauntlet of beastmen with spears and lightning guns is just sensible.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Being a Mage of Space and all, Arthur would probably be able to tell that there isn't any kind of spatial folding going on that he recognizes, which probably accounts for how pinpoint it had been to an unknown location, but also the fact that it hadn't just gone a few more feet to the south and taken them right through the door. Apparently, she's leaving that to him, which is weird, because she then says "There better be something worth all of this death and struggle behind those doors."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:994|Athela Valemore (994)}} has posed:'''<br>They don't have the time or manpower to fight off every aquatic fiend here, and Athela is well aware of it. Their route out needs to also be kept secure, which Wandering and his crew elect to do. "Batten down the hatches. Hold your ground and do not stray far from the ship until we return."<br><br>She turns to cast a glance up at the lift, still grimacing a bit. Then motions the others to move on. "Quickly! The sooner we climb the better. But don't crowd each other or we'll just get jammed toge--" She snaps off as that divine perception of imminent danger abruptly flares in the back of her mind.<br><br>In one smooth motion Athela spins around, drawing her weapon as she does so. Resolute Blade gleams as she brings the divine sword up in both hands just barely in time to intercept the electric projectile. There's a thunderous row as electricity arcs and hisses due to the wet environment around them, Athela gritting her teeth as the current tries to crackle into her armor and sent sparks shooting past her to snap threateningly at the others. But she can't allow the attack to reach her allies, surely it would fry them all. Or fry the lift, stranding them away from their objective.<br><br>For a few moments it looks like she is actively pushing against the electrical shot to hold it back even as it's zorching her in return, before finally she manages to swing down and hopefully fling the electric ballista shot away from the rest of the group. Even as steam rolls off her armor, the young knight not walking away from that unscathed.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur surges up towards the lift, then swears the moment it's clear that the thing is empty. "FOR SURE, homie! Just gimmie BACKUP on this BIZ. Consider it FREE EASY FAVOR POINTS." He shouts at Rurufon, amid the carnage. "Do this ALL THE TIME." He tries to peek up the shaft, and seems to judge the length /excessive/ especially in light of the pressing reinforcements coming from so close. Speaking of which, one of those hand-ballista fry his offhand side -- or they would have, if not for the help of Athela Valemore! "Yo! KUDOS, HOMIE!" He calls out. And then comes Rurufon's help!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hell yes, here we go. "The hell-- How are you doing that without any kinda spatial--" He starts, before saying, "Wait, BEE ARE BEE." He then jams right out of the warp, casting a Gate sort of around the barricade's gaps using Portal Logic, and immediately slams into the barricade from the OPPOSITE side, encapsulating himself in a huge gravity barrier and trying to less cut the thing and more blast it in a way it's not meant to handle, straight into the shaft, and then ride it down, surfing its pieces like the raddest skateboarder ever to live, and hopefully clearing the shaft of foes through the falling debris.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;His unique abilities can work well here, at least; he can hard-reverse gravity, and then grant everyone who intends to head to the Command Deck a sort of ad-hoc elevator, letting them ride the chunks of 'falling' debris up to enhance their own climbing, or make up for the lack of it. This can help Lyria and Athela get to the top, and shield Arthur against the damage he'd sustain "falling" up or down the shaft at these high speeds! That's how the hope goes, at least<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From there, he's hoping he can jump right into the command deck, broom ready for BATTLE!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1139|All-Seeing Eye (1139)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The approaching guards who can see Eye's face will note his pleased smile as they climb up the structure. With arms out for balance, he whips his torso around, sending his long raven hair lashing outwards around him. It crackles with electricity, and the bolts sent his way are promptly redirected towards the attempted pincer motion. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The wound they manage to inflict, a slight cut across his waist, is touched lightly, almost as an afterthought. He frowns, then notes the effort being made to reach the lifts. Then, the ballista... As he discovered in his previous venture to Luthe, his whips don't work too well underwater, and that weapon seems designed to function in it. There is a brief period of time where the nimble Exalt dances around the weapons being pointed at him, deflecting only those attacks he can't deflect--merely a few seconds, but entirely the result of indecision on his part. As probabilities grow ever more unflattering across his augmented vision, he is forced, with a sigh, off of the rooftop. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Although Dog's provided him with some means of traversing the water more nimbly than is his usual, Eye sticks to what little dry land there is as he approaches the lift, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, only entering the water once it's absolutely necessary. Of course, this is a flooded city, and so it is inevitable that he reaches that point. In short order, he rejoins the Elites in the shaft. "I bought us some time," he says with entirely inappropriate frivolity. "Then I got bored." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The scraping sound is what draws his attention, more than anything else. Since time is of the essence, he uses his mass-penetrating vision to peer through the walls in search of the source of this noise, raising a crossbow-equipped arm with an amused smirk. "An adamant weave," he says as his vision fails to penetrate the walls. "Quaint." But there is one spot he can make out--perhaps left over from one of Leviathan's tantrums. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Peering through the gap, Eye levels his weapon and fires a rapid volley of crossbow bolts.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br>Lyria Mason does not pause ot finish off targets she's pushing forward with Arthur, and everyone else who is puishing ahead wioth him. She just keeps moving now as they press onwards. She'll take shots at enemies as the groups goes but well? It's time to reach for the top, which is just what she is' going to do, she'll leap and vualt over things s she needs to, then comes the attackl she has no real recourse untol Athela moves to tank one for the team, okay she ows Ahtela a favour after this, she is moving though kepeing up he word to cover Arhtur's back asx they push forward. <br><br> "Athela! We got a way forward!" <br><br> She calls out with what Arthur has done and she goes for it, time to hail tail!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1154|Wandering Dog (1154)}} has posed:'''<br>Near the ship, it's death and destruction for the beastmen as acid melts them away and Rurufon's defenses basically annihilate them, and they end up stopping marching at the ship because it's just plain suicide. Wandering Dog maintains the defense so that the others can go on ahead. As the electricity burst comes through, Athela moves forth to tank it, slamming forward with her blade. The sharkman with the ballista panics, and Athela would easily be able to slice straight through him, if taking some hefty damage from the shock. The lift is rendered mostly safe from it, thanks to the now-charred corpse of an unfortunate beastman Rurufon held up as a shield.<br><br>Arthur pulls off a ridiculous stunt, sending the door flying through, shattering it into pieces, and taking out their pursuers. As they move through the door, the scraping stops. The door leads into a large corridor that should lead further inwards, towards the center of the dome, if there weren't a few obstacles. First, several strange cannons on the walls scan and probe, waiting for someone to get close, as an array of even more corridors can be seen past it, and more of those cannons. Though, to get through those obstacles, they'd have to get past the guy blocking the way, first.<br><br>While he looks like one of the shark beastmen on a glance, there's certainly something different about him. He's bigger, for one, and has overall different features. He resembles a great white shark if it stood on two feet and had a massive humanoid shape, and is well-armored, a flexible silver armor Finna would be able to recognize as moonsilver, with a similar metal making up the chain-and-fishhook he holds in one hand, wrapped partially around his wrist. The other has a small shield attached to the side, as the sharklike humanoid speaks up. "Hah, you think it'll be that easy to just waltz into the heart of Luthe? Afraid not. You've caused quite some trouble, and I'm here to put you whelps out of your misery. Between me and the defenses here, you're not getting anywhere. Know me as Swims in Shadows, commander of Luthe!" The Lunar roars, and while he's doing so, he's suddenly shot in the side several times.<br><br>The crossbow bolts slam into his armor, mostly getting pushed back, but several manage to hit his flesh, ripping through and drawing blood. Swims In Shadows growls, ducking back past the cannons, which blink a light briefly and allow him to pass. Anyone who tries to similarly pass is attacked two-fold by bolts of energy moving to fry through them, and by the moonsilver hook being flung to slash through their flesh, the edge incredibly sharp. The chain moves as if there's no friction in the air, almost bending to hit its foes for him. "I know these halls inside and out. You don't. Why don't you turn back now while you still have a chance, huh?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1139|All-Seeing Eye (1139)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Don't let my youthful appearance fool you, Commander," grins the offending marksman. He holds up a hand, signaling the others to wait (as if they each don't have their own ideas for how to deal with this problem). His vision is overlaid with a purple grid, and each square occupied by one of the cannons flashes red. The rest of the grid fades away, and a line is traced through the remaining squares, making a connected path between the cannons. "I've been at this for thirty years." Two miniaturized cannons emerge from his eyes, and promptly open fire, two bolts of lightning arcing through the air to try and pierce the mounted weapons. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "We can play this game if you want to, but you'll have more energy if you make your last stand here. Up to you, darling!~" A whip is cracked against the ground, challenging the Lunar. He doesn't take a step forward, but he does lower the hand which was raised in warning. Out of curiosity, he does attempt to peer through the walls--can he see through them, or will he have to rely on his hearing to hunt his prey? "Oh! How rude of me. The name is All-Seeing Eye."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:994|Athela Valemore (994)}} has posed:'''<br>Athela takes a few deep breaths, she's worse for wear but considering the ballista wielding sharkman is dead at her feet and seperated from a large chunk of her body, she did come out the better of the two. Lyria's shout snaps her attention back to the lift and she moves to follow the others.<br><br>Arthur does provide a way up, and by this point she has just stopped questioning how in the name of Aerceus he does these things. Even with that she's a bit slower than the others in making her ascent, due to the shocking experience she just went through... On the bright side, it means she actually misses most of the Boss Speech made by the great white sharkman. All the same she lingers at the back, knowing she's in no shape to get into a direct fight after dealing with the electric weapon.<br><br>But that doesn't mean she can't help. She wiggles around a little, until a pink and purple glop oozes out of wherever it was hiding in her armor, plopping to the ground and opening it's green eyespots. Athela gestures at him with a palm down flattening motion, then points towards the cannons.<br><br>Slurry ripples in what one assumes is a nod, then squashes down as the slug-dragon's boneless form allows, until little more than a slimy pinkish lump. Which starts to slosh its way down the corridor, using it's small and currently flat profile to slink through the fight without triggering the traps or being noticed.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6316|Rurufon (6316)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's him you crawled all this way for?" asks Rurufon of Arthur, though it would seem completely rhetorically. "No, this is not his domain. He merely lives in it, rather than mastering it. Just look." she then says mere moments before a flurry of ghostly crossbow bolts phase out of nowhere and turn the aggressively meat-headed Lunar warrior into an asymmetrical pincushion. "The usual, then. The living running and jumping around and clambering over one another to stay alive and on top, ignorant of the damage it causes on every step behind them."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rurufon . . . doesn't actually chase after Swims in Shadows. She stays put, well back from the cannon emplacements where she is content to sit outside of their target acquisition range and seemingly just watch the Exalted escape. He has made clear his intentions to abuse his superior grasp of this deck's maze-like layout and maneuver the samey and dangerous corridors to his advantage, like an ambush predator, so running after him is playing into his game, and begging to get shot and slashed bit by bit until bleeding out.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, she curls her fingers around a ball of light in her hand, squeezing it tighter and tighter, forcing it into a smaller and brighter point, until it is crushed completely in her fist and extinguished. The visible effect of this is immediately knocking the lights out, though whether that has to do with draining the local power grid or actively spreading some kind of supernatural darkness is unclear. The more important fact is that the pervasive, heavy gloom restricts vision to such ranges that it is impossible to tell where an intersection leads before having already chosen a direction.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And, as it would so happen, when wandering through the dark, all intersections lead right back to this one.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur may be an obnoxious shit, but if there's one thing he's not gonna do, it's turn down an opportunity to shout. He holds his broom in a dramatically prepared way, and shouts, "SWIIIIIMS IN SHADOOOOOOWS!" His broom roars to life as he activates its blending. "The name's ARTHUR LOWELL, you PENCIL-FIN SON OF A BITCH! I'm here to see the REAL POWER you got UP HERE, dog, hit me with it!" All-Interrupting Eye involvement or no, Arthur swings his broom back and lets loose with the rockets therein, blasting forward and shouting bloody murder.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unfortunately, Shadow the Swimhog is right, Arthur rapidly suffers from losses that come out of the sharkman's home turf advantage. Rapid-fire blasts tear into him, and though he can dodge and knock back many, he can't do it for all, though All-Seeing Eye eases that a lot; the hook is even worse, throwing him off to block it and throwing him off even more when it sinks into his flesh. When it eventually gets through others and lands on him, though... "GhhhhhHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!" He cries out in pain. But he grabs the chain, bleeding from the hand when he does. "HOOKED, you MOTHERFUCKEEEEEERRRR!!" No, even with the hook deep in his flesh, Arthur isn't going to let go! His Health Vial drains harshly, and his voice surges with pain, but he's not succumbing to it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, he couldn't feel space warping with Rurufon's teleportation, but this, at least, he thinks he knows. Assuming Rurufon's magic isn't meant to keep him from detecting its purpose, he ought to be able to soon. And so, bleeding a horrible puddle directly around his own feet, he uses his own blood to slick an effort to sort of jet-ski along the insanely painful hook-grasp, suffering the reduced impacts of those turrets freely on his body, to go after Swims in Shadows from the opposite end, using his own weight to limit the melee weapon, and his own direction to keep him from double-retreating back into his hallways... If he plans to use his melee weapon once he returns to the entry zone Rurufon's trying to redirect him to, Arthur's going to come along for the ride, skidding on a pool of blood and wildly swinging his own roaring broom to try to break the shark-man's knees with gravity-enhanced blows.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finna, notably, does not so much as raise her bow against Swim in Shadows when he blockades the group. She slinks to the rear of the group, staying mum... and keeping both eyes and ears open for anything interesting or useful to do that isn't Fighting That Guy!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, Arthur taking a most GUNG HO approach gets her jaw dropping. Which mostly just looks like a big fangy gape, none of the fangs staying the same shape. Even the number of them seems to change depending on the flux of the wreathing lights.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That style's just RECKLESS... how does he not bleed out...?!" HER wounds will staunch quickly. She's not so sure about THOSE.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her mind is working overtime on coming up with some kind of useful thing to do that won't bring her into direct conflict with another Lunar...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And it's then that inspiration hits her, and she transforms swiftly into her fox form.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But, given the distortion of her energies, it could be ANY kind of glowing small beast dashing down the hallway. It's hard to tell if it's a cat, fox, dog, or perhaps an eight-legged tiny equine. The way its legs move, the shape of its snout and tail, the glowing aura obscures all.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yes, what she can do is try to whip past this guy when he's distracted and cut off any reinforcements that might come to help him!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br>Lyria Mason is platforming now and kinda having fun with it, ifd this wasn't life and death she would enjoy it, maybe she will pester Arthur about this later? She keeps going up the platforms shooting where she needs to but always moving to head up thankfully Athrur has got them free of some of the worst of the enviormental hazard at least for the moment. It foesn't take too long to get where they need to go, but it seems there are cannons she does not sit still she's shooting at them as she moves keeping with Atthur, Athela and anyone else who is on this crazy run. <br><br> "They never do anything small or simple on this Plate, do they?" <br><br> Arthur then goes in full bore tanking it while. <br><br> She sees the huge one pausing for a moment and she notes to the big sharkman. <br><br> "So Commander? All right hten." <br>ER With that she's firing at him as he roar wiat where the hell did he go? She get caught by one of the hooks and it's pretty bad...if she wasn't wearing something akin to armour? It would be worse, it's clear though Lyria's bleeding pretty bad... and slowly down.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1154|Wandering Dog (1154)}} has posed:'''<br>The walls are even harder to see through than those below, not having any real cracks in them as Swims in Shadows moves to lure them through...but it proves pointless, as Arthur is caught on his hook and Slurry is able to slip past the energy guns. They're both able to get in attacks on him as he tries to manuever into another hallway. As this is happening, Rurufon turns out the lights. The essence cannons are damaged in the process, and without line of sight, can't try and shoot anyone anyways. This is frustrating for the Lunar, but not a big problem - he relies on his senses of hearing and especially smell more than his sight, so in his mind, this only serves to make things harder for the others. He pulls Arthur along with him...<br><br>And ends up coming back out towards the group, the same way he went through the hall. His momentary shock is enough for anyone to get hits on him, including for Arthur to slam his broom into his knees. While his armor and durability make it difficult to outright break them, he drops to one knee from the pressure, staggered, and doesn't move. His weapon's attached to another guy so he can't swing it as easily..."Hmph. Clever. But if you think you'll just take me down and get to Leviathan...well, think again! Doing this for 30 years? Please, you're nothing but a whelp!" Swims In Shadows' muscles bulge...and he reaches up the chain with both hands to grab Arthur and throw him at Rurufon's direction, using the gravity mage as an impromptu weapon and trying to spin him around into the group using the chain and a burst of superhuman strength, though Lyria's shots pierce into his armor and cause him to stagger again briefly with a roar. "Come on! You're the ones who made Leviathan destroy the Traitorspawn, aren't you? What do you get from meddling, huh? Feeling a sense of righteousness, feeling like you're avenging them? Please! All you are is chum!"<br><br>Finna's search for reinforcements shows that she can't really find any, especially as she loops back down the corridor with them. Luckily, none will reach them, and she can't sense any coming there way. Swims In Shadows also doesn't notice her, if she wants to try and ambush him from behind in some way, or try and trip him up.<br><br>Down where the ship is being defended, one of the men keeping scout out the hole notices something, and grabs his telescope, before Wandering Dog moves to grab it. Something's coming...and it's huge. He reaches for his radio to inform the others, because whatever that is, it doesn't look friendly to them. And part of it looks like a legend he's heard of.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:994|Athela Valemore (994)}} has posed:'''<br>Between the darkness and his small size Slurry is able to slip around the defenses, especially with Swims in Shadows focused more on his direct attackers and swinging his chain around. What's the tiny slug-dragon going to do?<br><br>What he does best, really, and that's be a nusiance.<br><br>Somewhere in the darkened corridor is the sound of a large loogie being hacked up, heralding the glob of slime and mud being spat at the sharkman. It smells bad and clings to anything it touches. If that gets in the beastman's nose or ears (or what passes for them) it might put a hamper on his alternate methods of tracking his opponents in the darkness.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1139|All-Seeing Eye (1139)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When the lights go out, there is a faint giggle, audible at least to Swims in Shadows, if not the others. "Made him?" The shift in lighting isn't gradual enough for his hearing to pick up the slack. As such, he mistakenly evades the attack meant for Rurufon, leaving himself wide open for the second swing. "Oof." The Exalt is bodily thrown into a wall, with a somewhat heavier sound than his slender frame should suggest. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Lunar is strong, and it takes a moment of clawing for purchase before Eye can get back to his feet. "His actions were his own, including those taken before our arrival. What was done to them each day for centuries, my people reserve only for our foulest, most incorrigible criminals--violent offenders, psychopaths, rapacious scum." The talking doesn't just serve the usual Multiversal purpose of sparring over who gets to stand on the moral high ground, however--as his words bounce off of the walls, his augmented hearing begins to paint a picture of the room for him. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Up to this point, every strong opponent he's faced has picked him up by his whips and thrown him around. Well, that's not going to happen today. Slowly slinking around (though without any real ability to hide what sound he does make) Eye fires two shots, simultaneously. The first is a red herring, bouncing harmlessly off of a wall. The other, striking the same wall at the same time, ricochets and heads towards the Lunar, aimed at disarming him by striking his hand.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br>Lyria Mason is not doing so good she's got caught by the hook, she's likely it didn't hit an artery but that's all she really has going for her at this. She';ll have to try and take a potion h ope it might stop the bleeding and push on. She's not going to be fighting at full tilt at this point though and it seems they got somehing else going on. She looks at the beastman for a moment. <br><br> "No they chose to do so as did your crew." <br><br> She's got one pistol up and she's looking at the beastman. <br><br> "No you look close to chum than we do fish." <br><br> She'll take another shot and try to keep moving. Her aim isn't as good as it should be due to the injury she has suffered...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Grrrrrr! The little creature growls as she somehow finds herself right back where she started in this bizarre hallway. And that with a bunch of effort going into snaking around and zigzagging around all the magitech defenses! She's puzzled by this development.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But since sneaking back Swims in Shadows renders her plan moot... the little creature wanders out into the hallway proper, and barks out wearily, "They WERE out to stop the brutal enslaving Traitorspawn deal going on down here. But now I think they're just out for blood. These folk from the Multiverse do this a lot. Get uppity over some cause and gather into a big half-organized murdersquad." Her voice warbles indistinctly, it's hard to tell if it's a man or woman speaking.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Finna, who also appears to have been behind Swims in Shadows the whole time (did she just APPEAR? What happened?!), suddenly lashes out with a reverse stab from her poisoned dagger towards Swims in Shadows' lower body where there's the least bone (or cartilage, as the case may be) to get in her way.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The one that was speaking, on closer examination, was nothing more than a bunch of tinfoil - no doubt snagged from one of the Earth worlds or watch stores - reflecting all the lights.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I wasn't going to join in, y'know! But I've seen enough. There's NOTHING constructive going on down here to justify what the big guy's doing!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:6316|Rurufon (6316)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While the strangely dressed horned woman from nowhere could indeed be claimed to be meddling, as nobody knew she was going to be here or has any idea of what her deal is, the specific affairs in question are not the ones she had been meddling in. "I couldn't tell you." is her only response to Swims In Shadows' question, because she as well can't quite comprehend what the Elites must be getting out of this. "I do know what I intend to get out of this at the moment, and you're currently interfering, so get out of the way."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Arthur is swung at her on the end of a hooked chain, she doesn't try to dodge him. She actually opens her arms and tanks the rocket-powered jerk to the chest, grabbing hold of him and digging in her heels to add both her own weight and her frankly ridiculous strength to the counter force on the Lunar's chain. She essentially chooses to completely soak the physical impact to halt Arthur's trip on the spot, and when it comes to a stop, she drags him along with her on a disappearing wind and a trick of the eye, and lets the bloody hook clunk to the floor.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Where Arthur is deposited, Swims in Shadows will have to find out, because she reappears down the heavily shadowed corridor by herself. Lightning crackles between her fingers, she casts out her hand, and a web of searing white cables launches itself at the Lunar's wrists, ankles, and neck, serving both the function of physical restraints and constant sources of godawful paralyzing electricity when she twists the reins and brings them in, aiming to hold him down until he either submits or someone else pastes him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur's body halts suddenly, provoking a shout of pain! "GUUUH!! Hhh..." And then he's gone! He lands on his feet, eyes wide and manic, coming from the opposite end of the hall, where the hook was left! He lands hard on it with heavy overgravity, trying to pin it so that Swims can't use it himself. "HELL YEAH I'm feelin' RIGHTEOUS! The fuck kinda ALTERNATIVE you got to LAY ON ME, bitch?" He closes in, wary of the fact that the man can still use the chain itself as a melee weapon even with the hook pinned, seeing if he can get the chain wrapped around his broom. "You want me to SOLVE the WRONG with, what, some more SLAVERY? You want me to bring out the SHITTY DIVINE BULLSHIT RULES SOLUTIONS like LEVIATHAN? You want me to ROLL OVER, go call the fuckin' REALM, roll 'em up on ya and hand 'em ANCIENT-ASS SUPERTECH? FUCK NO, MOTHERFUCKER!" Now that the man is down on one knee, he can work with his plan; he moves to dart around, flanking! And flanking! And continuing to flank, with defensive broomwork and rocket-boosting!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If he can just get one loop around the guy without him turning -- maybe two -- that'll be enough. Arthur's plan goes off while he continues shouting. "I'm a GODDAMN HERO! I do HEROISM! I see EVIL SHIT and then I FIGHT IT! I'm a MEDDLER because that's the shit a HERO DOES! You wanted me STAYING OUT of your BIZ, shouldn'ta been a FUCKIN' SLAVER, you SCUUUUUUMMMMM!!" He ought to be out of the beastman's sight in this darkness by now. And then Arthur... Falls down the lift shaft. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He cranks the rockets high and points the broom down, and then amps his personal gravity as high up as he can manage in this panicked moment. If all went right: The chain should tighten around the beastman's body, and then yank him hard over the edge and into the lift shaft, tugged by Arthur, and leave the man either focused enough on clinging to the shaft opening for dear life that someone else can finish him off, or disoriented enough that Arthur can less-than-lethally drag him out of here before the Brass Leviathan fucks everything up for the group! Either way, the hope is that he can use this chance to rocket-boost back to the boat and space-warp the whole gang out of here as they follow, whatever way they may!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1139|All-Seeing Eye (1139)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hmhm! Well-put, Arthur.~" Swims in Shadows will hear the slow, patient clicking of leather boots on the metal floor, gradually approaching the shaft. He then hears a disappointed sigh. "I'd hoped to savor this, but our elderly friend tells us the Brass Leviathan is coming, and that's a bit out of my weight class," he says. The creaking of leather near his mouth. Perhaps some sort of gesture near his face? "At least, until I get some upgrades, but then I'd have to decide what I want, go through the bureaucracy... quite the hassle!" He blows an errant lock of hair from his face, shrugging his shoulders lightly. "Oh, well. This'll have to do, until I can properly deal with this evil." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A crossbow dart zips through the air, aimed right between the shark's eyes. Casually, he poses a question to the others. "Ready to go, darlings?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1154|Wandering Dog (1154)}} has posed:'''<br>"And their crimes don't count, because you're far too young to know what they did. How they tore through society for their own greed. You make me sick." Is what Swims in Shadows gets out before there's suddenly slime in his face, clogging his senses...and then he's attacked viciously several ways. He's disarmed, but then the chain is wrapped around him. Bullets tear through his armor, a poisoned dagger stabs into him and cripples him, and chains of shocking electricity wrap around him, white cables pinning him. "Raaaaagh! Y-you bastards! Laugh all you want now! You think you can stop this? Leviathan's going to tear Wavecrest apart soon, and then the rest of the Realm!"<br><br>Before Swims in Shadows can say anything else, he's being dragged away, and then there's a crossbow bolt between his eyes. Swims in Shadows's eyes go wide, and the Lunar collapses, dead, dropped down the lift shaft. He's gone. The group, however, is teleporting away due to the monstrosity outside.<br><br>Out in the distance, moving through the water, is a long serpentine machine of clockwork and jade. It's approaching ever so faster, and Wandering Dog whistles, clearly worried. The Brass Leviathan is about as long as a sperm whale, covered with six massive energy cannons. A booming roar sounds out, able to be heard across the distance...but it doesn't move to attack Luthe. No, infact, it moves to swim closer towards it, as if it's trying to dock with it. Whatever the case is, it doesn't seem to treat Luthe as an enemy. And that's not a good thing. The group can clearly see it, and as they return to the boat, Wandering Dog turns to Arthur. "Broomboy! Get us out of here!" Luckily, it's not going to attack on the ship, so the group should be able to flee reasonably. Luthe's end and the confrontation with Leviathan still await for another day. They atleast have a lead, now.<br><br>Wavecrest is in danger.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br>Lyria Mason had been intent to leave the old sea dog as he was as they had to move what she did not expect was, A Paladin to be judge Jury and exuctioner. Okay that's up there with the Judges back home when they get going, well some of the more infanouyst ones. There's no time to worry or cry given what the guy was involved with. Still she wonders? About what he was refering to, she might just look into that, for now they got to move they got to move hard. It's not time to stay around now, it's not time to stay around at all. She needs to get that wound looked at too.....<br> <br>
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