982/Poison Pool Party

Poison Pool Party
Date of Scene:	16 November 2014
Location:	Mushroom War Earth <MWE>
Synopsis:	A ruined city on a ruined world turns out to be less empty than it seems at first glance, as Union, Confederate, and Unaffiliated forces investigate a mysterious explosion.
Cast of Characters:	Kirito, 27, 399, 553, 613, 617, 622

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Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
The site of the incident looks like Earth, at first glance. Infact, it IS Earth. It can not really be mistaken for anything else. But, by whatever the means of arrival, this city on a version of Earth is also just as clearly not a world where humans rule anymore. Their mighty cities are toppled, buildings fallen and broken in half, streets cracked and worn, and in some cases the terrain just ENDS suddenly and opens up into vast dark pits that one can not even see the bottom of. What lies below the ground? What could have created just gulfs of emptiness beneath the very streets of a modern city? If this planet is not truly abandoned, what lurks in the darkness below? Finding out the answer may not be desirable.

Wilderness has already encroached heavily upon the domain of what once was civilization, a carpet of ivy stretching outwards and covering a significant amount of terrain. Vines have wormed their way up walls, and through already-broken windows, or down them in the cases of some. The foliage in many cases looks sickly - blighted. Dirty, standing water is gathered in small pools, where the road has collapsed, or in craters from significant impacts of some kind. Cars are scattered around, but as many as one might expect in what is clearly a post-apocalyptic world. The ones that are around are either rusted and falling apart, or charred and covered in ashes. Given which sides of the vehicles remain unburned, it seems whatever unleashed such intense heat emanated from a central point, towards the middle of the city.

There's a cloud of green skulls and faces floating around in the sky over the city, high above - or is that just an illusion and it is actually a cloud that happens to APPEAR to contain such features? - but it seems to be very slowly dissipating. If anyone has equipment or abilities for detecting radioactivity, this entire city is a hazard zone that non-Elites would probably be advised not to go near or to get checked by a doctor after even a short visit. Elites are probably fine short-term, though taking this up as one's new place of residence is unlikely to be a good idea even so.

The city seems abandoned, the stores empty, the houses charred and falling apart, the office buildings sagging under the weight of whatever remains of them... But in the shadows... Sometimes...

There are signs of movement.

The terrain all around the city is wilderness, or long stretches of broken concrete, jammed full of abandoned vehicles. It's the quiet that is perhaps most disturbing, for those used to there being SOUNDS everywhere. The noises of the city, of wild life, or wherever. Everywhere here, aside from the dripping of contaminated water, magnified by the silence to become incredibly loud-seeming, it's just... Quiet.

Nurse Joy (553) has posed:
     Nurse Joy is here. Nurse Joy is here as well. Both of them came independently of eachother. Specifically, the Viridian City Joy, and the Team Magma Nurse Joy, are both responding right now. Though they didn't plan this, they're wearing identical haz-mat suits as well. Hey, even if the world might be safe short-term for Elites, it's still /way/ better to play it safe. Though these haz-mat suits are thankfully a lot less bulky and a lot better fitting. The Multiverse's research on this stuff has come a long way. Isn't science amazing?

     They're both about a block away from eachother, calling out, asking if there is anyone around. The strange cloud does /not/ seem pleasant. At all. And so they want to make sure that everyone here is completely safe! Or at the very least, try and find if there are any survivors they could treat the injuries of.

     Both of them are, obviously, working under the assumption there /are/ people of some kind still here.

     The Team Magma Nurse Joy is doing some sample collecting of the local area, though. Using various tools to suck in bits of air to test for quality later, taking samples of any strange material. This is obviously chemical or possibly magical warfare. And the Magma Nurse Joy is interested in figuring out exactly /how/ they're terrorizing the earth so badly, to prevent this sort of thing in the future.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
The green smoke, skulls, and overall demonic slant to things was enough to get Jono's attention. The fact that it all looked like a mushroom cloud made up his mind to go investigate. He didn't have most of his organs so radiation wouldn't kill him as fast as it would Skin or Jubilee. Husk might be able to handle it but... that would be awkward as hell for a number of reasons. So Jono decided to go himself.

His motorcycle isn't what one would call really loud but it's likely to break the silence rather noticeably. He doesn't have any way to measure the radiation but he can tell getting a good decontamination once he's out of here is probably a REALLY good idea. Thus he radios back to the Institute, <<Keep radioactive decontamination equipment ready. Got a feelin' I'm gonna need it when I get done 'ere.>>

That done he sets his radio to sweep for local frequencies to synch to in case there are any Elites responding to this. There probably are and it'd help if they knew the Brit on fire was on THEIR side. Then he accelerates towards the site of the dissipating cloud of what looks disturbingly like green skulls. ('...Bollocks... I need ter quit playin' Jubes's video games. Startin' ter see things...')

Taro (399) has posed:
    The architecture is different, as is the technology, and the destruction more recent, yet it reminds Taro far too much of what stands outside the protective walls outside Neo Arcadia. Ruin and loss and contamination that will haunt the living for untold years to come.
    The Bishop Engineer arrives on the wing, a glowing blue-purple mote of a cyber-elf clinging to his hair, and a filter half-mask over his nose and mouth. While strictly speaking he doesn't need to breathe, contaminated particlates are a bear to clean out of internals. As he and his fellow Confederate approach the city, however, he makes a motion for them to touch down - he does not like the look of that cloud looming over the ruined city one bit, better to err on the side of caution and continue on foot.
    "This looks forboding," Taro says to himself as much as anyone else within earshot. Once grounded, he sweeps a hand around him to scan the air and for signs of electricy and heat signatures, and his 'elf climbs down to perch on his slim shoulder. He casts a glance over at Alpha Centauri. "Is your armor a sealed system? Is contamination a concern for you?"

Alpha Centauri (613) has posed:
Alpha Centauri has been ordered to head out to meet with Taro and aid the Confederate member in whatever the task may be. Even if it is non-combat, his combatant specialty may be useful for-- whatever that was. Also possible that a Singularity could be hiding out there.

Though to the Accretian, everyone who is not of the Empire is a Singularity in some form.

The radioactive air is caught easily by the Accretian and though one may believe this was of no concern for a mechanize lifeform, there was some concern for Alpha Centauri, but long as his external armor holds up and no cracks formed to specific parts of his internal armor... it should be fine.

When Taro lands down, Alpha Centauri is not to far behind. The ten foot tall 'machine', lands down with simple ease as the 'wings' on his back curl tight like a cape almost. His own scanners search over the area, including peering through any near by buildings so long as they don't have lead or heavy industrial steel to block his sight.

He lets out a low rumble as he kneels down and opening two ports he pulls out two orbs, which expand and come online. The 'wheels' having sharp blades that deploy ever so slightly. Alpha Centauri speaks to the two calmly. "Search the area. Do not engage."

The two orbs make a slight 'beep' sound before thy suddenly spin off and head into part of the city ahead of them. Moving at quick speeds around 60 mphs, though slowing down slightly on any tight turns they make. They must be only four feet tall really-- maybe even shorter then that.

He then looks over to Taro. "Drones are scanning further ahead then my own sensors can detect. The area is heavily radioactive. The fallout must have been recent.. though by structural damage.. hard to say how old the carbon record may be without a closer scan."

He pauses before answering Taro's question. "All systems are functional." As if that should answer it all.

Kirito has posed:
    Above the city, but beneath the clouds, a figure in black fluters on fairy wings. The swordsman Kirito's swooping over it all and slowly lowering towards the streets, examining everything he possibly can. This couldn't be fresh, they wouldn't be rusted... so why was the explosion just here anyways? "There must've been two explosions..."

    ... And, really, it looks like a nuclear detonation. His nation would know that better than most, now wouldn't they?

    The boy makes a face, but doesn't go to draw the twin swords sheathed over his back yet. He floats down over the streets, perhaps in sight of some people, and gazes up at the skull-like clouds... and promptly rubs his eyes.

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
Incident. Incident. Nothing but incidents and chaos lately. Chloe von Einzbern is once again doing that thing where she 'wanders off because she feels like it' and probably leaving a certain Emiya Shirou very flustered and worried because she has done it without a single word.

Here she is now, not too long after the explosive cloud of skullfaces and terrible things going off. Her logic for being here is quite sound. 'It seems interesting'. On the very outskirts of the city, hands folded behind her head, rather than doing what most normal sane people would do and try to get as far away as she can... She's walking towards it, whistling to herself- a terribly out of of place sight. Just a small girl walking towards what could very well be a war zone.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
In response to the calls of the two Nurse Joys, there is... A resounding silence, aside from their own voices echoing back to them. While Team Magma Joy is sucking up detritus and evidence for future analysis, a leaning bookshelf in an open store front creaks and then one of its shelves snaps loudly. Nothing else appears to happen, but it may be somewhat startling. The noises of a motorcycle may make the relatively quiet sound of rotting wood breaking a lesser distraction though, the sound of the engine detectable for miles around. Scans for electrical activity turn up very little. There is some source of high-energy particles near the center of the city, which naturally includes heat - one of the other things being scanned for. There may be other sources of heat, but that is the most significant one for thermal readings.

The drones roll through the streets, some areas creating little obstacle courses of abandoned vehicles, fallen street lights, and so on. As they move further and further away, some sort of pink, elastic substance appears to become more and more common, sticking to walls, stretching from building to building, heaped on the streets, etc. Running into it at all will probably stick the drones fast right where they are, but if they go around it or otherwise avoid contact then it does nothing.

From what Kirito would have seen on his initial fly-through, there's a distinct LACK of dead bodies or remains. They could have been gotten to by scavengers, possibly. But even in buildings that look relatively intact, there are very few signs of skeletal remains in the glass-walled offices, or similar. Occasionally there will be a skeleton, usually fully-intact, but either this city was abandoned before the explosion, or not everyone died when it did. Or maybe... Some other possibility? Who knows? There's an awful green glow coming from somewhere deeper in the city, near the center, that might provide answers. But it's also possibly dangerous as well.

Thankfully, Kirito chooses to land rather than keep flying around, and is thus in a position to see what appears to be a humanoid figure crouched by a burnt out bus. A man with blue skin, white hair and beard, and a brown suit turned grey with age and exposure to the elements, is crouched right there when Kirito lands. He has a gold crown with red gemstones set in it hanging on a loop from his belt, and is looking at the suddenly-appeared flying boy with surprise. It seems he was trying to get closer to see who was calling out, as Viridian City Joy is just down the street. The man stands quickly, one hand straying towards the Crown at his side, his other reaching blindly behind him for something else - anything else - and finding only an ash-covered school bus. His posture is defensive - ready to flee at any moment - rather than aggressive. His mouth hangs open in shock the whole time, showing long, sharp teeth. His nose is likewise extended beyond normal human length. Yet, despite the slight exageration to his features, he looks... Mostly human still. He also looks as though he never expected to see another person again. Or maybe just not one that looks like some kind of flying elf.

As Chloe wanders the streets, she may hear a sound like... Quiet crying? It's a high-pointed, muffled noise, seemingly coming from a nearby mailbox. Is the mailbox crying or is there someone - or something - inside?

Something wanders out onto the street in front of Jonothon's bike. He may be able to react in time to stop or turn, given its distance from him. It's a vaguely-humanoid figure, hunched over, slouching as it wanders into sight. But it has three arms in addition to its two legs, and its body shape is like a misshapen oval, with no visible head, not even a face, just several holes on one side of its body, each leaking a glowing green substance. It turns towards Jonothon whether he stops or not, letting out a growling sound of surprise, and then reaching for him with its putrid green hands as it advances at a surprisingly quick pace.

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
Well this place certain seems just so welcoming. The barren desolation of the seemingly stripped and abandoned(?) city is kind of eerie. Though where most small girls would be completely creeped out beyond belief Chloe regards it all with a mild, if bored curiosity. Twiddling her thumbs behind her head, the silver-pink-haired girl just kind of...

Wanders aimlessly for a little while. No real direction nor destination in mind. At least until something gets her attention. The muffled whimpering from within the mailbox makes her stop in her tracks. Though there's no jump nor fright in the pause, gold eyes simply slowwwwly shifting to glance at it. "Hohhhh...?"

Just a few paces in that direction and then, one elbow lightly raps on the thing.

*Knock knock knock*

"And what are you crying about?"

Yes she is talking to a mailbox. Or whoever might be inside, at any rate.

Taro (399) has posed:
    Taro nods to Alpha. "I see. Thank you. If you are capable and do not mind, would you share the data stream? I can analyze on the fly." His head tilts slightly as he detects and syncs with a local radio frequency, and his eyes narrow as he discovers that whatever happened here has attracted attention from other parties. Not a surprise, that. "The Union is here," he says, in case the larger AI hasn't tuned in yet. "Our primary concern is not them. Let them make the first move, but respond in kind when warranted." He waves his left hand in a brushing-off gesture. "If any of them begin accusing us of villiany and launch into one of their self-righteous speeches, feel free to turn off your audio receptors." Then, to his tiny companion, "Myrrh, activate your ORBIT system and go see what our ally's drones are running into."
    The 'elf alights from his shoulder with a electronic warble and zips ahead of them to find those drones.
    Orders given, the android returns his attention to their surroundings, and starts forward at a mile-eating jog into the ruins. No doubt he'll have to keep up that pace to match Alpha's stride. "I'm detecting a heat source somewhere near where I judge the city center to be. The elctrical grid appears to be entirely nonoperational, however. No surprise, given the level of destruction..."

Kirito has posed:
    Kirito does come in for a landing, and the first person the Spriggan sees who probably was here to belong with gets him canting his head quizzically. He does hold both hands out, palms open, rather than going for his sword. "O-oi, easy. I'm just here investigating the place..." He ends up pursing his lips nevertheless, taking a closer look at Simon...

    Yeah, he's really, REALLY not sure what this person is doing here. They definitely don't fit the atmosphere.

    "My name is Kirito." He continues in the friendliest tone he can manage while his twin sets of gossamer black wings vanish into his back.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
"What the bloody...?!" It's a complete shock when this thing walks out in front of Jono and he only barely manages to turn his bike in time to avoid hitting it. Brakes are employed here. He doesn't want to skid. So he does indeed stop. Except then it's REACHING FOR HIM! And it's way too fast for him to avoid...

It's pure instinct that has him turning towards the thing his eyes wide with shock and fear. "Gerroff!" he 'yells' at the thing. And a blast of his not-fire erupts from the bottom of his face at the thing. It's not a huge explosion though. Some people instinctively kick at things that scare them. Jono just happens to shoot energy at things that scare him.

Alpha Centauri (613) has posed:
The Ground Drones continue to move along, their blades at their high speed making easy work of anything that gets in their way like massive saws really. Though when they come upon the odd substance they actually slow down and by the remote link Alpha Centauri takes note of the details. Then informs Taro about it, even though he himself is starting to walk forward more toward the city itself.

When Taro asks to be shown the footage, there is a low rumble of perhaps mild protest to this, but he does comply. Easily allow Taro to see what he is seeing from his drones. As Taro jogs along, Alpha Centauri just keeps pace easy enough.

His scanners continue to scan for any heat signatures, electric flows, movement of any kind-- anything to say that there is trouble ahead. "Shame the grid is down." Alpha admits to Taro. "Could have been useful."

The Accretian tilts his head ever so slightly, as he walks past one of the downed cars, he brushes his hand over the metal, then picks up a bit of the particles as his scanners start to break down the material, or try too. Seeing if anything could be obtained from it-- some of it being sent back to HQ for rapid fire analysis.

The Drones eventually do come to a halt, at the edge of some of the substance, though while one remains, another moves its way into a building, or tries too, willing to cut down anything that may act as an obstacle at what it is trying to do.

Alpha looks to Taro, "Understood regarding the Union. My orders are to follow your orders. I shall not attack unless a target acts a threat to our safety."

Nurse Joy (553) has posed:
     The Team Magma Joy stumbles back, barely avoiding the shelf. She ends up falling onto the floor a bit, mostly in surprise. She takes a deep breath of relief. She gets up, and looks around a bit. At the least, though, it seems like there is nothing left around... Just broken stuff. The event that happened in the sky might just be a remnant of weapons in the area. There might just be no one left.

     The Viridian Joy, on the other hand, sees the blue man coming. And Kirito. And the man is on guard.

     So she speaks up, trying to be as calm as humanly possible. She has good bedside manner.

     "Hello. I'm Nurse Joy. We detected the thing that happened in the sky just now. We're looking into this world, and trying to find out what happened. And we're trying to find anyone who needs are help. Do you know what is going on?"

     She remains incredibly calm, given the situation and the guy looking like he's on guard.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
According to the sensor scans, if they are capable of the level of detail necessary, it seems the substance is some sort of gum base, with sweeteners, and substances commonly used for flavoring in... Chewing gum? All this pink stuff appears to be candy! Bubble gum, to be specific! The way it is latticed throughout alleyways, and up buildings, or piled in clumps, is a bit unusual, but it does not seem to be behaving strangely otherwise... Again, however, touching it results in a very sticky experience, as its adhesive properties become disproportionate to its chemical components.

When one of the drones enters a building, it quickly runs into a problem. The problem is in the form of a collapsed floor, and a basement full of skeletons. Humans remains fill the sub-level to capacity and then some. This explains where at least SOME of the dead went. Though why they are here at all is another question that may need answering.

Chloe's knocking upon and addressing of the mailbox results in a cessation of crying, though there is a little bit of sniffling still. The door on the mailbox flops open, and there's a little black-haired girl with pale skin, pointed ears, and a pair of small fangs protruding down over her lower lip from above. Her cheeks are wet as she sits there, half-buried in undelivered letters, many of them decomposed or otherwise very old. She blinks blearily at Chloe and says sadly, "Hey." Then she blinks a couple more times, rubs her eyes, and says more normally, "I'm Marceline. You can call me Marcy. Who're you?"

The zombie-like thing is knocked flat on its back from the impact, slime flying from its several face-holes, and lies still. Though it continues to ooze. It makes no move to get back up, though based on its unusual anatomy, whether it's knocked out, stunned, or dead is uncertain. It could just be lying in wait for Jonothon to get closer! Who knows!? For the moment, at least, it seems best to not stick around and find out. Poking it will make it squelch and ooze more, but little else, and does anyone REALLY want to touch that gunk? REALLY?

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Simon blinks and cautiously relaxes, his left hand reaching for his right as though he needed to manually pull it away from the highly-ornamental head-wear at his side. He pauses for a moment and then says, "Yeah, I get it. I don't want any trouble either. Bad stuff happened here before. A bomb. That's about all I can tell you." He looks over as Viridian City Joy approaches, and though he clearly has reason to be skittish, he doesn't seem hostile. Other people being alive is enough of a shock that he lowers his guard, and the soothing manner in which he's addressed probably helps a lot as well. "A nurse? That... Could be really useful around here." Could have been useful a month ago, when Marcy was sick too. But best not to dwell on that. "My name is Simon. I'm looking for a little girl. Her name's Marceline, and this is not a safe place for a child to be wandering around. Have you seen her at all?" The desperation in his tone is clear. His white eyes go unfocused for a moment as he looks off down the street, as though remembering something, and mutters, "I have to protect her."

Meanwhile, with Team Magma Joy, something green drips down from above a short distance from her. It hits the pavement and sizzles. If she looks up to find the source, she'll see a misshapen semi-humanoid figure plummeting from the sky and then striking the ground hard. Its acidic ooze splats everywhere, though it doesn't get on the nurse. And then several more creatures do the same thing, either hitting the street, or landing on the ones who have already hit. Eventually, enough of them land safely that they start to crawl towards her, making inhuman noises like something trying to growl or roar around a mouthful of food. Or slime in this case. They're moving slowly enough from the stunning effect of falling that they can be outrun, and they don't seem friendly.

They apparently jumped down from an office building, several floors above. But though some are stunned, they don't actually seem to have suffered any real DAMAGE per se. Their bodies remain intact!

Kirito has posed:
    Kirito frowns tremendously, and for several reasons. He doesn't know of any Marceline around here, and he glances about.. this guy seems really jumpy, perhaps even mentally unstable. Best to be on guard.

    But he glances over at the Nurse Joy who's appeared, and gives her a warm-faced nod. He's grateful to have someone else about for this!

    "Yeah, I figured it was a bomb of some kind... where did you last see her? We're not the only ones here, I can alert the others to be on the lookout."

Nurse Joy (553) has posed:
     Viridian Joy smiles at Simon, though it's hard to see through her hazmat suit. She's still doing all she can to make things more comfortable, though.

     "We'll still do what we can for anyone around. Also, we'll help you find the girl. We can even help bring you two someplace safer, while we try to help with the cleanup effort."

     She ponders, though. "Are the people of your world blue as well, or is there something wrong? I don't mean to be offensive. I just need to know. This seems to be an Earth, after all, and most humans aren't... blue. It could be part of a disease, is why I ask."

     Team Magma Joy, on the other hand, sees the zombies. Well. There /is/ one way to fight zombies and absolutely defeat them, at least. She throws out a Pokeball. At the least, brief contact with this environment should be safe...

     Her Camerupt appears.

     "Camerupt! Use erruption!"

     While keeping a /safe distance/, the Camerupt fires off a /massive/ burst of lava from its back.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Get closer? Nope! It's probably safer if he doesn't get close to it. If Jono's world were less realistic he might have several instances of the word 'NOPE' trailing behind him as he leaves the general vicinity of that oozing zombie thing. Nope nope nope nope! Hopefully it wasn't just playing dead. Because it'd be unfortunate if it followed him!

In the meantime he turns his motorcycle towards what might he thinks is the center of the blast radius. Whatever happened here this blast and what destroyed this city were two different events. The mutated beasties here were probably the result of the destruction and not the most recent explosion. They might have been disturbed by the recent explosion but probably not created by it.

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
AND SO THE MAILBOX REVEALS ITS SECRET.

When the panel opens and the child pokes her head out, she's met by an outstreched hand. "Marcy huh?" The small magus repeats. She'll help tug the girl out if she wants a boost; apparently no bothered by the girl's fangs or inhuman features.

Believe it or not, Chloe does NOT DO ANYTHING BAD. This time. "You can call me Chloe." She gives as introduction with something of a lopsided grin. "Was there a reason you were in there or do girls here like holing up in mailboxes?"

Taro (399) has posed:
    "The heat signature appears to be stationary. Either it's immobile or not moving at present." Still on the move, Taro's brow furrows as the shared data feed from Alpha Centauri's drone relays the images of skeletal images. He doesn't murmur a prayer for them, though. By all appearances there were merely organics, after all. Instead, he is more practical. "Can your drone extract itself, or should we go after it?" he asks of Alpha.
    As he himself comes across one of the first blots of pink mushrooming from one of the buildings, he pauses, and draws a knife from its sheath to slice off a tiny sample. This he carefully pincers between thumb and forefinger as he holds it up to eye level. Then, he draws a shatter-resistant vial from a pouch and, provided he can pry it loose from his glove, slips the sliver into it, caps it, and puts it away. Under these circumstances, he's not going to complete a preliminary chemical analysis - that would involve removing the mask, which would defeat the purpose of having worn it.
    Meanwhile, his cyber-elf zips through the streets, keeping several feet above the ground and a moderate distance away from the crumbling facades and anything dangling over her head. She catches up to Alpha's streetside drone, and floats in front of it for a moment so that she can be seen. 'I'll see if I can find a safe path around this..this gunk!' she warbles in that electronic voice of hers, then floats upward above the remaining rooftops in search of the least gummy path.

Alpha Centauri (613) has posed:
The Drone stops where it is with the human remains below it as Alpha Centauri was debating on what to do. The other one just chills out near the pink stuff, cause yeah. Any further could also mean possible trouble.

Alpha Centauri rubs his fingers together after the analysis was done and then flicks his fingers to get rid of the carbon matter. "The drones are expendable." Alpha Centauri states. "Could activate aerial drone, but due to size could alert attention." Which seems to be a smart idea given it seems the Union folks are running into enemies already.

The Drone street side waits for the cyber elf to find away, once the elf can, it will follow the path, till then. It chills out. As for the Drone that did find the remains, Alpha decides to go 'poke' the dead. Mostly have the drone roll down into the pit and see about getting any further information that may lie down there on /what/ happened, beyond perhaps the obvious, which he states to Taro.

"They may have escaped down below for shelter from the nuclear blast. Unaware that it would lead to their deaths. Many underestimate the abilities of a nuclear weapon.. along with the abilities of Biological warfare." Alpha Centauri looks over to Taro. "It is the curse of many imperfect beings to forget what it is they have created and the devastation it can create." He then looks away. "Though perhaps...."

The Accretian does not continue with his line of thinking as he continues to scan the area around them. Though given the now brought up attention of hostiles. He does activate his shield, which pops up. He hooks it to his left arm, and then takes the Rifle which also comes up with his right hand. Those gold optics only flicker for a moment.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Simon looks anxious for a moment as he starts to answer Kirito. "I-" then he stops and just looks downwards. "I don't know. There was some kind of monster I was trying to protect us from. I must have blacked out, because when I woke up she was nowhere nearby. I don't even know how I got where I was." The thought has definitely occurred to him that Marcy might not be okay - that she might not have survived because of his failure to protect her. That nagging concern torments him in the back of his mind, even as he tries to hold onto hope that she might have escaped on her own somehow and be out there somewhere. And even more insidious part of himself had whispered that maybe it would be best if she hadn't survived, because continuing to live in this world would have been nothing but fear and suffering for her, all while losing Simon gradually to the Crown. But there are people here now! And while he is still beating himself up over losing her, hope has been restored. There's salvation for both of them!

At Viridian Joy's question, Simon holds up one of his hands to look at it, with its long, sharp fingernails, almost claw-like. "It's been so long since I've seen another human I'd almost forgotten how weird I must look to... NORMAL people." He lowers his hand and says, "No, it's a side-effect of-" he pauses, not sure if he wants to go into detail with strangers, no matter how well-meaning they may seem. Eventually he just says, "Something unrelated to all this. There's been no signs of it being communicable." Unless one puts on the Crown, anyway. Catching crazy from the Crown is entirely possible. "Marcy was sick relatively recently, though she seems to be better now... But either way, if you two can get us - or even just her - somewhere safe, I'd be so, SO grateful." His eyes start to well up with tears as he clasps his hands together dramatically in front of himself. He chokes back a few sobs and wipes his eyes on his sleeve. "Oh, and uh, you said you were here to investigate 'this world'. Are you from outerspace or something? Is that how you survived?" It makes sense that astronauts might have made it. Maybe they're from a space station or something.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Meanwhile, the zombies are thrown into the air, or buried in lava, and while they seem to burn just fine, they still don't quite seem to actually... Die. Even on fire, the ones that aren't blasted clear of the area to land elsewhere just flail and groan and try to escape the painful, molten substance. They're sturdy, if nothing else! They do get stunned relatively easily from impacts and to not be so quick to react to sudden changes. So, limited intelligence. That's good to know. One of the zombies is melting into the lava due to not being able to get free, so they CAN be destroyed. They just aren't responding like most organic beings do. Maybe due to a lack of internal organs, if their interiors are full of that ooze.

Marcy holds out one arm when Chloe offers her hand, and allows herself to be pulled out, with a little 'hup'! She seems to be younger than Chloe by at least a few years. When she is pulled free of the mailbox, it is revealed that, under her other arm, she has a strange monkey or bear-like doll, pinkish-red in coloration, with long arms and legs, making it look like it could be tied around the body like a backpack or something. "Hambo and I were hiding because there's scary monsters out here." Marcy holds one hand up to her mouth as the clear concern and fear is shown on her face. "And a giant skeletor guy, with green fire!" She waves her hand wildly. "My friend Simon tried to fight it, but we got seperated." She turns quickly, with a gasp, at the sound of an explosion somewhere in the distance, and the glow of lava. "L-let's get out of here, Chloe!" Marcy says urgently as she keeps her hand tight on the older girl's and doesn't let go.

The cyber-elf succeeds in finding a non-gummy road. The attempt to secure a sample of the pink goop works, though it sticks to the knife even after the sample is obtained. And did it just... Quiver a little bit? ...Nah, must be the imagination. As Taro makes his way along the clearest path towards the heat source, a green glow becomes more prevalent, tinting the surroundings. Just around the next corner, he should be able to see it...

Then the drone goes down and disturbs the dead. The basement seems to go deeper than it originally appeared to, the skeletons acting as a sort of 'ramp' into an area even further underground... A much darker area. Any exploration of THAT, however, is forestalled. A pair of green lights blink on in the sockets of one of the skulls. In two seconds, the lights appear in the sockets of ALL the skulls, spreading down into the dark depths, until an ocean of lights-for-eyes glowing in the dark is visible below.

Then the dead roar grind their way back into mobility, sitting up and swarming over the drone. Several even start to climb their way up over the ledge and into the building, so that they can come after those outside as well.

Great.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
As Jonothon makes his way towards the center of the city, he too encounters the strange green glow. And if he gets close enough, he would find a huge crater completely free of buildings, except for the wrecked ones around the sides, and a vast pool of glowing green ooze of some kind, not unlike that which came out of the zombies. There are creatures scattered around the rim of the pool, some looking like zombies, some walking skeletons, others stranger yet. None of them to have spotted or heard Jonothon yet, as they feed upon the toxic sludge, or 'worship' it, or something. At the center of the pool is a towering statue, cobbled together from scrap metal, wood, tents and curtains, and other junk. It looks like a giant, horned skeleton, in a hood, and cloak.

Freaky.

Kirito has posed:
    "Close, but not quite!" Kirito sprouts a smile, though his eattentiong lazes over several times and he taps at the side of his head as though distracted. Rather like someone talking on the phone, except... he's not talking. "...Good news. one of the others who came found a girl named Marceline and says they're safe." He's pretty happy to deliver that news!

    But as far as 'normal' is concerned, there's one thing about Kirito that's not quite normal, though it's easily overlooked in this place.

    His ears. They are long, pointy...

    Well, there's also how he flew in on FAIRY WINGS that are now nowhere to be seen, but okay whatever. This place is weird enough as it is.

    "Are you familiar with parallel worlds theory? This is going to sound really crazy if not... we are from different planets, and some of those planets have space travel," He begins lightly, trying to keep a friendly tone through it all, as if coaching a newbie...

    That's a pretty good analogy here, isn't it?

    "But those worlds were originally in different dimensions. Alternate timelines where history played out differently. If we're here... that means this world has been pulled into the Multiverse, a big collection of others. We came through a warp gate... a kind of portal that spreads to every new world when they appear."

    He manages to smile through this explanation, though... there's that distracted look on his eyes again. "Hold on, ZOMBIES?!"

    All of a sudden both hands go up to his blades, and he looks around nervously... bu doesn't draw the twin weapons.

Nurse Joy (553) has posed:
     With the Zombies being /so/ surprisingly enduring, Magma Joy basically decides, well, on a certain route.

     "Fuck it."

     These things are a massive threat, and from what she can hear on the radio, two people have been found. Getting out of dodge with as many as they can is probably the best option. So, she recalls her Pokemon, and begins to high tail it out of there. She's not going to leave without the others, though. So instead, she just tosses things in the path of the zombies, such as rubble and stuff, to slow them down, while she gets on the path to reunite with the others.

     The Viridian Nurse Joy moves closer to Simon, smiling still. "We'll get you and Marceline out of here, and keep both of you safe, alright? Here. Our first priority is getting away with the zombies. And though the fact you're now in the Multiverse might be hard to understand, well... You've been through a lot. Just know, this means there is a lot of hope, now, that things will get better. Alright?"

     She offers a hand forward. She's in a hazmat suit, but sometimes physical contact helps. "Come with us. We'll help lead you to the warp gate, and help you meet with Marcy again."

Taro (399) has posed:
    Since one of the Nurse Joys asked politely, Taro does in fact take a second sample for the woman. Bits of the pink substance (vegetation? fungus? some new unknown life form?) continue clinging to its edge once he works the samples free, and so he chooses to leave the knife behind rather than try to wipe it clean or return it to its sheath.
    Zombies have been reported...but it appears that Alpha Centauri has already prepared for that. He himself will watchful and on guard, but for now he leaves his hands free rather than encumber them with any weapons. Samples secured, he motions his fellow AI to follow him, and continues down the path that their drone and 'elf have already scouted for them.
    The glow grows more visible in the feed as cyber-elf and drone draw closer to the heat source he's been tracking. "Perhaps related..." he murmurs to himself as he conducts another scan of his own...which continues while his attention is caught by the relayed images of the statue illuminated by the glow of a sickly-serene pool surrounding it. Eyes narrow at the crude effigy, before his attention is caught by the motion around it...people? for certain definition of 'people', perhaps. "Have your drone move in closer, if you would. Those may be the zombies the others were talking about. Myrrh, be careful. If that's radioactive, it may interfere with your cohesion."

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
A strange green glow is probably not natural. Then again 'not natural' seems to be a Thing for this place in general, with the zombies, mutants, and what have you scattered all around. When he sees movement, Jono stops his bike and decides to approach on foot. It'll be quieter and he doesn't want to attract any more attention than a human with fire where the bottom of his face should be would normally attract.

Jono can hopefully get close enough to see what's going on without instantly being zeroed in on as something that's good to eat. Because aside from the weird energy and the missing parts (and the psionic energy that he's emitting a LOT of) he's pretty much human. And zombies like eating humans right?

Though once he's where he can see... he's not sure what to do...

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
Marceline thusly freed from her mail-filled hidey hole, Chloe folds her hands together behind her head, shifting weight onto her back foot in a generally lazy fashion. "Monsters?" Young as she may look, Chloe doesn't look too skeptical when this point is raised. In a blasted out city like this it wouldn't be surprising, after run ins with aliens on another earth.

She just wouldn't be surprised. But mention of a 'Skeletor' gets one brow lifting a little skeptically. "Ehhhh, I wouldn't worry about that." She ways, giving Marceline a ruffle on the head, before hoisting her. The sudden explosion in the distance gets Chloe looking up. "Maybe we should try and find Simon, huh?" She idly suggests before starting to hustle, while just kind of duffel carrying the girl. "Hold on tight, alright?"

It's the only warning Marcy's gonna get before Chloe just JUMPS. High. Higher. Seriously high. She lands on a low rooftop, and hops up to a higher one. Maybe from up above she can get a better idea of where the others are with Simon.

Alpha Centauri (613) has posed:
Alpha Centauri has kept up easily with Taro, even while one drone is ahead and the other has lingered behind. Alpha Centauri gold optics flicker as he orders the Drone to move toward the pool that is heavily in question and very slowly move around its edges.

Though as for the other Drone, Alpha Centauri does report its findings. "It seems it is possible that any beyond serviced time lifeform can not be trusted. As the drone we left behind has awoken several of them." Yeah-- not the /best/ news to report.

The hum of Alpha Centauri's photon rifle could be heard as it warms up. "We may have company shortly..."

As for that Drone down there. it Quickly tries to back up, those blades rolling like saws for any zombie that /dares/ to try to get close too it. Machine guns come out of its sides and it starts to open fire with hot laser beams one right behind the other.

Lets see how well the undead do against chainsaw blades and laser machine guns!

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Simon seems to be quite relieved to hear that news! "Really? She's okay!? Thank goodness!" he says as he runs a hand through his long, white hair. To Kirito's explanation, he says, "Ah, I'm familiar with the concept. I think. It's been awhile, and things I used to know are a lot harder to remember. But that's neither here nor there. Anywhere is safer than THIS dump!" Simon gestures around indicatively at the crumbling city. He takes a step back when Kirito reaches for his swords, though he doesn't seem ready to run or anything. He does ask worriedly, "What's wrong? Did something happen just now!?" He looks around and says in a frightened tone, "I guess I should have let you know sooner, but there's these weird things that leak slime Marcy and I had to escape from a few weeks back. I managed to take them out, but there could be more of them around."

He looks at the hand being offered by Viridian Joy for a few seconds, and then accepts it. He is putting a lot of trust in complete strangers. But honestly, compared to the only other inhabitants he and Marcy have encountered so far, there's a pretty vast gulf in trustworthiness between Kirito and Joy, and... That Lich thing. "I'm not leaving without Marcy," he asserts, though they already said they'd get her to safety too. Just... He isn't setting foot in any kind of portal gate whatever until she is there with him.

Speaking of which, as Chloe picks up Marcy and starts jumping HIGH into the air with her, the little half-demon girl shrieks at first, before her squeals and screams change to laughter and giggling. She hangs onto Chloe, but she waves Hambo around so he can feel like he's flying too, and yells, "This is awesoooooooooome!" Surely she is nothing but safe now! Even with that green funk still hanging in the sky over the city.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
She manages to miss out on the sounds of weapons fire as the drone starts blasting the skeletons apart, putting holes in them, destroying limbs to support the undead, and so on. But even as it backs out of the building, there are enough dead below ground, that even ignoring the dozens and dozens that make up that 'ramp', there are countless more swarming up to street level. A manhole cover in the street is knocked into the air and lands with a clatter as more of the slime-zombies crawl up out of the sewers. A clamor of many groans and moans ushers up out of the sewer tunnels, and starts to fill the streets, as they spill out from buildings, from under bridges and benches, out of incomplete construction site pits, out of cars... Skeletons and hole-covered, slime-dripping monsters are quickly massing in huge numbers and coming for the source of the sounds.

Needless to say, as Jonothon advances on the radioactive pool, and Drone 1 does the same, the sound draws the attention of the monsters gathered around it. They turn to investigate, and find that they have an audience. Something with a bulky, muscular upper body, and powerful legs, and a head like an inverted triangle, with two rabbit-like ears or horns protruding from the top, points at the intruders and lets loose a terrible cry that soon has the monsters HERE rallying too.

Essentially, this entire situation has gone terribly wrong very, very quickly.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
The pool boils and bubbles, energy of some kind crackling across the surface as it gathers into a bubble at the center. A bubble with the image of skulls and faces wailing in torment visible within it. It just keeps growing and growing in size. It seems another eruption is imminent.

But hey, the zombies that Magma Joy got with her lava are either still motionless or almost completely melted into goop! That's a plus, right? Even if she's not hanging around to look.

The sound of the monsters is rising in volume, and even Kirito, Viridian Joy, and Simon can hear it now from where they are. They weren't that far from Magma Joy to begin with. "Oh, no." Simon mutters. Then he lets go of Viridian Joy's hand and starts running TOWARDS the sounds. In truth, he has recognized another sound amidst the wails of the monsters. "Marcy!" he calls out as he runs towards the sound of the little girl's laughter, unaware that Chloe is going to reach him and the others long before he could run to them.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Taro, meanwhile, may discover that not only is the pool highly radioactive, it is also charged with other energies. If he can process them properly, they may register as magic - or something like it. Yet, it's not ALL magic. There's a mix of nuclear fallout, some sort of mutagen, AND magic - all together. A soup of science and sorcery. When Drone 1 obtains a sample, however much of that it can analyse, it can accomplish. Otherwise, it better get out of there fast if it wants to get the sample back to a lab to examine properly, because it seems like there might actually be things IN the pool that are starting to swim towards shore.

In general, the unhealthiness level of this place is, 'Why are you even still here, this place is really, really unhealthy. Probably lethal for most organic and inorganic beings to come in contact with the stuff down there too.'

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
"...Bollocks."

Yeah Jono's not staying around. Getting pointed at by monsters that are drinking from a pool of crap that emits enough radiation to light up a Geiger counter from a hundred yards away is probably a REALLY BAD THING. Having been spotted Jono turns and makes for his bike again. He's heard on the radio that they've found survivors. He'll just meet up with them at the warpgate.

Provided he doesn't get waylaid by oozing zombies, of course! From the looks of it, that's a very good possibility with current events!

Nurse Joy (553) has posed:
     With Simon running /toward/ the danger, Nurse Joy feels that she absolutely has to follow. Yes, it's dangerous, but she has to follow.

     The Team Magma Nurse Joy, though? She's just running straight to the Warp Gate to get out of here at this point. This has gone bad. So she's fleeing.

     And the Viridian Joy keeps running after Simon, trying to stay close. Just to get ready, she throws out two Pokeballs. She doesn't like the fact she has to risk her Pokemon a bit in this dangerous land, but she will anyways.

     "Go, Chansey! Sylveon!"

     The two Pokemon appear, and they're ready for battle, when needed. But Joy is hoping it won't come to that.

Kirito has posed:
    "I'm getting reports of monsters, zombies, something still lurking around here!" And the Black Swordsman seems spooked by it. Unnaturally so. His breath's quickened and gaze has sharpened considerably. It's -almost- like a panic attack, Nurse Joy might notice. he's clearly had some VERY bad experiences with zombies in the past.

    Really though, that's not so odd is it? Nobody ever has GOOD experiences with zombies...

    But then Simon goes running off and... augh! "H-hold on, Marcy's rescuer's coming this way--" He gives Nurse Joy a worried, but kind of helpless look.. one that says he's REALLY hoping she can take care of herself.

    Then, the wings he used before reappear from his back in a small wave of light, thrum up to speed and whoooosh, he's off, following just behind Simon... and eventually alongside, with his twin weapons drawn. Elucidator and Dark Repulser are just as out of place with this locale as Simon's crown, really...

    "Don't be crazy. I can't keep back ALL of them!"

Taro (399) has posed:
    "Lovely." One word, spoken with sarcasm. The Bishop Engineer unclips his beam sabre from his belt with his left hand. "The CyberGoddess finds petty things such as dispelling the undead beneath her, but then that is what plasma weaponry is for, hm?" Then, a relayed order to his 'elf. "Myrrh - get the drone out of there, but abandon it if you must!"
    Alpha has already stated that the drone is expendible. Myrrh, however, is not.
    'On it, em Taro!' the 'elf warbles, then zips for - and INTO - the ground drone. The telemetry feed fuzzes to static for a moment as she merges with the machine, then resolves itself though with just a tint ob blue. 'ORBIT System stable. Let's get out of here!' And with that, there's a loud hummmm as she shifts the drone's motor into overdrive. It backs up swiftly, before executing a textbook 'bootlegger turn' and then attempting to lay on speed for which its designers may not have known this machine was capable of.
    No sooner are orders given than the street around them erupts almost literally with slime-dripping creatures. 'Zombies' seems to hadly do them justice. Taro activates his beam sabre with a snap-hiss, and he swings at the closest one even as the purple-tinted blade forms. "I think a retreat to the air may be wisest, as soon as they reach us."

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
The screaming and squealing is usually a passenger's first reaction. Though things sure go a lot smoother once Marceline starts to enjoy the bouncy rollercoaster ride with no tracks, that is Chloe leaping from place to place. Though the dark-skinned homunculus is keeping an eye out for threats on each landing.

"Heh."

At least someone is having fun. But a few more bounds and keen ears hear Simon's voice, giving Chloe a much clearer direction on where to head. It's not long at all before the pink-haired girl comes landing, sneakers skidding a little as she holds the young half-demon up. "Yoohoo. Sorry I'm late. Heard you were looking for someone." She pauses briefly, eyeing Kirito.

More specifically she's eyeing the boy's twin blades.

"Nice swords."

Alpha Centauri (613) has posed:
"Acknowledged." Alpha Centauri confirms with Taro as he then opens fire with his Photon rifle as the photon blasts goes to slam into the 'zombies.' Not worried about his drone, since the things top speed is 80 MPH and probably now being pushed at 100+.

He also lost connection with his other drone. Ah well.

The Accretian then does a side step to turn himself about to face another direction. The six panels on his shoulders open up and six missiles explode out from those panels, before another set is fired. Blanketing the are with high yield explosions and perhaps rocking the very air.

Combat, after all, is what Alpha Centauri is designed for.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
The oozing monster that Taro slashes at gets a deep gouge, clear through to its interior, that sends it staggering back and falling to the ground. But from the fact it tries to roll over and start crawling after several seconds, it seems that its front-side being slashed almost in half is not enough to kill it. Whatever they are made out of, it may not actually be 'flesh' per se. Or if it is, then their apparentl lack of vital organs means even extreme damage suffered is not necessarily lethal. Unless you melt them in lava, apparently. Maybe they're mutated jelly donuts or something.

Jonothon succeeds in escaping, though things chase him and lunge out of alleyways at him. He is not truly 'safe' until he, along with the others, are OUT of here. Thankfully, with his speed he should be able to make it to the others or to a seperate warp gate. Even if the whole exit process plays out like something from a horror movie.

Alpha Centauri succeeds in putting holes in the monsters - or, well, MORE holes - but again, even though they are clearly doing damage, it is not necessarily KILLING the dang things. Except for the ones that are blown to pieces by missiles, and even they seem kind of twitchy in their forcibly scattered state. Their sheer NUMBERS may be an issue, even putting aside their resilience. The streets are crowded with the things, and Taro, accelerated droid, and Alpha Centauri are basically surrounded. There are hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of these monsters, on top of the skeletons standing in the darkness of the building and watching this all unfold with their lifeless, permanent grins. And then there's the weird mutant things that seem to be DIRECTING the zombies. If not for the fact that they can go airborne, this would be a very unfortunate circumstance to be caught in.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Simon does a double-take when he sees he is being followed by a couple of weird creatures, AND Joy, AND Kirito (who can fly again apparently), but he does not stop until he sees Chloe land and hold out Marceline. "MARCY!" Simon yells at the same time the little girl yells out, "SIMON!" All of her concerns about Simon's weird behavior fly away when Marcy is grabbed up in her best friend's arms. They embrace, but they don't have time for a lengthy heartfelt reunion. Instead, Simon uses the strength granted by adrenaline (because he has no super-Chloe strength) to lift the child he has sworn to protect, and try to run back the way he came. "C'mon guys, let's make like some really fast thing and get OUT of here!" He is a bit surprised to see there's another child in this city, but he'll be glad when ALL of them are nowhere near here. He can thank Chloe - and all of these folks - when they're all safe.

As Simon turns to run, however, it becomes evident that the way back to the Warp Gate has become blocked off. The streets are crowded, he sidewalks filled with the lurching mutated monsters. More are crawling like spiders down the sides of buildings.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Simon has no idea how strong their rescuers are. When he fought the zombies before, using the Crown, even he couldn't kill them. He could blast them away, freeze them solid until they had time to escape...

Simon does not really want to kill anyone, but he does want to get everyone to safety. Simon looks down at the Crown at his side, sees it gleaming, and then looks to Marceline in his arms, torn. He knows what happens if he uses the Crown. He doesn't want to use its power. But to protect them...

Marceline, despite her youth, looks up into Simon's face, and understands somehow. Though her eyes tear up, she just looks away and says nothing.

The 47-year old man, sets the 7-and-a-half-years old girl down. She runs to Chloe to bury her face in the other girl's side. So that she won't have to see.

No song this time, except for one in his head. Simon simply slips the Crown off its loop, lifts it above his head, tries to steel his will, and brings the jeweled ornament down.

The air all around suddenly decreases in temperature drastically. For those who can sense magic, there is a sudden flare of it, tremendous in volume, if not strength. A freezing wind picks up, as Simon's hair and beard lengthen. He pulls a pair of cracked eyeglasses out of his coat pocket and rests them on his face, relying on his lengthened nose to keep them on. The lenses are already frosted over. "I can't... Control it... For long..." he warns the others as he raises his hands, nearly clawed-looking as snow appears magically and swirls all around him. "Buy me... A few seconds... To clear us a path!" he calls out.

The Crown whispers in his head that he should just let it handle this. With every second that ticks by, Simon can feel parts of his mind darkening and closing off - possibly forever. But he won't give in to the madness. Not this time. To maintain that conviction, he can't just let loose. He has to CONTROL the magic.

And that means the heroes need to do what they do best.

They need to do what an old man can't without relying upon a cursed crown, and protect people.

Nurse Joy (553) has posed:
     Nurse Joy, of course, immediately turns around and heads back towards the Warp Gate, once again. And since it is definately time to clear the path of zombies, she is going to use the most devestating, most dangerous attack she can possibly use.

     "Chansey, Sylveon! Use Helping Hand!"

     There is a sudden burst of energy in everyone else, even Simon and Marcy included. The move Helping Hand, basically, increases the power of everyone else. So this /really/ should help them devestate things a bit.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Anything gets in front of him and Jono's shooting it. And/or running it down. He's a pretty good motorcycle driver so the navigating shouldn't give him too many problems. He uses the terrain to his advantage and ramps off of things to land on anytihng hostile that's in his way. Probably with a disgusting SPLAT if they're all filled with that green goopy stuff.

He just keeps driving. Ultimately he's heading for where the others are since he's not sure if they need help or not. So one of the people showing up where the others are gathering is a guy who happens to look like he's on fire from his upper chest region. To his credit he looks completely human except for that. Hopefully that he's running down these things as he heads towards them will buy Simon some time too. Also hopefully he's not about to get caught in whatever Simon is doing...

Taro (399) has posed:
    Were it not for the fact that these vile, slime-oozing creatures are currently trying to kill him, Taro would take a greater interest in their amazing ability to continue moving even after receiving what should be more than a killing blow. As it stands now, that quality of thiers is remarkably aggrevating. His motions are swift and graceful, but he recognizes that these will only get him so far against such overwhelming odds.
     Though he snarls slightly in dislike of the notion, he find he cannot fault Alpha Centauri's logic in having him retreat first. Though agile, he is slower in the air than his larger ally, and in his current weapons set he is going to become a liability rather than an asset. Thus, his wings snap out and extend, the slats glowing faintly as the repulsorlifts activate. On his way skyward, he balls his right fist, the act triggering the forearm plate to retract and the barrel of a plasma bolter to extend. He lays down cover fire for his ally and for the incoming drone in a single arcing pass, before makes good his retreat toward the warpgate.
    As for the 'elf and the drone, it's a very rough, tumbling ride, and she may be setting new speed records for it as they rush the final stretch to make it to Alpha Centauri. 'FasterFasterFasterHurryHurryHurryGoGoGoGo!Wait for meeee!'

Alpha Centauri (613) has posed:
Alpha Centauri fires off several more missiles and then takes aim for one of those mutants that seems to be screeching away. Mostly to shut it up when he takes several shots. Those gold optics glowing brightly.

If one of these zombies get in to close, the ten foot Accretian easily slams them away with his Tower Shield given that he has the strength to crush a normal man's skull in his finger tips without any trouble at all.

In taking notice of the returning drone, Alpha Centauri spins his photon rifle in that way to fire down any 'zombies' that may be trying to pounce on the spinning saw of roller death! Yet when it gets in closer, the Accretian kicks on his thrusters and boost rams several Zombies away, spinning his form around, before re-equipping his rifle and shield.

He easily picks up the small drone, before his 'wings' unfurl from their cape state and with a hard leap off the ground, the thrusters kick in and in a snap he is blasted upward at near mach speeds. The air around him exploding from the sudden force of propulsion, probably knocking down any zombies that even /tried/ to get close.

He quickly probably even takes Taro on the way out and may snag the slower 'unit' as he passes just so they can get the /hell/ out of there.

Kirito has posed:
    Kirito comes in for a landing, skidding to a halt when Chloe lands nearby. Relief shows on his face briefly, alongside a warm - and, maybe just slightly smug - smile... it's the satisfaction of victory and bringing people back together! His gaze wanders from the child and older, mutated man, then scans over Chloe. He blinks, almost frowning... seeing a child her age involved in this isn't THAT new to him, but it's a BIT disconcerting!

    Even so... "Hoh? You like swords... I take it you're Chloe? Kirito. Nice to meet--"

    And then... monsters.

    The Spriggan's mischevious smiling face darkens fast, deadly seriousness glimmering behind his dark eyes.

    "Stay behind me!" Apparently he might be just as protective of girls as a few other would-be heroes...

    A brief glance is sent at Simon, but Kirito doesn't have time to question this sudden development. "Ice magic...?!"

    And POWERFUL ice magic, no less.

    He needs only one look at Simon's expression to tell how bad things are going to get. As if Marcy's reaction wasn't bad enough.

    What choice does he have but to answer that determination with his own?

    The young man's gaze hardens... he leans forward....

    "UUUUUUOOOOOOOAAAAGGGGGGH!!"

    His battlecry echoes ferociously down the rusted, ruined streets and he breaks into a dash fast enough to kick up a small dust cloud in his wake. No ordinary humans could hope to match his sudden speed burst or the following spree of complicated footwork as he reaches the front lines. Elucidator and Dark Repulser are slashed left and right in an elegant onslaught, dicing through one creature after another... but that's just a warm-up.

    "...Out of our way." The Black Swordsman demands in a voice barely louder than a mutter.

    He will NOT let anyone die here. Not one person!

    Just as that thought crosses his mind, Kirito falls into a careful stance... and the demonic longsword, Elucidator, blazes with heated orange light that swiftly ignites into flames. The blade not only shines though - it also emits a high-pitched *KRZEEEEEEEEEEM!* much like a magical jet engine - power builds quickly, and in the next instant...

    With a kiai, Kirito unleashes a flurry of spinning and artful slashes that send waves of fire out through enemies, leaping forward. At the Sword Skill's climax, his final downward slash triggers a pillar of fire to erupt from the ground and up into the heavens, taller than a tree!

    ... But monsters are closing in, and Kirito seems frozen in place for that brief moment. "...Come on..."

    A few twitches to his other hand...

    *KZZZZZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEM!*

    The crystal-blue longsword, Dark Repulser, shines a frigid white and howls with freezing air! And triumph shows on Kirito's face, replacing a brief instant of worry.

    "HRAAAAAAAAH!!! Huap!"

    Ice slashes follow this time. He dances around with uncanny coordination and power. Chloe will probably not be able to figure out just how some of these manuevers are effective, but there is SOME kind of magic propelling Kirito onwards.

    This pattern continues for a while. Five separate Sword Skills of all different elements, Kirito keeps chaining them together one after another. No monster can break his stride, even if his swordsmanship probably looks hella strange!

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
From bad to worse. With Marceline reunited with Simon, Chloe von Einzbern has done her good dead for the day. So once the two get their hugs in and the dark-skinned girl looks properly smug, only now does the situation kind of sink in. It sinks in with zombies.

That's kind of a problem.

It's now, that golden eyes are drawn to the crown, and though Marceline ends up hiding against her again, Chloe is scowling. "That... A Mystic Code?" No, it's REALLY POWERFUL. Could it be an extant Noble Phantasm of some kind? Nevertheless, her focus is on hooking an arm around the smaller girl.

"Sorry, no time to get acquainted or polite." She doesn't mean to be rude, but the Spriggan already has the right idea of what to do as he goes barrelling into the horde with his war cry. "Hohhh..." It's pretty impressive. But she glances to Simon. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" It's probably not, but she's not going to stop him as she whispers two words.

"Trace On..."

In a flicker-flare of red light, a blade begins forging itself in her grasp, starting with a vague wire-fram shape of red light before filling itself out, completing the process to form a sword that... Kirito might find VERY familiar. "Hold on tight." She warns the smaller girl in her grasp, before she tests the blade. She does NOT throw herself into the fray, with the task of protecting Marcy. Even one handed, the sword remembers the skills of its wielder though. Anything that gets close to her is met with a yel- and then the replica Demonic Blade, the heavy duty blade cleaving in mighty swipes and skilled flurries. She'll have to try two-handing this with the white one later huh.

How familiar.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Taro bombards the mutated organisms from above, blasting off limbs, cutting them in half, making a clear path for the drone. Alpha Centauri bombards them with more missiles, flattening those standing with both explosions and the shockwaves resulting from such, takes out one of the mutated creatures that was directing the others with a rifle shot, and continues to blast away at the enemy even as he takes off into the air, resulting in even MORE damage to the area and the enemy.

Jonothon runs over the zombies, blasts them out of his path, and even manages to damage a weakened skybridge linking two shopping center buildings, dumping all of its occupants to the street below, blocking the road to prevent pursuit. He manages to rejoin the others successfully, just as Kirito goes into a frenzy, Helping Hand making him stronger than he already is, and unleashing a variety of elemental sword skills to burn and freeze and slash the zombies into pieces. Maybe they aren't 'dying', but much like with lava and missiles, enough damage seems to render the matter of their 'deaths' moot by making their bodies unable to act.

Those who come close to Chloe and Marcy, who Kirito has not managed to get to, or Jonothon has not driven over the faces of, find themselves slashed and hurled aside by the superhuman strength and remembered skills wielded by the homunculus girl as she defends a frightened little girl. But Marceline is also shaking for other reasons. The tears are freezing on her face as the temperature continues to lower and lower, until air moisture alone is turning into ice in mid-air, at ground-level, and raining down in the form of hail stones.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Simon is fighting his own battle, inside his head. He is trying to think of a song, or Marceline's face, or something he can use to focus on to retain control, but as the hair on his head grows down to waist-length, the streets frosting over all around, the sky turning from a putrid green to a winter-grey, all he can hear is the Crown's whispers, and all he can envision is the world covered in ice and snow. His own thoughts are being pushed aside, subsumed in the current of magic flowing through the Crown. His nose is longer, his skin bluer, his breath a chill mist blowing out between his sharp teeth as he hunches over, gathering magic energy, and letting out a growl of effort. The Crown's power flows through him, and he channels it. He is neither Simon, nor the madman who appears under the Crown's influence. He is merely a conduit for the secrets of Ice and Snow.

Helping Hand does its work. At least in Simon's case it increases power alone. Not the power of his will, and not the power of the crown, but the power of the magic wielded by the latter via the former. As the faces of buildings become covered in ice, biting, painfully cold winds howling through the streets, Simon raises his hands to the sky.

The sky filled with a rapidly-swirling ring of storm clouds, sizzling with blue-white lightning. Simon is digging deep into the Crown's magic energy than ever before. It is a bottomless well, that allows its wear to cast and cast and caster, and to then maintain that magic until the sun blows up if they so wish.

And from that bottomless well of power, Simon drinks until his body is full to its very limits.

Then he lets it out with a roar of effort, his white eyes blazing with blue magic energy.

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
There is a wave of force that expands outwards around him, possibly knocking the others down under the deluge of hurricane-force ice-winds. But aside from that, they suffer no injury. When the flash of white clears, however, the buildings nearest have been levelled, the ground is covered in at least two feet of snow around the rim of an icy circle. And there are enormous spikes of ice jutting upwards all over the place, each one impaling one of the zombies. Those that aren't frozen solid continue to twitch and writhe slowly on the spires of ice, showing that not even the Crown can kill them so easily. But the path out of the city is clear, towering walls of ice surround the street they're all on, on every side except the way out.

Marcy is hugging Hambo to her face in terror, and Simon is simply standing silent, expressionless, looking up at his handiwork, and listening to the whispers. His face twists suddenly, an expression of fear overcoming him and he seems to fight to bring his own hands up to the Crown on his head, as though they do not wish to obey. Then he pulls it off, and throws it aside. He looks dazed and confused even after removing it.

Kirito has posed:
    Kirito's just about to unleash the sixth attack in his unlikely list of accomplishments - he average about 3 or 4 Skill Connects before screwing up the intense timining (under a tenth of a second!) needed to manage it - when suddenly...

    BLIZZARD.

    "hghkh--" The boy raises a hand to cover his face on reflex and BAM, so much for continuing his assault. His body freezes in place, and not from the cold... but from the post-Skill stun time he was somehow dodging with that trick. "What kind of magic--" WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

    He can only watch in awe, amazement... well, a few bits of terror. He's not seen magic on this scale before and it leaves him gaping. It's so over the top he almost doesn't notice the equally complicated but far less flashy miracle Chloe pulls off, but seeing Elucidator in ANOTHER's hands breaks him out off his sudden daze. "My sword?!"

    Just as he regains his ability to move he glances at the swords he's carrying... no, Elucidator's still in his grasp...

    And he has a chance to see Chloe using it a bit too. Apart from sword skills, Kirito has his own personal style of swordsmanship that only vaguely has roots in kendo, and he's never once seen it in action from the outside apart from a recording or two in the Ring of Philosophy...

    So tonight, he's double-amazed. And staring bewilderedly.

Taro (399) has posed:
    Taro is along for the ride at this point, Alpha's speed and strong grasp ferrying him, his cyber-elf, and the drone with its sample to safety. He's covered his eyes with one gloved hand, not out of fear but to keep his optics from getting even more fouled by whatever is still looming in the sky.
    Even up here, the drastic shift in temperature is noted, the sudden chill riming the edges of his armor and his hair with sickly-colored frost. Magic. His lips curl back a bit behind the filter mask, even as he very grudgingly acknowledges the need for drawing and expending such power in a situation like this.
    At least he's far enough away from it to not be concerned about any secondary effects on him.
    "My thanks, Alpha Centauri," he says to the AI. "My compliments to your design and to your skill. Perhaps we could talk later...once we've all been decontaminated and I can run my tests on these samples."

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Jono pulls his bike to a stop when he's near enough to the others that he can position himself in front of the girl. He figures she's the one that the others were talking about. So yes. Anything that wants to get to her and isn't one of the people here is gonna have to go through him.

Jono's unaware of the dip in temperature until the hail starts. "What the...?" He doesn't get to finish the question though because suddenly Jono's bike is getting knocked over and him with it due to a wave of force. He has to take a moment to set his bike back up but once he does he looks up...

"...Ruddy-Nora."

The ice spikes... the deep snow... the utter force that it occurred with... What? How? Sloooowly his gaze turns to Simon. He notes the fighting his hands and just prays REALLY HARD this guy's got himself under control...

Nurse Joy (553) has posed:
     Nurse Joy just looks on. In a daze. That... That has to be one of the most powerufl magical artifacts there are. She just stares, for a bit, in a daze, confused at what is even happening.

     But, as the ice attack is over, Joy decides, there are more important things to worry about. If this guy has control of himself, good. He may of lost himself for a bit, but he did what he felt he had to do.

     And so Joy, remaining calm, looks at the group.

     "Let's... Let's get going. We can sort things out once we're someplace safer."

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
"My sword now~." Chloe says to Kirito, before...
What a disaster. With Chloe's attention fully on keeping Marceline from harm, when Simon sets the crown upon his head, the sudden BURST and DELUGE of snow means Chloe makes DAMN SURE she has Marcy in her grasp before flinging herself through the nearest building wall for cover when that shockwave hits. And only once things have quieted down does she re-emerge.

There is a grim look set on her face as she holds Marcy to keep the frightened child steady, as she observes the effects it has on the man. She has but one thing to say.

"That crown is going to be a heavy burden." She says.

"Can you carry that weight?"

Simon Petrikov (622) has posed:
Simon tries very hard to come back to his senses, feeling spaced-out... Confused... Like he isn't sure where he is, or even who he is... But once Marcy is back out on the street with Chloe, she runs up to Simon and hugs his leg. "Simon!" Simon startles, his gaze straying from the Crown lying in the snow, and back to the girl at his side. And he... Doesn't recognize her. She seems familiar, but there is a blankness in his expression, and uncertainty, like he feels he SHOULD know her but just can't recal...

Marceline's eyes well up with tears as that expression on Simon's face is scarier than the times he has acted weird. It's like when he wasn't able to say her name anymore, after the other time he put on the Crown. The sight of her tears draws him back to his senses, and Simon seems to regain awareness. His hair is significantly longer than it was before he put on the Crown, even with it no longer on his head now, but he seems to be aware of his identity again at least, as well as Marcy's. He kneels down and hugs her tight, and the little half-demon girl cries into his shoulder, even as he picks her up and prepares to follow the others out of there. "It's okay now, Marcy. I won't use that thing again. I'm NOT going to lose you," he promises. But even as he says it, he is making his way over to the Crown, and reaching out for it with his free hand. Almost without thinking, he puts it back on the belt loop.

At Chloe's question, Simon gives her a deeply sad and haunted look. "I know. And I really hope so, for her sake." He strokes Marcy's hair, making sure to turn the girl away so she won't see the twitching creatures on the ice spikes, and then says, "Please lead the way to your portal. I need to get her in and out of the cold as soon as possible." Actually, they should ALL probably get out of the cold.

And maybe into a decontamination room, because they surely need it.

And after that, some hot chicken soup.