4528/The System Tower

The System Tower
Date of Scene:	08 September 2016
Location:	The System <TS>
Synopsis:	The System Tower is located in Britannica. The lure of treasures and knowledge of Drives long past is bound to draw dungeon crawlers from all over the System-- And Beyond.
Cast of Characters:	Lexicon, 1010, 253, 1014, 707

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Lexicon has posed:
    The Silver Drive may be a welcome break from worlds where the summer heat is unforgiving, with its cool mountain air and snow on the ground practically everywhere-- a perpetual but comfortable winter. Most would know the Silver City itself, Britannica, but the location provided by the Priestess of the Silver Cathoderal is far from the town, in the mountainous wilderness surrounding the city.

    Here, in a valley between mountains, is a massive tower of black metal reaching up into the clouds. Glowing lines run up the sides, bending at right angles as they ascend, pulsing with inner light as system resources run through the structure. Aside from the 'power lines', the surface is entirely smooth, only weathered but obviously not decorated. At the base is a massive steel double door, surrounded in more power lines that neatly highlight its frame as well as the tablets on either side, which pulse softly with the floor number: Floor 8.

    At the ground floor? Weird.

    Those familiar with previous Quests for the Silver Cathoderal will not recognize the girl waiting outside the building. It's not the demure, kind-seeming Priestess Stylono in resplendant priestess garb. This is an ordinary looking brunette in an unusual but fairly believable dress-and-coat combo, and a distinctive hat. Her arms folded, Lexicon peers up the tower's face. The lobes of the ribbon tied around her left foot bob as he taps it, betraying her impatience while she waits.

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    Reinhardt is downright GIDDY here! For a virtual world, it's quite similar to when he visited the German alps as a lad every winter, not to mention winter training exercises in the army back when he was still green as grass.

    He's quick to arrive, hammer slung over his shoulder and helmet in hand to show a wistful, beaming grin on the old man's face, even if his ridiculously German muttonchops and mustache-beard combo makes him more hair than face in terms of looks. "Ahhh, this brings me back so well!" He says, approaching Lexicon with a nod of his head. "Fair lady, I am told there was some manner of trouble that we could be of assistance with. My name is Reinhardt, myself and my fellows are here to help, I assure you!" It's odd, seeing the tower set to floor 8. He doesn't think he's gone up or down any levels already yet...

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber isn't here out of any desire for treasure or riches. It's actually boredom and a desire to take Ari out and get her more practical experience that has him here today. The sword in question is strapped to his back, a massive weapon almost as tall as he is. He carefully heads along, looking a bit tired. Then again, classes did just start back up again and he has to teach those along with his day job.

    He's carrying an energy drink in one hand, slamming it down quickly and crushing the can before he looks around a bit. It's eventually that he spots the brunette girl and starts to trudge his way over there. Upon arrival, he gives a slight wave, "Yo. You can keep my share of the loot. It'll be a write-off for tax purposes. I'm mostly here to help you with this exploration gig."

    He jerks a thumb at the sword on his back, "This is my sword, Ari. Ari, say hi."

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari gives Psyber a sense of the surroundings being half-familiar to her, on the way in. It's vague, but perhaps she's seen this sort of architecture before.
    When bidden, Ari appears in a more personable form, the air quietly pushing outward to accomodate the appearance of what seems to be a teenaged girl of unusual coloration. She stands at Psyber's side, taking a half-step forward and nodding slightly to Lexicon. "I am Ari, of those called Heaven's Armory." It's not quite 'stiff,' so much as 'cooled.' After a moment, she adds, "I will, also, not require a reward."
    She then puts out her hand for Psyber's emptied energy drink. "Allow me."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
While Xiaomu was one of the first people to visit Lexicon's world, she hasn't been as active in investigating and exploring as she could have been ... but either way, she seems to have deemed it appropriate to put in an appearance for this stage - or, literally, this level. That's first evidenced by the sound of a lightcycle approaching at high speed -

And the sage fox from Shinra then procedes to brake smoothly from 'arguably too fast' to 'okay, you know you're in a city' to 'nothing to see here folks' to a full stop, all in the space of about half a dozen seconds. Almost as smoothly, Xiaomu dismounts from the 'cycle and triggers its storage protocol, the sleek vehicle de-resolving from a solid object into a glowing wireframe, and the wireframe 'retracting' until the last spark of light disappears inside a solid-looking baton. "Hey everyone," Xiaomu greets the group casually as she stows the 'baton' inside her vest. She's got her usual Buddhist monk staff across her back for now, stuck through a strap and a couple of loops on her carrypack; however, now that she's on foot, she tugs the staff loose with a jingle of the rings, and looks around to see who she knows and who she doesn't.

It's mostly to the latter that she introduces herself with an airy grin, a casual wave, and a cheerful announcement of, "Name's Xiaomu, video games are one of my specialties. Hey everyone! How's business been for you, Lexicon?"

Lexicon has posed:
    A metal mountain of a man arrives first and it's his jovial voice that prompts Lexicon to at last turn her back to the Tower, her arms still folded. Psyber's arrival is noted with a glance, followed by a slight nod to Ari. Xiaomu's more dramatic entrance has her unfolding her arms to clap lightly for the sage fox's arrival. Those arms don't re-fold, but rather drop down to her sides, hands disappearing inside her sleeves.

    "Mister Reinhardt," He showed up first so he is addressed first, "Mister Psyber. Miss Ari. And miss Xiaomu. Welcome to Britannica, the Silver City of Knowledge." Her glance lingers a bit on Xiaomu with a recognizing nod, "You helped me out when the Cablerail started up. I remember. Business has been fine, though Onyx Soul is running the Hub right now." However something manages to 'glow' black is a mystery but it sure was on the way through.

    "For the rest of you, as far as I know this is your first time here so welcome to the System." Hand raising (and coming back into view), she gestures to herself, "I am Lexicon, the DCC of this Drive. Protecting Britannica is my duty and I thank you all for coming to my aid. We don't have many adventurers among the programs that live here."

    Hand lowering, she turns back towards the tower, "And this... is the System Tower. It's draining System Resources just by being here. Our mission is to solve the floor so it'll relocate and become someone else's problem for a while." A glance back to the gathered heroes, she adds, "It could get nasty in there, but you all seem pretty capable."

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    VRRRRR

    Reinhardt is quick to notice Xiaomu's entrance, despite his age his ears aren't completely fucked yet. He grins and waves as the fox makes her arrival, and he throws her a salute before he turns to face Lexicon proper.

    "I'm sure whatever in there will be handled, believe me. Any ideas on what could be waiting for us beyond the odd trap and puzzle perhaps?" He wonders, before he dons his helmet. "I'm no expert, but i'm ready for whatever brainteasers they throw our way, as much as any beast for that matter." Reinhardt says, his voice taking on a more metallic edge with the speaker in his helmet.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber absently hands his can to Ari, figuring she'll do some sort of weird sword-girl-magic mojo and make it vanish. He's not sure why she wants it other than to prevent him from committing the terrible crime of littering, He nods in reply to Lexicon a few moments later.

    "Correct. I am Psyber, a paranormal investigator among other things. It is nice to meet you, Miss Lexicon," He notes with a bit of formality, "DCC? That is not a term I am familiar with." He admits to her, dusting his now-empty hands off and looking around.

    "All told, he is correct," The half-angel says in relation to Reinhardt, "If it is presenting a problem, we will solve it to the best of our ability and mitigate the problem."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"So instead of wandering monster encounters, you guys have wandering dungeons?" Xiaomu asks, raising her eyebrows. "Huh. This should be interesting. I don't suppose the 'host system' and its primary contents have any impact on the Tower's population of monsters at any given time? Any hints about what kind of resistance we're going to run into?"

She does return Reinhardt's salute, then busies herself briefly making sure her handguns are all loaded - mundane ammo for Silver and Platinum, at least at the moment. Whatever the Roc's Icebrand is loaded with, she double-checks that as well before sliding it into its holster.

And her personal bet on what Ari'll do with the empty can is, well, something more awesome than 'inventory until later'. Besides, doesn't Psyber have something which already does that?

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari has noticed the other two presences, but manages this without turning to look at either, possibly giving an impression to the contrary. She is more visibly focused on the empty can she takes from Psyber. He is half-right about its fate.
    There's a flash of white flame accompanied by, for whatever reason, a cracking and crunching sound, as the can is first reduced, and then held up in its new form. It is now without the traces of the drink that fueled this reaction. "There. Now it is potentially useful, again."
    Ari walks behind Psyber and neatly coils the freshly created aluminium wire around one side of her (sword-body's) hand guard. She moves again to Psyber's side, half a step behind, and waits for something else to happen. Presumably, she's waiting to go inside, since talking isn't getting much of a reaction from her. This talk, at least, is something she would only respond to with the obvious, which makes the response unnecessary.

Lexicon has posed:
    "You're pretty astute," Lexicon compliments Reinhardt with a nod. Her attention returns to Psyber and Xiaomu, since the bigger of the group seems to have an idea of what she's about to say: "Reinhardt is right, and so is Xiaomu. The Tower floors tend to be the same type each time it appears in a given Drive. At least, so far. It's appeared in Britannica twice before now and each time it was a puzzle floor."

    "So it's unlikely we'll encounter any particularly powerful viruses, but expect brainteasers and deathtraps. Your weapons might still come in handy for whatever is behind this door." Ari's trick with the can prompts a tilt of her head, and Lexicon pauses for a moment to process what just happened. This ends with a little "...Huh." sort of sound.

    Shaking her head, the DCC turns in place and approaches the door, pushing on it with both hands with enough force to shove both sides out of her way. Fearlessly, she leads the way into the featureless black metal corridor inside, headed for the door on the opposite end. "The entry is always safe, so don't worry about it until we're through that door."

    Glancing over her shoulder towards Psyber, Lexicon addresses his implied question, "Drive Core Controller. The guardian and overseer of the Drive. Some of the residents here treat me like a local deity but I don't care for it."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber seems as surprised as Lexicon that Ari can do that, "Huh. Well, I guess we have some aluminum wire in case we ever need it. Good work, Ari," Psyber notes, having simultaneously emptied his hand and generated something to use later.

    His hands fall into the pockets of his coat, heading to follow the group through the corridoor and get to walking with everyone. He shuffles his feet a bit boredly and looks around, "Drive Core Controller, huh? Seems like a fancy term of 'problem solver'." He muses, adding, "And the problem with being one of those is people never leave you alone."

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    "I've been around the block, as it were." Reinhardt grins beneath his helmet, before he watches Lexicon activate the door. He grabs his hammer in both hands, before he heads through the doorway. "Shame there's no easy solution for that, either." He comments to Psyber, shrugging a shoulder before he advances through the pathway. "All the same, it might be best if I lead the way through unless anybody objects. My shield isn't just for show, after all."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu nods a bit as she sees what Ari does with the can. That was indeed fairly awesome - much more snazzy than just rinsing it out in the sink, or whatever.

But the dungeon (Tower, whatever) awaits, and Xiaomu listens to Lexicon's answer, nodding. "So this is on our brains, not our brawn, most likely? Good to know ... and better to know that nothing's going to ambush us right off the bat before we've even started mapping, or what have you."

... and on that note, she pulls out her smartphone, riffling through icons and folders on the screen, before popping open what looks, for all the world, like virtual graph paper of the sort you might use for mapping out a dungeon for a tabletop RPG. Is she actually going to be drawing maps of the dungeon as the group explores?

(Would she pull that app up if she *didn't* plan to?)

Either way, she's definitely following Lexicon, probably around the middle of the party. She doesn't want to take point, that's a tank's job; she's more of a damage-dealer, even if the only 'damage' to be done tonight is mainly going to be solving puzzles and dodging traps.

Lexicon has posed:
    "I'm pretty sturdy myself," Lexicon admits, "But I won't argue if you want to charge in headfirst instead." As such, she gives Reinhardt control over opening the door into the dungeon itself. Instead, she nods towards Ari in response to Psyber's comment, "Someone has to, right? Besides, I was made for it, might as well do it."

    What lies beyond is a simple room, large and open and round with a total of twelve doors in the walls, evenly spaced. Glowing white lines run across the floor in circular patterns until they meet the walls, where they all run up straight to a meeting point in the ceiling that keeps the space well lit.

    Once the entire party has entered the room, the door they'd entered through closes on its own. Almost immediately, for those who are able to feel it, there's a lurching, almost dizzying feeling as if the stationary space is actually moving.

    Lexicon herself wobbles once this effect kicks in, spreading her feet apart for a more stable stance, "..Jeez, that's new." She glances back up, eyes travelling across the various doors. As she gets used to the conditions, the girl raises a hand to her chin in thought, "...Twelve doors. Twelve puzzles? Maybe this is hard mode. Or at the very least not like the other two puzzle floors I've seen." She turns her head towards Reinhardt, then to Xiaomu, Psyber, and Ari on her other side, "Thoughts?"

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari moves as Lexicon, and then Psyber, do. She doesn't give any evidence that she considers her activity remarkable, past the remark she'd already made. The last few words are more interesting, possibly. "Overseer and guardian. The one in charge and responsible, then. Someone must be, or the problems won't be solved."
    Reinhardt gets a look from her. He does seem like a frontliner sort, but she's refraining from making decisions on party line-up, even apart from the claim that there was no immediate danger.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Well, the more-or-less obvious first question is whether the door right behind us still leads back to the same entrance we came in by," Xiaomu observes. She doesn't seem overly intimidated by the prospect of hard mode, either. "Other than that ... hmmm ..."

She closes her eyes, her ears perking up, and rests the butt of her staff on the floor about a foot in front of herself. She may be trying to ascertain just how much rotation there is, or maybe just how much vibration there is accompanying whatever movement is going on. Then again, she thinks, it's a digital environment - there might not BE any vibrations to detect.

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    "Hmmmm!" Reinhardt thinks for a second, watching the doors curiously, before he turns his head to Xiaomu. He doesn't dare interrupt her, wanting to see what she's doing with this as much as anybody else might. He himself tries to watch the doors in the corner of his eye, wondering if they're any different from one another or something.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber takes a slightly uneasy step once the dizzying effect kicks in, careful to keep his balance as best as he can.

    "It is likely that the room uses the number of doors plus the disorientation effect to prevent accurate assessment of what doors someone has or has not taken. The best option would be to take separate doors and mark our paths. Those who do not solve the puzzle may wind up back here, meaning that with four people and twelve doors, this would take three, at most, actions."

    He tries to keep steady as he considers, "Or so I would hypothesize."

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari's true body lacks the organs to become dizzy, but this is not the case for her human form, which is susceptible to all sorts of human-like problems. She shifts her feet apart with a slight wobble at the suddenness of the sensation.
    There's no need for her to add on to present theorizing, but she does give a nod after Psyber speaks.

Lexicon has posed:
    There's no vibration to sense, but the dizzying feeling's source becomes clear to Xiaomu's scrying: The entire floor is spinning with this room as the central axis, though she's unable to determine anything about rooms beyond this one. Upon Reinhardt's inspection, the doors appear to be identical. Even the one they'd entered through is the same as the rest.

    "Divide and conquer, huh?" Lexicon taps her chin while mulling over Psyber's idea, "It makes sense. I don't like the idea of going off alone, though." That same hand points, "Ari is your sword, so you two partner up." Turning, she draws the same finger between Reinhardt and Xiaomu, "You two partner up as well and pick a door." Using the same hand, she upends her palm and digitized code swirls for a moment, then disperses from two small jars of red nail polish, "We can use this to mark the doors we try."

    A scowl, "It's a pretty rotten color on me anyway so I don't care about wasting it." These are offered to Xiaomu and Ari respectively, "How's that sound?"

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
Ari accepts the offered nail polish, looking at it with a trace of curiosity. This is an object outside her knowledge. She turns to Psyber with subtly raised eyebrows, the query implied.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Sounds like a plan," Psyber says as he watches Ari take the bottle of nail polish from Lexicon and then inspect it. He carefully looks at the color, "You look like you'd do better with a more pastel blue sort of nail polish." He decides before waving over towards Ari, "Come on, Ari. Let's roll."

    As he walks towards Door 5, he asks the sword, "So where should we eat on the way back? I was thinking of getting some crab legs or something before they go out of season again." He muses, opening said door and planning to simply head right through.

    "Keep in touch if stuff goes sideways. Good luck, everyone."

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    "Fair enough! Whenever you're ready, Xiaomu." Reinhardt nods to the fox girl, before he wanders to door number 4. "And to you as well, that goes for everyone." He says to Psyber, before he grabs the door, trying to jimmy it open after he gets it to stop finally.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu doesn't use nail polish, really, but she at least knows what it is. "So we just use the brush to draw a symbol or something on each door we go through, right?" she asks as she takes one of the jars - well, not so much asking Lexicon (she basically SAID what to do with it) as to fill Ari in without making a big deal about it. "Assuming the dungeon isn't set up to scour the markings off or anything ... what about you, Lexicon? Pairing off, going alone?"

And since Reinhardt seems to have decided which direction *he* wants to go in, once Xiaomu gets her answer, she'll head thataway behind the walking tank as well. She lingers long enough to draw a kanji on the door - the old-fashioned Chinese/Japanese ideograph for 'one,' specifically - before going on through.

Lexicon has posed:
    "Don't worry about me," Lexicon states in response to Xiaomu. Rings of numeric code rise up around her and she's engulfed in pixellated light. When it fades, the girl has transformed into the white-haired, red-eyed, bodysuit-clad Silver Soul. Processors wink into existence around her hips and shoulders, "I can take care of myself." Glowing red eyes glance between the two pairs as they pick out their doors, and then sweep the room in a slow spin. Curious, she finally simply pulls open the door the party had arrived through.

    And on the other side is not the corridor had come through, but an entirely different room. "...Well crap. So much for that bailout option." A green lipstick is produced from her Inventory and she marks the doorjam with a simple X. Stepping off, she disappears into the room and the door slides closed behind her.

    Door 4 chosen as the first choice by Reinhardt and Xiaomu, opens into a rectangular room, longer than it is wide. The door shuts behind them. Immediately, dozens of square tiles on the floor all light up and begin flashing in random patterns. After a few seconds of this, most of them shut off, leaving a single tile in each row 'lit' while the rest remain dark. On the other side of this floor is another door, identical to the first, directly across from it.

    Psyber's door number 5 is a similar room, rectangular with an identical door on the opposite side from the entryway. In this room, thin red beams emit from emitters in the ceiling, sweeping from side to side across square tiles on the floor, as if carving the grout between them. At each point, there are more beams, until it's a literal fan sweeping from side to side on the opposite end. Thin streamers of smoke chase where the beams touch the metal-- these are very clearly not just security laser sensors.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Hmmm... he emitters are in the ceiling. I have an idea, Ari," Psyber says as he draws the sword off his back, "Can you break down the air into heat and smoke?" He asks to her, knowing that one of the simplest manifestations of the swords power is to create fiery sword swings.

    "If we can fill the room with enough smoke, the lasers can't penetrate, so we'll be able to rush across before it dissipates." The half-angel then swings the sword in a heavy arc to let Ari test if she's able to manifest that sort of effect in enough amount to choke the ceiling area of the room.

    If the two succeed, he'll try to dart across the room to the other side.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"So the question is," Xiaomu muses, "do we want to step on the tiles that are lit up, or do we want to avoid those like the plague?" She ponders for a moment, judging the arrangement of the tiles, trying to figure out how feasible it would be to traverse the room by stepping only on the lit-up tiles, once each.

Then she looks over at Reinhardt. "What do you think? Feeling lucky enough to see if your boots'll stand up to exploding floor tiles?"

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    "Possibly not, but I came prepared." Reinhardt begins to form his shield, an energy construct conjured through advanced technology. He digs in his heels, and reaches out with his hammer to one of the unlit tiles firmly, to test if it will crumble or not.

    Then, he will begin to head towards one of the lit tiles, careful and light with his first step until he determines if his weight will be supported.

Lexicon has posed:
REINHARDT & XIAOMU
    When pressure is put on the un-lit tile, there is most definitely a response. The lit tiles turn from white to an angry, unfriendly red. Clattering rattles throughout the room and, in rows, the un-lit tiles suddenly fall away to reveal a pit below filled with glowing green liquid. As the discarded tiles strike the surface, the metal panels sizzle and begin to dissolve as they sink out of sight. The tiles that had lit up remain, some floating in empty space, their surfaces glowing red. But, when tested, the nearest one doesn't do anything. The path to the door, thus, seems rather straightforward.

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari nods in apparent, though not fully actual, understanding. She lowers her arm and starts to follow Psyber, looking to the side long enough to get a better look at what Xiaomu is doing, and then mark the door they're going through in similar fashion. Hers is also a slash, though diagonal, rather than horizontal. While she does catch Lexicon's transformation, this is done without turning to look toward her.
    "I am interested in 'Thai' food," she answers the first question. "It is said to be strongly heated." Business first. "I can. Try not to breathe until we're out of the room." After saying that much, her human form disappears, air quietly rushing back in to replace her position, little sparks of energy quickly dissipating. She continues to transmit more general feelings to Psyber, one coming across as 'keep your sense of direction, too.' Smoke is good for neither breathing, nor sight.
    It's up to him to swing, but when he does, the air will burn, using internal power to make up for the lack of carbon, but also taking everything nearby to transform into light, heat, and so much floating, reflective ash.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"What fun," Xiaomu states dryly as the pit of toxic acid is revealed below the tile floor. She just hopes the glow changing to red doesn't make THOSE tiles dangerous ... but, Reinhardt tried that one and despite the crimson glare, it didn't hurt him that she could see.

So Xiaomu starts hopscotching her way along the room, from lit tile to lit tile, trying not to think about the horrible burning DEATH that awaits if she misses a jump. Good thing she's athletic enough to make all of those jumps without much trouble!

Lexicon has posed:
PSYBER & ARI
    The slashing sword's magic fills the room with choking smoke. Heated, it starts to rise, to the point where only a foul mist hangs at eye level while the ceiling is choked in blackened fog. It has the desired effect, at least initially, and the fans of sweeping lasers are interrupted which leaves the corridor clear. For how long, it's not certain. Swiftness is best in this situation!

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Thai food could be good. I could go for some panang curry," Psyber considers it as he swings the sword to create that heavy cloud of smoke. Once Ari returns back to a full sword form and is slightly more difficult to converse with casually, he gets a bit more focused.

    "I know, I know," He replies to the sword in a barely audible murmur, though he's relatively certain she'll be able to hear it. With a push of his feet, he's dashing at superhuman speed down the hallway towards the end of the corridor, trying to reach the end before anything can dissipate the smoke.

Lexicon has posed:
PSYBER & ARI
    Psyber's speed is definitely an asset here! He reaches the door on the far side of the room just as lasers start to punch through the smoke cloud on the far end of the room where the cloud had originated. The swift movement also disturbs the smoke above him, and the more complex fans start to break through after a few moments. A safe, if fast form of travel.
    Opening the door is fairly easy. The same as the one before. An empty room waits on the far side that only changes once the door is closed.

    Flooring retracts into either side, exposing a bed of nasty spikes several feet down. A narrow bridge runs down the center. There's a metallic clicking sound followed by enormous axes swinging down from the ceiling, swinging back and forth over the bridge.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Nuts to this," Psyber says as he looks at the narrow bridge, over spikes, with swinging axes. He gets a brief flashback to Sen's Fortress from when Priscilla called people to help out in Lordran. It reminded him of that, in a vague sense. Only, unlike back then, now he has Ari with him.

    "Hey Ari, remember that trick with the can from earlier?" Psyber asks as he dashes forward towards the bridge. He doesn't really slow down his dash or time his movements. Instead, he swings Ari at any errant axe that he mistimes his run through, trying to slash the axes with her special power and convert them to some other useful form, like iron/steel cable.

    It's probably a REALLY lucky thing for him that Ari is around, since he'd be failing fairly horribly at brute-forcing this without her.

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari is carried along by Psyber, and therefore needs not run on her own. This is very convenient. They pass through the door.
    Spikes and axes are fairly injurious to her human form, so it continues to be nowhere here. Ari can still 'look' around, but only her immediate environment is needed for what her wielder now wishes of her. The axes are considerably heftier than a disposable can, but she is the eldest blade of Heaven's Armory. Without any kind of protection against her magic, there's hardly even an impact to disrupt Psyber's balance, before she's close enough and has had time to work. The transformation is so quick that there's fire as well as molten metal in her blade's wake, which would be fairly dangerous if it weren't 'in the space through which an extremely sharp blade is passing,' which already makes it somewhere you don't want your flesh to be.
    Since it was asked of her, the axes are turned into the shape of steel cables. Though it was not asked of her, they are also imparted with enough kinetic energy away from her wielder for him to pass through safely, after which they will likely swing back and wrap around the walkway, having been greatly lengthened.

Lexicon has posed:
    Well. That just rendered that room pretty harmless, huh. Whoever designed this floor wasn't expecting a metal-manipulating blade and half-angel hero to come in and run through the traps. The giant swinging axes are made short work of, dissolving into twisted steel cables and cast to either side of the narrow bridge where they tangle uselessly amidst the spikes. The room is defeated by cheating because screw giant swinging axes on narrow bridges.

    It's a simple effort after that to make it to the other side of the room and the door waiting there.

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    "Hm. Unlit is lava, then." Reinhardt decides, he moves aside to let Xiaomu go first, counting on her slimmer frame to not accidentally knock something over. "After you, Xiaomu." He offers, his tone downright grandfatherly.

    Once Xiaomu heads along first, he'll follow behind, taking a leap as far as he can manage to the nearest lit platform and then to the next, his boosters giving him an extra bit of jump when he needs it. He's heavy as all Hell, so hopefully he's light on his feet going from each platform, and that the platforms themselves are strong enough to hold him.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Amazing work, as I've come to expect from you," Psyber says to the blade as it converts axes into cables and makes his life a lot easier. Really, she pretty much guaranteed his success with that maneuver as opposed to a painful smack via an axe and a pokey fall onto spikes. Something he could survive, albeit a massive and painful inconvenience.

    "You know, we might get this done pretty quick at this rate." He muses to his blade as he heads through the door and into the next room.

Lexicon has posed:
REINHARDT & XIAOMU
    The platforms hold Xiaomu easily and the quick asian fox jumps over the green slime pit with relative ease. The slow giant german's use of his rocket booster helps him along, though the platforms shudder when he lands on them. By the time he's reached the far side, they start to collapse into the acid pool below, one by one, as if they'd finally given up on life after supporting a figurative tank that weighs as much as a literal tank. But this puts both Fox and German by the door to their next room, and it opens easily enough.

    The next room is an identical shape and size to the first. A thin pall of smoke clings to the ceiling, setting off the red glows of various laser emitters that sweep crimson beams from side to side across the corridor. They're clearly cutters, as the beams leave thin trails of smoke as they travel back and forth. The first array is just one beam, but each succeeding array has more beams in it, until it's a literal fan near the opposing door.

PSYBER & ARI
    The door opens easily and is passed through without incident. The following room is identical in size to the previous two. What sets it apart is a series of glowing white buttons along either wall and on the opposing wall by the door-- Four on either side of the room, one on either side of the door, and one immediately above the door.

    The door suddenly slams shut behind Psyber and small vents creak open near the ceiling. A gurgling noise fills the room, followed by water pouring in and pooling quickly on the floor. It's flooding!

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Well shit.

    "Well shit."

    This isn't a puzzle that Psyber can actually brute force his way through. The half-angel's eyes flick around the room at the numerous buttons, trying to suss out the way of the room and its workings. The half-angel works his brain rapidly before finally admitting:

    "Any ideas here, Ari? I got nothing."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Well. At least THIS obstacle isn't nearly as troublesome to figure out what counts as a win condition and what doesn't.

Xiaomu draws the Roc's Icebrand, clicking off the safety, and fires an ice-elemental round at the nearest laser emitter - trying to lock it in place at one end of its movement pattern, but also to see how long the coating of ice will hold up. And, well, assuming the ice does SOMEthing useful, she and Reinhardt might as well make their way past while it's even easier, right?

"Honestly, laser hallways, that's been a cliche for at *least* three decades now, you'd think they'd come up with something better ..." Xiaomu grumbles as she ice-shots the next couple of emitters. If her ice shots are enough to immobilize the emitters, that alone is useful knowledge. She might need to use Suiren's power to lay down safe quantities of ice over the later laser arrays ...

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    Reinhardt looks behind him briefly, yelping in surprise before he avoids falling off another platform. Following Xiaomu swiftly, the German manages one more leap, going through the doorway with Xiaomu. "Even longer in my time, at least back home they are more refined!" He comments on the lasers, before he heads in front of her now.

    "I have an idea, watch this!" He forms his shield, before he begins to make his way through the lasers, facing whichever way they may be emitting from, keeping in step with Xiaomu.

Lexicon has posed:
REINHARDT & XIAOMU
    The laser emitters are not mechanically moving devices, and so ice doesn't hinder the beam's sweeping at all. What the ice manages is disrupting the beams briefly, but it lasts only a second or two before the beams carve a trench through the icy coating and resume their sweeps.

    Now, a huge energy shield held overhead is something that these lasers are not at all capable of dealing with. It seems like Reinhardt can safely shield both himself and his comrade all the way through without a problem. The beams have poor penetration through energy barriers, it seems, as while they carve through the metal flooring they're not depleting his shield by very much at all.

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    This isn't an /immediate/ danger, and there may be a purpose to it, so again, Ari materializes in human form. This makes it easier to note, "I can't deal with the water if it doesn't end." This does imply that if it did have an end, she might be able to do something. To the query, "We can push buttons." It's not much of an idea, but the room really isn't giving them much to go on without trying anything.
    Oh, wait. "Four, eight, eleven... twelve doors in the first room. Eleven buttons, two doors, here. We went through..." She counts out to five, moves to the far end, and pushes the button to the left of the door.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"It's a good idea," Xiaomu concedes, accompanying Reinhardt underneath his trusty shield. She's not totally letting her guard down, mind you - if any lasers pop up on the side walls or floor, she *will* lay down ice to block them ... it should only take a second or two for her and Reinhardt to get past, so that's all she would really need.

But if the lasers are only in the ceiling, then hey, all the better.

Lexicon has posed:
PSYBER & ARI
    Click. Buzzer. The white button turns red, followed by all of the buttons turning red. The water, already reaching knee depth, suddenly stops pouring in and then starts draining out. And once it's gone-- the door opens.

    On the other side is a familiar large, round room with twelve doors. In it, smoldering, is an annoyed Silver Soul with her axe in hand, pointing at doors with the other and mouthing out numbers without saying anything.

Lexicon has posed:
REINHARDT & XIAOMU
    The Laser Fans are defeated relatively easily by Reinhardt's shield which gives Xiaomu and Rein access to the next room, identical to the first.

    And once the two have entered, the door slams shut. Floor panels recede to either side, leaving a narrow bridge down the center surrounded by a pit of nasty looking spikes. Clicks sound out in the ceiling and ... nothing happens.

    The severed stumps of some devices swing down, barely leaving the ceiling before they disappear. And there are coils of metal cable tangled in the spikes down below. Someone already utterly destroyed the nastier parts of this trap, whatever it was.

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    Reinhardt seems pretty satisfied that his plan's worked, and he calmly keeps his shield up for Xiaomu's protection, and his own. "This is almost too easy! I wonder what the catch is for this one, or if we've already circumvented it!" He muses curiously.

    As he and Xiaomu slowly but purposefully move through the lasers, Reinhardt can't help but muse, "So...what do you usually do? I don't believe we've actually had a chance to meet before."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"I work for an agency in the Japanese government of my home world," answers Xiaomu, "tasked with dealing with supernatural incidents - keeping them out of the public eye, maintaining peaceful relationships where we can between mortals and youkai, stuff like that. When our world Unified, Reiji and I kinda started liaising to the Union and working with Psyber's group, Heaven Or Hell."

They finish the laser room - and Xiaomu's desire to toss a grenade or a big chunk of ice behind them is interrupted by the sight of what lies ahead.

"...."

It can't be that simple, can it? Just a bridge ... well, okay, so there's spikes beneath it (which look terribly painful), there's some remnants of busted machinery moving around in the ceiling, but the most dangerous prospect is losing their balance on the way across that catwalk. Unless --

"Nope nope not even going to think about what MIGHT happen nope nope nope nope nope ..." Xiaomu takes a deep breath and just sprints across the bridge; Reinhardt might hear a mutter of 'High Speed Xiaomu' as she goes. Or he might mistake it for some kind of weird incantation to gods he's never heard of.

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    "Oh. Well, I meant more when you're not...doing this sort of stuff!" Reinhardt answers, but shrugs. "I was in the military before, then Overwatch came and went, now I just do more or less the same thing...just without legal backing, I'm afraid." He says, chuckling calmly as he observes the bridge ahead. "I..yes, might be a good idea you go first."

    He watches Xiaomu go, impressed by her speed. SHe's honestly comparable to Tracer in terms of agility and speed, actually. After a pause, he just opts to cheat and boosts his way across the bridge to add some speed to him.

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari starts at the buzzer, reflexively taking a step back, only then regaining her cool as her answer proves correct. Well, then.
    She looks through the door, then back at Psyber.

Lexicon has posed:
REINHARDT & XIAOMU
    The bridge holds and whatever was supposed to make this difficult was destroyed some time before, and so it really is that simple. The room is solved so hard it may have been violently solved before the pair had even arrived here. With extreme prejudice. And maybe a little bit of PSTD.

    Crossing the bridge gives Xiaomu and Reinhardt access to their third door, which opens out into a familiar round room with twelve doors on the walls. In the middle is a singed looking Silver Soul, glancing towards another open door with Psyber and Ari emerging from it -- immediately to the pair's left. The same relationship their doors had when they went in.

    "This is pissing me off," Silver Soul mutters, "I went through my door, crossed three rooms in a straight line, and was somehow looped back here through an entirely different door." Glancing between Psyber and Reinhardt and their respective partners, she props her free hand on her hip while swinging her axe up to rest across her shoulders, "What about you guys?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Oh right; Xiaomu quickly marks the door that she and Reinhardt just came out of - the same quasi-archaic kanji for 'one,' followed by the kanji for 'exit'. She also checks to see how else that door might have been marked, for good measure, but she's putting her own mark there first.

"Well, if we got turned around at all, it didn't feel like we got turned around," she answers Lexicon after she's finished marking the door. "Still, we're inside a computer system, so ... I guess maybe technically the architecture doesn't HAVE to be physically possible."

She looks to Psyber and Ari. "So did you guys get a bridge over a spike pit, a laser hallway, and a 'step only on lit tiles' in that order, or was it different for you on any of those notes?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber shakes his head, "We got uh... Room full of lasers, bridge over spike pit, and then we just got room filling with water." He replies to Xiaomu briefly.

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    A shrug is given as Reinhardt emerges through the door as well. "We found no such luck on our end unfortunately. It seems like someone was already through the last one, now that I think about it." He's observant for a grampa, it seems. "I assume the same results on your end." He sighs, popping his neck back and forth. "Is this normal for these levels, Madam Lexicon?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu nods slowly, looking pensive. "So yeah, trick architecture. We're lu-- no wait never mind forget that ..." She shakes her head, briefly and violently. Then realizes she's still holding one of her handguns, and holsters it inside her vest after a perfunctory check of her remaining ammo. "So what next, pick another set of doors and see what happens? Maybe not right next to each other this time ..."

She does not sound heavily enthusiastic about going through THAT again.

Lexicon has posed:
    "I was lit on fire, frozen, and nearly fuckin' squashed," Lexicon admits. She points, "I also went in that door, and came out that door." She points at a door 2 steps clockwise from her starting location. Turning, she points, "And you guys went through those doors-- and came out those doors. Again, it's two steps over." Frowning, she huffs, "Sounds like you even went through some of the same rooms. So there's overlap." Pointing, "I bet if you went through THAT door--" The one between her entrance and exit point, "It'd be the ice trap room I had to deal with."

    Red eyes glance towards Psyber, "Could it be that /none/ of these doors are the solution?" Towards Ari, "What if this is all just to keep us looping until we're deleted?" Eyes wander to Reinhardt, "It's a nastier deathtrap than I expected. But--" To Xiaomu, she finishes her thought, "--What if we come at this from a different direction?"

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari frowns, faintly. Or maybe she was already like that, or it's a trick of light on stoney expression. This sort of abstract puzzle-solving isn't her strong suit, so much as it would be for some of her sisters, but they're not here. About all she can do is take things literally.
    "Up, or down?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Well, what we know so far is that our two groups -" Xiaomu gestures at Psyber and Ari, then herself and Reinhardt. "- went into doors right next to each other and probably went through two of the same rooms ... except that we 'rotated' in the same direction, it seems like ... ?"

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    After giving a wince in sympathy to Lexicon, Reinhardt glances to her quizzically, "What do you mean?" He frowns, though it's hard to tell from behind his helmet. Puzzle solving's not quiiiite her strong suit either. "We could be here a while unless we split up for the remaining doors." He muses.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "What if we just head to door twelve?" Psyber asks in a bit of a curious tone, "It'd either loop back to Door One or go right to the end of the maze, wouldn't it? Then we'd know for sure if it was actually a loop or just a line meant to mess with people?"

Lexicon has posed:
    "I went through door 12," Lexicon answers Psyber, gesturing to herself, "As I said it put me through fire traps, ice traps, and a ceiling crusher before spitting me out of Door 2. Moved me clockwise by 3. They loop back into each other." Glancing towards Xiaomu and Reinhardt, "And from the sound if it, you guys did too-- and you overlapped." Her eyes close and she folds her arms, armor-clad fingers tapping on her bicep with a dull 'hmm' sound.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Splitting up any further than we already were is a bad idea," Xiaomu says with a wry smile at Reinhardt. "I mean, efficiency is nice, but could either of us have gotten through all three of those rooms without the other? I know you're the one who got us through the lasers ..."

Then Psyber mentions 'loop back to door one' and the penny seems to drop. "Better idea, we start at door *nine*. That would bring us out at door twelve ... which should be the exit, if it's the same one we came in by. At least, if there's a straightforward 'escape hatch,' I'm betting that's where the trick lies."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "That's not a bad idea," Psyber says to Xiaomu, rubbing his hand under his chin a bit and considering it, "If it moves three times and then exits you."

Lexicon has posed:
    "It skips one, not two," Lexicon corrects. Unfolding an arm, she points at door Four, "You went in there. Psyber and Ari went in there." Door five. Hand moving again to Sx, "You came out there," And door seven, "And Psyber and Ari came out there. Same with me. In at door Twelve. Out at door Two. If you want to come out of Door 12 than it'd be Door 10, skip 11, out through 12. If the theory is sound."

    The red-eyed DCC's eyebrow twitches, "To be fair this place is pissin' me off. I'm not convinced there's even a puzzle to solve with these doors." Her axe swings down and points at Ari, "You can do shit with metal, right? The floor an' ceiling are metal. You suggested 'up or down', so what do you think?"

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    "I can break anything weaker than I," Ari corrects, "as that is the nature of a sword." She looks at the floor, then up toward the ceiling. "This place is not weak, though I expect that I am stronger, with my present wielder. It will not be easy to break, but it will be simple. Destruction is always simple."
    She looks to Psyber. She won't be making the decision of whether to try to hack their way through, having gone as far as saying she probably could.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber reaches up to his back to grab the sword, "Might as well give it the ol' College try, I guess." Psyber muses, gripping the sword in his hands. He can't exactly tell Ari 'no' after she went out of her way to compliment him as a wielder in her own, abstract, way of referring to him.

    With a leap of superhuman prowess and a heavy swing of the sword, he tries to cleave a huge hole in the ceiling with a massive sword strike.

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    'Ari,' the human-looking girl, takes several steps back. 'Ari,' the ultragreatsword, is swung downward with speed and force. Never has a blade of Heaven's Armory encountered anything that could cause them to break, and Ari is certain that today will be no different, though that does not guarantee that her target will, either. Much of the force will come merely from her weight and his strength, but her magic also activates, responding to his intent. There's nothing too fancy about this transformation--the magic is just 'burning' the floor by trying to break the bonds that make it a cohesive material, releasing that energy and using it to further the reaction.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Wait, they're seriously trying that?

Xiaomu decides that 'behind Reinhardt' is probably the safest place she could possibly be while Psyber and Ari try to cleave through the ceiling. Maybe she should have brought earplugs as well, but she didn't have any and didn't expect to need them (and human earplugs aren't always that compatible with non-human ears!)

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    Reinhardt has his shield up. He's also a good distance away from Psyber and Ari when they begin this attempt, wisely making sure he and the fox are safe from shrapnel. "Impressive..." Genji would lose his shit with jealousy if he saw this, the knight imagines.

Lexicon has posed:
    Ari the Sword strikes the floor with all of Psyber's strength, sending out a shower of sparks as the blackened floor plates chip from the power of the swing. Being a sturdier surface, it resists much more than he weapons this trick had been used on before, the surface merely growing orange and then white with heat. The glow becomes intense, spreading several feet in all directions, but the floor refuses to give way, stubbornly resisting.

    Lexicon shields her eyes from the display, squinting between her fingers at the heat given off by the metal's resistance. When it starts to look like this is a stalemate, she brings her axe forward and smacks the haft into her waiting free hand. Digital markings spread out around her feet as she brings her weapon up, "Psyber, get back!" With only that shout as warning, she slams her axe down. Blade contacts flooring, shooting out a cone of ice-shaped spines across the floor and right into the superheated section, "WINTER ZERSCHLAGEN!"

    The superheated glow instantly dies amidst a cacophony of metallic screeching and cracking sounds. Sweeping her axe aside, the DCC points at the ice, "Reinhardt, put that hammer to good use!"

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    Extreme heat is met by Reinhardt digging in his heels, and he growls as he tries to avoid getting cooked. "REMAIN BEHIND ME!" He calls to Xiaomu, before he charges to the ice spines. He doesn't need to be told twice when it comes to smashing stuff, and Reinhardt roars with effort as he swings his massive helmet upwards.

    "RRRRAAAAGH!" His back, known only to him, isn't too good at not being in pain after this, but Reinhardt always keeps going because of what he reminds himself; He reminds himself that generally when he does get his back acting up, it's because he's done something SUPREMELY AWESOME.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Xiaomu replies, keeping her distance - and keeping Reinhardt in between herself and the center of the area that the others are wailing on. She does also unsling her carrypack and start digging in its interior for something, though.

"Let me know if you guys need some more ice on that!" the sage fox adds, looking at where Lexicon superchilled the superheated floor.

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari's human form has disappeared at some point during this. Likely, there's just too much danger in the room right now, and that part of her is comparatively defenseless.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber, when prompted to get back, hops up and away from the spreading ice on the floor, landing with the scratch of boots against ground as he digs in his sword to help him skid to a stop. He and Ari had managed to create a huge, superheated spot in the floor that Lexicon had then immediately frozen to create a brittle surface that Reinhardt could strike. The half-angel didn't see any reason to interfere with the massive man, using a massive hammer, doing what he did best. Massively.

    So instead, he just looks at the sword, "You've gotten stronger since I first picked you up," He remarks.

Lexicon has posed:
    Superheated, flash-frozen, and then slammed into by a man the approximate weight of a luxury car using a rocket-propelled hammer. The blackened plates, cracked by the ice, shatter into silver shards and rain down into a chamber below. There's no light at first, down there, but sudden showers of sparks fill the space with flashes as chunks of brittle metal fall into well-oiled machinery. Something catches, gets traction, and screeches for several seconds.

    The spinning, dizzying sensation abruptly comes to a halt with an equally abrupt lurching motion through the entire chamber. Machinery down below comes to a halt in the same instant. Mechanisms, still trying to move while jammed by debris, starts to rip itself apart.

    A few moments later, a chime plays through the entire chamber, and the floor suddenly dissolves. The group is deposited into the snow so characteristic of the wilderness around Britannica. Footprints from their entry are still clearly visible-- but the tower itself is completely gone.

Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
    "WOO!" Reinhardt's pretty hype at this. He hoists his hammer in the air jubilantly, back be damned, and he hoots with glee. "CATCH PHRASE!"

    BEat. He looks at the others, as they no doubt stare back, and then chuckles sheepishly as he lowers his weapon. "Er....uh...I'm still working on that one."

    "Ja." Shy Reiny is shyyy.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Whoa!!" yelps Xiaomu as the room lurches abruptly, sending her stumbling sideways - that was one thing she was NOT expecting. She's still regaining her balance when the chime sounds - and then they're dumped back in the snow.

Not that Xiaomu seems to mind the abrupt relocation; she just gets back to her feet (if she didn't land on them) and brushes herself off. "Well, that ... wasn't quite how I expected it to go. I mean, how were we supposed to get out if we couldn't break through the floor? ... But still, nicely done."

She looks at Reinhardt. "You know you sound lamer for calling out 'Catch Phrase' as an obvious placeholder, right?" she says with a teasing grin.

Heaven's Armory (1014) has posed:
    Ari sends an 'it's like that, but different' feeling to Psyber. She isn't getting stronger, so much as she's less tightly locked. She has a 'pleased' feeling, either about this, specifically, or in general.
    She can't share in any cheering nor can she obviously stare while she lacks a face, so she merely continues to be, shedding off any dust that had gotten on her blade during the explosive show just now by the simple expedient of burning.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber seems to get the general feeling that Ari is trying to send him, and he hoists the sword up and onto his back again a moment later. The act of swiping it helps her already-ongoing attempts to shed her ashes and dust. He lets out a tired sigh.

    "Well. Productive. Good work, everyone." He looks at the other two and gives a bit of a tired thumbs up, "I should probably get home, though. Classes in the morning."

Lexicon has posed:
    When the floor disappears, Lexicon drops just a foot or so. Square-shaped wings of white light appear from her back processor and she starts hovering before she hits the snow. Crimson eyes glance across the valley field where the tower had stood, then close. A simple gesture dismisses her axe into computer code and he props a hand on her hip, "Well, that takes care of that. The Tower's moved to its new location, and I'm not sensing any drain on Resources in Britannica so it must be in a different Drive now." With a sigh, she lowers down to ground level where her wings disappear, "Disappointing, actually. The other floors did have treasure, but this one was all traps." With a laugh, she adds, "I bet there was a 'real' way to solve it but to be honest that place was really ticking me off."

    She glances towards Psyber with a nod, "Your help was appreciated. Contact Stylono at the Silver Cathoderal and I'll get you something for your trouble at least." Eyes closing, she adds, "I know you turned down treasure, but a Britannica Care Package is some restoratives. Anyone can use those."