5308/ICoT: Spike in a Rail

ICoT: Spike in a Rail
Date of Scene:	12 June 2017
Location:	The Bastion
Synopsis:	Kid and co. take the Grand Railroad to deliver the Shard and supplies back to the Bastion. They pick up some extra cargo along the way.
Cast of Characters:	The Kid, 325, Alexis, Count Kord, 673, Staren, Kotone Yamakawa

---

The Kid has posed:
    Point Lemaign.

    Unlike much of the Wild encountered up until now, this part has tons of signs of civilization on it. Fences made from bound logs and sharpened tips to repel the local wildlife have already been overtaken with spreading vines and moss. Evidence of dirt paths has been replaced by seconds of grass that is somewhat shorter than the grass adjacent to it. Structures that formed barracks warehouse and outhouses now have cracked windows, broken roofs, and only the smells of nature instead of... other smells.

    But there is still one manmade structure that stands proud, even in spite of the overgrowth upon it. A twisting railroad, stretching between floating hunks of land that suspend it, a lethal rollercoaster against the sky, heading east in the direction where the City once stood.

    The Grand Railroad.

    Once upon a time, it couriered the riches of the Wild to Caelondia, elevating it to the richest in the world. Point Lemaign was the only consistent Cael outpost here, rendering it an army barrack-cross-train station out of necessity. As the rails essentially became the richest vein the City had, more and more Triggers were stationed here to keep it safe.

    That may explain why Kid is sitting on a train carriage, carefully greasing a bunch of mechanical part before assembling them into a rifle with an old-fashioned crosshair iron sight.

    "Hey there!" he calls out, actually smiling for once. He jumps down from the roof and winces upon landing. "Ugh... took a bad cut to the back yesterday, so I'mma be drivin' this thing. The tracks are overgrown with Wallflowers and Pincushions, so it'll be up to you all to clear it up as we go. Think there might be some Pecker nests on it to, so kill those bastards on sight."

    He opens the carriage door, revealing many crates clumsily tied down inside. "These are the supplies I found. Already loaded 'em, but on a track like this, we derail if they slip free and start slidin' around. Keep an eye on 'em as we go." He looks around and starts sliding rounds into his new toy. "Any questions?"

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Having helped out the Kid a few times before, Rhapsody decides to answer the call for assistance once again. Today, it seems, the task at hand is helping a train get through the wilds of a world struck by calamity. It couldn't be too hard, could it?

Roaming up to the locomotive, the Izzet Guildmaster offers a wave, takes in what the Kid has to say, "You'd think just the wedge on the front may be enough, but you never know anywhere, I suppose. Should we stay inside, ride on the rooves, a mix? I'm open to suggestions."

Alexis has posed:
    Seeing the lingering remains of civilization isn't very comforting. If anything, seeing how nature has already worked on reclaiming much of it gives more of an eerie, ominous feel. Very much like the post-cataclysm state of this entire world. Considering the things that live in the Wild, yeah, you weren't really better off either way.

    Even with all the things she's already seen in her time, it's still enough to send a little shiver down Alexis' spine. Abiet less in fear, and more a mix of trepidation, and anticipation of how exciting this might turn out to be.

    "So savage plants, birds, and who knows what else is lurking out here...." After walking up Alexis flips open her Pokedex to double-check which pokemon she brought along for this. While which Rhapsody asks a very important question or two. "Wherever you have the best vantage point to drive off whatever tries to stop us, I suppose." The tomboy shrugs a little, turning her head to glance along the length of the train. "Looks like this ol' ironhorse is ready for one last ride though."

Count Kord has posed:
    As with the other day, Kord arrives in his ominous armor with his flowing cape and only his hair and eyes visible of anything on his body. And his tail, as it's uncoiled from his waist and drooping down, a sign of the painkillers he was given to keep him from hating every second of the day because of all the little cuts her took when he was fighting that ninja-like warrior.

    Kord looks up to the Kid, and nods only once when given his instructions. He retrieves his scythe from its holster with a slow slide and a flick of his arm to unfold the enchanted weapon. A spray of sparks notes its ready to go. Kord then turns to walk toward the front of the vehicle, and just starts marching along the tracks, eager to start cutting the plants down along the way whether or not the vehicle is moving yet. He spares only glances to the others, particularly to Rhapsody, but doesn't seem willing to say anything. He's doing his thing.

    He begins to sing a little Romanian-like song to himself, a little delirious but still apparently functional enough to work. Sounds like the kind of slow folk song a farmer might sing, appropriate to his choice of cutting implement.

Rory White (673) has posed:
Once again Rory's come using a feline shape. This time around the robotic shape features a much higher degree of articulated joints and sleeker limbs and frame. It's a full thirty percent smaller in terms of sheer mass... and four Saucer drones are mounted on its left and right sides. Faintly visible paneling's all over its legs, underside, and topside, no doubt hiding a host of gadgets and low-yield weaponry.

    Break her toys, and she'll just rebuild them better, it seems.

    Rory doesn't miss the wincing from the normally hearty Cael though. She cants her head briefly, but he soon explains it to her satisfaction.

    "If you would like some painkillers, I have a Nanobandage in a storage compartment." She offers helpfully, whilst scanning the...

    ... After a few moments, Rory's optics flash as thouggh she were widening her eyes.

    "... An actual RAILWAY?!" Is that HORROR in her digitized tone? She doesn't seem too trusting of this ancient mode of transportation...

    But she's here to help, not complain. The robot feline springs up atop the train car.

    ".. There are no legendary monsters in THESE parts, correct...?"

    Seems she hasn't forgotten the last encounter.

Staren has posed:
    Staren runs from the warpgate. This body is tireless, after all. It's a strange experience -- Like completing a long fight in ALO and realizing he's not even close to winded. Even in his armor, long walks are somewhat tiring.

    Staren waves as the Kid greets them. He's swapped back to the normal helmet instead of the one with the skull faceplate for today. The rest of his armor still bears the marks of yesterday's fight -- some scratches and cuts from the autocrossbow flak rounds that got past his forcefield. The forcefield discs have been removed, replaced by a single one on his chest.

    "Would you like a a nanobandage? It could help you heal up a bit faster." He looks at the track. He's fairly certain the armory he's carrying can deal with anything that gets in their way, so he nods at the warning and boards the train. "How tough are these tracks? Can they take some weapons fire, or do we need to be extra careful?"

    He looks at Rory curiously. "Yeah, a railway... why not? I guess they don't have hovertrains on this world." He glances over her form. "Four legs, huh? Lack of hands doesn't bother you?"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is happy to arrive and help out here again she arrived a bit after Rory does and seem to be in good spirit shs's wearing stelath gear as hey she tends to expect trouble here. She grins a little bit though as she sees whome else is here and she does cringe a littlebit at Cale for a moment.

"What's wrong with railways? Even trains still haul cargo on my world then there's maglev lines too."

She seems not as troubled as Rory is and she looks to Rhaps and Alexis this is turning out to be a good crew and even Cound Cord while a former fed never came off as something to menace all of creation like some of them and he kept to his word in all her delaings with him so she was honestly looking relaxed as she notes STaren arrives.

With the medial aid already ofered she's not needing to do more but she looks sympathic. Getting hurt's never enjoyable.

The Kid has posed:
    Kid takes aim with that new carbine of his off to the side and squeezes the trigger. The retort is loud, as is the final, offended squawk of a Pecker in the distance. He sniggers to himself before answering questions. "What she said," he says to Rhapsody while indicating Alexis. "Wherever you're comfortable, though spreading out's always a good idea."
        Looking to Rory and Staren as they offer medical help, he shakes his head. "I'll live. Just got into a bit of a scrap. You should've seen the other guy." He's a bit confused by her apparent outrage though. "Yeah it is. Best in the world. Or at least it was. Tracks are sturdy too, they were made to deal with the Wild. Try not to test 'em too much though." He gives the locomotive a fond pat, and nods to Kotone. "Yeah, she gets it." He then notices that Kord is just walking along the tracks. "Whoa, settle down fella! Okay, all aboard!"

    He climbs into the locomotive and starts shovelling coal into a pre-stoked furnace. The smokestack gives a hearty belch of gray smog as the train lurches, slowly beginning to pursue to Count along the tracks in the sky.

    It's an unsteady trip, no matter how you go about it. The track flips between rising and falling depending on the altitude that the next chunk of land that supports it. Kid is receiving a crash course in train driving as he alternates between dumping in a lot to manage the hills and tapping the breaks during the dips. His head leans out a window to monitor the tracks ahead, and to warn for trouble.

    "Okay, Swampweeds up ahead, they're real prickly, so watch yourself as you deal with 'em!" he shouts, pointing at the thick bramble that chokes the track ahead. Behind it on the next raise, tall pale pink flowers suddenly unfurl their petals and reveal a yellow pistil. One that begins blasting at everyone with hypercompressed bursts of pollen. It is joined by small, round purple plants that begin hosing the train with a barrage of needles."Ah damnnation! Kill the centre of the tall ones, their petals are tough! Pincushions just need a good squashing!"

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    As she boards, the dragon considers. She didn't really have ranged weaponry that could last the whole trip. An idea strikes her, she smiles, and then she heads toward one of the doors between the cars, "I have an idea! It'll be nice to stretch my wings, so to speak," she hints before vanishing behind the closing door.

    After climbing onto the top of the car, a flash of light hides her change. There's a roar of effort, a beat of wings, and then the mostly-scaleless dragon takes wing, soars over the engine of the train, and lets loose a blast of electric-laced flame toward the offending plants on the rails, careful not to melt the path of the train completely.

        "WOOOOO!"

Someone is thrilled to be doing this.

Staren has posed:
    Once they get moving, Staren watches out a window, until the Kid warns that they're approaching the dangerous area. Then he closes his visor and climbs out on top, whistling as Rhapsody goes full Dragon before pulling what looks like a very large-bore rifle out of his bag.

    Turns out it's a missile launcher. One missile flies into the air with a *PHOOT*, then ignites and flies to the brambles before exploding not with concussive force, but a ball of fire and heat. The launcher is loaded with plasma warheads from Rory's world, AKA 'hellballs'. The ball of fire produced is huge, but less concentrated than those from his own world. Hopefully that means it won't melt the tracks!

    As the pollen comes in and tries to sandblast his forcefield, he crouches and fires his beam cannons at the remaining plants. He doesn't plan to see if that section of track can stand up to /repeated/ hellballs unless the brambles do.

Alexis has posed:
    "I see the Count is as dark and ominous as ever," Alexis murmurs to herself as Kord practically drifts by like a shadow. Then practically looks agast at Rory's complaints. "Are you kidding? This is awesome! You know how hard it is to see a steam engine in working condition?!" She's already climbing onto the top of a car as she responds. This is going to be a wild ride and she is not going to miss it, no matter how dangerous it might be. "If we're lucky it'll rock back and forth while it's going up and down for the real authentic experience!" That last part may just be trolling the techno-gal a little.

    Once she's up top and the train starts moving Alexis hunchs down a bit to hold on with one hand, and grab pokeballs with the other. Got to bring out the firepower, but something that's not going to way them down. "Majorette, Kindler, take the field!" Two flashes of energy release a pair of foxes, one yellow and biped, the the other red-brown and fanning out six adorable tails. "Braixen!" "Vulpix!"

    "Dull their attacks with Light Screen, and return fire. Literally!" At Alexis command Majorette pulls the stick from her tail, twirling it once and then gripping it like a wand. "<Shield our fight with guarding light!>" A shimmering barrier appears in the air to help intercept the pollen blasts.

    As well as cover the other Pokemon so she can retaliate, ambient heat already raising around them from the Vulpix's thermal generation "Vuuuuuul--" Which results in a sizable ball of flame being belted out of her mouth. "--PIX!" The fireball arcs forward to clear the train and come down in a patch of offending plants, at which it explodes and the Flame Burst sends smaller arcs of flame raining around it to maximize the area of coverage from the attack.

Rory White (673) has posed:
Rory decides to let loose her Saucers. Two of the four she carries detach and float into the skies, giving her a bird's eye view of what's ahead.. and behind. And all around.

    She briefly hops down into the Locomotive's operator space on the way forward... "If you're sure. This body does not feel pain, but the one time I tried one that did... it is not an experience I would like to repeat often. Pain is a terrible thing."

    With another CLUNK-RUCKUS she vaults forward, slinking along the locomotive like some weird feline-gecko hybrid - as her paws prove capable of clinging to it even though this leaves her perpendicular to the ground.

    Panels on her back and shoulders open up, revealing the focusing lenses for laser emitters.

    "How does wildlife like this even EVOLVE?!" Rory finally does really complain, as she's peppered by needles. Some of them bury an inch into her mechanical 'skin', drawing a few sparks. Though the outer layers really are designed specifically for the kinds of weaponry she dealt with last time...

    Without moving further she selects her targets in her integrated HUD and activates her lasers. Which are invisible for the most part, save where they burn through pollen clouds. The presence of such particulate reveals a brilliant violet-hued glow, which matches glows that appear on the offending plants.

    THAT will get them hot under the collars!

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "Can't argue with good analog tech that's for sure. If this network surived everything that's a fear of engineering." Sh notes and then she looks to Kord for a moment seems almos amused but says nothing as she moves to get aboard the train, she takes a moment to pop a small flying drone out of hee kit and makes ready to use it should they need it. It's a bit of a ridebut she'shaving fun withit.

"CHOO CHOO!"

Is about all Kotone has to say for a bit on the trian ride as she's having fun with it. Till the plants and then she's opening fire on the various plants with her SMG and she mutters she should hafe brought some different ammo.

<<Pain lets you know your alive, Rory. When you don't feel pain that's means you horribly hurt or dying. Then again I can't get away from my origins now can I Rory>>

She keeps shooting and Rory asks a good question.

"I have no idea I stopped asking such things about two months into traveling inthe multiverse!"

She's also getting fairly scuffed up and she's also deeling it....

Count Kord has posed:
    Kord paused before he got too far ahead, and climbed onto the train without uttering another word.

    Well, except for the creepy faux-Romanian songs he keeps singing quietly to himself. He tries to distract himself from the ache in his muscles, the scythe held in one hand. The exchanges that people make during the trip -- the discussion about hands between Staren and Rory -- make him pause in his song to look at them, the eerie silence he casts somehow sharper than the slow, meandering cadence of the song.

    "Evolve? Surely they grow by battling other--"

    Kord cuts himself off there, remembering Pokemon logic doesn't always apply and realizing that these things need chopping more than he needs to get confused by the mechanical differences between worlds. Anything that gets near enough will suffer the vicious slice of a weapon actually DESIGNED to deal with plant life, complete with bursts of black energy that help extend the range of his swipes enough to make a real difference.

The Kid has posed:
    The first solution that everyone seems to have come to when faced with plant overgrowth is 'burn it.' Kid doesn't know how to feel about that, but he appreciates the zeal. The variety of fire that cooks the track burns the plants to cinders easily. And thankfully, the heat doesn't expand the tracks too much, so the train just pushes through the ashes to progress.

    "Good job!" Kid shouts at everyone. They begin rising up that hill that was once defended by plants... and beyond it is a massive dip, followed by a sharp turn. Derailment here means a long way down. And to make matters worse, the Shard occupies this bend. And then worse still, a cloud of Peckers is hovering above the Shard.

    "Ah hell, hold on!" Kid yells as the train goes over. Brakes squeal as he pumps them, but the train still picks up speed on the way down. That bend is looking more and more like a derailment by the second. Peckers caw, and begin to swoop, while others just hover around the Shard... protecting it?

    Many things need to be done in the next few seconds.

Count Kord has posed:
    Kord isn't as useful for dealing with the plant life as everyone else is, not on a moving vehicle or compared to the fiery methods. He pauses in his work as the train chugs along and Kid praises them for their work, the red-haired warrior gazing past the front of the train and toward the dip... He crouches and then grabs onto something as it starts to go down, and his eyes widen behind his mask as painkillers fail to stop the flood of adrenaline. Knowing what the mission objective is here and what might happen if the train tips, Kord acts quickly.

    Kord ends up reopening a wound as he flaps his now-manifested Yveltal-like wings to get along to the side of the train that will be on the outside of the curve. He peers back along the train and he clings to the engine portion as he waits to start feeling it tip, and then he braces himself against the structure, his wings curve inward like focusing points in front of him, a bright red light shines, and he fires a beam of red (flying-type) energy down and away from the train just as it threatens to tip, the kind of beam that is ordinarily used by monsters that really want others dead. As it so happens, it is made of wind, and the force that pushes back on Kord is strong enough that he acts like an improvised turbine for just the few seconds the train might've needed.

    Such a frivolous waste of power.

    "I am not going to let the vehicle plummet into the abyss."

    You would weaken yourself while you are still wounded and fail to gain nourishment from that ability.

    "Hnnn."

    Grandad Yveltal is now nagging Kord and people are only hearing Kord's side of the argument.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Crazy begins to swell, but for the Izzet League, they live in the world called 'crazy' every day. Seeing the train start to gain steam, and so much of the flora and fauna doing what they can to cause a minor calamity for the train, Rhapsody banks away from the rails to come in from the right side of the engine.

    <<Coming in hot!>> A fiery pass is made, trying to take out as much of what's attempting to stop the locomotive as possible. Of course, her breath pauses as she passes the car, but it may be a little hot for the folks inside for a second.

Staren has posed:
    A bunch of troublesome monsters and a bend... This is a problem. Staren fires another missile, then scrambles to the front of the train, trying to get in front of it and slow it down by bracing his feet on the rails and his hand against the front of the locomotive, while firing thrusters full-blast. He has no idea if it will be enough, but he didn't have time to realize he can do the calculations automatically.

Alexis has posed:
    "Good job you two. Kindler, return." As they near the peak of the hill Alexis returns the Vulpix to her pokeball, since she doesn't really have a way to hold on when the train goes over the apex and starts it's downward drop. Whereas Alexis and Majorette have hands to hold on with, ponytail and fox-tail whipping behind them in the air as the train picks up speed and charges ricketly down the descent. Brakes aren't going to be enough to keep this ride from speeding up... And is that the Shard? Surrounded by Peckers. Figures.

    "Need to get that Shard." Alexis stares at the flock lingering around the Shard while others deal with the attackers keep the train from tipping. Looks back to her Braixen, then towards the Shard as it's coming up. Closes her eyes for a moment. She's not entirely comfortable with this, it's risky and more than a little crazy. But when she looks to the mage-fox again Majorette nods, knowing without having to ask, and stands on her back paws, gripping her stick with her hands. "<Let's do this.>"

    "Heh. We may make a thrillseeker out of you yet." Digging in her heels to brace herself Alexis stands up partway, grabbing the fox. Psychic powers still make her a little uneasy, but this is one time knowing the flame fennec also has that potential is actually a good thing.

    "FOX ONE, LAUNCH!" As hard as she can without dislodging herself, Alexis... THROWS THE FOX OFF THE TRAIN?!?!

    The method to this madness comes as Majorette is flung into the air her eyes glow and she tucks her stick between her legs. Fire flares from the end pointing behind her like a rocket, though the visual effect looks almost like a witch riding her flying broom. The speed of the airborne Flame Charge sends the Braixen hurtling like a comet with hopefully enough speed to send the Peckers scattering and try to grab the Shard, and meet the train on the other side of the bend.

Rory White (673) has posed:
UP, UP, goes the little engine that could... and then discovers that DOWN is another matter entirely...

    <<I do not understand it though. ... It is a negative experience that impedes function. ... Humans are strange as always.LOOK OUT AHEAD!>>

    Rory's math co-processing quickly runs the numbers and decides that the numbers are FAR FROM FAVORABLE. "BRAKES TO FULL!" She booms at maximum volume.

    ... And then Count Kord does something she wasn't expecting. Rory's optics once again flash, this time with what might just be terror at the sheer display of supernatural energies being wielded. MORE numbers are run and she is more than a little astounded at the POWER being wielded here.

    But distractions lke that last only about a second. She spots the Peckers up ahead and aims her lasers. Once more she opens fire, this time with a few warning ZAPS. If she can dissuade them with a bit of pain instead of kill them, that's fine. But if they circle towards the locomotive...

    Well, she's got more lasers where those came from.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
the Count has a plan to keep them on the them on the rail and she'll have to let him do it with his very ... strange powers she's not seen something like this. She attempts to keep her balance as the Cord does his thing. She makes use of her off hand while hte other hangs on to the train, and she fires wildy at the birds that are comming after them. Hopefully she can help thin out the pekers and keep them off the rest of the party.

<<Evoultion, you want not to be in pain and learn to not do things that would hurt yourself like stick a hand in a fire. You have to understand we came from knowing /nothing/ to making things like my body or people like you.>>

The Kid has posed:
    A lot does happen in a few seconds.

    Staren and Kord take it upon themselves to keep the train on the tracks. The catboy plants himself before the locomotive and pushes against it, dramatically slowing it more than brakes ever could. Meanwhile, Kord pushes against the side, keeping it from tipping until he finally managed to get the wheels back on the tracks.

    As for the Peckers, they launch themselves at the train, only to be burned from the sky by Rhapsody's flames and Rory's laser. Those that circle the Shard are taken by surprise by a flying fox! Majorette blasts right through them and nabs the glittering crystal, infuriating the corvids and driving them to pursue.

    But between Kotone and Kid firing from the train at the surviving birds, they cover her retreat, and the fox successfully lands upon the train once it's past the bend.

    "Good work everyone," Kid breaths, cluthing his chest. "That was a hell of a trial..." The train continues on... and in the distance, stand human figures in robes, clutching spears and blades. "Ah hell, and here comes another... it's the Ura."

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    After the second breath blast, Rhapsody comes around to the car behind the engine, lands, and basically takes a breath for a few moments. Hearing more enemies are ahead, "Gimmie a minute! I haven't really flown this much in a while..

Staren has posed:
    Once the train starts around the bend, Staren's quick to get off the rails and start climbing along the train. The soles of his boots have some of the metal scraped off and are very, very hot. If he'd tried that in his power armor his feet might be regretting it, but robot feet can take it. He returns to his position atop the car, sitting for a moment as his attention is called to the Ura. Staren has a few nonlethal options, at least. But they ask him not to fire the first shot, so for now he waits and watches.

Alexis has posed:
    There's a saying about looking before you leap. Most of the time Alexis perfers to leap before looking makes you think twice about how crazy it might be. That has got to be some level of trust between Trainer and Pokemon though, to be willing to go through with that insane maneuver.

    As the train rumbles around the bend Alexis is there to catch Majorette at the other side, both tumbling down on top of the train car from the landing. There's a momentary pause... "Braixen!" And Majorette holds up the Shard so everyone can see that she's got it. "Good job girl." Alexis sits up with a laugh, but the moment of celebrating is cut short by the shout from the Kid up front, and the tomboy groans. "Oh that figures. Majorette, keep that safe, get down in the car."

    The fox-mage nods, tucking the Shard into her tail along with her stick and ducking down into the train car to keep a low profile.

    With the fox and Shard hidden down for cover, Alexis turns her attention back to the approaching hazard, brow knitting into a scowl as she remembers what happened the last time she crossed paths with Ura. Grabs a pokeball. "Okay, lets do this in propper Hoenn style. Take the field Beatboxer!" This time the release energy is much larger, until it consolidates into a creature with several protrusions on the back of the head that resemble the tubes of a pipe organ, and a rather large mouth. He wobbles a moment to get his footing, then leans forward to grab the traincar with his popeye-esque arms for stability.

    People are saying not to fire the first shots, which makes Alexis snort a little. She doesn't trust they're just going to watch them pass, but fine... "Get pumped up and ready to fight." Exploud responds with a low hiss and rush of air as he sucks in through the tubes to start building up air pressure within his body.

    Alexis keeps her scowling gaze on the Ura group, remembering what happened the last time she crossed pathes with one. Absently she lifts one hand to rub the shoulder she got stabbed through and used as a bargaining chip...

Rory White (673) has posed:
Rory decides to step forward a few paces on her weird, sideways perch upon spotting the Ura. The not-too-expressive felinoid tilts its head a few times... and the panels that reveal its weapons smoothly shut.

    "Ura warriors, there has been enough violence between us. Words are all I wish to exchange!"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa stops shooting as she ejects the spent ammo clip from her wepaon and will move to reload it as they finally as part of the team fend off the horde. She rises up as they slow down and then she puses seeing Ura? Oh god this was going to be bad she does not want to fight hem if she can help it. She wants to help them get the heck off thi world ti fhtye would only take the help but it's seems slim to unlikely her face tenses up up as she waits to see how this places out she looks to her companions and wonders just what they will want she tries to relax as Rory makes her plea to the Ura.

The Kid has posed:
    The air is understandably tense. The Ura have been coming for the Cores, the Shards, and the heads of any Cael survivors. But they haven't been around ever since the last Core was found. It was almost relaxing, were it not for everything else that tries to kill everyone when they venture outs.

    "We share a mutual wish," speaks an elderly woman in response to Rory. She clutches a staff of polished stone as she steps forward on her little speck of land. Kid in the locomotive seems reluctant, but he puts on the brakes and brings the train to a complete halt.

    "Our people have fought in the past. And the resentment that lingers from that war drove some to fight again in the here and now," the woman speaks. "However, you have slain our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. But that is no fault of yours. We were the aggressors. And we wish to begin making amends, starting with this."

    She waves, and a tall man steps forward, clutching something wrapped in cloth. Peeling it off reveals another crystal like the Shard, but this one is larger and a deep blue. A Core. "We took this from you in the past. And now we return it, as a gesture of our apologies."

    Kid seems dumbstruck. But also wary. He looks around at everyone before returning his stare to the Core. He seems... unwilling to take it. Out of caution, or simple disbelief?

Staren has posed:
    Staren chats with Rory over cybercomms while the train pulls into the... diplomatic meeting. And this is a pleasant surprise! Staren's been told these people are at war with the Kid. He can't appreciate the full gravity of it all, being new here, though. When the Kid seems hesitant, he starts scanning the offered core, to make sure it's not a trap to the best of his ability.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Oh good, no fighting required. And a CORE for their trouble? Rhapsody was going to give the Ura a roar, but the need for it seems to have diminished. Not wanting to intimidate them any further, especially with their peace offering, the dragon reverts to her commonly seen biped form, hops down off the train, and moves up to join Kid among others.

    When he seems to hesitate, the guildmaster gives him a nudge. "Go on. It'd be rude not to. And besides, I think they saw what we did to get here. Trust them." Smile.

Alexis has posed:
    They ... actually want to cooperate? To -give- them one of the stolen Cores without a fight?

    Alexis emits a small huff to herself. She can't help but be suspicious after all that's already happened. But she's willing to stay out of the way of the others if they can regain something as precious as a Core without more violence. If they weren't sincere, would of they stayed here waiting for them to come along?

    Exploud stops sucking up air, and closes his mouth. He's practically literally holding his breath to see if this really works out. So he's ready to let rip if it does go wrong.

Rory White (673) has posed:
Once the train comes to a halt... Rory hops off. She stays light on her feet, but the robo-kitty makes no move to get TOO close. Instead she seats herself a polite distance away from the Ura entourage. Her mouth does not move when she speaks.

    "Every time we have come into conflict I suffer deeply conflicting emotions. No good will come of our efforts being at odds with each other. Everything has been destroyed... there is no longer a Caelondia to despise or fear. I see only survivors who need to build a new home. What comes next need not suffer from conflicts over resources like before."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa listens she seems willing to enterain this itmay be a trap or maybe not but she's going to at least run with this. She seems ready to go with it. She's got to hope for the best here even with the history with the Ura? If she did not try to hold out her hand in this case? She might kick herself forever for if there's the slightest chance the Ura are being on the level here? She's going to have to take it. She notices the kid hestating and she looks to Rrhaps and she nods.

She's seemingly willing to try here and so she's going to.

"Peace comes when someone on each side is brave enoguh to trust someone on the other."

Count Kord has posed:
    Kord has been told these people, these Ura, had attacked in the past. He hears of a history conflict between nations that are now shattered. He watches the exchange between Kid and the people that hand the core to them. He does not seem to trust them, both of his hands tightening on the haft of his weapon. But in the interest of diplomacy, he does not attack.

    He just leers at them like a hawk staring down its prey, on the chance that they're trying to pull a fast one on the party.

The Kid has posed:
    Staren's scans pick up some absolutely bizarre readings from the Core. Similar but weaker readings come from the Shard. But there's no sign of any kind of trap upon the object. At Rhapsody's urging, Kid leans out and takes the stone in his hand. And... nothing. The Core is offered, and received.

    Looking to Rory, the old woman says, "You should choose your words with more care, creature. It sounds as if you're asking us to forsake culture for simple survival. But what point is there in living if there is no heritage? The idea of starting anew is a fearful one, one that few would accept."

    But, she nods to Kotone. "That is correct. And I think the act of taking this Core is the start of that. We would not trouble you anymore, but we hope this can be the first step towards working together."

    Kid rubs the back of his head, before shaking it. "Nah. Ride with us for a bit. You can take some of the supplies I got on the back when we hit more solid ground." The woman smiles and nods, before the Ura begin to clamber on board. They regard Alexis and her Exploud with a degree of caution and concern, but some sit on the roof near them.

Alexis has posed:
    Looks like they don't need to fight. Though the cautious looks are shared on both sides so fair's fair, or something. But a Shard -and- a Core? That's a big score for the crazy ride they had to take to get here.

Alexis gives Beatboxer a nudge with her elbow. He lets out the air he had been bulding up. Which, coming out the pipes on his head, has that distinct sound of air escaping a ballon and sounding like someone's flauntulance. Just a little bit awkward.

    Speaking of the Shard, her Braixen is still holding onto it. By keeping it hidden in her fluffy tail. Just to be safe. After the crazy stunt she went through to get the Shard she is not risking someone else snatching it up.

Rory White (673) has posed:
The old woman's words give Rory quite a bit of pause. Her optics dim though her face is otherwise expressionless... the design doesn't allow for much articulation.

    "... Diplomacy has never been a talent of my kind... no offense was meant. My apologies." She pauses rather lengthily, likely to process her next words.

    This just leads to the conclusion that the Ura are an incredibly proud and nationalistic people... she is not well-suited to targeting a culture she barely understands.

    "... I simply do not understand what is gained by fighting between us, when so much could be accomplished through cooperation. All anyone can do now is move forward."

Staren has posed:
    Yay, peace! Staren doesn't have context, but it seems like a good thing. He continues to ride arop the carriage, ready to blast monsters.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa Says "It's worth a shot and hers to hoping this is teh start of something better. If any of you have injuries some of us might be able to help."

Kotone has put her weapon away at this point and she'll move to give them help them as best she canshe looks to Rory and tilts her head.

"Your from a young race, you don't have the bagage we do, Rory."

She now will do what she cna to help the Ura get aboard and with anything else.