509/Opened Ways Part 2

Opened Ways Part 2
Date of Scene:	27 August 2014
Location:	Great Painting of Ariamis <PoA>
Synopsis:	The continuation to Both of the Opened Ways.
Cast of Characters:	Priscilla, 134, 168, 183, 227, 283, 385, 395, 522
Tinyplot:	Dark Souls TP

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Priscilla has posed:
    Despite the touching reunion between two sisters and (sort of) a third between them, it's nice to be above ground. As miserable as the weather over the city is, it at least never seems to rain despite the distant rumbles of thunder, and the further one gets away from it, the brighter it gets. Priscilla seems to have made her way to Firelink Shrine in the intervening time that everyone had spent by the second Bell of Awakening, resummoning people as necessary to cut out a lot of travel time. It's a short way from there, through the series of inexplicable ancient elevator contraptions, from the Parish, and through the forest of massive pine trees that surrounds it, diverging onto a lone, paved walkway that goes deep through the woods. The foliage is dense enough that it obscures the destination until one is almost right on top of it; the trees suddenly giving way to a massive keep that just about appears out of nowhere. There is no actual castle around it, and no walls to keep outsiders away, leaving only a huge, stubbornly square building dominating its place in the forest. Though everything from its pillars to its towers are plain and utilitarian in appearance, all cut from reddish brown stone, it projects a rather grandiose air, and the massive iron portcullis in its front seems to have been drawn open. No birds rest among its crenellations, and the only sound is that of the steady clang of metal on metal originating from a little brick rest house by the wayside, probably meant to be used by those who had travelled to the fortress in hopes of besting it before entering.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Given that the other option for getting to the fortress would have involved an ungodly amount of climbing, Yuna for one is just as happy to be summoned for a shortcut. This is a part of Lordran that she *hasn't* been to before, and her unfamiliarity shows.

... largely in the form of rubbernecking like a tourist. The forest is, as these things go, a LOT more welcoming than the dungeons and caves were, although Yuna's staying wary of her surroundings anyway. She's certainly not trying to take point, unless somebody pokes her and asks her to handle party tank vanguard duty - Yuna would rather let those who know the route take the lead, in a case like this.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The image of Gaius in this strange place walks across the ground with gentle steps. Those blue wisp sphere within the void-lens of his full face helm look about with some ken interest of the area. He runs his fingers along part of the stone, before looking at the dust that may come off, before moving his hand off to the side with a slow, casually motion to brush his finger tips off.

He takes notice that it seems Yuna is also a stranger to this land and walks over to her. He looks upon her for a moment before he calmly speaks. "I'll have your back if trouble commences."

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Due to personal issues and prior commitments, Amalthea was not capable of being present for the prior foray into Blighttown once again for further deals with the remaining sisters of Izalith. Today though, the old paladin's schedule is looking pretty free, and after plunking herself down somewhere quiet in Njorun, all she had to do was away a summoning.
    Well, when it does come, the group is joined by the shimmering form of a golden phantom. Resplendant and almost eye-searingly incandescent, the unicorn knight adjusts her armor, the surcoat and chain of a local Astora knight, one hand resting on the sheath of the blade at her hip.
    "Big fortress." She grunts. "But was it made to keep people out or hold shit in?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki walks at a perhaps too casual pace in the direction of the church housing the first bell. It really would be a waste just to fly there, wouldn't it? It's so rare that she has the pleasure of seeing such lovely ruins as the ones here, and earnestly, the Undead Parish has become a sort of home away from home for her. Even if the entire city is teeming with undead, she maintains what she said the first time: this place is homey. Makes sense, though, y'know? Gothic architecture is kinda her thing. She stops at the bridge that links to the forest and gazes up at the steeple to take a long, lasting breath before leaving. Ahhh... this land of the dead makes her feel so happy to be alive.

    Long story short, she makes her way to the bridge before the imposing fortress, parasol still held aloft to block out the sun. Bright. Too bright! Settings like this one need dimmer lighting, she resolves. Their quest is in some distant way linked to the energy of the sun and 'kindling flames', she knows, but she could certainly do without all that. Cold and dark are nice! ... though alas, if they don't go through with this, then there may not be any world left for there to be a beautiful night /in/. She muses for a while on the state of affairs here before her thoughts wander, inevitably, to the task she and those of the Union are so fervently laboring toward. The moustachioed serpent had been very kind to elucidate some details, but she's still curious. So very, very curious.

    As per the norm, Mizuki would appear without warning in-between Yuna and Gaius. One second there's nothing, and the next she's there! But that's all standard procedure, when you have a reputation of mysteriosity to uphold. She gives each of them glances and a playful grin, but otherwise fixes her gaze to the door of the building, attempting to glean what she can about the interior before they head in. At least until Amalthea shows up. Squint.

    Bright. Too bright.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura was beginning to question why she helped on occasion; she knows going in that she's going to get to see a whole lot of death and pain and she had generally already had a bunch of both of those in her life. Still, she liked and owed Priscilla, and wanted to help, and so once again her body is left behind passed out on the couch in the Heaven or Hell living room while her phantom shows up here, as black as her heart. Or something. She hadn't quite figured that part out yet.

    "Both, probably." is Sakura's response to Amalthea, the mednin looking over towards the shiny glowing unicorn. "Not that it matters, since we probably want to get in and leave."

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    Along with the golden sun that is Amalthea, there is a bright white image of a tall, lanky young man with his hands in his phantom pockets. Chris Rothschild has come as well, regarding the few here he knows with a nod and a polite, "Yo." Those he doesn't recognize get... well, open stares. It probably looks like he's scowling at them.

    He's not. But it looks that way.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan's resummoning process brings him up to the shrine! Man, this phantom thing is great. His white-tinted body goes through the obligatory hike that he's guided through without any trouble. The man's progress is always slow and deliberate, taking in the surrounding forest until he's sudddenly taking in a keep instead, quietly and subtly surprised that the entire building managed to ambush him all at once.

    He's curious about that rest house at the wayside, though. "Ah..." He listens closely. Is that sound consistently regular, as if from a machine, or is the sound irregular in the rhythm, as if caused by a person? "What is that sound?" He asks, curiously, looking out to the house itself. "It would be prudent to investigate this area before we enter. We do not want any surprises following us in." Hall says, with a frank sort of tone. "Those of you who wish to see the keep itself immediately could enter on your own, if you like, but I am going to go see what is in here."

    No entering yet! Instead, Nathan heads over to that little rest house to see what the heck all this noise is about. But he enters it very cautiously. Could be a crazy person, or an evil machine, or some similarly dangerous thing. And while he won't die permanently, he'd like to not die at all.

Priscilla has posed:
    "Neither, Lady Amalthea. Quite simply it was built to put things inside. Most assuredly, things to kill people." Priscilla seems to be fine staying at the helm of this little operation. Even staying just outside of the freshly stewed hell that is blight town was enough for her as far as underground caves are concerned, and so it's a nice change to be back out in the pale, colourless sunlight. She doesn't seem to be terribly worried by this statement, but then the group hadn't come here with the objective of conquering the fortress all at once. Advance recon would make things a hell of a lot easier if it was meant to be some kind of deadly house of traps. Instead, she looks nervously at Nathan as he breaks off from the rest of the rainbow brigade and heads straight off the path. Cats and curiosity and all that. "Please, one moment." Then she follows after him, already imagining what Psyber would have to say if the poor guy got splattered, even as a phantom.

    Luckily for Nathan, the rest home is not home to some sort of deadly librarian-smashing contraption. The squat, windowless little building is more like an itsy bitsy keep of its own, but the open doors ventilate it well enough. The banging of metal on metal is owed to something much more rustic in nature, as it seems some sort of intrepid adventurer has set up shop inside and started blacksmithing of all things. An utterly enormous man, old enough that his white hair and beard would give santa claus a run for his money, but built as though every one of his gigantic muscles had been chiselled out of stone, going at a sword on an anvil with a hammer the size of a child's head. A pile of arms and armour is propped up in the corner behind him, but none of it is displayed very well. Most curiously, though all the traditional tools are there and then some, there is no furnace to be found, nor coals, bellows, or tongs. He seems to be going at the steel completely cold.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna smiles up at Gaius, trying not to be intimidated by how much taller he is. "If trouble commences, I *ought* to be all right ... but thank you!" She *is* wearing armor ... of a sort, anyway ... but the offer to help watch her back is clearly appreciated nonetheless.

Nathan gets a slightly curious look as he heads off towards the smaller building - and as Priscilla goes after him, Yuna sets off in that direction as well. "That *is* pretty loud - some kind of factory?" she speculates as the group gets closer, and the noise loud enough that if her ears weren't (apparently) protected, she might be reaching up to cover them.

And technically, 'factory' is not that far off the mark when it comes to a blacksmith's forge. Yuna is content to observe the smith at work from a distance, though - she certainly isn't going inside while it's that noisy; her earpieces don't shield her hearing THAT much.

(The absence of an actual *forge* for the metalworking seems to be completely lost on her, too.)

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius watches as Nathan moves ahead and their guide gives chase. He nudges his head to Yuna to follow and only gives Mizuki a momentary glance. Yet it seems Yuna is already step ahead of him, which causes him to scuff in amusement. When they move over to the building he peers in to notice the man smithing with no fire, but forging steel with brute force alone.

This causes Gaius to cant his head ever so slightly and rumbling just as softly on the wind, "..curious." He is no stranger to the concept of old forging-- though the Garlean Empire has moved onto other means, but he knows that doing such things in such manner would take a man of great strength-- and thus a man one should not truffle with.

Beyond his soft whisper and curious stare as the old man works, he reminds silent and his eyes go back to being vigilante of the area.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki tilts her head faintly at Priscilla as she and Nathan depart. 'Things to kill people', she says. Looking at the grandiose haunt now, though, it does seem absurd to suggest that it would be any less dangerous in there than it has been in the other places they've been to in this world. In fact, given that it's completely indoors and probably extremely cramped, it might behoove her to admire the architecture more -after- others have finished springing the traps and killing monsters. Oh, and she will contribute, too! Where possible. And where convenient.

    Like right now! Instead of going to join the others at the rest house, she elects instead to peek her head further inside. Before she does, though, she becomes quite incorporeal and situates herself comfortably against the left wall. If there are any things with murderous intent here, animate or otherwise, she thinks it might be best to look for them from the position of the least danger, and the most cover. So she does. Once she's a few feet in, she thoroughly studies the room - particularly the ceiling and the floor - for anything that looks suspicious. Might save the rest of the group some grief later if she can pre-empt unceremonious death through observation now.

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    Along comes Chris Rothschild as well, drawn by the sound of hammer on metal more than anything else; he glances back for a moment at Amalthea, considering staying behind the paladin, but decides against. Nathan and Priscilla seem to think there is no threat. As a result, the beanpole of a magus is not far behind Yuna either, and watches the smith work with a very curious eye. Metal is one of his two elements, after all.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    It's an old guy hitting a sword with a hammer. Sure he's huge but he doesn't look Hollow or anything. Though the MEANS of his smith work makes the old unicorn's brow knot, one hand scratching the back of her head. But... Her eye trails elsewhere, slowly glancing down to the sheathed blade at her hip, the resounding clang of hammer to steel making loppy ears flit as she curls her fingers around the familiar scabbard. If there's threat here, she'll leap to action, but for now, she opts to hang back and ruminate.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura, who has at least a little bit of knowledge regarding weapons and metal and such, will follow along - she couldn't make a weapon, but she certainly has at least an academic knowledge of how they're made, and so she'll pause behind the others who have headed towards the cabin.

    She's assuming that there's some kind of magic to it, really, but she's also totally looking around to make certain there aren't a ton of phantoms left behind of people who had had their blood used to quinch the swords or some such other nightmarish thing.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan looks at this huge man for a short while. He remains quiet, unspeaking an simply observing for now, with one hand to his chin, as if considering something. After a few seconds, he seems to come to his conclusion. 'His beard is trustworthy.' Hall decides. 'No hair loss from the Hollow decay.'

    He approaches. "Salutations." He introduces himself, simply. "I am Nathan, of lands unworthy of name. Myself and a number of friends are seeking to learn about the Fortress of Sen nearby, and the trials it presents." He gestures to the arms and armor. "You seem to have been here for quite some time. If you do not mind the bother, sir, we would ask if you have any advice to travelers from distant lands who pass through."

    Might as well get this started off quick! Nathan would go through a lot more back and forth socializing if there weren't abstract limitations on dialogue exchange right now.

Priscilla has posed:
    Mizuki projecting herself ahead instead of stumbling right in through the open portcullis turns out to have been a /very/ good idea. The very first room, despite being nothing but a glorified set of stairs into the real front doors, is cramped, dim, and already heavily guarded. The first stone she steps on wobbles faintly under her foot, balancing on a hair trigger as her incorporeal body only just manages not to set it off. It speaks volumes of the fortress' design if there is some kind of pressure plate trap literally the moment anyone walks in; before they've even had a chance to mentally prepare themselves. Against large pillars flanking the staircase on both sides, wait some kind of . . . well 'snake men' is the best way to put it. Rather than simply men with scales and fans, it is as if some sort of giant anaconda suddenly lost the bottom two thirds of its body and regrew it in the shape of a hulking thing with arms and legs. Both of them seem to be waiting patiently, clutching swords that look more like blood-stained machetes, far too heavy for a human to be swinging around; forked tongues occasionally flickering out to taste the air. Oddly enough, their shields bear some kind of character that looks astonishingly Japanese.

    The old smith only looks up as Nathan addresses him directly, not hearing the other assorted mumbling and whispering over the clamour of his work. "Well, hello there!" He responds quite casually. His voice is deep and gravelly and very vaguely welsh sounding. "I'm Andre, of Astora. You must be a new arrival I take it. All sorts of adventuring types have been heading into that fortress ever since the gates opened just a little while ago. Never thought I'd live to see the day someone would rings those bells I tell you." Putting his hammer down through the slot in his anvil, he turns the sword over to check his progress and then slides it off to the side. Despite the fact that such a beating should have bent and cracked any decent steel by now, both sides are polished to a mirror sheen. "Sen's Fortress eh? You're not the first to ask. I'm afraid I don't know much about it myself, other than it's a proving grounds built by the ancient gods, and the only real way into Anor Londo. Nobody's been able to find a way in for decades, and it's been a hundred years since anyone last made it through. I'm afraid I'm just an old smith. I stick around here for the bits of titanite I can scavenge out of the exterior, no doubt left over from building it, but just as it's all run dry, a flood of pilgrims all come in and start asking I work up their weapons and armour before they go in. I couldn't very well say no, and they bring their own materials, so why not eh? I'll smith anything you've got need for, but for the fortress itself, all I can tell you is that Sen chained up some old giants to run the interior mechanisms, and the Duke himself created inhabitants for it for the sole purpose of testing the mettle of any who dare enter. Between the two of them, there aren't very good chances of succeeding I'll tell you that."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Oh good, he's friendly. AND he stoped hammering, so Yuna can step closer without worrying about her ears; she approaches Andre and bows politely. "I'm Yuna, from a land even further away than Nathan's, so surely you haven't heard of it ... Your work is really impressive, if all of these are your creations," she adds, straightening up from her bow and nodding towards the mass quantities of armor and weapons piled up against the back of the workshop.

And Chris did raise a good point, now that she thinks about it ... but she'll let him field the question. It's *his* question, after all, not hers.

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    Never one for lots of words in most cases, Chris listens in silence to the smith. At the very least, he /sounds/ completely lucid. But that's been deceptive in the past, and if there is one thing you learn as both a hacker and a magus, it's to /listen/ - to pay attention to what it is you're hearing. And so he listens.

    The more he listens, the more convinced he grows of the man's sanity. But one question does remain, the question that keeps drawing his eyes back to the smith's hammer, to the metal he works. And so, the young man...

    ...raises his hand, as if asking something of a teacher in class. "I'm not familiar with 'Titanite'. Is that it?"

Saber of Silver (227) has posed:
With no warning whatsoever, a woman in a kimono is standing next to Chris Rothschild, a brief blur over her features as she solidifies from spirit form. "Master." Silver hair shifting, she tilts her head to glance up toward Chris accusingly. "You tried to come without me again." One hand rests on the hilts of her swords, but she soon focuses her attention on the smith. "Hello. My name is Saber." In a rare case, the only one here by that name.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius remains silent during the conversations. Far as he is concerned Nathan can handle the talking and the more cooks who were in the kitchen, the crazier it could get.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki decides not to press her luck and retreats outside, being mindful of that tile near the entrance. From there, she makes her way to the guest house, giving Gaius a simple, respectful nod on her way inside. Keeping her hands folded behind her back, she creeps up and shadows Nathan for the time being.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    "Sakura." The ninja introduces herself, not really worrying too much about introducing the question of where she was from. That, after all, would be making trouble where she doesn't really need more of it. She'll otherwise let Nathan and Chris do most of the talking, seeming to settle down some owing to not seeing any kind of horrible demise in the immediate surroundings.

    That must mostly be restricted to the fortress, thankfully.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "A flood of pilgrims?" Nathan says, curiously tilting his head. "That is good news." There's a firm nod from the librarian. "It also confirms some of our guesses at some answers. Yes, the Bells ringing was certainly good. We had some part in that ourselves, so I can certainly understand why they were not rung up until now. I greatly appreciate your assistance. Just a smith or not, your help is valuable. As unfamiliar as we are with these matters, someone with social and cultural insight - and a sane mind - can be of great assistance to us." There's a quick bow-like nod.

    "It sounds like none have bested this fortress despite the rush. I would therefore expect a high level of failure... Would you happen to know where the... Perhaps the best word is 'staging area' would be for the excursions the pilgrims make into this area would be? Collaboration or at least some exchange may be beneficial to us, as would be a place to rest and gather before we make our own attempts."

Priscilla has posed:
    Even if he does look a little sweaty and grimy, the smile Andre flashes Yuna is toothy and genuine, followed by a rumbling chuckle at Chris' question. "These aren't much. I'd be able to make something much more impressive had I a better ember, so for now I'm mostly sticking to etching, repairing and tempering pieces. I make some of my own just to keep sharp, in hopes of the day I get a proper smith's ember and can start working on something truly magnificent." Rummaging around behind his makeshift work area, he pulls out a burlap sack that clinks as he sets it down, rifling through the meagre contents and producting a tiny shard of some odd, black metal with whitened edges. If Chris pays /very/ close attention, he might see that what looks like part of a letter has been carved into it, suggesting it had broken off from something.

    "This here is titanite. Miracle metal it is. The old smith god created it just to forge the weapons of the other gods and their followers in ages past. All we've got are the leftovers now, and even then you need an ember to even do anything with it. Every blacksmith dreams of working with titanite after they master iron and steel, but you'd have to pay a king's ransom to get your hands on it unless you manage to get into Lordran! It's delicate, time consuming work, but if you can etch a piece of this into anything, doesn't matter what it is, it'll come out miles better than it started. Stronger, harder, more flexible, lighter, even heavier depending on how you do it." To prove his point, he picks up a flanged mace sitting in a seperate corner from his pile of finished work, then grabs hold of the sword he was just working on. With a flick of his wrist, he chops the head of the bludgeoning implement in half, splitting it like a piece of firewood. In all likelihood, the sword hasn't even been taken to a grindstone yet.

    "A high level of failure is putting it mildly. Sen's Fortress is madness. It's a gateway into the city of the gods. They wouldn't have it set up so that anyone other than a legendary hero could best it. As for a staging area, I'm sorry to say there isn't one. In the end, only one person is going to be the chosen, and nobody knows how many of his friends he'll be allowed to take with him, if any at all. Nobody wants to be a stepping stone to someone else becoming Lord Gwyn's heir, so they'll only work with their most trusted, immediate companions. Even after the lot of them are slaughtered by the fortress, you usually see them come back in a hurry a few days later. The competition is just as mad as the fortress if you ask me."

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    Chris lets his curiosity get the better of him almost immediately, and takes a couple steps forward; he gives a 'may I?' look to the smith, before reaching out to take the shard and look it over more carefully. And he's not just doing so with his eyes, either. The discipline of Reinforcement allows any magus to extend his senses into an object and analyze its structure and properties; and he in particular has an affinity for metal besides. He's very, very curious about the nature of this super-metal. The knowledge might be useful, after all.

    It probably says something that he's more interested in the metal itself than he is the demonstration of what it can do.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius hears the conversation about the strange metal and he at last peers inside. He takes notice of the words carefully and a demonstration. He wonders in silence how well that metal would stack up to Garlean Steel-- yet as he is starting to learn from his out-world informants and his own adventures in these other worlds...

It is hard to compare one technology to another, as something that can seem so lowtech can be ever as effective in another world equal to something of his of high tech. It is-- a confusing place this Multiverse. Though that does bring to question something he will need to remind himself to ask those Informants.

"Impressive metal." Gaius at last says as he speaks up from outside, looking over his shoulder, but he doesn't ask for any of it or even to test it himself. Nope. He continues to stand guard till others are ready to leave, then he will follow suit. Probably keeping to the rear, given he can preform both melee and ranged with one weapon.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki makes a 'V' with her fingers, holding them to her chin. "I don't suppose you've ever tried crafting rapiers? If you were bored, I suppose I could 'commission' you to make one for me. Nothing serious -- just something aesthetically pleasing. Something to keep as a souvenir, if you will." She flashes the large man a tiny smile. "That is, if you think the time for training has come around again, and you would like to feel as though you were making something that someone else would appreciate. Which you would be naturally." Was... was that her attempt at kindness? Huh.

    She spends the next several moments peering over Nathan's shoulder at the myriad of sharp objects gathered in the corner by the anvil. 'Someone has a lot of time on their hands, don't they,' She muses to herself. Maybe he would be a good candidate for some job in the Union? Hmm. She could broach that later, if and when they survive the rigors of the fortress.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    "Hmm." Sakura says, listening to the lecture on the metal. And then, with rather more interest, to the lecture on Sen's Fortress. Privately, she's deciding once again that the gods here are not particularly pleasant, given that they seem to want to slaughter heroes over and over again.

    She'll start turning towards the fortress, ready to leave the blacksmith behind. "Well. I don't really want to feel what it's like to die over and over, so I would rather we get this right the first time. Would cut back on the need for a staging area, too. So, everyone agree not to die, please."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna lets out a soft whistle, genuinely impressed - even if she can't quite follow all of the little details that a native would be able to understand. "I wonder if we'd be able to find any of these 'embers' you need inside the fortress," she ponders out loud. "I'm not sure how much use any of us would get out of an ember, but ..."

She glances around at her allies, then looks up at Andre. "I dunno. Do you think our chances of finding an ember, or more than one, are good enough that you'd be willing to support our venture into the fortress with the promise that we'll give you at least one ember afterwards?"

... maybe *she* shouldn't be the one making an offer like that, though?

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan Hall has few remaining questions that he can really ask at the moment; the others seem to have their own interest in this matter, so for now, the man seems to step back and take a contemplative, attentive posture, listening to further responses but mostly considering the ones so far. There's a quick nod and a soft "thank you" for Andre, though, Nathan's grateful for his insight.

Saber of Silver (227) has posed:
Saber's eyes widen slightly at the demonstration. "That is impressive." She glances down at her own swords briefly, then back toward the others. "An ember is what could be found inside? Hm."

Sakura is given a look, and Saber inclines her head slightly. "I'm quite difficult to kill. You have no worries from me. Though I have never been here before, so I'm not fully aware of the level of dangers found inside." Despite that, she still seems confident as she steps forward. "If there is no staging area, perhaps we should just prepare to set off?"

Priscilla has posed:
    Chris definitely gets the feeling the little piece came from a larger whole. There is also the sensation of having some kind of mysterious, implaceable power that has been fragmented as the shard has been physically, remaining only a remnant of its former glory. Even still, the metal is unbelievably hard, and just as stiff, but without the brittleness that usually accompanies such. It seems vaguely like an extremely tough and solid sort of gold, even to the point where one could concievably make thread out of it. Its melting point must also be ridiculously high if a traditional furnace can't even soften it. This is the kind of thing material science dreams of.

    Andre shoots back "Impressive armour!" at Gaius the moment he pokes his head in, already staring intently at the man's extravagent plate armour. "I'd like to know the name of the smith who made /that/ piece. Makes me feel like an apprentice again!" Mizuki gets a laugh out of him however, picking up his hammer already. "I certainly wouldn't mind the practise! A fine piece for a fine young lady such as yourself! Though, if you /do/ happen to come across an ember at some point, try and remember me right? If you bring it back, I could make something much nicer than a showpiece I'll tell you!" He starts rummaging through the bag again, sifting through the more common black pieces and pulling out more strangely shaped shards; opalescent, translucent blue, luminous red, jagged, smooth, coral-like. Obviously he's trying to pick something special.

    "It's possible. It's undoubtable one was used to build the bits and pieces inside at least. I'm not quite sure I follow what you mean by 'sponsor' though. I've heard there's a blacksmith who lives in the forest around the fortress itself, so he might be using it now. Darkroot is a nasty place to be though. I wouldn't go there myself unless my life depended on it." As Sakura, Saber and Nathan start to step off however, he picks up his work in progress, nodding his head towards the direction of the fort. "Be careful. I know it falls on deaf ears most times, but try not to get yourself killed. Nobody here wants to see you go Hollow."

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    Chris sets the shard of metal back down, murmuring, "That stuff's pretty amazing. Would've liked to see it the way it used to be." This whole world seems to be one of greatness long-decayed, great people long dead or fallen from grace. In some ways, it's like a twisted, amplified echo of his own world. It's sad, on some level.

    Mizuki gets a curious look from Chris, who then nods to the smith. "If we find any kind of ember, we'll bring it. I'm, uh. I'm a fan of metals. I'd like to see you make it for her."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius gives the man a nod of his head, "I will inform 'him' of your kind words." He watches as a few step out and then moves away from the structure. He reaches behind him and releases the Gunblade he has on his backside from it hook. With a twirl of it in his hand he goes to rest the top of the blade against his shoulder pauldrons as he waits.

Though he does look to Nathan. "I was planning to take up the rear, unless you rather I be in another position?" Gaius looks over the group. "I could also aid in the center, in order to add some extra protection in that point, but we seem to have a very able group."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    "Setting off seems good to me." Sakura replies to Saber, not seeming too worried about whether she might have offended by worrying about death. "We can always try to regroup here, should it prove truly necessary." With that said, she'll still allow others to proceed in before her; she sticks to the middle of the group by default, used to being somewhat protected as the medic, even if she is willing to get into the middle of the rough and tumble if she has to. She's not all that interested in triggering traps.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "We will certainly keep you in mind with regards to the amber you seek, and thank you for humoring my suggestion, however frivolous it might have been." Her grin widens slightly, as if she was about to start giggling. "You know? You are quite a bit more pleasant than the other people who live here. I suppose that's not the most radiant compliment considering that 'hospitality' amounts to bearing your fangs and swatting at others with your fetid claws for most of the locals, but I digress." She bows her head. "It was good to meet you, Mister Andre. And may you be safe until next we meet." And finishes with a curtsey. She holds her position for a moment or two after, attempting to convey a sort of unspoken 'warmth' through the look of her eyes. Something there is far too little of in lonely worlds like this is exactly these sorts of simple, basic social interactions, and she wants to leave him feeling like he will in fact see them again if it could provide him any modicum of solace.

    Afterwards, she starts for the stairs, ascending back to the level with access to the fortress. She crosses back over and summons her sword into her left hand, slowly looking over the building's exterior. Such a massive place this is, and all of it made to be a trial for those passing through. Briefly, she recalls Frampt's words, and re-enters a musing phase. 'Could the Gods have set this up to try and train the so-called 'Chosen One'?' Assuming this was a part of the 'link the fire' tale as well, that was the only logical reason for this place to exist. After all, if they had wanted privacy or safety, they need not construct a hellish puzzleroom; no, that would only require a good wall and an inconvenient placement. Anor Londo presumably has both.

    Upon reflection, she frowns. And that means everyone who had come in here before them had failed. Not only does that not bode well for this group's attempt, but it also makes one wonder how much time this world has left before the metaphorical flame extinguishes entirely. Time may be of the essence here, which makes her just a little glad they arrived when they did.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"We'll keep our eyes open, then," Yuna says to Andre with a smile. "Hopefully we'll meet with success inside the fortress ..."

And speaking of the fortress, it seems like that's the group's next stop. Yuna bows politely to Andre in farewell, and heads out to join the 'formation' with the others. "I can shift up to Powered Form if you need me 'tanking' on point," she offers, "or Flight Form for greater mobility ..." The usual two mainstay options.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "We will make a substantial effort, I can assure you. Believe me, I have every intention of avoiding death, however much I may run directly towards it headfirst." Hall says in a flat monotone. "We will certainly seek your services and think first of you if we can find the relevant materials or anything that might interest you in general. You have been a great help to us, we are very grateful." There's a genuinely grateful bow-like nod, then he's right back off to the matter at hand.

    "While this has already given us a great deal of information, we should press on, however briefly. Intend, however, to gather information and then retreat, to return later." He says, while he walks between the resthouse and the main gate of Sen's Fortress itself. The confederate's request for tactical info gets a nod. "We do this cautiously. Amalthea and Saber to the fore of this, to protect against traps and handle melee. Yuna, Mizuki, flank and strike any threats, and attempt to use your awareness to optimize our trap avoidance. Chris, Sakura, with me, please. Your primary advantages here will be using your phantom and intellectual understanding of these matters to assist. Let us attempt to avoid traps more methodically." To Gaius Van Baelsar, Nathan stares for a moment. "I unfortunately know little of your own abilities, but if you have skill with that blade and as much understanding of magical technology as I understand you might, from reports, the first or second groups may benefit from your expertise."

    And now! Nathan Hall attempts to get the group striding right in, hopefully with that setup working properly. Nathan himself is keenly attentive for more pilgrim's signs that he and Chris might perceive, scouring the ground for symbols.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Flight Form for now, then," decides Yuna - and the purple glint fades brighter next to her, before a brief flash marks the transformation from her normal Light Suit to the winged Flight Form. Elner's presence 'within' Yuna's summoned presence becomes more prominent as well, the little robo-faerie preparing to scan as they make their way into the fortress ... or at least, the beginning of the way in.

Among other things, being in Flight Form means Yuna doesn't have to worry as much about hidden tile-switches. ... Probably.

Saber of Silver (227) has posed:
"Hollow?" Saber glances down and presses a hand against her stomach. "I'm quite solid, I assure you." She probably didn't hear the Pronounced Capitalization.

She glances toward Nathan and nods. "Of course, Mr. Hall. I'd be much happier to bypass any traps, but I'm quite durable in case we do come across any." She glances briefly at Amalthea, then back to Chris. "Master, if there's any danger, do not hesitate to call. I know I can't be anywhere." Green eyes flick toward Nathan. "I will not be separated too far from him."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Imperial Legatus gives a bow of his head to Nathan, "Given at normal odds, we are enemies, it is understandable you know little of me." He then looks Nathan square on, "As I know little of you as well, so let us make a bit more of an acquaintance. As you have received from your reports, I am Imperial Legatus Gaius Van Baelsar. I am here to aid with this-- hollow-- issue."

He shifts the gunblade slightly in his hand, "I will lend you my abilities and my knowledge for this area, only in the sake of ending the hollow threat." He then watches the groups with a steady eye, at least if those blue wisps of light say anything. "Beyond this though-- we will not be allies."

Gaius then lets that be known, mostly cause he doesn't /want/ to make allies with the Union members and he wants to make sure that line remains. Even if he can see some benefits from them as well. It seems though he has decided to join group A.

As he moves over toward Saber and the others he is already looking around the area for anything that /could/ stand out. Any magical feels that his visual scanner may pick up as he pulls out the device and any devices that-- seem out of place-- or any type of wires, chains, something to be alerted too really.

Priscilla has posed:
    By the time Chris, Yuna, Nathan and Mizuki finally leave, Andre is back to hammering with a smile on his face and a steady hum going on with his work, clearly cheered up from getting to meet some young people not in a terrible crush for time and desperate for whatever they can wring out of him. The distinctive feeling of making an old man happy follows both of them to the front steps of the fortress. With how the place is designed, nothing from inside should come out, so he should be fine; especially if he has the luxury of smithing other people's things out there.

    Upon arrival, it seems Priscilla has decided to be productive with the usual disappearing act she puts up whenever people feel like talking to the locals. The only time she had ever spoken with anyone outside of the Union, outside of Frampt of course, had been Oscar and his party, and that time didn't go over so well. Before anyone so much as gets halfway down the pathway, what looks to be an iron harpoon comes sailing out the portcullis, way over their heads, and then slams down into the stones far behind them, having been shot directly at the front door from the inside and only missed due to the elevation of the stairs. Additionally, the group finds both snake men in the exact same place as before, except instead of waiting like a pair of burly bouncers as an especially notorious night club, the pair of them have been turned into crystalline statues, like grey glass covered in rime and frost. The ground between them still hisses and crackles as the residue of Priscilla's breath weapon wears off. Thanks to Mizuki's information, she has conquered the guards and spent the trap in record time.

    Chris and Nathan are treated to a multitude of message signs left scrawled up and down by the portcullis, left by god knows how many groups all in the last few days. None of them go so far as to show their competition a map, but more good-natured types have scribbled warnings against pressure plates, rolling stones, blades, arrows, pitfalls, spikes, and just about everything else out of the boobytrapped ancient temple handbook. A handful recommend bringing equipment magically optimized for fire and/or lightning, and one advises not to bring a torch to the lower level. Another advises not to go to the lower level at all. Lastly, some extremely helpful soul has written "beware of death", followed by several dozen of the equivalent of checkmarks besides it. Wonderful.

    Unfortunately, the warnins just don't do it justice. The second they step through the interior front doors, the cramped room immediately opens up into a spacious, lengthy hall into which filters weak sunlight from somewhere outside. Nothing but a preposterously narrow stone bridge straight down the center crosses the length of the room, suspended several floors over a level immersed in dark water or perhaps just oil. Gigantic swinging axes whoosh back and forth over every few steps of the path, which doesn't seem to perturb a several more snake men standing right in the middle of it, too wide for there to be any way around them. More of them can be seen moving back and forth atop a lattice of crisscrossing walkways far above, along with obvious signs of pots, rocks, torches and small siege weapons poised to be used against people below. Even further above, a massive series of gears and crankshafts can be seen turning and rattling in time with the distant sound of thunderous rumbling and earth-quaking impacts. The air smells faintly of ozone, as if someone had just taken down a power line, and the sounds of hissing and screeching can be heard echoing from several storeys up, which don't at all sound mechanical. Huge, lumbering shapes can be glimpsed dragging themselves around in the muck far below, from which elevators of some kind routinely rise to who knows where. Within moments, someone very unfortunate it sent flying from one of the balconies far above and comes blurring past with something impaled through his torso, making a very crunchy *splat* sound as he lands below.

Priscilla has posed:
    Elner immediately picks up life signs all over the fortress, and not all of them match with the profile of the man serpents in plain sight. There are also intermittent, very large energy spikes here and there, and noticeable seismic activity. Mizuki's supernatural premonition immediately tells her the roof is the area to aim for, and also that the roof may actually be by far the most dangerous part of the entire place.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki turns up her nose in an almost playful gesture, her smile as radiant and coy as ever. "I've no objections, good general." She places the finger of her right hand at her chest, closing her eyes in one of her theatricisms. "After all, a lady must be willing to accept escorts now and then." She peeks open one eye. "Especially if they are kind enough to walk ahead of you when there are copious amounts of life threatening devices about." She nods to Yuna; an unspoken 'good luck to both of us, yes?'.

    And pretty soon, Mizuki has entered 'serious business' mode. That probably would've happened anyway - bizzarely enough, she does have the capacity to pay attention when it really matters - but in this case it was at least helped along by the chilling sensation that comes from her 'phantom sensations'. Always the melancholy, and always the dread. Feelings that she's familiar with, as any good author should be, but ones that still manage to catch her off-guard when they come at such inopportune moments. Perhaps this is why she's not as surprised as some by the marvelous display of gory decadence in the first room that they visit, complete with swinging blades that look like they've emerged from a bad horror movie and a plummeting body. Oh goodie~!

    This is precisely why she was so happy that Nathan decided to put her at the back: she gets to witness the others mess around before she attempts to solve any problems herself. She does, however, have something that she wants to test. After a few shakes of her right wrist, Mizuki extends her fingers to summon forth a small, monochromatic ball that would slowly grow to encapsulate one of the blades at the peak of its swing. If this works, it would hold it in place, demonstrating to her the this 'titanite' doesn't have properties that make it immune or resistant to magic. All the while, she would be keeping a close eye on all of the enemies in the room, taking note of each that she is capable of remembering.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Then all hell sorta breaks lose. Gaius watches the traps move. There are so many ways he can handle those. By blasting them with his shells, or by the plasma bolts that have no limit in numbers. To perhaps even using the barrier itself to shove them away. Though he doubts his armor has the ability to stop them dead on-- probably to heavy for that.

The snakes are the next issue, again-- he could easily blast them away-- and the siege weaponry can also be ignited from a distance with his equipment. However there is also the card on how much does he desire to show his enemies.

Then there is also the question of the air, the smell of ozone--- electricity. There could be greater dangerous about then what is obvious. In this as other decide what to do, he carefully takes a step forward and looks at what he can. Looking to the gears, there timing. To the area below, to high above. Attempting to get a sense of depth of all this madness before him.. and a quick solution to end it all for safe passage for all here.

But in the end, it is not his call and he has no guarantee that it would even work.