Scene #2059: Behind Enemy Lines

Owner	Pose
Ultima	The first stop for the group that's assembled in Faruja's assistance is the massive, carpeted Royal Airship Dock of Lindblum. The ship that's docked there is not the usual: a cargo ship, to be precise, from a well-known company that ships often from various portions of Ivalice, including Alexandria. The rat waits on the deck of the ship. From the smell, it's loaded with gysahl pickles. Ick. "Lord's blessings mine friends! Now then, we hath tracked the source of the Black Mages to a village in Alexandria known as Dali. Farming village, quaint little town apparently. They hath had a vast amount of shipments, however. Far more than should be needed. Ye lot shall pose as dock workers unloading the cargo, and investigate until we find just /where/ they art keeping the abominations and how they art made. If possible, we shall steal a few." Kidnapping Black Mages certainly doesn't seem to be on Faruja's 'do not do' list. "Any questions?" Once Q & A is done, it's all aboard the airship. It's a leisurely trip, all told, with beautiful views of the world's landscape as one crests the mountains towards Alexandria. The village of Dali below has a few scattered homes and villages, while old wheat fields lay unused. Suspicious! The landing zone is in one of those dead wheat fields, and the captain takes the airship in. Below, a few women walk up, all wearing dresses and other somewhat decent peasant's clothing. "Hey, are those the pickles? We've been needing them for the feast tomorrow!" One person hasn't had such a nice ride, though. Faruja Senra has ridden the entire way inside of a pickle barrel, scowling. Someone's going to need to unload him, as him being seen would be /bad/ here.
Ainsley	Ainsley was more than willing to tag along for this trip, following the trouble when she and Faruja had encountered trouble when they just wanted to drink some damn tea. Her fury was quite powerful then, but now she is so mellow that one would be lucky to see a single twitch on her reptilian features. The explanation from Faruja is accepted without inquiry. When the airship lands and the women show up to gather the pickles, Ainsley is there by Faruja's barrel, already picking it up and hefting it up with a grunt. She's in a set of overalls and a long-sleeved white shirt, with a flat cap on her head. She also isn't wearing shoes, and she has added some dirt and gear oil here and there, to make herself look as mundane and scruffy as possible, over her more colorful features. She has a hard time with disguises, due to how odd she appears compared to most of this world's inhabitants, but animal people aren't /rare/, exactly. "Point me where this needs to go," the lizard woman grunts at the village women, tired gaze searching for their reply with a certain apathetic quality.
Finna	"just one. WHAT is that stench?" Finna's used to being surrounded by weird smells, but this one's unique and takes the cake. She's pinching and rubbing at her nose. "Also, how do you propose we kidnap people who can set things on fire with their mind?" But oh well. Answers or no answers, she decides to rummage around and figure out what kind of clothes are being used by the workers... and with a twirl for flair adopts the same outfit in a wave of shapeshifting effort. For those who can see her Tell, it becomes much harder to notice... Right behind Ainsley, Finna grabs another barrel. SOMEHOW she's managing to hoist it too and follow along. "Thought I've smelled some weird stuff before... whew, these are potent!"
Maya	Maya only looks a bit out of place here given her habit of wearing leather and metal armour such as today. She thinks over the mision and shakes her head, she's got no questions at this point she seems ready to go. she does have a comment for a moment. "We're dealing in things that could end up being very stomach churning, you know. There's been something off about these mages for a long time." With that she's ready to go and she sighs for a moment and she looks to Finna for a moment. "There are ways to stop mages." Maya's right behind Finna and Ainsley as well.
Ultima	Faruja turns to Finna just before that pickle barrel and much of his dignity is slammed down. "Gysahl pickles. Popular food in the mist continent. We kidnap them like anyone else: freeze time, shove a bit of fire or ice up them before they can cast, and hath an enterprising monk punch them until they stop moving! And 'tis not a kidnapping when ye art in the Inquisition. We art arresting Heretics for the crime of being soulless abominations." Thunk! On the ground, Faruja scowls within as he's hefted and has several pickles slosh all around him. The rat can't smell anything but pickle by now, and his eye is constantly watering. It's /terrible/. The woman in front of Finna and Ainsley gives a big smile and wave. "Come on, 'hon, I'll show you the way! Gotta store 'em in the cellars, don't ya know?" Finna gets a laugh from the woman. "The stronger the smell the better they taste! Why don't ya'll stick around for the feast, huh? Ain't often we get such...unique visitors!" Comes the woman politely. A glance at Ainsley here. While in Alexandria it's nothing out of the ordinary, seeing a non-human in this back woods little village is something! AT least she's nice. And so the group would be led over to a cellar. The woman fiddles with the lock, opening it, before looking over to Maya. "You some kinda knight, Miss? A guard from the castle?" Seems that Maya's been mistaken for one of the local knightly orders! The cellar is dank, dark, and oddly empty. The woman frowns. "...Was this the right one? Oh, darn. 'Scuse me ya'll, gotta go check with the Elder..." To those sensitive to magic, this village has mostly been devoid of it. ONly the slightest hints, likely from some layperson or the town's white mage. But down here? There's a powerful thrumm of magic coming from the eastern side of the cellar. Anyone who looks might note a very, very large wooden wine keg, easily eight feet tall blocking the area where the thrumm of magic is coming from. And to someone with a keen nose like Finna, they might just detect the scent of something they had ample time to smell while riding in the air: Mist, the magical clouds that power the airships here.
Ainsley	Ainsley remains neutral as all of them get brought along through the village. The lack of magic pushing against her own is just the nature of a mundane village like this, so she didn't think much of it... and when they got down into the cellar, she set the barrel down like any dock worker might -- she'll apologize to Faruja later about that -- and looks around. With the lady taking off to check with the Elder, she frowns thoughtfully. The feeling of magic strikes her as immediately suspicious, so she cracks open Faruja's barrel while he's unlikely to be seen so he doesn't have to spend too long in there. She steps up to the wine keg, and reaches to place her hand on it. She tries to use her Visual Field ability to take a peek inside of it, or past it and through the wall behind it, hoping to find a clue for the strange feeling.
Maya	Maya is not a knight, no that would be someone else she know she shakes her head a little bit at the young woman for a moment as she's looked over. A knight from the castle that was unexpected she always felt she looked more like a vagabond no matter the world she was upon. This seems like it is not the case here, however she speaks up. "I'm afraid I'm just a sellsword hired for guard duty, sometimes the boring jobs are the best you know? Escort a load of pickles. Though who'd want to steal those? I'd never guess at." Well easy going jobs even in the war. Maya pauses for a moment the place feels like most Earths devoid of magic amnd sjhe does take notice of that.
Finna	"Would love to! But I'll have to check the schedule... airships don't sit idle too long, y'know!" Finna counters, feigning disappointment like a pro with a hopeless shrug of resignation after she sets the thing down. Ainsley's then cast a knowing glance the moment the woman heads off... "Ah, one Cellar's as good as any..." Mutter. But the glance she gives Ainsley and, if Maya is in range? Just a LOOK at Finna's eyes and headtilt, both will be able to tell - she's onto something. And subtly points a finger at the distant huuuuuge keg.
Admiral Merlwyb	Admiral Merlwyb is hardly recognizeable as herself, as she has elected to not wear her standard attire of black trenchcoat and black boots. A red bandanna is haphazardly tied around her head, almost obscuring one eye, and a black-and-silver halter top wraps around her chest, leaving her midriff exposed. A sash around her waist holds up a pair of capri-like pants, rags tied just below her knees, and a pair of simple sandals are tied around her feet and ankles. She also has a large pouch tied at the small of her back, apparently carrying something of decent weight. Having had nothing to add or ask before the mission was underway, Merlwyb busies herself into the rhythm of the crew. Airships are, after all, simply flying ships -- regardless of any differences between worlds. By the time they reach their destination, the stiff proper tones of her voice have fully given way to the slurred easy-going drawl of a seasoned crewman. She takes her time unloading before following the group into the cellar, carrying a barrel on each shoulder as if carting in further supplies. On her way, she keeps a keen eye on the villagers' activity while feigning a glare at anyone who stares at a 7-foot 3-inch tall pale-blue-skinned 'human'. She stomps down the stairs, maintaining her balance with practiced ease. "Oi." She sets down both barrels onto the ground with a dull simultaneous THUD. "We'd better not havet'a move this lot again. Bloody villagers." She casts a glance towards the others, her voice lowering. "Seems the lady and the elder are still in discussion, but no telling how long that will last. Anything?"
Ultima	Oomph! Faruja manages to not grumble inside of the barrel. At least until it's opened, and the nezumi crawls out at a purely indecent speed, tripping over his robes, and falling on his muzzle. "...Oh Ajora be /praised/! Fresh cellar air!" The rat takes a moment to wipe his eye from the scent of pickle that's going to be in his fur for a week. Ugh. Faruja does perk up slightly after a moment, following Ainsley over. Seems he noted the same feeling as Ainsley now that he's not covered in preserved cucumbers. Ainsley's sight would reveal, rather than wine, several layers of wood boards, darkness, and then what appears to be...a conveyor belt? Beyond seems to be some sort of rocky chamber with something strangely mechanical. In the corner of her Sight, there's something feathery and yellow running along a wheel. It seems Maya's explaination has the woman mollified, and she leaves without further incident. Faruja nods to Finna as she motions, and looks the massive thing over. Conveniently, there's a pair of crowbars near the massive keg. "Maya. Lady Finna? Care to open this bloody thing up?" After all, it wouldn't do if they just broke in /that/ obviously. Faruja nods to the Admiral. His own voice is low. "Large magical sensation past the keg. 'Tis likely fake. Ainsley?" He prompts, before starting to help get the door open. It won't take long if all of them help, then he's peering back to the Admiral. "If all else fails, lock the Cellar, make it look like we all went for a drink!" There /was/ a little tavern they all could spy on the way here. When the door-keg is finally pried away, and the subsequent ones removed, Ainsley's vision is shown for all of them: Mist floods into the Cellar as the sounds of mechanical whirring and a chocobo wark can be heard. The conveyor belt constantly runs, boxes addressed to Alexandria floating to the eastwards. There's several boxes and other debris along the rocky path besides the conveyor belt, and the area is extremely dark. Only torches on the walls keep it possible tos ee by the naked eye. Each box has a decent source of magic within, but as one looks further up the conveyor belt, the magical sensation grows stronger. So too does the Mist, as that way lies a large machine from which the boxes are coming from. It's hard to see what lay beyond the boxing machine! Down the line, the boxes fall, and the sounds of voices can be heard.
Ainsley	Ainsley grasps one of the crowbars, silently and diligently helping the others in moving the keg so that the party can reach beyond it. The answers beyond the keg call to her, and the sense of urgency in her movements is beyond simple excitement. She feels they have found something important. "That this would be hidden..." she muses aloud, letting the implication flow into the minds of the others. When they find the room beyond, she scans the belt and the boxes. First, she would step up to try to get a peek into a box with her Visual Field... and when she does, she sucks in a breath. The sight makes her eyes widen and her tail lash behind her. "This is their mage army," she tells the others, gesturing at the boxes that are moving along the conveyor belt, "They are mass-producing them. We need to shut this facility down, if we are to slow their war efforts." And then she moves with that same urgency as before to follow the belt to its source, seeking out the mechanism that could be, in fact, producing these magical golems. She follows to the magic that thrums so powerfully, a great frown on her face.
Finna	Torches... and Charms. Finna doesn't bother lighting a torch for herself and instead just focuses her shapeshifting to gain FOX VISION. Sure the irises take on a more animal shape but that's fine! So is losing a bit of color with the minimal light to go by... "So they're drawing in the magic mist and using it for SOMETHING... wait, what? They're golems or something, Ainsley?"
Admiral Merlwyb	Admiral Merlwyb assists in moving the massive keg, letting the others use the crowbars while relying on her own strength to help shift it aside. She nods to Faruja and scribbles a quick note on a piece of paper she finds lying on the floor, intentionally making the writing barely legible as if written by an unlearned person. She ensures there is nobody paying attention, then sticks the note on the outside of the cellar doors and closes them just hard enough to engage the locks. She also takes one of the crowbars with her as she follows the others through the hidden door -- just in case. She shakes her head at the machination on display, glancing behind herself out of habit if little else. She has no special abilities, so following everyone else's lead at this point and being the rear guard on the off-chance something goes wrong is the best she can do for the moment. "Mayhaps the heart of the matter is also the heart of this machine?"
Maya	Maya looks to the woman as she leave for a moment but she does also take notice of Finna actions at this poing and will move to follow it up. She goes to take up the crowbar for the moment. "Humm I don't know it feels odd all about here honestly." Maya doesn't say another thing once they fnish prying their way through. She also moving to cast a cloak spell upon herself and she vanishes from view, one less thing to get noticed right? She keeps in formation now ready to be a support role should it be needed.
Ultima	Faruja's eye goes wide at Ainsley's words. The nezumi gives a swift nod. "Right. Sers and Dames? Do as much damage as possible. I had hoped to keep this subtle, however, seems we hath stumbled upon more than anticipated!" There's a bit of relish in his voice, at the thought of destroying something oh-so-vital to the Alexandrians. "Any of ye hath explosives?" Faruja follows along, drawing his Blaze Gun. The voices from deeper the facility get fainter as Ainsley walks deeper into the area. The path and belt becomes more twisted as they walk along, their steps echoing around them. Finna's Fox Vision allows her to see a bit farther ahead: after the boxing machine, inert Black Mages are a constant stream down the conveyor belt, sitting as though they weren't even alive. Every now and then, another chocobo powers the belt. As he passes the boxing machine, Faruja pauses and jams his cane into the gears of the thing, causing a rending sound and the machine to stop. Soon, there's a pile of Black Mages forming as the whole operation starts to back up. Eventually the group will come upon the engine proper: a massive machine that sucks in the Mist being pumped from the mountains nearby into a cavern, and from out the other end? The Mages pop out fully formed. From their feel, they certainly /seem/ to be Golems as Finna conjectures. But the Engine isn't all that's here. As the group walks in? There's a screech as tentacled, sickly green-brown bulbous creatures step out! There's a good half dozen of these underground Ochu's! "Bah! Destroy them, and this damn engine!" Faruja casts, and soon, the party would feel time around them quicken as he lays on the Haste! Voices from outside grow louder, too! "What's going on? Are there intruders?" Comes a female voice, and the sound of a sword being drawn. The Admiral, drawing up rear-guard as she is, might spy a leotard-clad, blonde swordswoman. Definitely soldier-like, likely an Alexandrian. There's three other soldiers with her. Meanwhile, the Ochu lash their tentacles at the group at everyone except Maya, cloaked as she is!
Ainsley	The engine that Ainsley finds is a thing of horror. The very mist itself is what powers the manufacture of these golems, making her mind race... questions arising about the nature of these golems and the beasts that spawn from the mists itself. These questions are not getting answered tonight, because she is soon assaulted by an Ochu, the tentacle slashing through her clothing and drawing a bloody line through her, hindered only by thick leather armor hidden beneath. The reptile woman draws both of her daggers out from their scabbards, and grunts in unhappiness at the pain the plant-like beast had inflicted upon her. She darts in close to the creature and just begins to chop, stab and slice with vicious purpose, the daggers allowing her some agility to avoid getting clipped again by those dangerous spiked tentacles the Ochu are so known for. But she isn't trying to engage it, instead she's trying to do enough damage to get past it and to her real target. "I will deactivate the machine," she tells the others, as she advances past the Ochu and tries to leap up onto the machine, looking for anything like a lever or a switch, growling in frustration. Unless she's interrupted, she'll try electrocuting it until it stops working, or just plain ripping pipes, wires and gears out until the machine breaks down from an internal malfunction. She is deathly determined to destroy that thing.
Finna	Finna practically squawks, the noise she makes is so utterly irritated. At seeing the Black Mage 'assembly line' that is. "Insert mist, out comes a sorcerer slave! What kind of spooky brilliance makes THIS work?!" She's loathe to destroy it specifically, but... It's so big, she can't exactly swipe it and cart it off to a No Moon for some future favors... Oh well, maybe she can cart off some pieces! What the Ochus probably aren't expecting is for Finna to start SCREECHING RIGHT BACK in whatever weird way the Ochus might understand... in the same moment that she rushes forwrd with ludicrous speed to slam her elbow into one and hopefully knock it flying into the big machine. The screech? A warning. 'Back off or die.'
Admiral Merlwyb	Admiral Merlwyb chuckles softly at the request of explosives. "I believe I have something that could work." It seems a pirate is always prepared. All goes well until they reach the Engine, which results in a cascade of problems. What Merlwyb keys onto, however, are the voices and the sword being drawn, and she acts on instinct immediately. Her hands dart into the pack on her lower back, drawing two flintlock pistols, and she opens fire on the soldiers. She quickly ducks behind something for cover, steadying her aim and letting the Haste take full effect. "Leave the soldiers to me!" She calls over to the others without taking her eyes off of the soldiers. An Ochu's tentacle snaps across her back like a whip, leaving a bleeding welt across her exposed upper back, but she ignores the creature. If Finna's intimidation doesn't work, they'll get theirs soon enough.
Maya	They move ahead and soon they seem to find something oh they foun what htey were looking for by the looks of it. As Faruja starts to mess with the factoy so to speak. She watches for a moment qwith intrest and starts scouting about. She is now starting to move to plant a few bits of explosive, however? That's put on hold as a freaking group of tentacle monster show up. Maya's skin crawls and this primal part of her? Wants to kill these things in fire, and she may very well do so at this point she leave sAinsley to the machine and her cloak trops at this point. Maya does not use her rifle, she pulls out several cards and blue fire bleeds from her body into it, and those who can sense Magic? Well there's no hiding Maya's akin to a leyline in her level of output, a moment later there's barriers forming about the party warding and hopefully portecting htem somewhat. Sadly this action stops Maya's cloak from working.
Ultima	The ochu is cut apart after a bit of work, its tentacles coming off easily enough from Ainsley's sharp blades. Another tries to snag her, but Faruja gives it a good old blast of flame, and the creature is screeching and hopping back as it burns and sizzles. Electricity proves useful, and the machine starts to smoke and sputter. Ripping at the pipes has more Mist spilling into the area, and Faruja coughs violently. Finna's screech works. The Ochu are soon backing off, and they only become /more/ frightened as fire and Mist soon fills the air enough to get in the lunchs and ich horribly even to the non-magically sensitive. Faruja /glares/ over to Finna. "This pack of Godless Heretics known as the Alexandrians, Lady Finna." Spits the rat, taking a moment to kick the machine out of pure hatred and spite. The Admiral's shots are accurate, and two of the soldiers find an extra eyesocket in the middle of their foreheads. They fall dead, the leader having the sense to fall back behind a crate. One of the remaining soldiers, however, is a little more dumb. They start to rush at the Admiral's cover! "We hath the machine, my Lady!" He calls to her, even as one of Finna's flying ochu impacts the intake pipe of the machine, denting and causing the incoming mist to back up. Five seconds later, there's a dull explosion as /something/ goes off powerfully above them. Faruja looks to Maya, shivering as he feels /that/ much magic. "Careful not to send the roof down upon us all, my Lady!" He calls to Maya, wrenching himself away in time to give the Admiral a bit of assistance. A chant, and a clockface appears around the charging soldier. She seems faster for a moment...only to suddenly clutch her chest, spit out blood and collapse, writhing as if in the grips of a sudden heart attack. The leader of the soldier quartet pauses, blanches, and then starts running. If the Admiral's quick, she might be able to get off a shot! "Right then, let us finish the machine, and then get the bloody hell out of here. Mmm. We shall follow the conveyor belt! Nay doubt there is a means of shipping the bloody things." Faruja radio's their pilot compatriot back up on the surface.
Ainsley	Ainsley flinches as she hears the sounds of people being struck by lethal damage behind her, the sounds of battle something that she has recently become weakened to. It does not stop her from destroying the machine, which sputters to a stop by her will with great arcs of electricity, which also serve to cook the Ochu that Finna threw and further gum up the machine with monster ichor. The lizard woman hops off the machine soon after and lands near the others with an ethereal grace, using wind magic to soften the landing. Her gaze looks down at the dead men for a few lingering seconds, an intensity in her distant stare. Her eyes seem to glow, for a few seconds. A frown shows after that, and then, silently, she looks up again, placing her weapons back in their scabbards and sprinting to follow the belt further down, seeking to find an exit to this place that is not where they came from, anticipating that there are Alexandrian soldiers already trying to cut off their escape from this place.
Finna	So much violence and NOISY MACHINERY! "Eerrrrrgh... I prefer machines without all the pipes and noise and twitchiness." "Yeah, follow the goods. Also grab a few of the boxes! ... or whatever vehicle they're putting these in. Hey, if WE can use these things..." Well Faruja might not like the idea. But at least Finna has a tactical mind for this sort of thing?
Admiral Merlwyb	Admiral Merlwyb turns one of her flintlocks on the charging soldier, but Faruja negates that threat for her. No sooner does the remaining Alexandrian soldier turn proverbial tail than the Admiral fires the other pistol -- a far more powerful bullet, almost magic-infused thanks to the weapon's unique properties, that should prove most effective against armor plate. She also fires a mercy shot into the fallen soldier as she rises from her cover. Yes, the poor soul was probably going to die regardless, but sometimes it's better to send them on their way to the afterlife quickly. Though her expression is neutral and detatched, her eyes betray her regret at taking life. She rolls her shoulders in discomfort, the welt on her back bleeding noticeably, but her attention is fully on the situation at hand. She yanks the bandanna off of her head and ties it quickly over her face to filter out some of the Mist. "I have the machine and the rear!" She tucks one of her flintlocks into her pack and retrieves a circular makeshift hand-bomb, priming it and ready to throw on Faruja's command.
Maya	Maya has a lot of magical power to draw on but she uses it like aclub, the only fine spell work she cna do it healing and a few wards. Fate magic is more primal it's more a club than say what other magic users like Iianor or Loros would use their magic for. However this is enough as she now gets ready to wreck this machine. She's summoning now, she's not calling upon a esper but one of the elemental lords of her world, she said this needed to die in fire, and she was not joking. Pillars of stone appear and Maya seems to fade out, what comes next is a culdron of lava and a strange three headed snake like thing ises out and stars mofing to drench the machinery in magma, yes Maya may be overkilling things here, thannkfully with the nature of this Maya's got a plan to stop any side effect but right now? The Septerran Elemental lord of fire is just slagging thing with an almost demonic screech it vanishes and Maya returns reading another fate card, this one water to douse any flames...
Ultima	As it turns out, Ochu oils does nasty things to machinery when cooked in, and the engine finally grinds to a horrid halt. Even the Mist in the room seems to settle a bit, no longer churned by thing. Still, the rat isn't going to leave things to chance, and he gives a raise of the hand to the Admiral. "Reduce this piece of Heresy to slag, dear Admiral! In God's name!" Then Maya summons the tri-headed serpentine creature of flame, its great maws drenching the machine in magma. The thing starts to melt on the spot, only for the Admiral's bomb to take effect as it kicks off from the fiery magma. Faruja /stares/ in wonder, glancing to Maya, before he bites his tongue. Eye on the prize! The Admiral's fleeing opponent gets a baseball sized hole from that magical-empowered pistol shot, blowing straight through the front of her armor from the back. She falls dead instantly, far more merciful than the Inquisitor's previous offering. Seems the tall woman is these soldiers' angel of mercy today. The resulting explosion has the cavern they're in rumbling, magma and Mist left in the chamber behind them as Faruja waves the group on as the chamber starts to collapse. Oddly enough, Faruja nods to Finna. "Yes, let us do so. We needst study the damn things." Likely in order to better pick them apart, but at least he's somewhat on Finna's page. The group's trek through the rest of the caverns is decently uneventful. There's the sound of mass panic as they pass by that fake cellar door, that explosion having had some effect on the small hamlet above. Hard to tell what, aside from confusion. No soldiers, but from the way that there's pounding vaguely from that direction, they might be on their way! Eventually they reach a massive stack of creates in another underground room. Above is a giant metal hatch, the massive room large enough to house an airship. Faruja blinks, spies a button, and punches it. The hatch opens, and after a minute, their airship slowly lands. The Inquisitor uses a bit of gravity magic to snag a crate or two as the ship's ramp thumps down. Once they're all loaded? The captain hastily brings the ship up, spiriting our heroes off to Lindblum. Down below? The little town of Dali is crawling with soldiers, and now monsters, as the Mist starts to flood the town...