Scene #5639: Returning to Eternity (Part Two)

Owner	Pose
Touta Konoe	The time of arrival had finally been set for those capable of making it once again to assist on this expedition through the Warpgate. It had taken some time but thanks to the endeavors of the individuals who had helped aid in the clearing and removal of the monsters that had inhabited the lake, a pathway has been constructed allowing for safe passage into the lake inorder to reach the Warpgate uninhibited. The first to arrive is none other than the one that had made the first request for support last year, Touta Konoe. To those who came the last time he was still wearing the same basic attire, his black gakuran and pants with a red t-shirt underneath. He's even still has that black katana from before. As the others arrive on the scene, the young man can be found looking deeps into the depths of the water with a bit of a blank expression to his face.
Starbound Flotilla	The Flotilla seem to have gotten the thing working! Airlocks and everything! It's crafted in a stylish combination of futuristic pressurized steel aesthetics, and japanese post-cyberpunk design aspects. Moonfin's the one in charge of all underwater construction, and boy does this one look secure. The tunnel's elaborate mouth, lined with drainage equipment and emergency airlock systems, is also a rather intricate archway, lined with stylish engravings and interlocking tines. The Flotilla members themselves were already here, because they'd been building this thing! It should take them right to the warpgate, barring any weirdness, with a fairly direct staircase made of ornate wood. They mill about and socialize with each other, even hassling Touta as he arrives! That's mostly Biteblade, who has taken to assuming his vampiric nature actually means he's totally fine with tribal cannibalism, and thus of course she provides an excessively creepy greeting hug. Moonfin seems quite proud of his overdesigned path, bowing elegantly and inviting Touta to a little waiting area to gather, before heading down the path into the underwater areas. There's even little oxygen nanoskin dispensers just in case anyone's worried about the other side being underwater (a reasonable worry), or about the tunnel being unstable (a worry which would deeply offend Moonfin). The tunnel itself, of course, will be all glassy and similarly stylish, making the lakefloor outside clearly visible, just like the warpgate ahead ought to be visible, where the path meets up with its mouth perfectly.
Dorian Pavus	And once Dorian arrives it's pretty clear he's in about the same thing he was last time -- that light-colored leather armor with the white cloak over it. One of his gauntlets is silver-clawed, and there's a large pauldron on the shoulder on that side. And he's carrying his triple dragon-headed staff. Of course his hair and mustache are immaculately groomed. He hopes that stay that way, too. Unlike last time. Anyway, he walks over to where Touta and the Flotilla are once he's sure where they went. "I must say, this all looks remarkably..." He seems to be searching for a word. "...Complex." Dorian is not the best at technology, and he's trying desperately not to look like he has no idea what he's looking at. That's completely true, mind. But he doesn't want it to SEEM that way. Never show weakness, after all...
Kotone Shiomi	The japanese girl in a high school uniform that shows up would probably look more out of place if it wasn't for the holster containing what appears to be a gun on her hip and the gleaming metal blade of a naginata peeking out from behind her back. She aproaches the construction with clear curiusity on her face and doesn't quite address anyone just yet, just taking it all in.
Tomoe	Tomoe had been happy to come along and help Touta, find his way home so here she was Tomoe. Though she'd yet to use her Aguma to transform so one would see a still fairly tall woman with bring red hair going down her back, though the face was the same as was her voice. She was also wearing a jacket that hat the GU logo on the back. She wasn't sure hoe stealthy she'd need to be and there's be enough time for her to transform if she needed either way. She was also pretty pale, not light the Becons Gondor Calls for Aid pale, but still pale. "Sorry I'm late, had a long night on a job last night."
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna's come to pitch in as well, whatever she might need to be ready for; as such, she's in her Light Suit when she arrives, and the full Matrix of Light is with her, just like before. She's hoping not to need all the combat gear ... but, better to be ready for trouble (particularly given the water creatures from last time) and not need armor or weapons than to come in peace and be relatively helpless. And in the meantime, the Light Suit itself is ... Well, 'functional' but also, probably, appealing to look at. Maybe that'll be an advantage in engaging whomever in conversation, maybe it'll draw more attention than it needs to; them's the breaks, as they say. "Hey Touta, Kotone, Tomoe, everyone!" Yuna greets the other familiar faces - including the Flotilla, of course. She won't barge in on whatever they're doing, but she is being her usual friendly self. It almost takes her aback that the familiar faces seem like the only ones here so far. But then, from what she'd heard, this is mostly heading through the Warpgate and seeing just what lies on the other side. Which, Yuna knows, could be anything, or anywhere. As usual, Elner is sticking pretty close to Yuna - and Yuna herself is more or less ready to be one of the first people through the warpgate.
Touta Konoe	Touta can't say how appreciative he has been of the Flotilla, but he can tell Biteblade that even as a vampire he's had very little interest in blood which will probably make him appear as a Debby Downer. At least to Bite Blade anyway. At Moonfin's reveal at the addition to a waitroom for the tunnel, Touta can't help but feel like he's the one who should be bowing more than anyone. Talking about taking pride in your craftsmanship. He'll seriously need to ask Moon how he designed this later and see if he can pick up a few tricks. Another familiar face arrives and is greeted warmly! The Necromancer gets a warm pat on the back upon his arrival. "Dorian! It's crazy right? I can't believe they went this far to help out. I didn't even pay them or anything. Imagine what these guys do for a commission. We won't even have to swim to the bottom of the lake." He leans in a bit closer to whisper, "Just in case though, you should probably stick close to Moonfin." Sorry Dorian, but your weakness has been revealed previously! Though there's no need to hide those things with friends. At least that's how Touta sees it. Tomoe's the next one Touta spots or at least...He thinks it's her. The attire threw him off from a distance but once he recognized her taller frame she's greeted like the rest. "Don't sweat it! I'm glad you made time to come. So...When do I get a group jacket like yours though?" He asks slyly as he eyes the GU jacket she's decided to show off upon her arrival. Another familiar voice reaches out into the distance as well and he turns to see Yuna and Elner arrive in their fancy light suit. He still needs to ask her how that works sometime. Actually he has a lot to ask her, but when he hears her mention another name he looks confused. "Kotone?" Touta turns his attention behind him where he spots the girl in the highschool uniform. He's never met her and the look on her face kind of makes it seem like she doesn't really know what's going on, but if Yuna knows her she must be cool! So he waves to her as he gives her a smile. "Nice to meet ya, I'm Touta. You come here to help out?"
Dorian Pavus	Dorian emits a quiet, choked sound when Touta gives him that advice. "What? I can swim perfectly fine," he insists, looking indignant. Though really, he's literally just a rung or so above 'won't immediately drown in water over his knees' level of experience. But still, he's a little embarrassed at having it brought out into the public eye! Or public ear, as the case may be. So yes, he's visibly embarrassed.
Kotone Shiomi	"I'm Kotone Shiomi, Gekkoukan High Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. A Paladin Chevalier." Kotone bows to Touta in greeting, it pretty much hits all the important notes, then she waves to Yuna, "Good afternoon miss Kagurazaka." She greets, then goes to glance at the others curiously before looking back at the construction. "I'm not entirely up to date on what's going on, but we're trying to get through the warpgate that's at the end of this ... constructiony thingy, right?"
Tomoe	Tomoe is a bit shorter but her voice does match up entirely. "When I harass Klien to make some more which should be later this week." She grins at that, Kliens was the guilds best Tailor who knew there. She always thought it was clever how he made cash in the death game off that. People wanted their fashions after all, right? She did seem to takt things seriously though and she looks to Kotone who had been a voice on the radio until now. "Hello to you and good to see you Yuna." Doria is now noticed and she grins. "Should have figured you find your way here."
Starbound Flotilla	"It is certainly less trouble than one would expect," Moonfin says, with a look of amusement. "When one considers the value in a well-wrought mode of transit. With infrastructure crafted here, we now have an investment in an area that perhaps may be considered valuable soon. With this infrastructure wrought, we need only sell the rights to it to some interested party to make much of our investment back in return, of course. I would still have made it as elegant a solution as you see before you regardless of such cost mitigations, however; a Hylotl does nothing without it being both thorough and beautiful." What a humble fishman. "Don't want you spoiling a stylin' 'stache like that with salty lakewater, my guy." George says, giving Dorian a grin. "Swimming or no, there's some prices that are too heavy to pay." George doesn't seem to much care about whether Dorian can swim or not, seeming more concerned with the sanctity of well-groomed facial hair. Or maybe he's just being weird as usual. "Cheerful. Ms. Kagurazaka! Welcome again! It's good to see you more." That's Seft greeting Yuna, of course; of all the Flotilla, Yuna certainly has the highest base Opinion Stat from Seft, the Glitch princess. "Hopefully we won't need your combat gear, but on the off-chance we do, I'm glad you've brought it!" "Ohhh hey! Isss tank friend! Good for ssseeing! Yeah, job lassst night, too late. Going to place can only go at night? Bleh! Bad for sssleep! Hope tank friend isss fine." That's Biteblade's friendliness, of course, so Tomoe is now also getting her usual weird hugs. "Are we all ready to move?" Albert asks, seeming to want to get things on the road. As usual, a man of few words. "Don't want to waste time. Should be a short walk." His military demeanor still shines through a little, even though he's relaxed it just slightly for now.
Yuna Kagurazaka	It's a pretty big relief to Yuna that they'll no longer need to swim to the warpgate on this side - although remembering that it was underwater on THIS end prompts her to confer briefly with Elner and Marina. She's in the middle of that discussion when Seft greets her, and Yuna turns to smile to the Glitch member of the Flotilla. "I figured it was better to be ready just in case things go south in a hurry; hopefully, though, the only reason I'll need it is to look cool and be protected against whatever's on the other side." On which note ... "I was wondering - have any of the Flotilla taken a look at the other side?" Yuna asks. "I could send Elner through for a quick look and report back, but it'd probably be handy to know what the environment's like over there. If the other side of the gate is underwater like this side was, we might have a bit of a problem trying to gear up for it while we're floundering around ... but if it's breathable air, I don't really want to go through in Marine Form, that's awkward as heck on dry land." If the Flotilla haven't already scouted the other side but the proxy offer of Elner's scouting is accepted, the robo-faerie can just dart through the warpgate and return quickly.
Touta Konoe	Touta ends up receiving another bow, this time from Kotone. Feeling somewhat more obligated as this was their first ever meeting he copies the action before looking her over once more. To be quite frank he's probably in her personal space at this point as his face is literally in the way of her being able to view anything but his. But it's only for a moment. A very long moment. "Hmmm, I don't know anything about Gekko High Special Curricular Whatcha-calls it, but I know alot of Paladins and they all are usually pretty great guys so you must be too. Also, yeah we're here because there's a Warpgate at the bottom of this lake. I think it leads back to my world but we actually haven't checked it out yet. If you want to tag along feel free. Just be ready to possibly get wet...Or eaten...But probably wet!" Touta looks over the rest of the group, he nods to Tomoe as she mentions the jackets but sees that she's already teasing Dorian. Wonder what that's about. The Starbound seem ready and eager to go so with that in mind he nods and lets everyone continue their descent into the lake. Going through the Starbound Flotilla's tunnel inorder to arrive into the depths of the lake without concern for oxygen, the group can clearly see that the ecosystem of the body of water was no longer infested with any sort of bizarre creature that didn't belong there in the first place. Upon reaching the bottom of the lake it's there. The Warpgate is in plain sight of all those who ventured here. Yuna does bring up a good question. There is definite reason to scout the area, especially with what happened last time. But. . . "Considering what happened to Eye's eye the last time I'll scout ahead and see if there are any Seals on the other side. If it is my world I'll know how to deal with something if it pops up at least. I'll radio if there's an issue!" Without hearing another word from anyone Touta heads for the Warpgate. It made sense after all, it was his world and who would not be excited to find the door back home? After he passes through there's silence for a few minutes without any sort of notification. Any sort of communication through the radio is found with static instead. The comms should be able to communicate with others through Warpgates right? Touta had thought so at least before running through. Either that, or there was another reason.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Whatever Seals refer to, Yuna isn't quite sure - was that what Touta called the monsters in the lake here? ... but more importantly, the ongoing silence makes her start worrying. A lot. It doesn't take THIS long for somebody to give an all-clear or a call for additional support. "Elner, go look, and if you can't radio back then return physically," Yuna instructs the robo-faerie. Elner immediately flits through the warpgate, focused initially on locating Touta. The rest of Yuna's instructions will be followed in short order - assuming that the robo-faerie CAN follow up, and that whatever's holding Touta won't affect Elner too.
Dorian Pavus	"Oh, I ''know''," Dorian replies, to George's mention of messing up his mustache with saltwater. "After the last time, I didn't think I'd ''ever'' get it to sit right." And yes, he reaches up to brush the mustache flat against his face again. Thankfully it seems to be behaving. Tomoe's words get a look. "I don't know ''what'' you mean," he intones, with JUST the right amount of practiced nonchalance. "I'm merely curious as to where this bloody thing goes. I did ruin a perfectly good hair day for it; it would be a waste if I just left it like that." Apparently that's what Tomoe is teasing him about -- his involvement in what really doesn't concern him beyond 'it messed up his hair'. He's putting on a nonchalant act; he does care about what's happening. And Yuna has a point too. He nods to her words, agreeing, "That might be a good idea. At least some form of quick reconnaissance to let us know what state the other side is in." And then he has to quip wryly, "Unfortunately I'm rather pathologically addicted to breathing air. I know, it's a terrible habit, but I've grown rather accustomed to it." And the fact that Dorian DOES care about what's going on -- and what happens to other people -- is made pretty clear when he frowns upon no one receiving communication from Touta for several moments. The frown just gets more pronounced as the moments pass. "...Foolish boy," Dorian growls. "What incredible stupidity!" Yes, he's worried. But it's coming out as anger. Looking to the rest of the group -- wow, he looks pissed -- he notes, "Should we go now? Considering we will likely have to drag him out of something's jaws, I'd say going sooner was better. There's likely to be more of him left, and in fewer pieces."
Kotone Shiomi	"No clue if what's on the other side won't try to kill us, prepare for trouble. Got it." Kotone summarizes more for her own sake than anyone else, and then she follows along. "Nice to meet you." One hand resting on the grip of the pistol-like object in her holster, the other making sure to get ready to grab the naginata on her back as soon as she can. This isn't the first time she's marched into certain danger and probable death. With all that silence, she decides to follow along sooner rather than later. Stepping through and immediately afterwards pressing the barrel of that pistol to her temple, taking a deep breath before pulling the trigger. Blue energy streams through her head accompanies by the sound of breaking glass, and the energy quickly materializes into the form of a pale horse bearing a black-robed rider with a large scythe. As it forms, she takes a look around.
Starbound Flotilla	After a time waiting for Touta to respond, the Flotilla seem to decide something in absolutely perfect unison. They each tap a button on their Matter Manipulators, and then very suddenly, with gleaming flashes of light, they're all wearing their standard Durasteel equipment! Moonfin, the fishman, is in elaborate full-body durasteel armor that looks like a powered cross between a diving suit and a samurai's armor, glowing cyan at the faceplate. Biteblade, the humanoid plant, is in durasteel plating with elaborately carved wood and bone ornaments over glowing powered components that glow an intense green. Pavo the bird-girl wears a divine-aesthetic set of mesoamerican-style armor, with yellow runes and inscriptions lighting up on stylishly gleaming golden armor and robes. Albert the monkey-man is wearing elaborate dystopian commando armor reconstructed with a 'rebel spy' aesthetic: A sleeker faceplate, a slimmer form, and a more chaotic design that integrates thin, resilient plates of durasteel, and lines of bright white. George (just plain human) wears a futuristic combat EVA hardsuit that glows a gentle red at the flat faceplate. Seft, the robotic Flotilla member, is wearing full-on medieval knight armor with a soft energized blue glow below the plates on her body, and especially around the eyes. They'll wait for another wave of scouting to go it alone if necessary, but unless something tells them not to, they intend to dive straight in soon after, confident as they are in the protection gear they've crafted. They'll likely be stepping right into the thick of things amidst the next events...
Tomoe	Tomoe also does take note of the Starbounders who have become a fairly common sight in her work through out the multiverse. She's got used to it for the most part she'll look to the totally 'humble' fishman and nods to Moonfin. "So you say Moonfin, shall we get to it?" With that she'll hed out moving along for a moment. She pauses at the comment about Eye and then comes something else. She has heeded the warning from Touta before she heads further she looks to Dorian grinning. "IT's good to have you along and pitty but I know a good place if you need some hair repair, after." She will pause pull out her Aguma and say. "Link start." Wire frames cover Sheena's body and soon she's taken on the form most people in the multiverse know her by. "I'll go in first once someone else enter...." She pauses at Kotone/s ability that was creepy she almost moved to try and stop her. "... Geeze." Is all she can muster to the Envoker but at this point she'll wait on the scouting report before she charges in.
Touta Konoe	As Elner and Kotone pass through the gate it's clear that the tunnel would no longer help them. They would be submersed underwater. Though unlike the waters from the lake, these waters are much more difficult to see in. It's not that they are murky, but more like there's no source of light penetrating the water. Hopefully Kotone took the opportunity to take a oxygen nanoskin that was provided by the Flotillas. Hopefully her black robed rider's stead is capable of swimming as well... But that's a mute point at the moment. What wasn't mute though was the radio. It kept sounding like someone was pushing the talk button on and off. Static Click Static Click Static Click. But any time to investigate that has to be put to the side as they see a large body in the distance! For Elner the creature should be familiar, for Kotone however, it's appearence appears to be some sort of grotesque creature with a strange almost tadpole like body with two protruding arms at it's side. It seemed to have an incredibly large mouth with rows of razor sharp teeth that made sharks look like dull blades in comparison. There was something strange about this though, at least for Elner. Unlike last time the creature didn't seem to be moving in fact, it looked pretty still in the water. Except it looked like it had something hanging from it's mouth. Upon closer inspection they would see that it was an arm holding a radio, still clicking the button. There appeared to be a pool of blood coming from the creature, but whether it was from Touta or the beast was too hard to tell at the moment.
Dorian Pavus	It did make sense, Dorian figured, for the other side of the gate to be underwater. Since, from what he understood, those creatures that they'd fought last time were from Touta's world. How had they gotten there if not swimming through a totally submerged gate? So yeah, when it looks like the group's going through, Dorian is going to try and secure one of those nanoskin things from the Flotilla. Presuming he can get one of these things, he'll go through.
Kotone Shiomi	<"The guy's being eaten by some crazy monster"> Kotone informs the others over radio, then remembering to add, <"Underwater."> She moves forwards to the monster, the pale rider by her side, and the pair swing their bladed weapons in unison, one naginata and one scythe, aiming low enough on the tadpole-esque body to ensure that they won't be hitting Touta on accident.
Yuna Kagurazaka	<< Get in here, >> Elner transmits, << in Marine Form. >> And if the robo-faerie can teleport Touta out of the monster's mouth, Elner will do that. Back on the 'controlled' side of the warpgate, Yuna's eyes go wide, her face blanching. "MARINA!!!" she yells without further explanation; as the orangeish-and-white android goes translucent and phases towards her, the idol/magical paladin explains to her companions, "Other side's underwater and Touta's in something's mouth!" She doesn't explain THAT any further either, as Marina's form overlaps with her own and the secondary transformation kicks into gear - Yuna in her basic Light Suit being surrounded by a wireframe shape, then the pieces of a supplemental armor materializing and interconnecting with the Light Suit and with each other. As soon as the transformation into her mermaid like Marine Form armor is done, Yuna springs towards the warpgate - almost literally, jumping with the armor's tail - and heads through with the Matrix Divider in hand. Rather than opening fire, though, she swims over and starts trying to pry the creature's mouth open. If it fights back, THEN she'll switch into full combat mode.
Starbound Flotilla	Getting an oxygen nanoskin is easy! Press the little button and it projects a weird field around the body, and it becomes mysteriously easy to breathe while underwater (or in space, or buried alive, or all sorts of other things, but those aren't relevant right now). Sadly, the little dispenser near the warpgate warns that it only lasts about eight hours of average use, so don't depend on it too long! The armed and armored Flotilla rush in; they're a little too heavy to practically swim that much, so instead they focus on arming up... And scanning the surrounding area! Seft's fired off a mining scanner pulse, trying to identify the contours of this underwater zone, and to find the shore specifically! The crucial thing right now is getting to safety and away from these monsters, which one might worry would be rather a bit more numerous on this side of the Warpgate than on the other one. Where's the nearest shore?! Looks like Yuna's got the extraction of... Just Touta's arm? Touta himself? It's unclear. The Flotilla mass and focus on looking for more of these monsters, those who might be fighting a dismembered Touta or who may be attracted by the sudden activity if Touta really is trapped in the mouth. All but Moonfin have equipped ranged weaponry -- Biteblade has a bow, Seft has a laser pistol, George has a shotgun, Albert has a rocket launcher, and Pavo has... Some kind of bracer? -- and will instantly open fire if there's more of these monsters nearby that look like they could conceivably be a threat. "Ready! Starbound Squad, ranged array!Star Two, go defensive!" "Alert. Trying to locate shore!" "I'm never gonna get why the underwater guys were the pacifists." "'Tis truly a puzzle, aye. The sea's more vicious than anywhere else." "That is an invasive species of monster, I hardly think it qualifies." "Floran hopesss there'sss more!"
Tomoe	Tomoe has some experience with water sure but hopefully she won't suffocate but she knows she can not stay under for long, without an Undine along? This is going to be tricky, but what can she do. she switches out her sword for a Naginata though before she'll go racing th4rough the gate, swimming in the water and doing her best to hold her breath maybe there can be air pocket she can fight later? Either way she's under water and move to aid Yuna. The Spear is still across her back thankfully which leaves her hands free. So she will be able to attempt, to use her strength to help pray the jaws open.
Touta Konoe	As the others pass through one by one they notice something...A desire for air. Or there would have been if not for the Flotilla's smart planning! Yes, the otherside of the Warpgate was indeed still submersed in a body of water and the nanoskin's were already proving their usefulness. Though there's only so much people can plan in advance for. Such as the darkness that was overtaking the sight of the rest of the Elites as they went through. Though the Flotilla's gear and it's lighting appears to provide some concession to that as well. As the group all reach up to the creature they'd likely see Kotone's efforts to cut open into the beast. A large wound is created in the flesh of the monster, blood and guts are released from the wound. Yuna's also quick enough to be the second to give her aid with the aquatic form. If there was any concern of the creature trying to attack them, it had been debunked by Kotone's rider. As she arrived near the creature's mouth she could see Touta's arm sticking out inbetween the jaws of the creature, still clicking the button of the radio like before. Clearly he had been trying to get some form of a signal out without being able to properly use the radio. Yuna finds resistance from the downed creature as she opens it's jaw. There's a problem though. Touta's not in the creature's mouth, nor is he in the innards that Kotone just opened into. He's not inside the creature at all. Actually, that's not technically true. His arm was still there...Without a body...Clicking the button on the radio...WITHOUT A BODY!!! There's more bad news. Due to the blood of the creature seeping into the water the Flotilla's sonar is going crazy. Unlike the several fast moving pings that they had back in the lake this time there's pings all over! Inside the water, outside the water, everywhere! It appears wherever they are, they're surrounded. Though the pings are varying in size and distance. Though the most imminent threat appears to be a large blob of dots that are in the water that are traversing at a familiar speed. The radar finds it difficult to give a promise number of bogeys given how clumped they are but the scanning mind clears that up for them.... Twenty-Seven. There is nearly three to four times the amount of these creatures than the last time coming for the group while they're submerged. And that's just from the water they're in. There's still pings on the shore to be concerned about. Then just for some additional fun there's a loud sound of splashing noises coming from the surface of the water! There's no end to this nonsense! With all the commotion though something changes in the situation. The annoying sound of the radio clicking on and off stops entirely. Touta's arm had let go of the radio and started pointing upwards towards the splashing before looking like it was reaching out for someone's hand to hold it! The group has another decision to make.
Kotone Shiomi	Kotone blinks as she sees the hand is detached from the body, and again as she notices the hand point upward and seemingly look for someone to hold it. Instinctively, she reaches out to grasp the hand. Then, she makes the Pale Rider call upon its nature if any critters drawm in by the blood come too close, deathly energies flung from that scythe.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian draws a breath in reflexively before he goes through the gate, nanoskin or not. He can't help that. Though he's quicker through when he hears Touta's being chomped on. Again. he sighs. "Might have known..." he mutters under his breath. He has to remind himself that lightning is not something he should be using here, and that fire would be about as effective as a fart while submerged. So he falls back on his necromancy instead. The eyes of the three dragon heads on his staff glow a dark, vivid purple, and he swings the staff underhand. It's a slow swing, considering they're underwater. But there's a small ball of what looks like crackling purple thunder with black smoke filling in the cracks that travels throught he water. It's energy, so the water shouldn't make it too difficult to hit. Also it heads unerringly towards its target, around any allies. This is Spirit Mark, which basically functions as a life-draining spell. It doesn't give the drained 'life' to Dorian, no. It calls a spirit of destruction, of entropy, to siphon the life from a living target. Fortunately it's aimed at the monster. But with all things considered, Dorian makes for the surface as quickly as he can. Aside from that last bit of 'f**k you' at the monster, there isn't much he can do here. And he's easily the weakest swimmer here (which he knows, even if he would never publically acknowledge that fact). He really needs to get clear.
Yuna Kagurazaka	In addition to the other Elites coming through the warpgate, Jiina and Erina arrive as well, ready to help Yuna. And Touta's arm is freed - Without the rest of him. Where IS the rest of him?! Yuna doesn't have the opportunity to freak out properly, though, thanks to all the other creatures heading in from every direction. (Yuna doesn't call them 'monsters' in her thoughts right now - for all she knows, these are natural animals of some kind.) There are too many for Yuna to try and count them for herself, and while Elner could, Yuna's also too distracted to pay attention to the actual number. Just call it 'a lot'. And Touta's disembodied arm is pointing ... straight up? The freak-out that Yuna 'wants' to have is pushed back again as she grabs for the drifting radio; she would reach for the arm as well, but it's reaching for something else and maybe it can move around on its own, help somebody who needs help more than Yuan does. She just swims for the surface, Jiina and Erina following.
Tomoe	It turns out it's a severed arm that belonged to Touta ait what? Oh god what? She'll let go and once her allies find out that there' nothing else in the beast she's got to wonder what happened to her friend. The arm is pointing up. Panic is supressed for the moment as she stops holding her breath cauins a burst of bubbles to come out of her motuha nd her to look very stilly it seems she forgot about the Nanomembrain. She follows Yuna, swimming up as hard and fast as she can before there are other problems. She does notice the radio. If Touta has the radio then they have no way to easily track him....
Starbound Flotilla	What can the Starbound Flotilla do in this situation? Hmmm. They're surrounded, isolated, and about to lose track of the guy they came here to help out. They need a better platform to work from. "Star Six, call the Starstriders!" "Don't gotta yell, water conducts sound just fine." "Worried. Will they arrive in time?" "Star Four, go off offense, route the Striders on the gate!" "Aye, matey, it'll be done! I'll summon the divine smiting myself!" "Floran going loud, clearing!" "We shall bring this fight to where it belongs, then." Biteblade, George, Seft, and Albert are all opening fire on the monsters as they close in, but it's less to drive them back -- this firepower can't take out a rush as big as that!! -- and more to buy a little time. Elsewhere, back on the other side of the warpgate, the Flotilla's ships beam down a set of six heavy, fifteen-foot-tall machines, massive robotic mecha; the AI clumsily begins to pilot them on Pavo's direction as she brings them in. The Flotilla's summoning their mecha units! One hopes they'll make it in time. The Starbounders blast away to try to keep the tide back, and to get their flight options to let them ascend to the surface level on their own! Since, of course, they can't do that right now, not with all this heavy armor. Unless something's going to cause a problem for it, very soon their mecha will have arrived, taking the Flotilla members up into the main cockpits of each! Moonfin's swift melee-spec'd Starstrider is designed after the aesthetics of submarines, with a heavy glass-domed cockpit set against heavy finned limbs, all pulsing with shining cyan energy, especially along the katana. Biteblade's construction is a mix of metal and densewood, heavy organic constructions mixed with scavenged machines. Its eyes and mouth glow bright green, the same green as its shining knife at its hip. Pavo's is made of huge gems and engraved temple-stone facades, it looks like a powerful mesoamerican warrior golem, with a pair of brilliantly shining yellow eyes, yellow wings, and even a brilliant yellow halo to match its ritual-looking cutlass. Albert has crafted a tremendous militarized walking tank, with thick limbs, treads at its feet, and large, fat arms that float at its side bearing five different artillery projectile weapons each, though it maintains a shiny white gleaming smooth aesthetic. George has an industrial mecha, looking far more like something designed to load huge and heavy cargo, with shining, crackling fists and drills, and a bright red HUD filling up the unsealed cockpit. Seft, the robotic Flotilla member, has created what looks very much like a fifteen-foot-tall knight, whose thick helm hides a bright blue glow below the faceplate, and under the surface of its sword and shield. If their equipment can arrive properly... They'll have a far less difficult time fighting these swarms of monsters.
Touta Konoe	As Kotone reaches for the arm, the arm reaches back at Kotone. Before she even has a chance to realize it she's moving. It's not even swimming at this point. The arm is literally pulling her up somehow towards the splashing water of the surface. Actually that probably wasn't a good thing at all! If they came in too early they'd probably get swatted by whatever was hitting the water! Or it should have, but the moment Kotone had been grabbed, the splashing had stopped. Dorian takes this time to cast a spell to hit whatever it is that's about to come their way. Though it's not just one monster, it's many! Hopefully striking the creature will prove to be more of a deterrent than a taunt in comparison to last time. Surprisingly due to the creatures being so clumped together when the head of the group gets struck, it actually crashes into the others behind it like a car pile up, at least for the first few. The other of these creatures are still smart enough to move around the pile. But as they take their detour they are rained down upon by the supression fire of the Starbound Flotilla! As noted before the shots will likely only do so much, but at the very least halt their progression to some extent allowing for the Starstriders to make their arrival. The only question now will be how aquatic each individual strider will be in this situation and will they be quick enough to get both Dorian with his poor swimming, and Tomoe whose almost out of breath to the surface of the water in time? All that was clear is that they needed to get out of the depths and onto proper footing. Especially now that Yuna was swimming to the surface and Kotone was...Being pulled up by a dismembered arm? For those who weren't having any issues traversing the depths, Yuna makes it to the surface of the water around the same time as Kotone who had taken the express route. Kotone's body keeps getting pulled of her feet even out of the water and towards a familiar face, Touta's. It appears the group didn't have to worry about locating Touta with the radio. His arm apparently had a homing beacon function, in a magical sense at least. He turns to see who he had finally ended up latching onto his hand (considering his arm doesn't have eyes) and realizes it's Kotone. Though he doesn't give a smile, instead he gives a warning. "Kotone! Heads up!" Touta clearly wasn't alone. With just one arm he had been swinging his blade at something, for those who just resurface it'll be a bit more difficult to see what he was fighting, but for Kotone who had latched onto the arm that was attempting to reconnect to the rest of the body she would see what looked to be some form of spider, only it looked like it was the size of a tank. Touta looked incredibly annoyed. The legs of the arachnid continually prodded at him in a way where he could only hit the legs, but was still too far away to hit the body, what was even more annoying was that it looked like his feet had been webbed to the floor making him a sitting duck for this arachnid.
Dorian Pavus	There is something to the 'sink or swim' approach. Granted Dorian's not a great swimmer, but he does know the basics behind it. With the worry of running out of air temporarily dealt with, Dorian can focus on the OTHER problem -- getting out of range of monsters. He's not dropping his staff, so that means his hands aren't free to swim. But, since he's under the water, kicking his feet should work, right? As long as he keeps them in a rhythm. He still gasps a breath of air as he breaks the surface, reflexively, and makes for the shore. He hears Touta's voice, which is a bit of a relief, and swims towards it. Dorian can't see what's going on, so he's not going to see the spider until... probably until it's too late, knowing his luck. But then again, the monsters in the water will be the first priority.
Kotone Shiomi	Now up in the air and hanging onto Touta, Kotone sees the arachnid and has a mild change of plans. She puts her Naginata back on her back for just a moment so she can pull out her evoker, pointing the replica firearm at her temple before pulling the trigger once more. This time, the energy coalesces into a blue-haired lady with glowing robes and a spoked wheel where her abdomen ought to be. Then she points her now free arm at the giant spider, still hanging onto the hand, whether or not it's reattached itself to Touta (unless he makes it clear she ought to let go) and the wind picks up, strong powerful wind that attempts to bludgeon away at the giant arachnid.
Starbound Flotilla	Up they go. Seft's the one better with the field emitters, and so it's her machine that slips up to Tomoe and fires off a quick dispensing of the oxygen nanoskin, fired out of a port meant for resupplying when repairing them in space. "Anxious. Tomoe! I'm here! I've got oxygen for you, don't worry!" She calls out through the speakers and broadcasters of the machine, and then rise as well. They're maneuverable enough in water to move, but not enough to dodge quite so effectively. They're going to have to depend on their defenses, not their agility! The others are rising as well, and one hopes George's suddenly popping his mecha's head up under Dorian won't be disruptive, but rather helpful instead; one hopes it can give him just a little extra mobility and mean he can focus on moving. Just, may be a bumpy ride while he does. From here though... That's when the Flotilla start work on pure slaughter. George slams massive drill-punches straight towards the bodies of the creatures, Seft goes for shield bashes and thrusting stabs, Biteblade tries to grapple and stab with her knife, Albert opens fire through the water with heavy laser artillery, Pavo works to try to cut and slice through the incoming mass of monsters with her cutlass, and Moonfin draws in the attention and lashes out at foes with swirling rushes of katana strikes. They're going to focus on making sure those amphibious creatures that they encountered before can't disrupt the surface battle, the one against the titan spider!
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna is going fast enough to launch out of the water like a leaping dolphin .... or, y'know, a leaping mermaid. Same thing, slightly different shape. On the downside, she doesn't have enough hang time to open foo accurately from the peak of her jump. She can snap off one or (maybe) two shots from the Matrix Divider, and then gravity pulls her back into the lake itself. It's a start, possibly? But she's moving to back up Touta - and if she has to beach herself and fire while prone or something, she'll do so. The spider-thing makes an awfully tempting target, in any case, for reasons that anyone who gets creeped out or actively scared by bugs would probably find entirely familiar ...
Tomoe	There never is just one monster in Tomoe's experiance, where there's one there's a hundred of them. So there has to be more she does keep trying to go up though she could end up in trouble as the creatures do seem to be smarter than many of the mobs back from ALO and the like. She's still in need of a bit of a hand thankfull Seft is there to lend her one she will make very happy use of the oxyegen her lungs stop screaming. She will then push for the surface to catch up with everyone else.
Touta Konoe	Devastation. That's the word that appropriately fits what happens to the Seals. It was one thing to face them head to head, but when the Flotilla use machines well...Even the ones that are capable of latching onto them to try and dig in find that their durability makes it difficult for them to eat, at best leaving crunch marks and dents into them. It's even more so a deterrent when all of these fifteen-foot striders each begin to decimate the creatures without remorse. It doesn't take much for the rest of the ones watching to realize they're outclassed and begin fleeing in the opposite direction. Though after all the mayhem at best three are left, if that... Upon reaching the surface Dorian and Tomoe will likely see the current situation. Yuna's near the edge of the shore was firing shots from her matrix divider at what appeared to be some sort of large spider. Closer down they'd see Kotone conjuring her persona and Touta doing his best to free himself from the webbing. It's only now that he was receiving cover fire from both of them that he could focus on cutting through the webbing of the creature. The shots from the Matrix Divider prove to knock the beast back enough that it's legs can't reach, and the follow up sends the spider flying. It was clearly lighter than it appeared, though like certain spiders it looks like it won't worry about crashing to the ground as it makes a make-shift parachute from webbing. For now though it looks like it'll take some time for it to make it's way back. Touta takes this opportunity to grab for Kotone's radio. She's the closest and he doesn't want to shout in this place if he doesn't have to. "Everyone get out of the water and onto the rocks. They'll stop attacking if we get to higher ground." This would be a good time to assess the geographics of this place once more. The area the elites were in appeared to be some form of cave that expanded hundreds of meters across and was several stories high. At the base of this cavern like structure was were the body of water was at. At the shallow end there was water at least up to one's ankles. In the deep ends well...It could house mobs of creatures like the one's they faced previously. Above that were certain rock formations that acted like mountain paths, if followed one could probably continue going up, as for what was beyond that it was too dark to see any farther up or into the distance. The sound of waterfalls could definitely be heard by those who had made it to the surface at least. Point being...It was time to get out of the water and regroup on dry land.
Dorian Pavus	George's mech provided just enough 'oomph' that Dorian could sort of 'surf' closer to the shore. Kind of. More like bellyboarding, really. Though without the board. Thankfully once he's near the edge of the water, he can pull himself up without any trouble; he has enough strength in his upper arms to do that easily. Thank the Maker for not being a squishy mage. Also thankfully, by the time he does pull himself out of the water, the spider is flying away. So he has a few moments to get his bearings. And to fix his hair a little. It's a mess! If the cave is dark, once he's back on land he'll cup a hand around the three dragon-heads on his staff, and speak a Word. And then in the space between them, a green-blue fire leaps to life, with no apparent fuel or resting place. So he's got a light source. "Right, well. Where are we?" he asks. Probably to Touta. Presuming the man can get himself back together.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Getting out of the water DOES seem like a really good idea; Yuna disengages Marine Form fully and scrambles up on dry land, the Matrix of Light forming up on her. "What happened to your arm, Touta? Here's your radio back ..." Once the radio's been returned, Yuna considers briefly, then shifts to Flight Form - there are enough ledges and pitfalls that she'd rather not be dependent on geography and architecture, and even though Powered Form can hover, those hoverthrusters do assume something vaguely resembling solid ground underneath her. Elner is working on trying to map the area with its sensors.
Tomoe	The one thing she hated about underground dungeons is Tomoe can not flight without certain sources of light for more than three seconds every hour. That's enough to break a fall and that's about it. Which does her no good in this situation thanks to being under water. It could be a heck of a lot worse for her though, it really could she has air now and she moves to get out of the water after Yuna stumbling as she goes. "Seft I owe you one." She spuitter a bit she's also soaked to the bone too. The good news is they have found Touta. "Why did that thing have your arm Touta?!"
Starbound Flotilla	The rest of the Flotilla, besides George with his passenger, have offered to help, and anyone who's in need of a shove out of the water will have it; their flying machines are thankfully enough to maneuver them on the water's surface, even if they won't be flying for a while until the thrusters are fully purged. The Flotilla manage to scramble out of the water themselves, most gracefull Pavo whose flight engines are already working. As they land, their damage is laid bare: The lower legs and lower arms of each mecha are badly bitten into, dented, or otherwise damaged. The machines are still quite functional, but the Flotilla had better get some repairs on this. They're also, not coincidentally, covered in blood and seawater. The Flotilla sure do have some varying opinions on THAT part. "Man, the blood I'm fine with, but the seawater? Eugh!" "The last time you tried to take that through a car wash you got it stuck." "And yet, so clean. Perhaps we should focus, however, on our location." "Worried. Is Touta okay?! Where is his arm?!" "Have a feeling that matey's got this figured out." "Floran think vampire friend isss okay! But now need to know if isss home." They'll be looking, rather hopefully, to Yuna on this one. Maybe she can pin down their coordinates? Then they can call in the ships! For now, they're actually opening up the mecha, and starting up set up a small forward camp of sorts! Something for dealing with getting around here, or just resting and recovering from the arduous, dangerous events of the warpgate.
Touta Konoe	There's a look of relief on Touta's face as everyone is finally reassambled on the rocks. He doesn't remember this being as difficult the last time. But well, there was alot less craziness last time as well, so he'll just leave it at that. Looking to Dorian he answers his question first but also getting close to that fire he made. It's warm and Touta's wet so...Yeah. "Well, this is my world. I mean...We're in a cave still, but this cave is in my world! So we made it! Anyway, we should be fine now." Touta smiles as he grabs his radio from Yuna next. Oh yeah, he had left that underwater didn't he? He looks to Yuna and Tomoe almost embarassed at what happened, "Oh, when I went through the gate I found a group of those Seals under the water. I was trying to fight them but there were too many and one of them got my arm. I figured it'd just be better to get to dry land and wait for you guys to show up so we could deal with them together, but when I got to the shallow end I ended up getting got in that spider's webbing and was ambushed." Elner's scan would show that the cave is probably about 1.7km at least. As for how high up, well big enough to store some sort of large castle like structure upon a mountainside. That wasn't from the scanner though. That was literally because there was a castle like structure on what looked to be some sort of rock like mountainside. But that was a story for another day. The Flotillas probably shouldn't set up camp, as Touta's arm is firmly reattached, in fact there's not even any sort of scarring to be had. He's incredibly eager to get going in fact. So the group would begin walking up the rock formations that felt almost like climbing a mountain at this point. It was tedious and long trip but compared to having to deal with something trying to eat you every minute or so, it was hopefully a more pleasant alternative. After what felt like probably an hour or two. They would reach what appeared to be the ceiling. It didn't look like there was an exit of any sort though, it just looked like...A cave ceiling. That didn't stop Touta, he was clearly looking for something, and with an excited look on his face he shouts, "Found it!" He points to what appears to be some kind of piece of paper with japanese characters written on it stuck to the ceiling. With no further talking he literally puts his hands up and begins pressing upward. Dust falls from the ceiling covering Touta in dirt as he pushes, but something else is breaking through as well...Sunlight! Yes, there's no doubt that's what's beaming through! Touta gives one more good push upwards and, POP A circle opening appears in the ceiling. Touta steps back to let the others see what he wanted to show them this whole time. His world. Upon exiting through the circular hole they realize something. They're in a well. The exit to the cavern was an old ground water well that pulled water up through a bucket. But as they continued to look around they'd realize that they were in the vaccinity of some sort of traditional Japanese looking building. It's stature made it look almost look like some sort of mansion or bath house. Though if they continued looking out they would realize another fact they were on an island. In all directions as far as the eye could see this building had been stranded in some bodied of water, though the shoreline to the mainland could be seen in the distance at least. The what was probably the most alluring thing that caught all there eyes was a strange tower. It continued all the way up from the mainland and continued up past the clouds. It looked like it continued on forever. One never would have thought that such a large cave would have been underneath such an elegant setting. There were even people there to welcome them! No wait...They were staring at them with ill-content. Yeah, they definitely looked like dress suit wearing Yakuza who were ill-content. Alot of ill-content staring was going on at Yuna, Dorian, Tomoe, Kotone, and the Flotillas. "HEY GUYS I'M BACK!"
Touta Konoe	Touta shouts into the air from the hole, and the ill-contents stare at him for a moment. In the next their expressions change immediately into smiles and laughs. Sounds of 'Look it's Touta-Sama!' 'Where's he been?' 'Hasn't he been missing for a few months?' 'He was probably trying to skip work like Jinbei-sama!' There's plenty other sounds emerging from the group but it's too difficult to decipher one noise from another. Though this does give Touta time to pop out and approach them all. "Hey, long time no see everyone! Man, do I got a story to tell you guys! Oh, these are my friends! They were stuck in the underground caves for a bit so you guys think you can set them up a few rooms and a change of clothes? I'd do it myself but I gotta speak to Yukihime." The group snaps their boots together as they clear a path for Touta to walk through, though the one nearest to him does lean in to whisper to him, "Better watch out, she's been quite upset trying to find you aniki." It's at that moment Touta turns around towards the rest of his companions. "Well guys, welcome to Fairland Hall. I got to talk to some people for a bit, I've been gone for a few months so got to let them know I made it back. But if you guys want instead of heading back through the warpgate immediately, feel free to relax and stay the night. We should have a few rooms open, and the hotsprings here is definitely worth trying!" He starts walking down the lane that the suited gentleman make for him before he stops and turns around. "Also, thanks again guys, you're the best!" Touta Konoe has returned to Eternity.
Yuna Kagurazaka	It's a little overwhelming for Yuna - she wasn't quite sure what she expected, but this was nowhere close to anything she'd thought of. So she's ... pretty much doing the rubbernecking-tourist thing, trying to take in all of the sights. When they get above ground, Yuna just gives her friendliest and least threatening smile to the vaguely yakuza-esque gentlemen, waving a hand as if she were on stage rather than outfitted for battle. And when Touta mentions that it's okay to stay the night - plus the hot springs! - Yuna grins sheepishly, "I'd love to ... are you sure it's okay?" Yeah, she wouldn't mind having a night to relax here. Besides, hot springs. That's always worth stopping over.
Dorian Pavus	Tomoe's shrieked statement gets a raised eyebrow from Dorian. "Well, presumably the beast intended to eat it," he says flatly, as if that should be obvious. "Likely attempted to eat him as well but didn't quite get to it." But now that they're all together, Touta will presumably lead the way up. Which seems a bit confusing to Dorian. Right up until Touta opens the ceiling. When everyone piles out into the sunlight, Dorian exinguishes the veilfire in the dragon-heads of his staff. "Well, that's much better than that dreary cave." A pause then, as he notes the people glaring at them. "...Or not..." Though thankfully Touta diffuses the situation before Dorian has to make it explode. Literally. Because fire works very well on land. But Dorian holds his fire -- as well as his lightning, ice, and necromancy too. And as it turns out these are people who know him. So that's good. Dorian sighs, relieved. "Thank the Maker." As for the staying the night? "If it wouldn't put anyone out too much, I would like to at least clean up and dry my clothes," he admits, with a polite bow. Swimming in full-body leather armor is... just no. Very much not fun. It's holding water in places it really shouldn't, and he's going to smell like a bog as-is.
Tomoe	Tomoe makes with Touta she's soaking wet and tries to get some of it out but wearing a mix of cloth and plate amour she's looking a bit like a drowned cat right now. The only mercy is her gear won't rust, or so she hopes at leas. She looks to Touta for a moment and laughs a bit though. It seems Dorin has scored a very well earned point with his reply and she has calmed down a little bit. "I wasn't thinking clearly no...." She isn't mad just well Dorian's right. She will move on until they finally get to move on she seems happy Touta is all right though. "eheheheh heheh." A rare sound from Tomoe she's quite embrtassed but soon htey would be moving on. She looked at the Yazuka enforcers. Those guys were not mere thugs no they knew what they were doing thankfully a fight doesn't break out. "Hello! I'm Tomoe and this is Fairland Hall? If your offering I will happily spend the night here it sounds wonderful."
Starbound Flotilla	Oh, well, hey! No need to camp up. The kneeled mecha are gonna be fine out here, though maybe someone should come valet them in later. For the most part, one assumes that Pavo will likely be spending some time trying to badger Touta's organization for payment to cover the cost of repairs and such. The others handle things as they often do, though. "Surprised. Oh, thank goodness, he's returned even more than I had hoped!" "Woooaaaah, big place! Biiiig! Look too much like dumb fishplace though." "Your poor taste remains unforgiven, I think this looks rather well-designed." "Aye, looks like a place with enough cash to cover the repairs!" "Hmph. Better than an encampment. Take the offer of hospitality." "Yeah, I'm pooped, let's do a little resting for a bit." Yep, they're along for this and they'll be closing this case out properly, it looks like!