Eternal Kamacite Kamacite used his Rugose Pendant. He is now a small, white, nine-tailed fox with red markings. HP: 100
Kamacite knew he could change back to his normal form. He knew he didn’t have to wait for the effects of the pendant’s energy to run out. But as embarrassing as it was to be a small animal, there was a lot of perspective to account for.
He didn’t announce to anyone else who he was, although he wondered if those who knew him knew that the little fox was actually Kamacite. He hovered near Faustite while he was resting, but when it seemed as though others were going to hover as well, Kamacite retreated to Roselite’s lap to rest.
The light was what woke him, and he glanced up to where the brightness had increased. He was used to seeing such an effect right before a lightbulb burned out.
“Can we go back down, please?” he asked Rosie, keeping his squeaky voice low as he climbed up onto the Captain’s shoulder. It was easier to get a look at everything when he was higher up.
“I don’t like how bright it is,” he said quietly, looking from the overly bright bundles of light.
Sunshine Alouette
Strickenized
Kamafox is inspecting the glow from the bundles of light. Roll: 1 (boooo)
The fact the rampaging ex-General had fallen briefly surprised Seraphinite. Pissed off as he was, there was a strong temptation to stay and pummel the insane man until he vanished into dust. The Captain under a youma's form certainly lingered as more of their people took the elevator up in groups.
Having more defenses attacking them was a good enough reason to further vacate, though, and shove his ideal outcome aside. As he'd gone up in the elevator, Seraphinite had at least amused himself checking out the oddities of the youma form he wore.
Up in the sort of rest zone, the tall youma hung around Jet and Aquamarine after checking on those who'd been in his team. Time was passed going over what bits and bobs his team had encountered, and when the youma guise faded, patching up the couple of scratches he'd gotten himself. He'd also had to resist the urge to try to inflict harm on the tentacles Rigel kept poking him with while he'd also been under a youma form...
Till a whole new energy surged through the building, and in short order, those who hadn't left back to the base camp headed right back down. Seraphinite had agreed he and Rigel could head down, but when he saw how sickly her face looked at the prospect, he'd all but shoved Spectrolite back up the cliff and to better treatment for her leg.
The room seemed so empty after all the people and fighting. The dust pile received little more than a snarl, unsure of what did away with the madman, but having no qualms about it. He'd reform and be back. But the new room... well that at least intrigued him. It was clear the database he'd been accessing before was inaccessible here--or maybe at all, if that'd been its main storage point. The simple new room--simple compared to some of the other locations they'd seen, anyway--looked more like a weird hidden room from a fantasy movie. He didn't go near the weird crucible, instead joining a few others at the desk, sorting through the various disheveled papers tossed about.
Glancing up at Jet, though, he gestured to the crucible as he asked, "You ever see something like that?" Faustite's question about an ornate dagger made him look over at Aquamarine. He'd seen something that might fit that description during the fight, though he wasn't sure if the General had held onto it.
Strickenized
Checkin' out papers/prox to Niter
Guine
question
Sunshine Alouette
amorremanet
prox
----
Super Rigel Checking out the boxes2 + 2 = 4 HP: 75/75
Look. Rigel had a few hours to run around as a youma cat with tentacles bursting from his mouth. He did so. With absolute glee. Sure, he'd deposited Spectrolite with other injured agents to be treated, and lingered around her a bit till she was being seen before prancing off.
More than a few times, he delighted himself in lurking around Seraphinite, Jet, and Aquamarine--though the latter he didn't pester so much as maybe offer the General some food and bottled water... with the help of the tentacles. No, he kept the worst of his antics--poking with said tentacles, slink around just as any self-respecting many-eyed cat would... batting at Jet's cape...
He'd been crushed when the effect wore off and he was back to his regular, boring human self. Ugh. But he'd thanked Jet profusely for letting him borrow the pendent, and made sure to return the recharging article.
That they got to go back down? Oh. Oh. Rigel had been only too happy to head back down. Much as he'd been annoyed by the attacking youma and Galvorn, there were so many unanswered questions--at least in his mind. He'd been almost jumping with joy to go back down the elevator. That there'd clearly been a youma dusted caught his attention, but the new room beyond... well.
That was so much cooler.
Sadly, he was a bit late in getting to see the amazing looking crucible--he wondered if the place was some sort of ritual room?--so he decided to not crowd and joined another agent investigating some of the open boxes back in the research area in the original room.
That felt like more than a ******** had still been in a bit of a daze as the... creepy cat youma--who kept talking and certainly sounded like Rigel, but would only grin at her with too many teeth when she asked--deposited her safely where medics were working. The large gash on her leg was examined--deeper than she'd thought it'd gone, she'd need to take it easy for a little while to let the muscle heal up. Stitches were needed, but with their increased healing rate it wouldn't keep her down as long as it might have in the past. She'd have scars, on her thigh and her arm where the six scratches dug deep.
But she was alive, and she began to hope she'd soon be out of the Rift...
The longer they all lingered, the more uneasy she'd gotten. She just wanted to leave. Go get real rest. Not be stuck in a building in the Rift where youma could still pop up. Nibbling food and drinking water hadn't exactly made her feel better, just settling as a thick, cold lump in her gut. Trying to rest wasn't happening.
When the energy surge came, and people started to talk about going back down to where Galvorn had been... Sure, she'd gotten up and limped a fair amount as she got to where Seraphinite and Rigel--both now back to being their usual selves--were discussing heading with the group. But... well. Her face must have said it all. Seraphinite had taken one look at her before he ushered her over to where other agents were assisting some to get back up to the base camp. From there, back to actual, non-Rift safety.
Part of her felt pathetic for running off... but as she'd waved off Seraphinite and Rigel before heading back up, she told herself repeatedly it was fine. She'd done her job of assisting down there. She'd helped find out stuff. She could go rest now. It was okay.
She just... couldn't stop the nagging voice that this was why she was still just a Lieutenant...
The down time they'd all been allotted had been well used, at least he had made good use of it, he'd let Arseno handle his shoulder so he wouldn't wind up bleeding out of some other such thing. He didn't think his team, or Mason, would approve him bleeding out or passing out on them all. Benitoite figured he might as well finish this mission, much as he might still be annoyed by how things had gone thus far, but when the call for people to head back in he got up and headed to follow. However, he did not take the lead nor even stay in the middle of the group. He hung to the very back and trailed behind everyone, keeping his eyes out for anything which might come up.
He didn't trust this damn place, he also worried about the youmafied General.
The office, when they arrived, had changed rather dramatically and it lacked a certain General as well. It looked like he'd been dusted...how nice, that had been what he'd wanted to begin with. A simple look over the pile of ashes saw the Generals blue eyes focusing on the box of weapons where he drifted, wanting to see what sort of items were there, perhaps something useful was there as well. Seeing as others were there though he didn't linger and drifted off towards the less popular, or so it seemed, crucible with it's ruins. The fact the room had not been there before, that it let them in, it was all interesting.
So he'd been making weapons in his office...interesting, though also perhaps a bit dangerous. But he did move closer to look over things.
Witherite had helped him out to the elevator, he'd luckily been able to avoid the youma which had swarmed the office. He was, for once, glad to have some sort of connection within this organization. He did wonder where Wolframite was, the Captain was devoted to the Negaverse he was certain but he'd not been here. He hadn't seen nor heard from him in a long time in fact, and it worried the corrupt senshi.
For now it might help him to have a connection within the Negaverse, aside from the absent Wolframite. He was considering this more and more, especially now as he sat waiting to see what the next move would be. His fingers trailed over the bitemark on his neck, remembering how Wolframite had taken him in and given him a place to belong, when he didn't want to remain on the other side. He didn't have feelings for the other, as some might think, but the other had given him a chance and taken him into the Negaverse and helped him with the change. The captain had taken his things, all boxed up, and kept them safe so he could find himself again after he changed sides.
When people started moving he did too. He might as well see this s**t to the end and find out what they had been brought down here for, finding out if it was worth it all.
The office was a bit of a mess but also different. There was more to look at and it looked like General a*****e was dead; good. Now to look over the boxes filled with weapons, even though he'd never posess a weapon since he had magic, he was interested in them. They looked rather...fun. He might like to crack a senshi in the skull with one or more of the weapons in the boxes. Getting on hands and knees to look through things, ignore those around him looking at the assorted weapons.
Strickenized
75/75 still Looking over the weapons in the boxes. 2+2=4 (?)
General Aquamarine Approaching the crucible with the ornate dagger. HP: 81/100
Aquamarine was pissed off. Furious. Seething with rage.
What else was new?
He was less forgiving than Jet. Whatever Aquamarine’s own opinion on the matter of Galvorn happened to be, Jet deserved more respect than some of these muttering bitches were offering him. If they wanted someone to blame, they could blame their own incompetence. Certain individuals chose to attack before anyone could tell them otherwise, like Galvorn had been some enemy Senshi or one of the monstrous beasts that happened to pop up around Destiny City instead of a confused General who’d given in to desperation.
Now Jet was injured — patched up, but still injured — and instead of apologizing for their ******** ups or thanking him for protecting as many of them as he could, they frowned and judged and probably thought they knew better.
Aquamarine hated them all, every last one of them. He hated the Rift. He hated Galvorn. He hated all the ******** Knights who invaded this place and left their ******** magic behind. He hated that Jet was so devoted to this nonsense, that he cared so much about these people who did nothing to earn it.
The Negaverse was s**t. It’d always been s**t. Maybe not their goal, which might seem noble to those who cared about such things, but the people — all the useless pawns who made up their forces.
Often, Aquamarine thought a purge might be necessary. Clear their ranks and start fresh. Recruit descrimantely, rather than taking whatever worthless ******** they happened to pluck off the street.
“I’m fine,” Aquamarine told Jet before they caught the lift again. It came out on a snarl, voice low and biting, glare so severe it was a wonder his eyes didn’t hurt from it.
Maybe they did, a little. Or the pain behind one of them was a burgeoning headache, joining the pain along his ribs to put him into an even more miserable mood. Aquamarine had accepted only the briefest treatment, concerned more for Jet’s comfort and safety than his own. Ugly bruising and a shallow wound throbbed beneath his bandages, which were themselves covered by the form-fitting black shirt that existed beneath his jacket, which hung open now, a bit ragged and stained from their ordeal.
Down once more to Galvorn’s lair, Aquamarine bit back a series of curses. The youma were gone. Galvorn, too. Nothing but a pile of dust remained. The place itself was more trashed than they’d left it. Perhaps if Aquamarine had been in a better mood, he would have been more curious than aggravated by the presence of a previously inaccessible area.
He followed along, sticking close to those who annoyed him the least: Jet, of course, and Seraphinite, though Aquamarine would never verbalize the distinction. He would have lingered longer and looked over the papers, gravitating toward them after so long on desk duty, but he was called forward, first by Faustite’s voice through the tablet, then by Jet.
So Aquamarine approached the crucible with the others, presenting the ornate dagger he’d claimed for himself.
“This,” he said. “It was on the desk before.”
Guine
Kaefaux
Strickenized
Aquamarine is looking over the crucible as he approaches with the dagger. Roll: 7
Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2023 1:58 pm
Captain Witherite
He taken the time to sit with Beni and the other eventually lying down and resting his eyes. He wasn't sleep, he was awaken and alert, answering if someone chose to speak to him and chiming into any conversation had about him. He wasn't injured, so thankfully he didn't need tending to.
It was that alertness that had him peeking an eye opening feeling Beni stand, turning to see Faustite go downstairs and others follow. Beni was going as well and Wither wordlessly stood and joined him heading back down into the chamber.
He noticed Miyamoto following and gave him a nod of acknowledgement as they all headed down. The room didn't look like it had before and that was something else. The youma general was gone and there was a new room to inspect. A chamber.
Wither hung back with Miyamoto for a bit looking at the weapons before he headed in Benis direction and went into the chamber. The crucible in the center was curious and Wither couldn't help but to reach out and try to touch it. He knew that sort of curiosity was dangerous in this place, but he wondered if the thing held more of what happened here.
Eternal Cymophane Back at the research area, looking through the mess for anything that might be relevant. HP: 100
Cymophane returned to Galvorn’s chamber as himself, smile bright and eyes full of mirth. The mood among his allies seemed somber, all anger and resentment, some disappointment, a bit of fear, perhaps, with a healthy dose of curiosity still. Some were tired. Some were hurt. Some were both.
The chamber itself was a mess. Cymophane approached the research area to find papers scattered and furniture overturned. Maybe it happened during Galvorn’s rampage. Maybe it happened when the youma crowded the room. Maybe it happened after, ransacked in their absence.
Cymophane sighed. He and Taenite had managed to save some of the diagrams, though he wondered now if they should have. Galvorn certainly hadn’t been appreciative of their efforts.
He’d have to apologize to Jet later.
For now, Cymophane rummaged through what little was left, searching for anything useful that might remain.
Stricknizedx
Cymophane has returned to the research area to search through anything that might remain. Roll: 5
Captain Roselite With Kamacite, looking over the bundles of lights. HP: 75
Kamacite made such a cute youma, Roselite was beginning to wonder if he should acquire a personal youma of his own. It soothed him a bit to cuddle the nine-tailed fox. He hoped Kamacite wasn’t offended by Roselite’s propensity to stroke his fluffy tail fur and scratch him between the ears.
Roselite, though unhurt, found himself overcome by fatigue. The more tired he was, the worse he felt about his conduct during this mission. He hadn’t disobeyed orders or done anything to endanger anyone (not that he was aware of, at least), but he couldn’t help feeling like a failure, like he hadn’t met expectations. He felt adrift in Bloodstone’s absence, anxious to return to the castle, to the comfort and safety of Bloodstone’s office.
Maybe Bloodstone was right to be angry with him for volunteering.
Roselite watched after those who were descending the lift again. He would follow with Kamacite, but paused at his complaint to glance over the bright lights.
Guine
Strickenized
Roselite is observing the bundles of light and the glow that rushed up them. Roll: 9 + 2 (recon) = 11
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
Offline
Kolina rolled 1 10-sided dice:
9Total: 9 (1-10)
Kolina
Inquisitive Agent
Offline
Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2023 2:45 pm
Super Corrupt Heliodor HP: 75 The time spent resting was needed. Helio made sure to treat Faustite as best he could. With the General only half conscious it wasn't too terrible a task, but that elevated body temperature made it a tad bit challenging. Still he got the job done and continued to stay at the boys side. So when Faustite rose and made his way back down to the lower levels via the elevator, Heliodor was right on his heels.
First thing he noted was how quiet the room was. Nothing was moving. The youma were gone. Galvorn was missing.
Helio stayed at Faustites side until he noted Tama and Taenite making their way to the large pile of dust where he had last remembered seeing Galvorn. He paused a moment to brush a hand across the General’s shoulder, swift enough to only feel the warm heat through the uniform, before slipping over to join the two to see what the mauvian had found. The necklace and ring were a curiously interesting find.
meig1hei
Helio joining Tama. Hope it's ok.
stricken1ized
Helio joining Tama in checking out the ring and necklace 9 +1=10
Jadarite thought that the turn of events had led to less than maximum efficiency.
If everyone had listened to Jet from the beginning, they might have been able to reason with Galvorn. If everyone had listened to Fausite, they might have been able to dust him. As it was, it only took a glance around the emptied room to see that he'd managed to abscond with most of his research.
At least no one had died in the crossfire.
That had been Jada's main focus for this mission, when it came to the responsibility that she herself held.
Of course she came down with the others to rifle through what was left here. The boxes of weapons were what caught her attention first, and she went over to see if there was anything unusual about their contents. Knight symbols stamped into their pommels, for example, given that it seemed Galvorn had been something of a double agent.
Rolling Arseno and Chambersite General Arsenopyrite 3 + 1 = 4
The mission had been... less than successful in Arseno's eyes. While he didn't mention it out loud, he had been disappointed that the General hadn't been confronted further. They could have found a way to trap them themselves possibly, or gotten more information.
Now he was gone. And when, where, and what he would do next were all up in the air. He would be dangerous and something to look out for when anyone explored the Rift. When he finally found Ödön again and could communicate with the Youma, he would be asking it specifically to keep an eye out for the General.
Still, there seemed to be a few clues left though not as much as they would have wanted. The General would know the most and without being able to make him see that they were Agents, he wouldn't be telling them anything, not yet at least. The information that he was against the Knights however was telling. Clearly he wasn't in league with them then, or hadn't been.
He had followed Faustite, Beni, and the others back down and allowed himself to look at the disheveled papers, hoping that he would find something that he hadn't seen before.
Chambersite could also feel a mixture of anger, annoyance, and disappointment as he rode the elevator back down and was greeted with the sight of the now unseen General. He scoffed, annoyed that they had been told to back down. How was that supposed to help?! All they did was lose the General and him being crazy, who knew what would happen to him!
He looked around for a moment to see if Roquefort had hung around and found anything. He couldn't see the rat right away, which hopefully meant he was snout-deep in something interesting.
For his part Chambersite moved to investigate the sword that was where Galvorn once stood, wondering why this one in particular had been left behind, while the others appeared to have been taken with the General.
Strickenized
Arseno is looking at the scattered papers and Chambersite is wondering what Roquefort may have been able to find and inspecting the sword that was left
Sleet Tempest Snape
Joined but went to inspect the papers, perhaps they can combine info
SSBrosB
Springtime Noob
Offline
Strickenized
Garbage Cat
Offline
Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2023 7:11 pm
When Taenite, Tama, Bellalunae and Heliodor observed the ring on a chain, they found that it was a simple sterling silver ring with a small amethyst in a sturdy setting. Nothing about it spoke of knight allegiances or magic, but for the smallest carving of a Pluto symbol that glowed with a dying light. Those who handled the ring would find that it did not burn them as the decoy rings had. Rather, when they brushed a finger or a thumb over the symbol, they unlocked a message that had dwindled to only sound embedded in time:
"I get it, Arnaud. I understand that you will never return to us from the Negaverse. I understand that they have given you everything you could want, but for the friendships you left behind. I understand that the oath we swore together must seem childish to you now, when you sit surrounded by weapons and traps and research. We can all admit that your ambitions have delivered you much farther than our group.
"But you must understand, by now, that you sit alone at the top of your ill-gotten facility. You are surrounded only by your weapons, only by your research, and never by good company.
"I've met Chelonium. I know he's been in contact with you. If you take nothing from my message, even if you dismiss the friendship we still offer you, know that he will be your undoing.
"Arnaud — Galvorn — take my pendant. No matter your allegiance, it will protect you, just as I always have."
What Andesine, Jet, Seraphinite and Arsenopyrite would find in the scattered mess of papers was a combination of youma sketches, weapon sketches, and recorded experiments for forging weapons with the crucible at the center of the room. Some of the notes make mention that the crucible ran much hotter than one would expect, and felt cool to the touch on the outside even when filled with molten material. Depending on what was placed inside it, the inscriptions on the crucible glowed, though Galvorn had yet to uncover the reason for that change.
Other notes detailed anecdotes and observations about rings when placed into the crucible, which was to say that they all — unsurprisingly — turned to slag.
Then there were the drawings of people, followed by an arrow, followed by various youma drawings. Some anecdotes were scribbled into the corners, concerning how another officer had reported a woman transforming into an undead coyote when she became a youma, and another account detailed an agent in the field who spontaneously youmafied while their fellow officers attempted triage. Written above it all was how does this happen?
The crucible looked simple to the group, but magical things could seldom be so straightforward. The crucible gave off a similar foreboding as the ornate dagger that Aquamarine passed to Faustite and a similar twisting, nauseating sense that its purpose was far beyond that of a heat-resistant glorified pot. Where youma had gleefully tramped all over Galvorn's chambers, none had breached this room, nor had they visited this peculiar contraption.
It was clear that it was never commissioned by Galvorn, though how it ended up in his possession was unknown. It was evident that he hadn't yet figured out the best method to use this crucible, but he had tried nonetheless to make weapons from it. If Borax, Faustite, Benitoite, Aquamarine or Witherite looked into it, they would find more of the peculiar broken daggers that had been stored in the main area. No sign of any rings or shapeshifting weapons.
What was left in the boxes were only a smattering of usable weapons. Two boxes contained piles of broken daggers that were found by Ransomite and Jadarite. On initial inspection, they looked like worthless hoards of shrapnel, but perhaps there was more to them than a first glance would entail.
Curiously, the easel had some pages about the orate dagger found earlier, though these pages looked older than the others. The penmanship was not in the tight, neat scrawl that littered the other pages Taenite, Cymophane, Benitoite, and Arsenopyrite seen earlier. It was heavily damage, likely from before the incidents of the day, but some of its information was still discernible. The weapon was not made by the facility, nor did it seem to work as one expected a weapon should.
The light was a curious phenomenon, and Kamacite and Roselite would find that the brightened lights coincided with the increase in energy reserves. Before, they had dwindled to minutes left before they would need to recharge the building, but now it seemed that the counter had maxed out. Had something happened to more fully connect the building with the crystalline sources of energy in the Rift, or had something happened within the building that loosed an enormous amount of energy?
Perhaps they wouldn't find the answer in the building itself. There were too many coincidences afoot to make a singular determination with certainty, but there were a few suppositions to be had. After Galvorn's dusting came this power surge, and with it went all the monochromatic splotches where Pluto sigils had kept magic and weapons bound up in eternity. Those sigils were now no more than carvings on the floor or wall.
Chambersite would find that the sword had dust swept across it, as if it tasted the flesh of a youma. It was likely, then, that either Galvorn attacked one of the youma that had visited the area, or vice versa.
When Roquefort returned to Chambersite, it hadn't 'found' anything per se. However it conveyed language to its General, it may report that Galvorn used the sword on himself.
