She sits on the edge next to him. Her dress is fairly messed up at this point.
"Um. I can feel like there's a thing all over. And it got stronger when I got here with the owls. And then it got really stronger when you got here too."
Mech Hanger
"Thanks," he said, before running back into the hangar, the brand new blast doors slamming shut behind him..[/b]
Doors sealing him into the building sized area, and illumination on full along with sigils etched into the walls, Jeran runs back into the hanger and instantly realizes the following:
Stepping backwards, the Mech tears through the assembly that's in place, it's face seemingly shaping into a sneering laughter of sorts, though no sound comes through. Coiling for a strike with the wide hand, to try squash Jeran like a bug. Dodging SUV sized palms is going to be tricky without proper timing. Stopping, or deflecting the area of affect blows with it's apparent strength, even trickier.
From his suit, the audio speaks, "You cannot save everything, shifter, prepare for oblivion!"
"Fine, I'll be back!" He shouts and pushes the cart with all of his prodigious strength, and beating his large wings to push himself foward
Kevin starts to run/fly after Dave, but he stops for a moment to hand Jeran a glass vial of green substance. Even the seal is glass, to keep it from eating through.
"Here. This'll eat through any metal. Just be sure to chuck it as far from you as you can. It'll dry out in under three minutes."
Verdurous Ooze with Bottled Ooze discovery. Lasts 16 rounds. Not under anyone's control.
With that, he runs after Dave.
"We've got to get through this quickly."
He'll help with the pod, if he won't slow Dave down.
The two move along with haste, the pod continues it's 'thrashing' but, clearly whatever is in there, not enjoying the pod's containment.
[b]"Fiends see light in the ten micrometer range, which is deep in the infrared zone, thus their ability to see in darkness and even darkness spells which rarely affect light in that range.
"no, they don't, if they did, the colors wouldn't match up with what everyone else sees, they wouldn't see color, they'd see heat, and while many can do that too, they can see color even in absolute darkness"
She sits on the edge next to him. Her dress is fairly messed up at this point.
"Um. I can feel like there's a thing all over. And it got stronger when I got here with the owls. And then it got really stronger when you got here too."
Sara, do you remember when I took you into another place to see your ma? Is it anything like that?
Lang is genuinely concerned but is a little confused at all of this, he continues to look for ways to get more information without upsetting Sara.
"All sight is seeing heat. Light is generated by heat, different amounts of heat generate different frequencies. Every sense functions on some mechanic. Color is specific to the mechanic of seeing multiple frequencies of heat. Other sense mechanics can have analogies that are similar, such as smelling different scents, but can never have color."
With the fire having been taken care of, Vickory finds a tall tree and climbs to the top for a good look around.
Lysander takes her hand and smiles.
"Try not to follow, Chronos. You won't like where I'm going." He tells the Patron before he and Ephebe are engulfed in sand and disappear.
The next thing Ephebe knows she's standing in an oasis, not far from a single log stuck upright in the ground like a marker.
Ephebe looked around curiously. "Where are we? No...that's not important now, I guess. We have a lot to talk about. Which do you want to hear about first: why I'm avoiding Avalon for the next few hours or how Kronos has found the ultimate way to cheat the system?" She was trying to put a bright face on things, but he knows her well enough to know that she's angry and scared.
"Ya. I think it feels kinda the same. Do you know what it is?"
"That'd be nice. Thanks... uh. Should I come with you or stay here?"
She doesn't seem to be up on social conventions. Definitely a new firebird.
"Up to you....is that your friend in the bed? It looks like he's asleep. He probably won't even notice if you come sit in the waiting room instead. But I can bring your drink to you if you'd prefer to sit with him. What do you want to do?" she asked. She didn't seem to be in any hurry at the moment.
"I can guess. Did he decide that, since Light cheated by having a champion from another timeline that he'd just bring them all in?" Lysander asks as he goes to sit down a few feet from the log, looking at it with an expression Ephebe couldn't quite place..
"I can guess. Did he decide that, since Light cheated by having a champion from another timeline that he'd just bring them all in?" Lysander asks as he goes to sit down a few feet from the log, looking at it with an expression Ephebe couldn't quite place..
"Yeah, pretty much that. The thing is that since Kronos exists at all points in time at once, well.....if you're ever his Champion, then you always are. We don't actually have a way out. He's brought Aurix and Veesha back from the dead too. Which is going to be a problem. Especially Aurix. He's the type to burn down the universe just to prove he's right while going on and on about how all of his actions are for the greater good. I...I think Kronos just started a war with himself." She paced back and forth as she spoke, full of nervous energy.
"I am well aware of what's going on, Ephebe. Your amulet is fueling my old abilities, and they aren't quite the same as yours. I will handle Aurix if you'll help me now. You asked where we were before?" He points at the log. "Welcome to the Eveir Oasis, the final resting place of Anwar."
"I am well aware of what's going on, Ephebe. Your amulet is fueling my old abilities, and they aren't quite the same as yours. I will handle Aurix if you'll help me now. You asked where we were before?" He points at the log. "Welcome to the Eveir Oasis, the final resting place of Anwar."
"Oh," she said, not really sure what to say. "I'm sorry," she added in a small voice.
She took a deep breath. "What do you need me to do?"
"Help me bring him back. At this point in time we just need to turn his time back one year and two days."
"Help me bring him back. At this point in time we just need to turn his time back one year and two days."
"I hate to even ask, but....what are the chances we actually destroy the universe by doing this? Because I've already got one potentially universe ending event that's my fault, and I don't think adding another one is good idea. I'm no fan of Kronos. He put me through hell - literally- just to gain the ruthlessness he needed to commit this crime. I just....was he actually wrong? I need to know."
"Anwar won't be as strong as he was before, having lost his source, but it'll be a start to evening the playing field. If you want to see ruthlessness, consider this: you don't know where or when you are and I do. What are the chances you'll get back to Avalon -in the right timeline- in time?" He pauses, then smiles. "Kronus made me ruthless too. Far more than you were in any timeline. I still didn't do everything he wanted. I'll get you back wether you help me or not. The only question is if you'll help me."
"I just met him like half an hour ago. And most of that he spent asleep while the scary psych lady worked on him. It was cool when he was shooting lasers, but I'm not really sure if I need to watch him sleep. The nurse said I should, but I've been stuck in a room doing nothing for a long time now. I think I'd rather go with you."
She stands and straightens out her khakis.
"Anwar won't be as strong as he was before, having lost his source, but it'll be a start to evening the playing field. If you want to see ruthlessness, consider this: you don't know where or when you are and I do. What are the chances you'll get back to Avalon -in the right timeline- in time?" He pauses, then smiles. "Kronus made me ruthless too. Far more than you were in any timeline. I still didn't do everything he wanted. I'll get you back wether you help me or not. The only question is if you'll help me."
The corner of her mouth turned up just a little. "Well, we could argue about who's more ruthless, but I think the time would be better spent bringing back Anwar. I'll help you."
"I just met him like half an hour ago. And most of that he spent asleep while the scary psych lady worked on him. It was cool when he was shooting lasers, but I'm not really sure if I need to watch him sleep. The nurse said I should, but I've been stuck in a room doing nothing for a long time now. I think I'd rather go with you."
She stands and straightens out her khakis.
"Yeah, you don't have to wait here then. Especially for someone you barely know. Come on, we can get some refreshments and talk if you want. Or you can leave and go do other stuff. I'm just bored out of my skull since I'm waiting to hear how my best friend is doing. It's probably going to be a long while before I even get a progress report. So I would love the company. But I won't blame you one bit if you just want to get out of here," she said, smiling.
Lysander got up and hugged Ephebe very, very briefly before taking the amulet out and holding it over the log that was now clearly a grave marker.
"Let's do this quickly."
Jeran doesn't try to take on the mech directly, not liking the idea of being squished like a bug. He runs and dodges as best he can.
He tumbles past the large crushing hand and attempts to throw the vial Kevin gave him onto the sensor array..
Lysander got up and hugged Ephebe very, very briefly before taking the amulet out and holding it over the log that was now clearly a grave marker.
"Let's do this quickly."
She nodded. "Just tell me what you need me to do."
"Hold on to the chain and just give it more power to use. I'll channel it from there and soon we'll have an ally against Aurix." Lysander was actually happy to have even a semblance of his Championship back, especially now that he had a chance and vengeance!
"All sight is seeing heat. Light is generated by heat, different amounts of heat generate different frequencies. Every sense functions on some mechanic. Color is specific to the mechanic of seeing multiple frequencies of heat. Other sense mechanics can have analogies that are similar, such as smelling different scents, but can never have color."
With the fire having been taken care of, Vickory finds a tall tree and climbs to the top for a good look around.
"no you are wrong! Wrong wrong wrong!" He says punctuating each exclamation with a tail slap upon the ground and the rain that strikes him evaporates immiedietly into steam, though he doesn't seem to radiate much heat
"Clearly, neither of us will convince the other, so lets move on to the next topic, like figuring out where we are." Vickory looks around and sees the school. So she makes her way down rather smoothly and starts off. " Turns out we are indeed near the school. This way." catching up to the girl, "The front gate is on that side. So we should arrive from that direction. I don't know what kind of wards block the other approaches, and I'd rather not have everyone think we are up to no good."
"Hold on to the chain and just give it more power to use. I'll channel it from there and soon we'll have an ally against Aurix." Lysander was actually happy to have even a semblance of his Championship back, especially now that he had a chance and vengeance!
"Got it," she said, grabbing hold of the chain and sending as much power through it as she could muster. There was no way she was going to just sit back and let Aurix run loose. That bastard had nearly wiped out her species once. And she had children to think of. The power surged when she thought of them, stronger than it should have been.
Took that power and merged it with his fire, sending it into the ground and into Anwar's remains, reversing the flow of time. He worked carefully, diligently, putting every cell back in its place just before the time of death. For him the work took years, but outside of him and the power only a few seconds passed.
Then instant Anwar was alive again Lysander blasted the sand away and let go of the amulet to jump into the grave and pull the coughing, wheezing half-elf out. One that looked a little younger than Lysander.
"Tookkk you long en-enough, Sandy." He manages to say between retching up sand.
"Shut up, Ann, it was only just over a year for you." Lysander mutters, holding the other half-elf up.
With the carts finally brought into the lab space, Repp finally seems to relax, moving a bit off to the side and looking around the room with a casual demeanor, obviously curious.
Tamrin nods to Keme as he and the other student come in. He is about to go back to work on his Datapad when he notes the behavior of this second person. The brazenness of the timing was...impressive, if nothing else.
Not changing his posture or his facial expression, he does indeed return his attention to his Datapad - but now for a new reason. After pulling up and reading the (not-surpisingly) sparse file on his new subject, he sends a brief telepathic message to his wife:
::We've got another player at the table trying to get into Avalon. I'm dealing with this...Now.::
And then Tamrin mentally triggers one of his new contingencies to deal with new threats....and Repp disappears without preamble.
The adolescent gnome is now in a plain, white room with no apparent way out. The only appointments present at the moment are a table and a pair of chairs.
"Ya. I think it feels kinda the same. Do you know what it is?"
Lang looks to her, a little worried combined with curiosity.
Sara, do you want to go see what that is? its ok if you are a little scared.
Finally deciding that he cannot simply put Ginni's mind back in order and do nothing to help her heal from the trauma caused by the memories he is witnessing, he quickly slips these new, gentler memories into their places in her mind.
Examining the memories that have collected as well as those that he guided into place, Phaezeriel searches them for the signs of madness that such emotional trauma invariably left behind.
With infinite care and patience, and a will sharpened to make the best scalpel seem an unwieldy club, Phaezeriel loosens and draws free from her mind the thorns, coiling the vines around themselves and holding them tightly so they cannot get loose. As each memory cluster is freed, a small burst of psychic power focused by Phaezeriel's mind burns the tendrils of madness till there is nothing left.
Her memories are left intact and complete. But the nagging self-doubt, insecurity, and other insanities left by having lived through those memories will be purged from her.
Tamrin nods to Keme as he and the other student come in. He is about to go back to work on his Datapad when he notes the behavior of this second person. The brazenness of the timing was...impressive, if nothing else.
Not changing his posture or his facial expression, he does indeed return his attention to his Datapad - but now for a new reason. After pulling up and reading the (not-surpisingly) sparse file on his new subject, he sends a brief telepathic message to his wife:
** spoiler omitted **
And then Tamrin mentally triggers one of his new contingencies to deal with new threats....and Repp disappears without preamble.
The adolescent gnome is now in a plain, white room with no apparent way out. The only appointments present at the moment are a table and a pair of chairs.
Repp had just turned to address Raelle with a quickly concealed expression of surprise, when he is unceremoniously jerked away from the lab, leaving Raelle to speak with an empty space in the lab.
Repp quickly looks around this new space. His eyes glow momentarily as he sweeps the room with his gaze, before he shrugs, and takes to one of the oversized chairs, reclining non-chalantly.
Ardiente was trading glances between Raelle and the food carts when Repp suddenly vanishes from the lab. While this isn't an out-of-place occurance at Avalon, it does momentarily startle Ardiente, and he half-drops into a defensive earthbending form before realizing there's no threat.
"Huh, that was a bit rude." he says offhandedly, straightening out.
Status quo ante, as the young firebird stands abashed, a bit awkward at his overreaction.
Anahita looks to say something, then shuts her mouth after a moment, a slight flurry of emotion behind the expression of the dark skinned Keleshite.
"I apologize for pursuing the topics. I will refrain in the future. Do you have plans for this evening?"
She looks down at her empty tray and plate of sushi, then back up. Any indication of hearing voices and such elsewhere non-existent at this time.
"Pfft, don't hold yourself back just cause I can't keep up. That's not way to do things." she said with a dismissive wave of her hand as another french fry met their doom. "I'm guessing with that accent that common isn't your first language. Maybe try to dumb it down a bit for lil' old me?" Illithia continued mischeiviously, playing her words up a bit with a finger playing absently with her lip in a classic 'airhead' manuveur. Her colouration has shifted back to that pleasantly playful purple pigment.
With a glare for those who would isolate her once more, Alys stalks from the room with a stiff back. Though she is in her human form, her angry bearing still conveys the sense of bristling fur.
She stops a little ways from the room and writes on her tablet, showing the message to Ehos, I need to get something to eat. I am tired and hungry and it is making me more irritable than I normally am. A couple of the letters in the first sentence have small rips in the paper.
She takes a deep breath and writes again, more calmly, Sorry. I should not have lost my temper. Master Xianyu would be very disappointed in me for that.
Ehos just shakes his head and offers and pained smile. 'That's alright. Everyone's just a little high strung after this past weekend I think. Doesn't help that Avalon seems to have an end of the world every other week, so folks always seem to be a little bit alarmist about things.'
'I'll come with you for some lunch, I'm pretty hungry myself.' Again, his expression seems pained, but he's clearly trying not to be bothered by his aching head.
Took that power and merged it with his fire, sending it into the ground and into Anwar's remains, reversing the flow of time. He worked carefully, diligently, putting every cell back in its place just before the time of death. For him the work took years, but outside of him and the power only a few seconds passed.
Then instant Anwar was alive again Lysander blasted the sand away and let go of the amulet to jump into the grave and pull the coughing, wheezing half-elf out. One that looked a little younger than Lysander.
"Tookkk you long en-enough, Sandy." He manages to say between retching up sand.
"Shut up, Ann, it was only just over a year for you." Lysander mutters, holding the other half-elf up.
Ephebe sank to her knees when Lysander jumped into the pit, barely able to see she was so exhausted. Even with her natural healing, it would be an hour or longer until she was back to normal. She didn't have that long. She pulled out her Caster and loaded a shell with shaking hands before shooting herself with a lesser restoration.
As the fog of exhaustion cleared from her mind she started to process what she had just heard.
"Wait, wait....you planned this?...." Surprise gave way to the fires of anger as she started to work through the implications. "You. Planned. This," she said through gritted teeth, her eyes taking on their draconic appearance. "You have a lot to ansewr for, 'Sander. The reasons you gave before don't add up now," she said coldly, throwing his medallion at him.
As Midori walks with Sun and Grim back towards the reception, she seems pensive, still holding the silken package from Lang rather reverently.
"Sun-san, may I ask you a question?" she intones as they near the reception hall.
He catches it easily and helps Anwar out of the pit, placing him against the grave marker.
"Calm down, hatchling. I didn't plan this as thoroughly as you think. I was always going to bring Anwar back to life, I just wasn't sure how.until an opportunity presented itself. Thank you, by the way, thus means a lot."
"Now," he continues, "Anwar is still going to be a great help fighting Aurix and-"
"You mean I get a second chance at that overgrown gila monster?!" Anwar says suddenly, cutting Lysander off. "Amazing! I thought he'd be dead before you brought me back, Sandy!"
"Could we try to be a bit more tactful around the current Champion of Time?" Lysander asks, shaking his head. "Ephebe, I don't know why you're this upset and surprised. Your family has a history of saving its members, doesn't it?"
As Midori walks with Sun and Grim back towards the reception, she seems pensive, still holding the silken package from Lang rather reverently.
"Sun-san, may I ask you a question?" she intones as they near the reception hall.
Sun looks at Midori rather curiously, Sure. I guess.
Mech Hanger
Jeran doesn't try to take on the mech directly, not liking the idea of being squished like a bug. He runs and dodges as best he can.
1d20+30
He tumbles past the large crushing hand and attempts to throw the vial Kevin gave him onto the sensor array..
1d20+24
With a fling of the vial, it sores through the air, illuminated as it is, and shatters nicely against the sensor array.
The Mech, does the oddest thing, it cries out in a sort of pleasured pained way-- through the suit's channel.
"aaryaah-- ear.. aaaah.. such delightful toys, Shifter! And now, the very essence of my existence, to destroy this divine touched body?! I quiver," and the Mech does, seeming to ripple like fluid metal, "at your touch from a distance. Let me end your pain of life! Stand still-- oh, what is this?"
It's just then that Jeran hears something he may rather have not heard, though is keenly familiar with, a tingle in Jeran's ki reminding him of the interface he *should* have when the Mech preps the auto-cannon.
"Hmm... yes, slug throwing weapons. Wonderful." The housing slides open revealing the auto-cannons and a few other weaponry that appear now functional, and the hum of internal power systems appear to start churning up from within the Mech. Whoever is at the wheel is finding how to turn things on.
Aim and such, though, against a small humanoid-- the difference is the classic Giant versus Dwarf situation, only more so.
The Mech does fire, but, aim is tricky for now. The noise in the hanger increases considerably. The thickness of smoke and decay, acid eaten metals and particles from ripping and moving, are filling the sealed hanger.
Dorm Room
Walking into the room, there would be an immediate ...juxtaposition of locations, as soon as passing the doorway.
To the right, a few feet in, sand and warmth can be seen and felt, from the desert like view of a tented 'room', pillows and the like, neatly maintaining the semblance of one half of the space. Various oasis plants, large palms and leafy bushes, adorn what appears to be trickling stream, that leads towards the back, obscured by tent in the similar direction of the other 'restroom'.
There is, however, depending on one's senses, nothing personalized about the scene- no pictures, no items of clothing, merely the basics and very little else. The distinctive nature of it though, is heat and nature. Cotton cloth, tree cut staves, things along those lines.
As for her side, however the school would prepare for a newcomer, and a Firebird at that.
1d20+21+2
Fei spends a fraction of a second too long contemplating the permutations of this room being filled with sand, and the bolt of lightning finds its mark.
1d20+10
1d20+45As the tremendous discharge of energy courses through him the young monk explodes into motion, closing the distance between himself and Vai in barely a heartbeat while navigating the obstacles between them with seemingly little effort.
Capitalizing on his momentum, Fei tries to slam his open palm into her abdomen in an attempt to literally knock the wind out of her lungs and prevent her from further action for at least a few seconds.
1d20+452d8+30
1d10 =5d6
With a tremendous force, Fei strikes his target with unerring precision, his open palm impacting directly in the sternum of his foe. There's an immediate backlash as a static shock rips up Fei's outstretched arm, in addition to a wet cough as his foe's blood is ejected from her mouth to spray across the nanosuit.
During all this, the silica pouring into the room increases ten-, twenty-, a hundred-, a thousand-fold, and begins violently whipping about the room. The sensors Fei is hacked into are robust, but even these are struggling with the sheer magnitude of particulate flying about the room. The sensors can still be tightened to specific areas, but their effectiveness is being hampered.
Another bolt of lightning streaks out from the storm, leaving behind a trail of glassed sand as it sizzles towards it's target.
Through all the chaos, Fei's target darts away again, clearly aiming to gain the upper hand through control of the battlefield before directly attacking. Her signature vanishes into the sandstorm... though the extreme static in the room indicates she's still lurking somewhere.
"Pfft, don't hold yourself back just cause I can't keep up. That's not way to do things." she said with a dismissive wave of her hand as another french fry met their doom. "I'm guessing with that accent that common isn't your first language. Maybe try to dumb it down a bit for lil' old me?" Illithia continued mischeiviously, playing her words up a bit with a finger playing absently with her lip in a classic 'airhead' manuveur. Her colouration has shifted back to that pleasantly playful purple pigment.
Studying her conversation partner at length, it's clear Anahita's not sure what's going on at this point-- or more importantly, lost any semblance of keeping her expression devoid of ...well, expressing.
"I ... you are confusing me. I asked what plans you might have when the sun sets. If--" She pauses and seems to consider those words. Were just prior disbelief and confusion, then calm and stillness.
Looking away now, towards the green of the surrounding trees, she takes a few moments to consider that, then back again.
"I do not understand your intentions in this conversation now and clearly I have failed to socialize properly, again. I will find you again at another time, please excuse me. Thank you for your company, Illithia. Be well." As she moves to stand, the light glint of light against her chain, and shift of white cotton, she moves to take a step and vanishes as usual. A lone ladybug flutters in and lands atop her tray near the table, the hint of dew and sunshine against grass remains.
Pre-Iso
Thrashing at the confides of the pod's walls-- there's no shouting or verbalized words, just raw noise of someone not capable of speaking in a language within the pod. One might deduce a fight response to the terror of being in the dark, wrapped in something, and moving.
He catches it easily and helps Anwar out of the pit, placing him against the grave marker.
"Calm down, hatchling. I didn't plan this as thoroughly as you think. I was always going to bring Anwar back to life, I just wasn't sure how.until an opportunity presented itself. Thank you, by the way, thus means a lot."
"Now," he continues, "Anwar is still going to be a great help fighting Aurix and-"
"You mean I get a second chance at that overgrown gila monster?!" Anwar says suddenly, cutting Lysander off. "Amazing! I thought he'd be dead before you brought me back, Sandy!"
"Could we try to be a bit more tactful around the current Champion of Time?" Lysander asks, shaking his head. "Ephebe, I don't know why you're this upset and surprised. Your family has a history of saving its members, doesn't it?"
"Funny you should bring up my family and saving family members now, 'Sander. How many of them did you kill exactly? It made a sick kind of sense when you said it was out of grief and misplaced anger, but it doesn't really track if you were always planning to bring him back. So what was the real reason?"
She was back to pacing. "I don't even know where to start. What did they do that was so terrible? I mean there has to be something. They were his allies," she said, pointing at Anwar. "And their murder was ordered by Aurix. So why did you do it? What is it I don't know? Because you sure as hell better believe that Aurix is going to bring it up, so it's better I hear it from you and while I'm not channeling my not so inner demon lord.""And Aurix is dead. Dead doesn't matter anymore. Kronos has decided to stop following the rules."
"Put me down Rena, now!" Vare shouts as he watches the blast doors slam shut, leaving Jeran trapped in the room with a possessed construct. Vare had seen what those constructs were capable of, and he would be damned if he let one of his students engage it alone.
Rena complies hesitantly, biting her lip in worry. "I'm not letting you go back in alone."
Suddenly, the trashing and movement of the pod catches Vare's attention, and he glances back. His face twists into a grimace but he immediately begins fishing in a pouch and draws forth a scroll, which he passes to David.
"Let him out and cast that on him. It should purge any lesser demon from him. Rena, I need you to stay in contact with him constantly. He might try to leave with his teleporation. Hold onto him at all times. He may still be possessed, and a simple spell like that won't purge a powerful demon." He turns to look at his lifelong friend, an arm on her (newly humanoid) shoulder. "I'll be fine, but he will need you."
With that, Vare focuses his energy and casts a powerful teleport to return him to the recently sealed hangar.
"Because who I was and who I am now are completely different people, Ephebe, something you should understand! Or do I have to remind you what you've done for Kronos? I killed what I believed wrongly were monsters. It's what I was raised to do! I was wrong to kill your ancestors and you were wrong to blindly kill off your brother in who knows how many universes! "