Wendy gets a silk robe for Carmen.
Her eyes fall to the bare midriff as she offers the robe. She smirks a little.
Wesley drops off the local food. "Ziss mentioned our other option, which is for her to sneak into their command building and get a look at the maps. She could get an idea of where to go straightaway. Obviously, if she's caught we'll have a fight on our hands.
"You want me to tell her to try that?"
Wendy shakes her head. ”It sounds like we’re better off waiting, and moving when we must. Isn’t Ziss just buying time until she can teleport us again anyway? If we’re all in the lamp it must be easier… isn’t it?”
Diego did not take any rest or relief in the lamp-paradise. He simply paced about like a lion in a cage, or sat tensely in a corner.
Wendy offers Diego a bunch of grapes and asks, ”Would you like to sit for a moment?”
She is currently clad in a blue robe, and her hair is still wet from her bath… and still red because she lacks the proper hair products to remove the dye. (And the experience… she might need Daphne or Carmen to help with that.)
As she invites Diego to sit with her, her eyes fall to the red ace.
"All right. Hang tight. Unless there's really something sus about the prisoner transport, we'll stay out of trouble." With that, Arcanum exits the lamp and rejoins Ziss.
Ziss eyes Wes. "So, we going wif de transport?" She asks.
"Yes. Everyone is good with us keeping a low profile. Hopefully there won't be any problems with the prisoner," Wes replies.
"Hopefully, because everyfing always goes according to de plan." She says, joking.
Ziss and Wes pass the night in the outpost, taking their meals in the mess hall and sleeping in the barracks. The soldiers keep a close watch on them, but fortunately none seem interested in engaging in small talk. The rest of the team rests comfortably inside the magic lamp.
The next morning, a squad of soldiers dons their armor as they fire up a craft resembling a hovering ship with large solar sails to provide power. As Ziss and Wes watch, two soldiers escort their prisoner onto the vehicle. The prisoner is ensconced inside a suit of sleek power armor that conceals their features, but both heroes recognize them by reputation. It’s Armorer, one of Tumbler’s villainous contacts!
What do you do?
Ziss looks dumbfounded at the Armorer. "How? How did he get here? World traveling should not be so easy... First dose cyborgs looking for me, now de Armorer is here?" She discreetly asks Wes. "Do you fink dose fings are connected?"
Wesley is also stunned at the unexpected appearance of the Armorer. He stares with his mouth half open, until Ziss's questions pull him out of his dumbfoundedness. "Wow. I have no idea. Calling it coincidence seems naive, but I can't believe there's any other way to explain it."
He thinks for a moment. "Tumbler needs to know about this. I need to pop inside the lamp and tell her. Can you cover for me? Or should we wait until we're underway? I'd hate to be unaccounted for and then show back up on the transport."
"You can take de lamp to de bafroom. Just don't take too long, ok?" She says.
Wesley looks unsure. "Okay, but can you stand outside? I don't like the lamp to be unattended for long."
He steps into the bathroom after confirming that Ziss will guard the door. He then checks to make sure it's unoccupied before jumping inside the lamp.
"Carmen! We saw the prisoner! It's the Armorer! At least, it looks like their power armor exactly! What do you think we should do?"
Wendy lets Carmen speak to this, but the fact she’s doing an inventory check on her gadgets (well, gadget) might make her position very clear.
Tumbler looks up in confusion. "Wait, what?" She asks. "That doesn't seem likely...you sure it's not just some other person wearing power armor? Wait, did they have a silver middle finger on their left hand? Armorer lost that in a fight with Galatia Nine from that weird period a couple years back that all of time and space sort of blended together? Like, probably the third EOTW event that year actually," Tumbler says, comfortably lounging in a silk robe and eating grapes.
"But I'm feeling fairly comfortable right now. I mean, if you do get a chance to help him out I would think they'd appreciate it. Doesn't have to be anything big, maybe their chains suddenly become a little loose. No need for you to break cover or anything," She says, not overly concerned about her contact. "...Though, I suppose it could also be one of the Armorer's replica drones. In which case bringing that with us back to Earth might get a good and juicy favor from them. Lots to consider. Oh, yeah, Wes, can this sanctum of yours resupply Wendy at all? Like, you never stashed any of her toys here?"
"Didn't look at their middle finger, no. Because it was in power armor. I don't know if we can pull off a rescue, or even assist in his escape without causing a big fight. But... Ziss and I will look for the opportunity. Sound good?"
He shakes his head about Wendy's gear, but gestures to the displays of powerful artifacts.
Then he exits the lamp and rejoins Ziss. "Carmen thinks we'd be owed big if we helped Armorer out. But she thinks it might be a drone and not the real Armorer. So, we should just watch, and maybe find a way to help him without a lot of risk to us."
Wendy takes a look at those artifacts (while munching on dates).
"Hum, I fink we should try to discover what was de crime de Armorer committed... If he did somefing bad, it would be wrong for us to free dem. We are supposed to keep de bad guys locked, no?" She asks Wes.
Ziss then studies the soldiers, paying attention to anyone lingering their eyes on her, or that she could influence in any other way, while also evaluating their combat might.
There are six soldiers in all. Their leader appears to be the equivalent of a sergeant, and with his greater experience, he is likely the biggest threat. Another among the squad seems to be a relatively young recruit, and he seems to be stealing glances at Ziss whenever he thinks nobody is looking. He would likely be susceptible to her words.
As the final preparations for the Armorer's transportation are set in place, Ziss wanders around, apparently aimless, bored and tired. Noticing the glances she is receiving from the young soldier, she takes a deep breath to summon some courage.
She walks around some more, slowly approaching the soldier and when his eyes wander to find her, she is by his side, hoping to surprise and disarm him due to the awkwardness. "Never seen someone with that kind of armor... Seems dangerous enough... Are we really safe going with you?"
The young man's dark cheeks flush when Ziss speaks to him. He chuckles nervously. "There is nothing to fear, miss. We have neutralized the armor's offensive capabilities. And, uh... I'll stay close to you, to make sure you do not come to harm. Okay?"
He glances around before puffing out his chest slightly. "This prisoner? We found them wandering around inside one of our secure installations. They claim they come from another world, if you can believe it! Probably a spy from one of the rival city-states. The councilors will know what to do with them."
Wesley stays off to the side, listening in but not understanding what's being said. He keeps glancing at the Armorer, looking for signs of a silver middle finger, or some other sign of it being the villain or a drone.
"Oh, thank you!" She says as the soldier promises to protect her, and then fakes some surprise at the notion of being from another world. "As if anyone would believe such absurd claim!"
Once she can speak to Wes without the soldiers overhearing them, she tells what she has discovered. "Well, it seems de Armorer has done nofing wrong here... just was caught inside somewhere dey were not supposed to be, and was foolish enough to say dey are from anoder world."
"I wonder how they were able to communicate?" Wes wonders aloud to Ziss.
He thinks for a moment. "Okay, it seems like we should help the Armorer out. And it's really him; I've spotted the silver finger. Rescuing him helps Carmen, and if he's really innocent here, he shouldn't be left to Askara justice.
"Problem is, that's another person you'd need to transport, if the Armorer doesn't have the means of getting back on his own. Can you tell how long it will take you to recharge? If it's bad enough, we can use the W-word, but it'll be costly. And it might tip off the Armorer to what I am, and I don't like people I can't trust knowing that."
"I fink I can bring you home today at nightfall, or tomorrow tops... but we still need to find a door." She tells Wes. "I'll try my best to find one as soon as possible, ok? I do not want you to use your powers."
Said that, Ziss closes takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, trying to focus on the energy that connects all things and worlds...
Ziss extends her senses. For a brief moment, she can feel the potency of the ley lines of Askara, glimpse the connections between this world and Earth. She can sense a nexus of energy coming from the direction of the city-state of Zakabb. It's where the prisoner transport will be heading. The sensation fades, but at least she knows that she's on the right track.
As the sail-ship begins to move, Ziss zones out, tapping into the aether and casting her mind outward. A vision appears before her, a glimpse of the Armorer in their workshop. Another figure approaches to speak with them, but the figure's form is blurry and indistinct, their words muffled and indecipherable. The Armorer offers the figure a carefully wrapped package, and in exchange, the figure give them a small vial of blue and yellow sand--the same type of focus Ziss uses to worldwalk to Askara.
The image dissolves into sand itself, blowing away in an unseen wind, then Ziss returns to her senses.
"Wes, I have de feeling dat someone sent de Armorer here... can't explain how dese feelings work, but dey are usually true, like when I saw de Curator wif de mirror." She says. "We need to discover who and why before we free de Armorer... lets see if we can talk to him."
While Ziss was working on her own solutions, Wesley was thinking of ways he could use his regular powers rather than push himself. "Ziss, would a sand worm be a good distraction? Something that would stop the skiff and get everyone to fight it? I might be able to conjure a construct of one if you describe it to me."
Ziss's best way past the guards to talk to the Armorer would be to sweet talk the one who has a crush on her. She could then use Wes's abilities or Tumbler's thievery skills to free the Armorer. Wes's suggestion about the sandworm would be a good way to distract the guards without hurting them.
"It certainly would!" Ziss says. "It would have to be huge, wif its scales being white but turning into blue, and dat is very important. We are during de day, and sandwurms generally hunt at night... however, when dey get old and bigger, dey lose some sense of time and self-preservation, becoming incredibly dangerous monsters. A very old sandwurm begins to turn blueish instead of sandy-white. De soldiers would probably ignore and try to outrun a young sandwurm, but for sure not an old and crazied blue wurm."
"De problem is dat you've never seen one, I fink, and I'd rader not desire you to just know how one looks like... it would be better if you just show its long scaly body and keep its head hidden, going up and down into de sand, sending sand it everywhere!"
Ziss looks at the guard and the Armorer, deciding what to do. Sighing, she decided to sweet talk the guard again. Ziss comes closer to the guard, all smiling. "Hey... I did not catch your name, if you can give it to me." She asks. "Oh, and, if it would not put you in danger... do you think you could let me see this man from another world?" She says the last part as a joke, showing she doesn't believe it to be true. "This is just so exciting! I had never thought that the life of a soldier could be so... interesting." She adds, looking at the soldier and then glancing back to Wes, trying to look bored at her "husband".
"It's Canto," the soldier says, giving his name. He follows Ziss's gaze to Wes, and a sly smile crosses his lips.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt to let you try to speak to the prisoner. Just don't get to close to them! They are very dangerous."
He glances around to be sure the other soldiers aren't looking, then ushers Ziss into the sail-ship's hold. There, the Armorer sits with their wrists and ankles bound to the deck. The armored figure looks at Ziss, face fully obscured by their helmet.
Excited, Ziss slips inside the ship's hold, getting closer to the Armorer. She glances back at Canto, just to make sure he'd stay behind to watch in case the other soldiers were about to get closer.
To the Armorer, she whispers. "Hello, Armorer... looks like you are far from home. I'm considering freeing you, but dat will depend on you telling me what was your intention in coming to dis world, as well as how you got here, and who sent you." She says, glancing back at the door again. "As you can imagine, you do not have much time."
Arcanum listens closely to Ziss's description of the sand worms and their coloration. He lets her slip away to talk to the guard, not understanding what's being said and not particularly worried. He had to get the sand worm right. He finds a small spot between some crates that will give him a decent viewpoint and some protection when all hell breaks loose.
Assuming bigger is better, Arcanum picks a spot on the rapidly-approaching horizon and conjures up a gigantic sand worm with cracked and bluish scales the size of a battleship!
The Armorer raises their head towards Ziss. "Are you from Earth, too?" they ask, their modulated voice making it hard to identify if the speaker is a man or a woman. "This place... I did not mean to come here. A new client gave me some strange sand as payment for a job. They said it was a key to unlock something valuable, but when I followed their directions to use it, a portal opened up and dumped me here, in the middle of this alien desert! I am out of my element, and my suit is in danger of being compromised. I need it. I can't... I can't survive without it. Please, you need to get me back home!"[/smaller]
A few moments later, the guards on the sailship begin to shout in surprise as they spot the giant worm that Wesley has created! It is moving too fast for them to try out outrun, so they trim the sails and turn broadsides to the oncoming monstrosity! They rush to battle stations, leveling long laser rifles. Canto and another soldier remain on guard outside of the prisoner's hold, but they are the only ones protecting the Armorer at the moment!
"I'll do what I can to free you, but once you are free, you'll not harm de people who locked you... dey are just doing deir jobs." She says, before turning around, just in time for the guards to start to shout.
Ziss leaves the hold and once she sees the huge sandwurm, she screams in horror, looking at Canto. "Just those four will not be able to kill that sandwurm! Please Canto, help them or we'll all die!" She pleads, feeling incredibly guilty for tricking Canto, since if the others discover that the worm was nothing but a trick, the young soldier would for sure be blamed for everything. She looks at the other soldier as well, hoping that her faked distressed screaming would also make him join the other four soldiers.
Canto looks conflicted, but he nods to Ziss before rushing to join the other soldiers! Now only one guard remains...
Ziss rushes back to Wes while the soldiers are busy fighting the fake sandwurm. "Come! I'll need eider your magic or Tumbler to free de Armorer!" She then turns to the remaining soldier, revealing a fully charged helixglove at his chest. "I'm so sorry..." She says as she releases the blast, hoping to either knock him out, or at least keep him from calling help.
Arcanum's eyes come back into focus as Ziss runs up to him. He scowls briefly as trying to do too much might push him too far. "I... I'll get Tumbler. Hang on."
He resumes his focus on the sandworm construct for a moment, causing it to dive entirely below the sand with a loud rumble. With it out of sight, he reasons he should have a few seconds where he won't have to control it. He scans the deck of the skiff to confirm that the guards' attention was fixed on the sands surrounding them, then pops into his lamp.
"Tumbler! You're up!" Arc shouts the moment he appears inside. "I'm faking a sand worm attack. It's a diversion to let you help the Armorer get free. Follow Ziss." With that brief explanation, he exits the lamp with Carmen in tow.
Back outside, Wes reasserts control of the sandworm and rolls it back into view to menace the skiff.
"Ziss, if the Armorer helps fight off the sandworm, would he get a second chance with these Askarans?" he quickly asks before she goes to rescue him.
"It isn't impossible, but his weapons have been neutralized." She says, but then adds. "Not dat it would matter too much, since if we are helping him escape, we are de ones in trouble, specially if dey defeat de wurm and discover it to be a fake... our crimes, in deir eyes, would be far worse dan his."
Wesley gives Ziss a wink. "Ziss, one of my favorite movies is Jaws. Remind me to show it to you when we're home."
Arcanum turns back and controls the psychic construct, sending it rumbling through the sand directly beneath the boat! "He is a smart big fish! He's gone under the boat!" he mutters to himself while humming the music.
The guard raises the butt of his rifle and swings at Ziss, even as she discharges her hexiglove! The blast hurls him against the far wall of the hold, knocking him out!
The rest of you have an opportunity to act while Arcanum distracts the other guards.
A rather scantily dressed (At least for Tumbler) thief pops out of the lamp, blinking and looking over the Armorer and scowling as she takes some picks out of her top. "You know, you could have just brought them into the lamp," She points out to Wes as she gets to work. They are not what she would call standard locks, but physics and her innate ferrokinetic powers helped to bridge that gap of knowledge for her.
Then again, this was not the ideal environment to be working in while a sandworm rampaged outside. "Okay, seriously, I can't focus like this!" She tells Wes.
Distractedly, Arcanum responds, "The sandworm's not real, and I have a strict 'tell no villains about the you-know-what' policy."
Ziss recoils as she is hit in the face, causing her nose to bleed and a split on her lip. "Jrack!" She exclaims, not feeling sorry for the soldier anymore. She knees by his side, looking for the keys to free the Armorer.
"Tumbler! Is that you? What are you wearing?" the Armorer asks as the former thief fumbles with the magnetic restraints. Her inability to manipulate them is extremely frustrating, adding to her stress in an already stressful situation.
Ziss does not find a key for the Armorer's restraints on the unconscious guard. It's likely that only the commander has control over them!
Arcanum focuses on controlling the sandworm in menacing fashion. He has it kick up a plume of sand and dust to obscure the psychic construct and threaten the skiff guards without harming them too much.
Ziss is frowns as she enters the hold and see the Armorer still locked. "Can't we just blast de restraints? She asks as she charges her gloves and tries to blast them!
Arcanum keeps the other guards focused on the sandworm construct, the sand and dust eliciting hopeless cries!
"No, wait!" Armorer shouts as Ziss charges her gloves. But it's too late, as the energy ricochets off of the restraints and slams back into Ziss, throwing her across the hold!
"They're protected by a forcefield," Armorer finishes lamely.