"I know." Ne'veah twirls around appreciatively in the illusory biker leathers. She seems happy with it overlaid upon her feline self, checking herself out with a pleased smile.
She hops on the back of the bike and wraps her arms around him. The speed doesn't appear to bother her, and Gui has to remind himself that given her physical abilities even if they wiped out at full throttle she'd likely still land on her feet.
Ne'veah nuzzles close to Gui, resting her chin on his shoulder as they zoom down the highway. More hours pass as they cruise along the interstate system. Ne'veah keeps him on track, pointing out the exits they should take towards Savannah.
Eventually the scenery changes, pine forests giving way to swampy wetlands and intra-coastal waterways. The air is thick with the humidity of the Southeast, being mere meters above sea level. They reach Savannah, its hoary oak trees and hanging Spanish moss a stark contrast to the concrete, glass, and steel of Halcyon City.
=============
Shayera stays out of most of the side conversations, but when the topic is on the device needed to get her home she nods along intently. "The Maw... is that like a place? Or an organization? Doesn't sound exactly friendly."
"I have no messages for my city; I am only relieved that it remains. If they remember me at all, it would not be with favor. I took the throne once Kraggodan himself died. We were beset with all manner of dangers, orcs from the surface and duergar from below. I could not entrust anyone else to rule. I extended my life unnaturally so that I could continue to provide stability and order. But I lost touch with the people and their needs. They demanded my removal. I resisted at first, but when I realized what I'd done I abdicated my throne and allowed myself to die. Except I'd avoided Magrim for so long, the Dwarven god of death forsook me. I now am nothing but breath in a bottle. That is all that remains of me. It's a fate I accept."
William:
The bottle radiates strong evocation and necromancy. It appears to be an artifact.
The backup school bus eventually arrives and takes Chloe and the other students to school all with excused tardiness. Focusing on her classes is difficult as the day drags on, which is followed by going home to alleviate her father's concerns for her wellbeing.
Finally, she's able to escape and make an appearance as Chroknight at Unity Base.
The two topics most pressing appear to be the unraveling magical scale keeping a powerful dragon locked in human form and a theory that could swap Shayera and Xaiara back to their respective timelines.
Shayera has lurked in the background while waiting for Chroknight to arrive. She stays silent during the science vs. magic conversations, remaining far enough away that anyone without supersensitive hearing would be able to pick up on the discussion anyway.
When Chroknight shows up, Shayera drifts closer. "Hey. I wanted to say, thanks for coming to my rescue the other night." Her voice is slightly strained as if she's holding something back.
Samantha studies the journals and the ciphers, looking to help out by applying her mind to the problem. Intellectually, she grasps some of the core concepts but the laws of magic have a fundamental flaw: belief. Magic works because the user believes it will.
Her observations and acknowledgement that magic is real is not enough. Samantha's grounded, science-based intellect -- her greatest strength -- is the very thing holding her back. Indarius's spell on the scale, if that's what it was, works because he willed it into existence and powered it with aetheric energy. And that, to her mind, is capital-i Impossible.
Fixing it, or remaking it, requires not just accepting that it exists but believing on a scale that would require resetting her brain to a worldview in which painting flames on the side of a car really does make it go faster.
Taking a somewhat lecturing tone, the voice answers.
Dwarven:
"The Onyx Key is the artifact. It appears as a mass of onyx crystals. Breaking off a shard and planting it into the ground will create a tower gate that opens into the Stone Road. A special piece of the Onyx Key is the Sardonyx Shard, which links to the Citadel. That is how you can reach it."
If William casts detect magic, the bottle radiates a strong aura of magic.
The voice now seems quite distressed. One of the small trinkets set out as offerings to the sarcophagi is a glass bottle, and suddenly blue smoke swirls around inside it.
Dwarven:
"The theft of the Onyx Key could be disastrous for Kraggodan," he says. "It creates the gateway towers to the Stone Road, but worse, it opens the path to the Onyx Citadel. I knew it well, as it was my company who used it in our Quest for the Sky. Unfortunately, its repeated use unleashed the elemental horrors within the Citadel, and it threatened our people even as it gave us victory. I beseech you, do not let the thieves activate the sardonyx shard! It links any tower from the Stone Road to the Onyx Citadel!
"Woe unto me, to have played yet another part of causing grief and sorrow to Kraggodan..."
"Dammit," Chloe grumbles, before sending the actual texts she needs to her dad and stepmom about the bus accident and that she was fine.
She turns back to her bandmates. "Has Mr. Harris said anything about what we're doing now? Waiting on a new bus, or are we expected to go home?"
"New bus," Ainsley replies glumly, her phone held to her ear. The rest of the students are honed in on their phones as the paramedics check out each one.
Eventually it's Chloe's turn as a paramedic calls her over and asks her if she's hurt anywhere.
=============
Shayera, numerous paces away from the conversation, looks up from studying the bizarre and cobbled-together console of Clocktower when her name is mentioned.
She throws a thumbs up in the group's direction, then turns her attention back to the supercomputer.
"Theft, you say?!? I was aware of no such thing! This is untenable! The great Sky Citadel Kraggodan owes its very existence to the Onyx Key! It must be recovered!"
It then seems to calm down, speaking more softly.
Dwarven:
"I am already at rest. I know of no other spirits, restless or otherwise, in this place. Nor of a medusa. A snake being came once, and spoke with me at length about the Onyx Key. She was unusual, but very respectful and insightful."
Shayera lets out a whistle of appreciation for the old forgotten subway station which echoes back and forth in the cavernous space. She veers away from Samantha, not intruding upon Indy, Andromeda, and the newcomer or their business. Instead, she laces her fingers behind her head and strolls around Unity Base.
Chloe:
As soon as Chloe starts searching for video of the fight between Indarius and the mystery figure, other students including her bandmates get the idea as well. Before long, she finds a few videos uploaded to InfiniTube within the last couple of minutes.
The "mummy swordsman" thoroughly dominated the fight, looking like they were even toying with Indy by slashing a mark on his scales like some sort of mummified Zorro.
Unfortunately, the blast that knocked over Chloe's bus also sent the people filming the scene flying. She doesn't find any clues to the figure's whereabouts.
Aquarelle:
Getting influence on Ne'veah was agreeing to go with her to her family, so you have it.
Ne'veah takes a few moments to think. "I did tell Grandmama I was coming... F&$% it. Let's go."
She starts off running alongside Gui's bike, effortlessly keeping pace with him down the winding road leading away from Daedalus. Once they reach the highway and he's able to open up the throttle, Ne'veah shifts to her panther form and stays with him even as he reaches speeds of 120 kmh!
Every so often, Gui loses sight of her while he weaves around vans, trucks, and buses, but then he spots her loping along in the highway median! It becomes something of a game, with him throttling up on straightaways while she catches him when he's forced to slow down due to traffic or turns. Other times, he loses sight of her for long stretches and then he spots her on the side of a truck or roof of a van!
They keep this up for a few hours until Ne'veah signals him to pull off at a rest stop. She shifts back to her bipedal shape, breathing hard but wearing a smile. "Feels good to run like that. >Whew< I could probably keep going all the way to Savannah this way, but where's the fun in that?" She eyes the spot behind him, with an expression like she's waiting for an invitation.
Samantha can sense Shayera shaking her head behind her. "Okay. Feel free to scream if you want. If you need me to rein it in, tell me." With that, the two of them dive straight down in a spinning corkscrew! They pick up some impressive speed with gravity assisted by several strong beats of her wings, then she pulls out of the dive and levels off just above the tops of buildings! Shayera slips down into the alleyways and weaves through the streets of Halcyon, diving beneath overpasses, climbing over the Skyrail lines, and threading through the pedestrian walkways.
Samantha recognizes Liberty Shore Park when it comes into view. Shayera skims over the treetops of the venerable park, then banks low when she's told to look out for one of the disguised entrances to Unity Base within one of the storm culverts.
She puts her wings to work, metallic feathers beating hard to arrest their momentum. Shayera angles them to climb once more, effecting a small loop before dropping softly down onto the ground in front of the disguised entrance.
Shayera holds Samantha steady in case she was shaken from the exhilarating flight, though she herself appears unfazed by the experience. "You good? I tell you, I'm still amazed at how similar, but how different our two Halcyons are. We have a park here (close enough), but it's called Halcyon Waterfront Park. Ours has a carousel. Bigger boardwalk, too. Plus an underwater cave."
She gets quiet and introspective for a moment, but shakes it off. "I'll follow you."
Aquarelle:
I don't think that clears Afraid, since ignoring the message isn't the same as running from it.
An hour later, Gui sees Ne'veah at the outbuilding in which his motorcycle and the few vehicles belonging to Daedalus are stored. She has a small pack slung across her back. She looks conflicted. "I got a message from Liam. He wants the team to stay close at hand for some reason."
She walks over and runs a hand along Gui's motorcycle. "I still want to go, but... I'm not sure that this is the best time. And I know it's bad since I came to you, so sorry. What do you think?"
"Hmm. You speak well for one not of the Stone. The daughter must have taught you well," the voice says. "This Synod is not known to me, but I expect much has transpired since I ruled. I no longer have a name; I am simply the Enthroned King."
Putting the phone away, Chloe sits with her band mates waiting for emergency services to give them the all clear. Likely they'd all be sent home after this. She might be able to slip out once they were sent that way. She regrets that she didn't chase after the swordsman, but that would have been harder to justify to her friends.
She didn't regret protecting them. She was just angry that she couldn't do more.
"I could do more," She mutters to herself.
"No, no you've done enough," Ainsley reassures her as she guides Chloe back towards the bus. Dhalia and Brie are waiting, and with relief pull them into a four-way hug. Dhalia especially looks shaken, her face ashen.
The bus driver barks orders for everyone to stay together and keeps his charges clustered around him until the ambulances arrive. As the sirens get closer, Chloe spots one of Rendezvous' familiar portals open up and Tenfold jumps out!
The member of the Heralds waves at the crowd as a cheer rises up. He makes a quick sweep of the area for active threats, and seeing none he strides up to the overturned bus. Giving the gathered students a thumbs up, he puts his superhuman strength to work to right the vehicle. Once the bus is on its wheels prompting several onlookers to clap, he gives everyone a wave.
=====================
Samantha:
"Sure, if you give me directions," Shayera says. Once outside, the metal-winged girl asks to borrow the backpack. She loosens the straps and has Samantha put it around her front and step into it rather than put her arms through. Shayera then steps into it as well, cinching the backpack's straps tight to keep their waists locked together. "My harness got left behind in my timeline, so this will have to do. But it should keep you from dangling awkwardly."
Shayera locks her arms across Samantha's chest, then her wings go to work. They thrum behind her, creating a whooshing swirl of air at their feet until the ground falls away from them. Once they get some altitude, Shayera banks into a gust of wind that propels them higher and higher. She levels out, giving Samantha a glorious view of the rapidly receding terrain.
"You good? I won't let you fall," Shayera assures her as she picks up speed. "And let me know if you want me to spice it up some." She makes a wide, easy turn to demonstrate that she could put some excitement into the flight.
Ne'veah shakes her head. "It's not going to be a lot. And if you're going to be keeping an illusion over me, I shouldn't need much more than some undies and some pajamas, right?" She gives him a wink.
Just then, his phone buzzes with Chroknight's message. Ne'veah catches the sound as her ears twitch. "An hour. See you then."
As she walks off, her own phone chimes.
Andromeda:
Andromeda wrote:
"I have to go. Mummies. Or something that makes more sense. The dragon needs help." And with a lob and smash, Andromeda rockets her way Unityward.
Jessie gasps just as Andromeda is about to leave. She calls after her, "Let me know if it's the locust guy!!! He's my nemesis!!"
Samantha:
"... Causes an ice age..." Shayera echoes softly. "Dang, this timeline is pretty badass. You do doomsday weapons right. Or, well, wrong, but it's nice that I'm assuming it didn't go off."
She claps her hands together. "Right. Where is it? We don't have to steal it or anything, do we? Or liberate it from a supervillain?"
Just then, Samantha's phone receives Chroknight's text.
Indarius:
Indarius wrote:
"Oh I don't know sounds about right, how pissed are you about the eye thing? Or the trapping you in your human form again? Figure I've at least earned quite a payback coming my way. Then again you could just continue doing what you've been doing since before you had the brief 'real me' time."
"I've long known the virtues of patience. I knew my time would come again, and your comeuppance would be soon thereafter. Make whatever plans you may, whelp. They will avail you naught."
Samantha's own voice bubbles through it "TALKING is not antiquated! It is Essential to human interaction in all forms. While it would be Lovely to 'interface' with another, doing so is not a recommended option. Allowing others to hear me would make them see you as strange... well stranger than they already do... by knowing I am in your cognitive EAR---" there is a pause, a small cough then "You already did it, didn't you?" it might be Samantha's voice but it is as alien as one can be and still be the same. The tones shift up, down, seem to emphasis words, using inflections, speaking fast like she might run out of breath just from speaking, if AI breathed.
"Yes." the red head answers Verbally for Shayera's sake, not needing her matrix to tell her that it would be rude otherwise.
There is a grumpy pause on the speaker before the voice comes back, bright and springy "HelLo Shayera, while it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, we do regret our part in the distress the separation from your loved ones. Please know Samantha is working diligently night and day on resolving your distress." the voice dips lower, as if she was leaning in and whispering conspiratorially. "Truly, she compartmentalizes parts of her brain to keep constant dedicated mental tasking for the unwinding of the problem space, so she is working even during sleep, study, and snuggling with her honey bunny."
Samantha suddenly shifts, tilting her head, as her cheeks color slightly.
Shayera nods to greet Samantha's matrix, then waves away the apology as she tries to figure out who to address. "Thanks, though I don't know why you-- she-- you think you had anything to do with me being here. Unless you're blaming yourself for not getting me back when you fixed the stuff going on with the suit of armor. In which case, don't.
"It means a lot that you're trying. It's not necessary that you compartmentalize all the time. Especially when you're, um, snuggling."
When the topic moves to business, Shayera accepts the tablet with a grin at Samantha's enforced smile. "Hey, it's all right if smiling's not your thing. Actions matter more, right?" She looks at the list and her smile drops. "I know what a particle accelerator is, and Chroknight's armor makes sense... What the Hell is a cryo-phase detonator, and how are we supposed to get its firing pin?"
Indarius:
Indarius wrote:
"Drake we've been over this, I may dislike your guts and not approve of your methods or goals. But I'm not going to sell you out to some wanna be Space King praise be to save my own hide. Truth be told I don't even like keeping you trapped like this, but we both know what's going to happen if I just let the spell go. Though like me I'm sure you can feel it unraveling as we speak."
"Hmm. What do you think will happen once I'm again restored to my full power? Do you truly believe I will go on some fiery rampage like in some cheap fantasy paperback?"
The sounds of the surrounding emergency slow to nearly a stop when Chloe activates her powers to talk to Indarius, but her words of encouragement fall hollow in light of the burgeoning crisis in his talons. He warns her of the dangers of his nemesis and takes off into flight, causing time to snap back. However, pulse of slowed time rushing back to normal has an adverse effect on the scale as Indy sees more cracks appear!
Cloe is left to stare at the dragon taking flight. "What were you thinking?!?" she hears Ainsley cry out, looking astonished. "Are you crazy? Running up to a dragon like that?! You're luck it didn't eat you!"
Her bandmate runs up and puts her arm around her. "Look!" she gestures at the signs of the blast, and it's immediately evident that the epicenter is exactly where Indarius had been standing. "C'mon, let's go back to the bus. Mr. Harris wants us all together."
======================
Samantha:
Shayera studies the branching tree-shape Samantha draws. She traces a finger backward along the branches to the trunk. "I've been trying to figure out where our timelines split, but I can't drill down to anything specific, like one key moment in history that definitely set us apart. There's a lot that's still the same. Language, countries on the map, history... that sort of thing. Like, the Allies won World War Two in my timeline too, there was a Cold War and all that. Same world leaders of the past and present. But, like, the heroes and villains are mostly different. Whippoorwill's the same, near as I can tell, and we actually had a Captain Stalwart but we forgot him."
She accepts a cup of tea and finds a spot to sit down. "The Matrix I know is a supersmart, sentient/sapient AI, with a full robot body and capable of making various scientific gizmos and doo-dads. She can be snarky, but isn't as personable as-- as other AIs I know. Does your Matrix talk? Could I talk with her?"
Samantha, you are trying to find a bridge between timelines. Roll Superior. On a hit, you realize the type of specialized technology you'll need to start. Choose three components you will have to collect. On a 10+, choose two. On a miss, your calculations conclude that locating Shayera's timeline will require magical means.
• a gravitic subspace nodule
• a dimensional rift generator
• a particle accelerator
• the priming mechanism from the cryo-phase detonator
• the paradox sensing unit from Chroknight's armor
Aquarelle:
"About an hour, maybe less. I'll meet you by your bike when you're ready to go."
Indarius:
When Indy returns to Unity Base to get a better look at the scale, his hope fades. The scale's bindings are unraveling fast. Maybe, maybe Connie would have the finesse to re-bind the magic, but locating her in time would be the concern.
He hears Drake's smooth voice in his head. "Is your little game about over, whelp? I sense your spell weakening. What's changed, I wonder? Offering me up to Ahk'nathal to spare yourself, perhaps?"
Aerel pushes the door open after disabling a magical seal that is no match for his skills. The room reveals three elaborate stone sarcophagi resting upon a stone dais rising four feet high along the northwestern wall of this room, which is filled with relief carvings of warfare against orcs and shadowy monsters. Two immense lead statues stand in the corners of the chamber farthest from the door, their forms inexactly rendered into dwarf warriors.
Chloe's subtle manipulations slow the capsizing of the bus just enough that the students are able to avoid serious injury. She yanks Dhalia out of the way of an overloaded bookbag just in time, sparing her from a nasty impact!
The awed face of her bandmate would have to be something she thinks about later as she moves to the back of the bus and opens the emergency exit. She catches a glimpse of the retreating figure, but movement from the other direction draws her attention. Chloe sees Indarius, as big and imposing as she's ever seen him, calming himself down and staring at something in his talons.
Assuming she could slip away from her friends and classmates, she could pursue the wrapped figure, or she could see what's going on with Indarius, but not both especially because it seems like he's about to take flight!
What do you do??
Samantha:
Samantha gets a quick response.
My Phone: I'll come by
She doesn't have to wait long before she gets a knock on her door. "Hey. Thanks for seeing me on short notice. I'd like to talk about your progress, and something you said in your text just now. You have a Matrix? Is that, like, an AI? 'Cause there's a Matrix in my timeline, and I'm sure she's working on finding a way to find me as we speak. So, the solution might just be connecting the two?" She makes a visible effort to calm herself down. "Sorry. You're the genius. I'm just spitballing."
Aerel doesn't spot any traps on the door. While his attention is focused away from the looming stone statue behind him, a shimmering apparition looking exactly like the petrified gug manifests between him and the other heroes! Before they can react, its vertical jaw splits open and issues out a horrific, unearthly moan!
Everyone, Will save (vs. fear) DC 26 or be panicked for 2d4 ⇒ (3, 2) = 5 rounds!
Jessie puts her own hand on her shoulder then looks up with a grateful smile. "Big hug, around the middle." Her eyes glisten and she sniffs. "You guys have plans. You're making plans. I'm... just here, with powers that can't help, and not enough smarts to contribute."
She wipes her eyes and forces out a laugh. "And if this was Behind the Mask, I would have a sudden perfect idea right now." She pauses, then shakes her head. "Nope. Nothing. But thanks, Angelica. I know you'll figure it out. You won't stop until Xaiara's back."
Shayera doesn't look at Andromeda when she relays Chroknight's message. She just stares at the whiteboard while her wings twitch. "I need to stretch my wings. I'll see you all later," she says softly, then leaves the common area.
In the uncomfortable silence after Shayera's departure, Jessie says, "How do you stretch metal wings?"
"I believe it's just an expression," Ava says.
"I know. It was a bad joke." She sighs and puts her face in her hands. "I feel so helpless."
Indarius:
Indarius's desperate gambit works, as he flexes his full draconic might! The sand barrier drops and Khamsin is thrown backwards by the sudden size change and corresponding earth-shaking roar! Car alarms blare and security alarms activate from shattered windows in the city block. The crowd that had gathered to gawk at the superhuman conflict shrieks and screams in fear of the monstrous dragon!
Indarius continues to thrash about to keep his attacker at bay, promising severe injury or worse to anything coming within reach! After some time of his violent defense, the expected attack does not come, and Indy realizes that Khamsin does not appear to have remained in the vicinity.
His relief that he drove away his assailant is short-lived, however. Indarius immediately feels the slow unraveling of a spell that he'd long been accustomed to. He realizes that he has cracked the scale that traps him in his dragon form, but also keeps Drake human!
What do you do??
Chroknight:
The girls all give Chloe a nauseated look. "So gross," Dhalia mutters.
Before the topic of discussion can move on to less disgusting matters, a massive roar blasts the side of the bus, cracking the windows and knocking the bus on its side!
Ainsley, Brie, and Dhalia all tumble on top of Chloe as the bus slides to a stop on its side! Though her vision is a bit blurry from the sudden impact, Chloe sees a lithe figure wrapped in bandages and holding a pair of curved swords hop on the side of the bus and run along its length before disappearing behind it!
What do you do?
Aquarelle:
At the mention of Axolotl, Ne'veah closes her eyes and puts a hand to her temple. "That part's a little hazy. I don't... remember much."
She opens her eyes and with a shake of her head she's back to her smiling self. "I didn't say plan. We should just do. Get on the road. See if your bike can keep up with me. What do you say?"
Samantha:
You get a text from what appears to be Andromeda's phone.
My Phone: this is Shayera (not Xaiara). Can we meet to discuss options for getting back to my own timeline? Thx
"I don't like that access to the Godsrealm goes through Tim Mathers, or that Tir Na Nog goes through Eliana. Samantha promised and she is... At least we can trust... She is working on other methods, and one of the Shin Akebonos is trying to contact the Inquiry, so..." she trails off, uncomfortable withe the heap of uncertainties. "We don't know the 'magic' ones actually connect to alternate earths, and I worry that we won't know without trusting untrustworthy people." She glances around before adding. "Whatever becomes promising first though."
Shayera sighs. "Forced to trust the untrustworthy. Some things are universal. Or, cross-universal, as it were. Okay. There's also this:" She moves to the whiteboard and draws a large, squiggly "S".
"The thing that switched Xaiara and me in the first place. The cro-- chronowraith? Is there a way to bring it here and make it put us back? I understand the one with the most experience with them is Chroknight." She puts the cap of the marker back on with a note of finality. "Do you mind giving them a call, so we can get their feedback?"
Indarius:
Khamsin the Desert Wind continues to remain as elusive and hard to pin down as their title. Indarius hears chanting as well; the time he takes to tend to the burning wound giving the child of Ahk'nathal time to initiate some sort of ritual! Sands spring into existence, swirling around Indy like some sort of magical barrier!
Deftly evading the sweeping wings, Khamsin slips within Indarius's guard! However, instead of slicing another burning wound into his hide, the bandaged foe begins tracing a pattern on his scales!
As he feels the beginnings of the mark etched on his scales, Indy feels the beginnings of a familiar despair take hold of him! "You have a darkness within you, creature. Allow the mark of Ahk'nathal bring it to the surface."Indy, raise Danger and lower Mundane as you feel Umboriax stirring in your thoughts!
What do you do??
Chroknight:
Ainsley and Dhalia exchange a look when Chloe suggests bringing Sam to practice. Brie nods before anyone else can speak. "Sure, if it gets you here. I've heard Superpowered Beat Down is going to be competing."
Dhalia pitches her head back and groans. "Uugggghh!! Not them. They mistake 'loud' for 'talent.'"
"Well, think about how sweet it'll be once we beat them!" Ainsley offers.
"Yeah... Anyone else we know?"
Brie shrugs. "The Kaiju Appreciation Society. Phlip Fone. Facemask. Whatever bands are coming from Daedalus. And that post-grunge band from Franklin High."
Dhalia folds her arms and pouts. "We gotta win this. And, like, legit. No 'special participation trophy' 'cause we're the youngest band. Right? Not like last time."
Aquarelle:
One morning as Gui steps out of his dorm, Ne'veah is there as human as she can get. She's leaning up against the wall, arms folded and tail flicking back and forth. "Missed you at the dance. You can make it up to me on our trip to Savannah. You didn't forget, did you?"
Jessie's chin is in her hand. "Well, after hearing Gwen sing, I'm not going to go up against that. Not as lead singer, anyway." She turns to Shayera. "Do you have any musical talent? Or anything that would lead us to believe Xaiara could have some?"
Scratching the back of her neck, Shayera demurs. "Er... Not really. I can barely carry a tune. So I don't know." She looks over to Andromeda. "Bronwyn's been to Elseworld. And I've met one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, so I know it's a real place. I just don't know if the fairy realm linked to this Halcyon is an access point. Eliana wasn't sure, either."
"The 'science' you say that provided a solution involved Iron Federation magitech," Ava says. "Without Inquiry to fly through the breach, I don't know how Shayera could navigate through the space between dimensions."
"And Tir Na Nog has a time dilation effect, according to legend. A few days there means months in the real world. I still got a wedding to make." Shayera stretches. "Sorry if that makes me less enthusiastic about putting on a musical number."
Jessie waves away her apology. "It's fine. I think it's a good excuse not to worry about it. I could use the extra credit, but it's not going to cause me to flunk."
Chroknight:
"I got you," Dhalia says, dipping into her purse.
Brie rolls her eyes. "You have some serious time management issues."
"You're good for practice tonight, right?" Ainsley confirms. "Just one more week before the competition. I can't wait."
Indarius:
Indy's flash freeze lowers the oppressive heat, but Khamsin's power is overcome so much as the temperature reaches a balmy equilibrium! The wrapped being spins the scimitars in their hands. "Your flippancy shows the arrogance of your kind. It will be my pleasure to stamp out your pride."
Khamsin blurs in motion, leaving a shimmering afterimage as they streak past Indy faster than he can track! He catches a flash of steel out of the corner of his eye as Khamsin strikes with his burning blades, slashing a line of fire across Indy's flank!
Indy, take a powerful blow!
When Aerel steps past the door, he sees ceiling-high rubble blocking this angling corridor to the east. To the west, the corridor turns to the south beyond the limits of his darkvision, though he spots another door along the north wall. A lifelike statue of a four-armed giant stands against the wall opposite the door.
Grum gets a response shortly. "Glad to hear gugs defeated. Bellachal was part of excursion that found Molthuni involvement. Presumed dead. Petrified beings can return to life with powerful magic."
A sense of relative normality returns to Daedalus as the party ends and the students and teachers are no longer called to repel threats from outer space. Classes resume with a late-semester push to drive grades up before exams give way to the summer session.
The charity band competition also lurks on the near horizon for those students with musical skill.
Team AJASh:
Shayera has appropriated a large whiteboard from somewhere within the school and set it up in the common space between dorm rooms. She's scrawled some notes around three large circles, one labeled SCIENCE,, one FAE WORLD (with Tir na nog? in parentheses beneath it, and the last with ELSEWHERE/GODSREALM written inside.
Each one has a list of pros and cons written with little emojis or arrows emphasizing certain thoughts or striking through ideas eliminated for one reason or another.
Chroknight:
Chloe's alarm on her phone chimes. School at Hal-Prep is starting in an hour, and she was supposed to meet her band-mates to ride to school together!
Indarius, while flying:
As he's become more and more accustomed, Indy is flying through the vast and impressive skyline of Halcyon City. Part crime patrol and part cathartic exercise, these flights help him decompress and ruminate on recent events.
The Transformed's thoughts, however, this time are interrupted by a sudden blast of hot, dry wind that bakes his scales as if he'd wandered into an industrial oven! Instantly parched from the surprise heat shimmering around him, Indy catches a glimpse of a person shrouded in bandages and wielding a pair of curved swords riding on the thermal waves that have surrounded him!
Before Indarius can react, he feels the wind resistance beneath his wings drop into a basin of low pressure which sends him hurtling towards the ground! His wings beat the air helplessly, and only barely manage to slow his descent so that his impact is not lethal! Indy crashes upon the pavement of an open lot cleared for new construction, leaving a crater in the cracked concrete!
As he gathers his wits about him recovering from the crash, Indy sees the figure with the curved swords standing before him. They're lithe, wrapped entirely in linen bandages so it's impossible to tell their identity. Except that he's seen them before in the exhibit at the Praetorium: Khamsin, the Desert Wind.
They point their scimitar at Indy. "Submit to Ahk'nathal, creature. Receive his mark, do his bidding, and make the path clear for his return. I, Khamsin, demand it." The dry, hot air intensifies around Indarius, sapping his strength!
I misread the book about the legs; each was supposed to be in a different spot. But I'll go with the way I wrote it, so you have both the top and bottom.
Per the SRD, using UMD to cast a scroll requires not only the activation check but also a separate check to emulate the ability score if your relevant stat is less than 10 + the level of the spell. So boosting his Wisdom would avoid the second UMD check.
Aerel scouts ahead, finding that the large unworked cavern ends to the east where it opens into another worked dwarven chamber clearly part of the Reliquary of Ascension.
Stone reliefs of hearths and a plump dwarven woman appear on both the eastern and western walls of this immense stone mausoleum. A great stone pillar in the center of the chamber rises up to the ceiling some thirty feet above. Gray-and-orange pictograms of dwarves in mourning processionals are carved out of the pillar’s sides. Four-foot-wide alcoves cover every remaining surface, each containing a small, linen-wrapped bundle draped with necklaces and dried flowers.
Knowledge (religion) DC 22:
This place is consecrated to Folgrit, mother-goddess of all Dwarves. It is likely safe to rest here, if you so choose.
When Benedict disappeared into the worm's gullet, the question became whether his companions could slay the creature before he succumbed to its digestive tract. The Clever warrior fails to hack an escape route through its stomach, so it falls on his comrades to bring about its end.
The archers pepper it with arrows as the melee warriors pursue its retreat back into the cavern.
Grum must make a DC 27 Fort save vs. poison or take 1d4 ⇒ 1 Strength damage
The orcish warrior, despite taking a dreadful sting from the back end of the worm, rushes forward and deals the creature a fatal wound! Black ichor gushes outward as the worm shudders and goes limp.
Indarius sees that Axolotl's changes have swept through the dance hall. Chroknight disappears as they're known to do, so whatever crisis was going on with their duplicate appears over. Samantha is joined with her friend Chloe, the pair looking cute in their flower child outfits.
Elsewhere, the party looks to be a success. Ava is dancing like an expert in 60s dance moves and guiding Jessie through the motions, which is drawing other girls interested in learning.
Indy notices that a few students must have gotten a wish granted by Axolotl, because Carlos is at a table devouring a thick, rare steak. Ne'veah, looking more human than ever, is dancing with a throng of other girls around Johnny, Ryan, Liam, and Zeke. A much-smaller Chitin is dancing with Gwen.
The reality stabilization field drops in a shimmery haze. Samantha and Chloe are suddenly clad in free-flowing 60s attire with beaded necklaces and garland headbands holding back their straightened hair. The other Chroknight is unchanged. They look at their gauntlet computer, tapping it a few times. "The entanglement is unraveling. I might be able to follow the thread to the stolen device if I move fast. Good luck, you two."
With a hum and sharp crack, they dissappear leaving Chloe and Samantha in the middle of Axolotl's party.
The mirror image faceplate of the armor stares at Chroknight for a beat. "No way they'd do it. They wouldn’t be that desperate?"
Cop-Chroknight pulls a probe from their gauntlet and inserts it into a socket on the piece of armor that they'd removed. They study a readout for a moment, then the probe snaps back while they shake their head. "Your quantum string was entangled with the thief -- on purpose, I'm guessing. Maybe the nuke was their goal all along."
The Chroknight-cop looks back and forth between Samantha, Indarius, and their quarry. "All right. You want proof?" They grab the Chroknight in the cuffs and yank off their vambrace, exposing their unarmored forearm. It has a spiraling tattoo of a gold-scaled serpent winding up her arm out of sight beneath the armor!
"Bingo. Hwang-Ryong, I presume? You are under arrest."
60's Chloe plants her fists on her hips, scowling at the fact Chroknight and Samantha are still talking. She checks a watch on her wrist, then hurriedly walks up to the two of them. "Are you two finished yet? I'm trying to keep your secret identity intact while I take care of a little business! Miss Jack-Boot is going to be back any second!"
An alarm on her wrist beeps. "Okay, gotta go. You'll understand later!" Chloe rushes over to the remains of the nuke still caught within the bubble that the previous Chroknight had created! The device and the erstwhile Chloe disappear just as the temporarily displaced Chroknight returns!
They look around and there's visible relief when they see the (first?) Chroknight still around and cuffed. "Not wise, Samantha. At least this one knew what was best for them and... stuck... around. Wait. You wouldn't have. All right, what the Hell?"
Percy Dorn, Indarius wrote:
Walking over to the multi-knight situation snapping his fingers in a rhythmic beat he looks to the extra(?) chroknight.
"Look we don't want any issues, you're not the only one who can manipulate time. But we really need 'our' Chroknight back. I know Samantha feels like she's got it all figured out but as someone with experience with time shinanagens... a little too much at this rate. It's basically impossible to tell which is or was or maybe ours so I'm not gonna fight you on the matter."
He tilts his head towards the time ripple barely holding together, "Judging by the strain there we've got about a minute before it either collapses causing more issues, or the wraiths smell something off. Do wraiths smell time? Regardless, Samantha we literally don't have time, Chroknight you need to make a decision now. Normally I'd say don't be hasty, but well tick tock, we're on dance o'clock." He frowns "Oh that's definitely the groovy outfit talking."
Andromeda looks up in shock, one sleeve of her recently created vintage dress tearing free and disintegrating into ephemera. "Why aren't you gone!?"
She stares back at Samantha and the everything that the Chro/Chlo trio means. "I thought that was them just still being stupid. Is that you?"
[dice=Pierce the Mask]2d6+1 How can I get you to go away
"Huh?" The floating hand is joined by another to effect a shrug. "Oh, that temporal snarl? Not me. Look, you got the jackpot, but you're still not having any fun. How about you drop that shield for a night and get out on the dance floor?" One hand snaps its fingers while the other gives Andromeda's shoulders a polite push in the direction of the dancers. She feels air on her exposed shoulders and arms, and realizes that her sheath -- even her need to tightly restrain her power -- is gone!
She spots Johnny in a loose paisley-print shirt and a brown vest grooving alongside other students, while she also sees the recently freed Gui.
Andromeda easily cracks open the Tupperware to free Gui, spilling him out onto the floor.
A cartoonishly large hand pops into being and waves a finger at her. "Hey! He'll never stay fresh that way!" Axy's disembodied voice scolds her.
==============
Chroknight tries unsuccessfully to persuade Samantha into letting her turn herself in.
"Samantha!" Chloe's voice calls from the dance floor! Both Chroknight and Samantha look over to see Chloe dressed in a lime green 1960s-style dress with a large flower in her hair waving her over.
Axolotl turns Indordnance's little confetti spray into a full-fledged fireworks display. "All right then, Jackpot! It's party time!"
The Rumpus Room's 60's-themed party springs back into life, replacing the game show stage in a blink. However, accurate props and costumes replace the prior haphazard and hastily-created decorations. Spinning lights throw psychedelic swirls upon the walls and ceilings while the students and teachers find themselves in groovy 60s outfits.
The music strikes up and the party resumes almost as if there hadn't been an interruption, with most of the students returning to the dance floor and dancing like they hadn't been manipulated by Axolotl! Though Gui finds himself sealed inside a person-sized Tupperware container!
The party hasn't reached one section of the Rumpus Room, however. The stabilization field strains against the party's 60s theme as an old typewriter slams against the side of the duplicate Chroknight!
After recoiling from the strike, they look at their assailant and seem to recognize Samantha, still dressed like a secretary. "Oh. You." With blurring speed, they close the distance until they're directly in front of her! Their voice drops low so that only Samantha can hear just as time slows around everyone but them. "Your Chloe's been displaced. Let me arrest this imposter, and I'll see what I can do to bring her back to you." Samantha, this Chroknight is trying to raise your Mundane and lower your Savior. What do you do?
Benedict disappears down the giant worm's maw. The creature then starts to burrow back down into the earth to evade the assailants' tiny attacks. Its toothy maw plunges back down into the dirt, though its barbed tail still sticks out, flailing dangerously!
As Indarius starts to spin the colorful wheel, he feels a telekinetic force wrap around his limbs to guide the precise amount of strength he needed to apply. Despite her emotional turmoil at the drama playing out around Chroknight, a telepathic mind plucks the precise calculation from Statian's prodigious intellect. It all combines in the mind of Andromeda to apply her telekinetic powers with a level of finesse she'd thought lost forever.
The wheel spins.
"Round and 'round it goes!" Axolotl shouts with anticipation.
Elsewhere on the stage and beneath the Omniversal being's notice, the new Chroknight tilts their head, their posture wary. "I don't know what game you're playing, but whatever it is, it won't work." They step forward cautiously to claim the offered device. Then suddenly their hands blur with motion, snatching the cryo-rejuvenator and slapping a high-tech set of cuffs on Chroknight's wrists, binding their arms together!
"Just a little insurance to enforce cooperation," the other Chroknight says, affixing the cryo-rejuvenator to their waist and tapping on a forearm-mounted computer. "There. The reality stabilization field will last another two-point-three minutes."
The wheel slows down, passing by such options as JOY BUZZER, 1-UP, and TIME OUT. The tension mounts as the tiny sliver denoting JACKPOT approaches the needle. The MORALLY BANKRUPT section slides across... then stops at the sliver!
"Jackpot? How'd that get in there?!?" Axy shouts. "Umm, who wants to do best two out of three? Or double or nothing?"
In the pseudo-real illusory mindscape that Imagerelle has trapped Axolotl Indordnance challenges the Omniversal being's purpose even as the illusionist tosses out a possible answer to the riddle. Axy frowns for a moment in thought. "Well, the answer was supposed to be 'pigs feet dipped in chocolate with dijon on pumpernickel,' but all right fine. If you think that'll taste better."
Two sandwiches appear in his hands, one looking like a Monte Cristo and the other looking like his monstrosity. He takes a bite of the former, chews thoughtfully, then takes a bite of the second and immediately turns green. "Okay, the Tupperware >burp< is yours. Congratulations.
"Heroes have control of the board!"
Before anyone else can pick a category, the replacement heroes still at their spots get a mental message. "Someone ask to spin the wheel! We have a plan!"
Outside the mindscape, the duplicate of Chroknight shakes their head firmly at the idea of teaming up. "I wouldn't team up with this temporal menace if it meant saving a hundred realities! Of course the cryo-rejuvenator got destroyed originally! But if that happened, why do they have it?" The double points to the waist of the accused version, where the experimental medical device hangs! Chroknight, take Insecure.
"My objective is taking this thief into custody," the other Chroknight says to Andromeda. "You should be able to appreciate that. Help me, and I'll keep the reality stabilization field up a little while longer to help with your Omniveral incursion problem."You gain a critical opportunity
Benedict's approach is sensed by the monstrous worm, and since its first target managed to stay out of its jaws it goes for him! This time, the worm manages to seize its prey as Benedict finds himself trapped in its jaws!
William is unable to identify the gargantuan worm, but manages to sink an arrow into it. Aerel, as well, falls back down the tunnel while hitting it with an arrow.
His actions to draw it work a little too well, as the worm does in fact give chase! The whole chamber shudders as its segmented body covers the ground rapidly, then its head and mouth strike at the archer!
The new Chroknight stands up and dusts themself off. "I'm the evil counterpart now? That's rich, you little punk. You got lucky I was so close to tie off your folding timeline stunt before you really made things worse. One more crime to add to your list. So give up the cryo-rejuvenator you stole. Now."
It's a risky gamble, trying to fool the trickster by creating a hallucination of the game show inside Axolotl's own mind. Maybe it's the altered state of Gui's mind, or maybe it's because part of Axy's own reality bending has given him a boost, but he manages to pull it off!
The rest of the contestants get a momentary break from the game show while they see the mental projection of the interaction between Imagerelle and Axolotl!
Axy produces a small card that he reads off. "For the prize of your very own set of Tupperware containers, Peter Porker the Spider-Ham, the Condiment King, the Breadmaster, and the Confectionist all walk into a deli. What sandwich do they order?"
Aerel initially sees nothing, though the rumbling intensifies causing small avalanches down the sides of the cavern and a light shower of rubble from overhead.
Then the ground literally explodes upwards as a monstrous shape bursts out of the loose earth!
