Session Start: Sat Jun 02 20:45:31 2007 Session Ident: #lunar-iog2 * Logging for #lunar-iog2 started * TheStoryteller changes topic to '-= Chapter 40 - Ruined, pt 1 | Location: Frontier - America, East | Pools: 720 §, 4 MXP =- http://storen.rpgcafe.net/IoG/ =-' == SESSION START == Last time on IoG2! Our heroes found a large river leading deep into the continent, Saki's sense sure that it would lead them to the temple ruins that served as the Prophet's base. Deep in the jungles at the foot of skyscraping mounains, something definitely felt amiss, as the Fragarach pushed deeper and the channel narrowed... * Saki almost looks as if she's swaying, hanging onto the railing of the ship for dear life or at least a sense of balance and reality. Her eyes are rooted to a spot straight ahead, but just a little off the ship's course; into the jungle. * Vytor remains down in the reactor spaces, monitoring the instruments and awaiting further instructions from the bridge. * Trune has remained below decks for the duration of the day, the door to his room remaining closed for quite some time. * Tanan (~Nehn@dynamic-acs-24-239-125-230.zoominternet.net) Quit (Ping timeout) After sailing for hours, there comes a point that the Amazon is dangerously shallow. There is a slight scratch or two against the hull on sandy rocks below and Emiria orders a full stop. The jungles have only gotten closer on either bank, and the life before seems to have been scared off by something... there is the feeling of being watched, however. * Vytor acts on Emiria's order, powering the reactor down to standby mode. * Zack is now known as Mikel The Fragarach holds position, going forward only enough to counteract the flowing currents. A few small launches should be easy enough to use to reach the shores, but where to from here? * Tanan (~Nehn@dynamic-acs-24-239-125-230.zoominternet.net) has joined #lunar-iog2 * ChanServ sets mode: +o Tanan << wb >> * Vytor sets the reactor to green-rate standby, and heads for the deck with Angie in tow. * Saki looks grim, pushing off the railing and checking her gear slowly and methodically - but not methodically enough. She keeps glancing into the brush, overly preoccupied. Angie immediately checks to make sure the Harmonic Engine is in order on the Destiny. Thanks to an unloading ramp, it may be possible to offload the vehicle directly on the north bank, though the jungle growth makes it nearly impossible to forge a path. I hope we won't have to dig too far into the jungle. Thankfully the device was built with robotic legs, and can be brought along without much trouble. Which way from here, Saki? Laike stretches once. 'Well, looks like our stop, eh?" [Yuriko] That presence is much stronger now. What presence? Leah is running up onto the deck, nearly out of breath. "W..wait for me!" * Saki points straight out into the jungle, directly the way she's been staring. "That way." * Mikel gives the Harmonic Engine a wary look for a few minutes before shaking his head. "I'll get Trune before you lot set off into the great wilds of the jungle." With that he disappears to go fetch his fellow mage. Saki's pointing due west from your position. It follows the river bank a fair way. * Tanan nods. "We have to be close. Yuriko's right about the presence." * Vytor hopes there's enougu bug repellant to go around. [Yuriko] Yes, Vytor. It's something fundamentally wrong with the energy flows here. [Yuriko] It's even scared away the wildlife... * Vytor looks around in the futile attempt to see what Yuriko's talking about. * Tanan blinks. "You're right. I didn't even notice. There's hardly even any insects around, are there?" [Laike] Hey, there ya are, little tyke. Are you sure about coming along, Leah? Place like this should have... * Tanan gestures vaguely. "..big.. grasshoppers?" * Trune trudges up on deck, his face looking grim as he silently looks around at the landscape. Mikel is close behind him. Well, the noise of the boat might have scared some animals off. Its not exactly quiet. [Leah] I HAVE to go. I won't stop dreaming about that place till I see it for myself. * Saki rotates one arm, then heads for the side of the ship closest to the bank. "... instead we've got some irritating bugs to clear out." * Mikel emerges right on Trune's heels, stretching his arms up over his head. "Heeeere we go! So, where's Niri?" She's below, but she said she'd be right behind us. She also bounced and was generally being Niri. It was ....unsettling. Shiro hangs protectively around Leah, intent ong uarding her from any bogeymen who appear * Vytor goes to help Angie get the Harmonic Engine ready for travel. * Saki , with very little pomp or circumstance, hops up over the railing and kicks off to disappear over the edge of the boat, a splash presumably noting her departure to shore. A couple of moments later and she's visible over the boat's rim, staring off into the jungle and just a little soaked. Emiria, meanwhile takes off her captain's hat and grabs her gear. "The ship will be alright from here on. I'm going, too." [Yuriko] Saki! You don't have to go jumping overboard like that! * Saki glances back over her shoulder with a wide - and rather toothy - grin, apparently amused. "The water's lovely," she calls. ...aren't there like, man eating fish in the water? Are there any fish at all in the water? It's either that or the man eating zombies that are supposedly here. We're gonna have a /blast/, people. The waters had a lot more fish before, but now they seem eerily devoid of said aquatic carnivores. * Vytor helps Angie get the Harmonic Engine off the boat and onto the riverbank, albiet gracelessly. * DooM_Away is now known as Tyllsn * Tyllsn is now known as Ryllan It's very slow going with the Engine. Angie commandeers a lifeboat with Vytor, and the two hois it down into the shallows, before debarking a short few mments later onto the tropical beach. * Mikel shrugs. "It's the life of a hero of the land or something like that, Trune." << hoist >> We're going to have a devil of a time making a path for that thing. Yeah I know. Still, do things have to be man-eating? Why can't they be vegetarians? It's the protein. Builds strong scary monsters. * Saki looks almost dry by the time the group is finished, though it's hard to call anything 'dry' with the humidity around. Certainly she looks ready to go, if a little far-away. Laike hops down into the water himself, a man of action. In his hand is a pretty mean looking machete to clear the jungle growth away. Oh yeah. Of course. * Vytor draws a machete to help with the path-clearing * Trune chuckles a bit, though it sounds a bit forced, and goes to follow the others. Leah and Yuriko wait for the Engine's lifeboat to be pushed back ship-ward by Angie and they get onshore too to join everyone gathering there on the north bank, for now. * Mikel follows along as well. In the Jungle~ * Tanan hops on the boat with Leah and Yuriko, not particularily in the mood to jump into the river. Niri lemmings along behind the two mage boys as everyone eventually makes it to shore. The destroyer sits silently in the background, waiting, as you take in the scenery. There's lush vegetation as far as you can see. Saki is drifting to the west, acting on instinct. Laike comes up to join her and clear some brush, enjoying carving out a path where none have dared to tread. * Saki occasionally mutters one or two words to Laike; a series of nods in different directions help shape the path through the vegetation. * Vytor does his best to clear a path for the Harmonic Engine. The Harmonic Engine, under Angie and Vytor's eye, ambles along, stepping around and over the obstacles. It's got pretty good AI for movement at least. Leah whistles as the team advances, though it does seem a might bit nervous. * Trune follows behind the others, uncharacteristically quiet. Occasionally he glances around at the scenery, as if looking for something. There is certainly the feeling of being watched that everyone can detect. But you have no idea where the observer could be, and at this point, it's entirely expected. A few tiny forest creatures scurry from out of your feet in the undergrowth, and insects alight on a few large fern leaves, but still, there should be more here. That patch of ground ahead where the creatures ran from seems a little discolored... * Vytor tries to ignore the growing feeling of creepiness in the pit of his stomach. * Saki continues to roughly follow the path of the river in her directions; a little deviation for large trees, but beyond that it's a linear path. * Trune eyes the discolored ground with a suspicious gaze, "Heads up...I got a bad feeling about this." * Ryllan keeps a sharp eye out, but says little. The plan is suicidally simple, really. No need to review it. * Mikel lets out a mild sound of vexation as he starts glancing around, more than a little on edge. "...I had a bad feeling ever since we arrived here, to be honest." He prods the discolored ground with his staff. * Tanan smiles grimly. "If you didn't have a bad feeling, I'd be worried for you." I didn't until we starting moving into the jungle. The strange is is ashen, which isn't strange in itself, but out here it's woefully out of place. It's as if the soil was drained a bit of vitality and turned to dust. <> << strange area is >> * Ryllan nods, "I'm not surprised. Even if nothing's actively looking over our shoulder... This is still not a place any sane person would like to be. Guess they'll have to lock us up once we get back, eh?" * Niri examines the ground closely as she walks, looking a bit distracted. I was talking more about the ground, there. I think I don't have to state this entire affair is going to be a bad, bad thing. * Niri leans down and pokes the dirt with a finger. "It's not singing." * Ryllan cocks his head at Niri, "It's drained, yeah." Nearby is... a skeleton. :o * Niri straightens, shivering. "I don't like this place." * Saki speeds up as she hits the less sparse ashen region; with little in her way to stop her, she beelines ahead. ...well, that's a lovely omen. It has rags on its bones that look like the remains of an explorer's outfit. * Mikel gives the skeleton a blank look. [Laike] I take it that's our meribian expedition. The Meribians actually tried to come down here? Poor bastards. No one does, Niri. Stick close, and keep an eye out for trouble. We'll get through this. The skeleton has a blank look indeed, jaw bone slack in a sort of horror Man...The last time I saw skeletons I had voices screaming in my head. This may be worse. Poor sap. * Niri notes that the skeleton has a rather typical expression for a skeleton! Leah looks a bit uncomfortable, questioning her resolve. [Yuriko] Poor soul... * Niri elbows Leah. "Buck up!" * Tanan touches the sword at his side for a moment. "This actually isn't as bad as I expected. Yet, anyway." [Leah] I'm sorry! I won't be sacred, I promise. :) * Saki doesn't even give the skeleton a second glance; barely even, for that matter, a first. Her goal so close by, she's more focused than ever. Misogi is emitting a dull hum. Matter of fact, it's been doing that almost the entire time down this river. It's alright to be scared, Leah. Just push through it. It's alright to be Sacred, too, Misogi does it all the time. <> << ... >> << lol >> << *cold blood Ryllan* >> «ooc: Harharhar! ;) » << *Control*>> * Mikel keeps walking, thoughts wandering to where the rest of the expedition ended up down here. Saki doesn't stop for morbid sight seeing, as she presses onwards! The river trickles away south, as the jungle begins to surround you on all sides now. There's the sound of a rustling of bushes -- and a couple more charred patches spotted. * Mikel lifts his staff, shifting his aim towards where the rustling's coming from as he walks. Saki falters a moment as something darts in front of her field of vision Saki! Hold up a little. I don't think the engine can keep up if- Saki, careful! * Saki rocks back on her feet out of instinct; a single blink and she's hopped and bolted backwards a little way towards the group, looking around wildly. Gack! What was that? You okay, Saki? Where Saki almost stepped is now another charred mark. From it rises some strangely colored wispy smoke. Now just what the hell is that? * Saki snarls at thin, whisped air and calls back. "Spirits!" Hmm.. that's not smoke.. it's actually a ghostly, dark robed figure! ..?! * Mikel (Zack@cpe-70-95-238-100.san.res.rr.com) Quit (Quit: *taptap* reboot) What the blue hell is that? * Niri waves at it. "Hi!" [Shadow] ..so you've finally come! ..? * Saki growls at it. "... that depends which 'me' you're talking to. ... we're going through." [Shadow] It's time to start the mistress' challenge... I hope you'll be a little more entertaining than these lost souls. Bah! You things again... Aaah, so the Prophetess can't be bothered to take us on herself, so she sends her lackies? I'm crushed. More games? Lovely. The figure brandishes a gnarled rod, viels of shadow clothing a vaguely feminine face. This could be the spirit of a dead magi of Vane. Can't we just take this as a given and get on to the fun? Pretty please? [Yuriko] Hmm.. watch out! Just then a group of fallen corpses brusts from the groun in bits and pieces, forming into a ghoulish hodgepodge of corpses that float ominously! * Vytor drops the machete and draws his hammer Aaah, there's our flesh-eating zombies! Fabulous. Today just gets better and better! * Mikel (Zack@cpe-70-95-238-100.san.res.rr.com) has joined #lunar-iog2 * ChanServ sets mode: +o Mikel ...Oh great, dead things. Another group of the creations isolates Yuriko, Laike, Leah, Angie, and Emiria while the main one focuses on the rest. * Saki darts backwards, skidding and kicking up a pile of ash around her; as it falls, it scrapes through a faint black outline around Saki's fists as she settles into stance; not given over to Rachel yet, but she's teetering. "... I said, 'We're going through.' Stop us if you can." * Niri wrinkles her nose distastefully. [Shadow] So be it, Seekers. Come find the truth.. or die trying! >> COMBAT! Crap. Here we go. Ha! As if we'd die so easily! You're obviously new at this. >> Enemy Front: Slice O' Dead A~C >> Enemy Rear: Shadow Seer >> Round 1 * /dec: insufficient parameters (line 8, script.ini) * /dec: insufficient parameters >> Declaration Phase. >> Shadow seer begins incanting a spell upon the undeads! * Saki is wild-eyed, sweeping a hand around her in long arcs. * Mikel eyes the Shadow Seer, simply raising a hand as blue light gathers within it. "You're not finishin' that one..." >> Slice A begins bretahing posion fumes in Mikel's direction. Dead C guns for Saki, Dead B for Vytor! * Tanan touches misogi's hilt briefly, but instead raises his hands and cups them in front of himself. A shining ball of fire slowly begins to spin in the space. "All of you.." * Trune quickly traces a pattern in the air with his athames; the wake left behind is a strong red, "We gotta break through! She's probably doing this to slow us down!" Well then let's not wait! * Ryllan begins to glow with a harsh red light. * Vytor gets ready to intercept the incoming Slice O Dead * Niri focuses and begins humming softly, a strange echo building around her. >> Battle Phase. >> Saki's action. * Saki stamps a foot, yelling defiantly at the creature headed for her as she kicks up another burst of ash around her, settling into a familiar stance. The blackness still flickers around her, held in check. >> Saki goes on the offense with a fire stance! >> Shadow seer completes her spell. "Winds of time, hasten movement. Alacrity!" >> Slice o Dead's Agi/Dex/Rct up 25%! >> Mikel's action. << for all slice btw. >> * Mikel lifts his hand, sending a small ball of blue flying towards Shadow Seer with a flick of the wrist. As it enters the creature Mikel closes his eyes, hand forming a fist before he shouts! In a flash of light sharp daggers of ice suddenly rip out of the Seer's skin from within. >> Mikel casts Cold Blood! the chilling effects are shrugged off by the ethereal being at first (Resists all elemental magics), but then it's unique ability kicks in, overcoming the magical shield, dealing an impressive 260 damage and sending the sorceress reeling in shock. * Trune whistles, "Mikel! That was rather nifty!" Oh, hey, nice! >> The sped up undeads go on the attack! >> Mikel is nailed with a cloud of choking gas, sending him into a brain-eating haze! MINROT for 3 turns! << MINDROT >> ...Not so nice. * Niri glares at the undead >:| * Mikel wavers a bit, looking a bit out of it. "That really ta- GAH!" * Niri rolls up her sleeves! * Mikel starts hacking and coughing and stumbling about. >> Dead C attacks Saki! But it misses as Rachel gives her a warning in the nick of time! >> The other has better luck versus Vytor though,hitting twice! 76, 62! * Vytor get clobbered in ways he'd rather not talk about. >> Vytor's action. * Vytor charges forward with a mighty swing! >> Vytor counter-attacks Slice B. the quicken spell helps it's poor agility, but he does lop off a screaming head.. 97 damage >> Trune's action. Cord of flame, pierce the enemy with your power! Flare Arrow! * Trune holds out his athame towards SliceO`Dead, and a single point of flame appears at the tip of the blade, expanding and growing larger. Suddenly, it flies towards SliceO`Dead in a stream of fire and smoke, impacting it dead-on! "Once, Twice, and Again!" With that call, the red aura around Ryllan launches into two exact copies of Trune's spell, launching forward to either side to complete the assault! >> Flare Arrow charrs the unnatural being for 378 damage! Vulnerable to Fire! Ryllan extends the effect as B & C suffer 310 and 266 damage respetcively. * Mikel lets out a whistle, finally clearing away some of the smoke. "Crispy! Nice shot, you two!" I can easily do that again! >> Niri's action. As can I! If we need to. * Niri 's humming increases in volume, and it almost sounds as if the echoes of her previous humming have not faded... >> The overtones build, creating an eerie harmony, and Niri lets out a string of sung words, >> Niri uses Supersonic on the Seer! It has great effect, causing the spirit extreme pain "Agggh, not that song!" Receive heaven's wrath, and return to your graves! << grave, not graves >> Ha. Philistine. >> Despite great magic endurance, the woman suffers 198 damage. The spectre is very near discoporation. To be fair, it /is/ a song that actually causes physical pain. Maybe there's a lesson there somewhere? >> Tanan's action. Yes. And the lesson is to sing it more often! * Tanan opens his arms wide, the ball of flame growing as it spins its way towards the enemies. It stops and rapidly expands in the midst of the undead creatures, flaring brightly. "Hrmph. Sear!" * Niri grins at Tanan. >> Tanan's chaotic magics summon a glaring sun in the middle of the enemies! A prominence on one side roasts the front, while a ray of light blasts on the other! >> with misogi adding to his willforce power, the undeads are burned with fire for 334, 351 and 298 damage. They are all dust in the wind! * Trune 's mouth drops open as he stares at Tanan's handiwork, "....teach me that! That was /awesome!/" o_O * Mikel raises a hand to shield his eyes from the light. "Holy crap, Tanan!" Whoa >> The Seer is resistant to elemental magic, only suffering a paltry 115. I thought you knew this by now, Trune. He has no idea how he did it. No, it's easy! You just- Er << my bad, 1 damage. >> ...shit. Ryllan's right. Still! I mean...just...it's so /neat/! ...Man, that shadow's annoying. Suddenly I'm feeling inadequate. >> Leah is tied up in smacking a zombie, but in the confusion Shiro leaps out and eliminates the ghost for its remaining 23 health. o.o [Shadow] Fools... this has only begun...! >> With that she vanishes into the netherworld. >> VICTORY! Haha! Run, you coward! Wonder when the next salvo of baddies'll come by? * Ryllan doesn't stop to pose or anything, merely saying, "Alright, let's go." and beginning to trod on. Let's hope they don't * Mikel lets out a sigh. "Let's keep moving before they show up, neh? I need to work on that spell... takes way too much out of me." * Vytor recovers his machete, and gets back to work * Niri starts after Ryllan I think this is a good sign, everyone. * Saki only barely finishes skidding back when the battle's over; picking herself up, she glances once at where the spirit was. "... you're right. It has." Then she's instantly on the move again, the blackness hovering faintly around her fists not dissipating. Meanwhile, Laike cleaves a floating head in two, as Yuriko dispatches another and Angie blows the last one away from the invention. She's sending things out to try to wear us down. She's worried. Or she's trying to slow us down. Six apples, a half dozen oranges. Well, we blew through these pretty fast. Let's make sure she doesn't succeed at slowing us. * Mikel mutters something about shadows and what they can do with themselves before continuing on. "Any idea how far we've got to go?" * Saki doesn't even look back. "Not far." Reassuring, I supose. As things calm down, the palpable aura remains... on the ground is the remains of some roted equipment. Guns, sword and the like lie buried in the soft earth, nearly forgotten. There is also a leaf covering what looks like a blood stained diary. * Niri reaches down carefully and picks up one corner of the diary. * Mikel glances over at Niri, raising an eyebrow as he walks over. It's very faded and full of dirt and grit, but the bloody page it was left open at reads: * Saki glances behind her; at the sight of the tableau she slows her pace and waits, just a little impatiently, for the group to search. * Trune glances over Niri's shoulder, curious. "It was quiet here yesterday, but suddenly things changed in a blink of an eye. The initial assault kileld scores of my men, only to rise as corpses soon after to continue the killing. have we disturbed some long dead ghost of the past? Maybe choosing the door of the Moon was a bad idea..." Hmm. Wonder what this door of the Moon is. Niri! What've you got? * Niri hands it over to Ryllan * Mikel reads over Niri's other shoulder. * Mikel doesn't! Curses. Lovely. Well, I for one, know how to take a hint. Let's avoid any doors that look like 'moon doors' And now, let's continue on, before Saki explodes. I think it might be too late for that. As Saki waits patiently, out of the corner of her eye she spots the beginnings of a path. Ancient stones lie buried in the earth, only the tops visible. It calls to her. This must be the way. Leah pets Shiro for a job well done and hurries along with the other tag alongs. "I think we're close!" * Saki only raises one eyebrow at that, attention diverted. She stalks over to the stones, standing in the middle of them for a silent moment, her eyes closed. For the first time in a long while she seems peaceful. Surprised she didn't throw stuff at us on the boat or something if we're already that close. She's busy. These things seem like they were already here. Maybe she kicked them into gear. Further west the stone scontinue, rising up slowly from the ground and creating an elevated walkway as the jungle thins and the side of a mountain appears. * Saki opens one eye, smirking unpleasantly. "... here's your road you wanted." * Vytor mops his brow, hoping this means less machete work. Well, at least we don't have to do any more bushwhacking for a bit. Like a gigantic neolithic staircase, they lead comfortably up tyhe slope to a plateau that rises above the treetops. Upon it is what looks like a stone pyramid. Built of many layers, each smaller than the last, it scales up to a great alter somewhere above. Wow, it's kind of pretty in a truely unsettling fashion. Pretty unsettling, at any rate * Mikel lets out a whistle as he gaze goes up. "...that's a long ways up." * Vytor hops the Harmonic Engine can make it up the stairs with out toppling over Angie frowns as the Engine struggles to climb the stairway, and starts giving is some shoves. It looks like it'll work, albiet a little slow. << er it >> * Saki looks up at it with something of a mixture of defiance and fear. "--that's our way in. Lure's probably around there." She streaks off at top speed, taking the stairs in leaps. * Mikel starts walking again at any rate, though he has to resist the urge to snicker at the sight of Angie shoving the engine up. Then Saki takes off running. "Hey, Saki! Wait up!" * Niri hurries after Saki! * Vytor grimaces, and hurries up the staris after Saki Saki! Dammit, the engine can't keep up! Sak- Oh goddammit. * Mikel lets out a sigh before dashing after Niri and Vytor. Yuriko, stick around and protect the engine! Saki, Niri, hold up! Goddess, damn! * Ryllan dashes after Saki, as fast as he can. * Trune runs after the two, and apparently Mikel as well. It's a regular marathon. Shit. Angie! Keep the thing coming! Laike, Leah, please stick with her! * Saki barely manages to control her speed, skidding to a halt on one rickety step. There's something of an irritation to her features as she waits for the lumbering machine. * Tanan starts to take off up the stairs as well, but slows again when Saki stops. "Oh thank heaven." * Mikel nearly trips over himself as Saki comes to a halt, arms windmilling to keep balance. "C-Cripes!" * Trune stops for a second to catch his breath, "Saki, geez I know something is pushing you forward, but don't get us killed because of it!" * Ryllan slows down, "Thrice damned. Saki, tell me honestly, can you control these urges of yours?" [Yuriko] Saki, I know you need to find Rachel's tomb, but remember the situation. Patience is something they have much of. [Laike] And here usually I'M the one with the short fuse. As the group catches up to Saki, there's a few distortions on the steps behind you... * Saki grits her teeth and grimaces, in something of a sulk as she sits heavily down to watch the machine climb. "I know, I know. ... Imagine you'd been searching for a place for a hundred years and see how you felt." * Mikel glances back at the distortions. "Erm, the hell is that?" More of the corpses suddenly rise from nowhere, looking more like ancient soldiers than modern day explorers. They have obsidian axe-clubs and ratted out, tribal war masks. Oh. More of you. * Trune puts a hand on one of his athames, "Just as I thought...more target practice." Your escape is cut off by the apparitions! The engine! We can't let them get to it. * Tanan turns as he sees the rest of the group staring back down, cursing. Cripes * Vytor rushes to the Harmonic Engine Laike and Yuriko leap downwards to engage them suddenly * Mikel raises his voice. "You shouldn't have invited us here if you don't want to entertain, lady!" [Laike] Leave this to us! We'll keep the route clear! You heard the man, let's go! [Yuriko] You need to get inside those ruins and save Lure... please take care of Saki! * Ryllan rushes to the engine, helping to pull/push it up the passage. But...we...grr. Fine! Just don't croak or anything! Move it folks! * Saki grinds her teeth again, torn for a moment between the call above and the obvious fight below. With a yell of "Stay alive!" she's taken position just above the machine, keeping a guard on it. * Vytor keeps up a rear guard behind the Harmonic Engine * Mikel starts moving as well, keeping to the side of the big machine. Angie double her efforts, and hustles onwards and upwards, while the guests send a couple undeads toppling over the edge to be crushed on the ground some distance below. More take their place eventually... [Leah] Give them hell dad! miria just sighs and gives Vytor some aid. What, MORE stuff to beat up? << Emiria >> The Harmonic Engine is well guarded, and the group eventually ascends the stairs. the fight below is going well with the pair on the high ground, but they can << gah >> What would I give for a spell to let things fly. ...can't last forever. The temple-city of stone and gold beckons you inside with an open door, carved with many symbols of the sun, planets and faces. * TheStoryteller changes topic to '-= Chapter 40 - Ruined, pt 1 | Location: Frontier - Mayan Temple | Pools: 720 §, 4 MXP =- http://storen.rpgcafe.net/IoG/ =-' There are no monster here as of yet, but the air smells of death and memories long forgotten. * Saki slows abruptly at the top of the steps, gazing at the ruin almost reverently. The patina around her fists flickers and shifts as she takes a long breath in and out. * Trune gulps, the grim expression he wore earlier returning to his face. Focus, stay calm. Only way we're gonna get through this. * Mikel shivers a bit, glancing around. "...creepy." * Saki moves forward towards the ruins. Her pace has changed; infinitely wary, but taking in each inch of detail like a wondering child. * Vytor holds position on the apex of the stairs, determined to let nothing get past him. * Tanan lets his left hand drop down and grip misogi's scabbard, a faint glow playing around his fingers. The first floor foyer is lit by slots in the walls in the cardinal directions that allow shafts of light in to form a sunburst pattern on the floor. On the floor you then notice it' actually a clock, which the shifting shadows illuminate. Crude, as if a sundial of some sort, but effective. This place must be truly old, even by devestation War standards. * Niri looks around curiously There are inscription on the wall dipicting harvests, storms, birth, death.. and endless cycle played out across the equinoxes. At the very end is the imagery of a frightful comet, a serpent clawing through the sky and breathing fire on everyone. An old cataclysm? * Saki stalks her way to the centre of the clock, kneeling down to watch the very middle of the sunburst flicker with light. "... Rachel and I are looking for a mirror. If we find it on our way, wait for me a few moments, please." * Trune looks on the walls with curiosity and awe, "...Incredible." A mirror? * Mikel wanders along the wall, eventually finding himself in front of the one depicting the comet and serpent. "...A hell of a find, if you ignore the undead and everything." [Leah] Wow.. is this.. a calendar? * Saki glances up at the Professor. "... a means to cross over-- or something, at least. Her ticket out of this." The serpent...I wonder... * Mikel glances over at Trune. Could they have known about him that far back? * Vytor contiues to stand guard, confident the others can find a way forward. * Trune looks like he's talking to himself as he gazes at the walls. Prophecies of destruction. Not all that uncommon, even nowadays. Look at the Prophetess. Emiria seems a little distracted, though silent. No....I think this may have actually happened. * Saki traces the sunbrust with her fingers; a light touch. For a moment, she closes her eyes. * Tanan frowns, staring at the picture of the serpent. The sunburst is hard to trace.. it covers literally the whole room. * Mikel frowns. "You mean what led to leaving for Lunar and wrecked this world?" * Trune nods, "Yeah." * Trune points to the serpent, "Maybe that's Zophar? I'm not sure." The room itself is cavernous, stretching out very far, and perfectly square. The floor must get progressively smaller as you ascend. Speaking of which, there's a stairway all the way at the far wall. * Tanan almost absently raises his hand from his sword, pointing it at the drawing. The glow on his hand slowly builds into a ball. * Saki heaves herself up to her feet, breathes out another long breath, and starts to stalk her way slowly across the room to the stairs. * Mikel tears himself away from the engravings to follow Saki towards the stairs. * Ryllan follows Saki. The drawing is a comet coming from the sky -- in fact many of them at once. They battle in the heavens, while lightning and fire reign below on paralyzed and frightened people. * Trune takes a deep breath, and follows Saki, "Down the rabbit hole, Alice..." A multi-headed hydra-like beast seems to revel in the carnage it has wrought, before being vanquished and falling to the earth. * Ryllan remarks to Trune, "Fire from the sky. The devastation war." * Tanan blinks a few times and lowers his hand, the ball vanishing. "Right then. Let's get this done.." The light of the heaven's causes everything to be reborn. and thus the mural ends, Do you think that's what actually happened? Or is this just a representation? I remember Jupiter saying Zophar was a man...but the legends always said he looked like a demon. Who knows what's real anymore? Representation. This is obviously far older than the Devastation War. The people of that time had high technology. Why would they carve on the walls? The stairway leading up is lit by a couple of old-style torches. How they are lit really is curious, but it's the least of your worries. The room above Saki peers at is large and open. It is not so complex as the one below, ending in a choice of two doors... Unless this was a prediction of sorts. * Mikel glances from one door to the other as he keeps walking. "Hm... great. Any idea which way, Saki?" Above the one on the right is the image of a stylized Sun with a determined and righteous face embossed with gold. The left is graced with a silvery construction and a crescent moon that looks down with a mysterious smile. There's a barely intelligible writing on the floor before them. * Tanan squints, trying to make out the inscription Sun and moon doors... * Ryllan peers down at the inscription. * Saki smirks dully at the doors, not saying a word until the group is done. Which way to go...hm. "Neophyte who dares to ascend to the heights of the sages of quetzalcoatl - this is your first choice. Walk the path of the Sun to conquer all in front of you with open eyes, a Lord of men. Walk the path of the Moon to brave the unseen traps for the secrets of the Universe hidden from the day." * Saki nods to herself. "... in other words, 'pick your poison'." * Mikel frowns, tapping a foot. "So... which poison then?" "Choose wisely - there is no going back once you have begun the rites." [Leah] This some kind of old coming of age test? Frankly, no offense, Saki, but this group seems like it might be better suited to the smash things and ask questions later school of thought. Oh, I dunno. I like a good puzzle now and again. Plus we need to conserve as much strength as possible. Hrmph. That's a generalization that I find offensive, condescending, and entirely accurate. What we're coming up against will not be easy. * Tanan smiles. "Well done, now that I think about it." * Saki doesn't deny it in the least, merely shrugging. "... as long as it's down, it's not my call." Besides, we have scary bloodsoaked diary advice to go Sun. * Mikel shrugs towards Trune. "Maybe, but I still lean towards the Sun door." Oh yeah, I forgot about the diary of doom. Either way, we gotta move forward. Do what you need to. Hmmm. I'd advise Sun. Riddles aren't my strong suit. I say sun. * Saki nods. "... majority has it," she advises, and takes the lead. No splitting up, stay close. * Mikel snickers. "Sun's more cheerful, anyways." Until it beats us up. Which, the door or the sun? * Trune can't help but smirk slightly, "Oh, I'll say everything." The Sun door is approached. Once she nears it vanishes before Saki's eyes. The Moon door then becomes not a door at all, but a brick wall, as if it was never there. * Mikel lets out a sigh as he heads for the door. "Wouldn't be surprising." ..? * Saki carries on without a second thought, having expected something of the sort. Well, guess we've begun the rite, then. Let's go. * Vytor brings up the rear, as usual. Clop clop clop up the staircase. The walls have more slots now, letting a lot more light in and clearing the haze somewhat. It almost looks like you are walking on sunbeams projected onto the granite steps. As you go, you notice depictions of bountiful harvests and happy times. Soon, you've reached a landing on the third floor. Hope we picked the right rite. ....sorry You're lucky I'm too worried about survival now, otherwise I'd hit you for that. There are four obsidian statue in the corners of the room. They are dressed in loincloths and weilding more of the club weapons, all made of the glistening but very sharp volcanic glass. * Saki chuckles darkly to herself, keeping a close watch on the statues. "We picked the rite on the right, after all." * Vytor keeps a wary eye out, expecting trouble. The murals continue here as well, as the fields experience a dark side of plenty... fields fall fallow and people choke and die as a huge gold masked diety born from the serpent breathes death and disease. A group of brave warriors battles him across the room... * Mikel groans, shaking his head. "You could defeat the Prophetess with those puns, Tanan." Huh...Hey, look at that mural. That's new. As you approach the unassuming statues quiver, as a cracked shard of obsidian falls to the ground, piercing the silence. ...they.. are moving? Heads up! Time to smash some statues. I'd wager, anyway. * Mikel lifts his staff, coming to a stop. "So's that." * Saki grits her teeth, cracking her knuckles. "With open eyes. Come on, then!" Well, least we didn't have to wait long for the test! A warcray fills the chamber as the four ancient guardians walk off their pedestals, raising jagged clubs and shields high. They are also armed with a spear hurling device at their backs for ranged combat. * Vytor growls and prepares to fight! [Jaguar] Inexperienced ones.. you will not pass here! The gods demand your blood. I'm a bit fond of my blood, thank you! >> COMBAT! >> ef Jaguar A & B >> Enemy Front: Jaguar A & B I can make a donation, if you like, but no more than a few liters. >> Enemy Rear: Jaguar C & D >> Declaration Phase. >> The front two Jaguars prepare to converge on Saki! Ha. We ripped up the last group, and we'll do the same to you! * Saki blazes into motion, streaking straight at the pair of statues and matching their warcry with her own. "I've told you and your kind! We are going through!" >> Jaguar C readies his spear, eyeing Niri! Jaguar D aims for Tanan, a powerful energy gathering at the spear tip. Oh, just you try it! * Mikel raises his hand, yellow light gathering as he frowns. "Oh no you don't!" * Niri begins humming as before, in eerie overtones, but with a different melodic sequence this time. * Tanan raises his shield, stepping next to Saki. "No. I said I'd see her through this, and I meant it." * Ryllan closes his eyes, listening to Niri's tune, then following it with his own bass humming, harmonizing with the other song. * Trune begins to trace a pattern in the air with his athames, this wake left behind is a strong yellow color. >> Battle Phase. >> Tanan protects Saki! >> Saki's action. * Saki very nearly outpaces Tanan as she sacrifices her pace and composure for sheer speed, wending her way in a blur towards the statues. >> Saki gains Agility and Dexterity at the cost of Muscle and Stamina. >> Mikel's action. * Mikel claps his hand against his staff, yellow light darting towards the rear of the enemies. A disorienting roar of thunder comes forth, echoing within the chamber and sending pebbles clattering from here and there. Session Time: Sun Jun 03 00:00:00 2007 >> Mikel attempts to shock the warriors, but his spell seems to be ineffective, as they are resistant to DAZE. Only Jaguar C is caught, DAZe for 1 round. * Mikel makes a face. "Well, better than nothing..." >> Vytor's action. * Vytor charges at Jaguar A, brining his hammer up into its chin with an explosive swing! >> Vytor uses Batter Up! The hammer slams into the glass with a THUNNNNG sound, chipping a small piece off. 110 damage. >> Trune's action. Highway of the storms, fist between the clouds! Begin your howling dance of destruction! Vortex Wing! * Trune circles his arms wide and outward, then spins them back around and forward with plams facing out. As he does, he creates a whirling vortex of air that explodes forward and slams into his target with concussive force! * Niri grins and gives Mikel a belated thumbs up. >> Trune uses winds to erode the statues... Earth is weak to Air! 173 damage on Jaguar A! It is also MUTE for 1 round, but again partially resists the status effect. Haha! Go Trune! >> Ryllan's action. >> Jaguar A & B charge forth to slaughter Saki, moving with a practiced formation. Tanan however interposes himself! * Mikel tosses Niri a salute and a grin. >> The spears bounce off his shield, jabbing ferociously. 34, 40, 36, 42, 44! >> Jaguar D unleashes his Atlatl with a bloody streak, aiming for Tanan's heart! >> Tanan's HP is cut by 1/3, and he suffers 35 damage to MP. * Tanan staggers back, grunting. "Ng. Ha! Not good.. ow.. enough." Hey now. That's not sporting! << now 241/557 >> Hoi o_O * Mikel winces. "You alright, Tanan?" >> Jaguar C aims wild, missing Jaguar B. * OdinStelas is now known as Stelas >> Niri's action. * Tanan straightens up, wincing. "Been better. Been worse." >> Niri casts forth a Whirlwind on Jaguar B! Wandering wind, give my anger form! Dance till my foes are swept away in a storm! * Niri pivots on one foot and spins in a circle, her hand upraised. She makes a swirling gesture and snaps her hand forward, pointing at the enemy as a miniature storm kicks up around them. "Whirlwind!" * Ryllan opens his eyes, and a clenched fist, unleashing pure power into Niri's spell! >> Ryllan magnifies the result, resulting in 363 damage to the black warrior! >> Leah tries to throw together an air spell also... Air Blade! A thin air vaccum slices into Jaguar A for 99 damage. [Leah] Take that! >> Round 2 >> Jaguars are cleared of conditions! >> Declaration Phase. * Saki launches past the pair of statues as Tanan gives her cover. With a wild glint in her eyes and the burst of speed from her selected style, she immediately rounds on the back of the other of the two statues. >> Jaguar A & B continue to target Saki, one with a normal strike the other rearing back for massive swipes with it's club >> Jaguar C prepares to bloody Trune! Hey, thanks, Ryllan! * Trune once again traces the same pattern in the air as before, eying the same jaguar in hopes of bringing it to its knees. >> jaguar D aims a normal spear at Tanan once more. * Niri decides to try that again Nonsense. THanks for giving me something to piggyback on. * Ryllan looks at Trune, "Let's spread the love around a little!" * Vytor sets himself to intercept Jaguar C * Mikel shifts his focus towards the warrior aiming towards Trune, a ball of blue light taking shape again. "None of that now! Let's try this one again!" >> Battle Phase. >> Saki's action. * Saki tears into the back of the blackened statue without pomp or circumstance; shards of obsidian fly as she repeatedly slams into the bulk of the stone shape in a series of lightning-fast punches. >> Saki goes berserk on the first Jaguar in a whirlwind of death! 6 hits! 59, 66, 61, 69, 49, 61! >> It crumbles into a spray of glass shards, shattered >> Mikel's action. Whoa, awesome! * Saki sweeps a hand through the remains, scattering pebbles across the floor. * Mikel flings the ball at his target, closing his eyes at it seeps into the statue. He closes his hand into a fist as light flashes, and then the sight of spikes of ice coming forth is heraled with a shout from the adept! >> Cold Blood is cast once more upon Jaguar C! It cannot resist the freezing effects, 264 damage >> Vytor is defending Trune! >> Trune's action. * Vytor interposes himself between Trune and Jaguar C * Mikel stumbles again, spitting out a curse. "...can't do that again." Highway of the storms, fist between the clouds! Begin your howling dance of destruction! Vortex Wing! * Trune circles his arms wide and outward, then spins them back around and forward with plams facing out. As he does, he creates a whirling vortex of air that explodes forward and slams into his target with concussive force! Looks like it takes a lot out of you. Don't get carried away on these things! * Ryllan extends his palm towards Trune's magic and says a sixteen-syllable word! As he does this, the vortex expands to encompass the entire enemy group! >> Trune dishes out a Vortex of pain on all targets thanks to Ryllan! Jaguar B suffers 211 damage, Jaguar C 169, Jaguar D 182. * Mikel shakes his head. "Yeah... that spell needs more work." >> Jaguar B is defeated! >> The rear row steps up to become the front. >> Jag C counter attacks Trune, as Vytor earns his spear's wrath this time! Vy! >> Vytor's HP is cut by 1/3, 39 MP lost. * Mikel winces. * Vytor gurgles somewhat from his spot on the ground, but offers a thumbs-up. << now 256/532 >> >> Jag D attacks Tanan for 88 damage! >> Niri's action. >> Niri sings a song of Healing on the front row! Hang in there, everyone - help is on the way! Song of Healing! * Niri begins to sing, her voice filling everyone with renewed strength! >> Tanan & Vytor regain 194 HP. ^^ >> Tanan's action. Thanks Niri. * Niri thumbs up! Everyone okay? * Tanan breathes a little easier, releasing a pulse of healing energy of his own over himself. "Yes.. thanks a ton." >> Tanan's spell is much stronger than before, healing for 247 HP! * Vytor kricks his neck once, then gets back into the fight >> Leah tries another attack spell but fails to get anything more than a tiny gust. >> Round 3 >> Declaration Phase. >> Enemy Front: Jag C & D * Mikel rights himself, tapping his staff on the ground and closing his eyes. No spellcasting seems to be coming from him this time around. * Trune sticks to what works best, drawing another pattern in the air with his athames, the wake is yellow in color, "This time, you're going down!" * Saki rounds on the other statues; though not quite as blazingly fast as she was, there's still plenty of speed in her movement. >> Jaguar C & D brandish their clubs now, as D tries another swinging strike on Saki. Jaguar C defends itself. >> Jaguar C's posture kicks in immediately, granting is counter-attacking! << er it >> >> Saki's action. * Saki launches another assault on the statues, sending chips of stone flying as she arcs around her target, driving a series of kicks into the blind side. >> Saki's attack lacks some bite this time, only causing a single chunk to be sent flying off it's swordarm. 70 damage. >> Mikel focuses! Recover 15 MP. >> Vytor's action. * Vytor leaps into the air and slams his hammer down on Jaguar D's head with a loud *CRACK*! >> Vytor gives it a taste of it's own medicine, bludgeoning it for 95! >> Trune's action. Highway of the storms, fist between the clouds! Begin your howling dance of destruction! Vortex Wing! * Trune circles his arms wide and outward, then spins them back around and forward with plams facing out. As he does, he creates a whirling vortex of air that explodes forward and slams into his target with concussive force! >> Trune's spell batters the statue, eroding it away to nothing for 225 damage! Hah! Take that! >> It doesn't stay around long enough to be MUTE'd.. >> Ryllan focuses! regains 14 MP Nice shot! * Ryllan conserves energy, wary of the Prophetess. >> Jaguar D lashes out in a bloody rage at Saki at last! >> The multistrike lands 3 hits, despite Saki's best attempts to dodge. 110, 89, 92! Saki! * Mikel winces as Saki gets clobbered. >> Niri's action. Wandering wind, give my anger form! Dance till my foes are swept away in a storm! * Niri pivots on one foot and spins in a circle, her hand upraised. She makes a swirling gesture and snaps her hand forward, pointing at the enemy as a miniature storm kicks up around them. "Whirlwind!" * Saki crumples and is knocked backwards, tumbling to little more than a pile on the floor; she's still moving, however, propping herself up on an elbow. "... n-ngh..." * Niri does cleanup! >> Niri's Whirlwind inflicts 232 damage against the seffigy, sending it down for the count just barely! << effigy >> >> VICTORY! HA, who's your Mommy? ;) * Mikel ...turns to look at Niri, blinking. * Vytor goes to help Saki stand up. * Saki picks herself up off the floor painfully. "... ow," she adds helpfully, accepting Vytor's help. * Trune whews, "Man...glad that's over with. Hope there's no more, or we'll be in trouble." * Tanan carefully forms another little ball of healing energy, handing it over to Saki. "Here. That looked painful." The statues reform on their pedestals suddenly. "You have pased the test of strength, neophyte. Remember to never give up, in the face of the gods." * Mikel shakes his head. "That probably jinxed it. I wouldn't be surprised if she was watching us or something." >> Saki regains 248 HP! Of course. Thank you. * Ryllan bows to the statues, just in case they like respect or something. On the floor appears four chests! :o * Saki wipes at her mouth, giving the nearest statue an unpleasant look. With a nod towards Tanan, she cracks her knuckles. "... let's go." >> You also feel strengthened by your ordeal.. gained 20 MXP. * Ryllan goes over to open the chests. Everyone OK? * TheStoryteller changes topic to '-= Chapter 40 - Ruined, pt 1 | Location: Frontier - Mayan Temple | Pools: 720 §, 24 MXP =- http://storen.rpgcafe.net/IoG/ =-' I'm okay. You okay? You took a hit for me. Thanks. Doing all right here. * Mikel walks over the chests Ryllan hasn't opened yet in true adventurer fashion. I'm OK, I think. And you're welcome. The first two chests have what looks like restorative items in them... gained Holy Water x2! (1A: Cures MINDROT. 100 silver value) The third has enough treasure in it to give everyone 1000 silver. The four appears to have a necklace made of gold with a sun design on it. * Mikel hoists it up, peering. "Pretty." You know, that Holy Water would have been useful BEFORE the battle. Don't remind me. Well, we have us now. << scratch that it is a bracelet/ring. >> <> << shapeshifting jewelery >> * Saki frowns at the various items on display, then shakes her head faintly and sighs. >> gained Refresh Ring! (Resist Stone, Mute, Charm) * Ryllan whistles at the gold. Are we ready to continue? [Leah] So far so good! Shiro woof encouragingly to everyone. Let's go on. * Saki nods wordlessly, and starts to head for the way forward. There is a stairway in the center of the room. hey where did that come from? It was just the sunlight before. Oh well.. Saki doesn't ask questions and ascends. Let's see what we find next, then.. * Mikel fiddles with the ring and another one he's wearing. Soon enough he's swapped them and has tossed the old one towards Tanan. "Here, Prof." Up into the world once more. * Saki does, however, sulk at it, preferring to go the other direction to up. * Ryllan goes up the stairs. * Tanan catches the ring, and looks at it briefly before putting it on. "Ah, thanks." * Mikel winds his arm about as he follows. "Nothing like a little treasure to brighten the day." You continue upwards. There's no more heady challenges, but the hopeful atmosphere of the room before clashes a bit with the general malaise here. The next chamber is a sort of library, filled with books that are more like piles of tablets. Many are broken.. Ooh! What's all this? Excuse me while I fail to repress my inner nerd but...books! Focus, Trune. ...oh man, awesome. * Niri snickers at Trune. What kind of books? * Saki just sort of deflates very slightly. With a resigned sigh that might have come from either or both of the available options, she takes up position by a wall. Oh come on! Look at all of them! Do you realize what I could learn here? Hey, I'm not arguing! Just laughing at you. /Later/, Trune. There's one "open" and undamaged that tells a tale of the plagues. Another one is about the Evil Serpent of the Sky & the Comet. * Mikel wanders over towards one of the stacks to start ferreting through. ...aw, later? Bah But I... * Trune grumbles, "Man you are such a killjoy." Mikel catches a glimpse of a name that rughly translates to 'Grimzol'. Ooh. Actually, these DO look interesting. Grimzol? This is the name of the diety of the plagues, apparently. The legend says he came after the Destroyer was beaten - and apparently was sealed away by four brave warriors inside an idol. * Vytor leaves the tablets to those more inclined to that kind of thing, maintaining his vigil. Hmmm. That's....different. * Mikel taps a finger on the book, hmming. "Interesting! Sealing a god within an idol... I wonder if that's around here too." Needless to say he keeps flipping through. Strange...also, unsettling. His four arms carrier four swords that brough disease, insanity, famine and fear. Four Four Four. * Tanan sighs. "Mikel. Please. Do not say things like that. We all know what that means is going to happen." I'm sensing a pattern here. Yeah, me too. But...on the other hand, I bet that idol looks awesome! * Mikel shrugs. "It'd be interesting to see! If it's real then we just don't break the seal." ...or someone else breaks it. Niri, Mikel, do we need to duct tape your mouths? No, but can I hit them please? I really want to hit them for jinxing us. I won't let you read the book then. No hitting, sheesh. :P I hit back. Much of the rest is damaged or crumbling away. There's no more to be gleaned. You couldn't even reach anything vital, littlebit. (there is of course the other two records) Wanna bet? * Niri brandishes her boomerang * Mikel starts reading the other two Ooh, color me scared. Littlebit is going to bite my shins and pull at my leghair. Hey! Trune. Niri. Can we maybe kill each other later? I swear I need a yardstick. * Tanan smiles faintly. I thought those came standard. But...but she started it! Teacher and all. I know that sounds like I'm five but she DID. Both of you stop it. Right now. Well, yeah, but I left it back home. Oversight I suppose. * Mikel shrugs and goes back to reading. The pictures here tell of the coming of a comet. It was revered as a goddess of the sky, bringing blessings whenever it came by every cycle. But one day it was followed by another dark ominous one. A serpent whose tail stretched to the end of the universe, hungry for the light. We don't have time for this, and we certainly don't have the strength. ....*sigh* Fine. Sorry. The two became locked in a battle above, and fire and death rained down as the serpent destroyed everything in its rage. Hm... the goddess and.... Zophar? * Tanan looks around the room. "The real question is, what's the challenge here. And where's the way out?" Who else? That war again. * Saki looks vaguely amused. "... The challenge of dealing with ones self?" It sunk into the earth, to sleep and await the time when men would forget. The lightbringer crashed to earth as well, and became like men. ..there's no more here that is readable. * Mikel frowns. "Goddess becomes... like us, and Zophar is just waiting? That's cheery." Men haven't forgotten, I don't think. Not yet. * Tanan looks up at the ceiling. "That's what the prophets claimed." Another fractured tome tells of rituals performed every year since then, as the temples were built one step higher in the hope they could reach the sky and be like the gods before them. There's a couple stairways leading up from here, as you notice the rooms have definitely gotten to a more reasonable size. The top can't be far... Almost there, at least. A bit of good news. * Saki nods in something as close to trepidation as she's ever gotten. "... let's go." * Vytor follows the group, still keeping a wary eye out. * Trune girds himself and follows behind the group * Ryllan follows once more. There are shadows playing in the corners of the light now, but they keep their distance, wordlessly egging you onwards with a sinister glee -- * Mikel gives the shadows a wary glance as he walks. "...lovely." * Tanan reaches down to grip the sword's sheath again, watching the shadows carefully * Mikel frowns. "Something's upstairs." Indeed, the pusle of a strangely bright life-force is above your heads as you reach the next level. There is also the sound of chanting... it is one voice, but the tones of many. How bizzare. It's... not her. It doesn't feel like her. What's... But who the hell else is here? * Trune looks up to the pulse of life-force, "It's...ah!" Lure. * Saki starts at the sound of the voices, then growls. "Lure is. Got to be. Let's /go/!" * Trune holds his head suddenly, "It's asking for help!" ..? * Mikel starts running as Saki takes off. "Show time I guess!" W--wait for me! * Trune takes a deep breath and runs after the others. * Vytor hurries after the group * Tanan watches Mikel and Trune run ahead, bemused << nuuuuke >> «ooc: NO REALLY WE LIED OKAY NUKE :( » * Saki yelps, stunned to a pause for a moment and clutching at her head. "... n-no, it's-- it's them! All of them! And... nngh!" Shaking her head, she chases after the others. Emiria, who has been lagging behind for a bit perks up. "Lure? So that must be the alter up there." << Or not. Whatever! >> Goddammit. * Mikel runs one way or another. * Ryllan charges after Saki, his daggers sliding smoothly into his hands. The chanting gets louder, intelligible now as you race up what could be the final staircase. It's much larger and wider than the rest and the sun stream in from it. Could the top be there at last? <> "...bring us to life everlasting... with this sacrifice..." * Mikel doubles his speed, starting to swear a whole lot. I don't like the sound of that o_o There's a muffled yelp following it. Damn! No! Move, people! * Saki is almost hyperventilating as she races up the stairs, the black around her sparking and flickering across her fists. * Tanan hurries after the others, gripping the sword. * Vytor tries to run faster, with mixed results. * Ryllan redoubles his efforts, reaching out with his power to find some way, any way to stop or at least influence the ritual magics. Hurring forward, you can feel streamers of energy lashing out all around and into the final passage, met with a scream! "ARRRGHHH!" The final step folds away in a mad dash, a bright flash overwhelming your senses as you step int the light. Your eyes can barely see the figure of an elderly man clad in green heavy traveling robes levitated in the air over a scarlet platform. Stuck deep into his chest is a dagger of silver and gold, the hand of the mysterious Prophetess guiding it straight to his heart. Blood spills outward ..outward, but it is not blood.. it is soul energy pure and untainted, gushing forth into the body of the Dark seer. [Lure] ...ngggh! * Saki doesn't stop for a moment as the energy crackles; ducking low she streaks through the passageway and past the roaring sparks and force to skid to a wild-eyed stop, blinking past the bright lights. "--you...! Damn you!" The man struggles, but his strength is ebbing. As he does so, you see in his figure the faces of your most dearly loved ones superimposed briefly... Oh hell. * Trune has a bewildered expression for a moment, going mute, but then manages to snap out of it, "That's enough! Stop this! NOW!" * Mikel stumbles for a moment in shock at the faces before starting to dash forward. "NO!" We're too late. Prophetess smiles calmly as she drinks the lifeforce of humanity. Have you failed in your mission? Is Lure doomed? All surely can't be lost yet...!! == SESSION END == Tah dah! Session Close: Sun Jun 03 02:02:48 2007