Skyside 6: Return of the Cheddar

[Earl of Purple]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Nocri turns and looks confused at Sekhmet. She's been crying hard, for a while; her face is puffy. Excellent, you going to get out of there with her? And the others?
I have the keys. I can't reach the lock, but if you meet me at the door I can give it to you- and I can see other cages from here. There's just girls that side, I think; room next door has small ones, halflings and so on. Opposite there's two rooms of boys, and there's another room at the end I've not checked yet. The orc won't notice, I put him to sleep with fairy powder. She climbed on a chair and slipped a sleeping potion into his tea.

[bc56]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Sekhmet reaches out mentally to Nocri. Don't say anything aloud. I'm here to, uh, get you out of here. To Samantha, she asks, I'll, uh, be right there. She starts heading to the door where she knows Samantha's waiting

[Earl of Purple]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

What? How? What's going on? She doesn't recognise Sekhmet under the illusory disguise; they only met the once, and Nocri's had more important things on her mind.

At the door, Samantha hands Sekhmet the key, and sends some telepathic missive. Smaller women are to your left. Right is a food prep area; looks like lots of gruel. Men are opposite. That door at the end I can't see anything in there, but it's giving me weird feelings. Samantha heads off, looking for anything else that might be around. She's sure she hasn't found everything; this building is larger than what she's seen so far.

[bc56]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Sekhmet takes the key and uses it to unlock the door. I'm unlocking the door now. I'll try to open as many cages as I can. She peers out into the hall and hopes there aren't any guards watching. Hopefully if they are, she can can stop them from raising the alarm.

[5a Violista]

[Blackheart Street]

Oh okay supernatural magic things, it looks like.

All Viviane wanted was just a good old fight, but if this gets too weird she should probably get out of here, since it's not really what she was looking for.
She goes along with them, being held as a hostage for now.

. . .
Okay! Great! She now has grounding lines going through her body to handle the electricity. All she has to do next is steel her throat to handle the choking, so she gets on that - letting herself get dragged around.

[bc56]

Blackheart Street

Athena takes aim and fires a wide stunning beam at both the hagraven and Smoke. She doesn't have any particular reason not to stop the vigilante along with his intended victims. Murder is still a crime, even if you're murdering horrible people who really deserve it and would taste so good... Focus, Jade! You can find yourself a graveyard and eat a few corpses later, but don't eat these people.

[Earl of Purple]

Blackheart Street

The orcs dragging Viviane and the other two slaves are approaching an alleyway quite rapidly, hopefully she either breaks free and stops them or Smoke or Athena act quickly.

The hagraven, seeing two duplicates, chooses both and erupts into a blast of lightning striking everything within three metres of her. One of the orcs is caught and collapses, jerking and shaking. If the real Smoke's blade is disrupted by Athena's blast, the superheroine's own blast isn't and the hagraven is knocked over.

Athena's been noticed now, and one of the orcs still holding catchpole rushes towards her and tries to entangle her blasting arm with their polearm, looping over her hand and twisting until the wire loop is tight about her wrist.

Two orcs remain in the chocking and suffocating smoke, struggling to find their way out. One is dead. Four are retreating, with Viviane and the captives. One has been shocked by the hagraven.

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

There's a guard outside, at a table, but he can't do anything. The orc that dragged Sekhmet into the cage; he's fast asleep and snoring, the remains of his tea spilling from the surprisingly delicate fine china cup still gripped in beefy fingers.

It might take Sekhmet a while to figure out which key opens each doors, but she is quickly joined by the other soon-to-be-ex slaves. There's about forty people total, not counting whatever may be inside the lone cell at the far end. If Sekhmet opens that one, a two-tailed serpent with a humanoid face slithers out, blood red scales gleaming in the light. The other freed captives are very wary of it, whatever it may be. I'm sorry, I can't do anything about the lady out front. I've found stairs up, but there's just some small bedrooms up there, and a ladder to the roof. I've blocked the bedroom doors, the guards inside shouldn't be able to get out.
Do you want me to punch a hole in the wall or distract the half-elf? He's up for either, though punching a hole in the wall will attract more attention and demand more resources to fix.

[bc56]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Of course Sekhmet frees the creature. She doesn't even seem to mind what it is. She's seen way weirder things in her time with the Hive. And it would be hypocritical for her to treat it differently because it looks monstrous. I, uh, have everyone. We're, uh, on the way out. Samantha, I, uh, think it's time we, uh, made ourselves scarce."

[Earl of Purple]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Do you want me to take out the wall or distract the girl out front, or do you have it handled? Prumathe can't wait to get Sekhmet out of there.

The half-drow herself hasn't noticed anything's wrong yet, just flicking rather absently through a fashion magazine from last January. The others, giant snake included, are hanging around with Sekhmet, trusting her to have a plan that goes further.

[bc56]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Uh, distract her. I'll, uh, try to make her more suggestible if I can." Sekhmet tries something she's never attempted before and psychically reach into the half-elf's mind and influence her emotions. It's a relatively low level of control, but she wants to foster trust and helpfulness. She won't even attempt to take physical control unless Prumathe's distraction goes very, very badly.

[Rebonack]

[Blackheart Street]

Smoke is caught juuuust at the edge of the lightning blast, causing him to convulse and stagger back a few steps, which puts him comfortably out of the range of Athena's stunning beam. Thankfully, due to that shock, the real Smoke never actually had an opportunity drop out of invisibility. With both illusions shredded by the lightning Smoke conjures another and sends it moving toward the orc trying to wrangle Athena. Unless that orc does some fancy footwork he's liable to get stabbed in the neck.

Sprinting down the ally, meanwhile, goes the real Smoke. As yet he isn't sure whether or not Athena was aiming at him or just at the hagraven, but he really hasn't the time nor the inclination to think about it. Right now he needs to prevent the slavers with captives from getting away.

And to that end?

Smoke suddenly DOOF!s into view as the first smoke cloud he dropped begins rapidly dissipating as a new cloud explodes right on top of the orcs and their captives.

It isn't pleasant.

It burns the eyes and the lungs. Or at least that's how it feels. The illusion in harmless in and of itself, but the discomfort and thick smoggy darkness it causes is quite real. That would be unpleasant and disorienting enough, but it assaults other senses as well. Direct and balance. Being inside that cloud makes it difficult to tell which direction is up, let alone which way one was walking. Hopefully that'll be enough to disorient the orcs.

The captives won't have much fun, either.

But that's probably still better than being enslaved.

[5a Violista]

[Blackheart Street]

Viviane is dragged towards the alleyway, and goes along, trying to think of the best time to break free. Sure, breaking free immediately while they're all panicking and fleeing would probably be the easiest, but waiting until they get away would be the funnest.

Unfortunately, her desire for thrill is cut short, because of Smoke following.
The illusion burns and makes Viviane fall over. This would tighten the catchpole against her throat, but luckily she already steeled that part so it doesn't cut off her air. This is actually kind-of exciting, y'know? She really hopes this is actually some kind of unique chemical that she's never heard of, and not dumb magic.

Fallen over, she reaches up towards her neck and at the catchpole, to wrap her hands around it. She then lunges in the direction of the one holding her pole, in hopes to throw him off-balance and knock him over.

[Earl of Purple]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Prumathe enters the front, and starts trying to distract the lady, entering again and claiming Sekhmet- 'the slave he sold'- had picked his pocket before they entered the store, and asking to see her so he can get his property back. She's then claiming he sold her as she was, and if he thought she'd stolen something, he should have gone through her pockets first. It's a good distraction, but there's only one way out- past her. She's distracted, and unless Sekhmet takes advantage of it to take her out, one of the others will do so.

[bc56]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Sekhmet sees that they can't escape without taking out the guard. So she tightens her grip on the half-elf's mind. Her goal is to make the slaver a puppet to her will, much like a lesser hiveling. If she can do that, they can escape scot-free.

Blackheart Street

Athena's arm is tangled up, but she just creates a blade of light from her other arm and slices through it. She aims a solid right hook at the slaver's jaw, and follows up with a kick to the gut.

[Earl of Purple]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Sekhmet succeeds, crushing the distracted half-drow's ability to resist and leaving her silent and blank, part way through the argument with Prumathe. Nocri, and all the others, can safely leave.

One of the ex-slaves has found a pillow and is approaching the sleeping orc guard, preparing to suffocate him in his sleep.

Blackheart Street

The hagraven starts standing up, too hardy to remain stunned for long.

The orc wrangling Athena is stabbed in the neck by Smoke as the heroine slices through his catchpole and punches him in the jaw. He collapses with the gut-kick, but it's not clear if he's winded or bleeding out.

The four orcs and their captives are surrounded by thick, choking, disorientating smoke. Those with shock poles drop them, drawing knives instead. Viviane doesn't have much trouble pushing her orc over, since he's already overbalanced. He stumbles into a wall and twists it with one hand, before pulling out a knife. The other two captives struggle too, but less effectively. One of the orcs is stabbed after he's pushed into another orc, but it doesn't go through their stab-vest.

One orc was shocked and stunned. One is dead, another has been stabbed in the neck. The four in the smoke are distracted. The two in the smoke that has cleared rush forward, one stooping to pick up their shock-pole first. They'll both head to Athena, leaving the hagraven and unable to see Smoke.

[bc56]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Sekhmet gets the attention of the slave attempting to suffocate the guard and shakes her head. It wouldn't be right. She thinks to Prumathe, Don't resist. Then, in a cold, angry voice, she say, "You..." She quickly grabs Prumathe and begins marching him out the door. The controlled half-elf stands and mutely follows the group of freed slaves out. This is certainly a different experience for Sekhmet, controlling two humanoid bodies.

[Rebonack]

[Blackheart Street]

The smoke is, sadly, not a unique chemical compound. Just a really nasty glamour that Smoke has devised.

Back near Jade, the Smoke illusion jerks a thumb toward the cloud. "Go help the other captives. I'll keep these clowns occupied," he says as he swirls and splits into three duplicates, each wielding a crackling crimson foxfire blade. Right now they aren't attacking, not yet. Two stand there looking intimidating while the third moves to kneel over the stunned hagraven and finish her off.

The real Smoke, meanwhile, charges straight into the disorienting cloud without any real ill effect and swings his foxfire blade in two wide arcs. The first aiming to chop through the catch pole holding the elf and the second aiming to decapitate her captor. The disorienting smog clears away from the area around the elf, leaving a clear path away from the fight. As soon as she isn't in contact with the smoke anymore the burning sensation, nausea, and vertigo vanish as if they hadn't ever existed.

"Get out of here," Smoke commands. "Run!"

Hopefully the elf doesn't have to be told twice.

A quick assessment shows that Vivian seems to be holding her own and the eyebrow guy still needs some help.

[Earl of Purple]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Samantha's tagging along with the group, as the half-drow leaves her cubicle and marches blandly with the others as they leave. Prumathe's a little confused by the order Sekhmet sent, but doesn't resist as he's grabbed and marched along. Some of the others will slink off back into the slums and alleyways of Groundtown, but a large number follow Sekhmet, including the snake with the human face. It still gets a wide berth. "Uh, miss? Where y' goin', miss? Can I comes, too?" The speaker is one of the male former captives, a badly beaten yellow-skinned goblin wearing a tattered apron. One of his ears has been badly ripped, and crudely stitched back up again.

Back to the Ship

Minerva, the gunslinger and all the girls freed from the brothel earlier head back to the ship! When they arrive, they find that there's five people waiting for them, alongside the ship's mechanicus adept. They're... mostly human. One is a woman in an orange space-suit, with a domed helmet under her arm. She holds in her other hand an unusual gun of non-standard design; it has a stock that can be removed and used as a machete, and three barrels- two shotgun barrels over a lower rifle barrel. Another is apparently human, but far taller than the norm- just over three metres tall, and is wearing a pressurised survival suit with a servo-frame built into it; she also looks to be a woman, but the bulky suit helping her mitigate her low-grav origin makes it hard to tell. Another is much shorter; recognisably a ratling abhuman, he holds an antique single-shot laslock fitted with a powerful scope, and wears clothing in dull browns and greys. The fourth figure is the hardest to identify; they have human stature and shape, but their true identity is hidden by the voidsuit they wear, one of thick canvas and polished brass, it looks like an antique diving suit. The final figure is probably the one that Minerva feels most comfortable with; he looks to be in his sixties, and wears a well-worn Astra Militarum flightsuit, haphazardly repaired at his left leg, which ends in a cybernetic prosthesis.

The tech-priestess looks at the returning Battle Sister and her companions. "I took the liberty of sourcing some new crew to take this vessel back. I did not leave, I sent out a request for aid over the vox. These individuals have experience in voidcraft navigation and travel, and are trained in their operation as well. At least, to an extent." And it'll save time, since they've got a bare minimum crew.

Groundtown Cultist Hunting

If Zee's looking in Groundtown itself, she won't find anything immediately. The cultist still needs to get his motorcycle down there. He's in a shuttle, a very cheap shuttle as it happens. It consists of a crude wood and metal basket suspended under a hot-air balloon. It creaks and groans under the weight of the cultist, his motorcycle, the shuttle operator and the sixteen other people also in the shuttle.

[bc56]

Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Sekhmet smiles at the goblin. "We're, uh, going to GLoG. You can come. You all can come, uh, if you want." As soon as they're out of eyesight and earshot of the slaver warehouse Sekhmet has something important to do though. She hugs Prumathe, glad that the ordeal is mostly over. All they have to do now is get these escaped slaves back to GLoG. This will probably also clue Nocri in as to who Sekhmet is.

[Earl of Purple]

Outside Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

Nocri guessed the moment she saw Prumathe.

Most of the group smile and cheer at those words; GLoG's known mostly by rumour and urban legend to take in any who need it, though the gangs and the Slaver's Guild try spreading counter-rumours about how it isn't really safe, a camp out in the wilderness surrounded by monsters, but those are usually easy to seperate from the truth. They'll follow Prumathe, Nocri and Sekhmet, with the mind-controlled half-drow following until Sekhmet releases her hold, either deliberately or accidentally.

[bc56]

Outside Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

While the group is on their way back, Sekhmet pulls aside the half-drow and, releasing a modicum of control, enough to allow her captive to speak, asks her a question. "What would your, uh, bosses do to you when they find out you let, uh, about two score slaves escape?" She thinks she knows what the answer already.

[Rebonack]

[Groundtown Cultist Hunting]

Welp!

This will be fun.

Mostly Zee is just meandering around Groundtown talking with people, giving encouragement, and using the bare minimum of her abilities to clear out a few parasite infections. She doesn't want to do anything BIG mostly because she's saving her juice. She's pretty sure dealing with the remaining cultist won't be very hard but hey! You never know right?

The guy, thankfully, has a VERY unique genetic imprint; his meaning and purpose is clear.

Sow the seeds of a world's downfall.

Which Zee isn't terribly keen on, all things considered.

She just checks skyward every now and again, watching the various vehicles coming down from Skyside. Eventually she spots her target.

And then!

More waiting!

Yay!

Her favorite.

She isn't just going to splat the guy right in front of all those people that would be terrible.

[5a Violista]

[Blackheart Street]

It really is too bad that it's just an illusion or something. Sadly, Viviane hasn't really figured that out yet: she's a bit distracted for the moment. The firesword looks cool, but...maybe she shouldn't let herself get distracted? Fighting while disoriented like this seems like it might be a little fun, though.

Even though the chokepole twists, it doesn't really suffocate Viviane - before hitting her throat, it hits something else and isn't strong enough to squeeze that. She looks up at the orc who was holding it. Ooh, a knife. Was there anything she wanted to try out with a knife...?

She changes positions to kneeling - no longer on all fours. And then, she pulls the choke pole away from the orc and swings a leg around the pole, so that she can use her body weight to break it. She figures that'd be faster than trying to take it off the normal way, since she might get attacked by a knife anytime soon.

[Meowmai]

Elizabeth Hackerson and the Knight of Knives

"I don't have any, uh... things to do today, so it's not any trouble." Jenette's off on a mission for VIGIL, and she's already given Romero his daily walkies. Fi was actually just heading out to grab a snack and maybe see if any of the merchants had a cheap Magtendo DS game or two.

"Yes, Fidelia. Nice to meet you, miss...?"

[Look I'm Sorry Arkh Once Again I'm Writing this at 2am and am too Braindead to Write a Funny Location Header]

"Well, okay then. I think I could do with the help." The catgirl looked incredibly apologetic and awkward. "It's Elizabe- err, Eclipse. Call me Eclipse.". She hastily and rather poorly tried to stop herself from giving Fidelia her real name. Elizabeth had no reason not to trust Fi at this point of course, but she still felt it wasn't the best idea to be giving out her real name after being caught in a criminal act. Especially giving it to someone from VIGIL, who for all Elizabeth knew she might just end up investigating someday. Once she had a bit more skill and knowledge of course, and some actual suspicions to go on. For the moment she just generally figured that any large organization had to be corrupt in some way or other.

[Earl of Purple]

Outside Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

"Dock my pay the estimated value of the slaves on the books, give me a position somewhere else, probably one of the outposts, as logistics officer or something, until they feel I've learnt my lesson or really impressed them." So probably not as extreme as Sekhmet was expecting. She could also be wrong; some this is one of the largest breakouts they've had in a long while, so they might make an example with her.

Groundtown Cultist Hunting

As the hot-air balloon descends, the cultist gets their bike ready, climbing aboard. They rev up and start to go before the balloon lands, turning the drop-down gate into a ramp for a jump, before racing off as fast as they can. He doesn't actually know he's being hunted; he's not sensed anything from the others, he's outside the limited range of their telepathy. But he wants to get as far from Skyside as fast as possible, and potentially try seeding other cults on the way, at motels and taverns he stops at on the way to another city.

[bc56]

Outside Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

"Are you sure? You did just get up and walk out with the slaves. You didn't even try to stop them." Sekhmet smiles coldly. "You'd better come with us, just to be safe." She maintains her control of the half-drow's body and walks away. Prumathe's probably never seen this side of his wife before. But she's back to normal moments later, hugging him and saying, "I'm so glad that's over."

Blackheart Street

Athena is rushed by two thugs. That's a bad move on their part. Her armored foot lashes towards of them in the jaw, and a projected baton of light strikes at the other in the gut. Athena knows how to hold her own in a fight against multiple opponents, keeping on the move and putting the slavers in each other's way in their attempts to attack her.

[Earl of Purple]

Outside Groundtown Slaver Warehouse

"Pretty sure. The Guild has mnemomancers, I know something's up. Just... can't figure out how to fight it." The half-drow probably has no choice but to follow. And that would ensure that they determine the true story, looking at her memories of it.

Blackheart Street

The hagraven explodes into a cloud of dusty feathers as she's stabbed by the Smoke-duplicate, leaving only a silver chain bearing a socket that held an amethyst crystal, that has now shattered.

One of the orcs rushing Athena is kicked in the jaw, armoured boot crashing into his face and flying back, unconscious. The other has a baton slammed into his armoured gut, doesn't react and swings a knife for Athena's neck.

In the smoke, one of the orcs is slain, head flying through the smoke. The elf makes her getaway. Viviane has disarmed one and broken the catchpole, but that leaves a loop of wire tight about her neck and a splintered length of wood hanging from it. The orc she's facing is disorientated and swings for her leg, but likely misses, losing balance and slipping over. The captive man with the long eyebrows is choking, as his captor tightens the noose in hopes the assailants leave off to save the man's life.

The hagraven is gone; two orcs are dead, and one has been stabbed in the neck. One has been electrocuted, then stunned. One is knocked out. One is fighting to keep Viviane under control, and one is strangling the eyebrow man. One is lost in the smoke. One is fighting Athena.

[UncleWolf]

[Looking for Jinn's Workshop]

If there's anything that can be said of Sam Bacon, it's he remembers directions well. Could he really have forgotten where the place was? Not likely. It's a smooth trip. Even taking Alexia along with him, Sam remembers what routes to take. And the usual cutthroats won't choose a large weird guy with a gun at his hip who moves like a local when they could pick an easier, more clueless mark.
Even still, he's twitchy. Nervous. He's always looking around. Thankfully this is a quick one-day trip and then he never has to come back here ever again.

Looking for Jinn's Workshop

Sam's elfy companion trudges along next to him, on edge and on guard despite the bandages hiding her features. Alexia did not like being in Skyside. She liked it even less than being in Vigil. "I really hope this is quick." She mutters. It was probably something to do with a disastrous Thanksmas party that was up here one year. "And I sincerely hope that despite your misgivings that this Jinn doesn't screw up."

Manor Labs

A couple weeks after the arrangements, Anri gets a call telling her that the body, "soul jar" and all, is ready for her and that she should arrive. Tellysandra gets a notice as well. When they arrive, Norael's office had been cleared out entirely and replaced with a life support system, a surgical table with a body on it, and a complicated array of tools on a workbench. The body on the table is covered by a shroud, but there's obvious breathing underneath it and most of the cables from the life support system is attached to it. Norael looks like she hasn't had any sleep since they last left, but she looked quite happy with herself and even had a few very obvious hickies on her neck and neckline. Obnoxious music is playing as well, but she ignores the volume as she rolls her chair across the room towards her desk. "Ready for the nice reveal?"

[Deathkeeper]

[Looking for Jinn's Workshop]

Sam does his best to shrug reassuringly. He's trying to hard to be nonchalant, but the two of them are clearly feeling the same way.
"Well, if it's any consolation...I think in the end despite everything I turned out alright." Sam might think he's nothing pretty...but being strong, resistant to the elements, and four-armed has proven pretty useful.

Manor Lab

Anri arrives exactly on time, as she must. She's almost incapable of not doing so unless she is delayed by outside forces when an appointment is made.
"Yes, I am quite ready. I'm also quite ready to see this body be smashed to a thousand pieces. Though if you would rather someone try to get it working again with another power source, you can consider it donated to pay for the costs, My Lady." Anri nods to Tellysandra. She's not happy about the warlock using the costs of this venture to force Anri to keep working for her, but anything that gets her out of this tin can is worth the cost.

[Rebonack]

[Blackheart Street]

Seeing the noose tighten, Smoke dismisses his disorienting cloud while vanishing from sight along with it. As far the as the orc is concerned maybe the vigilante is letting him go so he doesn't hurt eyebrow guy?

The rest of the doubles vanish as well.

Poof!

The real Smoke, now out of sight, will begin following the other orc with intent of finding out where he's going. There are probably going to be other people to rescue there, or so he figures.

Considering the fact that he's got another hero obvious here to help slap some hurt on this scum?

He's liking his odds of being able to pull off a big hero move.

Just... Need the opportunity.

Hopefully Athena doesn't mess everything up.