Serious Plots 9: Srsr and srsr

[Ashen Lilies]

[The Hunter, Hunted]

Before too long, if Fayyaad is watching the crowd (never a bad idea in Skyside) he'll notice Nocturne coming his way, dressed in the clothes that Fayyaad saw him in before. He's accompanied by a taller human man with East Asian features, dressed in some kind of sleek futuristic combat suit that leaves both of his arms bare - the right muscular, and covered with scars, the left a showy, glossy black cyberarm of advanced design. They'll walk past Fayyaad without acknowledging him (Noc will subtly wave him off if he approaches, while gesturing in the opposite direction and making an observation to the other man to direct his attention), stopping in front of the entrance to one of the markets.

"Well, here's where I get off. A guy owes me something."
"Hate to be him. See you for a round later? You seemed pretty stressed during the job."
"No time for drinks tonight."
"Ah, what a shame. See you around, Noc."

The cyborg winks and saunters off into the crowd, leaving Noc loitering in front of the market for about a minute, until he crosses over to where Fayyaad is, a grim expression on his face.

"So you made it. Good. Which of the two targets do you think we should hit first?"

[Reinholdt]

[Xuracorp Tower - Golden Staircase]

The succubus probably makes it about three steps up the stairs before she hears a loud boom. There's a small indent in the floor, cracks spiderwebbing where the cybernetic nymph used to be. Not that the succubus would have time to look before the blur that is the speeding nymph most likely skewers her from behind at inhuman speeds. It's not Ilpholin's fault the curse chose to be a slow process, leaving her plenty of time to assail the overconfident demon that turned her back.

If she succeeds, Ilpholin will whisper, "You chose poorly," and twist the blade ensure a complete lack of survival. She doesn't understand why so few people value their own lives. It is natural to fear. Even Ilpholin is concerned by these developments and her rapid assault is as much fueled by her distaste for the succubus' sneer as it is a survival attempt, to escape the mist in the stairs. A vague, distant hope that it would be enough to stop the transformation. But then, that's why demons are the refuse of society, isn't it? They're incapable of pissing their pants and recognizing actual danger. Alien, monstrous, vermin needing to be snuffed out. And if it is Ilpholin's fate to turn to gold, she'll be damned if she doesn't kill one more demon on her way out.

[Morty]

[The Hunter, Hunted]

Fayyaad can read the room, so to speak, and it's clear this man is someone Noc doesn't want him to meet. He's curious why, but now isn't really the time to inquire. Cassandra does have excellent taste in men, though, no matter what name and body she's using at the time.

"It's hard to say, but this Maddock character might be more likely to have captured her." Fayyaad doesn't sound convinced. "It's mostly a hunch, however. And I don't like our chances of spending time investigating him while Electra is elsewhere."

[5a Violista]

[Hodgepodge Street]

If the slimegirl found anybody who cared about her opinion, she would argue that 'saving someone's life' isn't heroic behavior. It's just normal-person behavior. Anyone would do it except, evidently, these people.

Maybe this toxic mist only works on self-centered people, she concludes. It would make sense to for some kind of mist-creature to target them specifically, she supposes. Would actually be pretty easy to make something that targets only that kind of people.

On a related note, the slimegirl must be an incredibly vain and selfish person, because she is starting to feel the effects of the toxins (and the blood) finally diffusing through her body. It just makes sense, she thinks.

She actually is a little glad that people are starting to wake on their own, so she slows down. If someone is already waking up, it id suddenly less pressing that she helps them immediately.

[Terumitsu]

Mountain Temple

Wrought? But...would that not include Artorias himself in the equation? He feels- well he feels different surely, but not like he's being mashed up into some new person. He just feels...like himself. But with wings growing out of places he hadn't ever considered.
They're fluttering again by the way. They're going to do that every time they feel irritable, aren't they?
But this isn't about making their body more to your preferences for comfort, it's about succession? Forging the two of them together until they can properly take the place she did? And if walking like her is what she wanted him to do, well, that mission has been accomplished now that he can't exactly go about walking much at all.
That was rather tasteless. Arty knows that was a metaphor. He's just stressed about the possibility that he's losing himself as much as she's losing herself. That's not how it works, is it? He feels fine, he feels...
Well, at the moment he feels the end of their tail sprout more feathers and becomes a rounder, tougher, more useful organ. He starts pulling up that end so they can get a good look at it.

...you know, if it means anything...that poet was rather mistaken. It's been connected that Ozymandias might have referenced Ramses the Great, a king so great that his name did persist past the point that world's people reached the stars. That some of his works, though cracked, remained with his name still intact even after the poet perished. There is some comfort in that, isn't there?

Mountain Temple

Mm. Maybe. It was more a shadow of a tribute to the works but.. Well, one supposes that's what the thin silver lining is meant to be. It's just sometimes one wishes that the silver lining would be made in thick, grand strokes rather than thread.

Hmm.. We do some good work though.. Want to test it? The fruit itself should be fine if we just [Watch or maybe, 'feel,' as we work. This is how we teach ourselves. Observe the method, function, action, and process. Heat and concentrate. Cool and distill. Perhaps a weak mixture but it will be fine to turn stagnant water potable.] It's strange. We're both teaching and learning at the same time when that happens. Remembering and discovering. Doing things for the first time and.. Well, water first, yeah? Besides, nothing like a natural mirror to see how far we've come perhaps. And.. Maybe then we should answer a few questions we asked earlier, yes?

[Deathkeeper]

Mountain Temple

Test the alembic that their backside has been made into? Sure, if it'll work that quickly. Arty takes off their shirt and ties up one end so they can use it as a bag for the fruit. It's already covered in sticky juice anyway. And they're going to want food for the road. Slooowly they climb their way back down. Give their stomach and sub-stomach time to process.
Answers would be nice. Because Arty still doesn't feel like he's becoming any less of himself. If anything he feels more. What are they? Or what is he becoming, perhaps?
And besides the existential questions there's always the obvious. What's Arty going to do with his life now that they're some weird but pretty snake-person? Are they going to fit in his little place? What are they going to wear with these wings and their new look? How are they going to manage fitting into bathrooms? Ugh, Arty is never going to use a public bathroom again. Their scales might be resistance to detritus but they're never going to rub their belly over something like that.
There's the pool, right where they left it. Still just a bit green and stagnant.
So, they just let this stuff bubble and simmer a little and then let it drip into the water? Feels weird but simple enough. Just wait and bubble and...drip.

[Of course they could just ask the spirits to do this for them but that wouldn’t be nearly as fun, now would it? Besides half of them hasn’t quite latched on to that]

[Recaiden]

[Mirror of Art]

As long as you don't go too near the Hunting Grounds or certain parks or other similarly dangerous, wild places, it does seem pretty lush and bountiful. They've even spread out farther than they are in the regular world.

The town...well, it goes on with normal life, not noticing the supernaturally-unnoticeable person.

While the sun's up, it's a lot of work. They really don't have any of the conveniences of modern life, so most of their time is spent gathering supplies and food, taking care of those who were injured and are still recovering, and so on. Luckily, because there's so few people everywhere, diseases are also pretty absent so none of them are sick. Having a professional ranger helping them clean up everything and escaping infections is pretty helpful, too.

It isn't until nightfall that they actually have some spare time, at which point a few of them gather around a campfire (while the rest sleep), discussing different ways they can simplify the work they need to do – better traps, more efficiency, how to upgrade the houses and fences so they need less time repairing them, the possibility of domesticating some of the plants or animals to reduce the need to hunt and forage.
Finding a way back doesn't even come up, since they haven't had that discussion since they found the next-to-last person who got stuck in this world.

Not being noticed is the chief benefit of supernatural-unnoticeability. So that's just the way Ein wants it.
They keep moving from hiding place to hiding place though, anxious about nothing in particular.
It's only later that they creep up close to the fire, listening in.

The concerns of people here don't mean much to Ein. Food, houses, none of that is needed like it is for them. They all seem to have accepted that this is where they're going to be, so focused on the day-to-day. A flicker of worry that there is no way back for them, that they force aside.
This is exactly what they said would make the mirror world more exciting, but of course that was a lie for the fox-tree-devil's benefit. They try to think: are any of these people not like the others, and how?

[Xuracorp Tower]

A long way up. But there are elevator cables, one of them has wings to help.
Nothing for it but to start climbing!

[Shivernight Manor]

3 is crossing the grounds, avoiding any uncovered spike pits, to go in through the front door herself. That should keep her away form any alarms or vines.

Now that Sekhmet is out of the circle, her location in the manor should be obvious to these people who have come to help.
026 will proceed towards whatever door seems to lead to the ballroom, while 017 walks sideways, keeping the maid in his sights. She seems harmless, but you can't be too sure.

[Hodgepodge Street]

At this point, the monster would be easy enough to avoid - if they were on solid ground.
While tumbling and sliding into the depths of a pit, it's a bit more complicated.
Several hounds gathers their strength for a moment and leap in, one at each grasping claw of the monster, to keep it away from the archers by slashing at it or simply by sacrificing themselves, as long as the hive's attackers can keep firing at the approaching devil.

As for the stalker, the bite will heal in a minute, but the venom will keep working.
Why was it sent on this mission, again? Surely anyone who can't deal with a demonic invasion isn't interesting, and anyone who can is a problem. They should have been looking for answers instead.
The mist closes around them-
-oh, nevermind, it seems there's no one here.

[Earl of Purple]

Xuracorp Tower

Prumathe is shackled, and starts to strain against the chain. He's boosting his strength as he does, trying to get as strong as he can. It's likely Sapphira knows he can do this, or at least has a good idea, and figured out countermeasures.

Shivernight Manor Ballroom

The ballroom is in the right wing, the 'uninhabited' one, the room with the ditch dug under the tarpaulined windows.

Bluefoot grimaces at the mental assault, opening the bottle before she can help herself and freeing Sekhmet's voice. She doesn't move, and tries to force memories of her interactions with Sapphira to the forefront of her mind. In the cage, wearing nothing but underwear, and surrounded by other people in similar attire. The arrival of Ophelia, and Bluefoot taking her top. The bath, when Bluefoot was naked and washing and asked if it were deliberate that Sapphira arrived when Bluefoot was wearing so little. Underneath that, however, there's a memory of six bottles on a mantlepiece in an opulent bedroom, Ophelia strapped to a table in the dungeon as Bluefoot eats a curry, Sylvester being lowered head-first into a bucket of water (followed, shortly after, by a memory of his death to summon Sekhmet), and the arrival of Sekhmet's father.

"You... don't need me to escort you out of here." Bluefoot gestures at the tarpaulin-covered windows, Sekhmet probably getting a flash of the wards preventing unauthorised entry and the spiked ditch beneath, but the wards are specifically against entry, not exit.

Something Bluefoot doesn't think of, or even something Sekhmet knows she should be looking for but mind find anyway, the owner of the voice in the bottle needs to be nearby for it to return. It's part of why Bluefoot can't use a bottle to sound like someone else.

Foyer

The numbered individuals need to go back the way they came, as Sekhmet and Geneva are behind them and to the right. The door furthest from the stairs on the right-hand side is the correct one, which 3 is now quite close to. It's not locked, and opens into a cloakroom currently being used to store tins of paint, dust sheets, tools and some wood to replace the damaged sections in the ballroom beyond.

[Rebonack]

[Shivernight Manor]

Well.

It doesn't look like the halfling is going to escort them out OR free the other voices.

Which means making sure Bluefoot doesn't harass them while they escape is the next course of action.

To that end, Geneva manifests a debilitating psychic assault and hurls it against Bluefoot's mind. Sensory overload, to say the least. Not just sights and sounds, no. Smell, taste, touch, and even balance. Should the attack take hold the halfling will likely be left dazed and nauseated on the floor for the next several minutes. Certainly not the sort of situation that makes it easy to chase some people through a mansion. Or give orders. Or relay information to Sapphira. Or... do anything, really.

This is one of Geneva's nastier non-lethal psionic attacks.

Not the sort of thing that's a fun experience.

~Come on, Sekhmet, we need to get out of here. We can come back for the slaves once there isn't an immediate threat of your mother intervening,~ Geneva sends as she drifts toward one of the windows.

[Shadowcaller]

Xuracorp Tower

Throne Room
"Tsk, tsk." Sapphira waves her hand and thick steel manacles appear, lashing out at Prumathe to bind him in place. "You really are so stubborn, aren't you. Fortunately, as long as I have you captive, I don't think she'll give me any trouble." At this time, Anika, Blanche, and Erzsébet arrive down the stairs. "I am not a virgin. Put me down." It's now that she finally seizes her chance to resist. She grabs Anika's wrist. Her very touch saps strength and vitality out of her victims, she's trying to weaken Anika so she can make her escape.

Golden Path
The succubus doesn't seem the least bit frightened by Ilpholin's threats. In fact, the closer the nymph comes, the more confident the succubus seems. The golden mist seems to thicken as Ilpholin approaches, becomes more resolute in her course. And in the instant she creates a weapon, the magic of this place snaps around her like a trap. "Oh, sweetie," the succubus says, stepping backwards out of her reach, "You could've just asked. My mistress wants to deal with you personally. But threatening your host?" She laughs coldly, "I didn't warn you about hospitality for my safety. Have fun with the curse! Toodles!" Ilpholin should feel her body stiffening and becoming cold, as her flesh begins to transmute to solid gold. It's a slow process, but not a pleasant one. Meanwhile, the succubus runs off, up a staircase that appears in the wall behind where she was standing.
It is possible for the curse to end on its own, but it feeds off hatred. If Ilpholin could truly let go of her hate for long enough, its effects would vanish.

Path of Vines
"Oh, they're no one important. Not yet. Just one of my experiments. In time, they might become more handmaidens for my mistress." The succubus-taur laughs. "But where are my manners? I'm Corpse Blossom, handmaid to queen Sapphira and palace torturer." She smiles widely and licks one of her knives. Her tongue is disturbingly long, and a sickly shade of green. "I think I made up my mind. I'll add you to my collection." She throws the knife at Wenomir. Her saliva is a paralyzing poison, so it would be a bad idea to be hit with it.

Elevator Shaft.
The Hivelings narrowly squeeze out of the falling elevator and into the shaft. Below them, there's a loud crash as the elevator hits bottom, followed by another when its counterweight does. Now they just have the long climb up the shaft to the 40th floor, where Sapphira's lair is.

Shivernight Manor
Ballroom
The field containing Sekhmet goes down and she steps out, her psychic awareness spreading out. The creature she's been in communication with will no doubt detect the sudden massive spike in her power. She tries to speak, but no sound comes out. She frowns, and projects her thoughts into Bluefoot's mind. You shouldn't have told me that. Now all I need to do is make you unseal all those bottles, and your slaves will go free. Even as Geneva is invading Bluefoot's mind, Sekhmet is as well, tearing through it for information. How many slaves? Where are their bottles kept? Other prisoners? Defenses?

Hodgepodge Street
Well, those people aren't heroes. It makes sense they'd be a bit overwhelmed by everything that's going on.
The venom of the devil-snake sends thoughts of madness and forbidden secrets, a hunger for knowledge, and a disregard for others through the stalker's mind. With its corrupting influence delivered, and the odds of it further profiting off this incident, it slithers off elsewhere to find some new victims. As that happens, the remaining entranced people begin, slowly, to awaken again.

Meanwhile, the creature the Hivelings are battling roars and stretches forward, trying to reach and swallow up the archers that are sliding towards it. It seems weaker and more sluggish now; there's a lot of silver projectiles stuck in its body and burning its flesh.

Xuracorp Tower Throne Room

So she asked to be put down and then attacked? Anika would even have related at this point as it looked like they were in the final boss throne room and that meant she couldn't be carrying some minion around. But as things were Anika doesn't have anything that let's her defend against life drain but she does have a in-trained reaction to pretty much anything bad happening to her.

It was her bear reaction.

In a burst of green energy Erzsébet will suddenly find herself riding backwards on top of a huge bear which is now charging straight towards her master (or mistress, whichever she prefers) seat. Instead of Anika's arm she's grabbing onto her short little bear tail. She could technically continue to drain her life essence but if that's all she's going to do, Anika will suddenly abruptly stop when she closes in on Sapphira and her guest to cause Erzsébet to launch in the air towards the demon queen.

She's unlikely to go very far, or even hit Sapphira at all (unless her player considers that to be funnier) but landing flat on the ground in front of her like that probably isn't the best look.

[Terumitsu]

Mountain Temple

Test the alembic that their backside has been made into? Sure, if it'll work that quickly. Arty takes off their shirt and ties up one end so they can use it as a bag for the fruit. It's already covered in sticky juice anyway. And they're going to want food for the road. Slooowly they climb their way back down. Give their stomach and sub-stomach time to process.
Answers would be nice. Because Arty still doesn't feel like he's becoming any less of himself. If anything he feels more. What are they? Or what is he becoming, perhaps?
And besides the existential questions there's always the obvious. What's Arty going to do with his life now that they're some weird but pretty snake-person? Are they going to fit in his little place? What are they going to wear with these wings and their new look? How are they going to manage fitting into bathrooms? Ugh, Arty is never going to use a public bathroom again. Their scales might be resistance to detritus but they're never going to rub their belly over something like that.
There's the pool, right where they left it. Still just a bit green and stagnant.
So, they just let this stuff bubble and simmer a little and then let it drip into the water? Feels weird but simple enough. Just wait and bubble and...drip.

[Of course they could just ask the spirits to do this for them but that wouldn’t be nearly as fun, now would it? Besides half of them hasn’t quite latched on to that]

Mountain Temple

Ah! Look how the water foams! It's so simple but I love this part. Burning away parasites, bonding with toxins, not the greatest smell but that will go away once the reaction is done. Ah, [An eye of Ra? Or.. Was that Horus? One for each eye, the solar lidded lapis, the lunar in jade, rimmed and serifed with gold to each cheek. Lips similarly gilded and glimmering. Symbols of honor and station.] looks good on me, doesn't it? This much I was allowed to keep. I suppose they think I'll be better once I return.

Admittedly, I think having to deal with the more, 'mortal' things will come easier than expected. I mean, I am very efficient after all. I did tell myself that earlier.

But I had questions and I said I had answers, yes? Let me ask a question to myself so that I may understand... Suppose I was given a duty. A charge wherein I must protect a certain.. Mmm.. 'Family' is the best word I can think of though 'House' might be a little more clear. So, suppose that I do this duty for a long, long time. I do it well. I do it justly. I become the barrier of that which is within against that which is without. Everything is kept in it's place. Now, imagine a body. A living form. See it's rythms. Hear it's breaths and beats. Alive. Healthy. But over time.. A long, long time.. It slows. Biological reactions decelerate. Pumping slows. Soma stagnates as pneuma fades. This is all chemistry. It is natural.

Yet...

Mine is the purview of the molecular dance. Atomic bindings and breaking. I am both catalyst and crucible and though this gradual grinding failure is the rightful path of entropy, would it not be derelict for me, who has the skill with which to correct this, to ignore this harm? To allow time to ravage and raid as it does?

If I have the power to renew not just life but vigor and zest, is it not my duty to do so?

What does Artie think?

[Deathkeeper]

Mountain Temple

Hm. You know, it's kind of amusing, this shape. One can simply curl up in a huge pile of oneself and be one's own seat while watching the water foam. It's...odd. But then...well, everything is odd. The face that reflects in the pond is odd. Beautiful but odd. Can this be what they are? What I am? It's hard to say. Arty's head is spinning and the clarity of any thought at the moment is in question.
But then again, that might not be anything to do with the cosmic existence being called into question and more the natural shock of it really hitting you that you're being made into some gilded serpent. Just a quiet twinge wonders if it's too late to just go back to an average-looking horseperson.

But preservation? Life and vigor? It has always been Arty's pursuit: to strive for the life and safety of others. To put their vigor above his own. So there is definite agreement. There is a duty in preservation.
But hm, there was something different just now. That name. Something you altered for just a moment, imperceptible. Are you getting at something?
A storm within, a very shiny passive serpent without.

Today sure is confusing.

[5a Violista]

[Mirror of Art]

Nearly all of them are different from each other, one way or another. After all, each are victims of randomly having the misfortune of finding one of Cearta's masks without knowing what it was. That's really the only thing in common. However, the majority of them are humanlike; Ein is probably the most unique out of all of them.

Of the ones here, sitting at the campfire, there's the human ranger adventurer lady who set up most of the civilization here, a bulky imposing demon guy with black feathery wings who seems the strongest both physically and magically based on the direction of the conversation, an elf with fleshshaping abilities who seems to be in charge of healing mostly, a pretty quiet lanky grey figure who is occasionally dipping on blood, and some sort of beastkin with sharp teeth and potentially has some kind of shapeshifting abilities. Also another very-much-normal-human, with purple eyes and black hair.

As the conversation meanders around, it's mentioned that someone found a body from someone who was recently killed by some kind of animal but they're not sure so they would like the ranger to come by and check it out in case some of the more dangerous animals come by. Someone asks if it was someone who left this village a month ago, but no it's too fresh to be them.

And,
Thr ranger adventurer lady stretches, announces she needs to go to sleep because she's not on watch tonight and wants to check out that body early tomorrow. And she stands, checks inside her bag to make sure something is alright (it's a pretty plain-looking mirror that doesn't seem to reflect this world so really it's more like a window to somewhere that wait she closed the bag again there wasn't enough time to get a good look at it) and turns in to sleep.

[Arkhosia]

Xuracorp Tower Throne Room

Blanche's ears flick to attention as she catches the scraps of conversation, and she strains them to hear it more clearly. This means that her attention isn't focused on Erzsébet and Anika when the succubus makes her move, and Anika's surge of action draws it back in alarm. She halts herself from trying to pursue as the druid barrels forth into the main room, hesitating before deciding not to make her presence known just yet if she can help it. Sure, the demon seems to have an almost omnipotent sense of what and where you are within her constructed realm - but omnipotence doesn't mean omnifocus. Perhaps she'll be distracted enough for her to get a vital strike in first.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Fidelia watches her companions discuss, digesting the suppositions Jaahlyn offers with little clue on what advice she could provide. "Would... what would that mean about, um... confronting that aspect?"

[Recaiden]

The strange unique being watches them all curiously, summarizing them each to themself.
Ranger, very competent, but only a human.
Demon, objectively the best, but demons are so tiresome. It's been all about demons all the time for years, it seems like.
Elf, has powers like a princess, very interesting. But then, elves are all supposed to be good at fleshshaping, aren't they?
Grey figure, boring, beastkin, boring, purple eyes, very boring.

And someone who's dead, and someone who left a good while ago.
The mirror catches Ein's eye, of course. Could it have something to do with the way to and from this place? Does it show the original, non-mirrored world? Getting it from the ranger's bag may be necessary.
But for the time being, there are still others around the fire to watch.

[Lord Magtok]

Avenue of Unpleasant Dreams

Spoiler

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Avenue of Unpleasant Dreams

Jaahlyn taps her chin as she seems to consider Lazarus question. "A part of me would say that, after seeing all this, it would be difficult to help you more than you have already helped yourself, sir Lazarus." She says after a few moments of silence. "To, ah, speak in metaphors. I would say you've turned your affliction into a sword sharper than the one you carry. While it's purpose is still as evil as any sword, to kill people, you at least choose who or what." She sounds rather disappointed, perhaps only due to the fact that she couldn't help.

"But... another part of me wants to delve deeper though I'm uncertain how helpful that would be. Usually people bury these kind of curses in the depths of their minds. Trying to contain them even if that's impossible. You however..." The satyr gestures as Laz but as she looks at the knight she seems to realize something. Cutting herself off mid-sentence.
After giving her a lingering stare, she suddenly has an inquiry. "You believe yourself to be the curse, don't you? That you are the monster. That's why you appear like it within this space. Before Lady Fidelia spoke to you what I saw was a ghoulish monster draped in shadows. Now you look more like yourself though."

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Fidelia watches her companions discuss, digesting the suppositions Jaahlyn offers with little clue on what advice she could provide. "Would... what would that mean about, um... confronting that aspect?"

"Are you suggesting I'm not the monster?" Jenette asks skeptically. Even at the peak of her optimism and control, it's inconceivable to her that she could be anything other than some manner of horrific magical creature, rightly shunned and feared by mankind. As if to illustrate her point, she lifts up an forearm and looks it over, turning it around as if it might yield some secret truth or ancient power if she looks at it hard enough.

"Jaahlyn, I don't know if Jenette is even here anymore. I know I have her memories; meeting mom and dad again proved that, but do I have her soul? Maybe the real Jenette passed to the afterlife a long time ago, and I'm just a dark, horrible spirit possessing her body. I don't know; nobody ever told me how this all works," Jenette insists, so wrapped up in her own tired acceptance of the way things have been that she doesn't even notice the way the basement rumbles and rattles ominously whenever she speaks.

[Shadowcaller]

Avenue of Unpleasant Dreams

Jaahlyn eyes Fidelia nervously, it wasn't really her position to question these things as she barely knew Laz. She would do it in her position as an outsider but she didn't think she could hit the proper notes here. Fidelia was the only person here who knew her that well.
The fact that the basement shock as Laz spoke didn't exactly make the whole thing easier and her hoofs shift uneasily while she's trying to think of something to say in response. She would simply have to venture a few guesses based on what she knew of the reputation of her Saint Lazarus persona.

The satyr takes a deep breath as she feels words once again starting to form inside her. She takes a firm stance, feeling her hooves press into the ground and speaks just as firmly. "Erm... regardless of what you are or see yourself as, you try to use what you have to do as much good as possible, don't you? You've been dealt a pretty bad hand but you're using it the best way you can and that's pretty extordinary, especially if you're an evil spirit." She gestures towards Laz. "For instance, have you seen others with your condition? How did they act exactly? Did they try to do good like you do?" Her eyes once more look to Fidelia, she couldn't really answer her question as the key here was getting past this hurdle.
Right now Laz was one with her curse and while that could be beneficial they wouldn't be able to confront any of those aspects of her while that was the case.

[bc56]

Xuracorp Tower
Throne Room
With Prumathe securely bound, Sapphira gestures and the chains levitate him up into the air to hang next to her throne. But the fiendish queen is now focused on the bear and startled succubus charging towards her. She doesn't seem worried, barely even reacting when Erzsébet flies through the air... to land gracefully in front of her. "Do not disappoint me." Sapphira rises slowly, gracefully to her feet, drawing a thin, delicate sword of twisted, black metal from thin air. Hellfire swirls around her free hand. Behind her, Erzsébet too stands up, smiling viciously to reveal razor fangs. Bloodred lightning crackles out from her hands at bear-Anika, the same vitality-draining magic she used earlier. Sapphira, meanwhile, seems passive, ready in a defensive stance, but not about to attack.

Path of Vines
The succubus-taur shifts her weight and the knife hits her shoulder instead of her throat. Black burn markings spread out from that point and her flesh around it begins to wither. When Wenomir rushes her, she rises up, striking at him with her powerful front hooves. She doesn't intend to let him come close if she can help it.

Golden Path
The succubus whirls at the sonic boom in time to see Ilpholin impale her. In her dying moments, she just laughs once, leans closer along the weapon, and attempts to plant a taunting kiss on Ilpholin's lips. Then her body goes still, dead, and the staircase is left open. Any hope that the curse is tied to the mists though, will be dashed. The mists inflicted it, but they aren't maintaining it.

Elevator Shaft
The Hivelings manage to clamber out of the shaft and back onto safe ground, only a few floors below the top. From there they can ascend to the 40th floor by the stairs, or up the elevator again if they prefer. Unlike the Vigilantes, there is no clear way up for them. They'll have to make their own way. It's almost like Sapphira wants to keep them out, while inviting others in.

Shivernight Manor
Ballroom
Sekhmet shakes her head. "No. If we leave them, she'll just do worse to them. She already has prisoners she's torturing. And she, uh, killed one... to summon me." She sends Geneva the image of the half-snake woman restrained in the basement, ugly burns criss-crossing her chest, and the man in a straightjacket struggling against his bonds in a dark room. The fiendling reaches down to roughly pick up the helfling. "She keeps the bottles on the mantlepiece. Only she can open them, uh, safely. There's a faint flush of Sekhmet's face at Sapphira's states of dress as recalled by Bluefoot, as a little of the associated emotions bleed through. Then Sekhmet heads for the door to get to the room where Bluefoot keeps the bottles as soon as possible. Geneva is right, they do need to hurry. But they can't just abandon these people.

Hodgepodge Street
The creature swallows a few more hounds, but it's certainly much weaker now. It slowly loses its grip and collapses in on itself amidst the onslaught of silver weapons. Its carcass remains, a massive mound of pale, pink flesh and yellow bone, bristling with a thin coat of short, coarse hairs.

[Reinholdt]

[Xuracorp Tower - Golden Staircase]

The succubus' wish for a last kiss is thoroughly denied via the fine art of painful headbutts. This monstrosity would never be permitted to soil Ilpholin's lips.

With a flick, she removed the lifeless body from her weapon and let it tumble disgracefully down the stairs. Stairs she turned her attention to and begun climbing with all due haste. Each step growing heavier and slower. She can't die here. She won't. She still had demons to eliminate. She had Nadas. And Jezebelle. Sapphira dies today. And Sekhmet... Later Lilith... Ilfauxlin... Sargon.....

She would... kill them... all...

She would...

...

Ilpholin makes a rather beautiful golden statue with a glowing purple sword for an arm. It's the contrast that really makes it stand out.

[Morty]

[Xuracorp Tower]
Path of Vines

When Wenomir finds hooves heading his way, he switches direction at a moment's notice, as if a dancer performing a well-practiced routine. Without skipping a beat or, it seems, losing any momentum, he's suddenly on the Succubutaur's side, past the hooves, and his axe tries to gouge a vicious wound in her side. Whether or not he succeeds, he'll make another attack, trying to relentlessly batter down her guard. It's a dance he knows well and he's well-practiced at denying his enemy any respite or breathing room.

[Recaiden]

[Xuracorp Tower]
Elevator Landing

The hivelings don't really know how the others are doing, how their 'invitations' are progressing. Prumathe, they imagine, is probably in serious trouble already. All they can imagine is they Sapphira doesn't really intend to play around with them. The hound wrenches open the door out of the elevator shaft. They wait quite a few moments for Sylvette to gather information about the tower this far up, and give them all a spot of rest after the climb/flight Then it's on to the stairs.

[Shivernight Manor]

The high-numbered individuals swiftly backtrack, while 3 opens the door to the cloakroom-turned-storeroom.
Finally 017 bursts into the ballroom, taking in the scene and aiming his gun towards Bluefoot.
So, she managed to escape without them. How thrilling! It seems to be due to the help of this...pokemon? It's jarring for a moment, to see such an out-of-context thing here.

"Sekhmet, this way! You need to get to safety."

[Earl of Purple]

Xuracorp Tower Throne Room

Prumathe struggles as he's levitating upwards, really hoping his silver sword can cut through the binds- though it's an issue trying to move it over.

Elevator Shaft

Sylvette, who I totally didn't forget, will flare her tin to improve her sensory abilities, before topping up again. She's expecting a fight later, and now's a good time to ensure she's ingested plenty of tin to metabolise.

Shivernight Manor

Bluefoot collapses, eyes rolling back and drooling slightly. She's then picked up and has a gun pointed at her, to which she doesn't respond. She's barely aware of being picked up; Geneva's playing with her brain and senses, so whilst she feels herself lifted, she also feels many other things, and sees and smells and hears all sorts of other things, too. She can't do anything.

[5a Violista]

[Mirror of Art]

The beastkin also goes to bed, with the intent of getting up early tomorrow, as well as the elf. Purple-Eyes and Demon have nightwatch, apparently, and the grey figure decides to keep the demon company and help fix up some minor things and check other things here and there while Purple-Eyes is actively keeping watch.

Honestly, pretty boring.
They're not doing small talk, but they end up just talking about their past and each other and religion and so on. Probably not anything worth listening to, unless you just want to get to know them better.

Should Ein choose to follow Purple-Eyes, Ein will see some pretty dangerous animals creeping closer, but some well-placed flashes of light or bells ringing or windchimes or other things all end up driving them away tonight.
Should Ein choose to follow the Ranger, the bag with the mirror in it would be pretty easy to find. Getting a closer look at it will reveal some notable things: namely, Ein's guess is correct, that it shows the original, non-mirrored world. However, another revelation is that it is extremely hard to move around, even indirectly. The ranger made it appear so easy to just carry the bag around, but it feels about as heavy and unwieldly as a person, not a mirror. Might have to depend on asking somebody through notes about it in the morning, to find out what it is.
Should Ein wait for the second watch, one more person will wake up to relieve Purple-Eyes first, and two hours later, someone else will do the same for the demon. The first person up is also pretty humanlike, just like Purple-Eyes, except has both a phoenix and a fire elemental as ancestors, evident in the say the hair and eyes seem to burn and glow in the dark, and a natural ability to control fire - animals are getting scared away by fire, now, instead of light and strategically-timed bells. The second person, replacing the demon, is very much a goat-lady (more goat than lady). Purple eyes, too, but a crackly electric purple - which matches the crackling electric light on her chest, and the fact that she has two extra limbs that are very tentaclelike and appear to be made of the same purple energy that's running through her. Also, her veins glow, too, but that's hard to see through the fur. She takes the demon's place as backup in case of an attack, and also sets up some tools and things. The grey figure, being mostly nocturnal, stays up conversing, too. (Why not just let the nocturnal person take all of night shift? Good question. It's too boring to just do that all waking-period and so the grey figure spends most of that time just entertaining itself by talking with and keeping awake the people who are on night shift.)


[Hodgepodge Street]

As the people are finally waking up on their own, the slimegirl decides now is the best time to get out of here before it gets worse.

Plus, she needs to detox and recover from the humiliation of being stepped through multiple times.

She starts her leave, trying to get away from all this...whatever.

[Arkhosia]

Xuracorp Tower

Blanche notes Sapphira's calm and defensive composure with a note of disappointment, taking it as a sign that the fiend not only knows of her position but feels assured in her abilities to avoid or shrug off her planned attack.

Erzsebet, though? Her disregard seems more likely to be a lapse of judgement as bloodlust urges her to strike. A mistake Blanche intends to render fatal as she sights up the fiend's chest and fires a burst of silver-tipped rounds, not even waiting to see them tear through the succubus before pivoting towards Sapphira and pulling the trigger.

[Recaiden]

[Mirror of Art]

Ein follows the ranger. That mirror might be the best clue here.
They spend a little while looking into it, trying to see where this place corresponds to, what's happening in the real world. It's very lonely here in the mirror - even a glimpse of home would help, wouldn't it?

And then they try to pick it up. Now, Ein could carry a person, but not as easily as you would carry away a little mirror! They probably trip when they try to straighten up lightly and the mirror just refuses to move. It's the sort of thing that make make noise, disturb the bag, be noticed. And someone who noticed that might just pay enough attention to notice Ein! Or they might only notice that something happened with the mirror, or maybe this time the hidden person gets away cleanly.

[Hodgepodge Street]

The archers and the last hound take a moment to stabilize their position on the slopes, lest the collapse continue and swallow them up.
One of them slithers further down, to cut into the demon's spike-filled body and examine it. It moved so terribly quickly, and without any magic in that part of its existence. A worthy opponent, certainly.

Up above, near the slimegirl, someone appears out of the mist - that robed, six-limbed figure who was fighting the snake-devil, for a moment.

What they're doing here, is they're trying to scoop the slimegirl into a bucket.

Is that better or worse than being stepped through?

[5a Violista]

[Hodgepodge Street]
posting here because it seems like the mist-demon has decided to stop paying attention to the slimegirl because she's not really doing anything anyway

Getting scooped into a bucket is just as humiliating as getting stepped through, if not more.
Getting stepped through means they don't see you as a person, but it's still up in the air whether they see you as an animal or a thing.
Getting scooped into a bucket means they just see you as a thing. Possibly the same, possibly worse.

As long as it's fast enough and the bucket is large enough, the slimegirl gets put into the bucket pretty easily.

She, of course, tries to get out.
However, as long as she gets periodically stirred or pushed back in or the bucket gets shaken a lot, there's nothing she can do other than make faces at her captor and wait.


[Mirror of Art]

It is probably necessary to note that he mirror is roughly the size of a dinner plate. Where the 'reflection' is located is pretty difficult to see, since it's dark both on this side of the mirror and on that side of the mirror, but it looks like a cabin, complete with modern amenities like a (currently-off) lightbulb.,

The ranger, having only recently gone to sleep, stirs.
She opens her eyes groggily (she had just gotten to sleep!) and yawns and looks around, looking for what woke her up. She spots that the bag and mirror aren't quite exactly in the same state as they were before, so she looks more closely, trying to see what caused the sound.

In a few moments, if Ein's still there, she'll notice Ein.
If not, the ranger will check the mirror to make sure there's nothing going on in the reflection.

[Shadowcaller]

Xuracorp Tower

Don't worry, Blanche. This is all traditional boss stuff. Some of them just want to send waves of minions at you first before joining the fight themselves.

Anika knew how this worked, which is why she's completely confident even as Erzsébet starts draining her life energy. She had plenty to spare and as long as the succubus was attacking her she wasn't attacking the real threat, namely the sniper-cat behind her.

Thus she roars dramatically in pain.
While Anika wasn't the greatest actor in her humanoid form she could really slay it in her bear form. A real Bearspear.
But if Erzsébet didn't fall over dead by gunshot once Blanche fires, she's going to bullrush the demon and take a bite at her. Preferably the throat but Anika wasn't too picky.

[Rebonack]

[Shivernight Manor]

I mean if we're being brutally honest is there anything that's out of context in the Nexus?

Is a pokemon really that out of place compared to a collective alien bug monster?

Geneva is about to reply to Sekhmet, but then in comes the newcomer with a weapon pointed in their general direction! The mew picks up on the confusion, but it becomes clear in a hurry that this individual probably doesn't have ill intent toward them.

Too bad Geneva doesn't have her PIPGear.

That would tell her FOR SURE whether this person is hostile or not!

~Alright then, we'll bring everyone with us,~ Geneva concedes. ~But I'm going to keep your captor incapacitated for the time being. Once we have the slaves in a secure location we can coerce her into giving them their voices back.~

Then to the newcomer, ~I'm Geneva Richards, a friend of Sekhmet's. I'm guessing we're both here to help.~

Depending on how familiar NUMBER! is with Inside politics the name of the director of Intersection's wife might be recognized.

Also there's...

A snake person somewhere?

Apparently?

Time to go!

[bc56]

Throne Room
The silver bullet bites into Erzsébet's head and she tumbles backwards. Sapphira, however, neatly sidesteps the second shot and raises her blade, rushing in a flurry of movements towards Anika, her weapon making a series of quick swipes at the bear.
Prumathe manages to get the sword blade against his chains and, with enough force, snap one of them, freeing one of his arms. With more freedom of movement, each following chain will be easier to break, and Sapphira seems distracted from her prisoner.

Elevator Landing
This floor is deserted, as is most of the tower. Above, the fortress looms, heavy and imposing. Sapphira is somewhere inside. The Hivelings will need to make a way in; Sapphira hasn't given them an easy entrance like the previous explorers.

Path of Vines
Slowly, steadily the battle progresses, neither side willing to back down. But Wenomir is by far the better combatant. Blow by blow, he cuts into the succubus-taur's defenses, blow by blow, she weakens and slows. Until... "I yield." She puts her hands up and lets her blades fall from them. "Do with me as you wish."

Shivernight Manor
Sekhmet gets the bottles and tries to round up as many of the slaves as she can. But the two prisoners are a bit more of a conundrum. When the group runs across the straightjacketed man while searching for slaves, Sekhmet barely hesitates before letting him free, at which point he stands shakily and attaches himself to her for an awkwardly long hug. Once she dislodges him, he follows close behind her like a lost puppy. The serpent is more of a problem. When the group finds her in the dungeon, Sekhmet starts as if surprised. "Uh, she's, uh, demon-possessed. We should, uh, be careful." She didn't expect to find someone like that imprisoned.

[Morty]

[Path of Vines]

Wenomir stops fighting, his breathing noticeably heavier. The succubus-taur might have noticed he was holding back during the bout. He's conserving his strength for Sapphira. The warrior raises his axe in a threatening gesture.

"Release the people in those pods and tell me the quickest way to reach your mistress. Then I might spare you."