Outside XII: We number things correctly.

[Lord Magtok]

The Auxilary cave door opens and a crowd of minimags enter, carrying a large wooden crate. They scuttle about for a moment before propping the crate up on one end. They get to work prying it open until finally the sides of the box drop away, reveling Mainframe's new body, polishes and ready for use. One of the Minimags goes in search of a Magclone to activate the machine.

[AuxCave]

Meanwhile, in Magtok's head, Mainframe is broadcasting the events in PEACE and relaying Darkcomet's request for bombs and any other tech help that can be sent.

AuxCave

A clone obliging steps forward to activate the automaton, as it responds to Mainframe's transmission.

Bombs, bombs...against that thing? I don't think we have any bombs, missiles, torpedoes, or miscellaneous projectiles even remotely close to scratching that. Not in here, anyways. See if Ms. Kale can spare anything.

[horngeek]

All right.

Daisuke picks Val up, and carries her to where Erin is.

Abigail's already there, knocked out at the moment.

[McBish]

Are the others OK? She asks as she is carried to the other room. You didn't hurt them did you?

[horngeek]

No. I checked on them, and Abigail is unconscious, but she'll be fine. There's another woman in the room, though... looks like she rejected the device somehow.

They enter the room, and Daisuke sets Val down and sits next to her.

[McBish]

Val sniffles a bit and nods. Then winces in pain as the machine in her continues to try and keep control of her.

[horngeek]

Daisuke hugs her, trying to give her at least the comfort of him being there for her.

[McBish]

The hug through the chains isn't as comforting as one might think. Val is doing her best not to completely freak out right now between the chains, the compulsion, the pain, and the idea that she has betrayed Daisuke.

[horngeek]

It's not your fault, Val. Those devices... they're horrible things.

[Artemis97]

[Underdark]

It's really horrible. It really, truly is. Seeing the way people are treated down here. How could anyone be so cold? So calloused? It just doesn't seem possible...

How could a society exist without any vestige of compassion?

The demoness is... actually glad she feels this. Tells her that her heart isn't completely dead. That her spirit still remains strong. You know that things are bad when you can't weep for the suffering any longer. Then you know you have a heart of stone.

Raril's close enough to hear her voice falter ever so slightly when she replies.

"Excellent. I grow weary of waiting here. I still desire to see your home."

As for Avatar, she would love to head over and eat the slave master's head. But likewise she knows all to well that would just result in the death of so many more...

That is indeed to her credit. I am shocked.

And as a result, we'll say the kids quiet down a bit. They're still making a little bit of a whine and sniffling, but nowhere near the all out bawling.

"Are... are you momma Zee?" The girl asks curiously at the mention of family.

[Underdark]

"We are close to the city." Raril explains. "This is one of our groves for growing mushrooms for food and materials. It won't take long for us to get home from here."

* * *

"No..." The drowess frowns slightly, considering what exactly her relationship was to these children. "I am your aunt. Aunt Danube." She decides upon, smiling. "I am the Matron Mother of House Xar'Cha. Your House. Your Family." she explains.

[Rebonack]

[Underdark]

Near the city?

That's great!

As soon as she's out of the eyes of all these not-Raril drow she can finally drop the act and be herself again.

Bleh... what a mess.

Being turned into a demoness is bad enough. Having to watch slave children being whipped by barbed flails is something else completely.

Anywho, Memzee nods slowly in reply. "Very well. I look forward to seeing your home, male. It should be interesting to see whether it is half as glorious as you said."

[iElf]

[underdark]

Din is hopelessly lost in the labyrinthine caves of the underdark, and slowly running out of water. she hears a small river flowing somewhere , and decides to go in that direction

[Artemis97]

[Underdark]

"Oh, I promise you it will be. If you like, I can show you the sights once we arrive." Raril offers with a slight smile, attempting to make the best of the rather dire situation they were in.

* * *

And Din might just be hearing the fast moving stream I described earlier, and the mushroom grove beyond it. If she's careful, she might be able to grab a drink without being noticed by the thirty or so armed drow waiting on the other side.

Or she's hearing another source of water entirely, but that's up to iElf.

[iElf]

Din breaks into a run, the sound getting closer by the secons. going around a corner she sees the stream and a grove of mushrooms beyond it. and about 30 drow. trying to get behind the corner again, she slips on a wet rock, and screams SHIIT!

[Artemis97]

[Underdark]

Well that outburst gets the attention of everyone in the grove. A group of five foot-soldiers cross the bridge, heading towards Din. Their movements are silent, especially against the background of noise from the stream. They fan out, searching for her. One calls out in the drow tongue, and even if Din doesn't speak it, the intent is clear. Show yourself.

Back in the Grove, Raril turns to look at the source of the sound. That was a curse in Common. Had someone followed them? He hoped so, but it seemed whatever rescue there might be was going quite poorly.

[iElf]

[underdark]
Din doesn't understand the speech the drow warriors use, but the effect to her is like the effect of a death threat. there were thirty of them , and only one of her. even if she could kill the five coming towards her, she would never survive the others if she started shooting.and that considering she would be able to overcome the massive fear of them. she hides her bow , and her knives behind a rock, which she marks with some of her blood, and slowly comes form round the corner sobbing slightly. what ever was going to happen was not good.

[Rebonack]

[Underdark]

Well, right about now Memzee replies with a half, smile. She isn't sure if drow women do real smiles or not. And especially not grins. They seem way too serious all the time for grins. And she would really like to grin right now because she's honestly excited about seeing Raril's home.

But nope.

She has to be aloof and serious.

"I look forward to it, male," she replies in a slightly bemused tone.

Then someone screams.

Get's Memzee's attention.

Avatar's too.

And probably quite a few guards.

[Artemis97]

[Underdark]

One of the guards steps foreward to try grab Din by the arm and drag her into the grove. The others start to search the area fo any others that might be there.

Raril stands back in the grove, looking a tad worried for the girl.

[iElf]

[Underdark]
Din does not resist. resisting in front of 30 armed guards , with contempt for any other species was as good an idea as poking a sleeping dragon up the nose. running away was not an option either, for risk of starvation .as bad as it sounded her only chance of survival was to go with the drow, whatever cruel treatment they had in store for her.

[blackouttwo]

[Ruins of the Fair]

"If you can walk a little ways, we'll be at my ether flyer, and then I can take you back to the city," Fitzhenry says. And he'll try to help ARthur up and support him as they walk.

Arthur stands and allows himself to be supported. The poor kid's still reliving the fight in the fair with the thugs he killed.

The stolen rifle is left where it is.

[happyturtle]

[Ruins of the Fair]

Arthur is led to Fitzhenry's ether flyer, which his player is too lazy to describe. Picture steampunky stuff.

He flies it to Trog's.

[Artemis97]

[Underdark]

Din will be dragged to the center of the grove and released. Now she was totally surrounded. Of note would be the gilt carriage and the apparent demoness riding on some chimeric beast.

Raril, too, was there looking a bit confused. He steps forward and starts speaking in Common. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

[iElf]

You speak common? she says surprised :I'm Din. I got lost she eyes the demoness, disturbed by her presence( well , more disturbed)

[Artemis97]

"Luckily for you." Raril remarks.

(Deadtime, probably)

[iElf]

Lucky?why would that be?
(deadtimes aswell)

[billtodamax]

Wellllll... there's one monitoring the control devices. Seems Val's is wonking up, Erin's is... well, non-existent. Since Erin's immune system apparently ATE IT.

Abigail's is still going just fine. There is an on/off switch for all of them, as well as a button which harmlessly disintegrates them, letting the body absorb and/or expel the materials involved in the creation of them.

However, the button's just marked 'destroy device', so this may not be obvious.

There also happens to be a 'deactivate traps' button.

Whatever she wants to do, she'd better do it quickly, as Julia's getting back up!

Susan presses the deactivate traps button, for a start, before flipping every switch to the off position, then pushing the destroy device button.

"There." She says, turning back to Julia. She's smiling infuriatingly.

[Jacklu]

[AuxCave]

As the magclone keys the activation switch, Mainframe's new body hums and and trembles slightly. A high pitched whine fills the air and a computerized voice speaks from somewhere within the humanoid construct.

ACTIVATION PROTOCOL INITIATED

PRIMARY POWER CORE ONLINE

SECONDARY POWER CORE ONLINE

TERCIATRY POWER CORE TO ONE HALF POWER

ALL PRIMARY FUNCTIONS ONLINE

SECONDARY FUNCTIONS ON STANDBY

WARNING: NO PRIMARY OPERATING SYSTEM FOUND. PLEASE INSTALL OR UPLOAD OPERATING SYSTEM

WARNING: WEAPONS SYSTEMS LOCK IS ENGAGED. ALL WEAPONS FUNCTIONS DISABLED UNTIL PRIMARY OPERATING SYSTEM IS INSTALLED.

The eyes blink a warm orange color as the body waits for Mainframe to download itself into the body.

[The Bushranger]

[Secret Lab]

Erin's eyes flicker open for a minute...

...then she slumps back against the table again!

Is anybody monitoring her brainwaves?

[McBish]

[Secret Lab]

Erin might see the crying young Val sitting on a table near by her. She is wrapped in chains, at times part of her become semi-translucent but not for very long.

[The Bushranger]

[Gersemi's Isle]

Well, I don't know where she is, so I guess we wait for her to reappear, right?

Melody sits down on the bed.

"Well, she's at GLoG, still, or has been hanging out there..." Quinn says, as she sits next to Melody and goes to put an arm around her.

---

[Secret Lab]

Erin might...were she not in a bizarre semi-comatose state.

[happyturtle]

[AuxCave]

Mainframe downloads a copy of itself into the body created by the treacherous Miss Kale!

Dun Dun DUUUUUUUN!