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« 002 ⇢ INTERLUDE002.EXE »

Who: These unfortunate souls
When: OOC: 9/02, IC: 3/01
Where: CERES Research Tower
What: It's time to stage a raid against CERES while they're MIA; what better place to start than the research tower?
Rating/Warning: R: violence and death

▶ ACTION.EXE | IC: 3/01

[ It took some time to get to the tower itself; the Research District was in as bad a shape as the other district, if not more so due to the lack of reconstruction there; the debris was piled high, pools of water hiding shorted out electrical gadgets (be careful not to touch!).

But either way, after a few days of hard work, the characters will find themselves at the door of the research tower.

Time to go in through the front door!

You step inside, and then... you're separated. ]

▶ RUN.EXE | MOD NOTES

This is the event log for these sign-ups! Your groups have been sorted below; here are a few handy links for you:

Group 01 | OOC plotting
Group 02 | OOC plotting
Group 03 | OOC plotting
There is no tagging order, so feel free to tag in whatever way works best for you as a group.

There will be mod involvement in each of the tours; please be prepared for injury and death in each thread.

If there are any questions, feel free to ask them here. You are welcome to plot with your groupmates in this post. Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Shit it's like going back in time. What is with this damn world and suddenly deciding that there's no floor? Namur picks himself up gingerly.]

Naw I jus' knocked my head some, sheheheh!

[For those that don't know him, he thinks he's funny.

Unfortunately, he's not.

Fortunately, his eyes are shit, so getting around in the dark won't be so bad. He has a few other senses that make up the difference.]

So, whaddy' think, try t' climb out or keep headin' down?

[Falls happen. Just...they happen and you get used to them. Picking herself up, Mars taps a heel on the metal surface beneath her feet and sighs. Looking around in the near pitch blackness, she raises a hand.]

I'm fine, thank you. But I'm not sure about how to proceed. It's hard to see. [A pause.] I'm going to make a light. Please, don't look directly up for a moment.

[And with a whisper of will and magic, she calls up a small will-o-wisp, a glowing orange sphere of magic light to cast back some of the shadows. ~~Hopefully that will keep any lurking grue at bay~~]

[ what a good... birthday surprise... honestly, hiccup doesn't know what he expected. walk into the base of giant, questionable corporation? of course there's a trap door! unfortunately an elevator shaft isn't the best place for toothless to spread his wings with others around them, so when they fall, hiccup and his dragon are right there to fall with the rest of them.

sorry for the tight squeeze.

regardless, hiccup's still kind of making sure toothless is okay before he speaks. luckily they don't need any dragon or sword fire, because when mars says she'll take the reigns in the lighting department, he's all for it. ]

Well, it looks like the right person fell in with us.

[ lightly, as he stands and looks around the now lit shaft as he considers the "UP OR DOWN" question. honestly, both are basically a bad decision in a place like this... ]

Uh, we're good too.

[Lucky for Grell, and unlucky for anyone below her, her hard fall isn't as hard as expected, but surely she landed on someone along the way to actually falling onto the floor. There is a groan after a moment of stillness as Grell gets her bearings together, as well as angered grumbling.]

Bloody Hell... [Once she stands, she spots a soft orange glow, and other figures around her. Apparently, she isn't the only one stuck in here.] I guess we all missed that first step.

[She takes out her device and makes use of th flash, making it act as a flashlight for her.] Any ideas of where we've fallen into?

[ Well, someone not from the time before elevators were invented probably has an easier time figuring out what they're on top of (if that really is what they're on). ]

No idea, but either way we don't know what's coming.

[ He doesn't have any plans on dying here or losing another limb though, he has to go back to Botan in one piece. He promised her not to die after all.

Now that there's light, he looks around to see if there's any other directions to take, any holes to go through. ]

[Grell landed on Namur. At least they're keeping it in the family?]

[He tries to look up at where they used to be, but Rei's light gets in the way, so he stomps a foot instead, listening carefully to the vibrations that come back at him.]

'S hollow below us. Might as well get a jump on the shitty place an' drop ourselves on purpose for once, eh? Hang on t' yer asses!

[That's all the warning they'll get before Namur draws back an arm and twists into a downward punch, his arm turning black as he moves. There's a small impact wave as his fist connects, and the floor judders and caves, but Namur can see it won't break. Yet. His other arm turns black for a moment and he slams it against the same spot before the movement from his first strike can die down. This time the stress is enough and the floor opens up beneath him- and maybe a few others. Namur disappears into the darkness below.]

[Mars doesn't immediately drop down, instead just stepping aside when that portion of floor breaks away and waiting. She's not going to jump into a bottomless pit. She will, however, cast a light down after the sharkman, a second ball of flame, and then peer into the gloom.]

[ The light reveals that they are, in fact, in an elevator shaft, though it seems they're between two floors; there's no easy to reach door for them to pry open.

Namur slams his fist into the top of the elevator and it crumples like aluminum foil, allowing him to drop down into the elevator.

There are still no lights on, but now he's not alone in the elevator; with Rei's light, it's easy to see that there are robots in there, all slumped over as if their power was cut all of a sudden.

The metal cords holding the elevator up groan under the force, however, and the entire structure shudders.]

[ that's. wonderful. hiccup's not jumping into elevators just yet--but he does peer in as mars lights up the area, observing the wreckage.

... robots, from the looks of it. he knows what those are now, of course, having been here for so long. and, then, he glances up at the cords, gripping onto the surface he's on as their stability is questioned.

toothless lets out a bit of a low bellow, mostly confused--somewhat concerned. ]

We-- should probably be a little more careful with that.

[ toothless isn't strong enough to hold all of them if they all fall, okay.... ]

Agreed. [But she's a bit more wary of the dragon than Namur making holes everywhere.

Once Namur makes a hole for anyone to jump through, Grell sticks her head in and takes a look around. Robots, from what she could see in the dim light. It wouldn't be good at all if they started moving.

Taking her head back out, she looks all around, and notices something similar to a door above them.]

I can travel upwards to try and find a door, and maybe there's a way to power the elevator again. [Her eyes do look down again, where the hole is.] While leaving sleeping robots lie.

[Grell kneels over the hole to call down inside it.] Namur, how many are there with you?

[Mars pulls a face at the sight of the robots, but when the elevator shifts, her attention snaps back up, body going ridged and on full alert. Looking up, she casts a light towards the ceiling, eyes probing for a second door.]

Don't move too much, we don't want to risk a drop.

[She might manage to get clear but that wasn't high on the agenda.]

Do you see anything in the elevator but robots? If not, we should definitely concentrate on getting up to the next floor. I can make a hole in it to get through if we need.

[ Oh great, it was an elevator. Hirari didn't like those metal boxes, they were unsettling. And with all those robots in there... He leaned over the hole, careful not to move too much. He might not know much about elevators, but he suspected if it fell, they were likely to die. ]

Of all the things it had to be a metal box and robots.

[ He looked around the elevator from above, watching the robots carefully in case they made any moves. ]

[When the lights come in, Namur jumps like a startled cat, then shakes his head. Creepy as shit, seeing what looks like humans but they have no taste, no scent, and no haki. He glances around, making a quick count.]

Uhhh... like. Six? Seven.

[One was kind of hidden beneath another two.]

Ain't nothin' doin' in here. Got doors, but if the damn thing's broke that don't mean shit.

[Namur reaches up and pulls himself partially through the hole, his head and fin poking through. The elevator shifts some more.]

Say we go down. Go back up, could jus' drop the floor under us 'gain an' next time there might not be a shitty elevator, catch me? Go down, we see what we see an' make our way back up on the stairs or whatever. Easier climbin' up an' out than tryin' t' fly, yeah?

[ The elevator groans again -- it seems that the combined weight of all of them, alongside Namur's punches, is really testing the limits of its support.

Especially with Toothless on top of it there.

So they have a few more brief moments -- and then one of the cables snaps. The elevator doesn't drop completely; there's still one more cable holding it up. But it does drop sickeningly before jerking to a halt.

Better pick fast. ]

[ wow, the dragon hate.

but no, it's surprising this elevator's lasted as long as it has, considering just how much stress it's put under. good job, ceres. hiccup lets out a sharp exhale of surprise when the elevator lurches, dropping to the floor as toothless lets out a sharp growl.

then, when it's stopped, he sounds much more hurried. ]

Look, we need to-- I figure since we're already here, I agree, let's go down. We'd need to scout the rest of the place anyway, so let's get that out of the way before this thing ends up making the decision for us.

[ already almost dying... ]

[ Yes please, he doesn't want to fall with this thing. Maybe... ]

What if we make it fall first, and we go down after.

[ Could be risky if they didn't time it right, but there were cables and such to hang on to, and with the dragon there... ]

We'd all have to get off this thing at the same time though.

[Mars simply nods, understanding where he's going with that.]

The cables will hold our weight, and I assume that the dragon can too? I can get myself clear and higher up the cable without a problem or find a grip somewhere. If we're all in agreement though, we need to do it fast.

[That lurch almost makes her heart start beating again. Whatever decision they make, she needs to get her brother out of the metal box. She leans down and puts out her hand for Namur.]

Get out of there! It's going to give any moment! [She doesn't need her husband and other brother going berserk over this if either of them die here.]

[ oh, god. while namur climbs back up, hopefully, hiccup'll speak. this is fast, rushed, because they really don't have any more time: ]

That's fine. You guys get off first--Toothless and I'll get off last. We'll take someone to break down the door for the floor that's below us, then the rest of you follow.

[ and while he says this, he's getting on toothless with some difficulty, tucking his feet in the stirrups of the saddle. ]

And if we're going to do it, just start climbing now! Whoever can break down the door, get on Toothless with me.

[ blasting it with toothless is probably not a good idea considering how tight this space is... but somehow not tight enough for toothless to spread his wings all right-- ]

I'll come with you.

[ Hirari is just going to get right on that dragon, making sure to cause as little damage to the cable while still being as fast as possible.

With only one arm, he's not the best at climbing, but with that he'll be able to help. It would have been easier if he was barefoot. The dragon isn't as intimidating as it could have been had he not already fought against the Orochi, so that part is no problem. ]

[ Hopefully they're done with their preparations, because it's at that moment that the final cable snaps, and the elevator goes plunging down at a high speed.

If they're still on it, they'll be falling a good 50 floors before it slams to a stop; if Namur is still insider the elevator, he'll be flattened as it hits the ground. ]

[Ahahahaha shit.

Namur hates falling. Especially from really high heights.

Thankfully it's really hard to tell how high up he is and he only has a vague idea of how far up he was and that doesn't bother him as much. He was already climbing out when the thing broke, so he has p l e n t y of time to slip out of the small metal box and leap off, aiming himself against one of the walls. He bounces off and does it again on the other side, and realizes he's going to lose too much momentum to make it anywhere safe. His next hit he imbues with haki, his feet blasting through metal and concrete as he pushes off into a tight backflip and grabs hold of the edge he just made, his body slamming against the side of the wall with a clanging thud.

Many seconds later, the sound of the elevator actually smashing can be heard, and if anyone tried to follow him down, they'll hear a soft, steady stream of what some might politely call colorful language.]

[Oh...holy shit. Just...shit. Mars heart leaps into her throat for an instant when she feels the steel begin to give way. Thankfully, it's not hard for her to get moving, her whole body springing upwards lightly, leaping with inhuman strength and dexterity completely clear. She bounces like a pinball from wall to wall for an instant before she either catches a handhold or blasts one out of the wall with a pinpoint jet of flame.]

Is everyone alright?

[Hanging on, she waves a hand and a dozen more wisps of light appear, illuminating the shaft for several stories, including the door and Namur.]

Sound off if you made it! And one of you get to work on that door! We don't have time to just be hanging around.

[Shut it Rei.]

[Damnit all.

Not having enough time to get his hand, Grell has to abandon her plan of pulling him to safety and get herself safe first. Once the lift starts falling, Grell jumps up, pulls out her DEATHSCYTHE and plunges it into the wall of the shaft. She slides down a bit but eventually stops, hanging onto the handle of her weapon with both hands.

Peering down to where the lift fell, Grell tries to listen for any movement after the crash. Not hearing anything created a sinking feeling in her stomach until she heard Namur's foul mouth. Situating herself on her weapon better, Grell makes a U-turn on the wall and travels down towards where Namur should be.

She hears's this other woman's voice, trying to tell her what to do. Trying. A shame she can't see Grell roll her eyes.]

Little Miss Bossy Britches...

[Luckily the lights they used earlier are still active, so at least Grell can see where she's going. She keeps an eye out for a door, since her weapon could easily cut through it. Once she finds one, Grell rides in a circle on the doors, stopping below them so she could swing up and kick them in. Now there's a gaping hole they could get through, and Grell getting to her feet atop the cut doors on an unknown floor.]

Come, now. Don't dawdle! [She yells into the hole, dusting off her her skirt and biker jacket. Only she could be Miss Bossy Britches!]

[ holy crap. there's a hint of panic when the elevator falls with namur's still in it--and, when hirari's steady, you can bet toothless is diving as the elevator falls too. but then hiccup remembers where he is, aka cerealia, and there's no longer any worry. because... namur is fine, judging from the curses, and toothless' dive relaxes. thank you, crazy parkour. thank you, crazy things people can do in cerealia.

exhibit two: grell. hiccup just-- he can only shake his head, and give a shaky sigh. ]

This is gonna be an adventure, bud.

[ quietly, to toothless. an adventure.

he looks over his shoulder to hirari, riding toothless behind him, and he offers: ]

Sorry for how sudden that was.

[ the dive, he means, before they're both manoeuvring to the new door grell's blasted for them. he does offer a glance and a nod to whoever he can see in the shaft to... make sure they're all okay as they move on.

no dawdling on this end! no dawdling at all. ah, but-- ]

Do any of you guys need help getting over here?

[ for mars, and namur. though he has a feeling they're fine!! ]

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