[1.07] Tidefall

[Aethyrium]

S T O R Y T E L L E R
January 20th, 1323, Evening (~7:50pm) | Onyx Central - Fairview | Urban - Earth Resonance
Deadline: - | Thessa, Marlowe, Lyreilynn, Chee, Koko, Hulta, Dariaq, Estelle
In the ninety-odd years since the cataclysmic end of the Great War, the city of Onyx - like all of the great cities - has undergone a profound transformation. Though Toil remains, by its very nature, a brutal and unforgiving world, where peace is fragile, security is illusion, and stability is often a fleeting concept, the past century has nonetheless marked a rare and unexpected golden age. Technology has advanced at a staggering pace, spurred on by necessity and desperation as much as by curiosity. Populations have surged, clustering in these fortified urban centers. And for the first time since the days when dragons carved paths through the skies and the Gods walked unmasked among mortals, life for the common people has reached a state that might cautiously be described as sustainable.

For Onyx, a city as bold as it is stubborn, this era of relative progress has come at great cost and greater ingenuity. Unlike its more defensively situated counterparts - those nestled into mountain cradles or hidden in misty ravines - Onyx was founded in defiance of common wisdom, raised atop a vast, exposed plateau. A deliberate act of hubris or hope, depending on who you ask, it stands naked to the world and, more crucially, to the ever-hungering Hollow that prowl the edges of human civilization.

To expand outward across this flat, treacherous landscape has required both ingenuity and tremendous resources. Every additional block of city territory requires exponentially greater defensive infrastructure - walls, wards, sentinels, and sacrifices. The Hollow do not sleep, and they do not respect borders. To meet this challenge, Onyx embarked on its most ambitious and audacious project: Hammer Island. A marvel of arcanic engineering and brute force, Hammer Island is a floating fortress - an entire district of the city torn from Toil’s crust and suspended high above the surface by a rare and potent alloy of Arcanite. Shielded from the Hollow below, Hammer Island represents both a triumph of survivalist innovation and a not-so-subtle declaration of supremacy.

But such wonders come at immense cost. The Arcanite required to keep even a modest chunk of land aloft is rarer than loyalty in wartime, and the processes and labor to bind it are exhaustive and occasionally fatal. Hammer Island remains singular for a reason.

Still, as with all great innovations, imitation follows inspiration.

Thus rose the great skyscrapers of Onyx, massive towers of steel-bonded stone and that now define the city’s breathtaking skyline, a jagged crown visible for miles across the barren plateau. Where most cities on Toil sprawl cautiously outward with low, defensive architecture, rarely daring to build above three stories, Onyx defies convention. Here, height is ambition. Elevation is power. And verticality has become the soul of survival. The mantra was simple: if you cannot build wide, build tall.

The first of these towers - now quaint by comparison - was known as the Keystone. At a then-unprecedented eleven stories and over a hundred feet high, its unveiling was nothing short of heretical to contemporary city-planners. Critics called it a deathtrap, a folly, a tower destined to topple. But the Keystone held. Reinforced by an early form of Arcanite latticework, it stood proud. It didn't just survive - it inspired. Though dwarfed by the soaring mass of Hammer Island - hovering a literal mile above the earth - the Keystone marked a turning point in Onyx’s evolution. From that moment forward, the city's expansion would no longer crawl across the vulnerable ground but climb defiantly into the sky.

In the decades since, the skyline of Onyx has transformed into a vertical wonder. Towers of twenty stories became commonplace. And most recently the thirties have come, each new pinnacle greeted with awe and trepidation, each demanding ever-more advanced architectural alchemy. arcanic-structural engineers, once obscure specialists, became rockstars of their age. These soaring monoliths have become monuments, not just to engineering brilliance, but to the city’s refusal to yield to circumstance or fear. In the heart of Onyx, the old bones of the city, narrow stone streets, low-built warrens, and fading memories of the pre-war era, have been steadily erased. In their place rise polished towers of shimmering obsidian, hex-wired glass, and living metal.

The undisputed crown of Onyx’s skyline now belongs to the Stratos - a gleaming titan of glass-veined stone and steel that pierces thirty-two stories into the sky. Completed just last year after nearly a decade of planning, construction, and arcanite calibration, the Stratos is more than just the tallest building in the city - it is a vertical metropolis unto itself. Designed to house over five hundred families, it is a living monument to modern ambition and efficiency. Its completion marked a new era in Onyxian architecture, dethroning the long-reigning Skyview Terrace, a sleek and curved twenty-nine-story tower that had, until then, held the record for the city’s tallest structure. Skyview Terrace remains an elite address, its tiered balconies and private skybridges still the envy of old-money, but the shadow of the Stratos has undeniably dimmed its luster.

Below these two giants stands Cloud Top, a twenty-seven-story spire known for its top floor lounge that still serves as a favorite for the well-to-do. What it lacks in raw height, it makes up for in luxury and prestige - Cloud Top remains a status symbol for the wealthiest. In fourth place is the Marble Ascent, a twenty-six-story relic from the early skyscraper age. Clad in pale white stone and threaded with decorative sigils of a bygone era, it once symbolized the peak of architectural refinement. Today, it is still regarded as one of the most stable and resilient structures in the city, often serving as a benchmark in engineering guild assessments - and a favor for those who want to enjoy the collection of sculptures on its rooftop.

Still clinging to its place in the city’s top five is Fairview, a once-celebrated twenty-four-story tower whose name now carries a hint of irony when spoken by modern architects. Time has not been kind to Fairview - not because it failed, but because so many of its innovations were borrowed, refined, and outshined by the towers that followed. It was among the first to introduce sky-level luxury living - lavish penthouses on its uppermost floors, along with a private lounge and observation terrace crowning its summit. These features, once revolutionary, are now standard in any tower aiming for prestige. The building’s lower and mid-levels have evolved into a dense, utilitarian ecosystem, primarily occupied by commercial offices, logistical hubs, and administrative suites. These floors are the silent engine rooms of Onyx’s economic life, rented by trade guilds, mercantile firms, and bureaucratic branches that require space within the city’s heart.

On the sidewalk, across the street, staring up at this marvel, the squires of Savaged have one goal - get upstairs as discreetly as possible, and make their way to the rooftop. Surely eight of Hammer’s finest can manage that…

As the group stepped forward onto the narrow street, their focus was singular - fixated on the mission ahead, and the hope that Ocean waited somewhere on the other side of it. None of them noticed the faint hum of tires on pavement, or the gleam of headlights cutting through the early afternoon haze. Their concentration became a blindfold, and in their collective distraction, they walked straight into the path of an oncoming car. The screech of tires shattered the quiet, a sharp, metallic shriek that echoed off nearby buildings. The car jerked to a halt just inches from Koko, its front bumper stopping so close it nearly clipped her knee.

Through the windshield - startlingly clear - sat a large man behind the wheel, his face already twisted in fury. A wiry woman sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her mouth drawn into a tight line. In the backseat, three more adults pressed forward, their wide-eyed expressions warping in the glass as they processed what had just happened.

The driver exploded first. “Hey!” he barked, throwing his door open so hard it bounced back slightly. “What the hell’s your problem? Watch where you’re going! Do you even—” He didn’t get to finish. The others had already begun climbing out behind him, crowding around him, forming a loose semi-circle that buzzed with mounting agitation. There was no clear leader among them, but their shared energy surged toward confrontation. You could feel it rising, like heat off the asphalt. Despite their differences - age, size, temperament - they were visibly unified by one thing: every single one of them wore something bearing the Neerfrost emblem. Hats. Jerseys. Scarves. Fans, clearly. Headed to the event tonight, and now seconds from turning a near-miss into a full-blown altercation.

N O T E S

Stats

Thessa (53%)

• Vitality: 70/70
• Soul: 85/85 (Green)
• Resources: Full

Estelle (70%)

• Vitality: 135/135
• Soul: 55/55 (Green)
• Resources: Full

Marlowe (52% | 28%)

• Vitality: 80/80
• Soul: 40/40 (Green)
• Resources: Full
• Shimmer: 1 dots

Lyreilynn (70% | 32%)

• Vitality: 100/100
• Soul: 100/100 (Green)
• Resources: Full

Hulta (53% | 26%)

• Vitality: 70/70
• Soul: 55/55 (Green)
• Resources: Full

Dariaq (60%)

• Vitality: 80/80
• Soul: 70/70 (Green)
• Resources: Full

Koko (33% | 12%)

• Vitality: 70/70
• Soul: 25/25 (Green)
• Resources: Full

Chee (50% | 26%)

• Vitality: 60/60
• Soul: 40/40 (Green)
• Resources: Full

Note that this round does not have a deadline. This round we’ll be doing something a little different - a fixed posting order! I will ask that players make replying to this round an extra super priority as soon as it’s their turn to keep this round from taking ages. Once it’s your turn, please post in 1 or 2 days. If this lines up poorly with your schedule, please let me know in discord so we can swap you with the next person, to line it up better. The posting order for this round is:

Koko > Thessa > Lolo > Dariaq > Estelle > Hulta > Lyreilynn > Chee

The goal, by the end of the round, is to be at the top of Fairview. Characters can successfully get there, but not without some hilarity and or trouble - fate and happenstance conspiring against them. To that end, each player has two specific jobs in their post. First, you need to resolve the dilemma presented in the post before yours and introduce a new dilemma to be resolved.

These situations be minorish, but things that get in the way and threaten the timeliness, discreetness, or otherwise ability to get where they are going. When you resolve a dilemma presented, you should do so with your character by whatever means you feel appropriate. Each resolution will be “rated” behind the scenes and your total will play a role in what happens next. You should not leave whatever situation that was presented for you partially resolved, and no dilemma you create should be solvable simply by “going another direction”, it should require some (non-specific) action or effort to get past or deal with. Once the situation is presented, you can take control of it and play it out however you want. These can be serious, goofy, or otherwise. Each post should be an advancement from the last, so we’re collectively telling the adventure through the building.

We’re writing a montage.

[Rainbae]

Stats

Strength: 0
Stamina: 0
Speed: 0
Shimmer: 5
Soul: 0
Brawl: 0
Melee: 2
Ranged: 5
Preparation: 5

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: Artic
Element Affinity: Lightning
Element Weakness: Fire

Weapon Bonus:12

Character Name: Koko Gero
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 |
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing:  Red Overalls, White Blouse, Faded Blue Leather Trench Coat, Goggles, Heavy Work Boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged
Notes: N/A
Koko yawned as the squad finally arrived at the foot of the Fairview. It had only been a few hours since she had woken and been informed of the info the rest of her squad had acquired. The moment she had heard the name Ocean though her back had shot upright out of the bed. Which had promptly sent her stumbling back into the bed with a shot of pain. Still, now she bounced on her feet, full of energy and ready to get the bastard. Apple had said she couldn’t do it. And she was probably right, but looking across at her team she knew they could do it. She led the group as they crossed, trying to keep it casual. There were a lot of floors to cover and if Ocean got wind of them twenty and change stories down he’d be in the wind before they could even get a glimpse of him. She held her hands behind her head as she walked backwards facing the group. She was chatting idly with Chee about their escapades this morning when the screeching of tires skidded to a stop. So on edge, Koko nearly went to attack the large mass that had nearly ran them over. She stopped short of blowing their car to smithereens however as the gaggle of angry riders got out of the vehicle.

“Woah now! Hey, ok just- No I get it but if you’d- Can we just take a gosh darn second and-” Koko’s eyebrow twitched in anger as she could barely get a word out before she was interrupted by the flurry of arguments and shouted obscenities. She growled as she glanced back at her teammates. They did not have time for this shit. Stomping over she stopped in front of Dari before trying to say something. But her voice was easily lost under the cacophony of yelled insults and now the added noise of the horns blaring of the small pileup beginning to form behind the stopped car of the Neerfrost fans. She groaned and rolled her eyes before grabbing Dari by the shirt and tugging him over towards the circle of hagglers. Before she walked away entirely though she stopped where Lolo and Lyra were standing. She gave the small elf a concerned look for a moment and then switched to Lolo. She held her hands up to her and prompted her with a nod to do the same. She then took Lolo’s hands from behind and gently moved them over to have one of each of them pressed against Lyra’s ears from either side of her head.

Grabbing Dari once more she stopped in front of the group and fished around in the endless pockets of her coat until she tugged out what looked like a walkie talkie with the flat disk of a speaker strapped to the back of it with duct tape. She cleared her throat before flicking up a switch on the device. Her team would see as it glowed with yellow light. The light surged across the device, almost flowing like water through several sets of wires that ran around to the disk on the front. There was a light crackling noise, barely perceptible for now as it came to life. She took in a deep breath and then yelled into the device. Instantly her voice was amplified several times louder by the yellow arcanite flowing through the thing as she shouted out “QUUUUUIIIIIEEEEEEETTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!”. Even with their anger the small crowd as well as the onlookers in their cars behind all stopped at once at the incredibly loud noise. The rest of Savaged may even have winced back at the volume.

Speaking with a normal voice through the device now Koko pressed the advantage. “Alright now that yall are listenin’ here’s how it is.” She put a hand up on Dari’s shoulder. “Now, we are real sorry that we were in y’all’s way. However my friend, Dariaq Syvanios star player of the Neerfrost TNA team…” She paused for dramatic effect. “...was hoping to make it up to yall! So here’s what we’re gonna do.” Koko looked the fans over for a moment before she snatched the hat of one of the nearest ones. It was emblazoned with the Neerfrost logo. She handed it to Dari and then fished in her coat again for a marker she kept handy. She gave him a look. “He’s gon’ sign this here hat! And whoever gets it get a free handshake too!” The crowd awed at the idea. She turned to him and said away from the loudspeaker.  “Just do it ok?” Before turning back to the crowd. “Alright yall ready? 3. 2. 1. Go!!” She nudged her head to the side to signal Dariaq to throw the now signed memorabilia. As it went soaring through the air she activated her shimmer on it and dropped all gravity on it as the hat went floating off away from them down the road. The crowd of fans scrambled after it to try and catch up and get the prize. She flicked the switch down on her device and looked at her team. “Let’s go. You can shake hands later.”


Quickly crossing the rest of the way and piling into the foyer Savaged looked around. There was several ways up. Two sets of Elevators, a large set of ornate stairs, and what she could only assume was an access door to the back area which probably had more access to the higher floors as well. There were many groups of people filtering around doing various things. A child was crying in the corner on what could only be his mother’s lap. He swung his arms around and cried about a ‘choco’ something. It was hard to tell. Meanwhile the entrance to a banquet hall was surrounded just down the way with a large number of men and women all holding notepads. The group was so large that it bulged out away from the hall and blocked the main stairs. Before Savaged could even move to get anywhere a set of double doors burst open to their right.

A very angry looking woman strutted out as several other women tried to follow her all with various makeup implements trying to continue working on her, aged but albeit gorgeous, visage. She walked with an air of superiority. Her back straight and her chin raised, the chic looking human woman continued forward. Flanking her on all sides were eight large looking men in black suits. They were all different races and shapes but they all were well groomed with slicked back hair and black sunglasses. At the very back, constantly trying to dart in closer around the girls and large men who hovered endlessly around the angry looking woman was a smaller, rather meek looking Fawn Silenus.

“What do you mean, gone?!” Yelled out the fashionable woman.

“I- She just. I don’t. I mean. She. I’m sorry Miss Francesca I don’t know!! She was here and then she wasn’t and she said something about a boyfriend and a fish and some kind of competition and I haven’t got a clue butpleasedon’tfiremeIneedthisjobohmygod.” The fawn girl tried to push her falling glasses up as she almost tripped over a girl who was trying to futz with the long tails of the smart business suit the woman was wearing.

“I hate models. Give them an ounce and they take a mile, bah!” The woman looked like she was going to say more before she stopped at seeing the group that was the squire team. Her eyes locked on Thessa as she appraised her. There was a terrifying look from her to the large elf. Something like a predator discovering its next meal as after a moment she beelined right for her. She shoved Koko to the side as she walked, not even looking at her to get right up on Thessa. She took her head by her chin and started to move it to different sides, looking at all angles of her. “Alex, measure.”

“I- What?! Her?! Miss Francesca you can’t mean?!” The fawn replied, glancing hurriedly to the side over and over at the crowd of what was presumably reporters who luckily hadn’t noticed them yet.

“Do you want to go back out onto the streets and tap dance for peanuts again? Measure her or I’m using you as my next pin cushion!” The fawn yelped out in shock and very quickly rushed over. She pressed her clipboard up against her chest as she pulled out a small tape measure and started to take Thessa’s measurements. While this was happening the large men were trying to make space between her and the rest of the team.

“I-...I can’t believe it, she’s perfect. Down to the centimeter.” The fawn said in complete surprise.

“Good. She’ll do, and I like the fire I can see in her eyes.” The woman chuckled for a moment before dropping Thessa’s chin. “Take her.” Was all she added before strutting off back towards the crowd of reporters who finally noticed her after a few steps and immediately tried to get close and start asking her questions. Two of the guard followed her along as the other six tried to grab Thessa and forcibly bring her with them.

[Envious]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 2
Speed: 0
Shimmer: 4
Soul: 4
Brawl: 2
Melee: 1
Ranged: 0
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Grassland, Desert
Terrain Weakness: Aquatic, Urban
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name: Thessa Almentis
Date | Time: 01.20.1323
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: zipped up, concealing what's underneath
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged
Notes: Navigate the maze of offices in the public works department to make it to the lifts on the other side of the building
Thessa turned her head to watch the exchange and when she locked eyes with the older woman, there was confusion at the interest but curiosity over the intensity. She wasn’t going to say no to a beautiful woman manhandling her and she raised a hand to her own entourage to signal she was fine. As she was being appraised, she sustained eye contact until she was released and then flicked her eyes across the room to see who else was still looking. It felt like there were more people shoved into a single floor of the Fairview than there were people in her childhood village and while the business didn’t bother her, she wasn’t in a mind to enjoy the variety on display. Not when so much was unknown about Ocean and his plans.

The amusement over the interest faded at ’take her’. When the six men stepped towards her, instinct told her to throw the first punch down to the last punch. She could take them, no problem! But making a scene was the last thing they needed - their mission was to get to the top undetected by Ocean. That required a level of composure that was slowly but surely being beaten into her one painful lesson at a time.

Both arms raised in front of her, fingers extended to hold hands with the two nearest men. One man went for it , but the other went for her upper arm. Thessa was faster and grabbed him, forcing both to lock hands with her. Then she squeezed and jerked her arms to her side. There was a grunt and gasp of surprise, but both men kept a professional, or perhaps embarrassed silence as Thessa used her strength to keep them right where she wanted them. They froze as if movement might cause their limbs to snap off. The other four stopped altogether. They had intended to flank her on all sides, but this new development had them second-guessing themselves. They were used to air-head models being bratty, not intimidating, and their companions looked like they were struggling to maintain their composure. Despite their own imposing frames, they seemed hesitant to cause a scene with reporters directly behind them. They wanted to deal with this quietly without their boss noticing.

Thessa squeezed a little tighter and both men failed to keep their wince and small noise of pain concealed. “First I is gunna break fingers. Then I is gunna break noses. Next I is gunna break legs.” It was delivered in a low, serene voice. “Ain’t gunna take kindly ta bein’ told what ta do. Keep on keepin’ on ‘n you is gunna see that fire in mine eyes gunna burn ya till there ain’t nothin’ left.” There was promise there. Tonight was too important to waste on some fashion icon wanting to play dress up.

“Francesca will do worse,” one of the men across from her said in a velvety, bass voice. Thessa tightened her grip in response and both men in her hands flinched in response causing the man who had spoken to raise his hands in surrender.

“Wait.” The man to her right had a deep, husky voice and he prompted Thessa to reconsider her iron hold. “We don’t need you. We can find someone else.” The words were rushed and he repositioned himself in a vain attempt to seek comfort from the grasp he was in, but Thessa didn’t move.

“Don’t care for the way you treat women. Don’t care ta see you bully someone else.”

“We’ll be nice. We’ll ask,” he promised. Thessa turned to look at him, her face remarkably void of emotion as she searched for his sincerity. “We pay the models very well. We won’t touch anyone.” Finding what she was looking for, she let go of both of them and they simultaneously went to cradle their wounded hand. There were frightened gazes between them - not for her, Thessa realized, but their boss Miranda - as they began to speak in a hushed volume with each other. Some of their group did not want to let Thessa go, but the two who had been in her death grip argued against detaining the unwilling elf. As she turned on her heel to reunite with her team, she heard a frantic get Alex in another warm, smooth voice. They might have been visually different, but it seemed they all had a similar quality of voice that had aided in their selection. Thessa put it out of mind as they continued upwards.

Or tried to.

Getting on one of the sets of elevators was no issue, but as it hummed to life, an elderly human wobbled and her shoulder bumped into the floor buttons highlighting all of them. Someone in Savaged suggested it would be faster to take the other elevator in the pair. They stepped out at the next floor and turned to get on the second elevator to see that it was at the top of the building making its way down one floor at a time and stopping at each one. Thessa groaned in irritation and suggested the stairs, but saw the closed for renovations sign outside the door. She peeked in through the window intending to take the route anyway, but saw the multitude of people inside working on something.

“Yeah, they’ve been closed all week,” a human with a mail bag slung across her shoulder said. She had just come from a door that had city planning in gold letters on the glass window. She hurried down the space to a different door with permitting written on it. “You can cut through the city planning offices to get to the lift and stairs on the far side of the building. It’s a labyrinth in there though, so good luck!” She moved down the foyer and disappeared into another door labeled public works.

”Muchly thanks,” Thessa called, hurrying to the suggested door. The clock was ticking to get to the rooftop on time! She opened the door and was greeted by a cacophony of sound as people shouted across densely packed cubicles creating narrow hallways shoved with people and paper-stuffed carts attempting to maneuver the space. Thessa closed her eyes and rubbed her hands across the lids in frustration. How were they supposed to quickly navigate this maze?

[Aethyrium]

Stats

Strength: 5
Stamina: 3
Speed: 2
Shimmer: 3
Soul: 1
Brawl: 5
Melee: 0
Ranged: 0
Preparation: 0

Terrain Affinity: Forest, Mountain
Terrain Weakness: Desert, Aquatic
Element Affinity: Earth
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name: Marlowe Ashe
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 | ~7:50pm
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: Crisp white button down, pressed grey and black pinstripe vest, pressed black pants, Black low-rise top hat
Tagging | Mentioning: Dariaq |
Notes: Get through the movie scene and quietly make an exit before they know what’s happening!
“We can climb some messy stairs,” Marlowe mentioned as soon as the option to cut through the chaos was presented. But someone in the group suggested that there was some chance there’d be an obstacle they couldn’t just get past - and that was to say nothing about the sneer that the mailworker gave her for the idea of just going into a closed off area. With a bit of a groan, Lolo rolled her eyes and headed for the door to let her team inside. But as soon as she opened it she was really struck with the chaos of it all. Was this place processing all the mail of Onyx?!

There must have been some method to the madness, as people pushing carts moved up and down the halls, creating an anthill-like network of movement, taking, delivering, and generally shuffling things from one place to the next. Lolo frowned at madness unfolding before them - she couldn’t even track a path to the otherside, not with all of the twists and turns, let alone busy fullness. “Are you sure this is faster?” Lolo looked back and questioned her partner. Once she got a nod, Lolo stepped in and was immediatley bumped into by someone trying to get somewhere, and she got scolded right away - not just by them, but others who saw, and were so fixated on the hectic flurry that they forgot that Lolo had been the one run into!

For a brief second, Marlowe considered just running through the offices. She was pretty confident that she could be like a bull here and carve a path to the other side. But one look at Thessa told her that wasn’t a good plan - that was the sort of loud attention they didn’t need. What they did need was for the world to slow the fuck down! And with that in mind, Marlowe unbuttoned her vest and passed it off to Lyra. She tugged her shirt from where it was tucked and plucked the buttons open. The action started to get the attention of some of the workers nearby - attraction, confusion, interest, it didn’t matter. What did matter was that she was disrupting their little brains from what they were doing. She continued to unbutton until she could peel the shirt from her body and passed that off to Estelle. Her bra came off in a movement of speed rivaling those who had been hard at work, and went to Chee!

Topless, the world slowed - as was appropriate for someone of her grandeur - as the people in the room around them stopped what they were doing to look. Whatever their reasons. And those handful who didn’t? Well they were pushed to a halt simply by everything else around them slowing to a crawl. Lolo took a few steps in and leaned forward toward one of the carriers sorting a pile at a desk, “I really need to get upstairs,” she wiggled for him, swaying her chest for his benefit, “Can you point me the right way?” And just like that - and with a few more stops - Lolo led the charge through the room, slowing traffic in a radius around herself and creating a stillness they could get through to the lifts on the far side of the room. They’d have a story to share, but as soon as Savaged passed, the room slowly started picking back up behind them.

And Lolo even put her clothes back on.

The lift they got to, however, was only going to be slightly useful. It went exactly three places - a room at the bottom of the Fairview, for things to come up and down, this floor, and then the floor above it. Beggars, however, couldn’t be choosers. So cramming into the tight space that required Savaged to literally squish together with barely any breathing room. When the doors opened on the next floor they basically spilled out into it. Whatever it once was, right now it was set up for a movie shoot - with none other than the famous Key Anu-Reave staring them down.

“Oh wow,” some twenty-something PA said coming up, popping a bubble of her gum, “They did great on the costumes. Mr Bay is going to love this. You’re gonna do great!” She gave a thumbs up, and started to back off.

[Eye of Horus]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 3
Speed: 3
Shimmer: 2
Soul: 3
Brawl: 1
Melee: 4
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 1

Terrain Affinity: Desert
Terrain Weakness: Aquatic, Swamp
Element Affinity: Lightning (black arcanite)
Element Weakness: Earth (green arcanite)

Weapon Bonus:12

Character Name:Dariaq Syvanios
Date | Time: 17.01.1323 | Evening
Location: Fairview building, Onyx
Wearing: Suit with glossy green jacket and matching tie
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged squad, Key Anu-Reave, director, camera crew
Notes: Remaking history
The reason for most of the floors being locked out of the lift’s programming soon became apparent: security for a film crew.

As Savaged spilled out of the cramped lift, they were greeted by bright arcanite lights, camera cranes, and boom microphones. The floor was still recognisably a corporate office, but its desks and chairs had been cleared back, leaving only two rows of ceiling columns running away from the lift towards the window. Framed in the open corridor, ready to stare down anything coming from the lift, was a man holding two elegant prop pistols. His black trench coat flared behind him in a swirl of drama as he turned towards them, revealing a handsome, angular face framed by a neat beard and a pair of impossibly tight sunglasses. He took the shades off and blinked slowly at the new arrivals. His brow furrowed.

“Whoa.”

Before they could claim wrong floor and bundle back into the lift, a bubblegum-snapping PA bounded up to them, and there was nothing for it but to allow themselves to be shepherded onto the office floor. A human man who was peering down the eyeline of one of the cameras stood up from behind the rig and waved to them.

“Stunt team, right?”

Dari scanned the room. There were at least four different camera setups, and two dozen pairs of eyes on them. He glanced forebodingly at his squadmates. Getting past the film crew without making a scene would be impossible. Unless…

“Alright...” Dari muttered, tugging at his tie to loosen the pressure on his collar. Unless making a scene is exactly the point.

He turned, and stepped forward with sudden authority.

“That’s us, sir!” he confirmed to the director. “So, run us through what we’re doing again?”

The director frowned, but obliged him. “Scene 87. Neo-King has just learned he is the Embodiment, and he fights the leader of the Mind Hackers…” he looked Dari up and down, “Going by the suit I assume that’s you. Then he fights the rest as they try to take revenge.”

Dari nodded slowly. Too long. He licked his lips. “Listen,” he suggested, “We were discussing on the way up and I think we’ve got a great alternative idea.”

The director’s eyes narrowed. “An alternative idea? You think you can just come in here and-”

“Hey, hey.” Key Anu-Reave broke in with a placating raise of his hand. “Stunt-men are creative people too, huh? Let’s hear what they have to say.”

Dari smiled in thanks to the actor and plowed on. “Okay. So. We were thinking about the elven champion Talion Ordos and his battle with the Hollow at Crow’s Bridge. How he took out the Ursol with a single strike, and the rest scattered in panic.”

Key tilted his head, one eyebrow up. The director, however, crossed his arms. “But that makes no sense. In every fight until now, the Mind Hackers easily overpower everyone.”

“Exactly.” Dari enthused, doubling down. “But now he’s the Embodiment, and the other Mind Hackers just can’t comprehend it - they simply run. Any elf in the audience will get the reference straight away, and for everyone else it’ll be an entertaining subversion.”

Key stared for a long beat. Then he whispered, reverently: “…whoa.”

Suddenly, the camera teams were scrambling. The director was screaming instructions, and someone started playing a drum-heavy action cue on a portable speaker.

“Okay.” the director said as Key was clipped onto a set of ceiling wires and the squires were ushered onto Xs that had been marked with tape on the ground. “We’ve already recorded the dialogue between Neo-King and the lead Hacker, and the shot where Neo-King empties his guns at the Hacker and he dodges, so we can go straight into the hand-to-hand fight. The opener is Neo-King’s flying kick, so instead of catching it and throwing him back I just want you to take it and go down. The rest of you, stare at Neo-King for a count of three, look at each other, and then bolt for that door there.” He indicated a fire exit stairwell at the end of the office, the door already propped open. “You can go up or down, it won’t matter too much, but don’t try to go through any of the doors or you’ll set the alarms off.” He stood back and clapped his hands authoritatively. “Okay people, twenty seconds!”

The lights flared. A camera operator yelled “ROLLING!” and the director followed with “ACTION!”

Key Anu-Reave threw his prop pistols dramatically aside and started towards them at a sprint. He leapt into the air, supported by the wires, twisting as strategically-placed wind machines blew his coat back. He gracefully extended a leg, and Dari grabbed the foot as it met his chest, letting the momentum carry him until the floor slammed him in the back. Key landed atop him and dropped into a three-point pose, one fist pressed into the floor by Dari’s head, shaded eyes fixed stoically on Dari’s team-mates.

“I am the Embodiment.” he proclaimed.

A moment’s silence, and then Dari felt the tiles under his head rattle as squad Savaged broke and ran for the fire exit.

“CUT!”

There was a whoop from the camera crew. Someone yelled, “That was beautiful!” and Dari heard the director grudgingly admit, “That might actually work.”

Key stood up and offered his hand to help Dari up off the floor. “Good job, man.”

“Thank you monsieur.” Dari beamed, and gestured towards the fire exit. “I’d better go grab my team.”

And with that, he bolted up the stairs after the others, applause still echoing behind him from a scene they were never supposed to be in.

“That guy with the sunglasses was really nice.” Dari commented as he caught up with them. “Who was he?”

Savaged squad clustered on the landing, hovering by a door that they seemed reluctant to open. Dari groaned, remembering what the director had said. The alarms. There didn’t seem to be an easy way to open the door from the outside, only a number keypad whose code they had precious little chance of guessing.

[Dove]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 5
Speed: 4
Shimmer: 0
Soul: 3
Brawl: 2
Melee: 2
Ranged: 2
Preparation: 0

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: None
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus:12+5

Character Name: Estelle Dawn
Date | Time: 01.17.1323 | Evening (~7:50pm)
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: Put together and classy.
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged, Security Guard, Event Manager
Notes:
The team scrambled towards the fire escape door, slipping inside into a tiny hall that had just a single door on the other side. They could see through the glass. It would lead to what looked like another set of elevators right on the other side. But the code! And the alarms? Estelle moved right up to the door, hand touching its surface and looking down at the keypad. Looking back at Dari, her eyes widened. They had practiced her Shimmer and gotten so far! Could it help here? “”B-Back up!” she pressed her teammates, taking a few steps back herself and looking around the little room.

Flashes began almost immediately. But it was a cacophony of loud and confusing visions. She could hear the director shouting, words imperceptible. Body after body flashing before her eyes. They had used this little landing as part of the makeup and hair setup. She could see wigs and makeup kits being thrown around. One diva complaining about the costume she’d been given. Another threatening the makeup artist, letting them know that if they couldn’t make her skin look like she was born this year, they were going to have a problem. One thing after another, but nothing for the code until…

There. Somewhere in the middle of it all she saw a security guard enter through the door from the elevator side, ready to swap with another that was coming from inside the set. They must have needed someone onsite to ensure the safety of the actors and crew. But they had shifts. Her breath shook, eyes now fully iced over and almost white in color as she honed in on these two men. She inched closer to the door, almost in a trance, to watch the security guard enter the code. And she did see it, 5555. She let out a huff, “Really?” But there was a bigger problem. As the door opened, the guard on the other side lifted a card to scan a sensor just under an alarm box on the elevator side. There must be a timer to do so before the alarms started.

Twisting around to face her team, her eyes slowly faded back to their normal blue. “We need a fob. A security card,” she explained, her voice frantic but quiet. But she knew from what she saw that there was a security guard in the set somewhere. “Wait here!” And then she was off, darting into the room with her arms extended. She let her eyes sweep the room, the actors taking a bit of a break before continuing with the next scene. There he was. Standing in one of the corners, trying to be mostly unseen and unheard, she caught sight of an incredibly tall security guard that looked quite intimidating for the simplicity of the job he was doing. He was easily double her size. How would she ever yoink the card from him? She could see the lanyard coiled along his suit’s chest pocket.

Time was ticking. “Sir!” she exclaimed, throwing one of her hands up further and stumbling over to him. He clocked her, standing at attention with his eyes widening just a fraction. He began to hold up a hand to her, the other flexing slightly at his side as he had no idea what she was looking so scared about.

“Miss…?” he asked carefully, his back stick straight as she approached, towering over her.

Her hands grabbed at his arm, but her face turned desperate instead of angry. She whimpered, pleading with him. “You have to help me. I think I’m gonna–” she began, cutting herself off and becoming quiet. Her chin tucked toward her chest and she paused before… gagging. Once. Twice. She leaned into him, clutching at his arm and throwing her weight at him. “I think I’m gonna be sick!” she cried, another gag as she widened her eyes so much it looked like they might pop right out of her head.

“M-Ma’am, the restroom is right out that door. Please, head–" he stumbled over the words, recoiling slightly away from her and practically leaning against the wall to try to escape the impending… doom?

“I’m not gonna make it. A bucket, something, please!” she cried, once again throwing her body into his before collapsing to her knees with another vicious gag. The security guard was frozen for a second, panicked as he looked down at her. Her body was contorting with each gag, and he finally snapped to attention. He was nodding, “OK, OK, OK, one second.” He disappeared, moving into the crowd to try to find her some kind of receptacle for her to get sick into.

But the moment he was swallowed by the crowd of actors, she jumped upright. Hand brushed down her crop top to tug it back down her frame, feet moving at insane speeds. And in her other hand was the security lanyard. She wasted no time in getting to the door, punching in the code, and whipping the door open. The card moved up to the alarm’s sensor, and she watched as DISARMED appeared on the screen. She could finally breathe. A small grin of victory crossed her features and she threw the card back to whoever was at the back of the group, having them then throw it where the two had been standing. The card was returned to its owner, and he’d likely think he dropped it in their coming together and that she had gone to be sick somewhere else.

The team moved together to the elevator, but when they got inside, this was clearly not the main elevator. It didn’t go up high enough. But it would get them up another few floors. She smacked the button for the highest it would go, and when the elevator dinged, they were greeted by more chaos. Stepping out into what looked like some kind of conference with several round tables, a coffee station on either side of the room, and a makeshift stage at the opposite side, people were shouting and ducking, their hands grabbing at their heads. The speaker looked absolutely horrified huddled towards the back wall of the stage. And people were guarding the door that must have led out to the main hall.

As they took in the scene, a woman with a clipboard, little headset and a crazy expression on her face wound around the corner to them. “NO ONE IS GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL WE CATCH THOSE FUCKING BIRDS!” she howled, her entire body leaning into the words as her finger pointed behind her to where a small grouping of three, five, seven(?) birds were flocking and fluttering around the room. There was a small window that had been opened along the right side of the room opposite of the door. Hilarity ensued.

[TheFluffyOne]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 2
Speed: 3
Shimmer: 5
Soul: 2
Brawl: 0
Melee: 3
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Forest
Terrain Weakness: Aquatic
Element Affinity: Air
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name: Hulta Elderfond
Date | Time: 01.17.1323 | Evening (~7:50pm)
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: This
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged, Event Manager, Five pesky birds
Birds.

B I R D S.

Hulta had this.

Jumping straight into action, Hulta went into crab mode and scrambled from the elevator. The birds were all different colours and at least three breeds. They would have their own vices. Hulta started to scuttle around, dancing between the circular tables until her hand could snatch out for a cluster of ribbons that were tied neatly around a glass vase. Tossing the flowers within over her shoulder and promptly hitting the poor speaker in the face with water and sweet lilies. Narrowing her eyes at two birds that looked akin to budgies, one green and one blue, she slunk around the curve of the table. Her shimmer lifted the ribbon from her fingers, and she distracted the birds with one of her signature ‘Smidgeikins’ moves. Her head bobbing back and forth as she ducked up and down twice.

Her shimmer danced the ribbons towards the birds and carefully wrapped the ribbon around their left foot. Hulta snatched the ends of the ribbons and tugged the budgies towards her, gently bundling them in her hands. “Here you go.” She handed them to the drenched woman behind her. The second group were in a corner, violently ducking and bobbing around a group of three conference goers who were all squealing like they were being going to be mugged. Well, they were peculiarly coloured magpies…it could happen. Hulta wracked her brain for something that would help. AHA.

Scuttling over to the woman with the small headset, clipboard and crazy expression, Hulta snagged the pen that was attached to her clipboard. Combat rolling back towards the table across from the swooping magpies, Hulta ducked under the side of the table. Curling one hand into semi-fist around her lips, Hulta let out a perfect crow call. The noise rattling around the room and piercing through the screams of terror and panicked cries. Two sets of beady eyes snapped to Hulta’s location…just in time for the silver tip of the pen to appear above the edge of the table. Bouncing it from side to side, Hulta tempted the birds towards the shiny trinket.

Wait for it….Wait for ittt…..as the birds swooped towards Hulta, she frantically bounced the pen away. She fought the need to animate the pen with squeals of terror herself before she flung the pen towards that small window. Both birds flew through the opening and after the silver pen. Hulta scrambled on top of the table and managed to leap for the window, tugging it shut as she hung from the wall like some form of deranged red gecko. Only for a cooing to sound from the opposite side of the room. Her head swung towards the pigeon that was staring her down from its place on the podium.

The fluffed up white speckled pigeon kept its eyes on her. Taunting her. Threatening her with an almost familiar brattiness that Hulta knew well. Wait. The same narrowed eye view snapped to Dariaq who stood by the wall of the conference room. With a twitch of her lips, her shimmer shot out. Barreling towards Dari at high speed, so fast that it almost whistled at him. Only to round around him and tear through one of the internal pockets on his green jacket. Slicing through the bottom and releasing the collection of puffed sunflower seeds that she knew he had stashed there. The pigeon had kept their dark eyes of doom on Hulta until the speeds clattered to the ground.

Eagerly flying away, Hulta let herself slide down the wall as the pigeon cooed around Dari’s feet as it plucked up seed after seed. Hulta appeared before the rest of the squad, clutching said pigeon in her hands. “I did it.” She gave them all a wide grin before booping her nose against the pigeon. “I have to leave you behind. Smidge would kill me in my sleep if I brought you back.” She passed the bird to the woman with the clipboard and saluted her. “Onyx’s finest feather hunters…You are welcome.” She turned with a flourish and near booted the door open to continue their ascent. Surely it couldn’t be as bad as a room full of birds.

“Oh fiddlesticks.”

The room was filled with people. A slithering queue of various people, elves, humans and Silenus. All with horrible posture as if they had been waiting for hours. As Hulta’s ‘swear’ echoed through the room, she was violently shushed by a single woman at a booth at the end of the room. The older woman had her glasses scooped down to the very end of her nose and gave a pointed look to Hulta. “Wait your turn!” She hissed at the red head before returning to the man before her.

Littering the walls were tacky motivation posters, each one with bright letters and cheery pictures. One read ‘Patience is progress’ and another, with a cat hanging from a branch, read ‘Hang in there. You are only 82nd in line’ Only for the numbers to rattle up to 90 when the squad scrambled in. There was no music. No humming from people in the queue. Only the occasional sniffle and light cough as people waited for something with the woman in the booth at the front of the queue.

[FyreFoxx]

Stats

Strength: 0
Stamina: 5
Speed: 1
Shimmer: 6
Soul: 5
Brawl: 0
Melee: 0
Ranged: 0
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Aquatic, Arctic
Terrain Weakness: Mountain, Urban
Element Affinity: Water
Element Weakness: Earth, Sonic

Weapon Bonus: 12+5

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 | ~7:50pm
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: Teal Arcanite pendant, white wrap dress with blue and floral trim, wide blue sash
Tagging | Mentioning: Chee
Notes: Panic at the Elevator!
After the previous rooms, seeing so many people crammed into such a small space was disorienting to Lyra, pale blue eyes scanning the line for signs of life. Many were seated, clutching little pieces of paper like their entire lives depended on it. Others were dozing, their upper bodies swaying from side to side, numbers in the middling range peeking out from between their fingers, signalling that they’d been there for some time and had yet to advance further. A loud snort, and then some soft snoring came from her left, causing her to jump at the first sound of it. “Quiet, I said!” screamed the woman from earlier at the snoring man, who did nothing but grumble and shift in his chair, arms crossed over his chest as he made himself comfortable again.
 
“Please, ma’am, it’s only a few numbers! I’m late for my appointment! Can’t I just go next? Please?!” A woman was begging with the older lady. The sign above her head was reading ‘Now Serving: 5’ while the pleading woman was holding a ticket that had the number twelve written on it. “This is a chance of a lifetime that I can’t miss!”
 
“No! You will wait your turn! You should have gotten here earlier then! Ask again and I’ll revoke your ticket!” The older woman grumbled, then returned to the man before her.
 
Lyra blinked slowly. From the way the woman snapped at Hulta earlier, and then that woman, there’d be little chance of them getting through this line without waiting.
 
Unless…
 
“I… Think I have an idea,” she said slowly. Lyra bit down softly on her lower lip, scanning the crowd of people. Pleading wasn’t going to work. But… What about that?
 
The dainty elf grimaced, looking none too happy as she turned to tell the others to wait, before walking towards the front of the line as the man happily skipped off, the sign flipping over to the next number in queue. Every step she took was poised and planned, holding her head up high, her back straight. More than one person took notice of the small elf. The older woman looked up as Lyra approached, holding out her hand. “Ticket please,” came the monotone voice, her head bowed, having not even seen her approach, but her attendant did, eyeing the elf warily.
 
“I… I do not have a ticket.”
 
“No ticket, no exit pass!” The woman shooed her aside. “NEXT!”
 
For a split second, Lyra felt offended at having been brushed off so easily. It was rare for someone to speak to her like that. Momentarily stunned, it was another heartbeat or two before she regained her composure. Digging around in her bag, Lyra produced a small item, placing it in the woman’s open palm.
 
“What is this? If you’re trying to bribe me with cor, it won’t work, so why don’t you just–” she started, but her assistant was trying to get her attention.
 
“Ma’am! Ma’am, look!” The young man was shaking the older woman, pointing to the item she hadn’t even looked at yet.
 
“What? What are you talking–? What is this?” Blinking rapidly, the woman stared at the emblem placed in her hand, studying the delicate design on the front of it. It was easily recognizable to anyone familiar with the Arcanite crates shipped from Unovia bearing the Myalis family crest.
 
“Do you know who I am?” An elegant young elf, with silvery hair and pale blue eyes, traits commonly associated with her family line. Anyone who was anyone with some degree of social know-how would recognize her, but being that she wasn’t in Unovia, some of that recognition was a little harder to come by on looks alone.
 
“...should I?” There was suspicion in the woman’s voice, but the emblem in her hand was like a heavy weight, an item far too precious for just anyone to be carrying around.
 
“My name is Lyreilynn Xyrven Myalis, youngest daughter of Sylviana Xyrven Myalis.” Lyra stood up so straight, it was like an iron rod was attached to her spine. She oozed grace and elegance, her eyes half lidded as she stared down at the seated woman, who was staring wide-eyed now as she looked up at the young elf.
 
“My-Myalis? As in…?” she stammered.
 
“The Myalis Emporium, yes.” The words slipped free so easily, but the fact she had to use her family name felt like she was spitting poison instead. Still, she hid her distaste behind that practiced smile, tilting her head ever so slightly as a few tendrils of silver hair shifted over her shoulder to hang in her face, to which she carefully tucked behind a pointed ear, bringing emphasis to her elven heritage.
 
The woman kept looking from the emblem to the young elf and back, whispering with her assistant who couldn’t help but to stare. Even this far from home, that name was infamous. “And what can we do for you today, Miss Myalis?” There was some definite unease with the older woman, who seemed to finally change her tune. More whispers came from behind them, the other people in line pointing and staring at the exchange.
 
Feeling so many eyes on her was like needles pricking at her skin, but she kept telling herself it was no different than being introduced at a gala. She could do this. She was the only one who could. They didn’t have time to be waiting in this queue for Brothers’ knows how long. “You can let me pass,” she stated simply, almost like she was bored of the interaction.
 
“B-but you need a ticket,” the younger boy started, furrowing his brow. He was only following orders, after all.
 
“I see. Then I suppose I must tell Mother about this. I am sure she will not be happy.” Lyra pouted softly, an arm draped over her stomach with the other perched on it, fingers tapping her jaw. “I wonder what she would say about this?”
 
“T-that won’t be necessary, Miss! You…” The woman paused, glancing behind her and then back towards the long line of people, some of whom were suddenly glaring daggers at the line cutter. “...may proceed.” She swallowed, knowing that giving in would give her more issues to deal with, but angering someone of the Myalis name would be even worse. What would her boss do to her if he found out about it?!
 
“Even though I have no ticket?” She raised a brow, just making sure that permission was being granted.
 
“Y-yes, Miss Myalis.” Defeated, the older woman grumbled softly, pointing towards the exit behind her.
 
“Great! Oh, and I will need my friends to come with me.” Lyra smiled brightly, that perfectly practiced look that held little to no emotion in it, and yet still brightened up her face, pointing to the group of seven that she beckoned forward.
 
“W-what?! Them, too?! B-but, Miss, they… they don’t have tickets, do they?”
 
“I am sure this will cover it, yes?” With that same pleasant look on her face, Lyra leaned forward to swipe her family crest from the woman, leaving cor in its wake. The older woman paused for a second, staring down at it, before her fingers closed around it as it was quickly moved out of sight. Seems a bribe did work after all.
 
With a swift nod, the older woman jabbed a finger behind her, silencing her assistant with a glare, before looking straight ahead once more, as if that exchange never happened. “NEXT!”
 
“Pleasure doing business!” she cooed happily. “Mother will be thrilled to hear about this.” As if her mother would be interested in some nobody, but she might be pleased to hear her daughter being treated so highly, so it wasn’t a complete lie. Lyra caught the slight twitch of a smile on the older woman’s face for her recognition as the dainty elf escorted the other members of Savaged towards the double doors that led out of the room amid hushed whispers of both praise for seeing a daughter of the famed Myalis family and scorn for bribing her way through the queue.
 
On the other side of the doors was a hallway. There were signs set up pointing further down to another room with its door wide open, presumably what the queue was for, but to their right were the elevators that would hopefully get them to the top of the tower. Shuffling inside, it was a tight fit for all eight squires to slip inside, but unlike some of the other elevators, this one didn’t seem to be limited in its floor selection.
 
Pressing the button for as high as it could go, hoping it was the top floor, the giant metal box started moving up, ascending the floors at an excruciatingly slow pace. With each floor they passed, it got slower and slower, until finally, it came to a screeching halt with a jerk, sending the squires to the floor. The lights that indicated which floor they were on were lit up on not one, but two numbers - they were stuck between floors.

[shengami]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 5
Shimmer: 2
Soul: 1
Brawl: 1
Melee: 3
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 3

Terrain Affinity: Grassland/Forest
Terrain Weakness: Arctic/Aquatic
Element Affinity: Lightning
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name:  Chee Tortious
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 | ~7:50+p,m.
Location: Central Onyx - Fairview
Wearing: Grey pants, boots, gloves, Jacket, and dark beanie over white shoulderless shirt, Weapons per CS
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged |
Notes: Slippin Through.
Chee's ears pulsed under the beanie. It had been a wily last hour or so. The Neerfrosts fans that had him rolling his eyes so hard he was surprised they were still in their sockets, the ridiculous whatever she was thinking Thessa would go along quietly, elevator issues, Lolo streaking an entire office, a bit of acting, burglary, bird-watching, and then seeing Lyra strut her stuff. Chee had been mostly quiet through most of it. The team had been on point though.

No, he'd been focused on the goal: getting to Ocean and making that man's life harder.

So, as the elevator slowly ground to a stop, Chee eyed the lit up numbers like a nest of Inkats. His lips peeled off his gums and his hissed frustration. But, as it seemed each of them had a key to each situation, Chee was the key here. He grunted and shucked his jacket, which got passed to Koko, then unhooked his weapons belt and passed that to Marlowe. If he could hold the holsters to two of her most deadly weapons, she could hold his. They just needed to get through this last bit and they'd be to the roof.

But that meant quietly. No megaphones or scenes to be made here.

Cracking his neck, he looked up to the access panel in the roof. Grinning at the teammates pressed in next to him, "Scuse my reach dough." And then he climbed. One hand on Marlowe's shoulder and he pulled himself up. Koko caught a foot and pushed him. Dari made a nice ladder after the tall elf braced against the side. He grinned at the man as he climbed past his face. He felt his tail stir someone's hair. He shifted and planted a foot on Thessa's shoulder, then the other on Dari's He grinned down, "You two make a good set. Just a second."

He craned back to look at the panel. Nodding, he flicked his hand and a pearly white glob filled it. He pushed the sticky substance onto one of the hinges then repeated the step with the other and the handle. Finally, he pushed his hands into the third glob and gripped the wheel. He felt it resist but he mimicked Thessa in putting some oomph into it. The thing popped free and he slowly lowered the panel into the elevator's cabin noiselessly.

Quick as a flea, Chee pulled himself up and through. He crouched atop the elevator a moment and eyed the problem. They were near the top; he saw only one more set of elevator doors above where they had stopped. From the panel, he knew it was the top floor but not the roof. But up, above that, there was a space. Not enough room for a whole other floor, but something. Chee's eyes narrowed then he ducked his head into the elevator, "I tink we can get all da way ta da top in a way no one would look for. Quietly and we can get da jump on dem." With that, Chee started dropping Squeakers into the elevator. He counted silently. Then he laid flat on his stomach and reached in, the team passed him Lyra. He grinned at the petite elf, waggled his eyebrows, and then lifted her up to join him. She could help the next and the next. Between that and Koko's shimmer, they'd be fine to follow.

It was time to be the scout.

Chee moved to the ladder on the side of the elevator shaft and slithered up it. Already a quiet person, the squeakers made it eerily so. He was up, past the final doors, and then into the elevator's top assembly. And, sure enough, there was another panel. Probably, it was for mechanics mostly. But the big red EMERGENCY EXIT on it told him its other use. He gripped the handle and tested its strength. The wheel moved. Quickly, he applied Squeakers again and then turned it. Finally, he pushed it up so he could peek out through a crack.

Sure enough, this was the private lounge and observation terrace. The emergency exit would be in an out of the way place. He scanned the space and saw a couple of ashcans, a door, and half-wall. He lowered himself to look down at his climbing team. He put a finger to his lips and then slipped out through the door. Crouching on the cement, he kept a hand on the panel for a moment longer, as it was safety in a game of tag, then broke from it to slip toward the door. As he moved, he peaked over the half-wall at the somewhat famous 'fair view.' Chee'd spent many years looking at this place never assuming he'd see it. The tops of these buildings were for important and famous people, not an orphan mercenary. He chuckled lightly and made it to the door.

There, he crouched again and pressed his ear to it. A lounge meant food, VIPs meant no waiting, so there would be a small kitchen and bar to serve immediate needs. Courses probably came up the elevator. Slowly, Chee peeled one of the Squeakers off his feet and pushed it into the lock/latch. Then he waited for his team to join him. He whispered, "Kitchen. Sounds like a couple people in dere. Who's first?' He held out his hands for his gear.

[Aethyrium]

S T O R Y T E L L E R
January 20th, 1323, Evening (~8:25pm) | Onyx Central - Fairview | Urban - Earth Resonance
Deadline: 7.11.25 | Thessa, Marlowe, Lyreilynn, Chee, Koko, Hulta, Dariaq, Estelle
Up through the door, one by one, Savaged filed discreetly into the lounge where - unsurprisingly - only a few of them seemed to belong. Fortunately, Marlowe was familiar with the place and was able to lead the team along the wall without drawing much attention to themselves, and ultimately back to the roof access. Getting through that took a careful moment of planning, but before anyone knew it they were gone and the night within Fairview proceeded like they’d never been there - probably. Who was to say really? Not everything had been perfectly discreet or according to plan. Fortunately, with eyes open for being noticed, no one noticed anyone noticing them.

That same favor, however, didn’t apply to the time.

By the time Savaged was on the rooftop, it was almost twenty minutes past eight - those delays really added up. That didn’t bode well for the fact they were supposed to be there at eight sharp, but who could have predicted all of that? They could only hope that they hadn’t missed… Whatever they were here for. And without a clear idea of what that was, the team split up into squads, each looking over one of the edges of the Fairview, giving them a collective full view of the city.

A little further north - as viewed by Glitchy - was the Ninja Academy event. A particularly large scale happening, only recently organized. But that wasn’t the only thing happening. On the opposite side of Onyx Central, Dilemma got to witness a large gathering of people who were waiting for the counting of the votes to be completed - in just a few hours, a new chapter in Onyx’s future could be decided. Or it could be more of the same.

For another ten minutes they watched, and nothing seemed out of place. Hope that they hadn’t missed whatever it was they were here for started to dwindle. But then, the rooftop access door, nearly at the center of the building and directly behind Adulate facing east, unexpectedly opened. There were two men exiting onto the roof, but one of them was trapped in the small stairwell by the other who paused in the door when he noticed other people on the roof. Each had a black backpack on, and the forward man was carrying a heavy looking case, while the one behind him had two softer looking duffel bags - each sagging like they held heavy things.

Given the chance, they looked ready to flee - but not unwilling to engage, if they had to. Either way, innocent men they did not seem.

Koko & Chee (Military)

While they are unaware of the specific contents or destination, they know that what’s coming out of the military base is a scheduled military movement. It’s one of Yridan’s transport movements - they helped load the trucks that’ll be coming out.

Down the central boulevard, slightly to the west and in the purview of Wooshed - specifically Dariaq, at the more northern edge of that side - the entrance to the Hammer Crater military base began to lower, something was coming out. Chee, closer to Dari on that side of the northern length of the building, also could catch it. This was the stretch of road where he and Thessa had fought Adir on the night of the prison break. The stretch that they had ultimately captured Mila on. Ultimately, nothing abnormal in sight on any front.

[Envious]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 2
Speed: 0
Shimmer: 4
Soul: 4
Brawl: 2
Melee: 1
Ranged: 0
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Grassland, Desert
Terrain Weakness: Aquatic, Urban
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name: Thessa Almentis
Date | Time: 01.20.1323
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: zipped up, concealing what's underneath
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged
Notes:
The cold wind was biting into her cheeks and threatening the hair in her braid. With nothing else to do besides watch and wait, she became increasingly aware of her lack of earrings. On days like this, the dangling ornaments would tangle in her hair and bump against her skin as they were jostled by the wind. Was it time to don a new pair? The random thought was met with a swift negative. There was no reason to decorate and draw attention to her lobes when she had no interest in sharing her heart so intimately. That little realization hurt something inside of her. It was another stab into the dying dream of motherhood and family that she had spent so long fantasizing about.

She looked away from the gated entrance to Hammer Crater. The unhappy location was bringing up the worst thoughts in her. She nodded to Estelle and began pacing to stay aware of her surroundings when the door behind her suddenly opened. Thessa turned, her expression matching that of the man standing in the doorframe. The elf gave an assessing look, the most important observation being that neither of these men were the one she was hoping for, before her features smoothed out.

”You late.” The improvised statement was born of their own experiences; getting up to the rooftop had been a pain! ”Need help-” she adjusted her body ever-so-slightly as if to make room for the men to pass by while pointing at one of the duffles, ”-settin’ up fer…” She let the sentence die out, but she gave a little up-nod, as if she were in on the secret. She spoke as if she had every reason in the world to be up on that rooftop and that nothing out of the ordinary was happening here, hoping that the two men would take the initiative to be chatty about their purpose.

[Rainbae]

Stats

Strength: 0
Stamina: 0
Speed: 0
Shimmer: 5
Soul: 0
Brawl: 0
Melee: 2
Ranged: 5
Preparation: 5

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: Artic
Element Affinity: Lightning
Element Weakness: Fire

Weapon Bonus:12

Character Name: Koko Gero
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 |
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview - Rooftop
Wearing:  Red Overalls, White Blouse, Faded Blue Leather Trench Coat, Goggles, Heavy Work Boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged
Notes: N/A
Koko felt scrappy as she rubbed the crust from her eyes at having woken up not long ago. The excitement of their ascent up the building had felt like a syringe full of adrenaline being jabbed in her leg and had forced her wide awake. However now that they had settled into a lull waiting for someone to arrive it had passed through her system and she had found a sort of equilibrium. Ready to go but not bobbing up and down. It was exactly what she had needed after their long night. She was off to the side with Chee nearby. She was leaned over the edge of the fence set up on the building’s edge. Probably much more precariously than most would be but as had been shown many a time before, height never bothered her. If anything Koko thought about how fun it would be to jump from here. Especially with the TNA event not too far she wondered if she could ride the air all the way over there before she reached the ground. That would certainly get the crowd roaring.

Ultimately Koko felt rather calm, an unusual feeling for her. It wasn’t that the situation wasn’t tense, it most certainly was, but more so that she felt sure of herself. More sure than she had of almost anything in the past few weeks. This was exactly where she should be and she felt it. And that thought empowered her. Even if, she thought as she glanced across town, the future of Onyx was all up in the air. She nudged Chee with her elbow. “You all there Chi-Chi? Got the sleepiness outta your eyes?” She chuckled a bit, “I hope so, cause your eyes better not have been droopin’ when we go see that movie together.” She grinned at her own dumb comment. Before she could make any more silly wisecracks the door opened behind them. Koko spun on her wrists and turned, still keeping her weight on the railing. She gave Chee a look and a head tilt that told him to go around behind the men, just in case as she moved a bit closer.

She tried to discern what the man was thinking with that expression. He was surprised? Maybe? She wasn’t sure but that was what she gathered for now. Maybe not the full picture but better than she had done in the past. As Thessa stepped forward and began talking Koko got in place just off to the side of her. She held a metal sphere in her hand discreetly. Whoever these guys were, they were their best lead on Ocean in ages and if they booked it and got away they’d lose that chance. So she just stood ready, not interjecting into the conversation but just close enough that if they tried to run she could throw behind them. The sphere was a device she had beeen working on. It had a concoction she had been developing recently, a rapidly expanding foam. It was something she had thought about after Swagger’s final mission together when they had fallen from the sky. It wasn’t going to be very tough to destroy if the men were capable but it would certainly block their way in the tight hallway behind them. At least long enough for the team to grab them should that be necessary.

[Dove]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 5
Speed: 4
Shimmer: 0
Soul: 3
Brawl: 2
Melee: 2
Ranged: 2
Preparation: 0

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: None
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus:12+5

Character Name: Estelle Dawn
Date | Time: 01.17.1323 | Evening (~7:50pm)
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: Put together and classy.
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged
Notes:
Following Thessa came naturally to her. So when the team split into their squads, Estelle fell into step at her flank quickly and easily. The kerfuffle - really multiple kerfuffles - that had gone down throughout the building had left her reeling. And while the rooftop was certainly more quiet than the inside had been, they were still looking out over a city that was full of life and sound. She let herself look down over pockets of people and random events that seemed to explode on every side. To think that there were higher buildings made her want to see what everything looked like up there. But that was for another day.

The door opened and her eyes caught sight of the two men that stepped out. While she’d never seen Ocean in person, she did know what he looked like. Neither of these men matched those descriptions. But the backpacks and the duffels and that case? Thessa took action immediately, leaning into deceit and an attempt to fit in as part of the… mission? It seemed difficult to do that considering they didn’t really know what the mission was. But Stella wasn’t about to be the one to oust her teammate. She’d play along. But she wasn’t sure that the deceit would work, so she had to think fast.

Instead of simply echoing all of Thessa’s implications towards their being late and the like, she crossed her arms and turned to look down at the city again. She wanted to come off as nonchalant as possible, moving away from them one way and then back the other way. The path would bring her to the other side of the men but with her profile turned their way. And her hands were ready to reach for her knives should they be needed. But she could only hope things wouldn’t get that far.

[shengami]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 5
Shimmer: 2
Soul: 1
Brawl: 1
Melee: 3
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 3

Terrain Affinity: Grassland/Forest
Terrain Weakness: Arctic/Aquatic
Element Affinity: Lightning
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name:  Chee Tortious
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 | ~7:50+p,m.
Location: Central Onyx - Fairview
Wearing: Grey pants, boots, gloves, Jacket, and dark beanie over white shoulderless shirt, Weapons per CS
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged |
Notes: Sittin High
Chee watched the lights of the event from his vantage and tracked a few of them. The way they were moving, he'd guess phase one had started. He wondered if his friends were running tonight. He knew several had intended to go to the Special Elections Event. He expected Neerfrosts were involved.

The only things that distracted him were the Hammer Crater doors lowering and Koko. It was a sign of how much of his focus had been eaten away by the guantlent below. He huffed and turned to see Koko, "Looks like dat truck we loaded up is leavin."

He grinned at his partner and then pushed down to lift himself up, brought his legs up, and balanced on the ledge. There was more coming; he'd need his focus back. He took a sharp breath as he looked down the side of the building. He felt the slight vertigo in his core. Chee didn't so this stuff because he had no fear; he did it to learn to control that fear.

The first sound at the door had him dropping to his feet. He'd worried they'd missed it. His eyes went to the bags, then his ears pulsed beneath his cap as Thessa moved in. He grinned at her ruse; it was smart. Then he saw Koko and Estelle moving and frowned. Moving to attack positions was still moving to attack positions; it undermined Thessa's ruse. He frowned as Koko indicated he move around back, but the other teams were on that side already. They'd split to the four direction after all.

Instead, his eyes went to the event and then the climbing doors again. He sucked his teeth. The top of the Fairview wasn't the tallest building in Onyx anymore, but it certainly had a great view of several goings on this night. His eyes narrowed and went back to the men. He hoped Thessa's ruse got them to reveal the plan. Chee began to suspect one of the events around them was the target. He shifted his weight and relaxed. By Thessa's ruse, they had been expecting these men. They wouldn't be wary of attack or planning to attack. He bit his lip and felt the weight of Darklash shift on his hip.

[Aethyrium]

Stats

Strength: 5
Stamina: 3
Speed: 2
Shimmer: 3
Soul: 1
Brawl: 5
Melee: 0
Ranged: 0
Preparation: 0

Terrain Affinity: Forest, Mountain
Terrain Weakness: Desert, Aquatic
Element Affinity: Earth
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name: Marlowe Ashe
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 | ~7:50pm
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: Crisp white button down, pressed grey and black pinstripe vest, pressed black pants, Black low-rise top hat
Tagging | Mentioning: - | Koko, Chee, Paige
Notes:
Marlowe had just barely been in place to participate in the last Onyx election, but she’d been so new that she didn’t know what to do and hadn’t. This time, of course she voted! Onyx was many things and had its fair share of problems, but it was still the greatest city in the world! More than that, Koko and Chee’s little adventure with Paige ensured that there was no way Lolo would want that woman in charge of anything. Nicolash would have been her vote if one of the sitting councilors hadn’t run, but since they were, why change anything? They were doing good enough as was, as far as she was concerned.


Peering down on the gathering of people, Lolo’s focus wasn’t on the election, but on Lyra. Her partner was many things, and needless to say Lolo loved her. But when it came to Ocean, Lyra was… Well, not herself. Or maybe too much herself? Lolo glanced over at the elf, and recalled their last interaction with the man. How Lyra had hesitated, and not gone full bore on him. She thought back to the first meeting of the man, and isolating herself with him. She frowned. She  wanted to trust Lyra’s judgment, but Lyra had proven when it came to Ocean she couldn’t be. “We’re taking him down,” Lolo said, firmly, without any room for wiggling out of it. “Nothing is going to stop us.” Nothing he did, and nothing Lyra did - Lolo wasn’t going to be deterred this time. “You’re with me, right?” Lolo turned her head and looked at Lyra, expecting an affirmation that this wasn’t going to be like last time - that they were together in this.

Lolo turned around, not at the sound of the door, but of Thessa talking. She reached up and grabbed the brim of her hat, giving it a little swivel atop her head. People were moving - and the posture of Koko didn’t support what Thessa was doing. She threw her arms out wide and slowly started walking forward, as to put herself between them and Lyra but also - and in this case more importantly - draw their attention away from the far side of the building and Koko’s behavior, “We’ve been waiting!” Lolo bellowed, “What’s the deal, are we going to do this or not?”

At worst, she hoped she could close a little bit of the distance - if they needed to be grabbed, well, no one grabbed like Lolo!

[Eye of Horus]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 3
Speed: 3
Shimmer: 2
Soul: 3
Brawl: 1
Melee: 4
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 1

Terrain Affinity: Desert
Terrain Weakness: Aquatic, Swamp
Element Affinity: Lightning (black arcanite)
Element Weakness: Earth (green arcanite)

Weapon Bonus:12

Character Name: Dariaq Syvanios
Date | Time: 17.01.1323 | Evening
Location: Fairview building, Onyx
Wearing: Suit with glossy green jacket and matching tie
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged squad
Notes: Bluffing
Minutes stretched by on the empty rooftop, while the cold winter wind knifed through them all. Dari stood at the northwest corner, the bag carrying his disassembled glaive unzipped and close to hand. He would be munching honey-puffed seeds to keep his hands busy, if Hulta hadn't sacrificed them to get rid of the pigeon downstairs.

Chee pointed out a military convoy leaving Hammer Crater. Down in the floodlit Wolff stadium, cheers sounded from the night’s TNA event, putting Dari in mind of the doctored speech he had made there just a week ago. Zhent had not been impressed. He wondered if his words had swayed anyone in today’s vote.

He risked a glance at his wristwatch, as the minutes continued to tick past, crawling on tortoise feet. Still no sign of Ocean.

Dari caught Hulta’s eye and smirked. “Stay sharp, ma biche. He’ll be here.”

His tone was all confidence, but his mind was starting to run away from him. They might have missed the meeting. Someone might have warned Ocean off. The someone might have even been Scarecrow, perhaps someone had made her a better offer?

Then the roof access door creaked open.

With Thessa speaking up first and taking on the leader role, Dari was happy to slip into the part of her lean and mean associate. Remaining standing at the back near Hulta, he folded his arms across the front of his metallic green suit jacket and gave the men a suitable space to reply before catching the eye of one and jerking his chin up in a gesture that was half acknowledgment and half order.

“Lady’s got a point.” he said, tilting his head towards Marlowe and her loud encouragement. “Hustle up. The longer we’re stood around out here, the more likely someone’s going to notice.”

[FyreFoxx]

Stats

Strength: 0
Stamina: 5
Speed: 1
Shimmer: 6
Soul: 5
Brawl: 0
Melee: 0
Ranged: 0
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Aquatic, Arctic
Terrain Weakness: Mountain, Urban
Element Affinity: Water
Element Weakness: Earth, Sonic

Weapon Bonus: 12+5

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 | ~7:50pm
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: Teal Arcanite pendant, white wrap dress with blue and floral trim, wide blue sash
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe, Koko, strange men | Paige, Thalion, Thessa
Notes:
A frown had slipped across Lyra’s face as she surveyed the landscape - from a respectable distance. They had been late. It seemed like the further up they went in floors, the more complicated things had gotten. At least for every trouble and obstacle in their way, someone on the team had the ability to overcome it. What would have it been like if their team had consisted of only six members and not their unusual eight? What if it had still been Gravity? Lyra cast a glance towards the five people she didn’t begin the school year with. There was no use trying to wonder about what-ifs now. They were Savaged, not Gravity.
 
With each squad taking up one side of the roof, that left Lyra and Marlowe to view the south side of things. She kept her distance from the ledge, railing or no. In fact, she eyed the railing warily, a distasteful memory coming to mind that she shoved away the second it surfaced. Even from her spot a few steps from the edge, she could clearly see the large gathering of lights and people that could only be the counting of votes for the election that had taken place. Lyra had placed her trust in Paige, as per their agreement, but she hadn’t been too sure where to put the second vote. Ultimately, she settled on Thalion, who was already in office, because he had usually been a staunch supporter of Ettinus in the past. Perhaps after all this was said and done, she’d pay another visit to Paige.
 
Marlowe’s voice broke her concentration, turning to look at her partner as it took a moment longer for the words to register in her mind. “Taking who down?” There was a cant of her head, her brows furrowed before she realized just who she meant. “Oh…” Ocean. That’s who they were there for, after all. Lyra averted her gaze, glancing back down at the voters, looking anywhere but at Marlowe. The last encounter had not gone so well. She’d hesitated too much, wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt, just like their first meeting, but again, it ended up with both girls hurt and Ocean getting away scot free. All because of her.
 
Sucking her bottom lip inward, chewing on it softly, Lyra closed her eyes, nodding her head in silence after a moment. But she knew her partner wouldn’t be happy with just that. “Yes. Yes, of course, I am with you.” Looking over to the taller woman, she offered her a smile. “There is nothing that Dilemma cannot get through. It will not be like… last time. I, I promise.” Just why did she keep hesitating around that man anyway? Why couldn’t she put her finger on the reason they kept being drawn together?
 
The doors opened behind them and Lyra turned when Marlowe did, watching the interaction with interest. The men seemed just as surprised to see them as they were with them. Thessa wasted no time slipping into a proper facade, ever the first one to act. At least there were no punches thrown yet. Koko seemed too eager to get the jump on them and Lyra eyed the blonde intently with a small shake of her head in warning. They couldn’t risk alerting them yet. With Marlowe slipping into the guise started by their elven leader, Lyra slipped that high class mask back into place that she so casually discarded earlier.
 
“Do you have any idea how long you have made us wait?” Truth be told, they had been waiting, but there was no telling if they had already missed their mark, or if they had just gotten lucky in that these men just happened to be later than they had been. Lyra slipped in behind Marlowe, peeking around her partner’s side as she eyed the two men, her lips pursed. She let the annoyance of being made to wait slip into her voice, hoping that they could pull off a convincing act. It was not the first time that night she’s had to wear that mask, so one more time wasn’t going to hurt. “It was about time you showed up.”

[Aethyrium]

S T O R Y T E L L E R
January 20th, 1323, Evening (~8:25pm) | Onyx Central - Fairview | Urban - Earth Resonance
Deadline: 7.17.25 | Thessa, Marlowe, Lyreilynn, Chee, Koko, Hulta, Dariaq, Estelle | Thug 1, Thug 2
Confusion.

The lead man hesitated at the door. His eyes tried to take in everything, but they locked to Thessa first before snapping to Lolo - making him miss the pointed stance that Koko took up. For a moment he wondered if he had missed something - an instruction, a memo, or anything that might have indicated there were supposed to be others up here. It wasn’t impossible that the boss had plans that weren’t shared, but it certainly made things difficult. He took a moment and looked back at his partner, as if hoping he’d have any idea, but all he got was a shrug. “Who knows,” he grunted.

“Then you’re early,” the leader said, tightening his brows but turning back to them. He stepped out of the doorway entirely, and drew his partner out as well. The door shut behind them. Now out on the rooftop properly, able to see all eight of them, he had to wonder what it was that they could be up here for. “Didn’t know there was a second stage to our part.” He shifted the strap of the backpack, giving one final glance around. What they were here for definitely didn’t need extra hands - and certainly not that many. But then who was he to question Ocean? The man wasn’t exactly known for his failures.

The second man swatted his partner on the side of the arm and started forward, nudging past him, heading toward Lolo - or rather the south side in particular, “Come on, we need to get set up, it’s almost time.”

On the main road, the first of the trucks pulled out of the base, leading another - and another after that, and another. An actual convoy, it seemed, started rolling out in a line. And not one that was unguarded. Each of the trucks had Artemis Sentry Units positioned on top, riding along, armed and ready.

“Yeah,” he said, looking after his partner, and then back to Thessa, “We’ll be on time.” he assured her - and everyone. “Just be ready to do your part.” He turned to follow toward the southern edge.

Arriving near Lyra, the smaller of the two men motioned for Lyra to get out of his way and he dropped his bag to the ground and crouched down beside it. A long zip, and he roughly tugged the bag open to reveal a high powered rifle - not some standard issue thing, this was a precision piece. A rare sniper of some sort. He started pulling it out, looking over the edge at the crowd below. “You seen Blossom yet?” He inquired off handedly to Lyra, but loud enough for anyone to hear.

[Rainbae]

Stats

Strength: 0
Stamina: 0
Speed: 0
Shimmer: 5
Soul: 0
Brawl: 0
Melee: 2
Ranged: 5
Preparation: 5

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: Artic
Element Affinity: Lightning
Element Weakness: Fire

Weapon Bonus:12

Character Name: Koko Gero
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 |
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview - Rooftop
Wearing:  Red Overalls, White Blouse, Faded Blue Leather Trench Coat, Goggles, Heavy Work Boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged, Lolo
Notes: N/A
Koko was tense, ready, and loaded up on a wire. She felt her focus supremely locked in. Her hand sweated as she gripped the sphere tightly. She wasn’t even slightly aware of the incredibly pointed aura she was giving off. It was only after Lolo, Lyra and the others chimed in that she realized how tense she was. She let go of the strain in her shoulders and took a few steps back. Part of Koko had hoped this would all be easy and it would be Ocean that followed the first man through the door but no dice. She clicked her tongue, both in annoyance that he wasn’t here and at herself for having gotten so worked up. She turned away from the men, trying to get her head on straight. Now was not the time to be messing up, she thought. She just felt so supremely on edge. There was a shaky feeling she couldn’t shake. In truth she just so badly wanted to prove herself. Prove that she had learned anything from what Apple had taught her in the past few weeks. Prove that she truly was for Onyx, and the only way she saw to do that right now was to catch its biggest enemy.

But making mistakes like that weren’t going to help her do that. She turned back as the men began setting up. She gave Marlowe a nod of thanks for covering for her and rocked up beside her. Surpassing the master was so very clearly not happening any time soon. Part of her laughed a bit at the thought. Focus, Koko, focus. She thought, trying to remove the thought from her mind. She watched her teammates work for a moment. All of them leaning into the ruse as easily as Thessa had started it. She felt clunky and awkward for having nearly fucked it up. She had to make up for it.

It wasn’t until the man pulled the rifle from the bag that it all clicked into her head. She knew that rifle, almost exactly. She better, Yridan would have her ass if she couldn’t remember the parts of it by memory at this point. She had taken apart, cleaned, and rebuilt that exact model at least fifty times or more recently on his orders. The exact kind of monotonous work he sometimes dropped on her and Chee. The intense hazing had stopped a while back but he still messed with them from time to time. She didn’t mind though. Especially not because in this moment it all locked in for her what these guys were here to do. She knew this weapon, and she knew its range. There was no doubt in her mind, these guys were trying to assassinate someone, maybe multiple someones. They could not let that happen. But they needed to know more.

Turning to her side a bit she nudged Lolo with her elbow. She stretched up a bit to speak directly into the brawler’s ear. “I got a plan, reckon you can give tweedle dee and tweedle dum a lift really quick-like? You know, express route to the bottom floor if you catch my drift.” She held a hand up and made the orb in her hand still float for a moment with her shimmer. “I’ll hold the door for ‘em ‘fore the elevator leaves. I think they’ll be willin’ to give us the deets at that point.” There was a moment of pause as Lolo translated and registered what she said before she got a look and a nod off approval as the pair of them closed in.

Koko waited, being actually stealthy this time. “Oh yea we seen ‘er. Not too long ago, got the spot on ‘er and everythin’.” She stalled the men as she talked, hoping to make sure they were focused on her voice right until Marlowe got in close enough to grab them. “What we wanna know,” And then she did it. “is what yall want with ‘er?!” At that moment Koko activated her shimmer on both men right as Lolo grabbed each on by the back of their necks. Weightless the strong woman lifted them both from the ground easily and threw them out over the abyss. There was a moment where Koko could only expect both men to be shocked until they realized what was happening. Before they could recoup and maybe reach for sidearms or something Koko interjected. “Bah bah bah! Don’t think ‘bout doin’ nothin’! I go down, so do yall. And I think yall got further to fall.” She smirked at her teammate as she narrowed her focus on keeping both men afloat. Holding this wasn’t nothing for her, especially on two at once. She looked to her team, someone else would have to do the interrogating.

[TheFluffyOne]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 2
Speed: 3
Shimmer: 5
Soul: 2
Brawl: 0
Melee: 3
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Forest
Terrain Weakness: Aquatic
Element Affinity: Air
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name: Hulta Elderfond
Date | Time: 01.17.1323 | Evening (~7:50pm)
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: This
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged, Event Manager, Five pesky birds
Hulta threw a smirk towards Dari as he seemed to take up rank as ‘muscle’. The red headed elf instead kept herself partly behind Dari, visible yet not at the same time. The act that everyone had slipped into was working, pretend to be a second part to the plan. Amber eyes latched to the men as they seemed to lazily survey the group. She kept herself close to Dari as they started to move. With one hand hovering over Dari’s spine, she glanced behind them to make sure no one else was following them up here. Steadily, they joined up with Lolo and Lyra. The smaller of the men dropped down and started to tug something free of the bag that he had carried with him.

Blossom was their target. Hulta could see Koko twist up on her toes to speak to Marlowe so she focused on the one who was talking to Lyra. Hulta crouched gently to watch him closer but thankfully Koko and Lolo’s plan vaulted into action. She knew that someone else would grab the gun and handle it. Instead, her attention dragged around the area. It didn’t feel like Ocean was the kind of leader to have just one group on the rooftops. She picked her way away from Dari and the group to check the other rooftops.

There had to be something on another rooftop to point out to another group, or even a glint in a window to show the barrel of a gun. She scanned every available space, trying to calculate where someone might get a good view of the trucks that were trundling down the street. Pulling herself closer to the edge of the building, her fingers gripped a metal pipe nearby to swing out a little and get a good look. Her gaze travelled over the men that were floating under Koko’s control to see if they glanced anywhere in their panic that could be telling.

[Dove]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 5
Speed: 4
Shimmer: 0
Soul: 3
Brawl: 2
Melee: 2
Ranged: 2
Preparation: 0

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: None
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus:12+5

Character Name: Estelle Dawn
Date | Time: 01.17.1323 | Evening (~7:50pm)
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: Put together and classy.
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged
Notes:
Estelle had not been privy to Koko and Lolo’s plan. So when the men were dangled over the edge, her eyes widened. Fingers still held to her knives, this time more obviously, and she whirled around to face the teammates instead of looking over the edge of the building as she had been. Taking action this quickly would not have been her choice. She preferred to observe and abstain from violence if it wasn’t entirely necessary. Or maybe it was simply more that she preferred to have more information before taking action. It would just increase the chances of success in her mind. And besides, what good was all this trouble getting through the Fairview Tower if they didn’t get any results? This risk was for naught.

When she could finally see that Koko clearly had them under control and clearly terrified of what could become their demise, she quickly darted towards the door to the roof access, swinging it open and taking a look down into the stairwell. No one. Nothing she could make out. Good. “Someone keep an eye on that door,” she said firmly, deciding to take action and quickly. It was a call to action, what Koko did, and she would match it. Estelle had seen the effort that the taller squire had put in the past few weeks to try to make things right. And this was an opportunity to show the girl that her trust could be re-earned. That she could back her up in times of need and stress like this one. She was a team player. It wasn’t about leading, but about helping her team achieve victory. And this wasn’t just for Koko, but for Thessa, too. She could be a true partner and equal to her. More than happy to follow, but willing and able to take charge when necessary.

Estelle moved quickly to the other side of the roof, casting the rifle aside and opening the other cases to reveal weapon after weapon, several arcanite explosives. Clearly whoever had armed these men had not spared any resources. And if there were others, she assumed they would have similar kits. Aside from the weapons, there was also a bundle of equipment that seemed like it could assist in scaling the building quickly. An escape route for them. Her jaw clenched as she set that aside more carefully. They might just need it if things got hairy.

Finally, she moved right to the side of the roof they were on, standing quite close to the edge and looking between the men. “Hey, eyes here!” she shouted, fingers curling into fists nervously but not a flicker of doubt traceable in her expression otherwise. “Who are you? Did Ocean send you? You’re here for Blossom?” The questions came quickly, but her voice was crystal clear. And while she had about a billion more questions, those were the ones she posed first. And if they kept silent or stalled, she’d press, “That’s a long trip down to the bottom, don’t you think?”

[FyreFoxx]

Stats

Strength: 0
Stamina: 5
Speed: 1
Shimmer: 6
Soul: 5
Brawl: 0
Melee: 0
Ranged: 0
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Aquatic, Arctic
Terrain Weakness: Mountain, Urban
Element Affinity: Water
Element Weakness: Earth, Sonic

Weapon Bonus: 12+5

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 | ~7:50pm
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: Teal Arcanite pendant, white wrap dress with blue and floral trim, wide blue sash
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe, Koko, Estelle, Thugs | Ocean, Apple
Notes:
“No, you are just late,” Lyra corrected slowly, leaning into the ruse. They could play into the miscommunication bit a little more, their confusion aiding their efforts. “We have our own part to play, but that all depends on you, and you are late.” Again, there was that arrogance in her voice, agitation slipping in to add to her credence. She wanted to make it sound as believable as possible. And besides, everything she said so far was the truth, wasn’t it? They expected to be on the roof by now and encountering others, but the men were late. They did have their own part, just maybe not what the men were expecting, and it really did all hinge on them. She didn’t lie, and that’s what made her words believable, able to keep her tone of voice steady.
 
When she was ushered aside, Lyra frowned slightly, but stepped back when told, not wanting to give away their actual roles just yet, watching him with a curious glint in her blue eyes. She crouched down next to him, clearly interested in what was inside the bag at her feet, smoothing her skirts out and balancing on the pads of her feet, arms wrapped slightly around her legs. “What is that?” She’d seen guns before, but nothing like that one. Her question could be seen as interest in its model, a cant to her head as she stared at the weapon that was being set up. Her gaze traveled in the same direction as his when he spoke up. “The General?” Blue eyes instinctively sought out the bright red she knew to be Blossom, looking for her in a sea of colors. Koko was the first one to pipe up about her location, as realization slowly dawned on Lyra. These men were snipers and were primed to take out Apple Blossom.
 
Color drained from her face as between Marlowe and Koko, the men were swiftly dealt with, dangling helplessly over the edge of the building. Horrified, Lyra scooted back from the ledge, scrambling back to her feet. Why were her teammates always so quick to act?! A pointed gaze was given to Koko. Hadn’t she just indicated earlier to back off?! She really didn’t need yet another ‘punch first, think later’ person on her team! They needed more time! But did they really have it? Would they have been able to stall them enough to gather more information before they would act? Or would their hesitation have led to the general’s death? The small elf bit down on her lower lip, eyes flicking from the helpless men to Koko and back again.
 
Nothing to do about it now.
 
“...You really need to stop jumping right into action,” Lyra muttered softly, barely audible as she let out a sigh, dusting her skirts off of any dust that had gathered on them from crouching down earlier. There was a strange air of calmness around her. At least Estelle had the right idea, going straight for the questions. “Seeing as she–” Lyra gestured towards the blonde, “–quite literally has your lives in her hands, I suggest you answer our questions.” That same easy-going polite smile slipped across her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes this time, reaching a hand up to brush a few strands of silver hair behind her ear.
 
Her gaze slid towards some of the items Estelle had pulled from the cases, particularly the explosives. If they were setting up a sniping position here, then why the explosives? Glancing at the gear meant for scaling cliffs, it started to click together. “You were going to kill the General, then set a bomb before making your escape down the side of the building?” It was merely a guess, but an educated one based on the items laid before her. Of course, she could be entirely off base. “Why does Ocean want the General dead? What good would it do you?” Surely, the strong-headed woman was in his way, but he hadn’t been so brazened before. No, he had, she reminded herself. The prison break. The attempt on her partner’s life. “...The council,” she muttered quietly, tapping a finger against the side of her jaw. “Tonight is the voting. She is sure to be there, in the crowd. He wants to disrupt it, but why?” Powder blue eyes drifted towards the men. “What plans does Ocean have with the council and removing one of its members?” Was it that he wanted to open up another seat? But why? And for who?

[Aethyrium]

S T O R Y T E L L E R
January 20th, 1323, Evening (~8:25pm) | Onyx Central - Fairview | Urban - Earth Resonance
Deadline: 7.26.25 | Thessa, Marlowe, Lyreilynn, Chee, Koko, Hulta, Dariaq, Estelle | Thug 1, Thug 2
Koko’s plan would - probably - have worked flawlessly… If it hadn’t been for Lyreilynn’s doubling down. The very moment that she reiterated again that they were late, both of them knew something was wrong. They weren’t late, and they knew that for a fact. And it didn’t make any sense that a second team, conditional on their part, wouldn’t know when it was supposed to happen. She’d overplayed the hand. They had exchanged glances with one another as they moved for the edge to set up. They knew something was wrong now, but not what. What they did know was that the time for retreating down the staircase had passed. They’d have to make due up here. And so, while the rifle was being drawn and Koko was talking to Lolo, the second man was getting ready. Setting his own bags down and opening one up, he started rummaging around. It was also why the man with the rifle didn’t bother to answer Lyra, focusing instead on subtly taking in what was around them - and what to do if this situation went sideways.

Which did. Marlowe flinging them over the edge happened quickly, and there hadn’t been enough time to react. Not that even if they had known it was coming they could have done much in the way of stopping her - but she probably would have gotten some bullets for the effort.

Dangling in the air, away from the ledge, both men flailed for a moment, trying to swim and grab themselves. Then the situation dawned on them at different times that they weren’t falling. Quick heartbeats surged, and wide eyes looked toward the group - past them, at Estelle securing the door. The boss wasn’t going to like this. But fortunately, all was not lost - thanks to Lyra’s tip. Twisting and turning, they came to rest, looking at the building and hearing what Koko had to say - but the threat felt empty. What was to stop her from dropping them regardless?

Estelle going through the bags drew their attention, but it didn’t concern them, if only because they both realized that things were already caught. But this wasn’t the stalemate that they thought it was. “Yeah, it is,” the first man replied to Estelle, ignoring her questions about Ocean and Apple. “Think you got it wrong though,” his attention slid to Lyra, and he held up his right hand, slightly opening it to reveal a device snuggly wrapped in his palm, with his thumb hovering over. “I’ve got your lives in my hand. If any of you make a move, I’ll blow this entire rooftop, and we can all take a plunge.” And he wasn’t wrong - there were a fair few explosives up here. Damage to the building and people within aside, the squires - Lyra, Estelle, Koko, and Marlowe at least - were effectively standing right on top of them. Even with their Souls, that was… Problematic. Probably.

The second man let out a breath of relief, thankful his partner had some quick thinking and got them leverage. “Looks like we got ourselves in a situation,” he laughed, flailing again, though this time more for fun, “What’re we gonna do about this?” He assumed Savaged didn’t want to die. And neither did they. But unfortunately, Koko and Marlowe had put them in a situation where they had nothing to lose.

But with the four of them gathered so close, they could really only pay close attention to the closest four.

N O T E SAny action - other than speech - taken by Koko, Lyra, Estelle, or Marlowe will very likely trigger the thug to detonate the bombs. It is suggested that they do not act this round.

Chee, Hulta, Dari, and Thessa can take action more or less freely this round, and have a tiny bit of surprise as the thugs are focused on the people in front of them. But not blindly so. There is no guarantee that action that they view as provoking will happen before they trigger the bombs. And they do seem willing, and more importantly ready, to activate them.

[shengami]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 5
Shimmer: 2
Soul: 1
Brawl: 1
Melee: 3
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 3

Terrain Affinity: Grassland/Forest
Terrain Weakness: Arctic/Aquatic
Element Affinity: Lightning
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name:  Chee Tortious
Date | Time: 01.20.1323 | ~7:50+p,m.
Location: Central Onyx - Fairview
Wearing: Grey pants, boots, gloves, Jacket, and dark beanie over white shoulderless shirt, Weapons per CS
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged |
Notes: Yippee-kay-yay
Chee had been still, quiet, as the others talked and moved. He'd been trying to put the puzzle together in his head. The mention of the General connected a few things. The rifle added another piece.

His mind flitted between TNA, the election, and the convoy. Nothing Ocean Specter did operated at one level. There was the fact that Ocean was working toward his own goal but also beholden to the goal of Adir's faction. TNA and the Neerfrosts were part of a greater machine as well. The election was an issue that Ocean had to have his eyes on.

Skittering, his mind arrived at an issue: Blossom was in no way conducive to ocean's machinations. The woman was a zealot. She was a zealot with two votes out of five on the council. Chee's mind sped up even as Marlowe and Koko started to act. Did Ocean want to own votes or create chaos and disorganization? He'd shown the ability to maneuver chaos well before. The prison breakout proved that. That had been a mind-bogglingly complex tactic. Too, there was the layered manipulation of the night that had caused so many issues for Glitchy.

The others had things in hand. He smirked as Lyra and Stella lobbed questions into the ether. He looked out toward the convoy.

Ocean would have too many moving parts. This would only be one of them. Disrupting it would throw a spanner in the works but not derail it. The man had to have plans within plans. Chee quickly pulled out his phone. He typed a message, fingers flying, in his notepad. Ocean Specter is targeting the election and the convoy. My Team has a sniper meant for the general.

His ears flicked and he looked toward the back and the explosives as the men countered his team's moves. His legs twitched, he feet tensed to move. He could zip across, grab the bags, throw them over. It'd take a second. Throw them directly toward the men? Then his eyes flit toward Thessa and Dari. He met their eyes, held up his phone for them to see, then looked at the bag. He'd trust them to help the others. Everyone had to do what they could do. Right?

He copied the message as written and send it in a group text to Yridan, Robyn, Shir, Lindon, Fifi, Pat, and Velvet. Chee might not know exactly what to do, but getting the information out there would stir the pot in ways that maybe even Ocean could not predict. Hesitating only a second, he sent a similar message that he hoped would find Paige and warn her to be safe as well.

[Envious]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 2
Speed: 0
Shimmer: 4
Soul: 4
Brawl: 2
Melee: 1
Ranged: 0
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Grassland, Desert
Terrain Weakness: Aquatic, Urban
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name: Thessa Almentis
Date | Time: 01.20.1323
Location: Onyx Central - Fairview
Wearing: zipped up, concealing what's underneath
Tagging | Mentioning: Savaged
Notes:
Bless Lolo and her quick thinking. Thessa played it cool, but each breath was intentional to carry the charade of belonging. Once it became apparent that the deception had worked, a thrill of success shot through the elf. She was doing it! She wasn’t punching her way out of every problem she encountered! She rode the high, tilting her body to the side with a smile that lit up her entire face as the two thugs went about their business without the need for her assistance. Planning wasn’t her strong suit, but she could respond in the moment well enough and this moment needed finesse. She watched as they moved to the south side of the building towards Lyreilynn and Thessa raised a hand to catch Lolo’s attention.

But Koko was faster. Thessa would have thought more of it, but she exhaled gently in surprise at the name they spoke. They were here for Blossom? That didn’t make sense. She looked at the rifle as she took in a steady breath. Were they here for someone who would be next to the General? It didn’t matter. They’d never have a chance to fire off the round surrounded by Savaged. They were just one piece of this puzzle and the true problem was sussing out where the rest were. If tonight was anything like the prison break there would be multiple teams scattered throughout the city with different objectives.

Whatever Koko wanted with Lolo wasn’t as important as what Thessa needed. She opened her mouth to cut in, just as the girls sprang into action. Golden eyes went wide before narrowing in anger. ”Woman!” she scolded, lips pulling back into a snarl. Koko may have had no issue with undermining Thessa, but the elf wasn’t yet motivated to do the same no matter how much the action cut into her ego. She raised a hand to Estelle to indicate she had heard, maintaining her position by the door as Hulta leapt into action to scan the rooftops. They couldn’t lose focus on the bigger picture.

Then the thug threatened to blow up the rooftop and the urge to step in became overwhelming. She might have butt in if so many of their resources weren’t now committed to the two men. She looked at the phone Chee held up and squinted in confusion. A text? She felt herself unravelling in irritation. ”Get off the phone ‘n get eyes on that convoy. Search ahead ‘n behind ‘n make sure ain’t nothin’ tryna make way to it. Hulta, anythin’ on the buildin’s? Dari, that TNA event still quiet?” Thessa had moved to the door and jumped up to the top of the structure so that she was standing above the door and ready to react to whatever next opened it if necessary, but her attention was split. She spun in a circle, scanning the skyline for any indication of trouble before settling in on the crowd waiting for the votes to be completed.