melodiesoflife | The Temple of Wind

[The Snow Beast halted in its tracks. The control room which Reno and Mary were shook, electricity zapping between terminals. Saori's attacks aided in short-circuiting the circuitry in the legs.

The Snow Beast doesn't attack.

However, the din of the weapons is gone and thus removes the sonar mask that had hidden the shouts of the people behind them. Sleighs pulled by Chocobos - the ones from the refugee camp - were rushing at the Heroes standing far from the Snow Beast.]

Hey! Hey! [The man standing at the front of the pack waves his arm excitedly.] Oh my god, I can't believe it!

[A woman riding a Chocobo pulls ahead of the pack and skids to a stop, spraying snow on those that ran up to her. Ira and Lydia would recognize her as Mevanwi.]

We were waiting out here to see what would happen. [Judging by her surprised tone, she hadn't been expecting it to be this successful.] I think...is it still online? We can salvage parts from it.

[Mary winces as the harsh smell of burning electronics fills her nose. Part of her was wondering if this 'beast' could be hijacked, but stopping it and letting the salvagers take it over is a nice outcome as well. In all honesty she'd just be trying random settings on the sonic screwdriver if Reno hadn't done something.

Taking a moment to show off she stands up...upside down thanks to Ceiling Walking looking 'up' at the sleighs below.]

Hopefully they're here to help...

Edited 2017-05-19 17:09 (UTC)

[That was all it took, then? This battle wrapped up quite neatly, all things considered.

Better safe than sorry, though. Now that the hatch is open, Jade has a way in too. He uses Vanish to teleport upward and grabs onto the corners of the hatch, hoisting himself through. With Translation and a maxed Programmer Job, he should be able to check what's left of the computers and make sure the Beast isn't running any back-up systems that might present unpleasant surprises.]

[Johnny is a little disappointed he didn't get a change to trip the thing, but at least the snow beast was done with. He's not very mechanically inclined, but maybe there was a chance they could find out where this thing initially came from.]

Is there a way to like, trace its signals? See who's commanding this thing and find out where they're hiding?

[ It took Jaune longer than he's proud of to snap out of his stupor when the Beat appeared, but seriously? That's what they were facing? A giant robot thing, and he has a sword and a shield. This was going to go great. It was a good thing the more agile members of his group were able to deal with it, because he was pretty sure his sword was doing nothing to the foot it was banging.

Needless to say, he was relieved when the thing stopped moving. He glanced back at Pyrrha - she looked unharmed, good - before facing the newcomers. ]

...They do realize that if we failed the thing probably would have killed them, right?

[Hearing their request, he gives a shout up to the Mary and Reno.]

They want to know if it still works and if they can have it - wait a sec, why do you guys want it?

[The latter half is addressed to the refugees.]

[ Jaune approaches the temple, and the first thing he feel is staggering heat. It's quite the contrast from outside, and he's pretty sure if he wore glasses they would have fogged up. He takes off his coat and dumps it on the floor - it'll suck when he leaves, but there's no way he can wear it down here, and it's too bulky to tie around his waist. He falls into leader mode, momentarily forgetting that this is not his team. ]

Everyone, take off your coats so you don't overheat. We should probably leave them behind - it looks like the space is tight enough to maneuver without the extra bulk, and any weight disbursed in a way we're not used to might throw us off, and since it looks like jumping across the pipes is the only way through, that's not a chance we should take.

Who designed this place, anyway?

[ He's immensely glad that Pyrrha is with them when there's this much metal for her to control. ]

Pyrrha, can you use your semblance to try to make sure none of the pipes break off the wall while we're on them?

[ Plummeting to their deaths the last thing they needed at this point. And while some may have skills to help them with that kind of event, Jaune does not, and he knows he's not the only one. ]

[As the Snow Beast twitches, the ropes around its legs prevent it from shaking too much as Jade works the controls. Much of the code is corrupted due to the direct thunder spell in the terminal, but there remains a constant stream of routines being performed. Emergency warnings, notifications that there are targets in range, preparations to reboot. There's also a terminal that says [ALTERNATE DIRECTIVES], though that is blocked by a password.

Meanwhile on the ground, Mevanwi shrugs at Jaune's question.]

We're scavengers, remember? It's our role to take any machinery from the Archfiend and use it. And this-- [She juts a thumb at the silent Snow Beast.] -- is definitely something we need to inspect.

And you know what? Since you practically saved our jobs, we can help you get through Trano Golsaucia. I brought a bunch of guys that've snuck through hundreds of times. [A pause. She gives the Snow Beast a good, hard look...] So now this is dealt with, what are you doing next?

[Reno largely ignored the scavengers, even if the offer of an escort through Trano was a good one. Some of the others might be too noble to accept the civilian risk, but if they'd done it so much, then they were better prepared for it.]

Hold on!

[He shouted down to Jaune without looking, and pointed over Jade's shoulder to the screens.]

It's still running something -- you got Programmer equipped? What's it doing?

[Jade was in the lab more than Reno was, surely he'd be able to figure it out. But if it was still a threat, Reno certainly didn't want to unleash it again by accident.]

Ales?

[Reno is just... disappointed. Not because he expected somebody better, somebody taller, or whatever -- in fact, he'd kind of had an idea at this point that whoever was behind this had to be incredibly technologically savvy. That was Ales.]

[Reno just wanted to believe Ales was better than this.]

Well. If that's the case, yo, then you know yer in for a real fight.

Edited 2017-05-24 02:06 (UTC)

[Reno wouldn't be the only one disappointed. Saori has her suspicions as well as to this Archfiend's identity but she didn't like where all the clues lead to. She pulled back her hood.
His actions betrayed what the Assassins were meant to follow.]

Damn it, Ales. I thought you were smarter than this.

If the mastermind behind this is who we think it is, it would explain why things are so...tiny.

[She hated small jokes since that would be the pot calling the kettle black. She removed her own coat and folded it before placing it on the ground. Once that was done, she made sure her weapons were secure. In order to lighten her load, she left her machine gun with the natives for safe keeping.]

A few of us will be able to move around easily with our jobs, so hopefully, that would be less of a strain on your semblance, was it? One of us should be in front and the rear to scan for enemies. If we're seen before we confront the archfiend, we'll probably be dogpiled in an instant.

[There's a rush of wind around the Heroes as an invisible person runs past them. Mary was ready for this, and since a solo infiltration was out she uses the cover of the others to activate her Crystal of Invisibility. Perhaps biding her time and waiting for the perfect moment to strike would be smarter but her patience is running thin. That he appears to be unarmed and unprepared spurs her on as well.

She rushes up but finds his placement on the desk itself an interference in her plan to vault off of it and kill him in his chair in proper Assassin style. Instead she's forced to come up short and throws out a palm strike, but her hidden blade unfortunately catches on his cloak and her blow is muted merely to the ability to shove him back into his cushy chair.]

[Ales doesn't have a response yet for Reno and Saori, though the eyeroll should be obvious enough on the direction the answer would be going. Before he can speak, he feels something catch on his cloak and shove him into his chair. There's a rip, as if something is tearing at the fabric.

A knife.

He slides his arms out, lands on the floor, and runs away from whichever invisible Assassin is there. Mary? It doesn't matter.]

Look at what you did! Do you know how expensive one of those jackets are? Now how do you expect me to work like this... [He mutters to himself and presses a button on the wall. A small coat rack swings out of the wall holding other cloaks in various shades of purple-black. He grabs one and ties it around his neck.]

If you want a proper meeting with me, I have to look the part. Now, what's this about being smart?

No one ever said anything about you being smart. She said smarter. Which means...you're stupid.

[But Dylas is stupid, too. He doesn't know how to fight Ales at all, especially with a Monk and a Vampire job set, but at least he's awake for this.

And he has one skill he's never tried before, right?

He undoes a few of his jacket buttons, revealing...chest fur, obviously, which is enough to trigger his Vampire Charm skill. It probably won't work.

...but yeah, he's going for it.]

Is it working? Be charmed, dammit.

[Even with her screwdriver as a useful tool, Mary lacks the technical skill to really be the most of use here. In fact her climbing up this thing in the first place was predicated on the assumption that there was a crew inside for her to deal with. Instead she hands it off to Jade.]

You might be able to make better use of this right now than I can.

[A trade. A loan. Whatever it is, at the least she hopes it will be as useful for him as the crystal he'd loaned her on Valentione's Day was for her. Nodding to Reno, trusting him to keep it under control she began to flip and jump and run her way back down to the leg.

She gets to the ground and over to Jaune in enough time to catch the end of the scavenger's offer.]

That would be a help, aye. The Archfiend is likely our next goal. We thought perhaps this thing might be able to help us that way, or at the least it would just be a good thing to get it to stop troubling you.

[ She shifts on her feet, kicking some snow away. She still doesn't care for the cold, even when properly dressed.]

Edited 2017-05-31 18:20 (UTC)

I'm glad to see you have your priorities in order, Ales. [Jade looks around the room with a raised eyebrow before eyeing Ales' getup and shaking his head.] What is this, the lair of a fairy tale villain?

[While it may seem like he's taking the betrayal of his former coworker pretty well, truthfully Jade is not happy at all. He's merely choosing to express his disappointment through a rather nasty, cold smile.]

Well, I suppose this was to be expected. If your head were any smaller, there wouldn't be much to look at.

Edited 2017-05-31 21:10 (UTC)

[Mary laughs as her own coat comes off. The heat in this place is not ideal, but for a pirate of the Caribbean the hot mugginess reminds her of home.]

Aye, seems about right...Everything's been pointing to Ales to this point. I can't say this is out of character for him by I expected better. What did Kalki offer him? What did he even think would make this worth it?

[She sighs and shakes her head, looking back to the others.]

Even if this is between him and Kalki, I have a responsibility to do something about him. The Assassins here in Crystallis may not be the same as they were back home...and I'm glad for that...but a betrayal like this has a very clear judgement.

[She knows the others will try to talk her out of it, and at this point she's not opposed to it if good cause can be given. But she's not going to be dishonest about her purpose here. If Ales is now their enemy, he will die.

Her eyes turn the pipes, plotting a course a head. She can't take the risk of a wrong turn or a bad jump.]

[Although Jade's Programmer Job isn't equipped, he has access to the stats and tech savvyness through Onion Knight. It seemed like a sensible choice, considering where they're heading. He takes the screwdriver from Mary before turning back to the terminals.]

It's attempting to reboot. Looks like the targeting system is still working.

[He waves away the smoke coming from the malfunctioning computers, frowning.]

There are alternate directives hidden behind a password, but I doubt I can bypass it without Hacker equipped. Unless...

[He weighs the sonic screwdriver in his hand. While he's by no means an expert, he did cooperate with Jack back when they first tried to repair the Lunar Gate. At the time, they worked on using the screwdriver together with Auldrant's fontech. Now, let's see how much he can recall...]

[Jade has to take his glasses off as they enter, since they are indeed fogging up. At least he doesn't actually suffer from poor eyesight.

He does suffer from being tall, though. These passages really are quite cramped.]

A place in her new world, perhaps. Or he might simply want to go out on top. Enjoy the glory while it lasts.

[Being betrayed by someone he worked with for so long... Well, he'd be lying if he said it didn't leave a bad taste in his mouth. Mary is right, though. Ales' actions may be extreme, but out of character? Not really.

Still. Jade never expected him to go this far.]

As long as he's dealt with, I have no objections to your methods. Do as you like, Kidd.

[He's not feeling very merciful, either.]

SYSTEM REBOOTING

[The system runs a new attack routine while Jade works with the Sonic Screwdriver, shooting several Laser Bullets at the area in front of it. Thankfully, its aim isn't improved, but it does hit a few heroes and one of the scavengers, who falls to the ground with a cry.]

Augh!

Ponce!

[Mevanwi rushes to her comrade's side. Blood soaks through his coat, forming a circle of dark red around the torn cloth.]

Gauze! First Aid kit! [She yells at the other scavengers in the group. Then, she realizes something and turns to the Heroes.] You have magic, don't you? Can you do something about this?

[Eventually, Jade will bypass the firewall and find several routines he can pick from. Some are minor - like heating up to melt ice, self-cleaning, music - but there are a few of interest:]

> Shut down
> Manual control
> Flight capsule
> Head for Trano Golsaucia

[ Jaune lets our a small cry of pain as a laser hits his shoulder. Figures, the second he lowered his shield, too. He glances down and, yup, that's some blood. Nothing too bad, but getting that taken care of soon would probably be ideal. He shouts up to the cabin of the Beast.]

Uh, guys? It's shooting at us again! [ Just in case they weren't aware; he's not sure what they can see in there.

He steps in front of Mevanwi and the downed scavenger, grimacing at the amount of blood, raises his shield to try to cover them from another blast as best he can. He really wishes he could do more, but unfortunately he's pretty useless here, too.]

I can't do anything but cover you until the fight's over, but maybe someone else can? I'm not sure what everyone has equipped right now.

[ Wow. Everyone's really hostile. Which, okay, yeah, they guy was a Hero once and betrayed them, but Jaune never really met the guy so he's a little lacking in the vengeance department. He shuffles a little awkwardly before speaking up. ]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure talking to him like that isn't going to make him stop being evil. Bad? Whatever he is.

That, uh, is why we're here, isn't it? [He thought it was, but someone had already tried to shank the guy once, so now he's not so certain anymore.]

[Mary's eyes go wide as the lasers resume fire. She thought it was under control but clearly not. She dives to the side and avoids being shot, but any relief is short lived as she sees those who do.]

Damnit. No, sorry. I have no healing magic but I can help with the bandaging perhaps. [Maybe help stitch the wound up?]

[She glances at Jaune, happy at least to see his is minor. Keeping low she shuffles over to try to help the scavenger as best she can.]

[Mary is all frowns as she fades back into visibility. Having botched her initial strike is bad enough but that he's dealing with the threat to his life so flippantly is even more irritating.]

Ales. When you joined the Assassins I made clear what their purpose was. We're a blade in the dark that serves the light. I had my suspicions about you after the Sage's vision but I hoped you'd be smart enough to prove him wrong.

[She raises her hand, blade deployed. Jaune has the right of it, as far as she's concerned.]

The Assassins don't take turncoats lightly.

[She lunges at him again, this time having a better angle on the desk to keep it from getting in her way, sliding across it herself if need be. But this time he can see the attack coming.]

[Dylas' Charm does have an effect, though not the intended one. Ales stares at the wendigo with a mix of disgust and discomfort. He just. Unbuttoned his shirt in the middle of his office. He's distracted long enough that Mary slides across his desk before he notices her.

With a yelp, he rolls forward and dodges between her legs. He crawls under the desk, and when he emerges, he's carrying an upside-down T-shaped rod. From the top and sides are small propellers, and it carries him onto the largest pipe on the ceiling. He lands, still alert from the most recent assassination attempt, but he's not expecting another attack just yet.

He disengages the Minicopter 5.3]

Yes, priorities. Like the future of the the worlds. It's called having an large, open mind.

[Those small jokes were getting to him.]

Turncoat? Turning against what? Doing nothing and hoping for the best? In case you haven't seen, sitting around and waiting for an answer accomplishes nothing. I've seen what happened in my old world when the natives decide to leave things up to chance. They suffer. They don't take the initiative.

The Temple of Wind

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