The turtle-man blinks down at Nanaret again, apparently considering the words even as it tightens its grip on the obviously deranged Lunar, "Hmm.  Of course, highness, as you so wish.  However, perhaps, you might wish to allow, for me to carry you, just for a few moments more?  We've nearly reached, our destination, I believe..."  Despite the smaller figure's attempts, Turtle appears to have no difficulty in keeping her from breaking away, more worried that he might inadvertently hurt her with his massive silvered claws than that she might possibly escape his powerful grasp.

[Private to Saina Nanaret:  Yeah, I figured that this wasn't normal behavior since she was civil enough before the fighting started, plus apparently rational through most of the Floor 30 archive.  So why's she got to get so difficult on my shift, huh? ;)

I think you're right on the clinch thing, since it isn't an action he's starting, just one he's reflexively reacting to.  I guess it's fortunate all around that Rana's making the first attempt 6-7 ticks from the door, not 25.  6 successes, beating your 3.]

Third masters the security system with speed and ingenuity, overriding it with golden essence that has not flowed through its circuitry in what could very well be ages.

The Old Realm letters scrolling by on the small jade display screen start to flicker from their customary blue-green to a warm gold. A pleasant, rather androgynous voice issues from the panel, penetrating through to Third's mind as if telepathically communicated. "A-101013, Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge. Your access of this terminal has been noted." There is a series of whirring clicks as the mechanisms locking the doors unlatch, then slide open smoothly.

Then the voice switches to audible frequency, announcing, "Orichalcum Alert, Emergency Shutdown. The doors will close in 12 seconds." Possibly a trigger from higher up in the AI hierarchy? In any case, it gives a small window in which Third and its companions may escape -- and if they're lucky, shut the Immaculates out for a time.

Closing yard by yard, the Water Immaculate uses his momentum to throw himself forward, right into the midst of the most injured and weary refugees taking the rear. Claws extended, he strikes at two of the mortals simultaneously, his dragon claws tearing through their backs. They hardly have time to scream, their lives cut short as he discards their bodies with no more consideration than he would have for meat.

He is now in the midst of the mortals and seems determined to slice his way right through them, goading the Celestials into fighting rather than running.

---

OOC: By tick 41, Higura and Third are at the door and able to get through. The others are at 286 yards (9/tick, so 2 seconds to get there, though it will take a few more to fit *all* the refugees through). The senior monk at 280 yards jumped to make his attack. Earth master is at 257 yards (9/tick), junior water monks at 223 yards (8/tick).

If you'll escape rather than stop to defend the mortals at the rear, and have Compassion 3+, you'll have to either fail a Compassion check or spend a WP to resist. [Private to Saffron: Your Limit condition was triggered. I rolled for you, and fortunately you got no Limit points from it, it was a 0 sux roll. :)]

"Don't thank me yet," Tycho says quietly to Higaru's back as the other man bounds ahead with surprising speed. The corners of the Solar's eyes wrinkle with a smile that cannot be seen. "I'm still not sure I wouldn't have been better off helping the Terrestrials clobber you and then just leaving up the stairs."

As he trails behind most of the group, Tycho can see over the mortal's heads as the monk comes bounding towards the heart of the crowd. Tycho's arm snaps forward suddenly and the shield vanishes from his hands. Mortals before him stumble and trip as something cuts a swath through them, a wave of sparks igniting the ground and the squeal of metal scraping across the ears. The Terrestrial's shadow falls over Tycho's shield as he completes his leap and dispatches the two mortals. Propelling onwards as the monk's weight settles onto it, it yanks the Terrestrial's legs violently in the opposite direction to pitch him forward towards the ground!

"Go! GO!" Tycho shouts at the others, physically pushing some of the mortals onward and yanking several his stunt had knocked over back to their feet as he passes, not concerning himself to see if they stay that way. "Damn it, run you morons! A moving target is a live one!"

----------------------------------------
OOC: Bit risky, but Captain Robocop is throwing his mighty shield here to try to off-balance/trip the monk before he can do more damage or slow them down worse. Not having any particular vested interest in THIS group of mortals more than any other at the moment, he's not too concern about bruising/losing a few to get the others moving. Needs of the Many and all that, he's channeling Conviction, if he can.

Third looks up as the door opens, and steps through, looking back. It sees the monk jumping into the fray. It breathes in deeply. "MAKE FOR THE DOOR! IF YOU STAY, YOU WILL BE TRAPPED!" There is no time to feel compassion for a few mortals when inadequate haste will mean the death of orders of magnitude more. At the very least, either Tycho or Turtle will need to make it to the door- it will be much easier to hold the doors open than to pull them open.

Third knows that the man at the door may be trouble. He has struck the Solar as a man prone to individual connections. It speaks through the door to him. " Remember your duty. All here may perish, Third, you, and the others included, if you hesitate now to fight a meaningless battle with an overwhelming opponent." It moves to check for another control panel, to see if it can override the emergency shutdown- doubtful- or speed it up, to lock out as many of the monks as possible. It will try to let through as many of the refugees as possible- Isolated, facing a group of angered Celestial Exalted, even the Earth Master alone will likely not survive long.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:15, Sat 13 Dec 2008.

The former Peace Officer's shield skids across the ground, unbalancing refugees in its path. When it reaches the Water monk, he lands heavily upon it... and manages to keep his balance. Nonetheless, the shield carries him back several yards, and the mortals rushing for the doors start sweeping inside, blocking him from a direct path inside the residential building.

But the Water monk cannot be easily dissuaded. He stomps hard and viciously on the shield to halt its backward progress, takes two running steps and leaps forward again, intent on making up the lost distance in the crucial seconds remaining. His target -- Tycho, now bereft of cover from shield or mortal bodies. The Immaculate's claws latch firmly onto Tycho's chest plates as the man grasps him in a crushing embrace from behind, pinning his arms around him. [Private to Alus Tycho: 9 sux on a clinch, ew. You have 2 DV (-1 from action, -1 from wounds). So 7 sux in. Water monk's clinch damage is +3B = 10 dice, your soak is 13B, so you get pinged.] (1B damage, clinched!)

The remaining mortals, ushered through the door by the demanding shouts of Tycho and the threat of attacks from behind, are more than ready to heed Third's warning. Third, meanwhile, works with one of the interior panels. The AI does not respond to its commands to override, but from the interior panel it easily discovers the command to close the doors immediately from the inside, before the count completes.

At this point over half of the refugees have surged through the doors. The artificial voice, unfeeling and uncaring of the desperation of the escapees, counts down the seconds remaining: "10... 9... 8..."

---

OOC: At this rate the earliest Third can shut the doors is at 5 seconds. Tycho, since he acted and moved at the same time, has *just* reached the doors at tick 46 / 7 seconds until the door closes. Everyone else reaches it at tick 43 / 10 seconds. Turtle and Higura can take ONE action before the door shuts, Tycho gets to roll opposed clinch to get free at the last moment [Private to Alus Tycho: Strength+MA].

The Water monk also has one more action. It's unlikely the other monks will make it at this point, and would be significantly delayed by breaking the doors / bypassing the lockdown.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:41, Sat 13 Dec 2008.

Tycho's words had met with a soft smile - a sad recognition that the peace officer's words might have been true. At this point, his survival would have been better assured had he chosen to stay sided with the Dragons and decided to fight the escapees. But the truth of the matter is that this flight is not truly about survival, but about freedom.

And now that the peace officer has helped him, the doctor sees his window to actually repay the favor. Once the Immaculate latches onto Tycho's chest plates, Higura quickly moves to the side, seeking to flank the attacking Dragon-blooded. His own actions have now made him a stationary target, and so, as the countdown continues to wind down implacably, Higura makes his move.

One flick of his wrist, and his sword is freed form its scabbard once more, the blade trailing what appears to be deep green leaves as the sharps silver edge aims for the clinging monk's arm...

[Private to Gatekeeper: Normal attack +2 on the clinging monk, hopefully helping out Tycho in the process...]

Unwilling to let Nanaret escape into the fray in her current state of mind, Turtle still attempts to aid the metallic man as well as he can.  Rather than immediately follow the herd of refugees, Turtle bites at the monk's head and shoulders with his massive silver plated beak, then slashes out at the man's torso with the razor sharp claws at the end of his short but powerful legs.

---

[Private to Gatekeeper:  Splitting action three ways, first a bite, then two kicks, all aimed at the water monk.

If a Clinch is necessary to keep Nanaret from going back and fighting, replace the second kick and spend 6 motes on the 2nd Strength Excellency to make sure she doesn't kill herself.  After that, through the gate.]

Higura's blade strikes the Water monk's lamellar, more distracting him than causing any damage. The senior Immaculate smirks at the Sidereal boldly, keeping firm hold of the metal-plated man with skill more than strength. He twists his leg around Tycho's in a grapple move aimed to bring him down to his knees, giving time for the even larger form of Turtle to approach from behind.

The results would have been devastating for any mortal, and many Dragon-bloods. Turtle's beak chomps down firmly between his shoulder and neck, biting right through the joints of his armor as if they made of paper. Almost instantly, the monk's anima flares an aqueous blue-green, displacing the force of Turtle's jaws so that the Lunar seems to pierce fluid water, rather than sinew and bone. His kick meets similar resistance, but Turtle still feels his silver claws pierce armor and bite into the soft flesh beneath.

"Cursed mutant...!!" the Immaculate growls, unwilling to relinquish his hold on Tycho to face the even greater threat. Water Essence ebbs and flows from his contorted body as he divides his attentions between immobilizing his opponent and shielding himself from outside harm.

Left with a slim window of opportunity for escape, Turtle manages to keep a firm hold on his fellow Lunar, all but hauling her through the door!

---

OOC: The damage is actually less than I rolled, I'd forgotten Water monk could augment his soak... still, it's more than enough to have startled him from focusing all his efforts on Tycho. [Private to Grinning Turtle: And yeah, you had to keep an action for the clinch, good thinking. I'll give you a +1 stunt just for thinking of it, to get a little bit of motes back.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:33, Sun 14 Dec 2008.

Aid from the others is unexpected, but entirely welcome as Higaru and Turtle lay into the monk from behind. They draw him off, freeing the Solar’s chest plate from the dragon’s grasp, though cannot coax him into releasing his hold on the machine-man’s leg. Tycho can detach his limb and is almost tempted to just to make this quick, but he knows that there are no more sorcerer-engineers waiting at the end of a tussle to attach a new one. He would feel damn silly hopping all the way out of this fascist prison.

Instead, Tycho’s leg goes limp, tumbling down in sections barely held together by straining threads of essence and colored tubing. It slithers off the monks like a spring wound too loose as the metal-man’s body caves in on one side. Mortal palm to metal fist, he wields his arm as a hammer in a sharp downward motion. The round sparking joint between bicep and forearm rams into the monk’s knee cap, supporting the whole weight of his body down upon the cartilage. Before pain might even truly set in, Tycho’s leg snaps back together with a rattle like a shaken saber. He rises up back to his feet, twisting himself and the monk around away from the door, his arm extending upwards above him! Thick mechanical fingers clutch the monks throat under his jaw, squeezing into vein’s and arteries as he shoves not as much outwards as upwards, ripping the monk off his feet to hurl him away.

"If you want these people dead Immaculate," Tycho offers in a sort of benediction as he steps back into the open door. "At least have the balls to stain your hands with their blood. After all, you’ve already put enough of it on mine."[Private to Gatekeeper: Spending Willpower on this one. I think I need all the successes I can get.]

[Private to Alus Tycho: Ahhh, the dice gods are not merciful. But I wielded my limited-time ST REROLL power! Because I hate when I give +3 to a stunt and see it fall flat. D:]

The monk's response as Tycho elbows his kneecap is little more than a sharp intake of breath. But his knee does buckle at the sheer force mustered against it, giving the ex-Officer enough of an advantage to escape. Grasped painfully by the throat, the Immaculate is hurled toward his fellows as the last of the refugees stream through the door.

Tycho joins them, as does Higura, both of them stepping in close behind Turtle as Third punches in the sequence to force the shutdown. The double doors slide shut with a swift, final snickt.

"Arkaan, Nafir, take the next detour and inform the Peace Officers!" they can hear the Earth Master shouting from the outside. "The rest of you, join me at the door!" The Exalts and refugees have several seconds of blissful relief, taking in the dark interior of the unlit reception hall. Then comes unwelcome reality: a great force from the outside slams into the doors, an impact felt in the very foundation of the building, leaving a very visible dent in its wake.

The doors will hold them for a short time -- but it's imperative that the group start up the stairs in the lobby, or at the very least put more obstacles in their pursuers' way.

As for the countdown: Third can read from the displays that there are about 12 minutes remaining at the moment.

   The doors slamming shut and trapping those who she has chosen to protect is an not a easy thing for Saffron to hear. She controls herself by rechannelling the emotions she feels into saving those she can.

   While torn between reasoning with the Immaculate monks and running, she knows the way to save the maximum number of people will be to get them moving again.

   She speaks to the refugees more than the Exalts who she trusts know what needs to be done already. She'll heal those who ask but since her attention has been solely on saving as many mortals as possible, she hasn't taken in all of their injuries.

   "Catch your breathe quickly, then calmly but with haste make your way up the stairs. We know what is behind us and ahead is freedom." She adds grimly, "Of one form or another."

"Don't even bother to have them catch their breath," the mechanical-man says abruptly, turning his face from the door. Tycho begins to push through the crowd towards the more identifiable leaders, and Exalts, of the group. "I still don't know who any of you are. I don't know if you're only out to save yourselves or intend to try to halt the purge. But I intend to, with or without your help."

Tycho stops close to the others, the glow of his still-lit anima washing over them. As he speaks, he begins to manually look his body over, surveying the damage his magitech parts took during the tussle. He would need to find time and tools to get it fixed, at some point. Just not now. "Whatever your intentions, I owe you enough to give you some advice. Leave the mortals behind. At least until you can secure a route upwards. Security on the lower levels is a lot lighter than higher up. They'll be in less danger and won't slow you down if you leave them here for now."

Nanaret lets out a twisted peal of laughter as the walls tremble from the force shoving at the doors. "I could care less if we leave these poor fools behind," Ranavalona speaks through the possessed Lunar, glaring venomously at the gathered mortals. "Whether they die or not is of no concern to me!"

Then she turns her head pointedly from them and sinks her teeth into Turtle's tough hide. (It doesn't penetrate in the slightest, more a petulant sign of her displeasure.) She lets out an emphatic "hmph!" and disappears into a burst of iridescent silver, her body shrinking and shifting into her much smaller spirit shape.

When the Essence display clears, a rather unpleasant looking little monkey with large luminous yellow eyes, patchy grey fur, long fingers and a bushy lemur tail clings to Turtle's arm. The aye-aye scampers down from it, leaping off with a defiant shriek only to shapeshift once more in midair, expanding with another flare of silvery Essence back into the shape of the scowling blue-haired gladiatrix with monkey tail and ears.

"My host is a moron," Ranavalona spits, landing on her feet. "She summoned me for what--so we could run with our tails between our legs! Ha!" Then her gaze turns slyly on Tycho. "So there are greater enemies above? If they would stand in the way of the Queen of a Thousand Battles, then they must be eliminated!" Even wounded as she is, the Lunar starts to run laboriously toward the stairs, without a care for her companions... or safety.

(OOC: Duh, I just realized the *simple* way to get her free. Though, Nanaret will regain control anyway by the next scene... which hopefully will be soon... ^^;)
This message was last edited by the player at 02:18, Tue 16 Dec 2008.

   "These people have trusted the doctor and I with their safety, I will not betray them," Saffron says in response to the mechanical man. "Still, to stop the purge would alleviate the suffering of many and save my charges. So, tell me quickly what you intend to do and I will help you if it is within my power."

" Arguments are meaningless. The monks will come through that door. None of these refugees would provide an adequate source of obstacles to them, to slow them down meaningfully. It will not substantially slow us to bring them along. They should follow. Freedom is deserved by all held prisoner in this place." Third speaks, voice cutting through the chatter. " Now move. There is barely a third of the countdown left" It starts up the stairs, already going through it's mind, scanning for any memories of what will await them on the next floor, and the fastest way to reach their final destination.

The refugees glance with alarm from Saffron to Tycho, uncertain how to proceed. One thing is for certain -- they do not look willing to remain in the Immaculates' way. The ones still on their feet back away from the doors that are slowly but surely caving in, but several of them have collapsed from sheer exhaustion. "Can't... go on..." some of them mumble, while others merely groan in pain, looking pallid as their bandages well with fresh blood.

"Can you really stop the purge?" says an older, bearded man holding a spear, clad in a ragged tunic and dark trousers. He is the one Higura addressed at the start of their flight, their de facto leader... for the moment, anyway. "I think the... machine is right. Some of us will hold you back, without power like yours."

"I want to trust you. But I will not decide for everyone. Those who can move, accompany the Ana --" he coughs, changing the word at the last moment "-- Chosen. Those who will help the wounded stay here." Though the man steels himself courageously, the look in his eyes is a bleak one. Still, he forces a smile. "I am Drachma." Then, by way of explanation, "They want you, not us."

Amazingly, Drachma is not the only one who stays. A few more do, nodding quietly and resolutely as they start to move the wounded away from the doors. Seized by fear or survival instinct, the remaining refugees surge toward the stairs behind Third and Nanaret.

---

OOC: For those who are moving up, I'll start "Floor B27 - District of Water, Administrative." The rest of you, post whether you'll follow or wait.

"Unless..." Tycho begins to answer Third, but as the mysterious... creature drifts away, he instead turns to those who remain. "Unless those monks desire to die with the other people in this district, they will not have long to attempt to break through that doorway. Their intention is to purge all life from these floors of the Coil and I doubt they would go to all the trouble of pacifying the population if they intended to kill them one by one..."

The machine-man looks around the area a moment, then motions to Turtle, who at least looks like the strongest of those still on this floor. "You. Help me barricade the doorway. And quickly, we don't have time to waste."

Even as he says this, Tycho begins to shove whatever happens to be handy in front of the portal. He goes even so far as to rip out fixtures and sections of wall to pile in front of the door. It ate up precious time - time they perhaps did not have to waste - but it served more purpose than simply keeping this group of mortals safe. If the monks did break through the doorway, then they could just as easily blindside Tycho and anyone else at a crucial moment. Keeping the Immaculates from taking the same path they were would at least ensure they would not be followed.

   Saffron patient and calm as always smiles grimly at those willing to stay behind, "Drachma, it is nice to put a name to a face even in this time of trouble. You and those willing to stay behind are brave and it pains me to question your decision. But perhaps, you could help me take the injured a little further?

   "I do not have the strength to carry them all but I cannot leave you and the injured to a certain death. Perhaps, a little further will find a safer place for the injured until a solution to stop the purge can be found." If possible, Saffron looks smaller and more fragile than normal as she moves to check the injured: tightening bandages, offering kind words, and checking conditions as hastily as she can.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Not sure if this is appropriate here, if it is not let me know and I will conform in the future. Saffron is attempting to use her oration skills to turn Drachma's decision more to her liking. She would never tell someone out and out they were wrong. If he won't go, then she'll stay behind and use some of her defensive charms to protect the refugees. ]

Turtle lumbers over to help Tycho barricade the doors. They are both more than strong enough to heft reception desks, shelves and filing cabinets, and chunks of wall to 'cushion' the door. The pounding from the other side, and the voices of the monks becomes increasingly muffled.

If they wanted to risk it they could even try to topple the pillars holding up the ceiling near the doors. But that would be better risked after the others evacuate -- if they will evacuate.

Saffron seems to be particularly persuasive, though. She exudes benevolence and genuine care, and Drachma raises a hand to halt his fellows for a moment, listening to her speak. "You are kind, healer, and we are most appreciative of your skills. If you wish us to accompany you we will try." He starts to direct the stronger men and women who have remained with him to carry the wounded and continue. They will be weighed down, weary as they are, but the barricade looks like it is holding, for now.

"T-minus ten minutes until purging commences," the voice of Five Coils broadcasts, reminding Exalts and refugees that they must make haste.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:39, Thu 18 Dec 2008.

Though the turtle-man gives a somewhat sad glance at the retreating forms of Third and Nanaret, he is quick to comply with the metallic man's request to help barricade the doors.  As he does so, the lumbering creature also carefully examines the various marble pillars holding up the ceiling, looking for signs of structural weakness that might be exploited to collapse the entranece.  He seems quite satisfied with what he sees, nodding happily as he rejoins the Exalts and refugees remaining, "Hmm.  Yes.  I agree, with the young woman.  I will not, leave them to their deaths.  And for following us, this far, I feel that the monks, would kill them."

Nodding as he glances at the pillars, Turtle continues after a moment, feeling relatively certain he can shift them easily enough, "If metallic friend, young lady, and swordsman, help move the wounded, a bit further, I, hmm, will try to collapse this passage, and catch up to you.  I do not think, hmm, that the monks would have, the time to dig it out."

[Private to Gatekeeper: About what sort of Strength of Feat would collapsing the room be?  I'm fairly certain Turtle can make it regardless, as I think he can get up to an effective Str+Athletics of 19, through both the Full Moon anima which is already active and the Strength Excellency.  However, as Turtle might be familiar enough with the material to do it with the least effort necessary I'd rather not waste motes if it can be avoided.]

   Saffron breathes a little easier when Drachma and the others agree to continue to follow her. She assists with the injured as she cannot ask other to do what she is unwilling to and makes quickly for the stairs.

Having bee silent for a moment, it seems Higura had taken the moment after the doors closed to catch his breath and organize his thoughts. The moment in silence was not spent in idleness, however, as he spent his time listening to the words exchanged, trying to form an idea as to what to do next.

At Turtle's prompting, he nods sharply and proceeds to help, once again trying to encourage the refugees with the prospect of soon not having to run anymore. Of course, that is not a promise he can make lightly - he would not tolerate to disappoint them with false hopes, even for the sake of helping them save their own lives.

And so, as he helps some of the most discouraged refugees to find a bit more hope, he turns towards Tycho, lifting his head to peer into the mechanical man's eyes.

"A moment ago, you claimed you had the intention to halt the purge altogether. May I ask - do you know how to do so? Would you happen to have some knowledge of the functioning and location of the mechanism they will use to purge out all life from this district? And if so... Do you have an idea of how we can stop it?"

He pauses, looking up the stairs for a moment with a thoughtful expression. Inwardly, he cannot help but worry about Nanaret, who was still under the Queen's control the last he saw of her. Quickly, he shakes his head, turning back to the mechanical man. For now, he would have to concentrate on the immediate situation.

"If that is indeed you plan... Then I will help you."

The remaining refugees move upstairs with Saffron, some of them with great difficulty, but trusting in the woman that has already done so much to prolong their lives.

Soon, the only ones left below are Turtle, Tycho, and Higura. Tycho appears much too distracted by the task of blockading the door to give Higura an immediate reply. The doctor realizes it's for the best to simply head upstairs as Saffron has and discuss any further plans on the way.

---

OOC: Edited since I think Tycho is going to be away for some time. Turtle, you can assume in your next post that Tycho will assist you if you want.

[Private to Grinning Turtle: According to the chart it'd be 17 strength. With Tycho helping it's 16. You'll have to take care not to bury yourself, though, or weaken the upper floors, since there's still people inside the building just 2 floors up. Oh--another option I just read, if you're willing to spend the WP: you can spend one WP to roll Willpower and add the successes to your Str+Ath total.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:09, Sat 20 Dec 2008.

"Hmm.  Time presses, but haste, hmm, might be disastrous."  Examining the pillars closely, Turtle gives one of them an experimental tap, then a gentle shove.  Apparently pleased by what he feels, Turtle gives a satisfied nod, muttering to himself in his deep bass rumble, "Hmm.  Yes.  This will, do nicely.  No problem.  Load bearing, yes, but most of the, weight, hmm, on the walls themselves... shouldn't even cave in most of the room, just the area above, the doors..."

Moving back to the remaining Exalts, Turtle nods seriously, apparently having overheard the swordsman's question, "I do not know, what our metallic friend has in mind, but Third, the hasty one who went ahead with her highness, he knows where the controls are, on the 26th floor.  Friend Third, hmm, he is very smart, and knows much of Five Coils.  He opened the door, yes?  So he knows, what he speaks of."  Even as he speaks, Turtle gently ushers them further back, until they are standing at the base of the stairs themselves, the entryway only barely visible, "For now, sir swordsman, please make a bit of room, hmm, and metallic friend, please assist if you would...  Also, I'd recommend, being ready to move very quickly, at the worst.  I know what I'm doing, but, mistakes can be made, even by the best of us."

After indicating Tycho should apply pressure on the massive column however he feels comfortable, Turtle goes back to the pillar he selected earlier, gently wrapping his massive arms around it.  At first there is no indication he is even exerting himself, just standing there hugging the masonry.  However, after a few moments, a speck of dust falls from the ceiling, followed by a trickle, then a stream.  Dozens of tiny streams begin to fall faster and faster as the turtle-creature exerts not only his full weight and as his natural strength against the pillar, but his magic as well, the gentle white glow still surrounding him from the battle earlier growing stronger and stronger as he continues to push.

Suddenly, there is a sharp crack, followed by a second, then a third.  The third crack appears to have been some sort of signal Turtle has been waiting for - suddenly releasing the pillar, he becomes a blur of motion dashing full tilt back to the stairs, gesturing and giving a low hum to indicate Tycho should follow.  After a moment it becomes clear Grinning Turtle only formed a tiny split in the marble, but the fracture was carefully placed by an expert with years of experience working in stone.  The pillar no longer a single unified object, the slight diagonal slant of the flaw causes it to cracked and grew, as the two objects are gently worked at by both the inevitable power of gravity and the weight of the floors above.

Finally, the halves of the pillars fall away from one another, the lower remaining upright while the upper crashes to the ground in front of the massive double doors, adding to the weight already blocking them.  Even more quickly follows, however, as the ceiling immediately around the pillar begins to crumble and cave inward.  Turning to watch from the base of the stairway, Turtle holds his breath as the expanding ring of falling rubble reaches the remaining upright pillars - this was the moment of determination.  Hopefully, the remaining pillars would hold, stopping the ring of devastation from expanding any further.  However, there was also the slightest chance that they would be collapsed along with the ceiling, potentially bringing down a sizable chunk of Five Coils not only on the entryway, but much of the 29th level.

[Private to Gatekeeper:

Yeah, I'm not concerned with Turtle's safety on this stunt - unless he's killed instantly, he can recover from pretty much anything by taking a short breather.  However, since the whole idea is to save lives, not kill a hundred people a few floors up, if you think it necessary Turtle could make a quick Int+Craft check to determine a relatively safe way to collapse the ceiling, stressing Five Coils's structural integrity rather than his own personal safety if he can't ensure both.  If the roll is necessary, he spends 4 motes on the Second Intelligence Excellency for 2 automatic successes.

As suggested, I rolled willpower to get his total Strength + Athletics up to 16 - enough including Tycho's assistance.]

As Higura escapes above, Turtle and Tycho exert themselves on the pillars, destabilizing and toppling them. Escaping to the stairway, they take a split second to witness the collapse of the ceiling, blocking the front entryway more thoroughly than any of the combined furniture and fixtures stacked in front of the door.

The ceiling does not collapse past the second row of pillars, but it's only a small relief. Turtle can still feel the tremors going through the entire building and knows that it is not reliably stable. For now, it will hold, but more force exerted from below, or too much weight on the levels above, might lead to a more catastrophic cave-in later. He is pretty certain, though, that the damage would mostly be limited to within the residential building.

Knowing this, Turtle and Tycho have little reason to remain at the stairs. The seconds are ticking by, so they proceed swiftly to join their companions above.

---

OOC: Thread will close by tomorrow, but you two don't have to post again here, it's probably redundant at this point. Join the others in "Floor B27 - District of Water, Administrative." [Private to Grinning Turtle: I did roll the Int+Craft. Also gave you a +3 stunt, so you lose 4m but can gain some back with the stunt if you like.]

Don't forget you gain an additional +6m on top of stunts gained in this thread just for clearing the floor. :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:15, Sun 21 Dec 2008.