Nanaret and Third emerge after two flights of stairs into the topmost level of the District of Water Residential Hall, finding their immediate surroundings blessedly empty.

Fortunately for them, they hear no Immaculate hymns piping from the speakers on this floor. In fact, they hear nothing at all. It is dead silent on this floor. Apparently the Peace Officers had much less trouble subduing the population here -- if any still remain. The administrative floor mostly existed for lesser politicians and officials given the unpleasant assignment of minding the bottom floors. They would more likely have been evacuated than simply left to die.

Third, thinking to itself, pauses at the panel controlling the main doors opening out into the street. An odd message in Old Realm alternately scrolls and flashes across the mini-display: "HARMONY," it reads. "WAITING FOR YOU." Otherwise, the panel functions normally, seemingly unaffected by the emergency shutdown below.

[Private to Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge: You know the residential building is situated north of center. It is somewhere between the central elevator and the district stairs the group ran south of two floors below. You can rule out the stairs right away, as the Peace Officers almost certainly have control over them by now. Accessing the central elevator would pit you against the ancient core AI of Five Coils itself. You are not even sure it is possible for a single entity to override it -- and certainly not in time to beat the purge.

With this little time left, you know you need as direct a route as possible toward the district control room above you. The control floor is a treacherous maze of tricks and traps, and few if any mere technicians would have permissions for the central elevator. So your best bet may be to access one of the technicians' service shafts. There ought to be a Technician's Guild building within 100 yards of the central elevator, due southwest.

As for obstacles in the way, common sense tells you that patrols would be at a relative minimum this late in the count, limited to tiger shark units (armored Peace Forces with breathing apparatuses) and possibly even automaton sentries. Being watchful, moving quickly and/or stealthily are crucial.]

Over half the refugees pour in behind the Exalts, gathering restlessly at the doors.

---

OOC: When you are ready you can step out the residential building and get moving. This is a new scene, so scenelongs are down. Nana also has the opportunity to regain her mind back. :P
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:07, Tue 16 Dec 2008.

"The only viable way to the next floor is a technician's service shaft. The Guild of Technicians is southwest of the central elevator, south of here. There will be few patrols, mainly automatons and Tiger Shark patrols. Third and you must make haste towards the south. Stealth, speed, and watchfulness are paramount. " It's eyes flash over the panel, and stores the information away. There is not enough context to the words to yet make a judgment. It opens the doors carefully, and looks over the others, beckoning to Nanaret. " You seem to be the stealthiest. Third politely requests you check for patrols and take the lead. Freedom is close."

Nanaret is not in any condition to listen, at least at first. She lets out a strangled groan and clutches at her head.

"N...no more...!!" she gasps aloud, bereft of the Queen's harsh overtones.
Now you want your precious body back, whelp?
"...need you quiet! No subtlety... at all..."
The only good solution is a direct one. You promised me blood!
"Blood... aplenty... soon enough..."

All anyone else might hear is Nanaret mumbling half-crazily to herself, now that Ranavalona has started to recede. Her head snaps up, though, as she belatedly realizes what Third had just asked her. "You need scouting? Yes, I can do. But seems we moved away from where I was before blackness came. What happened? What floor are we, how much time?"

She frowns, as if displeased or dreading having to ask. Ranavalona has taken both time and memory from her, and it stings at her pride every time she wakes up to that fact.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:34, Tue 16 Dec 2008.

" You appear to be suffering from a lingering shard memory." it states, as a fact. " 27th floor. Slightly under twelve minutes until the purge." It doesn't seem particularly bothered by the twisted personality, as long as it doesn't cost them too much time. It has plenty of experience with the twisting that Five Coils can work on an Exalt's mind.

"Yes, true," Nanaret says a little distressedly at Third's statement. "So has Doctor Higura has told me. Is most disturbing, but sometimes... she is useful." Saying that makes her frown even deeper.

"Make sure Doctor and Healer Saffron come safely," she states. Of course she knows Third has no reason to care about strangers. But her pragmatic thought is that it doesn't hurt to ask.

Nanaret does not wait to hear the answer, though. With her true self back in control and focused on the task at hand, the Lunar is not the type of person to dally around. She steps through the opened doors with care, keeping to the walls and crouching by the darkest shadows thrown by the nearby buildings until she can make out a clear picture what is immediately outside.

Only then will she proceed southward as indicated.

Immediately outside, Nanaret sees that the streets outside are dimly lit. There are no guards immediately outside the residential building, or the street its doors open out to. There are no sounds of rioting or disturbance, but the continuing sound of the alarm drown out most any ambient sounds.

She has to pause a moment to orient herself, figuring out that the residential hall is facing northward on an east-west street. Heading westward leads her to the west end of the block where she can get a look at the somewhat larger street heading north-south.

Doing so, she sees no patrols in tiger shark armor along the street. What she does see are two automaton patrollers shaped like gigantic octopi walking on four of their tentacle-arms, so fluidly jointed they appear to move as seamlessly as if they were alive. The other four arms are held suspended in the air, as if 'tasting' it now and then, though they have rotating orbs on their ovoid bodies that serve as fully functioning eyes, as well. One of the machines is patrolling the north end of the street, while the other progresses southward.

Nanaret can proceed further, try to figure out an alternate route (difficult without Third to navigate) or return to Third right away.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:45, Thu 18 Dec 2008.

Third, still inside the residential building, hears the sound of heavy objects being lifted and thrown from below. The impacts send minute tremors through the interior of the building.

"T-minus ten minutes until purging commences," the voice of Five Coils broadcasts, reminding Exalts and refugees that they must make haste.

Nanaret, seeing the automaton sentries, ducks back into the street she came from. She would need to draw that southern sentry away somehow, but first it would make sense to report what she has found.

Frowning at the announcement, she returns with haste, though not without glancing quickly to either side of her to glimpse any alleyways and passages that might provide a better detour should the sentry prove unavoidable. If she thought she had the leisure she might have followed any one of those side paths to make sure, but decides Third would be able to navigate better than her.

Once back inside the residential hall she reports promptly to Third. "Octopus shaped machines guard most direct route. No other guards I can see. You know layout best, yes? Find detour for yourself and others." She gestures to the restless refugees. "I will distract south sentry so your way is safer."

Saffron appears upstairs with several more of the wounded, as well as the refugee leader. The others waiting restlessly upstairs for Third and Nanaret to move again look surprised to see Drachma so soon.

"What are we waiting for? Is there more danger ahead?" asks the older man with the spear.

"I don't know," replies one. "The blue-hair came back from scouting." Another continues worriedly, "It's been two minutes, we should just go!"

"Come on!" Some of the more impatient refugees start pushing through the door already.

" Unless you wish to die at the hands of extremely effective killing machines, Third would recommend you wait until it is able to think of another route, or failing that, there is an Exalt distracting the killing machines." states the Solar matter-of-factly. It scans it's mind, thinking of the possible routes that they could take- and, if it can devote any of it's spare processing power to that, it tries to remember any information about octopoid sentry devices, any advantage it can give to Nanaret would be very useful. " Third would prefer you not be used as a distraction tactic, unless there is no other way to avoid the sentries. You appear to be one of the better fighters. The group may need you more later."

While the refugees pause uncertainly, Third recalls its memories of the Octo-Sentry, the Water District's distinctive Heavy Armed Surveillance Automaton.

[Private to Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge: The Octo is built to be mobile both in dry and underwater environments. Its tentacle-arms are versatile prehensile appendages. With them it can easily swim, or scale up walls and even ceilings with suction, almost more like a spider but without the webs.

The body and tentacle-arms are comparable in strength to a common warstrider. It may use gas or ink (depending whether the environment is air or water) to subdue or hinder large groups, and can knock out or tightly grip those who might get away, holding them until human troops arrive. It may also be equipped with essence cannons, but Third has read that many have been disarmed of them for some reason.

As for senses, Third knows the Octo-Sentry has exceptional visual acuity, and can 'hear' through vibrations. Its eyes, fortunately, are not 360' orbits, but can see in front and peripherally. It can, however, swivel its head swiftly should it sense some reason to do so.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:58, Sat 20 Dec 2008.

Third nods its head. " You will have to be careful. The sentry is capable of using gas, and is extremely strong. The tentacle arms give it great mobility, and it has excellent visual acuity, though it cannot see behind it. It hears through vibrations in the ground, and Third would not recommend challenging it without being very sure that it will not be able to land a blow on you. If you are acrobatic enough, you may be able to draw it away and then regroup with us at the maintenance building" It stands up straight, giving her a brief description of said building, hopefully enough for her to be capable of finding it if she gets too separated. " Third will move when the other Exalts arrive here. Moving in less than full strength would be a mistake." It stands by the side of the door, and waits for its fellow Solar, Lunar, and Sidereal to arrive. Time is painfully short. But they're close.

Coming up from downstairs, Higura takes a moment to scan around him, taking in the situation and nodding courteously to his fellow exalts. His gaze rests on Nanaret for a moment, and he carefully observes her posture, expression and reactions - no doubt the Queen has left her consciousness, he concludes. He has see enough of both to know the minute details of their personalities, and has come to be able to recognize even small changes in time. He smiles softly, the simple gesture belittling the sign of relief he feels.

"Our allies are now working on making the door downstairs unusable." He mentions, to keep people informed of the going-ons on the floor below. "It would be advisable to prepare for a bit of a rumble, if their initial efforts are any indication." He takes a step forward, then scans the room.

"I will help with anything and everything I am able to." He looks towards Third, inclining his head slightly. "Your help has been invaluable, and I do not believe we even had time to be acquainted. I am Doctor Yaishin Higura, Mental Assessor." He smiles, but once again, seems loathe to loose more precious seconds in trivialities, and immediately continues.

"You seemed to possess a good amount of information on the complex itself. I will be following your advice and insight. Please let me know how I can be of service."

While Higura speaks, the distant pounding from below is suddenly dwarfed by the crash of collapsing stone. What was once minor tremors is now a full-blown earthquake, as some portion of the building two floors below is demolished by a powerful force.

The Exalts and refugees gathered at the 27th floor Residential Hall lobby have no idea at this point whether the damage was from the monks or their allies. The earthquake does recede, though, lasting no more than ten or fifteen seconds until it recedes back into intermittent tremors -- worrying aftershocks from whatever had collapsed below.

Fortunately, by this point Third has come up with two potential routes. One would move through side streets and alleyways, taking a longer detour but avoiding the main street with the Octo-Sentries altogether. The second would require the group to cut through main streets at least once, potentially exposing them to patrols, but saving precious time.

Either route cannot totally guarantee safety, but it's basically a choice of more speed or more caution.

"Understood." Nanaret nods at Third's explanation, taking in the information it gives her without any change in her expression. She hesitates only a moment when Higura enters, meeting his gaze. The doctor can see in her dark eyes the fierce determination shining there, the recognition and kindness for him, and knows for sure now that Ranavalona has receded.

"No time for explain. Follow Third," she says to anyone who arrives late, and a moment later sprints out the door at top speed.

Blue braids flying behind her, Nanaret dashes along the street and turns the corner toward the next one, pausing only to ensure the north Octo-Sentry is facing away from her before darting right in front of the south one. She doesn't stop there, but crosses the main street completely before turning back, standing boldly at the intersection into a side street leading further west. Here, the north sentry cannot see what she is doing, but the south one will -- or so she hopes.

"I am Saina Nanaret, Chosen of Luna," she utters, drawing her hook swords and waving them like signal flares at the octopus machine close by, triggering its motion sensors (if her mad dash across the street hadn't already done so). "Come and do battle with me!"