The stands of the arena are full to bursting. The entire pit smells of blood, sweat and packed earth. Jeers and calls from the excitable crowd fill the air, pungent with the haze of qat and opium.

The current champion, Saina Nanaret, stands facing a beastman of immense proportions. He is nearly double her height, a bull-man wearing a filthy loincloth and wielding a tetsubo that looks like it might crush Nanaret's bones in a single shot. Such beastmen were bred within Five Coils unnaturally, with accelerated growth, to ensure the arena always had new and exotic opponents to thrill the audience.

The crowd likes Nanaret, the slight, quick woman beating the odds -- they can even forgive her her Moon-tainted nature, so long as she stays properly Essence-bound.

Saffron and Higura, wearing the Essence-limiting collars that marks them to Five Coils society as Anathema, have a good view of the fight from the medic's pavilion. Gladiators from earlier fights of the day (those that lived, anyway), as well as over-excited spectators who've exhausted or injured themselves, are laying there on stretchers or slumped forlornly in makeshift chairs. It's not a pretty place, splattered with bloodstains and dried vomit, rather lax on cleanliness other than what fastidiousness the healers bring with them.

Nanaret smirks boldly up at her opponent.

The gladiatrix is dark-skinned and wiry, with blue hair bound in ragged dreadlocks. She wears no armor, instead clad in baggy dark blue pants tied around the ankles, a black and white striped halter top and suspenders. Her feet are bare, claws digging into the earth, and behind her sprouts a bushy monkey's tail that twitches expectantly, almost with a mind of its own.

Holding twin hook swords in her hands, she pumps her arms into the air, working up the crowd into a breathless frenzy.

Then she starts to dance.

The Snake Form is by nature both graceful and distracting. And Nanaret is a skilled practitioner. Her body undulates hypnotically, her feet in constant motion as she circles her massive opponent warily, taunting him to strike.

From the pavilion, Higura watches the fight intently, keeping a close eye on Nanaret's performance. Eyes folded across his chest, the doctor is currently quiet - a short respite from the sessions he had been holding until only a few minutes ago. Just like it is Saffron's duty to insure that the contestants remain in good physical health and that their wounds are treated accordingly, so is Higura's duty to insure their spirits and minds also stay in good shape. The games are all about entertainment, after all, and gladiators not in good fighting spirits are likely not to put up as much of a show.

The work is much easier with young or new gladiators. They are afraid, inexperienced, and more likely to open up than those hardened warriors who survived multiple battles and opponents. Those are where the really difficult work begins, as they are much more likely to clam up, or refuse to speak about their experience or current condition. A lot of them treasure their hardened exteriors greatly, and are loathe to part with such a shell. But that is Yaishin Higura's duty, and he takes on it with all the patience and professionalism of one who has been doing this for some time.

Of course, this is Five Coils - and as the place itself, truths often have multiple layers. As an Anathema, Higura had to have some special purpose in order to be maintained alive at all. And thus, he has been forced to use his abilities to delve into the minds of the gladiators - not only for their own well being, but also for that of the rulers of this place. Indeed, Higura had been placed under order to keep the gladiators pacified, to subtly undermine their desires for rebellion and their resentment at their condition. Those he cannot control, he is instructed to report, that they might be dealt with before they can cause any trouble. Those are his real orders, his real duties, and he despises them.

But what the wardens might have forgotten is that Yaishin Higura is also a captive. And as such, he has not always followed his orders. He has acted subtly, however, so as to not let himself be caught - but this sort of work, ironically, has been the type of duty he had been asked to perform, and so he has yet to be uncovered.

The crowd cheers. In the arena, Saina Nanaret has started her hypnotic dance, dazing the audience and her opponent all the same.

From the Medical Pavilion, Yaishin Higura continues to watch intently.

   Saffron does not watch the fight. She never does and does not expect that will ever change. She disapproves of the senselessness of it and the barbarity of a culture that needs visceral violence for entertainment. Surely, Gateway was a better use of one's time or perhaps, a sport that symbolized the gladiatorial battle but didn't end with blood, gore and death would be better.

   She hears the rush of joy from the crowd and winces. Unable, even after all these trips here, to stop herself from doing it. She takes a moment to think of the loser. A man or woman, who would be brought to her, most likely in a condition that she could not help. Too many died needlessly for nothing more than a cheer. It wasn't freedom, and it wasn't an idea worth dying for. It was entertainment and it was sick.

   She is nauseated thinking on it. She always is. She tamps the sensation down, blocking out the cheering again and concentrates on her work. She wasn't here to think or to feel, she was here to work, afterall.

    She shares a small smile with her next patient. A young man with broken bones after a bout with a creature of some kind. The young man tells her he won with pride and Saffron pats him gently, trying to block out the details he seems eager to share. Perhaps, it helps with the pain, she thinks as she prepares a draught to dull the pain. He would be screaming soon enough as she set the bones and splinted them back together.

   Another massive cheer goes up and Saffron thinks of the blood to come.

Irritated by Nanaret's nimble dancing, the Minotaur hefts its gigantic weapon to crush her. The first blow is an awkward, angry swing, and Nanaret tumbles away from it, hardly breaking a sweat. She lashes back with both hook swords, the first barely missing, the second one tangling in the matted hair of his hide but doing no damage.

Another swing from the Minotaur sends the tetsubo careening toward her face. She parries -- barely, crossing the hook swords in front of her before slipping under the massive weapon and stabbing towards the beastman's torso. "First blood!" cries the crowd, as the hook sword draws a thin jagged line on the Minotaur's body.

The scent of his own blood drives the Minotaur into a rage, but again his swings are too ungainly for the slippery Nanaret. She ducks, the tetsubo passing under her head... then slips between his legs and behind him, bringing her hook swords up as she passes to slash at both of his legs. Larger gashes split open at his thighs, making him roar with pain as Nanaret uses the distraction to scramble up onto the Minotaur's back!

Unable to reach her with his hands, he tosses his head frantically, eyes rolling wildly. Nanaret manages to nick her opponent on the neck before he lets out a bellow of pained frustration and shakes her off so strongly her body flies clear across the arena. The crowd lets out a gasp, but Nanaret somersaults in midair, taking control of her descent path, and sticks a perfect landing. A smattering of cheers ripple through the audience, but they're also becoming bored. They want to see the girl bleed too!

The audience chants for Nanaret's blood as she dashes back towards her opponent, delivering two deeper slashes to add to the shallow cut on his torso. Mad and desperate, the massive beastman swings the tetsubo downward with a crushing overhead blow that looks destined to turn Nanaret's body into a pulp! But she musters Essence at the last moment, driven to her knees on the hard earth, and boldly catches the tetsubo between her blades -- mere inches from her face.

As the crescent caste mark glimmers on her brow, the crowd lets out a resounding "booooo!" and their chants begin anew... but the Minotaur is rapidly losing blood, and hardly looks in a state to continue the fight...

---

OOC - Just rolled a bunch of combat at once to speed this up!

Nanaret catches her breath at the close -- much too close -- call. As soon as the minotaur lifts his weapon, she leaps back to gain distance between herself and her larger opponent, lifting her bloodied blades.

The crowd jeers, but she ignores them. Her world consists of only herself, her opponent, and the arena. Her serpentine dance resumes, and so does her fight.

Her choice, according to her masters, is simple. Fight, or die. Her life, or his. She never thought herself a needlessly violent woman, but what she is -- above everything else -- is a survivor. If she can both survive and fulfill her role in the arena, she can live to fight another day. If she cannot, she will be killed, or rot away in her cell, never to taste even the illusion of freedom.

I'm sorry, she wants to say. But given the choice, I will choose to live.

Sizing up the condition of her opponent, she taunts the wounded beastman to strike again, buying her time to pinpoint the weak points on his body before retaliating in kind.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:10, Fri 31 Oct 2008.

"They're never satisfied." Higura's words come out, soft and gentle, but carrying an underlying edge that betrays his contempt. "The captured have to fight to be allowed to live, and will give it their all in the arena, all in order to survive... But still, that is never enough for the crowd. Never enough pain, or blood, or hardship. For all my time trying to understand, I wish I could comprehend why people seek to see more misery in order to lessen theirs."

He turns back towards the other doctor, the compassionate woman who seeks to ease the suffering of these poor souls caught in an endless cycle of violence and fake fame. "Once again, let me know if there is anything I can help with, miss Saffron. My knowledge of bodily health is not as advanced as yours, but I can assist your procedures if you guide me through them." He smiles, knowing how the situation disturbs her, and how she wishes this whole state of affairs did not exist, and trying to bring at least a small measure of comfort through it all.

"The champion's bout is almost over. The day's contests are almost at a close, it would seem."

Delirious from loss of blood, the Minotaur's next half-hearted swing has no chance of touching the nimble Nanaret. She dodges easily, then thrusts both hook swords with keen accuracy towards his solar plexus, a blow that would be the end of any normal man. Instead the beastman falls to his knees, gravely wounded, letting out a mournful bellow.

But any reaction from the crowd is drowned out by the wail of klaxons, and the artificial voice of Five Coils commands the attention of all:

"WARNING! Maximum Security Breach in Forbidden Level B31. Maximum Security Breach in Forbidden Level B31. Now switching to Orichalcum Alert in Water Level B26 and below. All Jade Personnel and Ranked Officials, proceed to the nearest evacuation station."

"WARNING! As per Orichalcum Breach Protocol, purging of all affected levels will commence in T-minus 30 minutes!"

All concern for entertainment is wiped out as the crowd defaults to the basic human need to survive. They start to rise from their seats in a panic, fighting and trampling over each other to reach the arena exits.

Nanaret, Higura and Saffron also realize, at the advent of this announcement, that the Essence-limiting effect of their collars has been lifted.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:27, Fri 31 Oct 2008.

   "Human lives are truly nasty, brutish, and short," Saffron remarks as she cleanses her hands. As much as she despises those in the crowds, she does not wish them the kind of death many would face due to panic.

   As for her patients, essence limiting effects gone or not, she cannot leave those ill equipped to leave on their own to suffer. She thinks first of them.

   "What do they intend to do, Higura?" she asks the man.

As soon as the alarm resounds, he quickly turns towards the arena, witnessing the public panicking over the announcement and letting out a slow hiss. "It... cannot be..." He speaks, in a low tone, before turning back to Saffron.

"Someone has escaped. Someone like us." He notices the release of the Essence container as well, and for a moment a myriad possibilities play out in his mind. "Which means they are likely not going to take any chances... Miss Saffron, this 'Purge' they are speaking of - it means a purge of life. Either through gas, or through some similar mass-affecting mean... They will kill everyone in a five-stories radius. Us, and the patients included." He says the last couple sentences in a more hushed tone, not wishing to cause any further panic in the medical pavilion.

"Unless we do something... Your prognostic about lives being short will prove sadly accurate."

   "There is little I can do in so little time to save all the people here," she says. She looks to the crowds seeing those crushed by the stampede to leave, "Or those I am afraid."

   She shrugs, nothing to it but to do it.

   She starts with those incapable of walking out on their own and she drugs those that are awake. She wants them to sleep while she organizes the second set of patients.

   After the crippled, she very calmly goes to each patient that can walk. She whispers to each in turn. "Get up, help those that you can and find somewhere you feel is safe or an exit that will lead to the twenty-fifth floor. You destiny, you life is in your hands."

   Part of her wants to feel guilty but she knows ultimately each person decides whether he lives or dies. Those that could help themselves should and those that couldn't could depend on her only as long as she could some something.

    Those that remain, perhaps more than she could handle, give her pause. She decides to take everything that she can carry, filling a small bag full of drugs and instruments. "Will you help me?" she asks Higura.

Nanaret's face freezes in shock at the announcement. She's gone from a certain victory to a bleak situation, and she looks at her opponent with an expression of regret that suddenly, if briefly, twists into a pitiless scowl.

"This child wishes to pity you," Nanaret utters in a harsh, unnaturally amplified voice. Higura hears the voice and recognizes, from his psychological evaluations of her, the wrathful personality buried within her mind.

Her name is Ranavalona, the Bitch Queen.

"I will not. Pitiful creature, you will die here. Know your end will come slow... and inevitably!" Even amidst the panic of the crowds, Bitch-Nanaret concentrates on her opponent, knocking the beastman down -- and breaking his legs so he may not escape...

As soon as she does this, though, Nanaret shudders violently and staggers, holding her head. "No... NO!" she cries, and for a moment it does not seem she will move at all, rooted in place as she fights to maintain mental control.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:24, Tue 30 Dec 2008.

"Of course. We need to get to a higher floor - or at least try to reach one. This might be a bit challenging with a group with us, so we will have to proceed methodically." He peers around, trying to assess the various conditions of the people in the room, before his attention is called back to the arena once more.

"... The Queen." He murmurs softly, as he watches the scene unfold. For a second, he lets her appearance fill his mind, but he quickly shakes it off, coming back to reality. Nanaret has now fallen back into a catatonic state, her typical reaction to the Queen's resurgence. His thoughts whirl quickly in his brain, and as he stands at a crossroad, he decides his next course of action quickly.

"...Miss Saffron. Please prepare everything for our exit - I will get us an extra pair of arms, that we might be able to move with more ease - and more chances of success. Please, wait for me, it will take only a short moment."

With that, he quickly crosses the boundary of the pavilion into the arena, headed towards the panicking champion.

The people who Saffron is able to speak to are calmed slightly by her coolheadedness. They gather themselves and try their best to look for a less crowded way up, though that doesn't mean they're no less scared.

Saffron is able to gather the equivelent of a Fine Medical Kit (+1 to Medicine rolls for diagnoses). She also gathers several weeks' supply of Res 1 drugs, a week's worth of some Res 2 drugs, and a single dose of one Res 3 drug (can potentially choose Res 1 or 2 drugs from Exalted 2nd Core p. 365, or Res 3 from p. 378).

The majority of the crowd has made a singular rush for the nearest set of stairs leading upward through the district. While broad enough to admit five men side by side, the crowd has flooded in and clogged the way up. Not only that, but there appears to be some fighting force on the floor above, actually preventing the crowd from proceeding. Like a beast with hundreds of heads they keep shoving desperately to break free toward the upper levels, crushing whoever is too weak to be caught in the middle.

Nanaret doesn't look responsive, at least immediately. Higura will have to do something to shake her out of it. Next to her the Minotaur twitches, slowly dying as it lets out shuddering, frightened breaths.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:49, Mon 11 May 2009.

Higura approaches the site of the battle, and his steps slow down progressively as the sad sight becomes clearer and clearer. Nanaret herself seems completely unresponsive, and the minotaur - well, the great beast is wounded beyond any chance for it to survive. At this point, it is more of a race between what would kill it first: the wounds and the bleeding, or whatever the leaders of Five Coils had planned to kill off all the residents of the bottom.

For a short moment, Higura observes the great beast, and takes a step towards it, gazing into its eyes. For that short moment, he peers into them, and all the savagery seems to have drained from them. For the space of a breath... They look human. The doctor takes another step, and he looks up the beast, his own gaze softening considerably.

"You were engineered to fight... Created only to amuse others with your own strength... Your own pain. Now, you stand at the brink..." He pauses, then takes a breath. "I can end it now, if you wish. Painlessly. So you do not have to suffer again for other people's entertainment."

He lays a hand on the creature, waiting for a response from it before unleashing the release - after all, the power will not work unless the creature is willing.

The beastman doesn't seem to understand what Higura is asking at first, his nostrils flaring fearfully as the new, unknown person comes close to him.

But something in Higura's voice offers relief from his agony and panic. 'Painlessly'... 'do not have to suffer'... with these words he appears to relax, though not necessarily in peace. More in exhaustion, as if he's come to the end of a grueling journey he just wants to be over.

An eloquent mind may have philosophized at that point on the meaning of his existence, now that his life is at its end. But all Higura can see is the single tear that rolls down the creature's ruddy cheek before the light goes out of his eyes.

Nanaret seems to have calmed enough to regain her senses. But the chaos at the stairs shows no sign of abating. There are sounds of essence weapons firing... screams and wails of anguish... and the magitech-amplified sound of the Five Coils peace officers, methodically (and perhaps cruelly) asking for calm.

---

OOC: Better start coming up with a plan to get out. Given what you know of the layout you can either try for another set of stairs or look for one of the elevators up (which you know would be heavily guarded). Or you can force your way through the crowd but that doesn't really look very likely.

To figure out an alternate route I will allow one of:
- Wits or Perc+Awareness (innate sense that gives you an idea which way to go)
- Int+Lore (represents knowledge of the structure and architecture of Coils, to give you a good idea of where elevator/stairs would be placed).
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:36, Mon 03 Nov 2008.

It is with a touch of sadness that Higura sees the massive creature go. Given a sense of sentience only to titillate the taste for blood and pain that others have. Now, it rests, at least not stuck in an existence of bloody battles and painful punishments. The situation, however, cannot wait for more mourning - time is running out, and being on the move becomes more and more pressing by the second.

"Miss Nanaret." He utters, sharply and decisively. He has seen her snap out of this state before, and knows that only clarity of purpose will shake her out of it. "The fight is not yet over. All of this will have been for naught if we remain here, as we will soon all pass away - purged, without a chance for escape. That is, of course, unless we get a move on."

He pauses, and for a moment considers their options. The section his cell is in, as well as the block surrounding the arena, are somewhat of a maze. And yet... Signs could pinpoint to a direction to go, if he could only get his bearings. Watching carefully around him, he strives to understand the structure itself - to make sense of the nonsensical, and to try to guess as to its layout, based on rational thought and the few pieces of information he does have. By putting all of these together, he hopes to create a coherent image of their options... Or at least, he would try.

Turning back to the gladiatrix, he lifts his chin slightly. "We need your help to escape these halls, Miss Nanaret. Can I count on you?"

Nanaret, coming out from the throwback's effect, appears almost as if awaking from a drug-haze. She grimaces, and rises swiftly to her feet once she remembers where she is, and recent events come flooding back.

"Doctor Higura," she says uncertainly, then angrily: "It happened again. Curse her!" But she doesn't dwell on her own troubles for long, taking in the panicking crowds, the violent attempts by the 'peace' officers to control them. Confused, she touches her deactivated collar. "The controls are gone... why...?"

Then she shakes her head, abandoning her call for explanation for now. "Never mind. Act first, think later, yes?" She concentrates, and her ears shift with a display of coruscating silver-blue light into the cat-like ears of the aye-aye. They twitch this way and that, separating ambient sound from relevant. "I can hear the sounds from above, where they trickle down to us. There, in those places, we can go up. Too crowded here, let us go elsewhere."

Nanaret points in the direction she senses is right and begins to move that way unless stopped.

"One moment. I will explain everything when we have a moment to breathe, but for now..." Higura begins, inwardly glad that Nanaret seems to have quickly recovered from her experience - but dreading that the issue not being addressed would only cause more internalization problems later. Of course, not much could be done about this now...

"We are not alone, Miss Nanaret. Miss Saffron is in the Medical Pavilion. There are other wounded, people that require our assistance." He pauses, risking a glance towards the pavilion, brow furrowed, before turning back towards the gladiatrix. "It is... uncertain how far we will get, with a group like this. But we have to try." He looks back towards the minotaur, then shakes his head softly, arranging his thin-framed spectacles.

"There might be some people we can save." He nods, then looks back towards the woman, awaiting her response. The both of them might be prisoners, but in this, she is a free woman - and he would certainly not choose for her.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:29, Tue 04 Nov 2008.

Nanaret stops and turns. "Help others? Hope they can keep up. We must move quickly and they will be slow."

"Healer Saffron should come though. She is a good woman. Better that one escape this place than one like me, yes?" Her bushy monkey tail swishes as she chuckles roughly. Then Nanaret strides toward the pavilion, eyes purposefully avoiding the dead body of the Minotaur. She looks at Saffron. "Come, we bring with us those who will need help to survive, and not so crazy they try suicidal way out."

Nanaret can probably carry someone or help one or two people walk if necessary.

OOC: We'll wait for Saffron to post. Then I can post the results of the Awareness or Lore rolls and move on.

[Private to GM: Perception + Awareness - please roll]

   Saffron bundles her kit and secures it in a bag that she drapes across her body so that it rests on her hip. She reassures those that appear lost that she will attempt to find a way out for them, as long as everyone moves to help one another. Her services as a healer are not free in a crisis, she requires her patients to help themselves and help each other. Those that can't walk are carried by those that can, including her (she has her limits, of course).

   She smiles sadly as she looks to those that were at one time cheering wildly for death, now facing their own.

With both Nanaret and Saffron helping the most wounded, the patients in the pavilion are able to follow along as the three Exalts make their way out of the arena discreetly. Besides the patients, a few stragglers seem to catch on that their group knows where they're going, and follow along at a distance.

Floor B30 sits just above the Forbidden level and beneath the lowest residential level of the district. Therefore, the large, squat buildings surrounding the area of the Pit are primarily warehouses for long-term storage. Beastmen are kept in substandard hovels near the area of the arena, likely still locked up and left to their deaths. Sometimes, there are squatters that come down from the levels above. Or a resident might see the B30 storage as a convenient location for a crime. Remnants of bodies are found there sometimes. Contraband.

The illumination in the area is sub-par, the red glare of alarm lights giving off an eerie, flickering glow. It's a bleak place to be hurrying through, finding a way up to survive the coming purge.

Between Nanaret's instincts, Saffron's observant nature and Higura's knowledge of architecture, they discover three potential paths. The first and closest is a district elevator, which they are quite certain will be well guarded. The second is a stairway leading up to the residential floors... a better bet, but much further away. The third is one that the Exalts are not completely sure still exists: a hidden passage, likely used for smuggling, which may or may not have already been boarded up and locked.

Decide which way you will go, and swiftly.

Helping with the fallen, Higura meanwhile continues to think of the possibilities regarding their escape... All the while wondering if it would be even possible. He glances towards Nanaret and Saffron, and pauses momentarily.

"All three of us are healthy and capable... But it cannot be said the same of everyone here, of course. While we might have a chance of toppling patrols in heavily guarded areas, it is unlikely we will be able to cover for everyone here, or make certain each of the wounded will survive conflicts. I believe, then, that our approach should be slower, but safer."

He purses his lips for a moment, considering the bleakness of their situation. "That is, at least, until we escape the danger zone and we can manage to find a good place to hide or at least shelter the others."

"Perhaps we can try to figure out if the smuggling passage is still operational... Otherwise, I would suggest we go the residential route. There is less chance of crossing guard patrols there."

"Hrrmph," Nanaret grunts. She is half supporting, half pulling along two very wounded individuals. "I say we try secret passage, Doctor. I am able to fit in small spaces. If it is just blocked I can get past, help you get through from the other side."

"And if it is locked... there are few such things that easily hinder me. I can deal with locks." She smirks lopsidedly. "Let us go, yes?"

The Lunar glances at Saffron questioningly... if she had a different idea, she'd listen.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:57, Thu 06 Nov 2008.

   Saffron shakes her head in the negative. As the stragglers begin to trickle in, she sets about persuading them that their safety is more secured if they can help with the injured.

   Nanaret in particular should be freed from carrying the injured. She is more valuable to the long term survival of the group unencumbered.

Not everyone agrees with Saffron, but there's enough of them that some do. Nanaret is free to take the lead, and if she wants, she can scout ahead to ensure the safety of the others.

The group struggles through streets alternately empty and bursting with sudden, erratic activity. There really aren't any patrols down here, and there are still men and women reckless and desperate enough to take advantage of that, running off in small groups with loot from the warehouses. Perhaps they don't realize the gravity of the announcement they just heard -- or they just don't care.

At some point someone had apparently let the beastmen free from their pens. Their sounds can be heard in the distance, some of them confused and frightened, others roaring with rage after an indeterminate time in captivity. They can be heard stampeding in the streets, wrecking whatever lies in their path. Screams of agony indicate that not all they release their frustration on is inanimate.

It turns out the smuggler's passage is actually inside one of the warehouse buildings. It had been boarded up, but someone else before them had stripped the locks from the doors.

Inside, it is nearly pitch black. (You may be eaten by a grue. Kidding! :D)

"I will look inside," Nanaret says softly to her companions.

Again the silvery-blue glow surrounds her, and she assumes fully her hybrid form -- still very much lithe and humanoid, but covered with a thin layer of fur, along with the claws, bushy tail and spoon-shaped ears of her monkey totem. Her eyes are round and yellow with dark pupils, startling those unused to her sinister gaze. Despite the animalistic touches, she does still have a human face, and her blue dreadlocks remain. She seems more of a half-breed, almost like the beastmen that she has fought and killed.

Thus transformed, she slips nimbly into the warehouse, using her senses to full effect in order to quickly detect the location of the secret passage upward.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:53, Sat 08 Nov 2008.

While Nanaret slips inside, the stragglers following along with the Exalts huddle nervously just outside the door. It is a frightening experience, sitting in the dim, red-tinged light hearing disembodied screams and primal growls, the intermittent fire of Essence weapons, and the neverending sirens.

It's not even been a minute when the announcement comes, in the same dispassionate, artificial voice: "T-minus twenty minutes until purging commences." Some of the injured people start to whisper nervously, even whimper in fear. They realize their chances are still better than being beaten up and shot down back at the stairway in the Pit, but the finality that the word 'purging' suggests is just as discouraging.

[Private to GM: Nanaret's night-vision allows her to see the interior of the warehouse. It's a 50 square yard space. It seems like most of what was stored within has already been used up, or stolen. There are boxes stacked in the far corners of the room but they look like they've been opened up, tumbled around.

You are able to find the stairs you are looking for, but there are two problems. First of all, the passage to the stairway is completely blocked by a brick wall. Second, you can definitely hear the sound of soft breathing coming from a space near the wall adjacent to the passage. Whatever it is, you can't see it but you KNOW it's there... it hasn't spotted you just yet. You will have to move stealthily from now on not to be noticed though.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:44, Sun 09 Nov 2008.

Nanaret stays just long enough to confirm what she needs to.

Once she does, she slips out as quietly as she can manage, crouching low or pressing flat against the wall, squeezing close to the boxes when she can. When the jumble of empty boxes can no longer cover her, she creeps across the floor on all fours, her monkey-ears listening for any further sign of sound and movement.

There is something waiting in the darkness there, something Nanaret can only hear. But Luna has blessed her with a limber body and a predator's grace, and with Her grace, she will not be easily seen -- until she wants to be.

Nanaret is fairly sure she has exited the warehouse without being noticed. She is free to report what she has seen.

Nanaret straightens, standing upright, as soon as she clears the crack in the door leading out. She beckons to Higura and Saffron, and speaks to them a short way apart from the others.

"I realize we are in need to hurry. However the stairway is still blocked, it will take just a bit longer. There is an escaped beast, hiding inside... I could hear it from its breathing. It is near the passage, and it will stir if I make noise to open a path upstairs."

The Lunar exhales frustratedly, her tail twitching erratically. "I do not think I can guarantee safety of the others while I work. I believe I will need you to distract attention of the beast while I break open passage."

"You can fight, yes? Her bright yellow eyes glance from one Exalt to the other. "I know you, Doctor Higura, have seen you train with the sword. Maybe Healer Saffron can cover the others until they can get upstairs?"

He takes one look towards Saffron, and then nods at Nanaret with a faint smile on his lips. "A bit, yes." He says, and immediately grabs the sheathed curved sword he had strapped to the back of his belt. He keeps the sheathed weapon in his left hand, then nods towards Saffron and the wounded. "I will draw the attention of this... beast. Miss Saffron, you should direct the wounded as per Miss Nanaret's instructions."

"I will try to hold this creature as long as possible, Miss Nanaret. Please, let me know when you have broken through and the others are safe... And where I should try to keep the beast so as to best help your efforts."

With that, he takes a step forward, his gentle mannerism somehow clashing with the well-crafted weapon he holds in his hand.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Activating Prior Warning while waiting for Nanaret's instructions.]
This message was last edited by the player at 07:03, Sat 08 Nov 2008.

   "I will do what I can to help but understand that my strengths lie not in slaying," Saffron replies moving into a position to best help the others get up the staircase as quickly as possible when it is cleared.

"I see," Nanaret says seriously, replying to Saffron. Killing is something she does well, though not necessarily happily. Still, survival is survival. "Do not need to kill, only subdue."

To Higura she says, "You will need to enter first. The beast hides close to the passage, on the left side. You must distract it to the opposite side of the warehouse. Is just one big room, so should not be difficult. Doctor, when you use power, you glow, yes? You might attract it, with your light."

"Otherwise, it is dark inside. We will move in darkness, I and Healer Saffron and the others. If they follow me, and stay close to the walls, should be fine."

She nods and indicates the warehouse door, urging Higura to proceed.

As soon as Higura steps into the warehouse, he is in pitch black darkness. All he knows is the rough direction he must move -- toward the right side of the room, opposite where Nanaret had said the beast lies in wait. The doctor's senses can at least pick up the vastness of the room, though so far he hears no sign of the creature's sinister presence.

[Private to Yaishin Higura: You have a -3 external penalty at the moment due to the darkness around you. Roll a Perception+Awareness, then you can do whatever you think is necessary to attract the beast your way.]

Nodding one final time to the others, Higura then starts to step forward - and realizes that, in all likelihood, the beast that has chosen to make its home in the area is much more at ease in this environment than he is. But no matter the circumstances or facts, the truth remains that there is a host of people here that need protecting, high adversity or not.

Slowly and carefully, he steps into the darkness, for the moment casting aside his sights. In order to help this endeavor, he closes his eyes as he steps forward, forcing his other senses to compensate. After all, while he tried to focus his eyes at whatever his other senses would pick up, he risks losing precious seconds - seconds that might cost him his life and that of the wounded. In those conditions, his sight is a liability rather than an asset, and Higura thus treats it as such.

Eyes closed, he takes another step, then another. He focuses his attention on everything his other senses pick - the time it takes for echoes to reverberate, the feel of the ground under his feet and that of the ambient air across his face, the smell of displaced dust that might hint at movement. Cloaking himself in his own personal darkness, he continues to walk forward.

"I am here." He announces, to the hidden presence Nanaret warned about. "Hear my challenge, and face this intruder."

Higura hears it, more than sees it. Feels its presence like some sort of cloying dampness in the air. As his eyes adjust to the darkness, he can see the outline of the creature's body, clinging to the far wall next to what he assumes is the blocked stairway Nanaret must deal with. It looks like something of a half-lizard, half-man, but larger than any normal man.

It stirs, when Higura speaks. Its eyes -- or what he is sure must be its eyes -- swivel his way. The flick of a tongue probes outward.

Then with a sudden swift burst of motion it leaps from the wall it clings to, twisting in the air to land with a soft, wet sound on its hands and feet. The impact does not slow its advance, as it scampers across the empty space to meet Higura's challenge!

---

OOC: Join Battle for Higura. The others can begin to proceed toward the stairs. As long as Higura can keep the creature sufficiently engaged it probably *won't* come after anyone else. Probably. :D

"I propose thirty seconds," Nanaret says to Saffron. "Thirty seconds and you can start to bring the others inside." She slips through the door again, working nimbly toward the stairway while Higura distracts the lizard-man-thing.

Her first priority is to deal with the obstruction itself -- the brick wall in the way of the path going up. Without exceptional strength, her only remaining method is to repeatedly pummel the weak points in the wall. She uses one of her hook swords to dig repeatedly into the mortar, wearing it out so she may simply pry the rest of the bricks apart.

[Private to GM: Flurry 3 times every action. Keep doing until the brick wall falls apart.]

Looks like Nanaret will break through faster than she thought. About 10 ticks, though there is still another obstacle beneath.

Higura gets first action.

"A hunter." Higura begins, as he keeps his senses focused on the approaching creature. Despite the urgency of the situation, he seems to remain calm and collected, content to wait for the hunter's approach. A dangerous prospect, for one who finds himself the target of such a predator...

But then, who is the hunter, and who is the prey?

As the creatures approaches, he rests a hand on the handle of his sword, and waits. He can see it well now, the strong lines of its body as it continues to push towards him, uncompromising. The taut lines and sharp angles that betray a body made for the hunt, large and quick and powerful. And yet, in the face of such an attack, the doctor waits.

He waits until the creature is dangerously close and until it is almost too late. Until the beast is upon him, and it is ready to pounce, strong muscles already contracting in order to push its strong body towards its prey. And it is at that moment, in the eleventh hour, that Higura finally strikes.

Fluidly, with an almost unnerving calm, he frees the weapon from its sheath, sidestepping masterfully and guiding the wickedly sharp edge of the sword towards the beast's flanks. It is a quick, almost imperceptible attack, and Higura is just as quick to recover from it - in a flick of his wrist, his weapon is spun, then re-sheathed, and his waiting stance resumes.

"I wonder, hunter, if you will find me a suitable prey..."

[Private to Gatekeeper: Singe attack, adding 3 dice with first melee excellency. Just meant to test the beasts' defenses and taunt it more than anything else.]

Higura, surrounded by darkness, stabs toward where he can hear the lizard-beast coming for him. He feels the blade slice through air, before the creature's long, sticky tongue uncoils and shoots out of its mouth to wrap itself around its new prey.

[Private to Yaishin Higura: Clinch attack (with tongue!) on Higura. Your parry DV is currently 3 due to the surrounding darkness. Stunt or use charms to help your defense if need be. If you get free... you can attack again in the same post, or roll a Dex+MA to try and break clinch.]

---

tick 0 - Higura's attack (miss)
tick 4 - Lizard attack, Higura again
tick 5 - Nanaret starts breaking through brick wall.

His first strike is a complete bust, tasting the air as it completely misses the hidden beast. It is, however, not a complete loss for the Doctor - from it, he can gather some information about his attacker. Its speed, its strength, is usual method of attack - all can be revealed to he who chooses to observe.

And then, the tongue lashes towards him, faster and swifter than he had first expected. The beast must be hungry and desperate to prey on the first - which means it will likely not give up, even when cornered. Which also means distracting it will not be a simple matter. One false move, and Higura could very well get thorn to shreds.

With that in mind, he intones a short prayer for the Maiden of Battles once the tongue threatens to strike him - a gentle paean for her guidance as he strives to live trough this conflict. Without pause, as the last word of the short prayer is uttered, he draws once more - appearing the strike precisely as the creature does. A red spark of Essence course along his blade, the sign of the weave of fate he has spun into it... And the red-tinted weapon thus flows forward, ready to hit the monstrous tongue head-on.

Crimson sparks meet the contact of flesh and metal, and even through the beast's strong and determined push. He forces himself to keep the blade strong and steady, sliding across the slick and touch appendage and using the momentum of both attacks to let his weapon gain speed. And then, when the moment comes... He merely gives it one, final push to complete his attack.

The defense has flowed through the attack so smoothly that it almost seems the same movement, a side-parry coupled with a strong slash aimed at the creature's collarbone. The crimson sparks spreading from the blade slowly changes to a ghostly green blow, seeking to bite deeply into the monster's flesh...

[Private to Gatekeeper: Impeding the flow, +full powered single attack again - still not going to fall into flurries just yet, to try to conserve motes in case and play it strategically. Trying to keep the beast's attention here, so if I can keep the fight close I might have more chance to draw it out and make it longer.]

The lizard-beast makes some sort of whistling screech of frustration when its tongue slides harmlessly off the flat of Higura's weapon. Sensing the force of Higura's forward thrust, it springs back from the green-tinged blade just in time for the doctor to miss its shoulder by a hair's breadth. It lands in a crouch on all fours, tasting the air expectantly in front of it, to gauge its opponent further...

Then its head jerks toward the opposite side of the room, as the sound of Nanaret pounding at the brick wall becomes clearly audible. Higura can barely make out the outline of the creature's head ruff rising in response to the sound. Perhaps angry at its 'nest' being harmed?

---

tick 8 - Higura, again. Go fast weapon speed go!
tick 10 - Nanaret partially breaks through bricks. Lizard-beast attack.

(note- Nanaret's distraction puts the lizard-beast at -1 for the moment.)

Nanaret just keeps pummeling at the brick, her hook sword digging out large chunks of mortar. Whenever she can she uses her free hand to pry loose bricks aside, sending them tumbling to the floor. Noisy, but she isn't looking to be quiet right now, just efficient at getting things done.

If the lizard thing would attack her now, better it come before Saffron comes in with the others.

Outside the warehouse, the people waiting outside are continuing to get increasingly restless. They look to Saffron as if for some sort of guidance or encouraging words, and lacking that cling to one another or squeeze their eyes shut, trying to block out the terror of creatures in the dark.

The distant screams are becoming quieter, and for some reason their silence is even more frightening -- a reminder of the finality of death.

Some even murmur a distant hope that the Dragons will save them -- the very same that would now likely drown them as lesser beings, in order to exterminate the Anathema. Only a few, a very few (and in quiet, furtive whispers) dare to utter prayers to the gods themselves. The residents of Five Coils have, for the most part, been indoctrinated in some version of the Immaculate Philosophy... but not everyone is a true believer.

It's unknown whether they're even completely aware that the people they are following are the very Anathema they are taught to fear and resist. Desperation, for now, shakes the beliefs forced onto them as children as the impulse to survive overwhelms.

Something else screeches, a strangled, bird-like call, as the shadows of a flock of avian men pass over the street...
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:00, Wed 12 Nov 2008.

Pausing for only a moment, the Doctor stops all movement in order to assess the current situation. Despite his efforts, the beast has manage to evade his attacks - a situation that was no problem a few moments ago, as it kept the creature focused on Higura himself. But now, the sounds made by Nanaret have managed to attract its attention, meaning that something would have to be done now, or all would have been in vain...

Quickly taking advantage of the beast's momentary distraction, sheathes his weapon once more, then swiftly takes two steps forward - enough to bridge the distance between him and the beast. From there, he quickly twists his body to the side, turning so he holds his sheathed sword behind him and parallel to the ground. From there, he suddenly spins in the opposite direction, like the taut string of a bow suddenly released, and his weapon is freed from its constraint once more.

It makes a metallic sound as it rushes through the night air, the soft green glow accompanying it once again, this time raising like misty tendrils of incense as the blade cuts through the night air... And perhaps through the monster's scaly hide, should the Doctor's aim finally prove accurate enough.

[Private to GM: Same, one fully powered attack... Hopefully it'll actually do something this time!]

Higura's blade strikes the lizard-beast's tough hide, but--much to his surprise, does not cut through! The attack at least served its intended purpose, though, bringing the creature's attention back toward Higura as Nanaret continues to break apart the wall.

It takes a moment to consider the situation with what little intelligence it was bred with. First, the further threat of Nanaret, pummeling away at the walls of what it considers its new home. Second, the much closer threat of Higura, who annoyed it with his constant poking at with his sword, but did not seem to be a particular threat... and could quite possibly be food.

The beast decides to try to make quick work of Higura. Moving faster than any normal beast ought to, it lashes out twice with claws extended, then extends its tongue once more to trap and pull in its meal.

[Private to Yaishin Higura: First attack 3 sux in, second 5 sux in, third 12 sux in! ack! Let me know how you want to handle this. Also, Higura is almost certain now that the creature he faces is both a magically bred mutant and an essence-awakened mutant--something that increases the danger he is in exponentially.]

   Saffron watches the fight with calm detachment. She stands tall and encourages those around her to surrender their fear and find inner strength.  She huddles her people closer together and nearer the stairs, instructing the strong to lead the pack up the stairs as soon as it is freed.

   She sees that Higura may need her assistance and she prepares her mind and body for the encounter. She knows she does not have the strength or skills to kill the beast but perhaps she can help extend the battle for a few more moments. Moments that give Nanaret time to bust through the wall or Higura time to slay the beast.

   She approaches slowly assuming the gentle fist stance and prepares herself to interfere in the things plans.

The beast turns, and Higura smiles in the darkness. Woe to the Hunter who chooses to underestimate its prey.

The monster's attack is swift and relentless, but Higura's response is somewhat puzzling. He stands his ground, and seemingly refuses to budge while the claws fall upon him, almost as if a grim sense of acceptance has fallen upon him. He welcomes this first strike almost with open arms, even lowering his head slightly while the monster pushes forward.

While it seems like the doctor has chosen to sacrifice himself in order to occupy the monster for longer, his next movement comes as a surprise - to anyone who might catch a glimpse of the scene, and perhaps even to the beast itself as well. From his accepting, immobile stance, he quickly springs back into motion, as if he had been alert and ready all this time. When the second claw attack comes, Higura quickly steps backward in a quarter circle motion, a movement much too quick to have been born out of his almost statuesque stance from a moment ago. And yet, it does push with surprising swiftness, pushing the doctor backwards as he raises his weapon to one side. Pushing strongly, ghostly wisps of dark green smoke escape his sheathed weapon while he knocks the sharp appendage aside, reducing the deadly attack to nothingness with only one motion.

Even in the darkness, his eyes seem to flare briefly as he draws the curved sword in one clean and precise motion, striking at the tongue with the same sort of strength he used to parry the claws. Once again, it almost seems like the very motion itself is not only meant to deflect the blow, but to reduce the attack to nothingness - almost as if the doctor's will is channeled through his weapon, threatening to burn down the monster's resolve as it touches it...

[Private to Gatekeeper: Okay, taking the first attack and using Shield of Destiny on it, so it will activate after damage is rolled. The other two attacks I use Impeding the Flow to block.]

Higura allows one of the blows to penetrate through his formidable defense. The lizard-beast's claw surges victoriously to rend his flesh, only to jerk back with a hiss of pain! The doctor remains miraculously unharmed, while the creature's blood drips from three deep gashes in its chest. It scuttles several paces back from Higura, confused and hurt.

Saffron steps inside the warehouse while the others very reluctantly start to move in behind her, keeping close to the walls as Nanaret had suggested. They do their very best to remain courageous, but there are some that are too frightened to even enter. They hold onto each other as they peer into the crack in the door, seeing little more than the wispy glow of Higura's sword as it shifts from green-tinged to red, and back again...

[Private to Saffron: Inside it's very dark! You have a -2 external penalty, unless you choose to use your anima as a light source. This will reduce external penalties for visibility to -1. Originally I was calculating these wrong for Higura, I was subtracting from his pools instead of successes, cause I still get mixed up with Exalted 1e now and then. But I'll start doing it right from now on.]

Unfortunately, the stairs are in the darkness, so there is no other way about it if they want to be close to the exit upstairs. As Saffron disappears inside, two of the winged harpy-like beastmen start to dive from their circling formation above... she can hear the cries outside as the refugees duck for cover or flee inside, deciding the darkness is less frightening after all!

---

OOC: Ok, Saffron is approaching the lizard-beast. Maybe 2/3rd of the mortals are pressed against the wall toward the left side of the warehouse and inching toward Nanaret's position... 1/3rd are outside still, possibly under attack, but it's hard to tell from inside.

Lizard-beast has taken 3L damage.

Actions (don't need to post in order, this just lets know when your action resolves):
tick 11 - Saffron (just stepped inside), Harpy beastmen (diving)
tick 12 - Higura
tick 14 - Saffron (close enough to attack lizard), Harpies (at warehouse door), Refugees (moving)
tick 15 - Nanaret finishes breaking wall, needs one more turn to unlock the door.
tick 16 - Lizard-beast
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:47, Fri 14 Nov 2008.

   With infinite compassion and in a carrying voice that is unusual for her, Saffron says to her refugees, "Master your fear, you do not fear the beast or the dark or even death. What you fear is the risk it will take to make it out of here alive. We cannot help you, if you cannot help yourselves. Now calm yourselves, stay close to the walls and wait for the door to open."

   Even speaking the words though, Saffron seeks to strike a balance between helping Higura should he need it and reassuring her flock with her presence and protecting them from the harpies.


   [Private to Gatekeeper: Activating "hearing the unspoken word" for 3 m from peripheral to aid in the glow factor.]

This time, the doctor does not hesitate.

As soon as the monster's wounds appear on its body and it recoils in surprise and pain, he surges forward, blade in hand, while the caste mark lights up on his forehead, bathing the area in soft green light.

"I wish not to kill you." he says, softly, as he speeds towards the beast. "Only to keep you from harming these people."

When he strikes next, he does not bother unsheathing the weapon, keeping the wooden scabbard covering the blade to dull the effect of his blow. He pulls his hands back, poised for a high strike, using the speed of his approach to power the blow...

Only to stop close to the monster, and completely shift the angle of his attack to a low slash aimed at the creature's ribs, potentially aiming to knock the wind out of its lungs. The shift in strike seems almost surreal, the movements flowing into each other almost too perfectly...

[Private to Gatekeeper: Powering the attack fully, again, but taking a -1 to do bashing damage.]
This message was last edited by the player at 21:26, Sat 15 Nov 2008.

Nanaret shatters the last of the brick, which clatters down the stairs. She replaces her hook sword in its sheath, clearing the last of the debris to focus her night-vision on the lock in front of her.

Too small without tools, she realizes. Her entire body flares in silver light interspersed with blue-violet rays, her moonsilver tattoos shining through her clothing... then shrinking, smaller and smaller until (at least to Higura and Saffron's eyes) she seems to disappear entirely.

In her aye-aye form, Nanaret clings to the door handle and inserts her unusually long middle fingers into the lock, shifting the tumblers with her claw-tips. She works now more by feel than sight, recalling her memory of locks she's mastered when she was still a street urchin, and not a gladiatrix. Nudge this way, push that way, twist just so... with a professional's patience, and just a touch more quicksilver Essence, little monkey-Nanaret swiftly manipulates the lock to her will.

With the lizard-beast wounded and recovering from its furious attack, Higura's attack finally strikes true, the scabbard slamming into its torso. It lurches back, agonized and weary... and turns Saffron's way instead, lashing again desperately with its claws before flinging its sticky tongue her way, intending to drag her with it as it escapes!

[Private to Saffron: Flurry attack on Saffron using PoM. your DVs start at 6 so... 3 sux against 6 DV (miss), 3 sux against 5 DV (miss), 5 sux against 4 DV (hit). The tongue will clinch you unless you've got a charm to add to your defense, post to that effect :)]

Nanaret is too small now to be seen, but for a telltale glimmer of silver essence as she concentrates her efforts on the locked door in her way.

Outside, several of the people following Saffron heed her calm and empowering words. They continue gathering inside, waiting restlessly for the word to run. But some hesitate just long enough not to make it in time -- their screams pierce the air as the harpy creatures outside swoop down, and snatch them up, carrying away their prey to a distant nest.

"Hurry!" the last refugees to make it inside cry desperately, as a harpy claw clamps on to the edge of the door, prying at the crack as several more uninjured men start shoving to keep it shut.

---

OOC: actions
tick 16 - lizard-beast (attacks Saffron), Higura
tick 19 - Refugees (continue moving), Harpies (busting into warehouse)
tick 20 - Nanaret will be done picking lock by now, she succeeds. Higura and Saffron can act again.

The lizard-beast wraps its tongue around Saffron and leaps away toward the opposite end of the room -- where the refugees are currently gathering! They shriek and cry out, caught in the pitch darkness between a threat pounding at the door and the wounded beast that has snatched their benefactor.

---

OOC: Higura, post your next action. Saffron takes 2B clinch damage, can try and break clinch if you wish, or whatever else she would do. After that door will be open.

Letting out a slow, sharp hiss, Higura immediately follows the creature with his eyes, trying hard not to lose its position in the darkness. He loses no time, immediately rushing behind the wounded beast now that Saffron has been snatched. Now that the creature has been wounded, it is likely to act rashly and swiftly, in fear and confusion. No time could be lost.

Leaving his sword sheathed, he continues to run after the creature, this time more on instinct than for really being able to perceive the creature clearly. After having exchanged some blows with it, the doctor now knows its way of moving, its way of attacking, and even seems to understand its way of thinking. Even in the dark, Higura pushes forwards, led only by his knowledge of the creature and his analysis of its next action. Despite having seemed passive and on the defensive for this whole engagement, he now holds a very important weapon - Higura understands his target.

With that knowledge, the beast now has no escape.

Swiftly, the doctor strikes with his sheathed weapon, seemingly attacking a spot in the darkness at first. And yet the strike seems to almost predict where the beast is going, threatening to hit it where it will move next...

[Private to Gatekeeper: Okay, one more fully powered strike - and activating the combo once again. Also, taking the -1 to deal bashing damage, again.]

Higura catches the beast off guard as it retreats with its 'snack'. Without warning, the doctor is suddenly standing right in front of it, blocking its mad lurch towards the shocked refugees! Green-tinged motes issue from his sword scabbard as he whacks it on the nose, hard enough to bruise, but not enough to knock it out.

Nonetheless, it's surprised and sluggish with pain, and Saffron manages to shove free of its loosened tongue, landing on the ground. She begins to move in the darkness to aid the refugees, as the lock drops off the door and it swings inward, revealing the dimly lit passage ahead -- and a small bushy tailed monkey, clinging to the door handle.

As the refugees continue to move, the bravest ones taking up the rear back away from the door to join them. Almost as soon as they do, harpy-talons burst through the door, seizing one of the escaping men by the throat and raking one of the others on the chest! "RUN!" the captured one manages to shout to his fellows before his voice is cut off by the choke hold!

The others don't hesitate... as soon as that sliver of light opens up at the secret passage, they start charging up the stairs to get through!

---

OOC: Just moving Saffron for now, I'll do this now and then while her player is busy with RL stuff.

actions
tick 20 - Saffron (helping refugees to the door), Nanaret and Higura can both act
tick 22 - lizard-beast (at -4 health level! very weakened!)
tick 24 - Harpy beastmen

By tick 25 everyone should be safe. Just gotta block the refugees' retreat!
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:23, Wed 19 Nov 2008.

Nanaret in aye-aye form leaps off the handle and starts scampering down the rush of tired, wounded and frightened refugees. Her little paws leap from one person's head to another, down one person's bent back and catching onto another's shoulder, then jumping off to reach the bottom of the stairs.

Only then, in mid-leap, does she assume humanoid shape once more. Her tattoo patterns manifest in liquid silver lines, widening with her expanding shape. The gladiatrix lands in a crouch, her iridescent anima flaring fully as the crescent caste mark shines clearly on her brow.

"Doctor Higura," Nanaret utters, her voice gravelly, almost guttural as she readjusts to speaking human tongues again, "We protect their retreat. Hurry men and women, escape to the floor above!!" Nanaret draws both hook swords, her nocturnal yellow eyes glinting menacingly as she prepares to enter battle once more.

(OOC: Just a full move. She should be close to Higura now.)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:44, Thu 20 Nov 2008.

Turning around, he is relieved to see Nanaret's form in the darkness, and nods towards her as she addresses him. "Yes, Miss Nanaret." He wants to ask about the lock and the refugees, but her presence here means that the rest of her mission went according to plan. Her words also answer the rest of his question before he can even think of asking it.

Before he can speak more, however, the man's panicked shrieks cut off any further need for conversation. Immediately focusing towards the source of the noise, the doctor surges forward, pushing towards the seized man at full speed. Focusing his senses on the creature holding him in its grasp, he forces himself to ignore the accumulating pain and tiredness, and simply chooses to focus on the task ahead of him. Rest will have to come later.

In one deft leap, Higura bridges the distance between himself and the beast, and in one swift motion, he frees his weapon from its sheath and lets the blade hum in the night air... A sweeping, powerful arc aimed at the talon grasping the man, hoping to free him from the deadly embrace.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Just going to add 2 to this attack this time, since Higura still needs to watch out his essence pools and such.]
This message was last edited by the player at 05:02, Thu 20 Nov 2008.

The harpy beastman drops the man with a shrill shriek as Higura's blade slashes its claw deeply. He and the other man wounded by the creature help each other toward the stairs, running for their lives!

Bewildered and confused, the wounded lizard-beast lashes out at the next unknown threat it perceives -- in this case Nanaret. This time, the sticky tongue shoots out first, followed by the two claws seizing to tear at her shoulders. Try as it might, though, it cannot so much as touch her in its current state, half-addled by cuts and bruises: the Lunar simply slips away from its grasp, her hook swords beating back its flailing limbs if they dare come close.

The harpies make a concentrated effort and physically tear the doors apart, tossing the flimsy metal aside with an indignant screech. There are three of them there, silhouetted by the crimson alarm lights outside -- naked and filthy, bare breasts and ragged hair, brown tufts of feathers covering legs, back and wings. Towering half again as large as any normal woman, they mantle their wings menacingly, beaks and talons prepared to lunge for anyone within range.

Saffron ushers the last of the refugees through the open doorway Nanaret cleared. The flight of stairs beyond leads to a platform and a ladder, and then to a trapdoor the refugees fling open with a shout of triumph: their entrance to Floor B29.

---

OOC: Last stretch! post your retreat, the harpies used their turn to get rid of the warehouse door.

   Saffron makes sure the wounded that made it are safely up the ladder before quickly following behind. She utters gentle words of reassurance here and there. Her main concern though is the new terrain and any dangers that may be lurking close. Her eyes scan the area methodically, making sure there are no traps or hidden creatures waiting to pounce.


[Private to GM: Not sure if this counts as a new scene or not but if it does, I'll spend the essence to keep Hearing the Unspoken Word active.]

Nanaret waits for Higura to back away first. She insists on being the final line of defense, as she believes herself more suited for it. "Go, Doctor Higura! This one not last long enough to hurt anyone now." While the others run she backs away at a swift pace, even up the stairs, never keeping her yellow night-piercing eyes off the lizard-beast in front of her--or the harpies threatening to surge from the open doorway.

On the way, she will taunt, shout and beckon at the monsters, drawing their attention away from the others. "Take me on, beasts! I am proper challenge for your appetites. I was trained to oppose you! Let us make a fight to remember!" Iridescent silver emanates from her, and tendrils of black and blue, expanding to form her iconic aye-aye anima: larger than life, and anything but cowardly. The Monkey is ready to fight all that would threaten her companions, if need be.

But escape comes first. If Nanaret can reach the door unhindered, she'll close AND lock it behind the group moving ahead, since she will be the last one in.

Higura, Saffron and the refugees escape up the passageway, finding at its end a wide ladder leading to a trapdoor. The first ones to reach it clamber up the ladder and find it unlocked. Pushing it aside takes the effort of two sets of arms, so the healthiest and strongest among them take their place at the top of the ladder and throw open the doors with a loud crash.

Nanaret is able to escape unscathed, as well. The last thing she sees before closing and locking the door behind her is the harpy beastmen charging into the warehouse to get first dibs on the only morsel still worth pursuing: the gravely wounded lizard-beast. Their talons tear it apart limb from limb, starting to consume the creature before it can even die of terror.

---

OOC: Ok, changed my mind a bit on how I'd do this. :) Please move on to "Floor B29 - Hymn of the Downtrodden"
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:05, Mon 24 Nov 2008.