Date sent: Sat, 27 Jan 2001 20:39:57 -0800 (PST) From: Trisha Lynn Subject: More Hiko Logs To: ranma@falcon.cc.ukans.edu Akemi pages, "So what are you going to do to prepare for your trip?" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Ready." to Akemi Akemi pages, "So what are you going to do to prepare for your trip to the Dragon's Fang?" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Um, pray a lot? What are my current stats?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Psyche 78, Warfare 2, Strength 1, Endurance 3" to you. Akemi pages, "Correction, Endurance 4" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Which puts me where as far as fighting prowess, etc?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "It means you still suck compared to any expert amberite, but you're no longer easily taken out in one shot." to you. Akemi pages, "Kasumi can beat you down in hand to hand combat." to you. Akemi pages, "On the other hand, you can beat Napoleon in leading armies and Jackie Chan in hand to hand combat :)" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Right...." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Okay, after stocking up on supplies and the like, Juri and Hiko set off into shadow to look for the Dragon's Fang." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "All of my gaming files are on the other 'puter. :P" to Akemi Akemi pages, "It's the Akane factor. Akane can kick most people's ass with ease...it's just that in Nerima, EVERYONE can do that, and most of them are better than her." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Gotcha." to Akemi Akemi pages, "Are you going to do the shadow shifting or ask Juri to do it?" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Ask Juri to do it, as she's more experienced... I don't want to hellride again, specially now that I know I carry the child of Arden." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Um... Can we RP a conversation between my char and the GK?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Sure. You gonna trump him or jump to Arden?" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Trump first." to Akemi Akemi pages, "He answers the call. He's standing on a small cliff, looking down on a great expanse of oak trees. A small river runs along the bottom of the cliff. "Good day, m'lady."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko smiles shyly. "Tell me, how fertile is the forest right now? It's Amber's springtime, is it not?"" to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "He can see that her demeanor is less abrasive, more complacent." to Akemi Akemi pages, "He smiles. "The forest is vibrant with life as springtime moves towards summer, my lady. How has your vacation been, flower of my heart?"" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I've been learning a lot from Mother. She's helped me get through a lot of my old trauma." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko fidgets with her hands. "Especially how to get over the fact that one is pregnant..."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "He smiles at you. "I am g...." He stares at you in shock. "You are?"" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko blushes. "It's the strangest thing. I'm pregnant, and yet I've been here in this shadow for years. I should have had the child by now. As best Mother and I can figure, something is keeping the child from gestating at any rate of time other than Amber's."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "The Green Knight looks thoughtful, then reaches through the contact and takes your hand, squeezing it gently. "As I am tied to this Pattern, so is your child. He will age in Amber time. Here, it has been only a handful of weeks since he was concieved." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko smiles. "It could be a girl."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "He smiles at you knowingly. "Anything is possible, my love. Are you free to come to me for a time, or do your duties take you elsewhere? There are places here I would love to show you."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko says, "Mother and I are about to investigate the shadow of the Dragon's Fang, to find out more clues as to what Annadil could have wanted with me and what ties, if any, he has there." to Akemi Akemi pages, "He slumps slightly, then stands straight again, hiding his disappointment. "You will have to face the dragon guardian, then. Do not trust the words of dragons, for they are famous liars, and skillful at twisting people into knots with words."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko strokes your hand thoughtfully through the link. "I wish I could return, but I have enemies." She places a hand on her still flat abdomen. "As long as I live, no one will harm me ever again... not if I can stop them."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "He nods. "Whenever you need me, I will be here, to give whatever aid I can." He leans through and kisses your cheek." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko leans into the kiss, then closes the contact. She turns to Juri. "Are we ready to travel?"" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Juri nods. "I am ready. Indeed, I find myself eager for action after this long vacation. Let us go, my daughter."" to you. Akemi pages, "Since Avalon is a set of islands, you begin your trip in a small sailing boat." to you. Foxtrot lowers the prod and looks about her, and the crew of very capable and very cute men. Akemi pages, "Most of the crew is female, actually :)" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Okay, very cute and capable women, the.n" to Akemi Akemi pages, "The boat has a fairly small crew, but an efficient one. Your three days of sailing go by quickly, and the food is quite good." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko asks, "How far will it be to the Dragon's Fang? And from what you know about Shadow, what can you tell me about it?"" to Akemi Akemi pages, ""I have no idea how long the trip will be, and I do not know much of the Dragon's Fang, I'm afraid. We believe Van perished there."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko nods, and mentally prepares herself for the worst." to Akemi Akemi pages, ""It is a lonely mountain which rises from a plain, with a river running out of one side of it. I know that."" to you. Foxtrot lowers the prod and nods again, and recalls her memories of the place. Akemi pages, "The mountain is riddled with tunnels and underground waterways. It's roughly shaped like a five pointed star, with the entrance between the two western points." to you. Akemi pages, "Various caves and manmade tunnels link, eventually leading to the Pattern Chamber." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "do I remember how to get there?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Yes, you do." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko says, "Once we get there, I'll be albe to tell you how to get to the Pattern Chamber itself." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Tell me... what do you know about dragons?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Juri nods. "Dragons are very dangerous. The older they get, the more they grow in power, but the more they sleep."" to you. Akemi pages, ""They are quite smart, smarter than most humans, and they have very powerful minds, able to pry out your secrets and use them to destroy you." She pauses. "Although I suspect your mind is stronger than that of many dragons."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I remember there was a dragon guarding the pattern chamber, and Annadil held up a hand with a ring (I could be mistaken, as I don't have my gaming files)." to Akemi Akemi pages, "Juri nods. "I suspect that he had used the ring to master the Dragon."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko blinks. "It seems like it was so long ago, but I remember Mikage saying something about the ring Kozue had... and she was able to manifest dragons from it..."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Juri says, "I believe she defeated a dragon and took it from him. That was Magnus the Unseen, one of the legendary Spikards."" to you. Akemi pages, ""In fact, I believe she took it from the dragon who slew my brother Van."" to you. Akemi pages, "Juri sighs. "It would not suprise me if Annadil had a spikard."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko nods and looks down at the unicorn spikard on her hand and the Heart in its box under one of the seats." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Oh... what else can I do with the Heart again?" to Akemi Shizumaru stands his ground this time. Will try the reflect move if it tries to breathe frost again. Akemi pages, "The Heart lets you control flame; you can use it to shadow walk by fire routes, or to teleport to any fire you're familiar with. It also lets you arose or snuff people's passions." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Heh... want to test it out on Shaft..." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "And what can I do with the spikard now? Same things? Rack more spells?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Basically, the Spikard lets you cast energy magics very quickly, and you can rack spells in it." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Right." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Rack Living flame, the Ice one, and teleport." to Akemi Akemi pages, "the Ice One?" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Yeah... didn't I create an Ice one?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "An ice what?" to you. Akemi pages, "Ice attack? Ice shield?" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Oh hell... let's use Deep Freeze. I lke that one. New spell: Deep Freeze... same one I used to put Tomas on ice." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Or can I not do that with 78 psyche?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Yes, you can do that; you've had 200 years to work on spells." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Deep Freeze, Living Flame, Teleport, Fire Shield, White Noise, Light Strobe then." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Sail on, MacDuff!" to Akemi Akemi pages, "After three days, you dock at a small town and set out on horseback up along the river which flows into the sea here." to you. Akemi pages, "The next three days go swiftly as you ride through first settled lands, then sparsely settled lands, and then through a grassy plain with no signs of human life." to you. Akemi pages, "A mountain rises on the horizon, and as you ride closer, you recognize it as the Dragon's Fang." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko looks around. "I think I know where we are." She points. "We have to go that way." She dismounts. "I think we need to leave the horses here."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "There is now a lake behind you to the south, with a city built out on the lake." to you. Akemi pages, "Juri nods and dismounts. "Horses have little love of caves." She pauses to brush her horse down and give her a sugar cube." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko does the same, and ties her horse to a tree. "Thanks for taking us."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Your horse whinneys happily." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko pats her horse on the neck and points. "We need to go that way."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Juri turns to look at the mountain, then frowns, pointing. "Look." Following her gaze, you see a huge red dragon rising from the mountain and heading in your general direction." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko throws up the SEP field, hoping it will work." to Akemi Akemi pages, "It seems to work, as the dragon flies overhead and heads for the city." to you. Akemi pages, "Looked like it, although it never got close enough for you to be absolutely sure." to you. Akemi pages, "Juri says, "Looks like that city has made it mad about something."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko says, "I think that may have been the guardian, but I'm not too sure. In any case, I think I shall keep this spell on." She leads Juri down the path that she remembers." to Akemi Akemi pages, "By sunset, you reach the mountain." to you. Akemi pages, "The doorway is up a slope; oddly, it's wide open, though you remember Annadil had to search for the hidden lever to open it when last you came." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "What can I sense about this place?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "You can sense the Broken Pattern is inside it. The door here is magical, but it's safe as it was opened properly" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko enters cautiously, motioning for Juri to follow slowly." to Akemi Akemi pages, "You enter through the maze of tunnels. There are a lot of boot prints in the dust; over a dozen people have been through here recently, you think" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Any psychic impressions?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "You don't HEAR any people though...at first. After a while, you start to hear talking in some language you don't know. When you try to take psychic impressions...twelve dwarves and a hairyfooted midget went through here." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Did they come back out or did they use the Pattern to travel?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "They don't seem to have come back out; the psychic imprint is maybe only a day or two at most." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko nods to herself and relays the information to Juri, motioning her forward." to Akemi Shizumaru sighs in relief. "Brother Abelard! What has happened? Is everyone all right?" Akemi pages, "The voices get louder as you walk along, but you still can't understand them. The caverns seem to carry sound very well." to you. "They managed to chip me out." Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "How recent? Are they still there?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Yes; you're hearing their real voices right now." to you. Akemi pages, "You'd guess they're in one of the chambers before the Guardian's room." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko stops and motions to Juri. She touches her arm and speaks telepathically. "Can you understand what they're saying?"" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Juri shakes her head. [telepathically] "I'm afraid not. I can make out twelve different voices, though."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko asks, "What should we do?"" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Juri looks thoughtful. "We listen, wait for one of them to go take a leak, then you can try to mind contact him somehow? Learn why they're here."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko grins at Juri. "I can do that."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "After a while, one of them does come your way; You easily overwhelm his puny brain." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko asks, "What are you doing here?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "His name is Bofur, and he and his compatriots have come to kill the dragon and reclaim their ancestral home." to you. Akemi pages, "The Dragon seems to have left, but they aren't sure why." to you. Akemi pages, "not that they mind." to you. Akemi pages, "Their leader is a dwarf named Thorin Oakenshield." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Is this their ancestral home? ALso, absorb the language." to Akemi Akemi pages, "They believe this to be the case, anyway. You spend a while and quickly learn Dwarven." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Okay, rewire him so that he forgets that he's seen me and send him on his way. Cloak in SEP field, then we're gonna move past." to Akemi Akemi pages, "No problem. You easily walk right through the dozen dwarves who are cooking dinner, and head onwards." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Right.... moving towards the pattern chamber." to Akemi Akemi pages, "You reach the guardian's chamber, a vast treasure vault, with a dragon shaped imprin." to you. Akemi pages, "You pass through it, tryign not to gag on dragon stench" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Impressions? where's teh pattern?" to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Can i suppress dragon stench with a spell? Like nose plugs or a nose muffler." to Akemi Akemi pages, "The treasure horde has a dragon shaped dent in it, as if the dragon frequently lay on it. You pass through it without trouble and reach the Pattern chamber beyond it. And yes, a smell can deal with the stench. Juri simply pinches her nose." to you. Akemi pages, "You reach the Pattern Chamber, which looks just like you remember it." to you. Akemi pages, "There is a nasty blotch across one side of it, the flaw in it." to you. Akemi pages, "It's about a hundred yards wide and a hundered and fifty long" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Can I tell how long ago it took place? And what would happen if I were to walk it again?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "You have no way to tell how long ago it was damaged. And you have no clue what walking it again would do." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko turns to Juri, "What would happen if a person with full Pattern imprint were to walk a Broken Pattern?"" to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Oh yeah, and I do remember making an ice spell, which I used on the trip to th eCity of Brass, because we sucked on the ice it made for water." to Akemi Akemi pages, ""I believe it would have little to no effect, as True Pattern is stronger. I have heard rumors that the Jewel of Judgement, borne in such a walk, would fix the Broken Pattern."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "OOC, but would I still retain whatever power this pattern has?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "OOC You have no clue." to you. Akemi pages, "You'd need to consult one of the family Pattern experts." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Riiiiiight. Do Trumps work here?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Yes, they do." to you. Akemi pages, "Juri's been learning Advanced Pattern, but she hasn't studied Broken Patterns much yet." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Who would know about Pattern?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Derith and Fuyutsuki are the big experts. Drake has studied Broken Patterns, you know." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Trump Drake." to Akemi Akemi pages, "Drake takes the call; he's in his office, plowing through paperwork. "Good day, Hiko," he says." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko says, "Hello, Uncle Drake. You're looking well." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "What's the news in Amber?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "He smiles confidently. "Well, things have gone well for me of late. We recovered Queen Yuriko, although Wakaba is still being searched for." He frowns at that. "How is your quest going?"" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "What happend to Queen Yuriko? And our quest goes well. I have some questions to ask you." to Akemi Akemi pages, ""Jasra's son finally tired of his mother, and locked her up, along with Queen Yuriko and Wakaba. We had to rescue her."" to you. Akemi pages, ""Up in Kashfa."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko nods. "And the search for the fake Derith?"" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Drake grins and holds up his hand. He is now wearing Kozue's ring. "We drove him from Rebma back to Embra, where he is now imprisoned with the rest of his kin. And I recovered this ring."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko whistles slowly. "I've heard that that ring can allow its user to speak to dragons? I may need it where I am right now."" to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "ooc: I'm trying hard to suppress my Sirena instincts to lie." to Akemi Akemi pages, "Drake cocks his head. "You plan to confront a dragon? Why?"" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko says, "We're at the Dragon's Fang right now, and I need to talk to the guardian to find out what he knows about Annadil."" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Drake nods and holds out his hand. "Pull me through."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko pulls him through." to Akemi Akemi pages, "Drake looks at the Broken Pattern. "Ahh, the Dragon's Fang. I should have guessed."" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Moving to regular gaming mode." to Akemi Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What can you tell us about this Pattern? And its guardian?" Drake says, "It's always guarded by a dragon. Kill it and a new one appears." Drake says, "Not instantly, but within a few days." Drake says, "The dragon fanatically obeys the current master of it." Drake says, "From what I understand, to master this broken pattern, you have to walk it to the center, then defeat it in psychic combat." Drake says, "Usually while the Dragon is trying to eat you." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Well... who's the current master? Can you tell that much?" Drake turns and studies the Broken Pattern. Drake says, "From observing it, I would guess our little friend Annadil owns it." Drake says, "I can feel his stench all over it." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "So, I'd have to defeat him in psychic combat to master it?" Drake says, "You have to defeat the Pattern itself, not him. But I would suspect it will call him to its aid if you try." Drake says, "Alternatively, if you possessed the Jewel of Judgement, or one of the Demi-Jewels, you could master it quite easily." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Do you know who has one?" Drake says, "Tylor possesses the Jewel of Judgement and the Earth Jewel. Corrine possesses the Fire Jewel. Air is in the hands of Dowager Queen Anthy. And Water is Derith's toy." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Do you think I'd be able to borrow the Fire one from Corrine?" Drake says, "I would guess that either Earth or Fire would be suitable for this one." Drake says, "You'd have to ask Corrine, but she does seem to be the generous sort." Hiko the Firechilde smiles. "Plus, I have an affinity for Fire." Hiko the Firechilde pulls out her trump of Corrine. You attempt to trump Corrine. The trump doesn't seem to be working. Hiko the Firechilde frowns. "Strange... didn't Aunt Corrine say she wanted to contact us while we were in Avalon? I wonder if she's okay?" Drake says, "No one has heard from her in a while, so far as I know, but I've been busy with other things." Drake says, "OOC and I'm going to have to cut here, as I've been up for 19 hours, and my brain is starting to shut off." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Right.... go to bed." Hiko the Firechilde smoochies. "Night, John." [CONTINUED ANOTHER DAY] Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Ready." Juri says, "OOC Okay, last time we played, you'd just pulled Drake in to take a look at the Broken Pattern" Hiko the Firechilde OOCly :pulls up the log file... Hiko the Firechilde OOCly nods. "Ready." *** Foxtrot goes IC. *** Juri asks, "OOC Okay, what ya gonna do at this point?" Hiko the Firechilde thinks for a bit. "If Corrine is unavailable for us to borrow the Fire Jewel from, maybe we can ask King Tylor to lend us its use?" Drake says, "The king is, understandably, rather loathe to loan out either the Earth Jewel or the Jewel of Judgement...although with Tylor, you never know." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "If he or Queen Yuriko were here... but I heard she was abducted... how long ago was that?" Hiko the Firechilde shakes her head... "Even after 200 years, I still don't think I'll get the hang of this time differential." Hiko the Firechilde smiles wryly at Juri. Drake says, "That was weeks ago. They've managed to rescue her, thankfully." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What else has happened in Amber since we left?" Drake says, "We're at war with most of the Golden Circle." Drake says, "With what's left of it helping us fight the others." Hiko the Firechilde blinks slowly. "We don't trade with [INSERT NAMES OF SHADOWS THAT TRADE WITH THE CITY OF BRASS] do we?" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Files still stuck on other computer." Drake asks, "No, not so far as I know of. Why do you ask?" Hiko the Firechilde shakes her head. "No big worry." She trades a glance with Juri. Drake blinks, then turns to Juri. "Oh, Corrine is missing." Drake says, "She's pretty much vanished and isn't taking Trump calls." Drake says, "No one knows where she is." Drake says, "The Forest Rangers are tearing their hair out." Drake says, "Apparently, she went after some sort of beast that attacked some rangers and never came back." Hiko the Firechilde trades a look with Juri again, this time with fear tinging her glance. Drake says, "And herds of bison have been attacking people in Arden" Juri frowns. "Has anyone tried seeking her in shadow?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Has anyone attempted to stop them? Or force contact with her?" Drake says, "We can't spare anyone to go looking for her; everyone's busy leading armies and organizing the war effort." Drake says, "The rangers are fighting the bison." Drake says, "And as for forcing a trump contact...that's not very easy, especially against a trump artist." Hiko the Firechilde nods at Juri. "Perhaps once we're finished here, us Harad women should look for her." Drake says, "It also tends to irritate people." Juri says, "Yes. Corrine is not the sort to vanish and abandon her duties during a crisis. Although this probably means she's fallen into Annadil's hands." Juri frowns slightly. "Anything else?" Drake says, "Oh, and Ambassador Finndo has vanished." Drake says, "He was on his way back to Amber after a trip home, and now he's just gone." Juri purses her lips. "Am I needed for the wars?" Hiko the Firechilde tries to remember who Finndo was. Drake says, "You'd have to ask Tylor, but we could certainly use you, I'd suspect." Hiko the Firechilde says, "We'd better at least hurry before the dragon gets back." Juri nods Hiko the Firechilde gets out her trump of King Tylor. Drake says, "Yes, that would be wise." Tylor answers. He's in the gardens. "Oh, there you two are. I was wondering if you'd dropped off the face of the Earth." Hiko the Firechilde bows through the link. "We had a bit of trouble to get away from, then we spent some time learning how to use the artifact... but we DO have it." Tylor says, "Good, good, try not to let yours get stolen like Shizumaru's was." Tylor says, "He's had to go running off to try to get it back." Hiko the Firechilde says, "I do hope he can get it back... last time I saw him, he wasn't looking too healthy." Hiko the Firechilde smiles. "It's as safe as it can be." Tylor says, "He recovered swiftly thanks to Wasyuu's tender ministrations." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Cause it's ON me... in a box in my satchel." to Akemi] Tylor asks, "Do you have time for tea?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Not really... do you have time for an attunement?" Tylor asks, "Of what?" Hiko the Firechilde gestures behind her. "We're at a broken pattern called the Dragon's Fang. It's the one our enemy used to induct me into the Pattern arts." Tylor scratches his head. "It's out of tune?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "I think that he's tied to this pattern somehow, and I figure that if we can repair the pattern, we can break his hold on it." Tylor says, "Ahh, that's a rather tricky proposition." Tylor says, "You'd need one of the Jewels, and I'm afraid I can't risk letting them out of Amber right now." Tylor says, "We've already had three efforts to steal them, and taking them to a pattern controlled by our enemies would likely lead to even worse problems." Hiko the Firechilde nods. "I can understand... Amber being at war and all." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Can you suggest a way that we can seal off this pattern to others' use, then? Or break Annadil's hold without using the jewel?" Tylor says, "Well, you could try molding the Shadow to bar the use of anything but true Pattern to enter it." Tylor says, "You could fill the shadow with cannibal gnomes..." Tylor says, "Put up a big sign which..." *ROAR* in distance Hiko the Firechilde shudders. Hiko the Firechilde says, "The dragon's coming back." Hiko the Firechilde quickly throws the SEP field on Drake as well. Tylor says, "You could put up a big sign with a spell on it to force people to go away..." Tylor says, "You could ask Lina to just blow the whole thing up maybe." Hiko the Firechilde tries to gauge how far away the dragon is. Hiko the Firechilde looks around at the room. Somewhere inside the caves, from the echoing sounds. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Hmmm... maybe we should come back another day." She holds out hands to Drake and Juri. They take your hands. Hiko the Firechilde holds her elbow out to Tylor. "Pull us through?" Tylor pulls you through into the Garden. Utena and Dowager Queen Anthy are there, as well as two ambassadorial looking types. Hiko the Firechilde bows to the Dowager Queen and Princess Anthy. "Sorry for the abrupt arrival." Anthy smiles broadly at you, and Utena says, "No problem." Hiko the Firechilde bows to the ambassadors. "I do apologize for the interruption, sirs." One of them, a red haired man, looks you up and down appreciatively. "No problem at all, lass." The other one, a young looking lady with short dark hair, says, "Oh, Lina does that sort of thing all the time, but then everything explodes." Hiko the Firechilde gives a demure smile. "I promise not to make anything explode." Tylor says, "Good, good." Tylor says, "We can't afford more repairs right now. " Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What happened?" Tylor claps his hands, and several servants come out, bringing everyone some tea. Hiko the Firechilde looks for some chairs or a table of sorts. Tylor says, "Vash attempted to assist Lina in an experiment." A servant notices what Hiko is doing and brings her a chair. And everyone else one as well. [CONTINUED YET ANOTHER DAY] Akemi pages, "I may need you for something, depending on how certain things go." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I can game." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I'll let you know if the rents need the puter." to Akemi [AFTER SOME TIME] Akemi pages, "Okay, I need you now; teleport to me." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "How's that for quick response? ^_^" to Akemi [BEGIN FISTFUL OF FINNDOS CROSSOVER] As Utena pulls your small horde through, you all land in the Garden, where Tylor, Juri, Hiko, and Ambassadors Fergus and Amelia are having tea. Hiko the Firechilde looks up, surprised. "Aunt Corrine!" Juri of Avalon looks at the other Juri and, despite having been prepared for the meeting, boggles slightly. Corrine of Amber blinks. She SMILES. "Juri! Hiko!" Juri of Amber looks up at the other Juri and stares in shock. Hiko the Firechilde runs over and checks for bruises and the like, before giving her a huge hug. Corrine of Amber gives Hiko a Biiiiiiiig happyhug! Hiko the Firechilde says, "I'm so glad to see..." She blinks. A half-dozen others, not familiar to you, lurk about behind your aunt, looking out of place and trampling the flowers. Juri of Avalon sighs, and extends a hand. "Juri of Amber, I presume? I'm Juri of Avalon." Corrine of Amber , it should be noted, has a bodacious tan, but is otherwise Corrine. Hiko the Firechilde looks from one Juri to the other. Hiko the Firechilde says, "We were just in Avalon...." Tylor says, "I don't think Anthy is going to be very happy with you." Corrine of Amber looks at the twosome. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Weren't we, Mother?" Juri of Amber rises, with a wary look on her face. Corrine of Amber says, "Short form is: It's complicated. The long form is: It's REALLY Complicated." [Mike pages, "Btw, keep quiet about the two Juris to the others. ;)" to you.] [Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Pause... I need to log this." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Okay, got it." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Resume." *** Foxtrot goes IC. ***] [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Got it." to Mike Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "A crossover!!!" to Mike] Corrine of Amber asks, "You were in Avalon?" She blinks and shakes her head. "Right. Sis? Remember a long time ago when you were postulating about higher levels of reality and stuff?" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Then Shaft and Finn can have the mack contest!" to Mike] Hiko the Firechilde keeps blinking, looking around at the rest of the people who came with Corrine. Corrine of Amber gets the other Squid Gumi folks out of the flowers. Juri of Amber looks Juri of Avalon up and down, then over at Corrine, her lips pursed. "Yes, I remeber." Juri of Avalon glances at Corrine. "Well, they may have been in _an_ Avalon; not necessarily mine." Corrine of Amber sighs. "Look at Juri close with that funky pattern sight that you've got, sis. And me." Hiko the Firechilde also looks with her Pattern sight. Corrine of Amber hehs a bit at Juri of Avalon. "... yeah... I forgot to mention to you that sis here has a Fortress Shadow named Avalon." The other people are: a tall, muscular dark haired handsome man clad in purple and red, a tall skinny woman with long dark hair who would make a good goth, a medium brown haired man who moves quite gracefully, and a grinning chap who looks like he'd sell his own grandmother...and convince her it wasa good idea. Corrine of Amber rubs her eyes. "Damn... how long -has- it been?" Corrine of Amber says, "In Amber-time, not relative-time-differential-anywhere-else time." And a short redhead in a labcoat. Tylor says, "What....maybe 20 days or so?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "200 years for us..." [Akemi pages, "You don't have pattern sight any more. You had broken Pattern Sight, but you don't have enough points in Pattern to do Pattern sight." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Damn." to Akemi] Juri of Avalon just stands around looking at everything, particularly Utena, Anthy and the other Juri. Hiko the Firechilde grins, "In relative time differential anywhere else time." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Who are your friends, Auntie?" Juri of Amber finally says, "You are my sister, but she..." She looks at Juri again. "Who were your parents?" [Hiko the Firechilde OOCly takes back the stuff about looking with Pattern Sight.] Corrine of Amber blinks at Hiko. "200... years?" She shakes her head, and chuckles. "Heh... always showing me up, eh, sis?" She winks. "And hm... that sounds about right Tylor, given all the wonkiness we went through in the middle. And right. Introduction time all around." Juri of Avalon shrugs at the other Juri. "Not the same as yours, I would guess. Your sight has probably shown you that I am no mere Shadow of you, so..." Hiko the Firechilde BLINKS. "She's not a shadow of you, Mother? How is that possible? In the books you gave me to read, it didn't mention anything about that." Juri of Avalon blinks and looks from Juri of Amber to Hiko, then back again. "Mother..." she murmurs. Corrine of Amber smiles a bit at Hiko. "... so did I, Hiko." Corrine of Amber coughs. "Anyway." Juri of Amber says, "There is something strange about your pattern imprint, yes. Possibly meaning you could be from another universe. Or you could be a very clever construct on the part of our foe. I do not wish to be rude, but my past experiences with doubles of myself usually ended with them being used to betray Amber or kill me." Juri of Avalon shrugs again. "Ask Corrine. I think I have proved myself to her adequately." Hiko the Firechilde aligns herself so that she's standing close to Juri of Amber, a bit in the defensive position. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What have you been up to, Auntie?" Tylor says, "Come, come, Juri, if we killed everyone who looked like us, we'd have enough bodies to build a castle out of them, and then they'd make an awful stench and we'd all get sick to our stomachs." He turns to Juri of Avalon and the others. "Would you like some tea?" Corrine of Amber looks at her sister, and then at Hiko, her expression more than a little worried at the reception she's now getting, though understandable. "...It's a long story... actually, two stories, but both of them start with the Questing Beast." Servants bring tea to anyone who wants it. Hiko the Firechilde looks at the ambassador types, who are showing expressions of almost bewilderment. The Ambassadors just stand and watch in confusion. Corrine of Amber says, "The first one starts soon after when you and Hiko had left on your quest... how'd that go, by the way? I suppose since you're back here...." she smiles a bit, and shrugs. "... but anyway, the first story explains my tan. The second one starts after I returned from the first story, and received a report from my rangers about a horde of bison." Corrine of Amber says, "So, of course, I went to investigate. And found Juri of Avalon, here, chasing after the Questing Beast, who so far as I know, had pulled the bison along with it." Hiko the Firechilde decides to ask about the Questing Beast later. "Are you okay?" Corrine of Amber glances at Juri of Avalon. "If we ever meet up with the Questing Beast, remind me to give it a good drubbing if we can catch it?" She smiles slightly, and looks at Hiko. "Yes and no?" She hehs a bit. "I'm okay for having gotten back here, but not okay for all the things I need to deal with right at the moment." [Rod pages, "gaming, I presume?" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Gaming. And I can't tell you what I'm gaming about. Top secret stuff." to Rod Rod pages, "but with Hiko, that's par for the course." to you.] Juri of Avalon says, "It's tough. Extremely good at fisticuffs." Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Yep." to Rod Corrine of Amber says, "So, anyway, there Juri of Avalon and I were, nearly being trampled by bison... eventually they ran off, though, as did the Beast... and we found ourselves in an Arden and Amber not our own." Corrine of Amber points to the other folks who came along. "Namely, theirs." Hiko the Firechilde looks at the ambassadors, then Corrine, Juri and their companions. "Perhaps we should take this elsewhere?" Corrine of Amber considers, and nods. Hiko the Firechilde says, "I'm sure King Tylor can be caught up later, and he is on official state business." Hiko the Firechilde nods to the King. Tylor nods. "Oh, wasting time is usually more fun, but Anthy would appreciate not having people trample the flowers." Corrine of Amber hehs a bit. "Dinner tonight with you and Anthy if possible, Tylor?" She then considers... "... any word of Yuriko?" Tylor nods to you. "Fine with me, Corrine. And we managed to rescue her, thankfully. But Wakaba is still missing." Corrine of Amber relaxes, a bit. "... Right. Damn. WEll, it's a start, anyway." She frowns. She looks at Hiko and Juri. "So, where should we go?" Hiko the Firechilde takes the lead, as her mother still appears to be in shock. "One of the dining rooms? You must be hungry." Juri of Avalon follows. "Somewhat." Corrine of Amber nods. "I don't think I've eaten since things started going down. So yes." Hiko the Firechilde leads the party to one of the dining rooms, where she sends some servants out for a light meal. "Wine?" She looks at the rest of the party. Juri of Amber says, "Yes, please." Most of the rest of the hangers on ask for wine as well. Juri of Avalon nods. "Food. Wine. Good." Corrine of Amber nods, and sits down. "Thank you, Hiko." She smiles a bit, and sighs, absently fiddling with her golden bracelet. Hiko the Firechilde pats her mother's shoulder as she passes, sending a warm fuzzy feeling through the brief link, and serves wine for the group. "I guess introductions are in order. I'm Hiko... of Amber." She nods to *her* Juri. "This is my mother, Juri of Amber." Hiko the Firechilde laughs suddenly. "But I guess you already knew that." Juri of Avalon says, "Juri of Avalon." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Take a quick psychic imprint of the room." to Akemi] Corrine of Amber nods. "And here is Juri of Avalon," she chuckles a bit, "and Roderick, Katsura, Rose, and Rhianna of Amber... just not ours..." She takes a deep breath. "... and Ishmael of House Hendrake." She raises a hand to halt any sudden actions of panic or whatnot. Juri says, "I am Princess Juri of Amber, daughter of Queen Haruka of Harad. Corrine and I are Haruka's two surviving children." Corrine of Amber nods to her sister at that. [Akemi pages, "The room is overlaid with massive amounts of psychic imprints of people having eaten here which tends to override everything else. You sense Rose and Rhianna are probably the mentally strongest of those present here." to you.] [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "You gaming???" to Mike] Hiko the Firechilde looks at each of the party in turn. "Pleased to meet you." Juri hears the name Ishmael and turns to stare at him in a fairly baleful manner. He waves back cheerfully. "Good day, Princess Juri," he says. Corrine of Amber sips her wine, pronouncing it good. "Anyway, to continue what I was saying... Juri... of Avalon, that is, and I, found ourselves in an Amber and Arden not our own. Our trumps didn't reach back home, and our shadow-walking abilities did not work either, so lacking better options, we rode for Castle Amber." Corrine of Amber hehs a bit. "Ishmael's not from around our universe either, Juri." Hiko the Firechilde widens her eyes. "...not from our universe...?" GM is looking more and more paranoid as time progresses. She says, nothing, merely nods to Corrine. GM says, "OOc AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Corrine of Amber says, "In the process, we met up with various and sundry denizens of their universe, including our compatriots here... and agreed to help them with a problem that had developed in their universe, given that we could not immediately return home." Corrine of Amber looks at Juri. She sighs. Juri of Avalon tries to give Juri of Amber a comforting smile. "Your brain starts to hurt less after the first few hours." Hiko the Firechilde looks back and forth, then pours a small glass of wine for herself, sipping it slowly. Hiko the Firechilde pats her mother's hand and sits next to her, holding it still. Corrine of Amber gets up, and sits next to her sister. She reaches her hand for hers. "Juri. Please. I know it's hard to deal with. I will go through anything... walking the Pattern, accepting a mind examination from you, -anything-, to confirm its veracity." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko sends another warm comforting thought." to Akemi] Hiko the Firechilde asks, "May I?" Corrine of Amber nods. "Of course, Hiko." Corrine of Amber quirks a slight smile. "Hell, after this, I'd best be walking it anyway. Never hurts to double-check." Hiko the Firechilde takes Corrine's hand, still holding Juri of Amber's and links, then probes lightly into Corrine's memories. Juri says, "I am inclined to believe you think this the truth, Corrine. Of course, I also thought for three hundred years that I didn't have a child because she was stillborn, and I was quite sure this was the truth as well." Juri of Avalon blinks at that, then frowns faintly. Hiko the Firechilde smiles wryly. "Another time, another place, Mother." Rose says, "The old 'steal the child out of the womb' trick?" Corrine of Amber does not resist, trusting her Niece and Sister. "I shall walk the Pattern now, then? I do not wish any bad blood between us, Juri." She sighs a bit. Hiko the Firechilde tries to link and talk at the same time. "No, the 'fool the mother into thinking the child dead' trick." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Ahem? Probe memories?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "I assume you let Hiko in?" to Aerianne and you.] [Aerianne pages, "And, well, Corrine certainly BELIEVES everything she's experienced in the past 11+ years is true... the more immediate stuff is also believed to be true, even though it's pretty weird...." to Akemi and you. Aerianne pages, "Eyup...." to Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "He just said she did!" to Aerianne and Akemi] Juri of Avalon starts and looks at Rose, frown deepening. [Aerianne pages, "There's also heavy layers of concern and worry, as if she's got the weight of a kingdom on her shoulders, and concern and sorrow at not beling bleievd by her -sister-...." to Akemi and you. Akemi pages, "Multiple people have tampered with Corrine's mind." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Can I see who?" to Akemi Aerianne pages, "And the steadfast belief that if she needs to walk the Pattern to prove it... hell, she will." to Akemi and you.] Hiko the Firechilde's brows furrow, and she bites her lip. [Akemi pages, "Including an 'on/off' toggle activated by her hearing the word 'boondoggle', and the desire to NOT tackle Juri." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "What would happen if I deactivated it. Could I do that?" to Akemi] Juri of Amber sips her wine and waits for Hiko to finish. [Akemi pages, "You can remove both compulsions" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Do so." to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Can I tell who messed with her mind?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "You're not sure why the second one exists, given Corrine has no real reason TO tackle Juri." to you. Akemi pages, "She has no memory of her mind being tampered with; she does have a memory of Rose cleaning compulsion by someone named 'Findulias' out of her brain." to you. Aerianne pages, "(heck, there's LOTS of interesting stuff... and some pretty deep things, personal too... but Corrine is NOT putting up any mental shields to stop Hiko... yes, that's an intense level of trust, given that in the past few days she was used as somebody's Psychic-Butt-Toy, which she's STILL feeling guilty about... but if Hiko wants to Voyeur, Corrine's not stopping her...)" to Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I take both away. Any others? Any impressions other than Rose's?" to Akemi Foxtrot lowers the prod and probes deeper to see what happened in the last few days. "Forgive me Aunt, but I must..." Akemi pages, "The stuff she's been telling you seems to all be true from what you can see in her brain" to you. Aerianne pages, "....do it, Hiko..." to Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "You mean she believes it to be true?" to Akemi Foxtrot lowers the prod and probes deeper, at Corrine's acceptance. Akemi pages, "Once you finish cleaning out all the gunk you can find inher head, what she's been saying seems to match her true memories, so far as you can tell." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Who used her?" to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Findulias again? What can I tell about him?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Findulias is apparently the daughter of someone named Finndo from the universe that Rose/Katsura/Ishmael/Roderick/Rhianna are from" to you. Aerianne pages, "The past few days start on a ship, given where Hiko starts... they arrive at a valley, Corrine is with Juri of Avalon and the other people, the valley is filled with coffee refineries, a Castle, skull-shaped is in the middle.... they clearly plan to infiltrate it..." to Akemi and you. Akemi pages, "She is psychically strong enough to crush Corrine's mind like a grape, and she has Lots O Trump Power" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "good god, you really mean to cross the Gumi/Avalon and TAMD unis???" to Akemi Akemi pages, "hehe. Now you know why we didn't let anyone in here :)" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Got it. ^_^" to Akemi] Juri of Avalon begins drumming her fingers briefly, then stops. "Sorry." [Foxtrot lowers the prod and crows loudly. "I'm the first to know the SECRET!"] Hiko the Firechilde's fingers tremble slightly on Corrine's hand. Roderick sits down by Juri of Avalon and says, "Bored, m'lady?" [Aerianne pages, "... they get closer... Trump Energy, beyond anything Corrine has ever experienced is sensed... a group of people they're in pursuit, with elven names but not elven faces are inside, planning to do something with it... they confer as to what to do, and the energy is mentioned as being a factor to the corruption and insanity of a man named "Brand", who bathed in it in a place called "The Keep of the Four Worlds", who meant to rewrite reality to his image... the thoughts are shelved, as Corrine and the rest decide to attack..." to Akemi and you.] Juri of Avalon smiles at Roderick. "Mmm. Impatient, more than anything else. Though you're free to entertain me if you wish." Roderick grins at that. [Aerianne pages, "... the next minutes are a mix of images and sensations... combat, clearly, and for a while things seem to be going well.... until a mental imperative is slammed into Corrine's brain to grapple with Juri of Avalon... the memories of doing the thing, one's brain rewritten.... shame at the same once recovered, since the images become jumbled even more as they escape to somewhere...." to Akemi and you.] Hiko the Firechilde's brows lift again. [Aerianne pages, "... recovery... new knowledge gained from her friends whose lot she's become a part of, that the Logrus can work on minds as well as bodies... commiseration from Juri of Avalon, who was manipulated mentally by Brand in the past... decisions are made to investigate the site of the combat..." to Akemi and you.] Roderick begins telling you an amusing tale about the time Otto staged a fake Viking assault in the middle of one of Albert's dates, and how he himself had the misfortune to be caught in the middle of it. Juri of Avalon laughs softly and charmingly at appropriate moments while waiting for Hiko to finish whatever she's doing. [Aerianne pages, ".... a crater, several miles wide, a natural source of Trump Energy... as Rose searches for "Fido" (mental association - BIG. BAD. LOGRUS POWERED. MUST STOP MUST RESTRAIN MUST CONTROL MUST DESTROY MUST PREVENT DESTRUCTION OF EMBER *AGAIN*), Corrine muses about tapping the power of the Trump Energy -safely- to cross Universes.... Fido and its controllers are not found, so they head off... to Chaos." to Akemi and you. Aerianne pages, "... more impressions... a mandala sky, a red fountain, a demonic guy who's pretty nice yet also keeper of the Logrus... decisions are made, a search shall be performed... in a place known as the Cave of Worlds...." to Akemi and you. Aerianne pages, "... they go there, head through... vision of Shizumaru, concern and worry about where he is now... they take a turn, the vision blurs and reforms...." to Akemi and you. Aerianne pages, ".... a red and black mandala sky. Roses, black and silver... the Duel Arena, yet not over the castle, but over a yawning Abyss... two figures duelling... shock of realization of person, time, and place... The Duel Called Revolution which lead to the release of Brand elsewhere... Juri of Avalon... and Darako of Avalon, for but her hairstyle and clothing is an EXACT duplicate of Corrine... an attempt to get past which fails... Darako slays Juri... *shockfearangerconfusionworrydenial* and then over again... following the path, chatting with Darako, admittance of similarity... reaching the top and the gift of a sword that now hangs at Corrine's side... the vision blurs again, and re-forms... Corrine against Juri of Avalon, hand to heart, the latter spread-out as if crucified.... alive yet realization of horror and shame, memories of a Cimbri's daughter (Rowen) she and Juri had crucified and then Corrine had later mercy-killed (which later led to Corrine's downward spiral after her mother's" to Aerianne pages, "mother's death, complete and utter love for Juri for having brought her back from the spiritual abyss)... growing Kinship with Juri of Avalon...." to Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Merc know yet?" to Kima Kima pages, "As far as I know, you're the first TAMD player to know." to you. Foxtrot lowers the prod and giggles madly. "Now we can have the Shaft/Finn Mack contest! Kima pages, "John and Mike have been running Phil and I for the past few weeks in Arden, and we've only now crossed over into TAMD Amber." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Did you plan the crossover all along???" to Akemi and Mike Mike pages, "Well, define 'all along'. :)" to Akemi and you. Kima pages, "I assume the other players will eventually meet up with us, but I think the cat is still in the bag now--i.e., don't go telling everyone that Avalon Juri is in TAMD, etc." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Already instructed to keep mum." to Kima Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "What else could it mean???" to Akemi and Mike Aerianne pages, "... a Hall of Picture Frames... people known, people not... a man who looks like Annadil who threatens to steal their Lawnmower... concern over Shizumaru still... a man with 3 arms and a demonic face leers from a picture frame threatening that his kinsmen shall destroy Ember, that which Corrine has created and protected... a Door, which beyond is a great green chapel, with a figure in green armor who looks much like the Green Knight... some embarrassment, but also concern and worry over Juri of Avalon, for whom he has a blood-promise from... they fight, but she does not die, the killing blow from the Knight's Axe not working due to the prior "Crucifixtion" somehow...." to Akemi and you.] Hiko the Firechilde's brow furrows again... [Mike pages, "... Well, do you mean since day one of my campaign, of John's campaign, or what?" to Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "since either campaign started...?" to Akemi and Mike Mike pages, "We came up with in a week or four after John's started, I believe." to Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I'm impressed. Why?" to Akemi and Mike Foxtrot lowers the prod and grinnnns. "Does this mean that we can be in the Avalon next gen game as well some day as NPCs?" Mike pages, "Why? Why not? :)" to Akemi and you. Aerianne pages, "... a reunion of the group... proceeding down a cave tunnel to a hall of black... a man in black robes in a black room paints a portrait of Tokyo exploding.. introductions are given, his name is Anno, and he too keeps the Logrus here... in her home universe. HOME! The elation is shortlived, as the realization sinks in that the MacFinndos and their Squid are HERE they MUST be stopped before her family and friends are harmed ... Anno is familiar, a suspicion building, his similarity to Anthy becoming hard to deny, perhaps, jut perhaps, Anno is Anthy's father? Confirms with what Utena told of things down in Chaos when Annadil kidnapped Wakaba, but still unsure, must find safe way to broach subject with Anthy, does NOT hold it against her... they depart the room, reaching a courtyard with cathedral and palace on either end... they trump to Yig...." to Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Oh tht's right... there is no motive with y'all..." to Akemi and Mike Akemi pages, "We had nifty ideas; that was reason enough" to you and Mike. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Nifty!!!" to Akemi and Mike Aerianne pages, ".. the Forestals appear and Challenge Juri of Avalon for her similarity to Venir 2.0, she vouches for them... tries to reach Catherine, then her office in Ember... then her Daughter... all blocked? Why? Concern/worry... perhaps Gabrielle is afraid of Annadil reappearing in Ember... harder to get back to Ember then, but not impossible... contact made with Utena... brought back to Amber... relief and elation at seeing Hiko and Juri again after 11 years, worry and concern at not being taken at her word, concerns over confusion of Ishamel (known Chaosian) being mistaken for King Ishamel of Chaos, but have fought along side them, talked with them, learned things, and worldview is no longer capable of being the same..." to Akemi and you.] Roderick finishes his story, then asks Juri, "But I ramble on too much of my own adventures. I have been wondering...how did you acquire the Pattern Blade you bear?" [Foxtrot lowers the prod and reaches out and soothes Corrine with a mental caress. Aerianne pages, "... and the rest of the memories play back, as Hiko has experienced them, but with Corrine's POV and emotional tinges... happiness and worry mixed in one." to Akemi and you. Aerianne pages, "[Corrine relaxes a bit, but not much.... still so much to do, to help, and if even her =sister= does not believe her... *fearworry* *juri-shaped hole in soul*]" to Akemi and you.] Juri of Avalon says, "It was presented to me on the day I first walked the Pattern. I understand that it was forged by Prince Ludwig upon the Pattern on the day of my birth, and held for me in anticipation of the day I would successfully walk the Pattern." Hiko the Firechilde releases Corrine's hand and gives it a pat. "We'll talk later, Auntie." She takes her mother's hand and begins a deep mental conversation. Roderick asks, "Ludwig...your father? A brother?" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko 'uploads' all of Corrine's memories, condensed, but complete. "What do you want to do, Mother?"" to Akemi] Corrine of Amber takes a deep breath, and nods a bit at Hiko. She smiles slightly, sighs, and drinks her wine, now listening to Roderick and Juri of Avalon's convo. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko also explains about the compulsions." to Akemi] Corrine of Amber every so often rubs the golden cuff-bracelet on her left wrist, apparently a nervous habit. [In a page-pose to you, Akemi frowns. "Findulias...that was the name of Gil-Galad's mother, one of the Elves of Arden...and the other names are Elvish as well."] Juri of Avalon asks, "The eldest son of Corwin's Patternghost, with Queen Nimue of Nolava. You seem quite interested in my blade. Any particular reason?" Roderick says, "My father has one, but no one in our universe knows for sure how ours were made. Certain rumors would seem to claim they somehow predated our Pattern." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko frowns as well. "Remember what I told you about what I learned from Travis? How Annadil is somehow tied to the Elves? This does not bode well."" to Akemi] Juri of Avalon looks thoughtful. "I know of three blades in my universe--my blade, Eternity's Rose; Joan's blade, Destiny's Thorn; and Ludwig's blade, Silverthorn, now wielded by my brother Trucido." Juri of Avalon says, "I have always been told that Ludwig, who was the master of the art of the Pattern in our family before he went mad, forged them for us." [Hiko spares a quick glance at Corrine. "I think she needs to walk the Pattern again... so we can be sure that she is free of any mental compulsions." Juri nods. "It could easily be coincidence, yet I do not like coincidences. Yes, I believe that would be wise, daughter." Hiko frowns, thinking about Rose. "And of any others' psychic influences." "She has the stench of the logrus upon her. I do not trust her." "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" "Exactly, my daughter." Hiko smiles, a rosy glow filling Juri's head. "I love how we're starting to think alike, Mother..." "Hiko breaks the contact.] Corrine of Amber mmms, quietly. Hiko the Firechilde stands up and goes over to give Corrine a hug. "Sorry for that... but as you know, neither Mother or I have had things easy in our lives." Roderick says, "Our three are Werewindle, Greyswandir, and Nimsil. Corwin claims to have acquired his in Tir'na-nog. Father gained his in battle with a Green Knight who tried to kill him. I do not know where Brand got his." Corrine of Amber nods, looking up at Hiko, and hugs her back, placing her glass on the nearest table. *q* "I understand, Hiko." She closes her eyes. "If I could bear just a measure of it, I would... She sighs." [Mike pages, "Oh, btw, Corrine's wearing a new sword." to you.] Corrine of Amber blinks at Roderick. "Eh? Huh. Weird." Hiko the Firechilde says, "I had to erase two more compulsions from your mind. We think it would be best if you walked the Pattern again." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Okay." to Mike Mike pages, "It gives you a sort of uneasy feeling." to you.] Corrine of Amber blinks. "Two.... more?" Juri nods. "That would be wise, I think." Juri of Avalon giggles faintly at the mention of a Green Knight, then looks embarassed. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "TWO GMs calling the shots???" to Akemi and Mike] Corrine of Amber glances over at Rose and Ishmael, breifly, and then nods, standing up. "Right." [Akemi pages, "Yep :)" to you and Mike. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "What kind of feeling?" to Mike] Hiko the Firechilde says, "Either two more, or the same ones." [Mike pages, "Like it were a rabid animal, not a sword." to you.] Hiko the Firechilde gives Rose a brief glance. Corrine of Amber lets out a sigh, and glances over at Juri of Avalon, wryly. "Right. To the Pattern Room. Shall we?" Rose says, "That's strange. I thought I cleaned everything out." Rose scratches her head. Corrine of Amber says, "Make note. When finding Findy again, force-feed her Whalekiller." Hiko the Firechilde smiles. "Let's." Hiko the Firechilde looks over to Juri of Amber. "You okay, Mother?" Juri of Amber says, "I am fine." Hiko the Firechilde looks worriedly at her Juri. Corrine of Amber looks worriedly at her sister. Juri of Amber rises. The Gumi rise as well, assuming it's time to take a walk. Rhianna makes a note in her notebook and puts it away. Juri of Avalon follows everyone else. Roderick offers Juri of Avalon his arm. Hiko the Firechilde lets the others take the lead to the Pattern Room, as she doesn't know where it is. Juri of Amber leads you all down to the basement. Hiko the Firechilde falls in step near Rose. Juri of Avalon looks at it for a moment, then takes it. Corrine of Amber starts walking for the Kolvir Pattern room, kieeping pace with her sister. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "This is so frickin' cool!" to Akemi, Kima and Mike] You soon reach the Pattern Room. A squad of ten guards and Vash are standing guard here in the hallway. Well...in theory standing guard. Actually, they're all playing poker. They leap to their feet and try to look soldierly. Corrine of Amber glances over at her sister with worry and concern every so often, but says nothing. [Kima pages, "I was just waiting to meet up with some TAMD people. :)" to Akemi, you and Mike.] Juri of Avalon blinks at Vash. "Gid--no, of course not." Vash looks at Juri and Juri. "Hey, doublemint twins!" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hee hee! Damn shame I ain't insane anymore, as I would have LOVED playing Hiko insane near your Juri." to Akemi, Kima and Mike] Corrine of Amber sighs, and rolls her eyes at Vash. Vash looks at Juri of Avalon and Roderick. "Hey, are you Hiko's father?" he asks Roderick. Hiko the Firechilde gives up trying to understand the cultural references. Hiko the Firechilde BLINKS.... Hiko the Firechilde says, "I should hope not. My father's dead." Corrine of Amber blinks at Roderick. Roderick says, "I would be quite surprised if that was the case." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Mother killed him herself." Juri of Avalon tries not to look embarassed by the whole thing. Vash says, "Black widow action, eh?" Hiko the Firechilde glares at Vash. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Nothing of the sort." Corrine of Amber sighs. Juri of Amber hefts Vash and hurls him down the hallway. He flies out of sight, shouting, "Hey, just trying to understaaaaaannnnnnndddddd........." Corrine of Amber says, "Thanks, sis." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Nice shot, Mom." Juri of Amber turns, takes the key off the wall, and unlocks the door. Juri of Avalon whistles, impressed. Juri of Avalon says, "Good arm." Juri says, "Years of practice." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Mom can do all sorts of neat things! She even wrestled a two ton boar in Avalon while we were training." Corrine of Amber nods to Juri, and steps inside the Pattern Room. She looks wry at gee, there's a pattern there. But it holds no more fear for her. The Pattern sits there, in all its usual Patterny Glory. Hiko the Firechilde looks at it in awe... it looks so much more different when it doesn't have a hole in it. Corrine of Amber considers her ring and crossbow. Rose looks distinctly uncomfortable. Rhianna begins sketching the Pattern on her notebook. Corrine of Amber leans over and murmurs something in Hiko's ear. Ishmael says, "Hmm, different, but not by a whole lot." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "What do I feel from Corrine's blade now?" to Akemi and Mike Aerianne pages, "[Corrine] Hiko? I don't know much about conjuration or sorcery, I admit... that's more Catherine's balwick... but if you can, could you analyze these two things while I walk the Pattern? I don't want them dissolving... but I don't exactly -trust- them anymore, either." to Akemi and you.] Juri of Avalon looks at the Pattern with interest. Roderick says, "I suppose it would not be safe for any of us to try walking this one." [Hiko says, "I can hold them for you."] Juri of Amber says, "Not unless you enjoy fiery death, no." Corrine of Amber glances at Roderick. "Proooobably not." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "You're Chaosians?" [Aerianne pages, "[Corrine nods.]" to Akemi and you. Mike pages, "Still feels fairly vicious and venomous, in a swordish sort of way." to Akemi and you.] Juri says, "Anyone not of the blood of Amber who sets foot on the Pattern dies horribly, Hiko." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Do you want me to hold your sword, too?" to Aerianne and Akemi] Corrine of Amber removes the ring and crossbow Ishmael conjured for her, and puts them at Hiko's feet. Hiko the Firechilde face palms. "Right. Forgot that, Mom." She then looks chagrined... because she couldn't tell which Juri was speaking. Corrine of Amber hrms at something, and leans over towards Juri of Avalon. There is a burst of flame and Lina appears. Lina says, "Okay, where's this evil Juri clone Vash was babbling about?" Lina says, "Eats the flesh of the living and all that?" Corrine of Amber facepalms. Corrine of Amber says, "False alarm, Lina." Hiko the Firechilde smiles wryly. "Think about who was speaking, Lina-san." Lina looks at the two Juris. "Hmm...you're not going to eat this fellow are you?" she asks Juri of Avalon. Juri of Avalon looks quite offended. "_Evil_?" Juri of Avalon says, "I'm not going to eat anyone." Hiko the Firechilde says, "We've had a few 'imposters' recently... you can imagine our concern." Corrine of Amber siiiighs. "Right. While you all go settle this, I'm going to walk the Pattern. BE with you in a little bit." Lina nods. "Hey, a pattern blade! Can I touch it?" Hiko the Firechilde sits down to watch and wait. There is the sound of footsteps in the hallway. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Examine ring and sword." to Akemi and Mike] Corrine of Amber heads for the start of the Pattern... takes a deep breath... and starts Walking. Juri of Avalon says, "If you like. Just don't do any damage to it." Lina pulls it out of the sheath and examines it. "Nifty, just like Greyswandir and Werewindle, but different. Don't worry, I won't damage it. I don't think I could, unless I used the Jewel of Judgement on it." Juri of Avalon says, "Good. Don't." Lina looks hurt. "I can touch things without breaking them, you know." Corrine begins her pattern walk without any trouble. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "ahem... examine ring and sword." to Akemi and Mike] Corrine of Amber keeps walking the walk, talking the talk... [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Also, see if I can sense who might be in the hallway." to Akemi and Mike] [Mike pages, "The ring is a highly sophisticated conjured item, has Ishmael's feel to it, looks like it is a shadow-moving device. The sword is not conjured, and is more powerful than any weapon you've seen before in your life, barring a Patternblade. It exists to kill things, and has terrible dweomers of destruction bound into it. You can almost feel it snarling at you, wanting to strike..." to Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "And the crossbow?" to Akemi Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "er, and the crossbow?" to Akemi and Mike Akemi pages, "You're too busy with the items to sense the hallway too." to you and Mike. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Damn." to Akemi and Mike] The door opens and a handsome red-haired man walks in. Hiko the Firechilde looks up. [Akemi pages, "It's Touga" to Aerianne and you. Aerianne pages, "Great. I'd wave if I was capable of it." to Akemi and you.] He says smoothly, "Having a 'Corrine walks the Pattern' party?" Hiko the Firechilde waves, and stands up. "Something like that. You're my Uncle Touga?" Corrine of Amber keeps walking the Kolvir Pattern, rather involved in her current task, thank you much.... Juri, who has been very tense, suddenly visibly relaxes. "Touga! You came back?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "We were hoping you'd return." Juri of Avalon grabs her sword from Lina and spins on the red-haired man. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Can we tag them? We need ID tags on these two." to Akemi, Kima and Mike] Juri of Avalon snarls, "Who is he?" Touga looks at the two Juris. "Two Juris. Although I see one is..." He jumps back. "Determined to kill me." Hiko the Firechilde stands in front of Touga. "My uncle." Juri of Avalon asks, "Are you certain?" Hiko the Firechilde looks over her shoulder. "No. But I'm sure Mother would know for sure." Juri of Amber says, "My elder brother, Touga." She pauses thoughtfully, and looks Touga up and down. Juri of Avalon is rigidly tense and looks ready to go for Touga on a moment's notice. Hiko the Firechilde reacts to JuriAv's tenseness and also fidgets with her hand near her sword hilt, but not touching it. Juri of Amber then relaxes. "I'm sorry, brother, but we've had quite a few problems with shadows of ourselves." Touga nods. "So I've seen." He turns to Juri of Amber, "May I ask why you are so angry with me when I've never met you before?" Hiko the Firechilde points at JuriAv. "And believe it or not, as much as we can discern, she's not a Shadow of mother's." Roderick looks at Touga thoughtfully. Hiko the Firechilde mutters to herself under her breath. "How in the world do you keep everyone straight...?" Touga nods to Hiko, and pulls out a pair of spectacles, which he puts on. He looks at Juri of Avalon through them. "Interesting." Juri of Avalon slowly sheathes her sword. "You look exactly like someone who betrayed me that I despise more than almost anyone else in the entire universe." Hiko the Firechilde mutters again... "... name tags would be nice..." Touga says smoothly, "Well, I hope our relationship will prove to be less treacherous." Juri of Avalon says, "But if Juri of Amber will vouch for you, I'll take her at her word." Juri of Avalon just scowls at him. Hiko the Firechilde goes back to sit near Corrine's things. Juri of Amber starts at that, then says softly, "He and Corrine were the only ones who never doubted that I did not betray Amber, so many years ago. I will vouch for my brother with my honor and my life." Corrine of Amber is still A-walkin.... Hiko the Firechilde keeps a close eye on the group that Corrine called 'The Gumi' Juri of Avalon nods and visibly relaxes. "That is more than enough for me." She bows a bit stiffly to Touga. "I apologize." The Gumi mostly stand about looking bored. Rhianna is still drawing the Pattern. Corrine of Amber ... appears to be having a spot of difficulty walking the Pattern...s he's about halfway through it at the moment.... which is odd, since she normally -doesn't- have a problem.... Touga says, "No offense taken. These are strange times. I can see you have an interestingly different Pattern imprint. Assuming these glasses Nanami gave me work." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hmmm.... mental impression of Rhianna?" to Akemi and Mike] Juri of Avalon laughs vaguely, still looking somewhat tense. "It's strange. In my universe, you're all either missing or of the Courts; here, you're all 'my' siblings." [Akemi pages, "She has a strong mind, strong enough that's about all you can tell. Just from watching her, she gives the impression of a scientist with a habit of drawing things she sees she finds interesting." to you and Mike. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "The rest of the group?" to Akemi and Mike] Hiko the Firechilde looks over the people in the room slowly. Touga nods. "I take it your Amber is very different from this one, Princess Juri?" Juri of Avalon says, "It is no Amber, but an Avalon. And yes, it is very different." [Mike pages, "Rose has an equally strong mind, perhaps stronger. Ishmael and Roderick are a bit below them, but not by much. Katsura isn't a mental wimp, but is no great shakes. They all give the impression of a well-coordinated team who are not terribly intimidated by all this." to Akemi and you.] Touga looks thoughtful. "So we are all of Chaos there? Who then, are your siblings?" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "So I'm weak compared to them?" to Akemi and Mike Mike pages, "Mentally? No." to you.] Juri of Avalon says, "Some of those who attended Ohtori Academy are of Chaos." Juri of Avalon says, "Yourself, Miki, Kozue, and, in a way, Nanami." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Comparatively speaking, how am I compared to Rose? Is she strong enough to have sensed the compulsions?" to Akemi and Mike] Juri of Avalon says, "I have seen no sign of Saionji in my universe." Touga says, "There are times when I would suspect our Kozue is of Chaos, certainly." [Mike pages, "You think you can take them, but they're strong enough that it's difficult to tell too much at this range." to you.] Juri of Amber sighs, "After the duel she had with Madoka, I would almost be inclined to agree, but I do not think Queen Rei was of Chaos." Juri of Avalon says, "Corrine looks like my younger sister Darako. Roderick here looks like my cousin Horatio. The universe seems to have a finite number of templates." Hiko the Firechilde looks up. "THAT was a nasty piece of business." Corrine of Amber keeps walking the Pattern, intent.... [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Oh, okay. Must talk to Rose some time." to Akemi and Mike] Juri of Amber says, "It may simply be that our Universes are closer to each other than would be universes of completely unique individuals, and thus it is easier of us all to have come to meet." Hiko the Firechilde smiles. "No one that looks like me in your universe... Juri-san?" Rose twitches. "Bad feeling." Juri of Avalon says, "No." Juri of Avalon glances at Rose. "What?" Rhianna looks up from her notes, "We're all going to die bad feeling or just indigestion?" Hiko the Firechilde casts about for a sensation [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Sense danger?" to Akemi and Mike] Rose suddenly turns, and her tongue shoots out rather like a frog's, nailing an humble ant. Hiko the Firechilde BLINKS. Juri of Avalon says, "..." Rose says, "Hmm. That should give someone a nasty shock." Rhianna says, "Rose, we really didn't need to see you do that." Hiko the Firechilde suddenly laughs. "Oh... a 'bug'!" Rose says, "Exactly, Hiko. Advanced Shapeshifter." Hiko the Firechilde giggles... then starts to laugh hard. Hiko the Firechilde says, "There are times (like right now) when I wish I were still insane..." Rose then spits out a tiny little ant-sized Annadil. Rose says, "That's what its maker looks like. He made it out of his blood." Corrine of Amber doesn't seem to be having as bad a time walking the Pattern anymore... well, for what it's worth when walking the Pattern.... Hiko the Firechilde widens her eyes. Hiko the Firechilde walks over and STOMPS on it. Touga says, "I think I had best go and tell Kasumi to have the entire castle sprayed." Hiko the Firechilde then does the 'smoosh it hard' twist on its corpse. Touga bows to you all and departs. Rose says, "It's already dead, Hiko." Hiko the Firechilde nods to Touga. Juri of Avalon watches him go, still looking faintly wary. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Sorry... can't take any risks with him." Hiko the Firechilde shudders. (Why does he still have that effect on me?) As Corrine approaches the final stretch of her Pattern walk, a shimmering figure in steel-gray armor begins to materialize in the heart of the Pattern. Corrine of Amber continues walking, 'cause, well, hell, she can't stop NOW..... Hiko the Firechilde looks up again. Hiko the Firechilde takes up Corrine's blade and crossbow, ready to toss them to her should she need them. Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "... well, Corrine WAS curious about wether there were knights for the other patterns...." Juri of Avalon starts and draws her crossbow, glancing to the other Juri. "Should this be happening?" Hiko the Firechilde holds the blade rather warily, too. Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Corrine was carrying her blade with her, fwiw." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Whoops." Juri of Amber says, "No, it shouldn't." Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Crossbow was left behind, 'cause it's conjured." Hiko the Firechilde takes up the crossbow, readyto toss it to her should she need it. Juri of Amber says, "At least, it never happens when I walk the Pattern." Various Gumi-ites draw weapons. Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Or just aim, as her player's forgotten the 'rules' of walking the Pattern and is too lazy to look them up." Juri of Amber says, "OOC You can throw things over the Pattern." Juri of Avalon calmly sights on the armoured figure, ready to fire if need be. Hiko the Firechilde is less aggressive, but does have the crossbow notched and teh safety (if it has one) on. The figure stands impassively, awaiting Corrine's approach. Corrine of Amber continues walking, making her way through the Final Veil.... As Corrine finishes her walk, the figure speaks with a woman's voice, "Corrine of Amber, the Ravager Beast has come to Ember." Corrine of Amber steps through, and gasps. Corrine of Amber says, "..... no....." [Akemi pages, "Oddly, the armored figure sounds EXACTLY like Juri" to you.] Corrine of Amber says, "....... NO......" Hiko the Firechilde starts. Rose blinks. "Mommy?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "... Mother?" Hiko the Firechilde LOOKS at Rose. Corrine of Amber's eyes are wide with shock and fear, looking up at the Grey Knight. ".... This WILL not Happen AGAIN!" Various other people stare in surprise. Hiko the Firechilde looks at the two Juri's. Juri of Avalon starts at the voice, then looks about at others, pursing her lips, saying nothing. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Ah, it's an amorphous knight thing... " to Akemi and Mike] The armored figure says, "Ember is under assault. I can do nothing for it, for my power and duties lie elsewhere, but I pass this message on from my brother." [Akemi pages, "Yep :" to you.] Juri of Amber stares firmly at the armored figure, concentrating, then her eyes widen slightly. Corrine of Amber wars between panic and rapid decision. She somehow manages to get it down to decision. "... no... not Carl...." She takes a deep breath.... "Grey Knight. Pattern of Earth. If it is within your power, transport those of us within this chamber to the Pattern Chamber of Ember...." Hiko the Firechilde blinks rapidly. "What's going on?" The Grey Knight says, "I cannot move anyone unless they walk this Pattern to the center, I'm afraid. And were I to exert my power on some of those present, I fear it would slay them." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Corrine... if you need us to come, and you can trump from 'Ember' I will transport your friends who cannot come with us." Hiko the Firechilde smiles at Rose and the rest. "I'm sure you'd rather not have to walk the Pattern..." Rose says, "I've already been a burning puddle of water in a pattern chamber, thank you." Juri of Avalon asks, "Corrine, can't you just Trump some of us through to the centre of this Pattern?" Corrine of Amber winces, but nods. "As I had suspected. Thank you, Grey Knight." She hears Hiko's voice, and looks over at her. "If I can trump from inside Ember to Outside... then I shall. Otherwise.... Juri... -my- Juri, your mother, knows the way...." She then considers, and nods. Lina says, "Oh, I could just grab the Jewel of Judgement, initiate them all, and let them walk this one! Would only take us a few hours. I think." Hiko the Firechilde sighs. "Lina-san, I believe time is of the essence here." Lina says, "Hey, we could just speed up the flow of Amber's time. No sweat." Roderick says dryly, "And then we could turn Kolvir into a mini-mall while we're at it?" Corrine of Amber nods. "Thank you, Grey Knight, for your warning and message. Let Carl know that we are coming." Corrine of Amber looks over at our crew. "Those of you who can shapeshift, GET SMALL! I'm going to trump you all over to the center, and we'll be moving at once!" Hiko the Firechilde looks at the Gumi. "Do you want to go with her or me?" Hiko the Firechilde holds out her hands as if she could carry folks. Juri of Avalon says, "I go with Corrine." Rose, Katsura, and Rhianna all shrink down and become super-deformed. Juri of Avalon exclaims, "OOC: Kawaii!" Corrine of Amber OOCly just HAS to draw them now. Corrine of Amber OOCly saw a pic of the main male cast of Utena all SD'd around Akio's car.... The superdeformed Gumi climb onto Hiko's hands. Roderick and Ishmael simply wait for Corrine to trump them. Hiko the Firechilde gathers up as many of them as she can, then looks at Roderick and Ishmael. "See you soon. Ready, Corrine." Corrine of Amber starts trumping those who are normal-sized into the center of the pattern, making SURE they stay near the center, herself near the endpoint of the Final Veil. Soon, you collect them all. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Hold on tight..." Juri of Avalon reaches out and squeezes Corrine's shoulder comfortingly. "It's all right. We'll stop this." Superdeformed Gumi cling to Hiko tightly. Hiko the Firechilde nods to Corrine. Ishmael says, "We've kicked the MacFinndos in the ass before, and we can do it again." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Phil... can you also do the SD Gumi clinging to Hiko?" Corrine of Amber makes sure that everybody's there, her sister and her counterpart and Hiko and all the rest... She looks down at the Pattern. "Pattern? Take us to the main courtyard of Castle Ember.... NOW!" She presents the image to the Pattern, a large courtyard akin to Amber's, save with 5 plasma fountains in a cross.... Corrine of Amber OOCly : puts the image in the queue.... The world bursts into flames around you, and then you appear in the courtyard. Hiko the Firechilde lets the Gumi down once it's safe. The air is filled with explosions. Hiko the Firechilde looks up for where the explosions are coming from. Juri of Avalon draws sword and readies crossbow and looks about to evaluate the tactical situation. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Still have the Heart right? How do I use it? I mean, just tap into its power?" to Akemi and Mike] Corrine of Amber looks up quickly, and then immediately tries trumping Catherine or Gabrielle. "... dammit, we're here now, SOMEBODY pick up the phone...." Hiko the Firechilde tosses Corrine the crossbow and ring. Corrine of Amber catches them, pockets the ring, slings the crossbow, looking for somebody on her staff to collar. [Akemi pages, "You reach out with your mind to it, and tap into it to use it." to you.] And we cut here, as I have to teach an 830 class tomorrow. Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Nooooooooo!" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "just as it was getting good." *** Foxtrot goes OOC. *** [CONTINUED ANOTHER DAY] Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "We ready to game? Or we waiting for Alan?" to Akemi Akemi pages, "Yes, we must wait for Alan" to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I can wait." to Akemi Kima pages, "So... we gonna play tonight, yes?" to Aerianne, Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "We were waiting for you." to Aerianne, Akemi and Kima Kima pages, "Hope it wasn't long. As usual, Monday is my pub night." to Aerianne, Akemi and you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I tel to you, John? No, it wasn't long at all." to Aerianne, Akemi and Kima Aerianne pages, "Ahhhh, here we all are. Got back just in time." to Akemi, you and Kima. Akemi pages, "Hold on, lemme go to gaming room" to Aerianne, you and Kima. Akemi pages, "Okay, everyone tel to me." to Aerianne, you and Kima. Juri of Avalon says, "Already here." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Cool." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Brief recap?" Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "As I saw it...." Utena says, "OOC Okay, currently, you're all tangled up in Corrine's bed...no, wait, that isn't it." Hiko the Firechilde OOCly :laughs. Juri of Avalon says, "I think I was about to try and seduce my double... :)" Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Corrine, Juri of Avalon, and the Gumi returned to Amber, met Hiko and Juri of Amber; Corrine's past experiences were called into question; Corrine walked the pattern and almost got mindscrewed AGAIN while walking it, and then the Grey Knight showed up and told her that Ember was under attack from the Ravager Beast." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Right... so we trumped to Ember and all hell's breakig loose?" Utena says, "OOC And then you all trumped to the center of the Pattern and used it to go to Ember, where you're now in the courtyard of the palace." Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "So, Our Heroes (Corrine, Juri of Avalon, Juri of Amber, Hiko, Rose, Rhianna, Katsura, Ishamel, and Roderick) Pattern-Teleported from the center of the Kolvir Patter to the Castle Ember Courtyard. Explosions were going off in the distance, and Corrine had an urgent desire to get SOMEBODY in her chain of command to get What Was Going On and to send orderes through it." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Right. I'm all caught up." Utena asks, "OOC Okay, who you going to contact, Corrine?" *** Foxtrot goes IC. *** Hiko the Firechilde looks around at Ember, trying to get her bearings. Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "First off, Catherine. Then Gabrielle. If neither of them are taking calls, then Castellan Johann and/or Palace Guard Commander Eowyn." You're currently inside the Castle, in the main courtyard where the fountains are. The palace is off to one side, and the wall is off to the other. There's a staircase if you want to get up on the wall. Corrine of Amber stands in the courtyard, concentrating as if to try and initate a Trump Contact. You trump Catherine, who looks VERY relieved to see you. Juri of Avalon looks around, then runs up the stairs to get onto the wall and find out what the tactical situation is. "Your highness, a giant squid is attacking Ember! It's already destroyed most of the Lava Fleet, and now the Plasma Fleet is trying to engage it in the harbor." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Giant squid?" Hiko the Firechilde follows Juri of Avalon up the stairs Corrine of Amber SMILES. "CATHERINE!" She then pauses in shock. ".... The Ravager Beast.... By the four heraldric beasts.... have the fleet's weapons had ANY effect?" You are up the slope of a mountain. Far below you is Ember City and Ember Port. The harbor is connected to a great gulf. Down in the gulf, you can see a huge fleet desperately trying to fight a mile long squid. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Damn... that's one big squid." Hiko the Firechilde looks to her mother. Juri of Avalon nods to Hiko and begins evaluating the chances of the fleet against the squid. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What should we do?" Corrine of Amber is still down in the courtyard conversing with Catherine on the other side of the trump contact. The Fleet is heaping flaming death upon the squid...except that it seems to hardly be noticing. It simply keeps moving forward, obliterating everything in front of it with huge ropy black tendrils. Hiko the Firechilde looks around. "Anyone know how to fight squid? I know how to cook them..." Juri of Avalon calls down to the Gumi. "Ishmael. Rose. How do we get inside and stop that thing?" You estimate the squid will hit the city in about fifteen minutes. Juri of Avalon watches the squids dozens of massive Logrus tendrils wreaking havoc and winces. Hiko the Firechilde blinks. "We have to get INSIDE the squid?" Ishmael says, "Ah. Well, we could trump in..." He pauses. "No, that would be bad." Juri of Avalon says, "Yes. Once inside, it can be battled psychically, and taken under control." Juri of Amber looks down at the squid and frowns deeply. "Logrus tendrils. Why did it have to be Logrus tendrils..." Hiko the Firechilde says, "I can teleport..." Hiko the Firechilde says, "But only if I know where I'm teleporting to." Corrine of Amber continues relaying instructions to Catherine. Juri of Avalon looks to Ishmael and Rose. "Well? It's your squid." Hiko the Firechilde smiles weakly. "Anyone been inside the squid before?" Hiko the Firechilde blinks again. Ishmael says, "Magic could work. Logrus could work." Rose says, "I could call upon the wonders of Logrus Jive to become one with the squid." Juri of Avalon asks, "Can you tell if all the MacFinndos are within the squid, or does the possibility exist that some of them may be operating elsewhere?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Two pronged attack, Mot-- I mean, Juri-san?" Ishmael says, "Well of course some of them could be elsewhere. They're like cockroaches, hide in nooks and crannies and nibble your cornflakes." Juri of Avalon nods to Hiko. "It's also dangerous for me to fight within the squid. If I pierce it with my blade by accident... it would make the Hindenburg look like a firecracker." Hiko the Firechilde decides to leave the strategic planning to folks who know better. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Well, I can help with the attack on the inside." Juri of Amber says, "Fortunately, my blade does not have that problem." Juri of Avalon overlooks the area of the battle for any sign of MacFinndo activity outside the squid. Ishmael says, "I'd try to trump in, but my superior cunning tells me that Findy is just waiting for that." There are no obvious signs of MacFinndo activity, although at this range, MacFinndos would be tiny specks. Juri of Avalon looks to Juri of Amber. "Which is why it would probably be best for me to lead a force against anything outside the squid, while you and another team infiltrate the squid itself." Hiko the Firechilde looks for vantage points above the city that are closer, yet too far to be spotted. Juri of Avalon frowns. "But we need to get closer so we can find out what's going on... Corrine! What's the situation?" Katsura surveys the area. "A most curious land. Similar to the last one we destroyed. Such a pity." He claps twice. "This is fate." Juri of Avalon just gives Katsura a Look. "Is that your answer to everything?" Hiko the Firechilde blinks again at the word 'destroyed'... this is a day of discovery. "I've always thought 'this is fate' is just a cop-out myself." Juri of Avalon grits her teeth and clutches the hilt of her sword as she watches the squid destroy the fleet. "We make our own fate." Katsura says, "Only to those turns of the wheel that are written in the heavens." Ishmael says, "In other words, yes." Hiko the Firechilde looks at Juri of Avalon and sighs. "So, what's the plan?" She looks between her mother and JuriAv. Juri of Avalon says, "Getting closer to evaluate the situation better is the first priority, but Corrine needs to finish her Trump call." Hiko the Firechilde looks again for a better vantage point. Corrine of Amber concentrates, and trumps herself up to the wall next to the group. She looks at them quickly, especially Juri of Avalon. "Juri? Juri? Hiko? Guys? The Lava fleet's almost wiped out, the Plasma Fleet's moving to engage in the harbor. The Space fleet's enroute, but don't know when they'll reach--- Gabrielle!" Corrine of Amber immediately gets distracted by another trump call. A young blonde girl appears up on the wall and hugs Corrine's legs. "Mommy, there's a bad woman trying to eat my brain!" Corrine of Amber BLINKS, and hugs Gabrielle back. "What does she look like, dear?" Ishmael says, "That would be Findy." Juri of Avalon looks at the girl. "Where is she?" Corrine of Amber says, "Gabrielle, dear, I need to gain access to my manifestations again.... I'm sorry about dissapearing like that..." Hiko the Firechilde blinks. "... mommy?" Corrine of Amber rocks and holds Gabrielle for the moment. Your manifestations whir to life. Corrine of Amber lets out a sigh of relief, and gives Gabrielle a kiss on the forehead. "Can you tell me where the Bad Woman is, Gabrielle?" "She's really fast, and her brain's really big, and I don't know how to stop her!" Ishmael glances at Rose. Rose glances at Ishmael. They converge on Gabrielle. Gabrielle points down at the squid. "She's inside Hasimir the Evil Death Squid!" Corrine of Amber looks up at Ish and Rose, and blinks and nods. "Damn. Right. WE'll take care of this, dear...." Rose says, "Hi! We're here to throw out the bad thoughts!" Juri of Avalon frowns and calculates. Does it seem likely there might be MacFinndos outside the squid? If so, would it be tactically better to split forces to deal with them, or simply launch a concerted assault against the squid? Hiko the Firechilde whispers to Juri of Avalon. "Did you just hear that girl call Aunt Corrine, 'Mommy'?" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Better vantage point???" to Akemi and Mike] Ishmael says, "Right. Showtime. Rose, you hack the chick, I'll run interference." Juri of Avalon whispers back. "It's her daughter, in a way." [Akemi pages, "Unless you go somewhere else, there isn't a better vantage point." to you.] Rose places a hand on Gabrielle's forehead and starts to absently hum. Corrine of Amber looks up at the folks, still holding onto Gabrielle with Concern. "You two will protect my daughter? If she gets hurt, I -will- be Royal Bitchslapping somebody...." Corrine of Amber shruts up. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Okay, so Rose and Ishmael are taking care of Findulias... which leaves Katsura and Roderick to help us with the squid?" Corrine of Amber looks over at Juri and Juri, and waves them over while Rose and Ish do their thing. Juri of Avalon says, "Unless the Macfinndos are sabotaging defenses, they're probably all inside the squid." Hiko the Firechilde goes over with Juri of Amber. Juri of Amber comes over. Juri of Avalon looks at the squid. "And, frankly, I don't think that thing needs help dealing with the defenses." She heads over to Corrine. Hiko the Firechilde nods. Corrine of Amber says, "I was able to talk with Catherine, and as I said, the Space Fleet is en-route but I don't know when they'll get here. I warned her about Fido's Logrus base, and sent along orders not to use pattern magics or weapons against it. IF we can get inside in a timely fashion, then Mia, my Court Mage, can activate the Sheild Dome over the city." Corrine of Amber talks rapidly, still holding onto her Daughter. Half of the fleet has been destroyed. The other half is running along the two sides of the squid, shelling it with everything they have. It isn't enough. Corrine of Amber winces at the sight. Corrine of Amber says, "It'll stall the damn thing, at least. Buy us time...." Juri of Avalon says, "We need to get inside. Now. That... abomination must be stopped." Corrine of Amber says, "Because it's after the Fire Pattern." Corrine of Amber looks at Rose and Ishmael with concern. Roderick asks Corrine, "Does the armory have any weapons Juri could borrow so she doesn't have to use her Pattern Blade?" Hiko the Firechilde nods. "I can do damage from the inside." She pats her satchel by her side. Juri of Amber says, "It's a pity we don't have time to get a giant shark to eat it." Corrine of Amber considers. "We should. We've upstaffed and up-armed in the past eleven years. I'll check with Johann." Corrine of Amber concentrates, and tries to contact her Castellan. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Could I try to sense what's inside the squid from this distance?" to Akemi] Rose begins to titter. Juri of Avalon glances at Rose with vague concern. Hiko the Firechilde runs to Rose's side. "You okay?" Ishmael says, "Don't worry, she's just tiptoeing through this device's tulips." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Nothing's getting through?" Rose says, "Well, there's good news and bad news." [Akemi pages, "There's so much logrus energy, all yousense is HUGE HONKING AMOUNTS OF LOGRUS" to you.] Corrine of Amber cuts the contact, and looks with concern at Ish, Hiko, and Rose. Rose says, "The bad news is that she's gonna break through." Corrine of Amber's eyes widen. "..... no....." Three minutes to Fido hits the docks. Rose says, "The good news is that it will be mutual." She titters again. Hiko the Firechilde grins and steps next to Rose. "Need some extra psychic power?" Corrine of Amber's lips compress into a line. "And that means that Findy will be vulnerable on the other side. DAmmit, we have to get in that thing and NOW." Hiko the Firechilde says, "I'm not good at fighting physically... but I can hold my own in a mental fight...." She pauses. "I think." Rose says, "Yes, at exactly the right moment. I'll tell you when." Hiko the Firechilde sighs. Juri of Avalon clutches the lip of the wall and stares down with narrowed eyes at the squid, obviously impatient to do _something_. Hiko the Firechilde looks at Juri of Amber Ishmael chuckles softly and whacks laptop keys. Suddenly, half the fleet peels off and attacks the other half. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Mom? What should I do?" to Akemi and Mike Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Er, after locking eyes with her of course." to Akemi and Mike Akemi pages, "Juri of Amber says, "You know more of mental combat than I do, Hiko. I'd suggest preparing some teleportation spells for when we got into the squid."" to you and Mike.] Corrine of Amber would stare at the sudden change of fleet motions, but she's gotten -another- Trump call again. Hiko the Firechilde nods and starts building some spells for the 'inside' team to use. Juri of Avalon's face tightens. "Damn it... we've got to get inside that thing!" She looks about. "And am I going to get a substitute weapon, or am I going to have to pound on the MacFinndos with my woefully inadequate fists? Corrine of Amber reaches through the contact, and hands Juri a rapier and broadsword. Juri of Avalon suddenly blinks. "Corrine. Dworkin's spoon. Do you still have it?" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko builds a teleportation spell for the whole group that will be going inside and some psychic shields." to Akemi and Mike] Corrine of Amber hands them to Juri of Avalon, that is. She then cuts the contact, blinks at Juri, and nods. "YEs I do." She pulls the spoon out of her trump case pouch. Juri of Avalon takes them, one in each hand, testing for them balance and smiling with grim approval. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Estimated time of completion?" to Akemi and Mike] One minute to Squid Impact Corrine of Amber watches the Squid, biting her lip and feeling Impotent... as long as they're out and up here, they can do nothing... Corrine of Amber checks her crossbow and Hummingbird anyway, though. Nervous energy. [Akemi pages, "You can weave your fire transport spells fairly quickly; if you want ones that don't need fire, it's going to take longer than you have, it looks like." to you.] Juri of Avalon says, "It may be of use. Or it might just be Dworkin being crazy. Let's get inside there." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Fire transport." to Akemi and Mike] Hiko the Firechilde says, "Stand back...." Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "DID anybody decide HOW the heck they'd get in there? ^_^;" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "I've got it." Corrine of Amber OOCly ahs. Okay! Yay Hiko! Hiko the Firechilde looks for something burnable. Corrine of Amber nods, and stands back. "... Take care of my daughter, people..." This is the Fire City. Everything is burnable :) Corrine of Amber pockets the spoon. Hiko the Firechilde walks to her mother and touches her arm, transfering the spell to her. Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "I meant in the vicinity? A pile of wood? Or something?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "My teleport spells work best within fire..." Gabrielle gestures and a bonfire appears. Hiko the Firechilde hugs her mom. "Be safe." Juri of Amber hugs you back. "I will." Hiko the Firechilde exclaims, "You know how to use it. Go now!" Hiko the Firechilde says, "If you hold hands with MOther, she can take you to inside the squid..." Juri of Avalon sheathes the rapier and takes Juri of Amber's hand. Hiko the Firechilde says, "That is, if someone knows how to get inside." Juri of Amber nods. "Everyone who is coming inside the Squid, take my hands." Corrine of Amber blinks at the realization . o O (Juri can use spells?) and then shelves it. Worry about it later... She grips her sister's hand tight. "I'm ready." Juri of Avalon says, "Rose or Ishmael should." Hiko the Firechilde looks to Rose and Ishmael. "Well?" Juri of Avalon says, "It is their squid, after all. Or Rhianna." Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "And they're both busy with preventing GabyHack." Hiko the Firechilde looks to Rhianna. Rhianna says, "I'll go." Hiko the Firechilde nods. Roderick says, "I'm coming with you; nothing for me to do here." He takes Juri of Avalon's hand. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I am right in assuming that in exchange for Juri teaching Hiko how to fight, I did teach her how to use racked spells, ne? That was the deal?" to Akemi and Mike] Juri of Avalon gives his hand a brief squeeze. "Glad to have you along. Katsura?" Rhianna says, "Though without a Pattern I'll be not much use." [Akemi pages, "Yep, she learned sorcery from you." to you.] Katsura says, "Fate once again brings me to the squid." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Cool." to Akemi and Mike] Corrine of Amber says, "Once inside, I'll have Mia raise the Dome... it should give us some extra time. I hope." Hiko the Firechilde stands next to Ishmael and Rose. "What do you need me to do?" Juri of Avalon looks at Rhianna. "You can get us inside. Hang back then and help out as well as you can." Corrine of Amber looks at her sister. "We're all assembled. Let's -GO-!" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "This is so much fun!" to Aerianne and Kima Kima pages, "Now let's just hope none of us die horribly. :)" to Aerianne and you. Aerianne pages, "Well, it's all fun and games until the Kingdom Goes BOom... ^_-;" to you and Kima.] Roderick whispers to Juri of Avalon. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "It ain't MY kingdom..." to Aerianne and Kima Aerianne pages, "Hopefully, though, Findy'll be so distracted by trying to grab Gaby that she'll be open to Corrine running her through...." to you and Kima. Aerianne pages, "Well, no. It's Corrine's. ^_-;" to you and Kima.] Ishmael says, "At the right moment, mentally stab here." Hiko the Firechilde looks at Ishmael. "Where?" Rhianna chants, and then there is a huge flare, and most of you blink inside the Squid. Ishmael tosses Hiko a Blue Pill. "Eat this; it's got the info in it." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hiko builds a sharp telepathic spike." to Akemi and Mike] Hiko the Firechilde looks at Ishmael, then the pill Corrine of Amber goes with the folks into the Squid! [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Examine pill." to Akemi and Mike Mike pages, "It has some sort of magical program in it." to Akemi and you.] Akemi has left. Corrine of Amber OOCly says, ".... o_O" Hiko the Firechilde opens her mouth and swallows. Akemi has arrived. Utena says, "OOC Juri, Corrine, come with me through the exit marked 'Skippy'" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Taking the pill, of course." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Splitting the action... makes sense." to Aerianne and Kima] Aerianne pages, "Right. Man, I hope to see the other side of these logs. *wry look*" to you and Kima. In a page-pose to you, Akemi nods. Mike will run you there. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I'll give you mine if you give me yours. ^_^ I'll assume we debriefed each other if we live." to Aerianne and Kima Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hey... you gonna be my GM now?" to Mike Mike pages, "It looks like they're going to let Findy break into Gabrielle - whereupon she'll run into a series of High Compelling bobbytraps the two of them have rigged up that will momentarily take over her brain and cause her to channel in massive amounts of fire pattern energy, which will them explode violently." to Akemi and you. Aerianne pages, "Right. I'll ask John for certainty later, but I've got your email addys, and I hope to PLAY through the degauss later. *wry look*" to you and Kima. Mike pages, "Well, co-gm. ;)" to you.] Hiko the Firechilde opens her eyes. "Fire Pattern energy... I wonder if I can help you channel it..." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Estimated time to completion of telepathic spike?" to Mike Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "You're all caught up with what my stats and my toys are, ne?" to Mike] Ishmael says, "I expect so. I hope so." [Mike pages, "Ayup." to you. Mike pages, "Won't take long to finish." to you.] Hiko the Firechilde nods. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "How much more time do we have?" Rose says, "Not much longer... she's almosy in." Hiko the Firechilde dips into the Heart to help boost her abilities. Rose says, "And her mind tastes like coffee!" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Make that a firey telepathic spike." to Akemi and Mike] Ishmael stares at Hiko and her ring and Heart with unbridled lust and admiration. "Oooo." Hiko the Firechilde grins at Ishmael. "They are nice, aren't they?" Ishmael says, "On the signal, blast through the link with everything and it's dog." He glances wistfully at the spikard. "Boy, the artifact that would make...." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Artifact?" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Is the Heart an artifact?" to Akemi and Mike] Ishmael says, "Yes. You could use that to power something grand." [Akemi pages, "Define 'artifact'" to you and Mike. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "That's what I'm askign you. I'm an Amber newbie, remember?" to Akemi and Mike] Hiko the Firechilde says, "Hmm... we must talk about this later..." [Mike pages, "No, it isn't." to Akemi and you. Akemi pages, "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're asking." to you and Mike. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "What's an artifact? What counts as one?" to Akemi and Mike] Ishmael says, "Oh, certainly." Hiko the Firechilde waits... and waits... [Mike pages, "Don't worry about it atm, it's a complicated topic." to Akemi and you.] Hiko the Firechilde fidgets with the ring. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Okay, will deal with it later." to Akemi and Mike] A number slowly counts down on Ishmael's laptoop. Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Which number?" Rose begins to giggle derangedly. Hiko the Firechilde looks at Rose, alarmed. [Mike pages, "Getting towards one." to you.] Hiko the Firechilde gets ready.... Ishmael looks unfazed. Rose says, "Great.... big.... boom...." Ishmael nods serenely. Hiko the Firechilde looks at Ishmael. "Now?" 3 2 1 Hiko the Firechilde STRIKES! Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Okay, I hope I did that right..." You follow up as the web of high compellings fry up Findy's brain, and channel massive amounts of energy down the link. On the other side, you sense much fire... Hiko the Firechilde channels deep within the Heart, funneling more psychic energy into her spike. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "What do you mean by other side?" to Akemi and Mike] You note from Ish's laptop that something called 'hunter-killer contructs' are also being sent through the link... [Mike pages, "ie, Whereever Findy's at." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Sweet." to Mike Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Oh crap... what's my endurance level?" to Akemi and Mike] Rose smiles sweetly. "Cool." Ishmael nods serenely. "Oh yeah." Mike pages, "4" to you. The link cuts. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "I hope that's enough..." to Mike] Hiko the Firechilde stumbles backwards. Hiko the Firechilde blinks. "Did it work?" Hiko the Firechilde looks at Ishmael and Rose. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Examine the two." to Mike] Mike pages, "Rose is full of Logrus, Ishmael seems to have the imprint of the Fire Pattern in him." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "But no bad juju atm?" to Mike Mike pages, "Not that you can see." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Riiiighs." to Mike] Hiko the Firechilde asks again, a hand at her waist near her sword. "Did it work?" Ishmael says, "I believe so. Something blew up." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Okay... " Hiko the Firechilde climbs the stairs again to look at the city. Ishmael says, "And that's our good deed for the day." He stares at the squid and tsks. "I just hope they don't remember the wave motion gun." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Wave motion gun?" Ishmael says, "Yes. A little known property." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What does it do and where is it?" Ishmael says, "The Primal Chaos the squid uses to power its tentacles can be focused and fired." Ishmael says, "It's.... rather devastating." "Yeah," Rose says dreamily. Hiko the Firechilde blinks and looks out at the city again, to see if she can tell how the battle's going. The squid is ripping the dock area to bits, and is moving up the slope towards the mountain. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "How long 'til it gets to where we are?" to Akemi and Mike] Ishmael beams. "Look at the lil' bugger go!" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Ishmael... they said that this is your squid?" Rose says, "He's so cute when he rips apart cities." Ishmael says, "Well, ours." Ishmael says, "He tried to eat my Pattern, but we domesticated him." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Okay... is there anyway to stop it from the outside? Or at least slow it down a bit?" Ishmael thinks. Ishmael says, "I have a cunning plan." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What's the plan?" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "And I KNOW what those words mean... ^_^" to Mike] Ishmael hastily begins typing up schematics. "Fortunately, I am a genius designer." Ishmael begins consulting with Gabrelle. Rose glances at the laptop. "A PLUG?" Hiko the Firechilde looks at Rose. "So Gabrielle's safe now?" She looks at the laptop as well. Ishmael says, "Hey, it's a rush job." It appears to show a giant mecha with a power cord. A huge mecha materializes. It has a long cord leading into the fire pattern. Hiko the Firechilde blinks. "Where did that come from?" Ishmael says, "Right. Plug the heart in here, and the ring in here." He points to panels in the mecha. "I just had Gabby here fabricate it." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "I am going to get them back, right?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "Because I kinda need the Heart to save Amber's reality." Ishmael exclaims, "Of course!" Hiko the Firechilde LOOKS at Ishmael. Ishmael says, "Really. Look, this whole place is about to get eaten..." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Right, right..." Hiko the Firechilde climbs up to the appropriate places and puts the ring and Heart inside. She hops back down. Ishmael asks, "Hiko... Ember-2 is in danger. Somoen must take this giant robot and stop the squid. Will you do it, Hiko? WIll you pilot the EVA?" Hiko the Firechilde BLINKS. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Some day I'm gonna shadow walk to Earth and finally *get* all these weird references." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "I have to pilot it?" Ishmael says, "You do." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Oh, because it's my ring and Heart..." Hiko the Firechilde sighs. "What do I do?" Ishmael nods. "You get in the EVA and beat the hell out of the squid. Your AV Field will protect you." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "And where would I strike so I don't hurt your pet, but contain it?" Ishmael says, "Don't worry about hurting it." Hiko the Firechilde looks up... and up. "How do I get inside?" Ishmael points to an access plug. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "And how long is that 'power cord'?" Ishmael says, "Very." Hiko the Firechilde starts to climb up to the access plug and gets in. The interface is fairly easy. A big button is labeled, "AV field." An intercom crackles to life. "This is Ishmael. You ready?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "Ready." She takes the time to familiarize herself with the controls. "Let's go." She starts the mecha walking and steps over the wall and down towards the squid. Hiko the Firechilde taps into the Heart and readies a spell. Lumber, lumber... you advance on the squid, wrecking buildings as you go. Hiko the Firechilde says, "oops... gotta be more careful." You're almost to the squid... [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hold while I pull up the list of spells I'd had racked..." to Akemi and Mike Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Damn... didn't rack any Fire ones.. oh well... Fire up Sniper's Flame." to Akemi and Mike Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Estimated time of completion?" to Akemi and Mike Mike pages, "A bolt of flame from you fingertips will be of little use inside a cockpit." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Not if I channel it through the mecha's arms. ^_^" to Mike Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Or can I not do that?" to Mike Mike pages, "Point. Well, yes, with the spikard you can do that from the mech's main guns." to you. Mike pages, "Whenever you like." to you. Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Well...? I'm ready now." to Mike] Hiko the Firechilde aims and fires at the Squid, channeling the energy through the mecha's arms. "Sniper's Flame!" Big chucnks of squid get blasted. Findo doesn't like this, and starts moving its tentacles towards you. Hiko the Firechilde charges in and using the mecha's arms, channels another spell through. "Deep Freeze!" Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "That one was preracked." to Mike Hiko the Firechilde racks up another spell. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Rings of Fire." to Akemi and Mike] Hiko the Firechilde also scrolls through the list of available weapons. The tendrils move in... Hiko the Firechilde ducks. Hiko the Firechilde dodges, too. Ishmael screams, "USe the AV Field!" Hiko the Firechilde fires up the AV field. Hiko the Firechilde looks around for cover. Vodka erupts from the mech, instantly igniting. Hiko the Firechilde screams, "Ishmael! Is this supposed to happen?" [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "VODKA???" to Mike] The Pattern-and-alcohol-charged fire repells the tendrils. Ishmael exclaims, "Yes! The Absolut Vodka field works!" Hiko the Firechilde groans. "What kinds of OTHER weapons are on this thing?" Rhianna is ejected from the squid and goes flying through the air into a building. Katsura follows, nearly hitting your mech. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Weapons, I need weapons...." Ishmael says, "Hit the big yellow button." Hiko the Firechilde hits the big yellow button. A huge wave of fire erupts away from the mecha. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What else can this thing do?" Hiko the Firechilde eyes the squid warily, to see if anyone else is going to fly out of it. Ishmael has left. The Logrus Squid quietly vanishes. Hiko the Firechilde sighs and sits down.... WHOOOOMP! Hiko the Firechilde says, "Whoops." Hiko the Firechilde gets up again, and looks for any signs of the 'inside' team. Gabrielle pops into the cockpit. "Mommy's gone! The Squid is gone! Everyone's gone!" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Can you trace them?" Gabrielle says, "I'm trying." She furrows her brow. Hiko the Firechilde stretches out her senses. Hiko the Firechilde says, "I don't want to risk a Trump, as they might be in danger and need to concentrate." You sense a LOT of dead people, and fires all over the place. You can't sense anyone you know but Gabrielle nearby; lots of live people up in the castle, some survivors in the city. Ishmael says, "Yes?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Can you trace where your squid went?" Someone tries to trump you, Hiko. Ishmael says, "I'll get Rose to work on it." Hiko the Firechilde eyes Gabrielle. "If I get brain fried, close the Trump, okay?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Can you do that?" Gabrielle nods. "I'll kick them in the butt!" Hiko the Firechilde nods, and accepts the Trump. It's a Juri. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Mom??" Juri says, "Hiko, you're alive. Thank the Unicorn." She bleeding and covered with dust, standing next to a large bonfire. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Where are you? This is Mom, right? Is everyone okay?" Juri nods. "The squid tried to fire me out of itself, but I managed to use the spell you gave me to avoid being crushed when I hit the mountain." Hiko the Firechilde facepalms. (Forgot to see if Rhianna and Katsura were okay..) Hiko the Firechilde asks, "So where are you now?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "And where did the others go?" Hiko the Firechilde looks around to see if she can see Juri. Juri sighs. "The MacFinndos managed to fire us out of the squid. I don't know what's happened to the others. The other Juri, Corrine, and Roderick were still inside when I got fired out." Juri says, "I'm somewhere in the city, but not sure where." Hiko the Firechilde nods. "Let me get out of this mecha and then you can trump to me." Juri nods back and begins bandaging her wounds. Hiko the Firechilde opens up the access plug and slides out, climbing down. No problem. Once she gets to the ground, she holds out her hand to Juri. You pull Juri through with no problem. She says, "I tried trumping Corrine, but it didn't work." Hiko the Firechilde gives Juri a hug and starts weaving a healing spell. Hiko the Firechilde says, "I figured as much... I didn't want to try trumping anyone because I was afraid you might be in danger." Juri smiles at the hug and hugs back. "That was a truly ugly fight." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Hold on a sec." Gabrielle pops down to you. Hiko the Firechilde climbs back up and releases teh Heart and the spikard from its places, puts the ring back on and puts the Heart in its satchel. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What happened?" Juri says, "We reached the bridge. Corrine hit Findulias with that magic sword, and Findulias exploded, releasing twelve fighting demons and a great gout of flame." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Hmm... that could have been us, trying to prevent Findulias from entering Gabrielle's mind." Juri stares at you. "..." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Well, I did sense fire when we 'spiked' her... so that could have been after?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "The spiking... I am so bad at debriefing, Mom..." Hiko the Firechilde sighs and sits down heavily. Juri sits down next to you. "We only managed to stop the demons when Rhianna returned from her sorceror's duel and told us to simply dispel them, as they were conjured creatures." Hiko the Firechilde nods. "And then...?" She looks out across the devasted city and frowns deeply. "And then the squid started sucking us out and firing us a the city. "The bridge was devastated. Hiko the Firechilde says, "When Auntie Corrine gets back, she's not going to like having to rebuild." She looks up at teh castle. "Maybe Rose and Ishmael know where it is now." "Roderick and Katsura both nearly died. Corrine was hurt badly by the fire, but that blade..." Juri shakes her head. "It's powerful, but it disturbs me." [Aerianne pages, "And how YOU doing? *wry look*" to you.] Gabrielle cocks her head, then says, "Rose thinks they've jumped Universes again." Hiko the Firechilde estimates the distance between where they are and the castle. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Can we follow?" About a quarter mile. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Still alive. ^_^" to Aerianne] Hiko the Firechilde says, "That blade feels like a cornered animal. Nasty, and vicious." [Aerianne pages, "Well, that's good. Guess we can't share logs then, though. *wry look* Minor difficulties. But hey." to you.] Gabrielle says, "I don't know how to open portals to other universes yet. Rose says...they're going to have to go back to Chaos and use the Cave of Worlds again to use the Palantir to track them." [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Well I'm gonna try and follow where you guys went." to Aerianne Aerianne pages, ".... Good Luck. That's all I can say. At least you mindscanned Corrine before all this." to you.] Hiko the Firechilde looks at Juri. "Auntie Corrine may need our help." Juri has a very frustrated look on her face. "I want to go help Corrine, but Amber needs us as well." Hiko the Firechilde says, "That's right. The War." She stands. "Let's go talk to the people we haven't lost yet, and see if we can work out some sort of plan." Hiko the Firechilde nods, and gets back up into the mecha, holding out her hand for Juri and Gabrielle to climb up on. They climb on up onto it. Hiko the Firechilde lumbers slowly and carefully back to the castle, stops just outside the walls and lowers the hand down to the ground so they can get off. Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Er, ground near the top... you know what I mean." Gabrielle says, "OOC Yes, I do." You soon rendevous with Rose, Ishmael, Katsura, and Rhianna. Hiko the Firechilde gets out herself and climbs down the outstretched arm. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Where could they have gone?" Ishmael says, "They probably jumped to a Fire Pattern in another universe." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "So how can you find them?" Rose holds up a glowing sphere. "This Palantir can lead us to them, back through the Cave of Worlds we used to enter your universe. Although it may be a lengthy trip." Hiko the Firechilde looks at Juri. "Do you think we should go?" Juri says, "My heart says to go, but my duty says we should not. It would take weeks to reach Chaos, and to do so would likely simply hand both of us into Annadil's power. He has no reason to stop all of them, but he will be watching for us." Juri says, "It is not safe for us to enter Chaos." She kicks a rock. "Though I wish in my heart I could go." Hiko the Firechilde looks at the satchel with the Heart. "And he needs *these* to open the Gate." She nods. "Exactly. Let us not give him the keys." Ishmael says, "Don't worry, we'll rescue your relatives and get our squid back from the MacFools in no time flat." Gabrielle says, "But what about my MOMMY???" Rose pats her on the head. "Don't worry, we'll get your mommy back, Gabrielle." Hiko the Firechilde puts a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder. "They'll get her back. In the mean time, you've got lots of work to do here." Gabrielle nods. "It's gonna take forever to fix everything." She sighs. "Daddy's not gonna be happy Mommy's vanished again." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Where is your Daddy?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Who is your Daddy?" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Anyone else wanna say 'Who's yer Daddy?'" Gabrielle says, "Daddy's my daddy." Gabrielle says, "Mommy calls him Harold when she thinks no one is looking." Juri blinks. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Where is he right now?" Gabrielle gestures and a man in red full plate armor suddenly appears. "Right there." The man turns to Gabrielle. "Gaby, what have I told you about trumping people without asking?" Juri stares at the man, looking surprised. Gabrielle kicks a rock. "Don't trump people around without asking permission." Hiko the Firechilde smiles at the man in the red armor. "You're Gabrielle's father?" The man says, "Exactly. Now...oh, hello, Princess Juri, Princess Hiko." He bows to you. Hiko the Firechilde bows in return. The man nods. "I am the Red Knight of Ember, and Gabrielle's Father." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "You don't happen to have a cousin that lives in Amber, do you?" Hiko the Firechilde smiles. The Red Knight smiles. "I believe you've met the Green Knight and the Grey Knight. They are, in a sense, my siblings." He continues, "I am the youngest of them, as my predecessor died." Hiko the Firechilde nods. "I've met the Green Knight several times." He nods. "And you carry a child by him." Hiko the Firechilde blushes. "Yes, I do." Gabrielle says, "Daddy, when is Mommy coming back?" Juri's eyes widen at that. Hiko the Firechilde pats her still flat stomach. He says, "I don't know, Gabrielle, but soon, I hope." Hiko the Firechilde looks over at Juri. "I wanted to tell you... but I was scared. Mainly because the child wasn't aging at the same rate time was flowing." Ishmael says, "Well, the sooner we get going, the sooner we'll be able to get her back to you." He hands Hiko, Juri, and the Knight each a trump of himself. "If you need us, call us." Hiko the Firechilde nods, and takes the trump, still watching Juri's reaction. [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Feh... I can't go after you." to Aerianne and Kima Aerianne pages, "Kinda figured. It's gotten weirder over here." to you.] Juri frowns a bit. "I would not have thought such a thing possible. But I have had many surprises in the last few days." She puts a hand on your shoulder. "Are you ready for a child? It's a big responsibility." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Ready or not, the child will be born." Her face clouds over. "I will not take any innocent lives." [Aerianne pages, "[Corrine gives Hiko a hug, out of character. "At least you meant well."]" to you.] [Foxtrot stops prodding and says, "Hey, you're in Chaos, which is where the bad guy is, and I've got a Key to the Gate... don't want the bad guy to get a hold of it." to Aerianne and Kima] Juri nods. "I will do my best to help you. I simply hope we resolve our crisis before pregnancy incapacitates you." She gives your shoulder a squeeze. "But Mother soldiered on through her five pregnancies. I think she would be proud of you, Hiko. I hope so, at least." Gabrielle says, "OOC And cut here, as I'm getting tired and need to do some stuff before bed." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Okay." *** Foxtrot goes OOC. *** [END LOG]