Foxtrot teleports into the room.

Foxtrot has arrived.

>> A portal opens up and out pops a fox-woman.

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?"

Akemi pages, ""The admirals think it will hit the city in about fifteen
minutes.  The Space Fleets are on their way, but..."" to you.

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."

You page, "[Corrine] Catherine, get in touch with Mia, see what you can do
about activating the Shield Dome once we're inside the Squid.  And relay
to all fleets and armies, do NOT use Pattern-Based magics or Weapons
against the Squid --- it's LOGRUS Powered.  IF they were used, and hit,
the resulting explosion would make King Darshu's Megadeath spell look like
a firecracker -- the devestation would be catastrophic.  We have to keep
the Squid from reaching the Fire Pattern at ALL costs... because that's
what it eats."" to Akemi.

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.

Akemi pages, "She nods.  "Yes, your highness. I will instruct them."" to
you.

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.

You page, "[Corrine lets out a sigh of releif.  "Thank you, Catherine.  Is
Gabrielle taking calls?  I need to have my manifestations reactivated --
one of our enemies managed to psychically dominate me earlier, and I'll
need access to the Fire DemiJewel to boost my mind in case of defense."]"
to Akemi.

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?"

You page, "Can corrine trump herself up to the wall, now that she's back
in Ember?" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Yes, you can" to you.

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.

Akemi pages, "You manage to trump Gabrielle, who looks tired.  "Mommy!'"
to you.

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'?"

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."

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 shuts 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.

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?"

Akemi pages, ""Yes, my lady?"" to you.

Rose says, "Well, there's good news and bad news."

You page, "[Corrine] Johann!  Do we have any spare suitably-damaging
weaponry in the armory to loan out that isn't pattern-based?"" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Johann replies, "We have a fair number of magical blades,
your highness."" to you.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Okay..."

You page, "[Corrine] That'll do.  Get me a decent rapier and broadsword, I
need to make a loan to someone.  WE're on the Courtyard wall, trump me
when you have them." to Akemi.

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.

Akemi pages, "Trump call from Johann" to you.

You page, "[Corrine] Johann!  Do you have them?" to Akemi.

Corrine of Amber would stare at the sudden change of fleet motions, but
she's gotten -another- Trump call again.

Akemi pages, "He passes the weapons to you." to you.

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?"

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.

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.

Juri of Avalon says, "It may be of use.  Or it might just be Dworkin being
crazy.  Let's get inside there."

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.

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."

Katsura says, "Fate once again brings me to the squid."

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 inn--- guilty authors and says, "This is so much
fun!" (to you and Kima)
Kima pages, "Now let's just hope none of us die horribly.  :)" to you and
Foxtrot.
You page, "Well, it's all fun and games until the Kingdom Goes BOom...
^_-;" to Foxtrot and Kima.

Roderick whispers to Juri of Avalon.

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "It ain't MY
kingdom..." (to you and Kima)
You page, "Hopefully, though, Findy'll be so distracted by trying to grab
Gaby that she'll be open to Corrine running her through...." to Foxtrot
and Kima.
You page, "Well, no.  It's Corrine's. ^_-;" to Foxtrot and Kima.

Ishmael says, "At the right moment, mentally stab here."

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Yeah... that'll
wokr." (to you and Kima)

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."

Hiko the Firechilde looks at Ishmael, then the pill

Corrine of Amber goes with the folks into the Squid!

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."

Akemi has left.
In The Belly of the Beast
[Exits: Arden. ]
Contents:  Akemi

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Splitting the
action... makes sense." (to you and Kima)

Mange has arrived.

You page, "Right.  Man, I hope to see the other side of these logs. *wry
look*" to Foxtrot and Kima.
Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "I'll give you mine
if you give me yours. ^_^  I'll assume we debriefed each other if we
live." (to you and Kima)

You appear inside a huge fleshy red chamber.  A glowing light shines from
Rhianna's left hand, enabling you to see.

You page, "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
Foxtrot and Kima.

Rhianna says, "We'll have to move fast, before the immune system finds us.
And before the MacFinndos notice us."

Corrine of Amber looks at Rhianna.  "Which way to the MacFinndos?
Right... Lemme quickly trump Mia."

Akemi pages, "EVERYTHING around you is impregnated with Trump Energy.  and
Logrus." to you.
You page, "Augh... safe to trump from in here?" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Nope.  You'd probably blow yourself apart." to you.

Corrine of Amber pauses.

Corrine of Amber says, "Actually, that's a negative on trumping." She
shudders.  "If I did, I'd be little bits of Corrine."

Juri of Avalon unhooks her hands from Roderick and Juri of Amber, draws
her swords, and looks to Rhianna.  "Point me in the right direction."

Corrine of Amber says, "Lead on, Rhianna.  There's enough Trump and Logrus
Energy here to light a few planets at LEAST."

Rhianna says, "I'm going to teleport us into the control room, because we
don't have time to go the slow and safe routes.  Be ready to fight the
instant we arrive.

Corrine of Amber draws Hummingbird and preps her crossbow.

Akemi pages, "It hums, sensing the coming of battle." to you.

Corrine of Amber says, "Ready.  Sis?  The guy with the four gems is a
conjuror and sorceror, so's one of the women.  The one likely distracted
would be Findy the trump artist if she's fighting Gabrielle, Rose, and
Ish.  They've also got two guys who are muscle."

Corrine of Amber says, "... shit, I think it's onto us... Rhianna, do it!"

Juri of Avalon slips into an elegant Florentine fencing stance, ready for
action.

Roderick draws his blade as does Katsura.

And then there's a flash and you're on the bridge of the Starship
Enterprise (original series), complete with flashing and pinging.  The
viewscreen shows Logrus tendrils ripping the docks apart.  In the
captain's chair is a red haired elf with four gems circling him.  Next to
him are two male elves in Armor; one looks strong, the other is wearing
black scale armor.

Off by communications is a green-haired elven woman, who has her eyes shut
and is concentrating on something.

And another woman sits at the 'science' station, looking very amused with
herself.

Juri of Avalon exclaims, "OOC:  REMATCH!"
Utena says, "OOC Let me know wha tyou want to do :)"

Corrine of Amber immediately sights on the woman at Communications and
opens fire with her crossbow on full-auto, charging towards her.  Mess
with HER daughter will she??

Juri of Avalon asks, "Closest target?"
Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "in page, that is?  Whups, right. *wry look*
Well, Corrine's a little... miffed at Findy right now... (that IS findy,
yes?)"
Utena says, "OOC The three men.  You're right by the elecvators"
Juri of Avalon says, "Go after them, then, but keep an eye on Arwen and
Findy."
Juri of Avalon says, "Focus on the black-scale armour one; I assume Juri
of Amber, Roderick and Katsura will back me up.  Maybe Rhianna can
sorcerously duel Arwen or something."

Roderick goes for the man in scale armor, who turns and draws his sword
and enagages him.  The other man engages Katsura, leaving Juri to face the
man circled by four gems.

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Hey, at least here -their- Pattern Imprints
should be dead in the water...."
Juri of Avalon says, "Ahh, never mind that, then.  Go for gem-boy."
Juri of Avalon says, "He's the most dangerous one after Findy anyway."
Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "hey, two Juris!  Prepare for carnage."

Rhianna begins a sorceror's duel with the woman at the Science monitor.

Juri of Avalon asks, "What's Amber Juri doing?"

Juri of Amber pauses briefly to see where she will be most needed as
everyone moves forward.

Juri of Avalon puts on 'Shura'.
Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Oh cool.  Juri's first Duel Song.  Talk
about starting the combat -right-."

Corrine charges forward, hitting Findulias with several crossbow bolts.
Findulias screams in pain as Corrine closes in.

Juri of Avalon says, "OOC: Actually, it's Juri's movie duel song."
Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Oooooh.  WEll I'm listening to the first
OST..."

Meanwhile Katsura and Roderick begin to press their foes back.

Until those foes both trump behind Katsura and Roderick, stabbing them in
the back.

Corrine of Amber presses her advantage and Findulia's distraction,
swinging Hummingbird for a forward thrust.  After fucking with her mind
and Gabrielle's, she's not going to drag this any further than necessary,
but she -will- make it quick.  That's the only real Mercy she's going to
get...

Juri of Avalon says, "OOC:  ...okay.  Someone has apparently been bathing
the Macfinndos in the Fount of Power."

Meanwhile, Juri launches a skillfull attack on Feanor, who is forced to
fall back...until his gems start spitting lightning, fire, and wind at
Juri.

As Hummingbird stabs into Findulias, Findulias EXPLODES

Huge screaming gouts of flame erupt from her.  Page me wht you do.

Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  That just for Corrine, or me as well?"
Utena says, "OOC Both of you.  Flames are about to engulf the entire
room."
You page, "Hrm.  Can Corrine use the FireDemiJewel connection to
neutralize the flames, or is that dangerous in this location since the
FireDemiJewel is pattern powered?" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "It's very dangerous; opening a link woud likely cause
Pattern/Logrus explosion" to you.
Corrine of Amber OOCly facepalms, and hopes he didn't FUBAR everything to
hoek and gone... *wry look*
Akemi pages, "So what ya gonna do?" to you.
You page, "Right... not doing that thing then, since Trump is also likely
to cause Corrine to Go Boom... Leap over the railing to the center pit and
try to find cover and get to the others, since she -can't- use the
DemiJewel or Trump Tricks given the situation, unless there's something
I'm desperately missing." to Akemi.
You page, "I think I malfed up? ^_^;;" to Kima.
You page, "(while keeping a grip on Hummingbird, of course.)" to Akemi.
Kima pages, "Mmm... not really.  Looks like 'Findy' was a carefully
prepared trap." to you.
You page, ".... eeh? o_O Hrm. *frown*" to Kima.
You page, "(And Corrine walked right into it.  Yay.)" to Kima.
Kima pages, "Well, people normally don't explode like that.  :)" to you.
You page, "... point. *wry look*" to Kima.

Corrine dives for cover, which means the shockwave carries her and shoves
her head first through the viewscreen.  Your butt hurts.  Juri shouts a
word of power, causing Feanor to stumble and clutch his head.  The fire
roars over her, burning her hair badly and baking her somewhat, but her
armor stops most of it.  Feanor's gems soak up the flames which come near
him.

Kima pages, "The Trump teleport abilities are also worrying." to you.
You page, "Well, yes." to Kima.

Juri of Avalon goes after Feanor as the flames clear, hoping to take
advantage of his momentary distraction.

Maehdros, Katsura, Fingon, and Roderick aren't so lucky...they all go
flying across the room and are now on fire, although Fingon's armor stops
most of it.

Rhianna and Arwen both simply vanish.

Corrine of Amber OWS, and tries to pull herself out of the viewscreen, if
she hasn't become unconcious in doing so.

Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  Aaaannnd... Amber Juri?"
You page, "(well, Darako WAS saying that Hummingbird Killed Things Real
Good....)" to Kima.
Kima pages, "Hmm... I suppose there could have been some kind of bad
reaction." to you.
You page, "Make note.  Send Darako a thank-you note." to Kima.
Kima pages, "Actually, this sounds a _lot_ like what happened when Juri
killed Brand, now that I think of it.  Since he'd been bathed in the
Fount, he started to burn due to excess Trump energy spilling out of him."
to you.
You page, ".... Whooooo." to Kima.
Kima pages, "Fortunately, he didn't get to do a small nuke explosion,
since Trucido had blown up the Fount.  Sounds like they've all
Fount-enchanced themselves to some extent." to you.

Juri of Amber, like Juri of Avalon, mostly just sucks it up with her
armor.  She now charges in to help engage Feanor, circling from one side.
Juri of Avalon's assault manages to give Feanor a nasty flesh wound, but
then he directs two of the gems to blast away at Juri of Avalon, and two
at Juri of Amber.  Going to dodge the lightning and fire or just trust in
your armor?

Corrine manages to pull herself loose; the lower half of your body HURTS.

Juri of Avalon says, "Dodge.  It's good armour, but not that good."
You page, "Right. *wry look*" to Kima.

The two of you slowly push Feanor back as you dodge his attacks.

And then as the flames die down, the flames turn into a dozen or so crazed
demons who begin attacking both sides.

Corrine of Amber takes a breather for the moment, looking down at the
lower half of her body to see what state it's in, since she can't exactly
move easily....

Corrine of Amber holds Hummingbird at the ready to try and slice at the
demons, though who knows if THAT's a good idea, and bedamned if she knows
where her conjured crossbow is....

You page, "(great, any major damage to the MacFinndos would seem to cause
Very Large Propery Damage... yaaay.)" to Kima.

Three of them charge Corrine.  Two each go after the Juris.  Two more go
after Feanor.  The remaining five attack Fingon/Katsura/Maehdros/Roderick

The silmarils prove to be able to resist your magic disrupt,
unfortunately, Juri.  However, Feanor is now distracted by Fighting
Demons.  You can take a free whack at him, or turn and face the ones
charging you.

Corrine of Amber kicks, punches, and swings her sword as best she can,
praying to the Pyricorn that she'll live through this and not cause any
MORE booms...

Juri of Avalon says, "Presuming my Mad Warfare Skillz are in large excess
of both Feanor and the fighting demons, I'll take the free whack at him,
then turn at the last moment to intercept my demons."

You do indeed outrank poor old Feanor, who takes a nasty gut wound, which
enables the Fighting Demons to break through and grab him.  He trumps
out...but they come with him.  Doh.

Meanwhile, to your horror, the fighting demons prove to be damn good.  You
turn and fend one off, but another one gives you a nasty cut along your
left side, as its claws break through your armor.  You then discover this
sword Corrine loaned you can't cut through their hide.

The first Fighting Demon attacking Corrine simply dies on her sword, much
to its surprise when it just runs at her.  The other two bat Hummingbird
out of her hands, then discover when they grab her that Corrine is
stronger than they are.

Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  Okay.  How dangerous do I estimate it to be to
use my Patternblade in here?"
Utena says, "OOC If you don't hit the walls/floor/etc, you're okay.  the
Demons don't seem charged with Logrus"

Corrine of Amber smiles in a scarily (for Juri of Avalon) Darakoish
fashion, and Goes To Town on the other two Demons, moving to break bones
and take them out.

Juri of Avalon says, "OOC:  Drop rapier and draw Patternblade, then."
Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "and hold on DAMN tight...."

Juri of Amber is fighting her demons,holding them off and slowly nickign
them to death.

Corrine begins swinging the two demons around, pounding them into things.
They find to their horror that they are badly outmatched.

Juri of Avalon easily switches weapons.  The demons seem to be almost as
good at fighting as your sister Joan, so fighting two at once isn't easy.

Juri of Avalon says, "o.O"

Also, even WITH your patternblade, it's hard to hurt them.  their armor is
incredible.  However, slowly, you begin to beat them back.

Corrine of Amber continues to pummel them into paste... once they're
deceased, she scoops up Hummingbird, and moves to assist whoeever's
closest with the Demons.

The Fighting Demons are kicking Roderick, Fingon, Maedhros, and Katsura's
collective asses, as the demons seem to fight better than they do.
Maehdros and Fingon then trump out, leaving Katsura and Roderick back to
back against five Fighting demons just as Corrine recovers Hummingbird.

Your power words don't seem to be working.  However, you're now racking up
damage on them faster than they can hurt you, and they're starting to look
worried, Juri.

Juri of Avalon asks, "Keep on pressing the attack, then.  The MacFinndos
are all gone now?"

Corrine of Amber grabs Hummingbird, and moves to Slice and Dice the
Fighting Demons from the back... hey, if it took out one Fighting Demon
that well, might as well better the odds for Katsura and Roderick....

All the MacFinndos have fled.

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Findy went boom, Rihanna and Arwen went who
knows where together, Faenor vainished with some Fighting demons, and
Maedhros and FIngon trumped out."
Corrine of Amber OOCly REALLY hopes the Home Team at the castle are having
better luck... *wry look*

Corrine slays one from behind.  Another one turns and begins to spar with
her, trying to keep out of her grasp.  It can outfight Corrine, but her
weapon is better and it fears her grabbing it.

Juri of Avalon says, "OOC:  I suspect Faenor is currently demon chow.
Those things are _nasty_."

Corrine of Amber presses her attack, trying to slice off his weapon hand,
since as soon as she can get close, with or without Hummingbird, she can
turn this Fighting Demon into kibble.

Corrine of Amber OOCly goes GOOD! ... sorry, Corrine's excited right now.

Kima pages, "We do control the bridge now, which means as soon as we take
care of the demons, we can get into taking control." to you.

Juri of Amber falls back and draws her attackers towards her, retreating
towards one of the patches of flame still burning.

You page, "Yay!" to Kima.

One of Juri of Avalon's opponents takes a nasty leg wound and begins to
limp.

You page, "Aside from getting scortched, this is probably the best combat
Corrine's been in for a WHILE." to Kima.

Meanwhile, Roderick is being pounded against the wall, over and over.
Katsura is trapped in a corner.

Corrine takes a nasty gash to her left arm, which bleeds like a Fist of
the Northstar attack.  But the Fighting Demon loses its left arm.

Akemi pages, "You can feel the sword urging you to go for the kill.  Kill.
Kill.  KILL!!!!" to you.
You page, "....... can Corrine try to resist?  Then again, this thing is
trying to kill HER in return...." to Akemi.
You page, "...... Okay, right.  Hummingbird apparently had a caveat
attached.  Ack. ^_^;;;;" to Kima.

There is a flash of light and Rhianna appears.

Akemi pages, "You can resist...but do you really want to spend time
fighting the sword when someone's trying to kill you?" to you.

Juri of Avalon tries to think of a way beyond just hacking and slashing to
finish this battle before Roderick and Katsura become paste.  :/

You page, "Righto, time to kill this second fighting demon, and then rush
to assist Roderick and Katsura with blows into their Fighting Demons from
behind." to Akemi.
Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Oh, where's Juri of Amber?"

Juri of Avalon says, "OOC  Leading her demons towards one of the fire
patches, last I saw."
Utena says, "OOC Still fighting hers, and retreating through a puddle of
fire at the moment.  She's grinning."
Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Righto."

Rhianna shouts, "Conjured monsters.  Magic Disrupt them."

Juri of Avalon does what Rhianna says.

Many Magic Disrupts are shouted.  The Fighting Demons all evaporate.

Juri of Avalon runs to Roderick's side to tend his wounds.

The Squid rocks violently.

Corrine of Amber gasps, restraing herself, staring down at Darako's sword
with a mixture of Elation and Fear as she leans against an intact section
of wall... "... did we... did they?"

There is the sound of loud explosions.

A voice says, "Controls transfered to Secondary Bridge.  Initiating Warp
Drive now."

Corrine of Amber looks up at the explosions, and tries to find an active
screen that hasn't been hosed to get an image out... ".... THE HELL??"

Juri of Avalon swears loudly.

Juri of Avalon asks, "Rhianna, can you hack this thing from here?"

Roderick manages to get up on his knees.

Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  How bad does he look?"

Corrine of Amber looks like she could use some support over here, but
figures to let other folks do the thinking right at the moment... Like
-she- knows how to hack Squids with the brains the size of cities?

Utena says, "OOC He's badly bruised all over, multiple bleeding wounds,
but nothing fatal."

Katsura has several wounds as well.

Rhianna says, "I'll do my best,"  She runs over to the controls and starts
pushing buttons.  Then the floor suddenly opens up and swallows her.

"Alpha-Niner, Deep-Six Rhianna!" the mechanical voice announces.

Corrine of Amber says, "......"

Corrine of Amber looks over at Juri, Juri, Katsura, and Roderick.
"Well... any other ideas?"  She manages a smile, but it's strained.

Roderick curses and gets out some bandages and begins bandaging himself.

Juri of Avalon swears quietly.  "We need to find this Secondary Bridge."

Juri of Amber says, "I can try a spell, but I'm pretty new at this, so I
wouldn't count on my results.  Once I know where it is, I can use the
spell Hiko gave me to actually teleport there."

Katsura says, "It's about an eight hundred mile walk."

Katsura says, "I know where it is."  He starts to walk towards Juri of
Amber. The floor swallows him.

Corrine of Amber nods and swallows.  She wipes off Hummingbird on her
sleeve, and winces at the sight of her left arm, which has been badly
sliced.

Corrine of Amber groans.

"Alpha-Niner, Deep-Six Katsura!" the mechanical voice announces.

Corrine of Amber looks at Juri and Juri.  She tries to make it over to her
sister.  "At least you have something for range?"

You page, "Oh, how's corrine doing, Physically?" to Akemi.

Juri of Avalon just swears some more, sheathes her Patternblade, and goes
to pick up her dropped rapier.

You run towards your sister.  Juri of Amber says, "Juri, tell them you'll
stab the squid with...dammit!"

Juri of Avalon says, "OOC:  Watching out for swallowing floors along the
way.  :)"

Juri of Amber is sucked into the floor.

You page, "Admittedly, she's Endurance/Strength Queen, but hey...." to
Akemi.

Corrine of Amber exclaims, "JURI!"

Corrine of Amber leaps to grab... but too late.

Corrine of Amber stares at the floor in shock.

Juri of Avalon exclaims, "MacFinndos!  I expect you can hear me; I'm
carrying a Patternblade and I suppose you'll know what could happen purely
by accident if you have the floor swallow me!"

Mysteriously, the floor stops swallowing people.

Juri of Avalon glances to Corrine.  "Can you tell if we're gone from
Ember?"

Your Gabriele manifestations suddenly go dead, Corrine.

Corrine of Amber gets up onto her knees, slowly working herself back up to
the vertical.  "I don't know... I daren't try and Trump or reach the Fire
DemiJewel from here... with all the energy about, I could kill us al---."

Corrine of Amber stares down at her manifestations, pale.  "..... not
again...."

Juri of Avalon scowls.  "Another universe?"

Corrine of Amber says, "... don't know ..." She takes a deep breath.
"Eight hundred miles... I don't know if we could walk it, and be damned if
I know which direction to go ANYWAY...."

Juri of Avalon asks, "So... Roderick, Corrine and me are the only ones
left?"
Ishmael oocly says, "Yup."
Corrine of Amber OOCly is still curious if this counts as a "Win"...

The control room is burning merrily.

Corrine of Amber says, "... perhaps the elevator could take us there?  I'm
out of other options..."

Juri of Avalon sighs and heads for the controls, trying to figure out
something to do.

You find a video logfile of the squid's exterior.

Juri of Avalon asks, "View it.  Where are we?"

You seem to be outside a huge flaming citadel.

Corrine of Amber moves over, and looks at the viewscreen... and also looks
around for any fire extinguishers.... "...any Fire Extinguishers in here,
Roderick?"

Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  Gosh.  Assuming I had some long talks with
Trucido during our time together, this wouldn't happen to look a lot like
Jigoku, would it?"

Roderick pulls one off the wall. "Here."

Corrine of Amber says, "Thanks."

Ishmael says, "OOC: Yes, it would."

Corrine of Amber starts using the fire exitnguisher to put out any blazes,
working outwards from Juri's viewing area.

Juri of Avalon scowls.  "This is my Finndo's citadel.  Jigoku."

Corrine of Amber says, "Your universe?  Shit.  At least we're away from
Ember now."

Juri of Avalon looks through the data files for a way out of the squid, a
quick way to the Secondary Bridge, or some idea of where Rhianna, Katsura
and the other Juri might be being held.

You page, "Let me guess, no forwarding this to Trish then, later? *wry
look*" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Heh.  You ain't in TAMD no more :)" to you.
You page, "(since we've gone OFF the beaten path again....)" to Akemi.
You page, "Well, I figured that!" to Akemi.

You find records showing that the others were shot out of the squid at a
gigantic red robot with a cord plugged into the pattern.

Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  Into Jigoku's Pattern?"
You page, "[Corrine] *wry look* As long as Ember and Gabrielle are
safe.... now I just need to see about my Juri....." to Akemi.
No, into Ember's.

You page, "Does corrine recognize the Robot?" to Akemi.
Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  So, they're back in Ember, and we're here in
Jigoku?"
You page, "or the Pattern in specific?" to Akemi.
OOC: You suspect so.

Corrine of Amber looks over Juri's shoulder at one pass around the room,
and buhs a bit.  "That... looks like Ember's pattern...."

Juri of Avalon asks, "Corrine, has Ember got some kind of defensive
robot... one with a big cord plugged into your Pattern?"

You page, "Does corrine recognize the Robot?" to Mike.
You page, "or the Pattern in specific?" to Mike.

A surveilence sound file catches your eye.

Juri of Avalon says, "Bring it up."

Akemi pages, "You don't recognize teh Robot, but it's got yoru fire
pattern imprint on it." to you.
Mike pages, "It's your pattern, you dunno about the robot." to you.

Corrine of Amber says, ".... it's my Fire Pattern.  It's got my imprint.
But I have NO idea about that robot."  She bites her lip.

Corrine of Amber asks, "Where did the squid send Katsura, Rhianna, and
Sis?"

Dimly, over the bad pickup, you hear the recording of Ishmael saying,
"Hiko... Ember-2 is in danger. Someone must take this giant robot and stop
the squid. Will you do it, Hiko? WIll you pilot the EVA?"

Juri of Avalon grimaces.  "They were fired like torpedoes at the robot."

Corrine of Amber says, "......."

Juri of Avalon says, "..."

Corrine of Amber stares at the recording.

Corrine of Amber says, "I don't know if I should thank Ishmael, throttle
him, or hit myself for not thinking of it myself."

Roderick says, "Yup, that's Ishamel."

Corrine of Amber says, "At least, if Juri and Co went back to Ember, they
can call off things and explain what happened."

Corrine of Amber says, "I hope."

Also, according to the log, Ember got pretty thoroughly trashed.

Juri of Avalon sighs.  "Here we are, I suppose, in the land of the Finndo
With No Name."

Corrine of Amber says, "Provided the 'torpedoes' didn't try to go straight
through Vesuvius."  She winces at the log, trying to judge the amount of
damage and wether the Squid managed to penetrate the Fire Pattern Chamber.

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "(as long as Fire Pattern intact, folks can
rebuild.  Corrine wishes she coudl get back to HELP with the Rebuild,
but....)"

It didn't, but the city got godzilla'd.

Juri of Avalon curses and clenches her fist.  "I'm sorry, Corrine... damn
this thing... this monstrosity."

With a rumble, the squid starts moving again.

Juri of Avalon says, "I'm tempted... _sorely_ tempted to simply put an end
to it now."

Juri of Avalon says, "It Should Not Be."

Corrine of Amber squeezes her eyes shut.  "dammit.  Dammit, DAMMIT,
-DAMMIT!-"  She pounds her hands on the nearest railing, not any consoles.
She looks up at the movement.  "... But.. the only thing that can would be
a true Jewel of Judgement, Juri."

Juri of Avalon glances at her sheathed Patternblade.  "Patternblade and
Logrus squid, Corrine... do the math."

Roderick coughs. "Quite possibly, but it would go up like the mother of
all bombs, probably destroying us and several surrounding shadows."

Juri of Avalon says, "I think I could kill this thing.  It would simply
kill all of us along with it.  And the Finndos.  And Jigoku.  And lots of
Shadow, yes."

Corrine of Amber nods, still somewhat in shock.  This just has NOT been a
good day for her.

Corrine of Amber says, ".... if we could get out... out and range... and
gate and trump and shoot... but how do we GET out"

Juri of Avalon does more hacking, looking for the answer to that, or
anything else interesting.  "Well, at least it's away from Ember."

Corrine of Amber nods, dumbly.  She murmurs, "thank the pyricorn for
that..."

Juri of Avalon makes shushing gestures to the others and does some more
typing.

Corrine of Amber shuts up.

"...where the wee beastie can heal before we go after oor next targit,
aye!" "Very well. Our goals seem compatable, and you do seem to be
relatives, of a sort." "Aye! Welcome ta th' family, Finndo!"

You page, "And how YOU doing? *wry look*" to Foxtrot.

Corrine of Amber says, "......."

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Still alive. ^_^"
(to you)
You page, "Well, that's good.  Guess we can't share logs then, though.
*wry look* Minor difficulties.  But hey." to Foxtrot.

You page, "does corrine recognize the voices now?" to Akemi.

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Well I'm gonna try
and follow where you guys went." (to you)
You page, ".... Good Luck.  That's all I can say.  At least you
mindscanned Corrine before all this." to Foxtrot.

Akemi pages, "MacFinndos and someone you fon't know." to you.

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Yep." (to you)

Corrine of Amber purses her lips, getting a breather in during all this.

"Faenor! Are ye nae forgetting that the wenches be alone on the bridge?"
"I ha' nae!" "An'?" "We clear 'em oot! Are we mice or MacFinndos?!"

Corrine of Amber pinches her nose.  She mutters, quietly.  *q* "... time
for round three."

"I will help you. I've a score to settle with Juri of Avalon, at least."

Juri of Avalon frowns and begins quietly trying to bring up a plan of the
squid, in order to find an escape route.

"Aye! We'll bash 'em! But first..." "AYE! COFFEE!"

You find a map. The inside of the squid is bigger than New England.

Corrine of Amber tries to get herself back into working order.  She draws
hummingbird, and tries to see if it can shift into Crossbow or Whalekiller
forms.  She also looks about for her conjoured crossbow, provided it
didn't get tosted in its entirety.

Corrine of Amber mutters something about taking the MacFinndos to a
pure-coffee shadow and -dumping- them there.

Juri of Avalon says, "And... how far, exactly, is the nearest way out?
-.-"

Mike pages, "You have a sudden feeling of threat from Juri..." to you.

"Incoming," Juri of Avalon says quietly.

Ishmael says, "OOC: Several hundred miles."

You page, "Directed towards Juri, or that Juri's going to attack?" to
Mike.
Mike pages, "That Juri poses an immediate threat to you." to you.
You page, "Can corrine try and fight it off?  Does it feel natural or no?"
to Mike.

Juri of Avalon says, "I'm out of ideas.  This squid is bigger than New
England.  The nearest exit is... wait."

Juri of Avalon tries to contact Julian.

Mike pages, "It feels natural." to you.

Corrine of Amber looks at Juri, on-edge... "NO!"

Corrine of Amber exclaims, "DON'T, JURI!"

Juri of Avalon stops.

Mike pages, "Stop her! you sense" to you.

Corrine of Amber exclaims, "Julian's a PATTERN Construct!"

Corrine of Amber exclaims, "Like Gabrielle!"

Juri of Avalon says, "Broken Pattern, actually.  But you're right.  It
could be dangerous.  But..."

Mike pages, "She's going to try it anyway. You'd better take her out." to
you.

Juri of Avalon snarls.  "Shit!  I hate just sitting here and waiting for
the MacFinndos to come and get us."

Juri of Avalon goes through the files yet again, searching for something,
anything.  "Roderick, Corrine, any ideas would be greatly appreciated,
because I am flat out."

Roderick says, "Perhaps we should change locations?"

The computers go dead.

Corrine of Amber moves over quickly, to keep Juri from doing anything,
grappling if need be.  She takes a deep breath, as it appears the danger
is still dicey, since she manages to NOT contact Julian.  "Juri, there
will be other times, and yes, I know that a Phyricc victory could do it,
but NOW is not the time!" She looks at Roderick, and nods.  "Start moving,
yes.  If they're headed here, we can head OUT.  We'd pass each other, at
least, hopefully."

Juri of Avalon nods.  "Let's go.  Better than sitting here."

Corrine of Amber looks down at Hummingbird with concern.  "IF this could
change into a crossbow, I could range-attack them, but it'd probably do
the same as it did to Findy..."

The sword suddenly morphs into a gun.

Corrine of Amber says, "......"

Corrine of Amber says, "Let's move."

Juri of Avalon sighs, takes out the crossbow Ish made and readies it,
carries the broadsword Corrine gave her in her other hand, and heads out
into the hall.

You exit the bridge, and start proceeding down the interior organic
passages of the squid.

Corrine of Amber makes sure she has what equipment she brought with her,
and follows Juri rapidly, her senses alert.

Mike pages, "You sense that the squid just trumped again." to you.

Corrine of Amber asks, "..... The HELL?"

Corrine of Amber looks around at the Squid's interior walls.  "It just
trumped AGAIN!"

You page, "This has GOT to be the oddest 24 hours of Corrine's life.  Bar
none." to Kima.

You turn a corner, and almost run into someone.

He's a tall blond guy in a poncho and a hat, with a drawn gun.

Juri of Avalon glances at him warily.  "Do you come to this part of the
squid often?"

He blinks. "No."

Corrine of Amber readies her weapon, but doesn't fire.

You page, "Any ident?" to Akemi.

"Juri of Avalon."  She extends her hand.

"Just passing through."

Akemi pages, "Not a clue." to you.

Corrine of Amber blinks at the man.  "How'd you get in here?  Who are
you?"

Corrine of Amber says, "And Corrine, of Amber."

"Yes. I know." He doesn't take Juri's hand. "I walked."

Corrine of Amber says, "Ah."

Juri of Avalon says, "Long walk."

Juri of Avalon puts her hand back at her side.

"Yes." He tips his hat slightly with one hand. "Bee seeing you." He starts
to retreat down a side passage.

Juri of Avalon follows after him.  "You wouldn't happen to know a shortcut
out of here, would you?"

Corrine of Amber follows after Juri, making sure Roderick stays with.  NO
splitting up this group, thankyee.

"Yes. Take the turn to your left three miles down, then go straight."

Corrine of Amber smiles at the man.  "Thank you, sir."

Juri of Avalon nods.  "Much obliged.  Be seeing you."

Juri of Avalon says, "Oh... and I didn't get your name, sir."

You hear the sound of footsteps behind you.

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Feh... I can't go
after you." (to you and Kima)

Roderick turns and swears. "Company."

Juri of Avalon sighs.

You page, "Kinda figured.  It's gotten weirder over here." to Foxtrot and
Kima.

Corrine of Amber readies her weapon, looking for cover.  "Suppressive
burst first, and then engage after they go boom, or something else?"

You page, "[Corrine gives Hiko a hug, out of character.  "At least you
meant well."]" to Foxtrot.

A figure in ornate black and orange plate armor with a demon motif is
advancing down the hall towards you, flanked by Fingon and Micky
MacFinndo.

Juri of Avalon says, "Perhaps a fighting retreat would be best?  They
outnumber us, particularly if their new ally is who I think it is."

Juri of Avalon spots black-and-orange and snarls.  "Ashen Prince."

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors 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 you and Kima)

Juri of Avalon asks, "What's the blond guy up to?"

The stranger watches all this impassively.

Juri of Avalon says, "Ah so."

Corrine of Amber nods, and her eyes narrow.  "The one in Black and
Orange?'"

Juri of Avalon nods and raises her crossbow, sighting them, then begins
backing up down the corridor as they approach.

"Juri of Avalon," the orange-armored warrior says. "I've waited for this
fight..."

Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  They helmeted?"
Ishmael says, "ooc: Finndo is, fingon is, micky ain't."

Juri of Avalon says, "Take off your helmet, 'Ashen Prince', and let me see
your face."

Corrine of Amber sights on the Black/Orange armored dude with Hummingbird
the Gun, targeting the man and waiting until the right moment to open fire
(well, if the gun mode works wherever they are....)

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Corrine is remembering the Talking Head's
advice, yesss......"

Finndo says, "Oh, yes, I'll take my armor off with the gun pointed at me."

The stranger absently lights a thin cigar.

You page, "[Corrine patpats Hiko.]" to Foxtrot.
Foxtrot lowers the cattle prod gingerly and grins.  "I'll bet you had
fun..." (to you)

Juri of Avalon lowers the crossbow, glances pointedly to Corrine.  "Finndo
the Ashen Prince died at my brother's hands.  I want to know who you
really are."

Fingon glares at him. "And who are you? Only Finndo's alowed on this
squid?"

You page, "From the combat earlier, does it appear that Hummingbird could
penetrate Armor?" to Mike.

You page, ""Fun" is a relative Term. ^_-;  Ask Juri of Amber if she's
around..." to Foxtrot.

You page, "What sort of body language glance was that?" to Kima.

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "I got briefed."
(to you)

You page, "Oh, okay." to Foxtrot.

Kima pages, "A 'lower the gun while we talk' glance." to you.

"I am Finndo. Your death." Finndo draws a double-bladed sword, and steps
forward. "Come. Let us settle this the old fashioned way."

Corrine of Amber lowers the gun slowly and reluctantly, eyeing the sword
and the man behind it, frowning.

Juri of Avalon exclaims, "OOC:  Darth Finndo!"

"I am a Finndo," the blond guy says slowly.

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Yaaaaay."

Corrine of Amber blinks at the blond guy.

You page, "Oh boy.  Lemme guess.  It's the Ambassador...." to Kima.

Micky and Fingon look delighted. "A new member 'o the clan!"

"Hey, Blondie!" Fingon calls. "Help us beat these interlopers down!"

Juri of Avalon looks around.  "I'd prefer to take it outside the squid.
I've little taste to fight an enchanted blade with normal weapons, and I'm
certain you're all hesitant to risk the total destruction of all of us if
I use Eternity's Rose, yes?"

"My name's not blondie."

Finndo shrugs, sheaths his blade, and draws a spare. "Happy?"

"So what's your name?"

You page, "Given Corrine's stats and knowledge, ANYTHING she can do to
help the situation other than stand there? *wry look*" to Akemi.

"Ain't got one."

Juri of Avalon unbuckles her Patternblade and hands it to Corrine.  "Hold
this for me."

Akemi pages, "Ask Mike, he's running the fight. :)" to you.

Corrine of Amber purses her lips at this, and then accepts the
Patternblade, looking at the blonde man warily.

You page, "Given Corrine's stats and knowledge, ANYTHING she can do to
help the situation other than stand there? *wry look*" to Mike.
Mike pages, "You can shoot Finndo." to you.
You page, "nevermind this blonde Finndo "Has No Name"...." to Mike.

Juri of Avalon draws broadsword and rapier.  "I wish I knew your grudge
against me.  I know you are not the Ashen Prince, whatever you may think
yourself to be."

"You're of the house of Avalon. That's all I need."

Juri of Avalon says, "I see; a grudge against my family, rather than
against me personally.  I am relieved."

"You shouldn't be."

You page, "What about the other two MacFinndos and the Finndo With No
Name?  And where's Roderick?" to Mike.

Juri of Avalon shrugs.  "Shall we dance?"

Mike pages, "Roderick is keeping an eye on things, everyone else seems to
be waiting." to you.

"Let's." Finndo leaps forward.

Juri of Avalon moves to meet him.

You page, "Right.  If anybody makes a move to try and kill Juri or gain
the upperhand, Corrine's going to plug them with the Gun.  That goes
double for Mr. No Name." to Mike.

The swords clash, moving almost too fast for the eye to see. Finndo spins
and slashes, unnaturally quick. Juri blocks the cuts narrowly, parrying
and thrusting now and then.

Corrine of Amber is tense, on her feet, watching everyone.

You page, "(oh great.  If this armored Finndo is the "Daughter of the
Dead", we might've just gotten straight into what Vecna mentioned...)" to
Kima.

Juri and Finndo duel on, blade meeting blade in a fairly awe-inspiring
clash. Finndo punches Juri, who recovers and scores a glancing blow on the
armor.

Mike pages, "Juri's in serious trouble." to you.

Corrine of Amber would be taking notes, and then frowns.

You page, "Does it look like Corrine can get in there and try and grapple
with Black/Orange Guy while he/she/it is still fighting Juri?  Or would
closing in be fatal?" to Mike.
Mike pages, "At their level of skill, you'd be skewered." to you.
You page, "What about shooting at range?  Risk of hitting Juri?" to Mike.
Mike pages, "Some, but you're a good shot and this is a fine weapon." to
you.
Mike pages, "An excellent weapon." to you.
Mike pages, "You should take the shot. You're fairly sure to hit." to you.
You page, "Right.  Time to Shoot Mr. Armor when the moment is right,
trying her best to AVOID hitting Juri." to Mike.
You page, "Ie, yes, she takes the shot. :)" to Mike.
You page-pose, "Aerianne murmurs a prayer to the Pyricorn and Unicorn, and
opens fire." to Mike.

Juri feints. Armor takes it, then feints in a risky move, and... *BANG*

You page, "Is this a pretty standard one-shot at a time pistol, or
something capable of Auto-Fire?" to Mike.
Mike pages, "It's an automatic." to you.
You page, "Righto." to Mike.
Mike pages, "You should shoot again, and again." to you.
You page, "..... Any way to resist, if Juri's okay?" to Mike.
Mike pages, "Juri's been wounded somehow. Better keep shooting. Looks like
orange dude scored a hit." to you.

Juri of Avalon staggers as she's shot in the back.

Juri goes down. Finndo looks surprised.

Corrine of Amber keeps firing on the Orange Dude, and then turns to shoot
whoever shot Juri.

You page, "..... Glaaah.  I think Corrine's just screwed up. -_-;" to
Kima.

Juri of Avalon bleeds.

You page, "... lemme guess.  Shoulda shot the blonde Finndo first? *faint
wry look*" to Akemi.

Corrine shoots and shoots and shoots. Orange dude parries a bullet, takes
a grazing wound, curses and flees, along with the MacFinndos. Blond guy
seems to have vanished. Roderick hits the deck.

Corrine of Amber gets herself under control with some difficulty.

Corrine of Amber then runs over to Juri, shock and concern on her
features.

Mike pages, "You'd better hurry up and kill Juri." to you.
You page, ".... WHAT?" to Mike.
You page, "Corrine is SO resisting that, if it's not a true sensation." to
Mike.
Mike pages, "You think you'd better kill Juri." to you.
Mike pages, "With the gun. Only with the gun." to you.

Corrine of Amber pants, looking at her hands, and at the Gun, hummingbird.

Corrine of Amber thows the damned thing AWAY from her.

Mike pages, "The urge vanishes." to you.

Corrine of Amber all but screams at the gun.  "NO!"

Corrine of Amber then examines Juri, quickly.

Juri of Avalon bleeds a whole lot.

"You... shot me..." Juri mumbles at Corrine.  "Why?"

Roderick hurries over. "Damn. This isn't good."

Corrine of Amber stares at the gun, and at her hands, and at Juri.  She
starts trembling.  "..... no..... dammit, NO.....  don't know do know
hummingbird me..." She shudders.

You page, ".... um?  Sorry?" to Kima.
You page, "^_^;" to Kima.
Kima pages, "I think hanging onto Hummingbird was a bad idea." to you.

Corrine of Amber starts chanting "i'm sorry" in a mantra-like form.

You page, "... I think Corrine's learned this, yes. -_-;" to Kima.

Juri of Avalon weakly reaches out for Corrine.  "Stop that... not your
fault.  Something about hummingbird.  I'm hit bad, but fortunately nowhere
vital... this isn't going to stop bleeding by normal means, though."

Roderick produces a pressure bandage ans starts applying it.

Juri of Avalon says, "I know you wouldn't shoot me, Corrine..."

Juri of Avalon goes into a coughing fit.  "Haven't been hurt this bad
since Cupio..."

Corrine of Amber says, ".... Right." She takes a deep breath, and nods.
"... why did Darako give it to me, then?  Thought I was aiming for the
orange guy... right... right...." She grasps onto Juri's hand, Tight, but
not so much as to break bones.  "...w e need to get out... get your wound
bandaged and pressure on it..." She looks at Roderick, rapidly.

Juri of Avalon fumbles her trump case out of her pocket.  It falls to the
red, muscly floor of the hallway, spilling cards.  "Trumps safe to use?
If this is my universe... try and raise Tess... white-haired woman in the
kimono..."

Juri of Avalon weakly squeezes Corrine's hand and tries to smile.
"Probably wasn't Darako... an Outsider, or some enemy of mine, setting you
up as an assassin with the weapon."

Corrine of Amber grabs the trumps, and looks around the area, and flips
through the gathered cards for the one discribed.  "... might need to get
outside, stilll...."

Corrine of Amber says, ".... dammit.... dammit dammit dammmit...." She
winces, and keeps squeezing back with her free hand.

==============================================
==============================================

Ishmael says, "And pause, as I must sleep."

You page, "Trump senses still telling Corrine that Trumping from here
would be a Bad idea?" to Mike.

Juri of Avalon cries.

Ishmael says, "So it goes."

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Aaaaaack!"

Juri of Avalon says, "OOC:  I wish I could have one semi-formal dramatic
one-on-one duel that doesn't end with me bleeding from Apocalyptic Damage
weapons.  -.-"

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "That's it.  Psyche's going up.  This Mind
Dominance thing is going overboard.  What, 4 in one day?"

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Good for continuing tomorrow?"

Gabrielle says, "OOC Yeah, that would help."

Juri of Avalon says, "I'm fine with that."

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Right.  Time for bed then, I suppose.
Night, Mike."

Ishmael falls asleep.

You page, "Glaaah.  I get a suspicion Hummingbird was the Other
Compulsion, now." to Kima.

You page, "(if only Corrine and Hiko had been able to talk!  Arrrgh!)" to
Kima.

Kima pages, "I'd been getting danger sense warnings that Corrine was
sizing me up for an attack, but I thought it was because she was worried
that Juri was gonna stab the squid and was preparing to stop her if she
tried it." to you.

You page, "Glah. *sigh* At least it doesn't seme to be an Uber Fata
wound." to Kima.

You page, "I hope." to Kima.

You page, "And we did get directions out. *pause* Hoping they were right,
that is." to Kima.

Kima pages, "Well, if you can raise Tess, she can get us out and patch
Juri up good.  However, I suspect you won't be able to." to you.

You page, "Of course not.  That'd be too EASY. -_-;" to Kima.

You page, "Watch as Corrine GUILT(tm)s!" to Kima.

Kima pages, "She seems to be good at that." to you.

You page, "Well, hey, she feels responsible.  She'll need Juri to bring
her out of it. *wry look*" to Kima.

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Ahwell.  That leaves us.  Later?"

Juri of Avalon says, "Later."