Viper looks over at Chandra as she nods and briskly moves over to him to assist with the terminal "Got it, i'll see what I can do"
January is at the ready with the Portals, having three set up. Tsukuyomi is over by one of the walls. Perhaps it's a door? Rebecca is outside of Shambling Heap and Flower Wolf's cells and ready to rescue them. Luna and Hinata are still by Viper and Chandra.
Spider hears in her mind, Ready to break through Spark's mana? :)
Wrinkling her nose at the scent. Spider responds, "absolutely."
heck yeah! :) We're basically on restraint removal duty, so as soon as a cell opens up, we should get on that! :)
Patrice pulls out her golden revolver. She imagines the forcefield dissipating into thin air, as she shoots the Wish Giver's cell.
[Shooting the forcefield works perfectly! Wish Giver's cell is OPEN! Inside, now that you can more clearly, the man looks oddly like Santa Claus. He even dons the red velvet suit and trousers, and his beard is rather long. He appears to be handcuffed to the bench he's sitting on, but past that, he seems fully unharmed. The scent of Stardust is much stronger in this room, but it doesn't seem to affect Luna or Hinata at all. Tsukuyomi runs in to remove his cuffs. She seems to be having some issues with it, however. January stands at the ready to portal him back to his home. She calls out to the group asking, "can someone help me remove his cuffs? Please?"]
At the terminal, Viper sees the following: NEED TWO KEYCARDS TO TURN OFF STARDUST AGENT. PLEASE INSERT YOUR KEYS NOW.
[ONE CELL IS OPEN. ZERO COLS RELEASED. THE SPEECH CONTINUES.]
Patrice moves down the line. Again imagining the forcefield dissipating into thin air, she shoots at the Squeaky Fiend's cell.
[It opens! Squeaky Fiend is still asleep, but it doesn't seem to have any restraints on it. Oddly, it seems your gun is still at full ammo. 18 cells to go!]
Viper quickly pulls out her badge and inserts it into the terminal without a second thought. Chandra, at the exact same time, inserts his.
[With a high-pitched ding!, the terminal says in a robotic voice, "Stardust Agent disabled." Everyone in the room hears the vents begin to 'vacuum' up all of the stardust in the air. Soon the scent fully dissipates and the two Creastures of Legend that are currently freed, Wish Giver and Squeaky Fiend, open their eyes!]
Patrice walks down the line to Freeze Ursa's cell. She shoots the forcefield, imagining it to shatter like glass.
[Freeze Ursa, and its lack of restraints, is freed! The moment the cell is opened, a blizzard erupts in the CLCCC covering much of the armory in snow and ice. A strong head wind blows. With quick thinking, especially considering the CLCCC was already beginning to look like a winter wonderland the moment the cell was opened, January casts his first Portable Portal on it and sends Callisto to The Outskirts.]
[THREE CELLS OPEN, ONE CoL freed, 17 CELLS and 19 CoLs TO GO! Keep it up!]
aJanuary wipes his brow, "Phew! That was close. Being in close proximity to Callisto is dangerous."
Chandra cheers on Patrice, "Good job Patrice! Keep it up. I'll see what else I can figure out from here."
Luna and Hinata are working on Oloric's restraints.
Eyeing the door labeled 'Firestarter' wearily, Spider decides to go with Dust Devil first, attempting to open the door.
[Unlike the other cells that have an Anti-Magic forcefield covering them, this one and the two beside it have a normal-seeming padlock connected to them except for the fact that there are no keyholes. If you check the other two cells, two familiar names are included. Moonsetter and Sunriser. Both of these are fully open and don’t seem to have been used.]
I might be able to get us in there if you want to try :) Error says directly to Spider's mind.
[With Wish Giver freed from his binds and Squeaky Fiend freed, January leads both into the same Portal from before and sends them into the Outskirts! Oloric pats January on the back before leaving. “Thank you.”]
[17 cells left. 17 CoLs left!]
Patrice gives a thumbs up, before moving to the next cell along and shooting it, imagining the forcefield collapsing like a poorly-supported wall and disappearing into thin air.
[It works! The Shambling Heap is freed. The moment the cell is opened, a slow moving ball of muck that’s covered in green moss makes it way out. Rebecca nods to Patrice and intercepts the Creature. It tramples all over Rebecca as if giving it a very full-body hug. In fact, Shambling Heap is so strong that Rebecca is now incorporated into its sludge and moss.]
Patrice nods back. She moves on to the next cell and shoots it, imagining the bullet putting a hole in the forcefield, the cracks spiderwebbing from said hole, and the whole thing shattering like glass.
Ears curling back as she shoots a disgusted glare at the two mentioned cells, Spider nods in response to Error.
[Error glows white and a beam erupts from its blade. After a couple minutes, a new glitched entrance opens up in the otherwise completely sealed door.] "Hah! See? It's that easy! :) If you need to get out, do the exact same thing you just did. Just point me at the door :)"
"You're just showing off now." Spider smiles as she steps through the glitch and into the room
"Nah, this is just how my magic works. It causes glitches in real time. In fact, I could show you how to use it sometime if you want. :) Besides, this isn’t the first time I used this power. :) ”
[Before Spider stands, or more accurately, swirls a raging tornado made of some kind of golden dust behind a thick glass pane. Despite its normal amorphous nature, as it seems to react to both Spider and Error, a vague feminine shape forms in the storm. It doesn't seem to be able to speak, but somehow, Error recognizes her.]
“Auryn, what did they do to you? How did they even capture you!? Spider, we need to release her! See if you can find a release button in the room.”
[The cell unlocks! Inside it is a currently sleeping 8ft tall spider. According to the plaque above the cell, this one is called NIGHTMARE WEAVER.]
Luna pops her head into the room and just looks so incredibly confused, reacting, "How the FUCK did they get HIM???" Hinata is just as confused and wonders, "Wait, if they got Anan, do you think Nautilus is here too?"
Chandra calls over to Viper, "Hey, I need you to see this Viper! I think I figured something out." Viper looks over at Chandra after watching the creatures get freed, unsure of how to help as she heads over to him, "What did you find out?" she seems awestruck at the pure amount of creatures. Chandra shows Viper a new screen on the terminal, one that seems to house twenty unlabeled but numbered ON/OFF switches. All of them are currently switched to the ON position in a 5 x 4 grid, 5 per row, 4 rows. "I've been trying to work with the Context Sensitive Menu and it finally gave me a response. I asked it for an 'emergency shutoff option' and it brought me to this screen. Viper, do you want to try and see if you can find the right switch? Out of everyone here, I believe you can do this. I highly doubt any of these will cause any harm to us."
Patrice moves to the next room. Imagining the forcefield to crumble like dust and blow away like dust in the wind, she shoots it.
In Dust Devil’s room, Spider glances around looking for the release switch. [With just the naked eye, you don't see anything resembling a switch. Maybe you need to 'scan' the room further?]
[The Cell belonging to SPECTRAL ILLUSION disintegrates! A small, 3ft tall baby dragon covered in black and white scales trots out of the cage. When it does, anything within 10 ft spherical radius is enveloped in a sphere of darkness.]
Grumbling in frustration Spider eyes the CoL for a minute before turning to Error, "help me out here?"
"With pleasure, my friend. :)" [A brilliant red ray of light shoots out of my tip and scans the whole room. Spider, you see near the left side of the glass pane, a now illuminated gold button underneath some glass. It appears it was camouflaged within the sheer whiteness of the room as a whole.] "I colored it gold for Auryn :) She's basically alchemy after all. :)"
[January notices Spectra leave the cell and snipes it with a Portal to the Outskirts. With a shrieking though oddly happy(?) cry, it disappears.]
[5 COLS LIBERATED! Keep going!!]
Luna is staying next to Anan, the massive spider Patrice freed previously while trying to wake it up. Hinata is over by the Firestarter door trying to look for another entrance.
Spider chuckles and walks up to the button then attempts to lift the glass up and press it.
[The glass lifts up and Spider is enveloped in Auryn's whirlwind. It doesn't hurt Spider or Error at all, however. In fact, Auryn's vague femme form is more obvious. In Spider's mind, she hears a deep alto saying, "Thank you for releasing me. Allow me to repay the favour." From where the entrance is, she's able to blast through it, and then at the next one over, where Firestarter should be, another loud sound is heard on the door. You hear Hinata yelp.]
Viper stares at the panel of switches, absolutely DUMBFOUNDED that she was chosen out of anyone to do this, she turns the first switch in the first row to the off position and looks around to see what it does
[That switch opens up another cell, one belonging to FLOWER WOLF. Rebecca goes to intercept as it walks out. You see a large white wolf absolutely covered in lavender Lupine flowers. Rebecca gives her a thumbs up and goes to intercept.] Chandra calls over to Viper, "Good job! Keep going!"
[All released Creatures have been sent to the Outskirts!]
Viper nods as she stares at the panel then looks over at Chandra and calls out "How many can we handle at once?!"
Spider steps out of Auryn's cell and glances around to take in the situation and see where they can help. As soon as Spider steps out, she notices Hinata peering into another massive cell, this one belonging to FIRESTARTER. "Was that Auryn?" Hinata asks. "She just ripped a hole into this cell before splitting. Wanna go get The Flamebearer out with me?"
Luna is working on something with Chandra and Phoebe. January looks like he's having a lot of fun slinging portals at the Creatures. Chandra responds, "Hey January, you good to get more out?" January nods, "I've not felt this good in years! Yes, I can handle two at a time right now!"
[You notice he has 5 more portals swinging around him. Whenever a new creature escapes, he tosses one to the new Creature which places them safely into The Outskirts, their shared home.]
Staring at the hole Spider debates the offer for a second eventually the wrongness of letting Hinata walk into that situation alone wins out against her own feelings on the matter and so spider starts walking into the cell responding with a, "it was."
Viper flicks the next two switches in the same row, glancing around again to take note of which ones she's releasing
[When Spider and Hinata enter, they see what looks like a completely waterlogged massive bird behind yet another glass pane, much like in Auryn's room. Hinata looks like she's on the verge of tears upon seeing the sad state The Flamebearer is in. You also see tight clasps holding down its wings and a vent on the ceiling where its orange aura is draining. You must find a way to release The Flamebearer.]
[Viper releases two more doors, one much larger than the other. The smaller door belongs to a strange purple and black jester holding a marionette's control. The other much larger one, and one immediately apparent to Luna, belongs to DREAM EATER, aka Luna's pet flying whale. It seems to be floating rather slowly, but upon seeing it float out, Luna runs over and hugs it. It's like a mouse hugging a much larger cat, the sheer size difference is staggering.] "NAUTILUS! I'VE MISSED YOU!!" Shouts Luna. It responds with a soft coo, seemingly recognizing its friend. If it had longer arms capable of embrace, Nautilus would be hugging Luna back.
[There are 5 unopened cells remaining. Nearly every Creature of Legend has been liberated from the CLCCC. The Endgame begins NOW! Flower Wolf has been released into The Outskirts.]
Patrice walks to the next unopened cell, and shoots it, the forcefield fizzling out of existence in her mind.
[The forcefield is just gone, fizzled without a trace! It's empty! The plaque above it calls it "HYPERNOVA" ...wait.]
Patrice stares at the plaque. Then at the empty cell. Then at the plaque again. "There are... so many questions this just brings up. I'm just... gonna file it away for now, and revisit it later."
[The cell isn't completely empty. You notice a chair, a small bed, and what seems like some kind of monitor inside of it. 4 Unopened Cells Remain. 6 Creatures to Liberate. You all hear the speech begin to reach its final stage. You notice that Spark's voice is much more tired than before especially compared to when he started. It's no longer filled with original childlike excitement and thrill but rather just very done. The crowd seems confused about what's happening. On the bright side, the city is still called Capital City. It seems that original plan to bring Nova City back from the dead died with Spark’s happiness.]
Luna calls to January, "Hey, you can take Nautilus back. I'll find her later." January nods and sends both Pietro and Nautilus to the Outskirts.
[4 creatures remain!]
Viper smiles at the reunion as she flicks another two switches, switching rows to the second one with the second switch
[Two more cells open! When the FULGUREX door opens, a lightning bolt shoots out of it and crashes into the opposite wall. January quickly sends that to The Outskirts before it causes any more damage. That wall is now got a permanent lightning scar on it. If someone was standing there, they would’ve been toast. Literally.]
[THREE CREATURES REMAIN!!]
"Fuck that was close. If Fulgurex had gotten out, we could've been toast." January wipes his brow from the sudden STORM DRAGON jumpscare.
[PHRASE STEALER!]
[The second cell that opens belongs to a strange sleeping Griffon, a creature that's half lion and half eagle. Above its door is the name "WIND RIDER."]
Regardless of its current status, January also sends it into the Outskirts. "Now the skies can be protected once more. When it wakes up anyway."
[TWO CREATURES REMAIN!!]
Patrice goes to the next unopened cell and shoots it, imagining the forcefield parting ways like a set of curtains, letting whatever inside go free.
[Much like a curtain falling on the act, the forcefield opens up to another empty cell. This one, according to the plaque above it, belongs to IFRIT. Considering the room inside is basically a massive lava puddle, it must be some kind of fire creature. The heat coming from the room does not affect anyone or anything outside of it. Patrice and Viper both notice that there are only two doors remaining. One that Spider and Hinata entered previously belonging to FIRESTARTER and one last one in the very end of the armory. The final room does not have an ANTI-MAGIC FORCEFIELD.]
Luna is currently stretching in case of combat. Chandra and Tsukuyomi are chanting to themselves for similar reasons. Rebecca is wiping her clothes off from her encounter with SHAMBLING HEAP. January is ready with portals for the final two targets.
Patrice approaches the door at the end of the armoury, golden revolver in hand. She stands just off to the side, waiting for it to open. While waiting, she glances up to see if there's a plaque above the door.
[It is the room of SCREAM'S ARIA]
Viper watches intently from where she stands, stretching her arms then shaking them out as she calls out "Ready when you guys are!"
Knowing the drill by now Spider does her best to ignore the sorry state of the CoL and instead uses Error to scan the room.
[This time, you don't need to do that. With your naked eye, Spider, you see three gold-dust covered glass-encased buttons with small indentations on each. They're all on different sides of the room. One is directly left of the case, another is directly right, and the other is next to the entrance. The indentations have a water symbol, another has what looks like two circles intersected like a Venn diagram, and the other has "open" written on it. Hinata does not see these. ]
Error mentions to Spider, "Don't thank me, that was all Auryn's idea. :)"
As she approaches the water button Spider glances at Hinata curiously before responding to Error, "Im surprised you didn't come up with it sooner."
"I couldn't have. I don't have Auryn's magic. :) Oh and don't mind Hinata. This is a combination of mine and Auryn's power. :) Because you're holding me, you can see the change."
Hinata is inspecting the wall and not seeing how to break through. "Spider? Do you see any way to release it?"
"you could say that." With a quick nod to Error, Spider chuckles quietly to herself as she lifts the glass on the water button and presses it
[The water spraying on The Flamebearer ceases. Almost immediately, you begin to notice its greyed feathers begin to return to its normal red, orange, and vermilion plumage. It is still unable to move due to the bindings on its wings, nor can it escape due to the glass blocking its way out.]
Hinata is in genuine awe. "I don't know what you did, but keep it up Spider! It sounds like this is the second to last target as well."
Spider then moves over to the button for the glass and presses it.
[The glass opens. The Flamebearer is no longer soggy but its wings are still trapped. It screeches from both pain and being unable to move. Hinata is finally able to spot the final button with the two interconnected rings and presses it, releasing the cuffs. The Flamebearer is FREED. Tripping a little bit, the Flamebearer stares at Spider and Hinata before traipsing its way towards the door. Because the hole is too small for it to escape from, instead of waiting for someone to open, it breathes an intense flame blast at the door busting it off its hinges. With a loud crash and an echo, the Flamebearer looks at the party with what could be considered a smile, though with its stoic face, it's unlikely to be perceived that way. January throws a portal at it and The Flamebearer, the proud phoenix of rebirth, disappears.]
[ONE CREATURE REMAINS.]
[Where the Flamebearer was, a couple still red, orange, and vermilion feathers are left behind.]
Hinata walks out of the cell with a relieved sigh.
Intrigued by this, Spider walks over to the feathers and picks one up saying to Error, "does it usually drop feathers?"
"It's very atypical. Usually, Flamebearer Feathers are only given to those as gifts. They have some certain... quirks to them, shall we say? Technically, they *can* be used as Soul Shards."
"can be?" Spider questions as she exits the cell carefully holding the feathers they picked up and Error of course.
"Yes, *can* be. For a Soul Shard, it's one of the more limited ones, only granting the user a fire attack once per hour and the ability to see Magical Residue, i.e. 'fingerprints but magical'. You lucked out in getting me. :)"
[When Spider returns out into the armory, music begins to play in the area. It's very very muffled and seems to be coming from that door where Patrice is standing nearby. On Viper's screen, she notices one switch glowing purple, as if begging her to switch it on. Nineteen of the Twenty CREATURES OF LEGEND are freed. What will you do?]
Luna is straining to hear the music. Even for her incredible hearing, it's a struggle to hear. "What... is that?" Hinata shrugs, "It's... uhh...? Where is that coming from??" Chandra finally notices the plaque above the final door and gulps. "Oh-- ah... that's. I-- wha?" He seems very confused about this revelation, the music not helping. January notes, "I have one Portable Portal left for the final Creature. I'm ready to free it if you are Viper."
Viper stares at the switch as her finger slowly moves over to it, hovering over it as she looks around for where the creature is
[The Creature is still behind the final door at the very front of the CLCCC.]
Patrice holds her non-holding hand up. "Just waiting for the door to open."
[The name found on the Plaque above the Final Door is oddly familiar to Spider, almost like she's seen the name SCREAM'S ARIA before.]
Viper takes a deep uneasy breath as she flicks the switch to the off position as she calls out "Door opening!"
Patrice gives a thumbs-up, then readies herself.
Spider's ears flick as she strains to hear the tune, though as she reads the familiar name on the door her grip tightens on Error. Something doesn't feel right here.