[ Belial's smile grows tight, growing slightly more agitated as the voice sounds again. His mortal senses are so dull he wonders what the point of them is at all, unable to pinpoint where it's coming from or to sense what awaits them downstairs.
Throwing up his hands, he shrugs as they start to trudge down the hall and the stairs. Nothing that he sees there causes him to relax any, wandering over to one of the windows to tap it helplessly. ]
I wonder if these will cave under a little show of strength as easily as the ice upstairs?
[As long as someone else is going first in case there are any traps, she’s good. She starts down the stairs, looking curiously at the change in scenery as they go. She doesn’t look too concerned before she hears the sound, and then she’s readying her weapon again, looking in the direction of the noise and trying to tell if it’s approaching. To Lan Xichen:]
Ah, you were right! It seems we have company. [And then, in the direction the footsteps were coming from:] Will you show yourself now, mystery person?
[ i'm glad that endorsi just lets mugen find the potential traps with his face
the voice doesn't scare him, but the sound of... footsteps? puts him on guard. he's got his sword out, readying it, and readying himself, dropping a bit low. he doesn't say anything for now, waiting. ]
I see. I still can't control everything in this place. But you'll be able to handle it.
[There are no traps! And when Belial taps the windows, he'll find that the picture disappears beneath his fingertips, but otherwise the windows don't break. The windows are actually more like television screens. As the others get down towards where Mugen went, the sound of glass gets closer.
Out of the shadows steps some sort of large white insect, apparently made of glass. It's feet go plink plink plink on the ground as it scuttles right towards Mugen. With a hiss, it rears up on its hind legs and tries to bite at him.]
This one is weak. Your weapons will be able to defeat it. Do so quickly, before any others discover you're here.
[ this voice is not very convincing, or helpful, but at least xichen knows 1) he doesn't want anyone to die and 2) how to kill beasts. with it reared up like this, xichen runs as quickly as he can under the spider's belly to cut the hind legs at the joints to ruin it's attack and leave it immobilized, and then getting out behind as to not get squashed. ]
[She looks so excited? Even after Xichen goes for the insect's legs, there's a broad grin on her face before she's trying to stab her needle straight through this thing's abdomen, aiming downwards once she's close enough.]
Ah, but to think it was a weak one after I've waited so long... You can try harder! I'll paint the walls with their blood!
[If these things even bleed, since... glass. It's the thought that counts (?).]
Gimme a break, like I ain't been chomping at the bit to kick something's ass --
[ yes something to murder!! the insect leans forward to try and bite him and he immediately responds by stabbing his sword forward, right into this thing's - throat? does it have a throat, whatever.
teamwork! even belial. belial as the cheerleader. ]
[Xichen will realize, once he gets close to the insect, that it isn't glass it's made out of, but ice. The area around the insect is freezing cold - so cold that he'll find that as he gets close to it, his skin begins to burn from the proximity. He'll successfully cut away the hind joints, but as soon as the sword touches the joint, it becomes too cold to touch, and if his hand on the sword hilt is bare, his palms will be burned as though he just touched dry ice.
Other than that, he'll be able to pull away, but will be chilled to the bone and unable to feel warm.
Endorsi will encounter the same problem when she stabs it in the abdomen - her needle strikes, but will immediately become too cold to continue touching, and her hand will be burned if bare. As soon as she breaks open the abdomen, there's a sound like ice cracking on a cold river, and a blast of freezing cold water begins to flood the ground. Everyone (except Belial, smartly hiding to the side) gets their feet soaked with freezing water.
The insect doesn't have a throat, but Mugen will successfully be able to stab it in the head. Endorsi and Xichen's actions manage to prevent the thing from taking a bite out of him, but he'll still feel the jaw begin to clamp down on his arm right before he stabs it. His arm will come away frostbitten in the shape of the insect's mandibles. And again, his sword is now frozen to the touch and will burn his bare hand if he's holding it.
The body of the insect collapses and begins to crack into pieces of ice. But further away there are the sounds of other plinks of ice footsteps.]
Sorry, Endorsi. You'll need better weapons before you tackle the powerful ones. Come quickly. I'll explain everything about why you were brought to this mountain.
[Down the hall, past the corpse of the creature, a dim green light is shining. The circular screens on the walls light up with arrows pointing towards the light.]
Ah-- [ his palms are bare, which means his hand sure does get burned. he hisses as he shakes his hand out, again, wishing he had his powers so he could heal it. at least he's wearing good boots.
xichen also doesn't like that whatever this voice is knows their names and weaponry (if it knows endorsi, it must know all of them). he holds his sword in his other hand, trying not to aggravate the injury. ]
Come. [ again, xichen will urge everyone else forward first down the hall, and take up the rear, just in case. they can patch up injuries when they're somewhere safer. ]
[ The others do a good job of crushing the insect, though Belial's expression is grim as he watches the sheer freezing of the temperatures scald them. His head snaps to the side when it appears as though reinforcements are on the way, and for a moment it occurs to him that they might actually die playing this little game.
Best to keep as many pawns on the table as possible then. ]
Aren't we popular today?
[ The arrows are a little much, and there might be traps ahead, but it's better than fighting an ice army, so he doesn't wait to start running down the hall, boots against the water as he grabs Mugen on the way, pulling him up under his arm in case his injuries and lack shoes is slowing him down.
It is super annoying to actually have to listen to the disembodied voice though. ]
[She makes a noise of surprise at both the sudden burn and the wave of freezing water moving over her feet.]
Ah, my beautiful hand...
[As much as she would like to stay here and kill a few more of these things in retribution for the burn, she doesn't want to miss out on the promise of answers. Still, she doesn't want to head back without a weapon, so while she isn't excited to repeat the experience - she takes off her cloak and uses it as an extra layer to try and pick up her needle again. It leaves her colder, but it's better than being unarmed, she figures.]
[ mugen hisses sharply when the bug leaves a mark on him - is that frostbite, what the hell - but it only bothers him for a second. because what's more important is the fact that his sword is burning the shit out of him.
he drops it at first in the water out of shock, shaking his hand out, and then drops down to pick it up again. it still hurts to carry, so he likely burns his hand again, but he's not leaving it behind. with an annoyed sound he shoves it into the sheathe on his back - and is promptly scooped up by belial. ]
Hey! What is with you and picking me up, is this some kinda kink of yours -- [ be prepared for him to be a squirmy baby the whole time they run down this hall. he wants to fight the ice army! the hell!!
but he does let himself be carried off down the hall. he's very cold and hungry. and his feet are soaked. ]
[When Xichen picks up the sword with his other hand, he'll find it still burns to the touch, as will Mugen. They can try to keep holding onto the hilts with their other hands, but it will be hard to avoid dropping them when they're being burned. Either way, both of their palms will be burned now. Endorsi, on the other hand, will find that her method of wrapping her cloak around her needle helps with the cold. It's still chilly to touch but doesn't hurt like touching it directly did.
The plinking begins to grow closer as they head down the hallway, but the arrows continue to flash, pointing them through a circular door. In the room, on the other side of the door, they can make out a large screen with some sort of image on it.]
Good, good. I'm sure the four of you have been wondering how to get back to where you're from.
[ well shit. xichen tries not to react to the pain but palm wounds hurt man. the best he can do is use the very long and wide sleeves to his advantage and wrap it around the hilt to avoid the burns from getting worse.
xichen takes a look around the room to see if there's anything there besides the screen - signs of food, a bed, something that indicates a person would be here, rather than just a disembodied voice. ] Yes, but also who are you?
[ Shh, Mugen. Just let yourself be carried so that Belial can use you as a human shield or projectile as required.
Belial doesn't waste any time before slamming the door shut behind them with his foot (hopefully they all made it inside!), still keeping Mugen under his arm for safe keeping.
His attention is split between the screen and the voice, and keeping an ear out for whatever is gathering beyond the door. If they need to escape, it's the only way out though it won't do much good to walk into a swarm of ice. ]
[She follows after the others as soon as she has her weapon, heading through the door and squinting at whatever image is on the screen. When the voice addresses them all again, she sighs.]
I'm wondering much more than that, you know! I'll decide afterwards if your explanation is adequate.
[ mugen, who is being carried under belial's arm, is taking advantage of this to check over his wounds. his palm's burned to shit, but he thinks he can probably power through it if he has to, flexing it open and closed.
he looks up at the screen - and also around them, because he likes to know where his exits are. ]
[The room is empty, except for the large screen in the center, and what this crew of mostly ye oldes may or may not recognize as complicated computers around the walls.
In the center, the voice speaking to them appears as a hologram right in front of the screen - a computer rendering of what looks like the face of an old man with a beard.]
No, no. You aren't dead. Well, let's hope not, eh, Mugen? Welcome, friends. My name is Professor Klauseron. I've been waiting to meet all of you since your arrival.
[ he has seen the TV out in the lounge so he's not completely horrified by the amount of technology but he absolutely does not understand that this guy is a hologram. ]
What the hell. [ squirm, squirm. let go of hiiim, belial, ] So this ain't the afterlife.
Of course. I'll explain everything to you now. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long.
[The hologram doesn't change, but the screens on the other walls do. Images on those screens show various shots of the lodge, as though taken with hidden cameras.]
I've been keeping an eye on you since you've arrived. But I haven't been able to come meet you. I am nothing more than a computer, and I cannot leave this room. I can do nothing more than watch.
[The image on the screens on either side of Professor Klauseron flicker again now. The images now show computer renderings of several planets, represented in pink. Mini renderings of shapes meant to indicate humans appear on the planets. You can watch as they each, in turn, blink away and appear outside the rendering of a a house shaped like the lodge.]
Allow me to explain the circumstances of your arrivals here. Perhaps once you understand, I will be able to give you the tools you'll need to return.
[ the way this room changes so much across the screens leaves xichen feeling off kilter - he's never seen anything like this before and it's really rattling his mind. the fact that apparently they're being monitored is only like, the third weirdest thing here.
but since the professor is being incredibly long winded, he will take the chance to put his sword back in it's sheath and hope it warms up. ] Please explain the circumstances then.
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Throwing up his hands, he shrugs as they start to trudge down the hall and the stairs. Nothing that he sees there causes him to relax any, wandering over to one of the windows to tap it helplessly. ]
I wonder if these will cave under a little show of strength as easily as the ice upstairs?
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Ah, you were right! It seems we have company. [And then, in the direction the footsteps were coming from:] Will you show yourself now, mystery person?
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the voice doesn't scare him, but the sound of... footsteps? puts him on guard. he's got his sword out, readying it, and readying himself, dropping a bit low. he doesn't say anything for now, waiting. ]
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[There are no traps! And when Belial taps the windows, he'll find that the picture disappears beneath his fingertips, but otherwise the windows don't break. The windows are actually more like television screens. As the others get down towards where Mugen went, the sound of glass gets closer.
Out of the shadows steps some sort of large white insect, apparently made of glass. It's feet go plink plink plink on the ground as it scuttles right towards Mugen. With a hiss, it rears up on its hind legs and tries to bite at him.]
This one is weak. Your weapons will be able to defeat it. Do so quickly, before any others discover you're here.
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But he does offer an encouraging, ] Get'em tiger.
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[She looks so excited? Even after Xichen goes for the insect's legs, there's a broad grin on her face before she's trying to stab her needle straight through this thing's abdomen, aiming downwards once she's close enough.]
Ah, but to think it was a weak one after I've waited so long... You can try harder! I'll paint the walls with their blood!
[If these things even bleed, since... glass. It's the thought that counts (?).]
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[ yes something to murder!! the insect leans forward to try and bite him and he immediately responds by stabbing his sword forward, right into this thing's - throat? does it have a throat, whatever.
teamwork! even belial. belial as the cheerleader. ]
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Other than that, he'll be able to pull away, but will be chilled to the bone and unable to feel warm.
Endorsi will encounter the same problem when she stabs it in the abdomen - her needle strikes, but will immediately become too cold to continue touching, and her hand will be burned if bare. As soon as she breaks open the abdomen, there's a sound like ice cracking on a cold river, and a blast of freezing cold water begins to flood the ground. Everyone (except Belial, smartly hiding to the side) gets their feet soaked with freezing water.
The insect doesn't have a throat, but Mugen will successfully be able to stab it in the head. Endorsi and Xichen's actions manage to prevent the thing from taking a bite out of him, but he'll still feel the jaw begin to clamp down on his arm right before he stabs it. His arm will come away frostbitten in the shape of the insect's mandibles. And again, his sword is now frozen to the touch and will burn his bare hand if he's holding it.
The body of the insect collapses and begins to crack into pieces of ice. But further away there are the sounds of other plinks of ice footsteps.]
Sorry, Endorsi. You'll need better weapons before you tackle the powerful ones. Come quickly. I'll explain everything about why you were brought to this mountain.
[Down the hall, past the corpse of the creature, a dim green light is shining. The circular screens on the walls light up with arrows pointing towards the light.]
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xichen also doesn't like that whatever this voice is knows their names and weaponry (if it knows endorsi, it must know all of them). he holds his sword in his other hand, trying not to aggravate the injury. ]
Come. [ again, xichen will urge everyone else forward first down the hall, and take up the rear, just in case. they can patch up injuries when they're somewhere safer. ]
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Best to keep as many pawns on the table as possible then. ]
Aren't we popular today?
[ The arrows are a little much, and there might be traps ahead, but it's better than fighting an ice army, so he doesn't wait to start running down the hall, boots against the water as he grabs Mugen on the way, pulling him up under his arm in case his injuries and lack shoes is slowing him down.
It is super annoying to actually have to listen to the disembodied voice though. ]
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Ah, my beautiful hand...
[As much as she would like to stay here and kill a few more of these things in retribution for the burn, she doesn't want to miss out on the promise of answers. Still, she doesn't want to head back without a weapon, so while she isn't excited to repeat the experience - she takes off her cloak and uses it as an extra layer to try and pick up her needle again. It leaves her colder, but it's better than being unarmed, she figures.]
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he drops it at first in the water out of shock, shaking his hand out, and then drops down to pick it up again. it still hurts to carry, so he likely burns his hand again, but he's not leaving it behind. with an annoyed sound he shoves it into the sheathe on his back - and is promptly scooped up by belial. ]
Hey! What is with you and picking me up, is this some kinda kink of yours -- [ be prepared for him to be a squirmy baby the whole time they run down this hall. he wants to fight the ice army! the hell!!
but he does let himself be carried off down the hall. he's very cold and hungry. and his feet are soaked. ]
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The plinking begins to grow closer as they head down the hallway, but the arrows continue to flash, pointing them through a circular door. In the room, on the other side of the door, they can make out a large screen with some sort of image on it.]
Good, good. I'm sure the four of you have been wondering how to get back to where you're from.
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xichen takes a look around the room to see if there's anything there besides the screen - signs of food, a bed, something that indicates a person would be here, rather than just a disembodied voice. ] Yes, but also who are you?
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Belial doesn't waste any time before slamming the door shut behind them with his foot (hopefully they all made it inside!), still keeping Mugen under his arm for safe keeping.
His attention is split between the screen and the voice, and keeping an ear out for whatever is gathering beyond the door. If they need to escape, it's the only way out though it won't do much good to walk into a swarm of ice. ]
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I'm wondering much more than that, you know! I'll decide afterwards if your explanation is adequate.
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he looks up at the screen - and also around them, because he likes to know where his exits are. ]
I thought we were dead. [ he says dryly. ]
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In the center, the voice speaking to them appears as a hologram right in front of the screen - a computer rendering of what looks like the face of an old man with a beard.]
No, no. You aren't dead. Well, let's hope not, eh, Mugen? Welcome, friends. My name is Professor Klauseron. I've been waiting to meet all of you since your arrival.
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Please explain yourself, for why we're here and how you know of us.
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Anyway, Belial is also a ye olde but GBF has Gundams and spaceships so let's just say he's eyeing the computers with a vague sense of familiarity. ]
I can't help but notice you're only torso up. [ On account of just being a head. ] You must be quite enjoying watching us.
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You couldn't even meet us in person, hm? Well, get to it, then, you.
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What the hell. [ squirm, squirm. let go of hiiim, belial, ] So this ain't the afterlife.
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[The hologram doesn't change, but the screens on the other walls do. Images on those screens show various shots of the lodge, as though taken with hidden cameras.]
I've been keeping an eye on you since you've arrived. But I haven't been able to come meet you. I am nothing more than a computer, and I cannot leave this room. I can do nothing more than watch.
[The image on the screens on either side of Professor Klauseron flicker again now. The images now show computer renderings of several planets, represented in pink. Mini renderings of shapes meant to indicate humans appear on the planets. You can watch as they each, in turn, blink away and appear outside the rendering of a a house shaped like the lodge.]
Allow me to explain the circumstances of your arrivals here. Perhaps once you understand, I will be able to give you the tools you'll need to return.
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but since the professor is being incredibly long winded, he will take the chance to put his sword back in it's sheath and hope it warms up. ] Please explain the circumstances then.
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