15[20:29] "What's the plan?" she murmurs. "Frontal charge?" [20:30] 4Piu: "Up to our brave expedition leader, Tepet Zhangyu! But frontal charge is what we usually go with." [20:31] 6He shrugs. "Hasn't failed us yet." [20:32] 07Dryas: "Hold its tail where I can strike it, and I'll pierce its second brain. Your daiklave should make short work of the first." [20:32] 10Daizo: "I'm the one equipped for a frontal charge here. I'll keep it busy pounding its carapace in while Dryas aims for the 'second brain' in the tail." [20:33] 07Dryas nods enthusiastically. "Tally-ho," 07she whispers. [20:34] 10Daizo: "Cousin here is the one with the greatest grip strength. To you goes the honor of holding it in place. Heh." [20:36] 4Instead of hopping around, Piu cinches her wrapped bare feet down on the stone floor, almost gripping it with her toes, letting the echoes of the stone wash over her. She's been learning patience, and how to read the earth. 15[20:39] Warriors advance! The prismatic array of their animas throws many-colored lights on the chamber, whose features are long-since buried in silk and pooled molten mold. The creature doesn't move until they cross the threshold, dragging itself out of the shadowed rear of the chamber. The scraping sound of its sharp, heavy limbs on the stone echoes throughout the chamber, and its lidless 15[20:39] eyes shine red. 15[20:46] Piu has the initiative... and cedes it ever-so-briefly to the monster, who rears back on four of its eight legs to reveal a pulsing abdomen that bursts luridly forth with dozens upon dozens of dog-sized mites, slick with fluid all the colors of the mold above. [20:48] 4Ew! Ack! Should've hit it! [20:51] 10Daizo: "Wonderful. We'll have to squash them all now." [20:52] 4That said...patience. Piu calmly moves through the little shits, slapping them aside when necessary and otherwise ignoring them as she moves forward. [20:57] 4With a shout she launches herself forward and delivers a mighty kick -- and at some point, she wrapped the Chain around her striking foot, gouging into the creature's admittedly stone-like hide. Probably didn't cause all that much damage...but the scrapper from Pasiap's stair bursts into flame and steam as her anima fully unveils itself. She grins as she lands, seamlessly transferring [20:57] 4the moonsilver garrote back up to her hand. 15[20:58] All the other lights are overwhelmed by the white-green flames of Piu's anima. [21:12] 07Dryas pulls and releases - the creature twists momentarily to avoid one of her arrows finding one of its glowing, ruby-red eyes, placing it in a slightly less advantageous position. [21:18] 10Daizo charges in, bringing the hammer down—quite literally, a whirling overhand smash aimed right at Graffias' glowing red eyes. And… his blow is completely deflected by its armor plating.  15[21:27] Piu's anima engulfs the arena, with foreign fire and torrents of steam making it oppressive for any creature not heavily armored or of the elements. Which is to say, the silk lining the walls begins to smoke and burn, and some of the mites catch fire as well, burning lurid colors and sizzling audibly. [21:27] 4As she lands, Piu hops up in the air, curls inwards, and shouts as her weird-flame anima burns out from her in a blast of steam -- coalescing into aetherial, hot, glistening tendrils of water that surround her body and hold her in the air, eyes glowing white with power. This is a form more suited to this combat. [21:39] 07Dryas draws and fires again - the arrow bounces off the creature's armored hide! [21:54] 10Daizo bellows a kiai at Graffias, bringing force to bear that he knows will crush a boulder into so many pebbles.  [21:54] 4When the mites come for her this time, Piu simply keeps the water moving, spitting them back out -- boiling them as she does so. 15[21:55] The chamber trembles under the combined elemental might of five dragons! Literally - as mites begin to pop like acrid balloons from the combination of heat, thorns, and shuddering earth, rocks begin to fall from the dark vaulted ceiling of the chamber...! [21:59] 10Daizo: "Gah! Keep your eyes peeled!" 10He's lost the concentration required to feel the surrounding area in detail. 15[22:08] Piu's attack thuds against Graffias's carapace... and splits it open! For a moment it seems as if Piu has kicked clean through the monster's shell, but the light of five bonfires makes plain that the creature's chitinous hide is made of a series of pulsing, interlocking plates, and Graffias seems to swell up, from its wildly-rolling eyes, to its massive claws, to its tail, whose tip 15[22:08] irises open to reveal a huge ninth eye. [22:09] 4Ah! Fuck [22:10] 07That should be much easier to hit! [22:12] 10There's no shortcut to gains, you disgusting vermin.  [22:32] 4When the tail takes a swipe at her, Piu's white-burning arm drives up to block it -- and the tail bounces up and past her, leaving her unscathed by either the length of the limb or whatever gross crap that...tail...eye?...had planned for her. [22:37] 10Daizo's face goes incandescent with fury as Graffias swipes at the figure of the Empress. He smashes its claw down to the cavern floor, and for the first time feels a satisfying 10crack. [22:52] 4Oh hell yeah. Big boys coming through. [22:55] 10In fact, it feels so satisfying that he does it again. And again. Wham. Wham. Wham. Have you ever seen a jade obelisk weighing in excess of 100 ponze moving at supersonic speed? You have now. The cavern, already filled with flames, steam, tectonic rumbling, and the shrieks of dying mites shakes with cracks of thunder.  [23:06] 07As the Tepets beat Graffias into submission, the corner on Dryas' lip curls upwards ever so slightly. She ignores the swarm of mites biting at her calves, plants her feet and - with incredible speed and precision, draws and fires. The first lands at the lid, holding it open - the second finds its way into the wide-open iris. The third splits the second arrow and drives deep into the horrific eye, sending ichor spraying [23:06] 07 across the vault as the tail spasms. [23:12] 4And as it does, Piu and the Empress dart in to follow up. [23:25] 10More debris shakes loose from the cavern ceiling high above and a good-sized hunk of rock strikes Daizo—then crumbles to gravel a moment later. That's going to leave a mark for a couple hours. [23:27] 07The mites inflict their vengeance on Dryas, slashing her legs viciously. She wobbles for a moment before regarding the filthy insects with murderous intent. [23:29] 4They cut at Piu, but then they burn. [23:33] 6Zhangyu hasn't been been able to really sink his strikes into anything, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. It's been simply too big for most of his deadliest attacks... and then, an opening. He launches himself at it, then immediately sets on a series of rapid blows too fast to follow, hitting with every limb but never releasing, until the creature is visibly dead. He'll kick it one more time for good measure. 15[23:34] Zhangyu is covered in a slimy gray paste as he literally walks through the massive creature, tearing it apart as he goes. [23:35] 4Piu steps back from the utter barrage -- finally, Tepet Zhangyu gets a chance to be the killer he is, no apologies, no remorse -- 14and she raises her white-burning left hand, the True Rune of Life and Death pulsing...and lines of power running out from it, to her thumb, to her middle finger. [23:35] 14She brings them together, and snaps. [23:36] 14All the mites die. [23:36] 10Daizo: "I see it lives up to its name." [23:37] 14Piu: "They're just bugs." [23:37] "It has more to prove." [23:38] 07Dryas: "We'll have to get a kintsugi expert to fix the shell for the wardroom. But get the Jadeborn down!" [23:39] 4Piu: "That's for you and me to do, Dryas! Earthquake crew should skedaddle out of the caves." 15[23:39] The erstwhile arena, strewn with debris from the falling ceiling and the flame-shredded webs, still awaits the rescuers... but a few of the Jadeborn have already fallen, their yellow jade shells cracked and oozing. But they're all alive. [23:40] 10Daizo: "A wise idea. We'll find someplace a little more stable until our blood calms." [23:40] 07Dryas does her best to help the hapless minions out of danger. [23:40] 6Zhangyu just nods, satisfied, and exits best he can. 15[23:41] Xia Lan, whose anima shines out and throws cracks on the ground like sun-baked red clay hardpan, didn't hear about the plan. She's running straight up the wall, stone shuddering beneath her feet with every step. [23:41] 4That's our Empress! Piu will follow her up. 15[23:43] Between the two of them, they can easily get the last of the webbed-up Jadeborn down to join their fellows. 15[23:44] Soon everyone is outside the chamber, surrounded only by the choking dust exuded as it collapses in on itself entirely. [23:45] 4When they're done: "So, your Highness, next thing to deal with is...you." [23:45] "I'd respectfully request that until we've at least briefed the commodore, you cover your face and go by a war-name." 15[23:45] When the dust settles, the Jadeborn - from the lucky one who was never captured, to the safely rescued, to the ones who took a nasty fall, are organized in a neat 4x4 grid, facing Xia Lan, their skinny little arms folded in a peculiar salute, criss-crossed over their chests and bent back at the wrists, forming a rough diamond shape in the blank space between them. [23:46] "Because we've made a lot of noise! And our compatriots are gonna come running at some point." [23:46] 10Daizo: "Look at them. Little troopers." 15[23:46] Complex emotions play across the Empress's face as she stares at them and responds to Piu. "...I think that's wise. What's our cover story?" 15[23:46] "Didst thou- did you just find someone?" [23:47] 4Piu glances around the hearth. "You're an adventurer far from home; you don't even really speak our language and we're taking you on board to question you. We can claim state secrets pretty easy." [23:48] "We've picked up enough people just tootling around the archipelago so far that this won't seem out of place." 15[23:48] Xia Lan nods, drawing the hood of her jacket around her face and hair like a cowl. [23:49] 10Daizo: "There's a certain irony in asking Her Highness to pose as an outcaste, but in the circumstances there are few other sstories that would make sense." [23:50] 4She turns to the Jadeborn. "So what can we do for these lil guys?" 15[23:50] A cacophony of voices rises in response: [23:51] 4Weirdos! 15[23:51] Xia Lan: 15[23:51] A chorus of affirmatives. [23:51] 4Oh this is gonna be a thing. 15[23:52] Xia Lan: [23:52] 4Whew. 15[23:52] [23:53] 10Aww! 15[23:53] Turning to the others: "Let us away as swiftly as possible. If I ever see this place again 'twill be too soon." [23:53] 10This is half a cute-aww and half an aww-I-don't-get-another-cool-thing-to-study aww. [23:54] "What did they recover from that vault?" 07Dryas wonders. [23:54] 4Piu: "As you say! So what's your name gonna be while undercover, your Highness?" 15[23:54] Xia Lan: "Garnet." [23:55] 4Piu grins. "Garnet it is. Let's blow this joint." 15[23:56] The trip upstairs is arduous but uneventful. Already the mold seems to have begun to melt, and stairs are slick with the acrid fluid but easily evaded as the five of them help each other out. [23:57] 10Daizo: "I only hope our next port of call will have an opportunity for a hot bath." 15[23:58] Outside, the air is clear and sweet and cold. Chief Samperson is visible outside the ship, with one of the Cathak twins and every battle-capable sailor, as well as Sadako. 15[23:58] Caedus seems *very* relieved to see Piu. 15[23:59] Whichever Cathak twin that is doesn't even look up. 15[00:01] NEXT TIME: Groaning for Burial [00:01] 07Dryas has the glass box on one hip and one of the creature's enormous claws draped about her shoulder. She hails her shipmates.