MISSION # 4 - Third Floor Revisited

[lucetimods]

Who: Shikamaru (field leader), Tony Stark (hacker), Mia (healer), Tear (healer), Melaka, Sheik, Kazooie, Freyjadour, Caius, Joshua Bright, Jubei, and Leonhardt
What: MISSION # 4 - Third Floor Revisited
When: March 22nd to 23rd
Where: Abandoned Malnosso Facility
Summary: The site of a previous infiltration is revisited due to strange creature that now infests it.

Twelve volunteers had been selected this time, the largest group assembled for a mission yet. Specialist Davis didn't like it. Sure, the eggheads in management had told him that they didn't pick out anyone too powerful, but the situation was already pretty damn volatile. If these Lucetians decided to stage an escape, they'd be looking at one bloody battle to keep them in. Even if he personally didn't give a damn where they were. They'd probably be more useful on the outside, killing cultists full time.

The scientist staffed with them was still putting the finishing touches on the droids when the volunteers arrived. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed and turned around. Time to deal with the test subjects. Time to send them off to die, he figured. This is a suicide mission for anyone taking it, I don't care how good they're supposed to be.

It took him a minute to find the leader of the group, Shikamaru. He hadn't expected it to be some kid and initially started speaking to Tony Stark, before realizing his mistake. What was with all the animal people too?

"This is Research Building #56. Over a year and a half ago, volunteers from your Region Six- your enclosure, were tasked with an unauthorized infiltration of this building to weed out members of the organization that had been designated traitors by the previous administration. I'm not a politician and I'm not on an ethical committee. So I don't care about what went down then or why. What I do know is that I've lost three of my best teams trying to contain some hellish monster that your people were partly responsible for releasing."

That last portion probably pissed them off, he figured, but he wasn't apologetic and continued. "I know one of you has been in there before. Don't count on it doing much to save your asses. The creature originating from the third floor is now infesting every single level of the building. We have Shifts keeping it in, but the creature is adaptable. We estimate in three days, it will breech the barrier. Your group has forty-eight hours to get in and get out. That's assuming you do get out. No matter how tough or badass you all think you are, going in there cocky drops your chances of survival even lower than it already is."

That, he decided, was enough. He left further explanation to his staff. The scientist followed soon after, explaining that the droids would be accompanying them. He was quite enthusiastic about them and unusually fond of the robots, referring to them all by different pet names chosen by himself (such as 'Sparky' and 'Wires' and so on). He emphasized that they shouldn't be tampered with, urging them to remember the mission and that this was no time to try and steal technology. One final word of warning he imparted on them was to be wary of other droids in the facility. Some of them had been infected by the biological monster, which had apparently found a way to power them by its own life energy, which was more potent than the Shifting that powered the uninfected ones.

A lower ranked officer was the one to see them off. A little starstruck to be working with Lucetians, she hurriedly offered them back packs containing supplies they might need: canteens of water, energy bars, some rations, cutting tools, gas masks, and so on. Resisting the urge to want to reach out and touch Jubei, she smiled awkwardly and led them to a hover platform. (Those who have been on the farm would recognize these as being common there.) After taking the group to the top of the building, the point where they would enter, she saluted and waited for them to disembark. She did so sadly, since she wasn't sure they would actually survive.

---

The original layout of the building can be found here It's a ten story complex once used for a wide variety of purposes. The team will need to make their way down from the roof to the third floor, where the creature will be found. Specialist Davis has given them a special bomb to be planted in the heart of the creature. When detonated, it will drag everything in it back into that creature's home world. This is a place no one will want to go, no matter how much they may hate the place.

Each door requires an ID card to bypass. Although Tony was given an adapter card to swipe at each doorway, it will require determining the constantly fluctuating pass code to bypass. Attempting to destroy the doors will be dangerous, as they are heavily reinforced with an unknown variant of metal harder than titanium. They are more likely to bring the building down on them trying to breach it in that manner. The doors blocking stairwells will be even more tightly locked.

The creature grows in a plant like way, but seems to be composed of a mammal-like flesh. Large bulbous eyes grow out of it, making it aware of its surroundings. The team will be watched at all times, but it will only begin to become aggressive once they reach the seventh floor, unless they are openly hostile to it before then. One of the earlier threats will be large gaping mouths from the ceilings, walls, and floors. A putrid gas reeks from inside it, enough that it can paralyze anyone that happen to get a full dose of it. The teeth can stretch out to try and drag in its paralyzed prey. These teeth are razor sharp and nearly indestructible.

The lower they go, the more every surface will be covered in an oily flesh. Although soft, in some places it can be extremely difficult to penetrate. They may be required to burn it away in order to access door panels. One consistent threat they may face are zombie-like MSF soldiers. They resemble walking corpses (with decay already set in), but partially covered by the creature's flesh, with new eyes and mouths on different parts of the body. Those that are from the most recent mission (on floor 5) will still be in possession of semi-automatic machine guns, although their aim will be clumsy. The zombies are extremely strong and resilient, enough to match your average elite cultist.

Some infected droids may yet be encountered. Although their physical condition is rusted and looking beyond repair, they seem to be able to move anyway despite their deteriorated state. Although they have more power than their normal counterparts, the fleshy tentacles that keeps them locked in place are more fragile than their metal components and can be severed. The six droids accompanying them will be quick to destroy any of the remaining parts of the droids. This is just as well, as the parts are corrupted, rusted, and not even fit for scrap metal at this point.

Deeper below, large tentacles will sometimes pierce through the walls and doors (yes, even that harder than titanium stuff) and start openly attacking the group. At this point they will likely start losing some of the droids to the attacks and may suffer grave or fatal injuries themselves. The tentacles are lined with spikes and micro-quills that inject a quick and deadly poison into the system. Although the poison can be magically eradicated, the volunteers will need to ensure that there are no micro-quills still in the skin, as it will continue to inject poison into the victim otherwise.

On the third floor, the group will finally be near the heart of the creature. Zombified creatures that were once scientists and researchers will be present, now fully covered in the creature's flesh and stronger and faster than those on the previous floors. The tentacles will be more aggressive, the mouths hungrier, the entire area will only grow hotter due to their battle. As they draw in closer, they will begin to hear a loud 'thumping' that will increase in intensity, even causing the area to vibrate. This is because their target, at this point, is quite literally a giant heart, about seven meters tall and now crossing into the two floors below. The heart will pulsate and use the same techniques it had been previously to defend itself, but will otherwise be stationary. Although they can attempt to attack it using whatever means, it will regenerate from all damage in moments. They'll just need to cut it open long enough to plant the bomb inside it.

At that point, the group will need to set the timer to escape. It's still impossible to descend from the third floor, so they will have to go straight up as quickly as they can. The creature will be scrambling at that point and although hostile, less directed than before. The building, however, will be on the verge of collapse and may begin falling down on them in some parts. Speed will be the only thing that sees them to the other side.

If they succeed, Specialist Davis will have a hot meal and hot showers waiting for them, before sending them back to Luceti.




You can use this post for questions and plotting!

Comments

ROOF - EIGHTH FLOOR

[endgames]

[Definitely a suicide mission. Shikamaru had wondered that when he first saw the posting, but getting a rundown from the specialist out there all but confirmed it. Then again, that's why he volunteered, wasn't it? So someone else wouldn't have to deal with it.

After the officer leaves them on the roof, Shikamaru calls a pow-wow before they enter the building and outlining the plan. Due to the cramped quarters they'll be moving through, he divvies everyone up into teams with specific jobs.]

Keep in contact over the radios. Don't engage anything until it turns hostile. We'll make better time so long as things go smoothly.

[With that, he grabs his gas mask and adds some final words.] I'm responsible for all of your lives here. That is my real mission. So please cooperate with me, and with each other.

[And now, WE MOVE OUT]

[ooc: if you haven't seen it already, please go here. We added another plotting thread for how our characters fare with this.]

[makeitquick]

[Part 1

Okay so Melaka isn't really that used to wearing a lot of clothes for her fights. But she is here mostly because it seemed like everyone else was and it sounded like the inside of that one snake. That said, she's never worn a gas mask. She's sort of struggling to get it on right at the top floor.

- - -

Part 2

And once they get down into it, she's antsy from the lack of fighting on the first floor down despite the foreboding atmosphere. The result is that in her team she's more than willing to try to chat them up. Be it "hey boss" at Shikamaru, "hey you" at Frey, or "Stark" at Tony to kick things off]

[talontrot]

[Part 1 - Open to anybody?:]

[... Okay, so they were all right, being cocky wasn't entirely warranted on this mission.

But Kazooie is convinced that she and these other guys can pull through. She may not know any of them very well, and she's not used to working with so many others, but she's seen what the human-type guys of Luceti are often capable of. They're powerful. And there's that cat-guy as well; they're getting to adventure together after all.

She's ready for this, as much as she can be.

Shouldering her backpack (it feels strange to be wearing one instead of inside one), she prepares to head down into the mouth of hell.

... Okay, how do you get this stupid mask on? (Protip: when you have nostrils on top of your beak, right under your eyes, a gas mask looks especially silly. That might make for some unintentional comedic levity... Or maybe you just want to help her out with it.)

Also, if anybody wants to get the initial "just what the hell are you anyway" gawking out of the way... well, now's the time, before they do any intense fighting.]

[Part 2 - Mostly for teammates:]

[Kazooie doesn't entirely like this. Usually, when it's quiet and there aren't any enemies, it means a boss fight. Though she's become used to a world with no background music, it still gives her the creeps to go through such an area.

Of course, even despite the situation, Kazooie will still talk. And she'll try not to snark at her teammates too much, even if tensions are running high.

If she's not engrossed in the slow walk down into the building, she'll be craning her neck around, taking in all the disturbing sights the building has to offer. Not much worse than Clanker, if she's honest with herself. The eyes are a new thing, though.]

Man, talk about weird... and ugly. A face only a really dumb mother could love...

[Hopefully her muttering insults about the monster to herself isn't too distracting.]

Re: ROOF - EIGHTH FLOOR

[falenandawn]

Part one

[Freyjadour was eyeing the gasmask with a bit of wariness before they set out- breathing was important for combat, but how in the world was sticking this over your face suppose to help? He put it on after a moment, but he doesn't seem keen on it at all, even as they head through the eight floor.

As for how he's dressed... he's wearing more covering clothes then he used to, before his return home. The cloth and leather was light, but still strongly made to be protective.]

part two
[A firm believer in communication, Freyjadour will be attempting to speak to each member of the group he had been placed with before they actually enter any combat, all the while occasionally watching the disturbing eyes protruding from this fleshy.... thing, they had come to destroy. It was watching them, wasn't it....? It would be best to not aggravate it, before they had to.]

[eyesofremorse]

Part 1

[If there's one thing made very clear by the specialist's explanation, it's that this mission is every bit as dangerous as it sounded initially. Despite that, though, Joshua - clad in a long-sleeved variant of the outfit he wore during the last draft, albeit wearing gloves rather than bandages - doesn't seem to be particularly alarmed by the new information. If anything, he's oddly calm. And why wouldn't he be? High-risk missions are something he's used to, after all.

...The added risk of this thing potentially breaching the surrounding barrier if they fail is definitely something new, though. But that's just another incentive for them to try their best, right?

Once he finishes putting on his own gas mask, unless someone catches his attention or addresses him first, Joshua's only going to head over to the others in his team before they all head down to the next floor. He doesn't really want to spend more time up here than absolutely necessary, so he'll mostly refrain from starting conversations himself for now.]

---

Part 2

[Once they're actually progressing through the floors, there's a bit of a shift in Joshua's behavior: every so often, he'll look toward the bulbous eyes on their surroundings. The flesh covering everything is admittedly a bit strange, but it's those eyes that bother him, and rather noticeably at that. He really does not like the fact that they can't seem to avoid being watched by this creature so far. He's used to hiding from his targets, not being in plain sight, and his repeated glances toward the eyes to confirm if they're still tracking them likely makes it obvious that he's not all that happy about this, to say the least.]

Re: ROOF - EIGHTH FLOOR

[alloys]

[Part One]

[Shikamaru and Melaka are pretty much the only people he knows here. He has absolutely no frame of reference for knowing how well the rest of this team can do--they better be pretty damn competent, because this is not a task to be underestimated. He'd made that mistake on the last draft. He was lucky then. This time, he would be prepared. He would make sure this job got done right.

He's got the adapter card safely locked in a compartment in his armor. On the roof, he'll survey the group, trying to get an idea of who he's working with here. God, he hopes the Malnosso knew what they were doing when they picked this team. Teamwork isn't exactly his forte, and he doesn't want to pick up after someone. Literally or figuratively.]


[Part Two]

[And they're off. There's always a learning curve with hacking an unfamiliar system, so the first door panel takes him a little more time to get through than the rest on the eighth floor do. It's definitely unlike any system he's had to deal with before, but hacking is hacking--you get the concept behind a system, and it's only a matter of time before you figure things out.

He doesn't like this quiet, either. So, he wouldn't mind some conversation right now.]

[accepted]

Part 1

[Caius is understandably a little on edge, given the explanation of what was to come and dividing off into teams. This is so much more organised than some adventure to a new location back home. He's brought a coat with him to cover his arms, not that he's used to battling in anything long-sleeved, and he's fighting with his gas mask to get it on. He's never worn one before, those things are tricky to master!

They're even harder to master when you can turn into a wolf like thing. He transforms quickly just to see how his new attire adjusts with the size change and is annoyed to find the gas mask doesn't properly fit over his muzzle and he needs to alter it each time he changes forms. This might be a problem.]

Part 2

[The creepy eyes are more than a little unnerving and he needs to remind himself not to go and stab one right in the pupil to make it stop staring. He's checking on his team every now and then to make sure everyone is sticking together, either flashing them a thumbs up or quickly throwing out a 'you okay?' to make sure everything is fine.]

[eyesofstrength]

[Option A

After the pow-wow, Leonhardt will be using some of his support arts, most importantly, Earth Guard on himself. Anyone who wants a nice boost of being immune to whatever the next attack can have it as well. He will be especially insistent on Tear and Mia being protected by it. The less the two of them have to worry about dodging things, the more they can concentrate on healing.

Option B

If Leonhardt is bothered by the eyes or the lack of fighting, he's now showing it. He's definitely keeping a careful eye out for anything and already has one shadow out to help keep watch (and it will look exactly like him, gas mask and all). Sooner or later an extra set of eyes is going to be of help, so better to make sure he's ready. He's not being real chatty, but if anyone wants to talk, that's fine. Don't worry if you get the wrong one, at worst he's likely to get a nice chuckle from it.]

[frost_jewel]

[Mia doesn't mind at all being in the team in the back. First and foremost, it lets her see everyone. If someone does need her - and she was careful to tell them all that they could shout, if they needed healing, her abilities have some reach to them and if necessary there were ways to get closer - she'll be able to tell. The woman sharing her job also seemed extremely capable.

So why was she so unsettled?

The "first" floor didn't do a lot to calm her nerves, despite the apparent lack of danger. After all, the entrance to a lighthouse was rarely dangerous either.]

[catbro]

Option One

[Jubei doesn't care for the gas mask. He's been around seither - some of the most poisonous stuff anyone can ever inhale back home - for a large portion of his life. Something like noxious fumes can't have too great of an effect on him. Still, he puts it on and covers his head with his hood.

After he finishes up, he simply stays still and waits for Shikamaru to give the order. A sort of meditation if you would. He's barely even twitching and it may come off as eerie given his general appearance.]

Option B

[And they're off. Jubei is again moving through and being overall silent. But, he is almost certainly going to be catching glances at the rest of Group 3. He can't help but make sure that they're alright. It's almost instinctive from his days fighting in the Dark War.]

[seleniahymn]

Part I

[Tear had been well aware of the dangers of the mission, having spoken with someone in her household who had been a part of the original mission. But now that she knows that their failure would mean the threat would breach the barrier filled with the people she cares for, she is all the more determined to succeed, despite the odds stacked against them. It was similar tot he situation she had been in back home.

She had come dressed in her traditional uniform issued by the Order of Lorelei, but with the addition of having her arms covered and more appropriate footwear. The gas mask, however, makes her frown. It looked like it would get in the way just as much as it could help them to breathe...]


--


Part II

[Now that they had gone on in their separate teams, Tear finds herself feeling a little unnerved. By no means did she doubt the abilities of her comrades, but the eyes would be enough of a distraction if she weren't putting in so much effort into seeking any remaining threats.


She couldn't allow for those childish fears of hers to get in the way now, for she was a soldier and there were people depending on her.]

SEVENTH FLOOR - SIXTH FLOOR

[endgames]

[We got paralyzing gas and TEETH. There's zombie MSF soldiers like before, and some zombie robots that the droids are taking out but might need some help. HAVE FUN.]

[makeitquick]

[Option A

During of the fights, Melaka is running an assist for Wires. She actually sort of likes Wires the droid despite it being a hateful ridiculous machine, probably because it got that creepy face-plate ripped off mid-way through one of the other scuffles with the zombie-droids. Help her out? Watch? Heal her afterwards?

She's currently chopping into the zombies with a battle ax after all

- - -

Option B

And at the tail end of one of the other scuffles Melaka ended up caught by one of the mouths in the wall. Large teeth ripping into her left arm. She's struggling with it and will be out which enough, but Lordie knows she's probably going to end up needing to be fixed up a little here and may or may not appreciate help]

[alloys]

[Hoo boy. This is where things really get fun, isn't it?

Repulsors are the weapon of choice against these zombies. Nasty buggers, they are. Resilient as they may be, they can't penetrate his armor, and even if one manages to latch on to him, he doesn't have a problem just smashing them with his sheer weight. Bit of a mess, though.

But he'll be looking out for others that need help taking them down. That blast of blew energy that just knocked the zombie about to attack you asunder? Courtesy of Iron Man.

It's a shame about the zombified droids, though. Tony blasts through one in hopes of picking up some parts, only to have it quickly swept up by the other droids in their group. Buzzkill.]

[catbro]

[Jubei doesn't charge at the threats coming from behind them. Rather, he allows the threat to come to him.

And, as soon as they get close enough, Jubei then whips one of his tails and pulls out the blade behind his back with it. All in a smooth motion, the blade is made to slash at the enemy's head and immediately brings them down. In the meanwhile, Jubei is using his legs to push back any enemies that are coming too close for a proper strike.

Fights are nice, but energy has to be conserved. He's making his kills quick.]

[talontrot]

[Option A:]

[Got a tissue blob over a door panel to burn away? Giant horrible fleshy toothed maw in your path? Need a zombie to turn around and not attack you for a moment? Well, there's a little red bird at the back whose precise Egg-aiming might be able to help you out.

In the half-crouch she fires her Eggs from, she might be easy to miss, but those Eggs sailing around pack one hell of a disproportionate punch - and they're a fantastic distraction for a zombie when blue eggshells spatter in their field of vision every couple of seconds.

And every once in awhile, her vibrating chirps sound as she Wing Whacks her way through an especially irritating group, a cyclone of red wings and talons.]

[Option B:]

Hey, Tinhead! You dumb bucket of bolts, you're supposed to be helping me!

[This particularly irritable cry comes from Kazooie as the droid traveling with her group ignores her plight - namely, having one spindly yellow leg snared in the toothy grip of a floor maw - in favour of dissecting a nearby zombified droid.

... She could use a little help. Trying to stab at it with her beak isn't helping much in this position, and she's not close enough to bounce an Ice Egg into it...]

FIFTH FLOOR - FOURTH FLOOR

[endgames]

[Now the zombies have guns. And you're being attacked by poisonous, stabbing tentacles.]

[endgames]

A

[Before they enter the fifth floor, remarkably, Tony found a safe zone with some breathable air. Take the chance to get some rations in you, team, it might be the only opportunity you get to have your mask off and those minor scrapes you couldn't bother with before cleaned up.

After scarfing down some rations, Shikamaru follows it up with a soldier pill Ino made for him - a stimulant to replenish chakra and energize the body, said to allow the user to keep fighting for three days and three nights if need be. He doesn't need it yet, but this is the last chance to take it.

There's extras, if anyone should want one.]

----

B

[Zombies, and droids, and tentacles, oh my. Shikamaru alternates between stabbing and trying up the quilled tentacles with his shadow needles and capturing the gun-toting MPF soldiers, making them turn on one another like his personal puppets. He can handle a lot at once this way, but it unfortunately makes him a sitting duck given how much concentration it takes. Little help? Or is he helping you?]

[frost_jewel]

[A

When they reach the safe zone, Mia takes a few moments to see to her own minor injuries before approaching the others, one at a time, to ask if there's anything she can do for them. The best they can do for themselves now is be as whole and strong as possible before they continue. If necessary, she'll also bring out a Douse or two for fresh water.

The environment has taken its toll on her just a bit, but she's more than strong enough to stare it down for a while yet.

B

Reaching the fifth floor is no picnic. ...To tell the truth Mia would probably give her left hand for a picnic instead.

It's more chaotic here, the air feels tighter and it's harder to take a safe position. Mia finds herself using offensive Psynergy almost as much as she is healing; in one tense moment she is separated from any nearby help, and a handful of tentacles burst towards her. Only falling turns those reaches into near misses.

And when she's set upon by some of those zombies with guns? She's going to need some serious help.]

[accepted]

Part 1

[Since there's a chance for him to take the mask off and breath normally for a moment he decides to do just that. carefully removing the mask so not to ruin any of Shikamaru's work.

He also takes his backpack off for a moment to eat some of his rations and then some apple and orange gels he brought with him to get some energy back. He has a couple spare if anyone wants some candy flavoured medicine for themselves.

There are a few scrapes here and there and his coat is badly ripped up but he's pretty good for the most part and is more concerned about the rest of his team and the others.]

Part 2

[The tentacles he can deal with, blocking any heading his way and following up with either Sword Rain or Lunar Arc to cut them to shreds, or as best he can manage anyway. He likes to think he's doing a pretty good job of keeping his group safe from those things.

The zombies with guns however are a different story. Having never seen a gun before Caius stupidly runs forward with his sword drawn in hopes of quickly dispatching the zombie. His charge is met with a spray of bullets, most of them hitting the area his arm guard can't protect and his shoulder. In response he transforms into his beast form and slugs the zombie in the face. He downed it pretty well but now his right arm is badly injured as blood seeps through his fur. Help would be great right about now.]

[makeitquick]

[Option the first

At the base camp moment on the fifth floor. Eating, R&R, talking with people, all that sort of stuff. She's also going to play playing with a tooth that she ripped out of the wall in the above thread back up a few floors. She's actually going to be looking very pleased with it despite various injuries.

- - -

Option the second

But once they're fighting again (guns, wow) she's going to be back into it. She's noticed a few of the droids have been taken out by either bullets or tentacles (fortunately, not Wires) but. Well, she's hacking and slashing but also shooting her blaster here when there's a good time for retaliation. Brutal pitched combat...!!]

[eyesofstrength]

[A

Like most everyone else, Leonhardt will be taking advantage of the spot where they can rest to grab a bite to eat and renew any support magic that isn't still active for anyone. Even though his EP is fine he's still going to use a few items to bring it back up to max since it's likely to only get worse and it's obvious that mass use of arts for him is the best tactic since that will hit groups better.

One may also notice that he pulls out a small round device and take a orangish brown colored stone out of it and replaces it with a green one and then puts it away. Interestingly, now he has some new support arts to use, basically strength and defense boosts.

B

So at this point Leonhardt has changed over to spamming arts a lot. One of his favorites seems to be one that sends a bunch of silver spikes down to attack with lightning and any zombies hit by it start attacking each other instead. He's doing his utmost to slice the tentacles as he can, though he does get grazed by them at one point while casting an art. A bit of help would be appreciated since it will be a moment before he can deal with the poison since it seems any protections he has aren't working against this type of poison.]

[talontrot]

[Option A:]

[Kazooie appreciates the chance to stop and rest, even if she'll never admit her strength was flagging at all. She doesn't need to eat, so rations aren't a problem for her (though that won't stop her from chewing a bit of one anyway) but she will spend quite a bit of time preening her feathers, picking the gunk out of the spaces between the flat layers.

People paying attention may be confused to see her drag out whole Nests of Eggs - looking something like these - out of her backpack before "running over" them to pick up the Eggs inside. Depending on what kind she picks up, a different little sound effect will play - but she'll be focusing on her Grenade, Fire and Ice Egg stocks, so those will be most prominently heard.

Whenever she's finished that, she'll be willing to chat, and might talk to a few others that catch her eye - especially their boss. If you want Kazooie to team up with you by letting her climb in your backpack... letting her know would be a good idea.]

[Option B:]

[The fighting is starting to get really bristly, even for Kazooie. Her small size and unnatural flexibility means she's evading well, and her ability to drop flaming Eggs as she runs is a deterrent to followers, but she's a little overwhelmed at times by the sheer number of opponents.

Her Ice and Fire Eggs are coming in particularly handy here, and at times, when there are large crowds, she might be fixing to spit a Grenade Egg in the middle of them with a loud, warning "pah!". Be ready to take cover, guys!

Is she setting a zombie aflame to protect you? Freezing that poisonous tentacle in place to set up some powerful, pinpoint attack? Pelting the crowd with a rain of Eggs? Or did you pick her up to use like a living gun?

Whatever the case, this is some of the hardest she's fought in her life. And it's only going to get tougher.]

THIRD FLOOR

[endgames]

[thump-thump

Worst batch of zombies yet.

thump-thump

The heat is thicker.

thump-thump

The entity is giving all its got now, to this battle. Some of you will need to hold it back just to make an opening for someone to fulfill the task of their mission.

thump-thump

Take out the heart.]

ORDERS

[endgames]

[It doesn't take long to find the heart - the ground they walk on is literally vibrating in sync with its beats. Getting to it is the main problem.

The creatures they're facing down here have twice the skill of the ones on the floor above - they're obviously the first victims. And that's to say nothing of the creature itself, whose tentacles are also more numerous. They can fight them off, but without a plan they'll just be worn down...]

Change of plans! Mia, you're with my team. [Her poison cure will be vital to what he'll have Team 1 doing.] Frey, join up with the rest of Team 3. You'll be fighting the zombies.

Team 2, I'm charging you with getting to the heart. Team 1 will deal with the creature's attacks and cover you. [He punctuates this by stabbing two tentacles through with his shadow as they strike from below.] Tony! Break off when they give you an opening to plant the bomb.

[This should work.]

GETTING OUT

[endgames]

[Timer's set. This place's about to blow.]

[frost_jewel]

[Getting out is far easier said than done.

They make it far enough that it looks as though everyone is going to make it - though they're dragging, in some cases helping each other along by sheer force of will, it seems. As they turned from the heart, Mia would have told Shikamaru the truth (again): she would regain some Psynergy on the trip out, but would prefer to use it only in an emergency, or after they were well out of the building and things could be seen to properly.

It's when they're about halfway out that two things happen. One of the poisoned arms reaches for Mia almost too fast to block, while running. She does, barely, swatting it with the heavy end of her staff and using a quick small Ice spell to keep it away.

Something with teeth comes from behind and grabs onto her leg, instead. That's the second thing. And when she turns to get rid of it, a chunk of collapsing building strikes her shoulder and she can't help but drop to the gross floor.

It takes a moment to realize it didn't hit her in the head. Things have gone foggy anyway. She'll need help freeing herself - and probably an armor-clad lift for the remainder of the escape, while her drained mental resources try to compensate.]