Personification Life: EPIC (IC Thread XI) [CLOSED]

[New Aksarben]

Sterling glanced up, wondering if the ceiling of the hall was going to stay up when the apartment collapsed. He had a feeling it would as he slowly shifted the hold of his magic to include the ceiling above the group. He grimaced a bit, unsure of how long he would be able to hold it up if it properly started collapsing. "We might want to move to a different level, though I'm not sure if anywhere in the building is even safe. If this collapses it could cause the next floor to cave in as well, though the building's magic might cause it to happen differently. Plus Kale and I cannot hold it up forever, I'm starting to get tired too already, but I should be good for another hour at least."

Sakarias nodded in agreement to the pony, though the idea that a horse was talking was very much bewildering Sakarias, given it was not only doing that, but was strangely colored and using what seemed to be magic of some sort. Maybe he was just going crazy finally, and none of this was actually happening. Oh well, he had to help people get out of here before he could worry about such things. "Kale, I could help carry you to wherever we're going, I think you've expended yourself enough for one day. The pony seems to have the roof under control I think-"

"Sterling." The pony mentioned, interrupting a bit while focusing intently on the ceiling and wall with his magic.

"...Sterling seems to have the roof under control, and I agree with his sentiment it might be best to move somewhere else to take care of people. And you need rest especially. You've done more than your fair share to help us, friend."

[Primordial Luxa]

Insidious - 7th floor

Insidious kneeled down to tend to Otonako legs, wrapping them in similar bandages that seemed to radiate a cool numb sensation that had the slightly enjoyable sting of cleaning chemicals. Insidious hummed a few soft chants to the Mistress of Fecundity as she applied them.

“None of this seems too bad. Just keep taking those pills and go lay down over by the doorway,” she said gesturing with her head towards to placed she had come from. “Take it easy. Also is there anyone else you know who needs my attention?”

[Torsiedelle]

Floor 7

Torii felt the tiniest pang of fear. She personally hadn't considered the building collapsing. That vision sent a shiver down her spine. It was best to focus on the now, rather than the possible future or a bad thought. Torii shared Nick's determination and his worry, but not his confidence. Healing? What could she do?

Torii bit her lip. "Insidious?", She asked. She avoided staring directly at the woman. "How do you think I could help? I'm not really good at anything, but if I could help Kale or Otonako out, I'd be more than happy to."

Marcus and Gio had talent. Nick had powers. Insidious had medicine, and Rwmtyllin had supplies. Torii had, well, her hands, and some very basic first aid, just what the average person would know, and no experience in actually using that knowledge. She had just gotten back from fighting, where her real skill lied. Medical care was not on her resume, but that didn't mean she couldn't be useful.

[Giovenith]

Building

One's heart instinctively pounded during times of high stress, but there was a funny habit of only just noticing how hard it was going once you were out of the way. Giovenith felt and embraced the thudding bass in her chest as she stripped wet wipe after wet wipe to frantically clean away the dust and grime from herself and the patients. She wasn't sure how much it applied to their enchanted Building, but houses were rather notorious for being built up with less than innocuous materials. She sighed and wiped her own face of the sweat and grime before nodding to Rmwtyliin.

"A few," the godling nodded. "Here, keep your energy high."

Normally when people asked her for snacks Giovenith would produce candy and cookies, but given their situation, she took a healthier approach and unloaded what fruits and granola bars she had. This made her consider further to pull out several water bottles.

"Make Kale and the other girl drink please," she ordered, screwing off one of the caps. "As well as all of you. We should all try to flush out any potentially harmful chemicals we may have breathed in from the walls and ash."

[Fvaarniimar]

Seventh Floor
Rmwtyliin grabbed a fruit eagerly, but the granola bars got a quizzical look. Nevertheless, Giovenith was someone she trusted, so she unwrapped one.

Yum!

The older girl volunteered; normally Rmwtyliin's insecurity about this place and her place therein would have precluded her from asking. Her anxiety was dampened; Torii found a portion of Giovenith's health food stash shoved into her arms.

"Here. Help get these distributed to everyone - both patients and healers." It was somewhat urgent, and would certainly go faster with extra hands.

Handing a granola bar to Sterling, she recalled his assessment. He looked tired; she glanced at the ceiling.

Most of the food was distributed. Rmwtyliin returned to 'her superiors.' "Anahis, Giovventh, can we get or make stretchers? Sorry, Ins - Inszdoos? I ask you as well." She wasn't anxious about the omission, but hardly wished to exclude someone clearly medical. "Oh, and..." Do I really need to ask the cat? How would he have something? Of course, Rmwtyliin didn't know where Nick's apartment was located...

Yes, Duncan the apparent rodent was still translating from her shirt pocket. Rmwtyliin's command of English had improved but remained poor.
---

Nick could not stop purring. As he touched the injured girls, numbing them in a roughly thirty-second rotation, the Spirit of Soothing's effect got a boost - contentment and happiness of the natural variety carried over as he asked variants of <Are you okay?>
(Having already checked, he'd confirmed that the only way he could help Sakarias was by being a fluffy cat, and soothing him was superfluous.)

The reason he was in such a good mood wasn't ignored, of course; wherever possible, he rubbed against Torii as he passed, reassuring himself that his friend really was still there.

One of the girls gave him some water; he promptly hacked up a dusty hairball. Hopefully no one stepped on it! His eyes watered from coughing. Chemicals. Insulation. Uh-oh. He meowed, relieved that he again could.

"Does the Building have asbestos...or not...or - does that change with the person?" If it did, that was bad. Random members of their group could have problems.

The girl with a rodent who often smelled of nuts and tea returned. While Nick wasn't offended at not being asked, he did have some things. They were even on this floor!

"I've got blankets and some very strong string, in 7B!" Stretchers might not be quick enough, though - he hadn't caught Sterling's assessment of 'another hour' or 'it's possible nowhere is safe.' If only they could just - he facepalmed. "Does the teleporter work yet? If so, can it get us to the hospital?"

---

Elka tried to stand to accept a granola bar, but wobbled. The issue wasn't that she felt faint, although that was a possibility. It was that the bandages rounded her feet. Balancing was difficult, without someone to lean on.

She nodded emphatically at the suggestion of getting OUT was discussed.

---

Adri took a few sips of water before Rmwtyliin took the bottle to the next person. Crysal, nearby, volunteered to help pass out what passed for lunch.

[Cerillium]

OPERATION: SUPPLY RUN
DIMENSION: 270B
LOCATION: HD 40307 G
TEAM: Delta

---

Move'n right along......

After a brief discussion, which your OP is too lazy to type out, the team hastily assembled inside the trailer (canisters neatly tucked into Button's amble body cavity after the exo tore the back half of the can off in order to crawl inside). The thuds grew louder, Meps grew more impatient, the Force users felt the overwhelming sense that something bad was about to befall them, and Nila had just decided that she really did hate supply runs when suddenly - the writer was not seized by a heart attack. Had he been, you all would have been fucked over last week - when suddenly the databall in Romy's hands vibrated and the far end of the can took on the familiar glow of a Gate.

T'would have been the end of the story had the Big Thing Wot Moved Loudly not suddenly arrived, and promptly tripped over the can, sending it tumbling end over end as it neatly sailed across the long-abandoned back garden.

Meps had the foresight to clasp onto Romulus' armor. She pushed off his chest and executed an awkward hand slap upon the orb. Of course, Dweezle had set the thing for the next locale, so really, we should change the bed sheets.....



OPERATION: MIYUKI
DIMENSION: 270G
LOCATION: Earth, probably somewhere very near Japan
TEAM: Delta

---

"OOOOOHHHHH SSSSHHHHIIITTTTTTT," somebody said. It was difficult to tell who. Time and Space, for the briefest of moments, held its collective breath as the group jumped between locations in the same dimension. Or I should say, extruded. They resembled nothing more than dough slowly squeezed through a noodle machine, their bodies elongating as gravity snatched them. Or was it Time? Or Spa- nevermind. It'll make your head hurt to dwell on it.

Meanwhile, on Earth, probably somewhere very near Japan, a young woman had just added a nice comb to her hair. Tortoise shell. Very pretty. She paused to perhaps admire herself or to adjust her hem, or to maybe pick her nose. It doesn't matter. The fact is, she was looking away from the wall when the truck slammed its way through it with all the force of Cupid's foot, and she might have died right there on the spot if the grill had not come to an abrupt stop courtesy of both Romulus armor and Button's backside.

Poor Miyuki. It's hard to say what immediately went through her head as an anthropomorphic lizard a fuzzy rat-dog, a quasi-machine, a massive man in armor as bright as the sun (being ridden by another anthropomorphic lizard), and the mother of all fugly monsters banged into her dimension. Their momentum didn't stop. The cowgirl lizard stretched out her hand and slapped a shiny ball in the large knight's massive gauntlet, and

"OOOOOHHHH IIIIII HHHAAAAATTTEEEEEE THHIIIIIISSSSS SSSHHIIII-" this time, it was Buttons that uttered the thought as said lizards, rat-dogs, machines and whatnot were joined by a pretty girl as they elongated. It felt as if their heads were light years away (in fact, they were) and their toes anchored to Miyuki's dimension (in fact, they were). But all good things must come to an end and, thankfully, that end did not come to Miyuki. Nila had the foresight to slap a tracer on her at the very last possible second. Their toes slipped into the Gateway just as the truck exploded.



Myra squealed and threw her arms up to cover her face as the party emerged from the Gate. Perhaps it was the Sith or Jedi that spared Miyuki from being crushed by the General. Perhaps it was just the GM's good humor that everyone landed on their feet (in was, in fact). But Miyuki would suddenly find herself in a small room that contained nothing but a silvery gate, a strange lump beside it, a wooden chair, and a small side table. Said chair was occupied Myra, a mousy girl with a pallid complexion and bright eyes.

"Ho shit! That was awesome!" her tiny fist pumped the air. "Right on, Dweezle!"

Who or what Dweezle was..... feh. Let's not complicate things.

Meps the anthro lizard let go of Romulus' armor and slid to the ground. She squatted and ran her hands along the cold stone, and not a sound came from her for several moments. Meanwhile, the rest of the team had- wait

Loud retching, a cough, a wet splat -- Romulus now had his tanks back.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team had some explaining to do for poor Miyuki, whom Demens had spared from death.

---

THE HOSPITAL

Marcus nodded at Giovenith's brief explanation and then sighed as her feet carried her further up the stairs. The priest, unwilling to risk the cat's life, opened the stairwell door to the fifth floor to deposit her into the safety of Ogoti's care. As if he'd get away so easily.

"Marcus!" the avatar boomed as he scooped the cat out of the young priest's arms and deposited her onto his head. The reasoning behind such an odd gesture became obvious a heartbeat later. Ogoti pressed responder kits into man's hands. "Take these things to the 8th floor. Hurry! Don't waste time!"

He sighed, and paused long enough to see if Sentia wished to stick to the hospital, then opened the door once more to pack mule shit up the stairs.


8^TH FLOOR

Opa's explanation of his behaviors was met by a snort from the old cyborg. He glanced at the small antenna still protruding from the maintenance port, and made some adjustments to its signal and an entire world opened in Opa's mind.

It was static, but the static had purpose and Opa, who undoubtedly was clever enough a machine to recognize languages, would possibly pick up the conversations buried within the lines of code flashing through his processor.

"...One fatality - side ground. Second fatality - kitchen, Apartment 7E. Residents trapped on 7^th. Rescue operations underway there." It was a monotonous drone, but Morbus couldn't bother sparing any semblance of personality for something that BOB clearly should have been up to doing itself. Requ-"

"Gas leak on 8th," BOB interrupted.

"Affirmative," an unknown voice labeled 'electrical' acknowledged, "We are shutting down power to floors 6 through 10."

Thaddeus clapped Opa's shoulder joint as he added his own voice to the throng. "I know where the shutoff for 8 is. Opa and I will handle it. Taking the shadows, so keep cultists out of the way."

Several voices responded in affirmation, and then the old cyborg wrapped his metallic hand around one of the android's hoist bars. "This is how we do it back home."

It was a shitty explanation but it was in line with the way in which Chaos moved through the Building. Opa would register the ground vanishing underneath him and then, mercifully, his sensors would register nothing at all as the machine was pulled through the tunnel of wings and eyes. The pair stepped from a shadow under a door, emerging into the 8^th floor hallway.

Thick smoke choked out the meager light piercing the hallway. Thaddeus could only assume the illumination came directly from the hole in the Building's side, given that the power was now shut down. Walls and ceiling had caved in to block their pathway. The stench of natural gas curled into his nostrils. The old cyborg shut down his respiration.

"Come, Opa," he growled. "We need to move this shit to reach the valve."

Down on the 7^th, the android's weight caused ceiling plaster dust to fall like gentle snow on those gathered in the hallway.


OUTSIDE
Minerva crouched beside the dead Resident. There was no hope for her. Too much damage had been done. "I'm sorry, Deuce," she laid a hand on the Space Marine's arm. "This isn't your fault. Don't take it personally."

[Torsiedelle]

Torii took the snacks and turned her body to leave a few for Otonako and Kale. She wanted to be there for them some more, though she also didn't know who else needed the food. "Who else is injured? Healers? Get some.", She said, standing up. Nicks brushing against her was relieving, as was the fact that her friends were alright.

The smell of burning flesh, however, and the stale dust...Torii ignored it and turned her head away for cough, just for a moment. "Hey.", She started, "If need be, I can try to carry Kale, or Otonako. I'm not really strong, but if we need to, I want to help."

She cast a worried glance at Sakarias. "Are you okay, Sir?"

[Relikai]

Konayama Miyuki

"I, will graduate... from NMB48!"

That was months ago. Months which Konayama Miyuki spent completing her projects, her albums and activities. Her time as a member of one of Japan's hottest idol groups was coming to an end, and soon she would be heading out onto the stage for one last time. The stage which transformed a young girl chasing her dreams into one of Japan's most desired idols, one who was well balanced in her skill set, blessed with looks from the gods themselves. Her voice and singing might not be the top, but her role in the rise of the entire group, being one of the main 'faces', has made her journey one full of learning experiences. Ultimately, the younger generation must take over the old, and at age twenty two, Konayama Miyuki decided to call it a day.

It was a good run indeed.

Her mother would be proud, her grandmother would be proud. Even if she wasn't a member anymore, or dancing... singing... Miyuki still has plenty of modeling contracts to fulfill. For several studios and magazines, she remained one of their hottest models, a killer body to go with a reputable name. Her future was secure for the next several years, until she became too fat, too slow, too flabby with age, and it would only happen if Miyuki filed to keep herself on top form, or there be a new girl bursting into the industry, usurping the seniors in the never ending cycle of rotation. Just like now.

But reputation was there to stay. So reputable, perhaps in the wrong sense, that she was rumored to actually received an offer from an adult video company, to debut for 300 million yen (2.7m USD), a rumor that she laughed off in a public radio show, saying that she would never do such a thing. Imagine if her fans would ever catch her in such a filming... it would be a new form of chaos in the industry, a scandal which rocks the entire nation.

Well, today's the day of destiny.

"Milky, we're gathering soon." A fellow member called out.

"Hai~~" Miyuki replied in her classic cheerful voice, a voice which exuded gentleness and a tinge of sweetness. A voice with a pitch slightly higher than average, but one which Miyuki uses to lift the mood of others, a part of her persona.

Alone in the dressing room, Konayama Miyuki looked around for the last time. Once she stepped out of this room, it would be her last stage, her last performance. Picking up a tortoise shell comb, the girl admired it for a while before slipping it into her hair. Regardless of what her stylists always said, Miyuki would always find ways to improve her appearance. She was not called the fashion leader of her group for no reason, and often she went shopping for the younger members, or passed them hand-me-downs which they highly appreciated.

"Alright. Yoroshik-"

---

-BAM-

Things happened.

Things happened, so fast.

One moment, Miyuki turned to see a group of creatures riding an iron giant, the other moment...

"Na-"

Everything stretched, elongated. Probably like those time travel graphics Miyuki saw in films and TV shows. Was she caught up in such a set? Perhaps not, when she was slapped by a construct, and before Miyuki could cry out in protest, she was in a sparsely furnished room, with a gate made of a silvery-like material. Her mouth was puffed up as she continued to hold on to her breath, eyes darting side by side, before she inhaled slightly through her nose. The air was breathable.

Exhaling softly, Miyuki's head now shot side to side, trying to make sense of everything that happened within the last few seconds. Where was she? Where was the theatre? The performance?

"Na-" Her voice was slightly trapped as she slowly composed herself. Her large eyes were widened even bigger as reality began to hit her.

"Nani kore?!" or in a more common tongue, "What's going on??"

[New Aksarben]

OPERATION: SUPPLY RUN
DIMENSION: 270B
LOCATION: HD 40307 G
TEAM: Delta

---

Maghrl blinked in confusion about what all just happened. One moment they were in a different universe, and the next there was a strange human girl, and yet another moment later they were back at the Gate. Oh and the intense sensation of stretching which almost made the Jedi want to vomit as he tried to get his bearings. Everything seemed to be in order. Boots still caked in mud and plant matter, his robe slightly soaked, and his fur damp and just starting to dry and go everywhere again. All in all, he was in pretty good condition!

"Maghrl say.... Let not do again... Normal jumps, yes yes." He sigh, running a hand down his face and nose twitching repeatedly. His ears then perked and he glanced over towards their new arrival. His alien visage broke out into a wide grin, his ears flicking off water before perking eagerly. The small alien dashed over to get a good look at the human, sniffing a bit and quickly rubbing his damp furred cheek against her arm. Perfectly normal behavior for Maghrl!

"Yes yes! Hello hello hello! Maghrl," he gestured to himself, "welcome new person, you bet! Maghrl let Gen-ral handle properness of intro, but yes welcome! Is great meet new human!"

The small alien that was talking to her was a vibrant purple color, though it was a bit muted from dampness, and had bright blue eyes, wide and inquisitive. All in all it seemed a strange mix of a rat, dog, or any other sort of canid, and was very short too. Only about a meter tall by most reckonings! His clothing was also odd too. They seemed almost like religious robes, though ones that lent themselves more to exertion and action than most would, made out of a tough fabric that came in various shades of brown. He also seemed to have patched it a few times with other materials, and added a few pockets over time.

---

Sakarias blinked as Torii came up to him, but he nodded. "Yes, for the most part. Some damage will need some repairs, and I'll need to get my parts cleaned out well but for now I'm working just fine. It takes a lot to beat me down." He nodded, slapping his arm and watching a copious amount of dust shake out of the seams in his skin plates. "Okay, might be a bit more dust filled than I thought. Still good though!" He nodded, giving a confident smile to the young girl. He was definitely starting to feel out of sorts though. His systems continued to clog with dust and grime the more dust came from the ceiling. Only an issue that could be solved by him getting his plates off and washing out his systems one by one, though it might be good to seek out those tech-priests or whatever they were called again. They could probably help figure out some of the tics his body was developing over time, little annoyances that could be fixed with calibration of servos and the various parts that made up his form.

But overall, he was okay, and simply waiting for Kale's response to his offer of help.

Meanwhile Sterling shook his head to get some of the falling plaster dust out of his mane. "Everyone, lets start moving okay? No sense dawdling in a place we could get hurt in, right?" To better make his point he started walking himself backwards down the hall towards the stairs with his magic focused on holding up as much of the roof above people as possible. There was time for pleasantries later when they weren't in the middle of a collapsing building!

[Chedastan]

OPERATION: SUPPLY RUN COMPLETE
OPERATION: MIYUKI COMPLETE

---

Gatehouse

Romulus steadied himself inside his suit once they have finally come to a stop and arrived back at the Gatehouse, he briefly felt nauseous as well given their circumstances of having jumped into two different dimensions in rapid succession to one another, and also from the fact that he took a truck directly to his frontal armor. Obviously he withstood the impact quite well thanks to his armor, but of course the truck and any of its passengers didn't fared too well by comparison (definitely not by now). At least they got what they came in for, their fuel tanks and unplanned assets. But of course there was now the Building to worry about, which they still didn't know what was going on in it, and there was now introducing their newcomer into the fray.

He looked down at small Miyuki. He was clearly much bigger in size than to her, being completely massive by comparison. His powered armor was very thick and glowing bright, a silhouetted face of a humble and proud looking man was displayed blatantly on his chest piece, the numbers "XXIX" being shown directly under where the man's face was. The General then lifted his visor up to reveal his tan and bearded human face to her. He couldn't begin to imagine the pandemonium she had to be experiencing from all of this (he had some idea by now though), with not much explanation to boot! He figured that her seeing something as recognizable as a fellow human face could prove to give her some relief to any panic that was building up inside, at least that's the hope. He began to speak up once Maghrl was done talking.

"Hello there, I am General Romulus Aphrodisiac of Wilhelm XXIX, of the Wilhelm Imperium. I am the leader of the team that rescued you from your certain death from your home dimension, and brought you here to Gallimaufry Mundi, where you have been brought in to serve its maker, Demens." He paused for a moment to let that information sit in, then continued. "Now I know this may seem like a lot already, and it is, trust me. But we'll bring you up to speed with everything in no time, but we'll let you settle in first of course. There's an apartment building just outside of the Gatehouse, it's where we all live and you'll only need to sign a lease for it. You'll be accommodated adequately, and you'll be in good company, but the toilet paper leaves much to be desired unfortunately." He chuckled a bit, then turned his head towards Myra more seriously.

"What's the sitrep at the building, what's going on, Myra?"

[CAT XIII]

7th Floor

"I think Kale over there," Otonako pointed to let Insidious know who she was talking about in case she hadn't met Kale, "looks like she could maybe use some help." Then she heard Torii from across the room,

"Carried? What? I'm fine!" she thought. To Torii, she said,

"That's fine. I can make it, honestly. I'll only be more hassle to everyone if you have to carry me on a stretcher." She went over to get some fruit from the fridge. She felt everyone's eyes on her as she shuffled along trying not to say"Ow", "Ok, I'm limping but that's not the point!"

Truth be told, she was really just being a die-hard.

"Ok, grub time! Ah ya...! Jesus! That hurts! Hopefully these painkillers will kick on soon. Ok, I really shouldn't have turned Torii down like that, she was trying to... Yeah ok."

"Ok, I suppose I do need carried after all. It's probably really bad to walk on my leg right now anyway. Sorry to be a pain, pun not inteded. Thanks for offering!" she smiled and started on the food that had been left for her.

[Cerillium]

GATEHOUSE

"Well..." Myra propped her heels in the chair's seat and then rested interlaced finger atop her raised knees. Where to begin? She wet her lips nervously. "You see, there was an explosion on the 8th floor. Like, a gas leak or something? BOB says it's a leak, Morbus is his typical self, and the Building is disgruntled."

Her gaze alighted on Miyuki. "We live in a sentient Building. It's normally very calm, but I think this latest bit was the straw, if you know what I mean. It heals itself normally, but Residents are having to clear clutter. I think it's sulking. And BOB and Morbus are two security systems. One's part god, and the other is part alien. I- I don't know how to explain that shit better."

The girl straightened her spine. "So, um, Apartments 8A through 8D are okay. I guess the Raptors and whatever is in C blocked stuff. And 8G through J are okay. But 8F and G- well, reports indicate that Astra and Enali are both dead." Her knuckles blanched. The teen drew a deep breath to steady her nerves. "The explosion came from one of their apartments, and since both were directly across the hall from each other...I dunno. But Minerva was on scene outside, where one of them landed."

Unable to sit so calmly any longer, Myra turned in her chair. It would look to Miyuki as though she were pantomiming grabbing a box from thin air. A softly glowing blue screen slipped into view as the teen turned the invisible box towards the team. A blueprint of the Building came into view -- The basic outline of the ^th floor's apartment and hallways as seen from above, each labeled appropriately with a Resident's name. "7^th floor is a disaster. Most of the apartments are okay, but 7E, F and G took a walloping. The blast blew up and down, according to BOB, so the ceiling is coming down. There are some people trapped, including that singer newcomer. First responders went into action. Like, the med teams are kicking serious ass. But the hallway's also got damage. Lots of rubble and stuff. I don't have a casualty report from Medi yet."

She licked her lips again. "Okay, here's 9^th." A finger tap brought the blueprint into view. "No casualties reported here, but I don't think anyone was at home. Well, maybe Colonel Fluffy, but his apartment isn't near the epicenter. I- well, Sozewe, I don't know if you have a floor in your apartment anymore. You can't go up there yet. We're on a general evac order except for Medi and rescue. They sent Thaddeus and Opa up to 8 to turn off the gas. I mean, he's immortal and his parts all snap back together if he blows up. And Opa's an android. Except to hear Marcus talk, he's got a personality. But people on the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th floor might be bunking together tonight."

Nila softly coughed to draw the girl's attention. "Will Volker assign new people apartments?"

"Uh huh, as far as I know. But Dweezle wants to talk to what's left of Omnicron. Hi, lady," Myra wagged fingers at Meps. "You guys can take a bathtub back to the Building. Somebody will fill you in on the rest of the details, I'm sure."

[Primordial Luxa]

Insidious - 7th floor

Insidious was suddenly overcome, both Nick and Torii had already come with questions to her about how to handle the situation and she was frankly surprised. She had expected someone else more, assertive or commanding to be here and telling them what to do. But through some quirk of fate she had been trust haphazardly into that role as a leader of sorts

She bit her lip and wrinkled her brow looking around while trying to think quickly about what needed to be done. People needed to get out of here. There was obviously someone inside the collapsing area holding up the ceiling. They needed to be moved in such a way that the roof didn't collapse on top of them and those already in trouble need to leave. It was a classic game of Jenga, but with her friends lives on the line.

“Torii, go into the stairway were going to send people there and I want you to walk them to the hospital on the fifth floor. I don’t want anyone tripping on stairs or fainting on the way down. Also you can get supplies we need.”

“MB!” She called out trying to get the rabbits attention “How quickly can you teleport? We have several people holding the other room up. Could you get them out before the ceiling collapsed?”

“Gio, Anais, Luce, Dore. How are you all fairing? I’m thinking we get everyone we can into the stairway except those people who can help Kale and Sterling escape safely. The less people in potential danger the better. Who do you think would be ideal to give those two a hand?”

[Torsiedelle]

Floor 7

"Glad to hear it, Sir.", Torii replied. She shot a grin at the synth. "By the way, I hope this doesn't give you a bad first impression. I like you, by the way. Robots and cyborgs and synthetic people really interest me.

Then, Insidious gave the order. While not a glamorous job, Torii was happy to be of use. "Got it.", She nodded. She gave a quick salute - a fading, but still common habit of hers - and turned to run for the stairway. She could at least help this way, by assisting the injured down. They deserved that.

.......

Gatehouse

Being chased by giant spider monsters was one thing, but being chased by giant spider monsters while a strange reptilian being transports an entire group through three dimensions in several seconds was another. Sozewe was damn glad that his lightsabers deactivated before he impaled himself, or someone else, though being a cushion for a large human in power armor was no fun.

Of course, the Sith joined Maghrl and Romulus. Popping in from behind them, the cloaked figure peered at Miyuki, his robotic face looking ever ominous, and just a hint sinister thanks to the dark red runes etched into his forehead...well, the glowing red eyes didn't help, either.

He inspected the woman for several seconds before giving his opinion: "Hello."

[Fvaarniimar]

Concerningly Still on the Floor which Teetered on the Verge of Collapsing
Nick's original idea of going out the window was sounding better and  better, except for the unfortunate fact that neither Sandy nor any other flier was present.

For that matter...Nick gulped.  He'd always seen the Building as climbable.  But this was much taller than a tree.  That inspired another thought - he looked at Kale.  No.  A giant tree wasn't an option, nor a rope

- actually, a rope might be an option.  Would his string or blankets work?  If he could carry them, they were worth fetching.  He'd turned towards his apartment to grab them when -

 "Got it."  Torii nodded, saluted, and turned to run for the stairway. 

Nick let out a whiny mew, sitting down in front of his apartment. He didn't really care about the string beyond its potential usefulness.  But his bowl!  His scratching post!  His ornament! His statue!  His -

Well.  Nick had few possessions, but those he had, he'd treasured.  Even silly things like a seashell lamp with a broken wick had been carefully saved.

Can I get someone to carry it all?  We have to get downstairs, but - Nut-tea girl passed.  She has large pockets. She isn't busy.  She could -

Fuck.  He'd seen her around, particularly in connection with the hospital.   She was unoccupied for a reason - as far as Nick knew, she had no powers and minimal experience.  She was a kid.  A kitten.

"Am I really that..."

Maybe he was, but he didn't want to be, even if the thought of losing his stuff terrified him.  Shouldn't his friends matter more than the stuff they'd given him?  Bracing himself, Nick shook off the plaster pieces and ran for the group.  Maybe it'll all be okay, maybe it'll all be okay...  It became a mantra of sorts as he clambered over this bit of rubble, jumped between those bits. Maybe - mine - all - okay...
---
As for the "kitten" in question, she actually wanted to run out of the collapsing hallway.  Unfortunately that wasn't a safe option. 

Snow.  And yet it wasn't.  The few flakes she absentmindedly picked off (before remembering that this was no time for vanity) crumbled in her hand.  Picking her way around debris, Rmwtyliin reached the stairs, but not before that cat from before passed her, moving quite nearly as adroitly as though he were on flat ground.

Some of the others had their hands full (one of a few expressions which translated smoothly to Fvaarniimarn) and that gave Rmwtyliin an idea.  "Is there anything else I can carry to help?"  Presumably those transporting the wounded would do so more easily with lighter loads.  Those...people?!...transporting Elka, for instance... Her own hands too were getting full, but her coat pockets were a wonderful size - almost as big as was possible without magic - and the right one was empty. Besides, it was hardly as though the cat could lighten that load. Blink. Okay, making assumptions about even small, helpless Residents, noted Rmwtyliin, is foolish.

Still, he is not offering...
---
Elka's bandages came in handy when she decided to jump over the rubble - not because they protected her feet directly, because they prevented her from carrying out that plan. Adri and Crysal, passing, felt that providing some assistance to their countrywoman/neighbor would speed things up considerably; perhaps there was sentiment involved, perhaps there wasn't.  Nevertheless, with support from the ancient Arkadacians, the young Reil made it to (and, soon enough, down) the stairs.

[Relikai]

Konayama Miyuki
Gatehouse


All the information, from the little purple furry creature, to the huge armoured human, and an explanation by a human about a sentient building, Miyuki's head was caught in a whirl. Blinking several times, Miyuki could only look at each and every one of them, in stunned silence.

I.. I-... Alright... this... doesn't seem like a dream..? So... I have been called to serve... someone...

Her hands shook nervously, but Miyuki slowly nodded as she acknowledged all of them.

Maghrl, the small creature who casually snuggled itself onto her.
General Romulus Aphrodisiac of Wilhelm XXIX, the big tank of a man.
And the human lady, who explained the workings of the world to her, but have yet to introduce herself. Maybe after warming up.

"Ah." Miyuki said, suddenly remembering her manners. Still dressed in her uniform, she realised that her songbook as well as a photobook was in her possession, but she'll examine them later.

"M-my na-name is Konayama Miyuki, please take care of me, and guide me well!" Miyuki said as she bowed low for a moment, before reverting back to her standard posture.

[Tiltjuice]

Insidious - 7th floor

Insidious was suddenly overcome, both Nick and Torii had already come with questions to her about how to handle the situation and she was frankly surprised. She had expected someone else more, assertive or commanding to be here and telling them what to do. But through some quirk of fate she had been trust haphazardly into that role as a leader of sorts

She bit her lip and wrinkled her brow looking around while trying to think quickly about what needed to be done. People needed to get out of here. There was obviously someone inside the collapsing area holding up the ceiling. They needed to be moved in such a way that the roof didn't collapse on top of them and those already in trouble need to leave. It was a classic game of Jenga, but with her friends lives on the line.

“Torii, go into the stairway were going to send people there and I want you to walk them to the hospital on the fifth floor. I don’t want anyone tripping on stairs or fainting on the way down. Also you can get supplies we need.”

“MB!” She called out trying to get the rabbits attention “How quickly can you teleport? We have several people holding the other room up. Could you get them out before the ceiling collapsed?”

“Gio, Anais, Luce, Dore. How are you all fairing? I’m thinking we get everyone we can into the stairway except those people who can help Kale and Sterling escape safely. The less people in potential danger the better. Who do you think would be ideal to give those two a hand?”

MB flicked one ear, then the other, in a thinking gesture. One or two every time. Need to touch them. Am small, not so much MB for everyone.

Luce coughed, speaking as he moved. "I could work with MB for him to clear the room, and perhaps take over holding the room up from the people inside. Perhaps the three ladies could assist Kale and Sterling? Miss Gio, are your paper birds able to carry people?"

The field of coolness moved with him, and Dora simply nodded. "Works for me." She turned to Anais and Giovenith to await their answer.

[Giovenith]

Giovenith took deep sips of her own water and dabbed a little on her face here and there. "I don't have any stretchers and can't create any, no, but I can carry people with the bird swarms."

She breathed another sigh and nodded along in acknowledgement as Insidious spoke. Everyone was quite confused, and more than a few of them seemed to be looking to her.

"Maybe we can go into the village and ask for help," she suggested. "We saved them from those predators, we brought them sheep, we handled Varg. Surely they'd be willing to assist us back, maybe give us some information on what happened? But later. As for the people holding up back there, we're going to need physical reinforcements..."

[New Aksarben]

Gatehouse

Maghrl tilted his head at the bow and mimicked the gesture, assuming it was something for greeting and respect in whatever culture this human was from. "Oh! Maghrl-species, Squib, rub face against others greeting-wise. Squib fur very very very sensitive, you bet. Best way to get knowing person! Maghrl sorry if Squib violated personal space." He frowned slightly. He'd explained this unique way of greeting to most the residents already, and some weren't used to such proximity for a greeting. Most people where he came from were familiar with how, to put it bluntly, intrusive Squib could be on a person's space so were used to it.

Then he heard Myra's explanation of what was going on in the apartment and his ears drooped on either side of his head and his nose twitched rapidly. "Ooooh, no good, no good at all... Maghrl go help. Might need force healing, lifting!" The squib nodded firmly, his ears perking up again and his face setting into a determined smile as he shot off towards the bathtubs, jumping into one to start the journey down to the building again as soon as possible.

7th Floor Hallway.... Still

Sakarias' arm twitched for a few seconds, him seeming perplexed and confused at it for a few seconds before it returned to normal. "...Okay yeah I'm going to need head out here soon. I can't be much help except for carrying Kale or someone else out of here, and this dust is really clogging up my systems." He grumbled, whacking his arm a few times to shake some more dust from it and coughing a bit as he did. The coughs came out basically as a flurry of the dust falling from the ceilings, his systems were forcing out the dust the only ways it knew how.

Sterling's coat was slowly being whitened by the falling dust he was standing pretty much in the middle of, the pony frowning. "Whatever you're doing better do it quick, but I think I can hold it up myself for at least ten to twenty minutes. I can also teleport myself to the far end of the hallway near the stairs, but doing so would mean dropping the telekinetic spell. Just tell me what to do, Insidious. Lets just get out of here, I don't want to see my friends, or myself, crushed."

[Giovenith]

Brit and Chrys

The light from the open passage in Platinum's quarters grew dimmer and dimmer as the small team of magical explorers made their way down the narrow tunnel and into the darkness. Soon the light and the Lady Lightly were gone from reach, and though they had their auras and their goggles to guide them along, they found that much like Brit had felt before the darkness had a suffocating effect.

It didn't help that the tunnels were crowded for a band of four ponies. Brit and Chrys were encouraged to take the lead for their knowledge and possession of a weapon respectively, while Clover hung back analyzing her map and various magical gadgetry and consistently informing Platinum of various jargon that likely only made sense to her. It was all very eerie, but not too terribly threatening, not when braving it all in the presence of friendly company. Right?

"We have to remember that this is a very newly discovered form of magic," Clover told them all as she inspected her magic hologram map. "If anything happens we'll have to play it off the top of our heads."

"That's why I want to make this as quick as possible," Platinum said, though her tone was concerned rather than demanding. "We make sure that this... whatever it is, can't hurt my city, and then we go. No sticking around for science, it's too dangerous."

"Yes, yes, yes," the young magician nodded, though her eyes remained on the map. It seemed a bit dismissive. "Alright, about twenty trots up we'll find an obvious turn, and if we go down that, it should be a fairly straight forward to the rest of the..."

Something caught the corner of Clover the Clever's eye, cutting off her sentence and drawing her gaze upward. It would be hard for the others to miss it, as it was coming from round the very corner Clover had pointed out, a glow that of a blacklight, washing the ponies' various colors in "neon-ified" tint. Slowly and carefully the group approached and peaked round at the source of the mysterious glow: crystals.

Black crystals. The light that emanated from within them gave off the obviously named black light effect, and they grew out from all along the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. Beyond them though was a bricked-off dead end.

Clover looked between the dead end and her map. "But how can this be? I've updated this thing several times..."

"Are these supposed to grow down here?" the princess asked, folding her ears in slight fear and looking at the crystals. They were beautiful, but they unsettled her. The magic was strong enough to spawn luminescent gems?

"I don't think so," the magician said, turning on and off her map several times to see if it would change itself. "Brit, do you remember anything about-"

The green unicorn was interrupted yet again, but this time by a deep rumbling sound and the soft shaking of the walls around them. It was different from the rumbling that had brought on the visions to Brit last time though, and it's source was soon revealed as the bricks of the dead end broke away and folded on themselves to turn into three new passages, all also lit by the black crystals.

Platinum's eyes widened, and she looked back and forth between all three of the other ponies. "I didn't know the labyrinth was enchanted to change..."

"It's not," Clover answered, stunned. Her eyes narrowed. "This is very deep magic. I knew it might be powerful, but I never expected this level."

"What level is that?"

"If I had to compare to the latest edition of Meadowbrook the Charmed's papers on Saggitarean crosszaps, it would link somewhere between the first line of..."

The jargon continued on, but within Chrys' hearing, something very different would be going on. It was small at first, easily mistaken for just some odd echo coming from the ponies' presence, but it soon began to get louder, and louder. But none of the others could hear it, even when it overwhelmed the Conservapony's own senses. It was screaming, pleas for assistance, in a distinct and familiar German accent, coming from the tunnel on the furthest most right...

"Is there anything else you remember, Brit?" Platinum asked the cadet, still deaf to the Hans screams for Chrys.

[Giovenith]

Zombies! (or, Rache, Willow, Yuna, and Aegis)

"He's right, get up!" Willow pulled Pansy with him into the air, followed shortly by Cloud Duster after the later slashed the muzzle off one of the creatures. They flocked up to the highest branches of the trees, several of the zombies following their path and scratching furiously at the trunk, apparently more concerned about the kill than being killed by the raging Rache.

Sweet fucking Celestia, I don't remember any of this shit in the play! Willow panicked in his own mind, as all three of the young adult pegasi traced Rache's swinging and slashing with their eyes. Pansy and Willow flinched with every act of violence while Duster remained calmed and neutral. Were the Earth ponies okay?!

"He sure doesn't take his time," Duster said in dry, vocal fry.

None of them noticed one of the creatures trying to force it's way up the tree behind them...

"Not today!" SkyWishes leaped out and tackled the zombie down from the tree before it could make it's shimmy toward the pegasi, tossing it to the ground and finishing it off with a rear and solid stomp to the head. Yuna and Aegis weren't far behind.

[Chedastan]

Gatehouse

The General grew steadily worried as the mousy girl explained to them what has happened to the Building during their mission, to think the Building was more vulnerable than he had conclusively thought at first. Of course this all still meant that they had to get their asses down there right away to aid in the situation in whatever way they can, less they acquired more casualties, and or risk the whole structure or a part of it collapsing. And having realized that possible latter risk, Romulus knew the situation could get way worse before it got better, and thus there was no more time left to waste. Picking up his tanks of fuel and dropping off his databall, he noted Maghrl's quick initiative in gunning for the tubs, nodding to that.

"The Squib has the right idea! There is no more time to waste, everyone get into a tub and get to descending down to the Building, stat!" He told them before climbing on aboard the same sizable tub he used to get into the Gatehouse. He looked back at Miyuki to make sure she would come too. "Come, Miyuki. Just find a bathtub to ride in, don't worry it rides itself... Also don't ask me about the design choice, I didn't come up with it."

[Primordial Luxa]

Insidious - 7th floor

“Okay everyone quiet down and listen up,” Insidious said raising her voice in as polite a manner as possible “We need to get everybody out of here as quickly and safely as possible. We don’t have that much time so please lets not waste any time arguing. Everybody who isn’t holding up the roof please go into the stairway.”

Insidious skin had changed to a flashing strobe of orange and yellow meant to attract attention and to signal her current mood. As she spoke she was packing up her medical equipment. “Everybody except Gio, MB, and myself will go down the stairway to the fifth floor where you can get medical attention. Be careful, I suspect all the plaster might cause some lung issues.”

“MB you are going to go and stand by Kale. Me and Gio will be watching from the stairway ready to help if anything goes wrong. We will count down from three to one. On one, MB you will teleport Kale into the stairway and Sterling you will teleport yourself there as well.”

“Anyone have any major concerns with this plan?”

Aegis - Horse

Aegis barreled out of the clearing behind SkyWishes, a streak of matted grey hair covering tightly wound stallion muscles. His body’s greyness was only broken up by the golden mask which adored both sides of his hips. Aegis’s human strength and stamina had translated into this new equine body quite well and he smashed one of the zombies aside with his shoulder causing it to smash into a nearby tree. He screaming wordlessly all the while as the sensation of violence returned a measure of familiarity to his mind. Then quick as a racehorse he was battering the zombie with his hooves into paste under repeated heavy blows before turning around to face the others looking for more things to kill with gritted teeth.

[Relikai]

Konayama Miyuki

Somehow, Miyuki realised that she understood the words used by these being for communication. Nodding, she gathered all her stuff, which was her two books and a trinket or two, before running for a tub. She wasn't the most fit, even back in her idol group. While she could dance and swing around easily, running? Nope, not her best. In a costume which was more of a school uniform of Japan's high schools, Miyuki gently placed her things down before acrobatically swinging over the lip, settling snugly into the contraption.

"I'm ready! Er... Mister Romulus! Ready to go!" Miyuki called, bracing herself for whatever's going to happen. Would it shoot forward like a bullet? Or a gentle slide? There was only one way to find out, and it's to bravely take it like the lady she was.

Slowly, slowly. They say people are hurt... I must do my best... must do my best.

"Yosh." Miyuki whispered, steeling her determination.

[Fvaarniimar]

Fifth Floor/Hospital
Stepping off of the elegant spiral staircase, Rmwtyliin had concluded that if they were to all get out, everyone needed to walk quickly, if not run. For that to happen, injuries needed to be dealt with. Rmwtyliin didn't have healing powers, but she did know where some bottled magic was located. While she hesitated to squander something of such power, this was no time for ibuprofen.

Returning with eleven of Giovenith's jars, she saw that her patient - and acquaintance - from previously had come downstairs. Ekgih or something? A rather odd Resident was carrying the mouselike girl; a smaller, similar-looking one promptly joined her. A sad smile from Rmwtyliin; seeing them together in decent light, she correctly concluded that the Iracuses were siblings. Said Arkadacians deposited the Reil on a hospital bed.

Rmwtyliin rushed over, propping Elka's right foot on a pillow to facilitate unbandaging her leg. A pair of small scissors made short work of the thick wrap, leaving only a few layers to pull off.

The Fvaarniimarn had to sit down, lightheaded. Blood spattered those remaining layers! Interestingly, the jars she carried helped. The blue-violet mist was rather comforting, a few shades away from (what had been) the hue of Venmii's formal robes and in general close to indigo. Looking at the jar, she hesitated. Pouring it on wounds will heal them. But...what if some is lost? Do I pour a jar on each wound... There were quite a few scratches. A few, rather deep, were more like gouges.

I cannot hesitate. Bracing herself, Rmwtyliin stood, ripped the bandages off of Elka's right foot, and poured the jar over it. Apart from a yelp as the wounds were exposed to air, the girl had had little idea of what to expect - the sudden formation of a crust came as a surprise. Although part of her wanted to poke it and see if its solidity was an illusion, she feared that that might be tantamount to desecration...

It seemed to be doing something. Understanding that there just wasn't time to wait, she unwrapped the front of the leg and upended the second bottle midway between knee and ankle, carefully avoiding the cat who jumped atop the Reil's hand...

Nick, meanwhile, had been feeling absolutely exhausted. Scratchy throat or not (he coughed) it was time for a nap. The hospital beds were comfy enough. Who would begrudge him one? The chairs were also nice, but if he was needed...

Unfortunately, the cat hadn't been asleep a minute when he heard a yelp. Grumpily stretching, he jumped down and padded over. Elka-mouse again, it seemed. Nut-tea (Rm something?) girl's eyes went quite wide as he jumped up. As paw touched hand, Elka yawned. Nick's ears perked up. His whiskers swiveled forward. <Sleep...> Disappointingly, it lacked effect. <Sleep...dammit...> Did it only work in the Carnal Carnival? He shivered at the memory, but got some of it.
<No pain...> He numbed her successfully, just in time for the leg to be treated. Struggling to keep his eyes open, <sleep>...

This time, largely due to Nick's feeling of exhaustion, it succeeded. By the time her numbness wore off, Elka was asleep deeply enough so that brief stings wouldn't rouse her. Nick, on her hand, had broken the connection; they slept and dreamt individually.

---

Returning to the lobby, Crysal and Adri seated themselves. Carrying around 139 pounds, after all, was no small task. Nor was moving as a cloud of smoke (which was how the latter had gone down three quarters of the stairs.)