It's not like I'm walking alone into the valley of the shadow of death--

[sageprincess]

Characters: Enoch, Zelda, and their ragtag bunch of immortals (Lucifel, Naoya, Solas, Saber Lily, and Ruler)
Setting: Admin levels; night of April 9th
Format: Any, though action might be faster?
Summary: With Jason apparently busy examining the "malfunctioning" worker units, it's the perfect time to strike and retrieve the information Dax left behind.
Warnings: It's a break in. These do not have a history of going well. Character injury and death is possible.

It is a dark and stormy night, as cliche as it sounds. Most of the Tower residents should be asleep by now, or wandering the more interesting floors in search of monsters to fight.

Not these ones, though. A small group quietly begins to gather around the administrator elevator after the sun is well and truly down, several of them armed. Jason's announcement over the intercom yesterday had been just the tell they were looking for - one that informed them he was distracted - and despite some of the distressing disappearances that followed, they had to jump on this rare opportunity while it was within their grasp.

Dax trusted them with the information he had collected, and one way or another, they were going to find it.

Comments

[animusnpcs]

[From Solas's perspective, as soon as Arturia enters the hallway seems to crackle with activity, signals pulsing down and out into the hallway. Arturia will see, not far off ahead of her, a staggering maze of hallways that seem to go up and down and upside down impossibly.

Solas will see only one path, up a staircase.]

[warriorscribe]

You...couldn't see your own vines? *Is it just her own powers, or... Enoch starts heading after Arturia, being the other meatshield type...*

...Can you see my armor?

[repeatingsun]

Umm... [Modly narration, can she? -- At any rate, she'd better make sure they go up the stairs instead of bumping into walls.] There's a staircase up that way.

[no_longer_a_king]

This way? [Arturia slowly goes in the direction Solas guides her toward, the entire time feeling like no, she should turn here or try there, but she holds firm to the direction Solas tells her.]

[animusnpcs]

[Enoch's armor can be seen--of course, there are plenty of completely nonmagical sets of armor in the world.

As they go upstairs, the floor seems to slowly vanish from underneath them. Solas will still be able to see it and feel it, but to everyone else they'll feel as if they're floating.

In fact, to everyone else, they will begin to float. Solas will see the film coating the walls fly out to support the others, holding them in a position that would simulate floating.]

[warriorscribe]

*His armor is pretty explicitly not mundane and doesn't exactly mimic any nonmagical armor existing, though...

In any case, the "floating" has Enoch looking around a bit unsettled but not too uncomfortable. He tries to look back at Sola, then struggles to move forward. He's moved while floating before! He's just...not sure how he did it last time. Or why he was even floating.*

Wh-...

[sageprincess]

Wh... What is going on?

[And this will be Zelda, trying desperately to grab onto something solid. Which probably means one of her back-line compatriots. Sorry Lucifel and/or Naoya.

People are not meant to fly okay]

[faithstaynight]

[Ruler makes a noise of surprise as the group begins floating. Now this is certainly something she's never experienced before. Glancing over her shoulder, she shoots a look back at Solas.]

Can you see what precisely is doing this?

[no_longer_a_king]

[Gosh, guys! It's just like walking on water. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other and try not to think too hard about how you're supposed to be sinking right now.]

Another trick, most likely.

[animusnpcs]

[They will find they're able to move around--it's a bit like moving through water, really.

Or in Solas's case the film seems to be carrying the others along the hallway in whichever direction they wish to go.]

[repeatingsun]

....You guys are swimming on the roof in that electricity I mentioned earlier. Why are you all doing that? [There's a pause as she tilts her head and taps her chin thoughtfully.

Enoch probably knows this gesture all too well.]

I didn't think entities without wings could fly...or swim as this case may be...

[The thing is, she's not being sarcastic or ironic at all.]

[brbtalkingtogod]

[Floating. Really? Lucifel actually looks more than amused right now. It's a bit strange to him, but it's fun to watch the rest.]

I could count a few without wings that can fly.

Anyways, where should we go from this point on?

[animusnpcs]

[From here, through Solas's eyes, it's a walk up a ramp to a door. It's impossible for the others to see where they should be heading in the void, though.]

[repeatingsun]

This way, the door's this way.

[Solas keeps walking up the ramp and toward the door, ready to open it with the vines she can't currently see if need be. It's still weird, but...Hey, weirder things have happened.]

[no_longer_a_king]

[Arturia follows Solas to the door, even if walking on air/water/electricity. Whatever it is!]

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch's movement is rather ineffective, considering he doesn't know how to swim. He manages a few movements in one direction or another, but they're mostly accidental, and for the most part he's pushing himself upwards.*

Ah...c-can someone...

*Someone help this idiot...*

[animusnpcs]

[The door opens on its own, though the others will see it as a bright point of light they're heading into.

There's a hellhound, growling and made of flame, on the other side of the door. Solas won't be able to see it at all. It lunges at whoever gets to the door first.]

[brbtalkingtogod]

... Enoch, stop moving.

[Seriously, as amusing as the scribe is to watch, the had to proceed quickly. Lucifel grabs his wrist to drag him along, heading to the direction Sola's has pointed at.]

[faithstaynight]

[Unfortunately for Ruler, the hellhound lunged straight for her.

Letting out a surprised and fearful scream - surprising, considering how unruffled she had been with the rest of their adventure up until now - she raises her sword, a slightly panicked look on her face as she swings it down in an arc with all her might. Oh please, let one strike be enough to kill it...!]

[animusnpcs]

[The sword seems to pass through the hellhound--it's made of fire, so it simply disrupts the flickering flames slightly. Ruler will feel the fire beginning to burn her skin. If something doesn't happen quickly, she'll burn to death this way.

Solas will still be unable to see any hellhound at all.]

[repeatingsun]

I can't see it-!

[Half-panicked, Solas tries to lash out with her vines in the general direction that everyone is attacking.]

[animusnpcs]

[To the others, Solas's vines appear to burn to ashes upon contact with the creature. Solas will be unable to see her vines and is completely unharmed, though.]

[faithstaynight]

[Solas may seem panicked, but that's nothing compared to how Ruler looks right now. There's an almost wild look in her eye as she screams again, a scream of pain as well as fear this time, and swings her sword again. She knows it's futile, she knows what she's doing has no effect on this creature, but the rational part of her brain has momentarily been taken over by the fear she's harbored ever since the end of her original life.]

[repeatingsun]

[Well, if she can't do anything else -- She can at least use her vines as shields, right? She'll start trying to use them to protect Ruler, she seems particularly upset.]

[warriorscribe]

Sola! *It's an instinctive cry as Sola's vines appear to burn.

...But she doesn't appear to realize? She didn't even feel that? She seems to be trying to help though, still...*

Sola! Try to get us through that door!

*He's not sure why this. Why just ignore it. But he knows hellhounds are indestructible, so if Sola can't be harmed, maybe she can do something.

He never was a tactician.*