[Massive Infiltration Plot] || [Semi-Open]

[great_king_of_evil]

Characters: All the characters who signed up for this infiltration, too many to write them all here. Characters who stay behind and do not infiltrate can tag into the mingle thread.
Setting: The Cafeteria, then the Elevator's Shaft and finally the Administrative Floors. The 29th of July, in the morning.
Format: Action most likely.

Summary: A month ago Ganondorf planned an infiltration to go and pay a visit to Riki's floor-- Given what has happened these last weeks, the 'Evil Alliance' has accepted to allow Enoch and the people he gathered to use the infiltration in order to do their own thing. Namely, retrieve scientific instruments from Jason's laboratory, so as to study the Collar Fluid. The infiltration will begin on the 1st floor, the Cafeteria.

The first thread is a traditional mingle thread, happening before the infiltration and briefing begin; anyone can tag into it. The second thread is a quick briefing before the infiltration starts, where Enoch and Ganondorf will explain to everyone what to do and what to expect in case they don't already know. Then there are the seven group threads, one for each individual team infiltrating.

The OOC post is here for more information. If you have signed-up but didn't pick a group yet, please do so here. While the infiltration takes place, the villains who stayed behind are unleashing a distraction on the tower and those who don't go.

Warnings: Administrative floors, danger, death, horror. Anyone tagging here is probably going to die, or at the very least meet with a terrible fate.

Mingle || Briefing || Meanwhile, in the Cafeteria...

Group 00 (Ganondorf, Sephiroth [OU], Veigar, Ocelot and Jin)
Group 01 (Enoch, Lancer [AU3], Patrick Dawn, Tohko, Raven and Ryoji)
Group 02 (Xion, Fon Master Ion, Yu Narukami, Asch, Luke, Jonouchi Katsuya, Dark Pit and Sheba)
Group 03 (Nesir Aeser, Zett Takajo, Kain Highwind, Solas and Minato Arisato)
Group 04 (Kyoko Sakura, Amelia, Shepard, Homura Akemi, Terra, Sephiroth [AU2] and Labrys)
Group 05 (John Egbert, Rose Lalonde, Naoya Toudou, Dave Strider, Riki [AU3], Sora and Riku [OU])
Group 06 (Zelda, Ruler [AU1] and Saber [AU5])

Comments

[sageprincess]

[There. Zelda unsheathes one of her daggers, passes it over her back, and lines it up with the seam.]

Sorry, Legolas.

[With that whispered apology to the one who gifted her these blades, she attempts to ram the dagger into the seam with as much strength as she can muster without throwing off her balance. Should she succeed, she'll then start pressing her weight against the hilt of the blade, trying to pry the doors open.

Just... casually ignoring that unsettling laughter. Please, don't be one of Ruana's rooms--]

[animusnpcs]

[It's rough, and the blade looks much worse for the wear, but the elevator door slowly, painfully is forced open. A shadow with a set of glimmering white teeth can be seen standing on the other side of the door--other than that, it's dark--though the elevator doors are still mostly closed.]

[sageprincess]

[... Yeaaah, she's going to keep them mostly closed for now. The darkness of the elevator shaft masks her uncertain expression, but the hesitance to continue opening this particular door is obvious in her voice.]

Ah... There is... something on the other side. A shadow with white teeth. It is too dark to make out anything else.

... Should I continue?

[no_longer_a_king]

[Even if the elevator door isn't open wide enough for them to shimmy through, Arturia is going to get to Ruler as slowly as she can.]

Ruler, get on my back. [The shadow child is worrying, but there is literally nothing they can do at this point. Not until they get past the door.]

Keep trying, Zelda. It's either try to get by it or fall to our deaths.

[She definitely does not want to fall to her death unless necessary.]

[faithstaynight]

[Ruler doesn't even hesitate at the suggestion; it's difficult, doing this with only one useable arm, but she manages to swing over to the cable Arturia is currently suspended from, teeth grit hard against the pain of her jostled arm. She moves fast, though, and is clinging to Arturia's back in only a few quick moments.]

Don't worry, we will be right there!

[animusnpcs]

[The shadow creature slides through the little gap. It ignores Zelda in favor of crawling along the walls of the elevator shaft. Another slides through the gap, and then three more, and then five more.]

[sageprincess]

[Be eaten by a shadow creature, or fall Goddess-know-how-many stories to their deaths. Zelda honestly doesn't know which she would prefer.

She nods, however, taking a steeling breath and-- wait, what?]

What are they...?

[She watches the... things slip underneath her with no small amount of alarm. Oh, she has a terrible feeling about letting those shadows go, but she cannot dwell upon it now. They don't seem interested in her, at least...

Returning her weight to the hilt of her blade, she pushes it as far as it will go. Once it's rendered useless, she'll try prying the doors open with bloodied hands, grunting in pain and watching shadows slip under her feet all the while.]

[animusnpcs]

[Eventually there's a shriek and shadows fall down the elevator shaft--it looks like they can't gross the red light at all.

The door opens inch by inch--but it does open, eventually. The hallway that stretches out in front of them is pitch black.]

[no_longer_a_king]

[Huh. Maybe whatever keeps them from using their powers is a good thing if they're not meant to be kept upstairs. Arturia, straining a bit now between her shoulder aching and now Ruler on her back, slowly but surely manages to get over to the door.

It'll take some doing to get the momentum to swing through, however.]

[sageprincess]

[Too focused on forcing the doors open, Zelda doesn't look up when she hears the shrieking. It doesn't sound like Ruler or Arturia, so it can wait.

The moment the doors are open, she falls to one knee, exhausted by the effort. Darkness, huh...? Perhaps it's like before, and it will only light up when they step inside.

Well, she's certainly not going backwards. She switches knees, taking one 'step' inside.]

[animusnpcs]

[Zelda's superhuman abilities return to her.]

[sageprincess]

[It's subtle, but familiar. A thrum in her veins she's felt ever since she was a child.

Magic.

She has her magic back.

Zelda is instantly on her feet again, turning back towards the shaft. Holding her arms out before her, she summons holy light to her fingertips, then lets it disperse just below Arturia's feet. Should it work, a solid, magical barrier will form underneath them, giving them a place to stand, and hopefully in turn help them across.]

[no_longer_a_king]

[If it works, it'll be a few moments before Arturia lets go of the cable. She'll take a few moments to test out the barrier beneath her feet before she does let go. Once she's sure it's solid she'll let go, hike Ruler up on her back, and sprint through the door to solid ground.]

[animusnpcs]

[The magic is considerably reduced in strength in the elevator shaft. Though it doesn't fizzle entirely, it flickers, and they'll have to move fast to make use of it.]

[no_longer_a_king]

[SPRINTING! SPRINTING! SPRINTING! Right through the door! Do not pass go! Do not collect two hundred rupees! Just ruuuuuuun!]

[sageprincess]

[Zelda puts everything she's got into that barrier, reaching out to catch Arturia's hand at the same time.]

Quickly!

[animusnpcs]

[The barrier vanishes just a moment before they can safely reach the platform, but momentum may push them through.

Their ears are ringing, faintly.]

[no_longer_a_king]

[Arturia's heart stops the moment the barrier disappears, but there's momentum and then there's freefall. For a moment, she thinks she and Ruler will plunge to their deaths, but then she hooks her foot on the edge. With Ruler on her back and the momentum, they go tumbling forward, a cry escaping Arturia as she lands flat on her face and with a sickening crunch winds up breaking her nose.

A-at least they made it.... right? Arturia is currently attributing the ringing in her ears to her latest injury.]

[sageprincess]

[The ringing is concerning, but like the giggling and the shrieking before, it's not immediately related to her friends' well being, so she ignores it until she knows they're safe.

Zelda kneels next to them, helping Ruler off of Arturia's back.]

Forgive me, I thought my magic would be stronger than that. Are you all right?

[faithstaynight]

[Ruler is quick to move off of Arturia's back, not wanting to hurt the other woman more than she might already be.]

Yet you were able to keep the path solid so that we did not plummet to our deaths. Thank you.

[She frowns in concern as she turns to Arturia.] I apologize. Had you not been carrying me, it is likely the momentum would not have caused you to fall the way you did.

[no_longer_a_king]

No apologies. You needed the help. [She sits up, keeping her head bowed and lightly touching her nose. It's bleeding, but at least she can breathe. She pinches it delicately to stem the blood flow.]

What of you two?

[animusnpcs]

[The ringing grows louder, accompanied by pressure, as if they were riding up in an airplane. The pressure is dismissed by swallowing, but it builds up again fairly quickly.]

[sageprincess]

Unsettled, but all right.

[Though... this pressure is a bit too familiar for her liking. She can't help being reminded of Ruana's bedroom. She puts a few fingers to her temple, rubbing in an attempt to relieve the pressure.]

Arturia, can you attend to Ruler's arm? [Even if Arturia is about to say no, Zelda stands, taking one or two steps more into the darkness, looking into it warily.] I feel we might need to leave here quickly.

[no_longer_a_king]

[Somehow, she would not be surprised if they wound up in Ruana's quarters. Arturia keeps swallowing thickly thanks to her nose, but gets up and turns to Ruler.

Arturia gets the feeling she'll be spending a day in bed after this is over.]

If you see stairs, let us know.

[And then she attends to Ruler, telling her to grit her teeth and taking the injured arm in hand. One a count of three she pulls on the girl's arm and there's a sickening pop and crunch as the shoulder goes back into the socket.

Arturia then sets about ripping up her dress's skirts to make a makeshift sling for the other Heroic Spirit.]

[faithstaynight]

[Ruler manages to bite back her scream this time, now that there was some sort of warning. Even so, she can't hide the look of pain that crosses her face as her shoulder is re-set, and as she gingerly rotates it. God, it hurts, but at least she can move it now... she'll be able to fight through the pain if need be.]

This pressure... it's unlike anything I've felt in the tower thus far. [She pauses, noting the grim expressions on both Arturia and Zelda's faces.]

... What does it mean?