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Owner	Pose
Bloody Revelations	Chasing after abductors and potential slavers is not exactly easy. The initial assessment really hadn't been wrong when it had pegged the events as out in the sticks. Though it's not nearly as bad as it could be --the raiders venturing uncomfortably close to actual civilization had been the tip-off anyways-- the last place that anyone had just caught wind of being found deserted is hours from the nearest warpgate, and the entire way there is an ungodly humid slog through a borderline jungle.     A real rainforest might be preferable, since the canopy darkens the ground enough that not too much really grows. Instead, people have to put up with the bright sunlight of a temperate western forest, the dripping, muddy, insect-riddled atmosphere of a southern kind, and all the lovely stinging plants, pitfalls, and likely venomous critters of the outback.     As indicated, the village in question is a ghost town by now, though, strangely, there don't seem to be any significant signs of violent struggle. One would have to poke exceptionally hard to find what appears to be only a single bloodstain, inside an open-plan building that's as much bone and cloth as it is lumber. Considering the environment, though, tracks are pretty much trivial. What must be 40-50 of them are blatantly obvious, leaving further east in triple file, and densely packed order. The ground is pretty soft, so they're deep enough to make up for the foliage obscuring them, and all told, they look fairly fresh.     Another unfortunate multiple of hours from there, where the sun is dipping below the trees, and dangerously diminishing visibility, the foregone conclusion of following them finally leads to a dead end. A deep, churned up hole in the ground has been dug at the feet of an especially large, moss-caked tree, diving right into the hollow of its sizable roots, leaving a tunnel that's at least ten feet deep --pretty hard to do in this kind of environment. Though there are clearly shovels and other equipment littered all over the place, the more unnerving piece is a rope noose dangling from one of the branches, creaking ever so softly in the faint, suddenly stagnant breeze.
Laura Kinney	One of the perks of adamantium claws is that they make great machetes. Laura, or 'Talon', as she had introduced herself to the non-Watch members of the group, had been hacking through the brush to make things easier. And finally... They're here. The actual site. This disappearance has to have been pretty recent, the tracks are fresh and she can almost smell the people. No problem to follow this trail.      Giant holes in the ground, however, are another matter entirely. "The tree must be holding the tunnel roof up." She scans the environment, pausing again to look at the noose closer, her nostrils flaring. "This has been used. They killed one of the victims." A small crack of emotion leaks through her shell: Anger.
August Kohler	The warning that the east is full of terrible forests has August prepared. Knife, check. Mirror to summon Persona that has fire, check. Loose clothes and boots that work well for jungle exploration, check. The redhead has moved to take the front of the line, using his sharpened kitchen knife (it's all he had) to cut through things when Laura isn't. "When we find the slavers, we should tie them up and see how many other situations they know. After that...do what you want with them." When they reach the large tree with the noose, August glances at it, frowns, and then moves to look at the tunnel. "This must have been where they went. Aaand a noose. Doubting it was suicide. Let's go, there's probably nothing here for us." He pulls out his phone, turns on the flashlight, and descends first into the tunnel.
Tomoe	There was always more trouble in the multives and for someone like Tomoe it could consume her, but she'd understood she couldn't do everything bu today she thought she could. The humuid slog was horrible she felt her armour and underclothing stick to her as she moved she looked unhappy and her ears drooped slightly too reflecting her mood it was muggy and she'd have to deal with it. "Sounds like iut August... and I agree I don't think iut was either." Tomoe is moving to try to take point as she's prone to do givne her job. "We have to worry about the living first, can't do anything for the dead...as much as I hate to say that."
Sanary Rondel	Heat, Sanary can handle. Insects, sure. Getting dirty and itchy isn't something she's not used to, after all. Humidity, though? Not so much. The healer's probably been groaning and aching for a while at the state of the stupidly humid not-jungle, unsure of whether lifting her axe off her shoulder or just letting it rest there with less physical effort is more comfortable.      She just needs to remind herself that there's kidnappers to take care of out here. It doesn't make it any more comfortable, but at least it's easier to deal with in that context. The sight of the noose has her narrowing her eye, but she keeps her expression relatiely neutral even while she glances around at their surroundings. "If they're slavers, it wouldn't make sense. If they're cultists, though... Ain't too surprising that they're starting to kill people. Those types usually do."
Yuna Kagurazaka	This is not the kind of place where Yuna likes to be. She's dealt with jungles before, and has a lively distaste for the heat and humidity and bugs (ESPECIALLY the bugs), and while her Light Suit is sufficient to protect her from bug bites, plant stings, and other possibly low-danger hazards, that doesn't make the climate any more pleasant. She'd much prefer to be in Powered Form ... but her allies wouldn't be able to keep up if she took advantage of her hoverthrusters, Powered Form is too bulky to navigate through the underbrush well, and she'd be even more totally the opposite of stealthy than she already is in the white and blue battlesuit. Somehow, Yuna is not grumbling or complaining as she makes her way along, Elner flitting along just behind her and a pistol in Yuna's hand; she can swap to her sword readily enough if she needs to help cut through the flora (or the fauna), and she *is* trying to do her share when it comes to clearing the path. On the bright side, she's among friends (and has even given Laura a friendly greeting, stranger though she may be), and the objective of 'freeing slaves' sits well with Yuna ... but the sight of the noose drives all the positive thoughts out of Yuna's brain, and she swiftly turns her back on the grisly token, blanching. Even if there *isn't* a body dangling from it, she *does not want to look at that*.
Lin	Lin's second foray into this alternate Creation, one she's up to only because a few vaguely familiar voices talked about some nasty things going on on ther audio...     The redhead's already pretty unhappy with the situation. Her approach to the ghost town through the jungle was largely arboreal, leaping from tree to tree at great speeds and odd angles to avoid getting drenched in the undergrowth muck. She enters the village grounds with one final great leap and rolls to a stop on a roof upon touching down...     Somehow without caving in the house.     She's quick to spot the tracks and follow along as before... until she inevitably reaches the great tree.     "That isn't so. You CAN do things for the dead..." She answers Tomoe, moments before dropping down to join with the rest of the group. "... If they linger as ghosts. Though helping them to lethe is probably the kindest. The Underworld is no place for a mortal soul... I can just feel that in my bones after seeing it once. But we'd better prioritize the living. Also, DO NOT slaughter enemies in Creation callously. It causes more harm than good, even if those people deserve it." With an angry snort, she adjusts her outfit, tosses her ponytail over a shoulder... and stomps over to the hole.     Too dark to see down, huh?     In a matter of moments she summons forth her sunfire blade, forming it from nothing in her hands. The glowing sword she then casually just... drops down into the hole.     Maybe THEN they'll be able to see what's down there.
Reina Kinney	Reina arrives in a flash, literally. She arrives teleporting from her shuttle to the surface below. And once she arrives she scowls a bit, before snapping her fingers and materalizing her sword. "Good thing I come prepared," She says, also glad that her shields should protect against the bugs... or do they? Instead of protecting her, the insects, apparently too small to be detected, come to Reina like flies to a kill. Cursing in Gurhalian, Reina swats them with her free hand. "Guess I spoke too soon," She says with a sigh. "Well, no use in complaining." She follows behind the others, slashing branches and bushes out of her way as best as she can.
Bloody Revelations	Down the hole might almost be preferable to staying outside. Though it immediately plunges everyone into darkness (until Karal produces a light), it's also instantly much cooler, and the bugs and plants are already nothing but a memory. It's still wet and humid, just from the moisture coming off the loamy walls and the rambling tree roots partially exposed through them, but the only hazard is bapping one's head on a dangling tuber at most.     That said, it's a weirdly long tunnel. Going on a noticeable downward incline, it starts to get really suspicious, really fast, when it doesn't hit a bedrock, or even really a compacted layer of soil. What must be fifty feet down, it's still like someone's garden or cellar dirt, albeit nothing grows there, and it starts to look more and more grey as they go. As they approach what must be the end, the distant sound of wooden clacking and glass-like chiming starts to waft into the excavated passage.     Then, they emerge somewhere completely different. Somehow, some way, they've bumbled into an underground cavern that can only be described in intervals of miles. Dozens of miles across, at least a mile going up, and god knows how many miles going down. The tree roots that wind through here are not those of a gnarled redwood, they're /literally/ thousands of feet across where they break the ceiling, tapering slowly as they descend until they aren't even visible anymore in the darkness. The hollow is of utterly mind-boggling proportions, such that one could probably house New York City if they carved out some of the wood coiling fantastically over the Abyss.     There'd probably be no need though. There's already a city. Existing as an incredible network of bridges, arches, platforms and hanging plazas, dangling from the roots by complicated networks of giant chains and supports, an entire, large town has comfortably situated itself above the possibly-infinite drop, hanging in an incredibly ornate basket arrangement. Everything seems to be made of the same sort of black iron as its base, but it's been sculpted with incredible artisanship, and decorated with legions of softly glowing street lamps, tasteful flagstones, decorative gardens (albeit very dark, nocturnal looking ones), and actual streets of establishments decorated with all manner of ceramics and banners. Gems glitter from the iron cages that serve as transporation along lengthy chains between platforms, and what must be at least two thousand people are milling about all over the place.     Also noteworthy is that it's still under construction. The sound of hammers, saws, picks, and anvils is incessant, echoing around the entire monolithic space, but it's . . . oddly musical. Deeply calming, even, like the steady breathing of a spouse in bed. An aura of deep peace pervades this place, just watching people go about their lives in the distance. There's a park, there's an opera house, there's a casino, there's a pool, just by looking.     There are only two problems with this picture. One is the skin-crawlingly familiar sound of skittering whispering if one looks down too long into the blackness down below. The other is what must be a small metalworking district, faintly billowing stacks of smoke, where a swarm of men and women in chains can be seen lined up in a spartan plaza, where armed guards seem to be haggling with someone in a leather apron.
Laura Kinney	Laura Kinney reaches up and covers August's phone light as they start to get close to the end of the tunnel, likely able to hear the sounds of work before everyone else without enhanced hearing. "No lights. They attract attention." She speaks in a low whisper, dropping into a slight crouch as she advances further, boot soles nearly silent on the earthen floor. She stops abruptly when things open out, surveying the underground city. This... is what she was not expecting at all. And the air... "This does not smell like a city. The only humans here are there." She points off into the distance, where the orange glow and smoke indicate forges at work. "THe others... They have almost no scent."
Sanary Rondel	Into the hole they go! Sanary's more than willing to head on down just to escape the heat, relying on August's phonelight and Karal's swordfire to make it easier to see where she's actually going. The ground being much lighter than would be expected of such a deep hole isn't lost on her, though, and she tightens her hold on the gunaxe while advancing.      "So it's fine as long as they don't die, right? Sounds easy enough. I'll stick to what I know, then." She taps on her head lightly, then squints as what looks like an entire freaking underground CITY comes up in front of them. "... Dang. That's a... That's a lot of places to check." She grunts lightly while trying to map it all out mentally. "Some of this actually doesn't look half bad, either... Reminds me of some of the bigger towns. Uh. Any sign of the people we're lookin' for, though?"      If only the chained people were to her right instead.
Yuna Kagurazaka	The tunnel does feel less oppressive to Yuna, although the darkness doesn't help any. Karal's light *does*, though, and Yuna's own battlesuit emits a soft glow - a glow which is stronger when she dismisses her pistol and materializes the Matrix Divider in its place. It's enough to see by, at least, which is what she cares about the most as long as it's just them in the tunnel. Yuna consciously dims the light when those noises of clacking and chiming start to drift up the tunnel from the other end - and when the light at the end of the tunnel becomes more visible, she dismisses the Divider again to cut down further on light sources that the group might be seen by. Then they reach the underground city. Yuna's gaze slowly surveys the subterranean cityscape, wincing slightly at those 'cages' - although she realizes just as quickly that they're probably meant for transport, like elevators ... well, horizontal elevators, whatever the word is ... rather than confinement. Honestly? It's kind of beautiful, except for that chittering out of the abyssal darkness beneath them - the reason why those 'cages' are necessary to get around, she presumes. And the sight of the crowd of slaves. That's the point where Yuna's unease gives way to a desire to simply go on the attack. The slaves are *there*, and she taps Sanary on the shoulder before pointing the battle healer's attention in the correct direction. "Elner," she whispers, "figure out our fastest route to get to where the slaves are ..."
Reina Kinney	Lighting a makeshift torch Reina assembled beforehand as they enter the tunnel, the red-head switches from her sword to her pistol, sweeping it around as she attempts to keep anything that might be there from ambushing them. The tunnel isn't as oppressive as the jungle, but the darkness makes it no less uncomfortable for her. Then again, this is what GUARDIANS train for. "Give me a double De Rol Le fight in the midst of a toxic river, I'm fine. Go through a jungle like that and into a tunnel like this and I'm not feeling? What's up with me?" She breathes a sigh of relief upon arriving at the underground city, and she extinguishes her torch, only to have her relief turn to disbelief and then horror as she realizes this is where the slaves are. Snapping her fingers a few more times, Reina's pistol is replaced with her rifle as she peers through the scope, attempting to get an idea of what kind of security forces (or guards) they might have down there.
Lin	Once Lin has determined that the tunnel goes too far for a single Glorious Solar Saber to light up... well, she starts climbing down and keeping it with her to light the way, scrambling down with all the speed she can manage.     "There's nothing down this deep... 'cept the Jadeborn... and they don't muck with things on the surface much..." And that's a proper noun that few people in Creation will ever hear...     When she finally does emerge into the vast, well-sculpted city... Lin's jaw practically drops. There's lighting and orderly designs and people had time to waste on making things all artistic....     But she looks all about at the cavern's limits - what of them she can see...     And the girl finds herself tightly pursing her lips.     Especially when they wander over that distant blackness... she outright SHIVERS and takes a few steps backwards.     But Lin douses her glorious solar saber and starts walking towards town, mostly towards where the slaves have been pointed out. Gotta go see what's going on.     She's not doing much to make herself inconspicuous though, just taking the most direct course there.
August Kohler	As Laura reaches for August's phone, he pulls it away. "Woah, space, please?" He turns off the phone light himself, pocketing it. When they exist the tunnel, he squints, muttering something in German about how utterly bizarre this is, before stepping forward. Glancing around, he spots the slaves and gestures. "There they are." Counting their numbers, August follows Lin along, gripping the mirror in his hand. He tries his best to avoid the darkness with his eyes, instead speaking to the Exalted. "So, theories? This is closest to your world, after all."
Tomoe	Tomoe looks to KAral for a moment tilding her head and seems sad for a moment. Right but you know I have no skill in that I wonder... eh never mind lets move on. Ya more vengeful dead. I get it, I get it, I did Halloween Duty for the union twice, I know how that goes." She looks over to Reina for a moment before she makes redy to head onwards. The Salamander woman seems on edge then again she's always on edge when it comes to Creation, she's techinally brekaing her home nation's law about no travel to creation. With the Union gone her exception ot that died with the multiveral orginzation. "Just what the heck is this...?" She calls out looking at the city there string at it with a mix of wonder, confusion and fear. She does see it doe snot seem to be finished and it troubles her more. Who the heck is building this and why? she still regretted going into the whole, as several old bad jokes come to mind as she gets over the city being down here She will keep With Lin as she moves on ahead right on her heels.
Bloody Revelations	Checking out the guards through the scope, there's not much to write home about. The slave guards, at least --city guards, if there are any, are difficult to pick out. The abductors mostly just look like raiders, albeit more orderly, possibly a relatively successful local tribe that makes a living off of pillaging and human trafficking. They aren't heavily armed, mostly swords and spears of decently good quality, and reinforced buff jackets, but the way they carry themselves suggests that they're probably tough men. The general force on display is a bit of a hand wobble, since there's roughly two dozen of them.     Just walking into town, though, well, nobody stops them at all. Taking down the fancifully engraved, black iron spiral ramps and stairways, the biggest threat is merely the sense of vertigo, though the construction is so fine that they can't even feel a vibration beneath their feet. It feels totally like stepping on solid ground. Still, there's something slightly /off/ about what they're walking on regardless, like someone should be watching it closely, just in case.     At street level, rather than up at the weird, tree-cave-wall exit, the sounds of construction are fairly loud and constant. It'd be a wonder that people put up with it, save for the soothing, grandfather clock effect it feels like it has. Laughter can be heard from playhouses, and the click of tiles from game halls, as well as constant conversation from people on the streets. Up close, most of them seem to be pretty well off, and the vast majority artisans of some kind, as a huge number of local businesses are jewelers, architects, weavers, machinists, and that kind of thing.     Of course one particular 'district' is dedicated to smiths, and there, most of the light comes from the light of fairly impressive, industrial-style furnaces, billowing towers of charcoal smog high up into the lofty cavern, where it bothers no one. Oddly, despite the number of heavyset people standing around with hammers and tongs and vats of oil, none of them seem to be /doing/ anything. Hell, none of them seem to /have/ anything to do. All of the forges, though newly stoked, are lacking any actual metal. They look impatient and titchy, like they're on bad caffeine withdrawal. One who might be a guild leader is arguing with the head raider, apparently squabbling over prices and something about shortages, though it's difficult to hear without walking right up.     Bizarrely, despite having sixty capable looking people strung together in chains, they all just kind of . . . stand there. They don't look particularly confused or fearful, or much of anything, as if just tiredly resigned. It's eerie. Unnatural. It immediately reeks of suspicious play. A kidnapped village shouldn't be placidly staring off into the distance like cows. What the hell does a smithy need with slaves if it has no metal anyways? It definitely reeks of copper and iron, but there isn't a glint of it.
Sanary Rondel	Yuna's guidance draws a confused "eh?", then an awkward cough from Sanary as she turns slightly to the left to get a better look. "Th.. There we go, yeah. Alright, I'm ready for... Whatever." She sounds somewhat flustered and like her pride's been wounded!      At least she's still got her eye on the prize. Or goal. With the walk into the town being much less eventful than expected, Sanary narrows her eye again as it appears though the slaves aren't really doing anything... Slave-y. Or anything, even. "Just keeps getting weirder... Doesn't look like they're making 'em do anything. What do you think they brought all of them here for?"      So much for it being cultists. She actually looks a little disappointed at that, and she even slips the axe down to wear it at her back instead of shouldering it the entire way. "So. If we're gonna talk to 'em..."      The talk on the radio has her pausing, then smirking despite herself. It is cultists! Sort of. Maybe.      With the action plan detailed, the healer breaks off from the rest of the group to try and approach the mass of guards from a different angle. They need a distraction to kick things off, after all, so when she finds a good angle to approach the guards from, she does so with just one hand raised in a broad wave and the other clutched around her gut. "Hey there! Can someone tell me where a bathroom is?!"
Yuna Kagurazaka	This city is, increasingly, NOT someplace that Yuna wants to linger. August is heading in; despite her misgivings, Yuna follows. 'Talon' suggested stealing some local clothes so they blend in better, but while that's probably a smart idea, Yuna doesn't go out of her way for anything other than a nice loose cloak, something that her Light Suit's poofy shoulder-sleeves won't interfere with. She'd probably stand out anyway even *with* a cloak. Stealth just ain't Yuna's thing. And she's too uneasy about the city to focus on being sneaky, anyway. As sturdy as the metal bridges and walkways seem, the peculiar vibe from them keeps Yuna visibly on edge. But it's only when she gets within sight - and more importantly, smell - of the forges that the pieces finally fall into place. She's fought with Exalted before, particularly Abyssal Exalted. They're one of the main things she even *knows* about Creation, and one of the things that makes her most unhappy about being in this world. And she remembers, FAR too well for comfort, the existence of a material known as 'soulsteel'. The smell of metal - or possibly of blood - from a smithy that has no visible metal being worked is the closest confirmation she needs ... and after that, the number of slaves makes FAR too much sense, even the listlessly submissive way they're behaving. They're not here for slave labor. They were captured to use their souls for raw materials. The look on Yuna's face goes from 'scared' to 'horrified' to 'focused rage' in the space of a couple of heartbeats, and she wants the Matrix Divider in her hands so badly that her weapon almost materializes on the spot. Somebody else should probably initiate the violence - but as soon as the ball goes up, Yuna has already decided where her first shots are going ...
August Kohler	The situation becomes far more apparent. It's not just slavers, it's slavers who turn their slaves into /metal/. The mirror pops up to eye level as August speaks over his radio, before he stares into the mirror and speaks. "Come to me, TIN SOLDIER!" The blue energy flares around him as he speaks, and that robotic soldier with a gun for a leg appears in front of him, before moving forward and pointing its gun up. "Alright, you bastards. Let the slaves free, or burn." August waits ten seconds (unless hostile actions are taken) for a response, before the gun is pointed at the largest concentration of guards not near slaves and pours out a massive gout of fire. "We're here to help. Blacksmiths and civilians, get on the ground and don't get in the way. We'll talk to you once this is done." The fact that this might be complicated is irrelevant. They're making people into metal. And that needs to be stopped, no matter what.
Reina Kinney	Realizing she's not going to be needing to shoot anyone just yet, Reina takes out her binoculars instead to try to get a better glimpse of what is truly happening. And then it hits her just what's going on here. They thought they were attempting to rescue slaves from their evil masters. No, that was just what it looked like at first, or maybe just a cover for what's really happening here. In reality, Reina's realizing there's something far worse going on here than even she imagined. Their souls are being stolen to be used as raw materials instead. Almost immediately, Reina's eyes widen for a moment and her mouth hangs open, before she scowls deeply and her teeth grit. "Falzing bastards," She whispers. "I can't believe there's more going on here than meets the eye." Her breathing begins to become deeper and somewhat faster as she raises her rifle again. "Innocent people being killed or worse for.... for..." She grits her teeth more. "That's not important. What's important is that we stop them!" She attempts to snipe one of the guards.
Laura Kinney	Laura Kinney had retracted her claws again once it became clear the group was going in, but she's still clearly on edge. The teen's hands are balled into fists, and her gait's still more light and on the balls of her feet than a casual stroll. Luckily, her earpiece picks up subvocalizing through bone conduction, so she doesn't have to speak aloud to talk to her teammates. The people in chains, docile, not trying to escape, or even examine their environment... Clearly some sort of psychic field. Or maybe they're drugged? Either way, not in their right mind. And then... The anger, the rage inside of her ignites as what's happening comes over the radio. These people are being turned into weapons. Just like her. But even worse. She at least still had /some/ semblance of life. THey're dying. She sheds her own acquired cloak, a bit of parkour getting her up onto the roof of the building behind the Bandit leader. She sprints through the shadows, trying to get into position... And then August opens up. Well, looks like stealth's off the menu.      Leaping from the rooftop, her claws slip out with a snikt muffled by flaming machine gun fire as she drops down above the bandit leader. One strike with her right hand claws severs the blade of his sword jsut above the hilt, letting it fall away in two pieces in a shower of sparks, the left claws tickling his throat as one foot claw prods about half an inch into the fleshy part of his thigh. "Drop your weapons, or your leader loses his head." Her statement is loud enough to be heard over the sudden chaos, the mutant girl's teeth bared in a snarl. She means it.
Lin	Lin looks back at the Tomoe who's tailing her, nods, and bounds on forwards. She's drawn towards the belching smoke and familiar tools of the smithing district, and after looking around for a few minutes... and hearing some bits of arguments, decides that she might as well just CONFRONT these guys.     She heads towards the most important looking dude, who happens to be in the middle of an argument... and...     Slams a boot down to get some attention while leaning forward a bit. "'scuse me, forgemaster. Y'mind telling a traveler just WHY this place is dead as a doornail? Don't see as much as an iron ingot anywhere around here..."     And there's a certain grouchiness in her tone that makes her unhappiness and suspicion rather obvious. But at least she's giving them a chacne to explain themselves?
Tomoe	Tomoe does not seem to be very happy about this given her cultral origins and the sting to know her country used to allow shit like thisburns in her. She also knows if she goes off the handle. She will take a back seat to talking to local she's more keeping an eye on things the talk of Soulsteel on the com. She's having a bad and worese day she looks at the smiths and can't think much about this and she wonders how much of this is soul steel? She doesn't know what to think about it. Also with the talk of their minds being altered leaves her with no real legit outlet for her anger at the moment. She looks to Sanary for a moment like she's about to say something. Then August gets na idea and it looks like her holding back is over with him charing in it' time to DO THIS, and she'll move in the moment a fight actually breaks out.
Bloody Revelations	Sanary approaching anyone at all is a little bit of a surprise. Raiders bristle slightly, shifting their weapons with agitated clacks, but none take an overtly hostile reaction right away. Clearly they're used to this being a very safe place. Who could blame them? It /feels/ like a little, weirdly underground oasis of calm and tranquility, just from the air itself. Never mind the metallic tang in the air, coming from the metal-less forge.     When she asks for the bathroom though, /that/ sets off alarms. The lead smith looks to her incredulously, as if she'd just said something totally bizarre. It interrupts the argument (haggling) almost instantly, with the head raider, decked out in an only slightly shabby plated jacket and wielding likely the nicest sword of the bunch, turning to ask, simply: "Who the 'ell are you?" They only react with that strange sense of utter bewilderment at first, until Karal appears and actually challenges them. This gets swords scraping from scabbards and spears at the ready, until . . .     One of the convoy guards lets off about half a scream as a photon bullet from nowhere slams into his head from the high entry perch, sending him toppling off the edge of the platform, where he is likely dead long before he hits the bottom. The rest react in something close to a panic, rushing from their posts on either sides of the slave group to try and form up, not particularly worried about protecting their investment so much as locating the intruder. A few put up shields, organizing in mediocre imitation of a proper military phalanx.     This avails them basically not at all when August declares his intentions. Upon seeing him, predictably, they blame him for the shot, and half the group charges from the front rank, only to be immediately engulfed in flames, howling in agony as they burn with the exact stench of smoldering hair and boiling fat that a living human should make, collapsing as freshly charred corpses within moments. In the confusion, Laura leaps on the leader, slices his weapon into three pieces with an ugly screech of shearing metal, and captures him handily with a throaty gurgle of pain, once her foot claw stabs through his jacket.     It's very clear that these guys are merely experienced, rather than professional, at what they do. A local bandit tribe at best. The remaining dozen mooks are cowed instantly, dropping their gear and surrendering right away. None of them want to fight to the death over coin in this place. The slaves finally seem to react to all the light and noise and commotion, some of them even blinking 'awake' with some sort of confused clarity. The crowd starts to ripple with fearful and confused murmurs.
Bloody Revelations	The lead smith is totally taken off guard. His guild, visible in places behind him, in the maze of forges, immediately leap to attention, grabbing hammers and crafted blades, but staying /well/ clear for the time being. Having nothing point directly at him, he doesn't stick his hands up in the air, but he feels the need to object regardless. "Oi oi, if you're trying to snatch the coin, that's one thing, but you can't take these ones away, alright? We're dangerously low here, and I mean dangerously. The head architect is going to have someone's head if we're not /quicklike/ about this. Whatever you think you're getting elsewhere, we'll pay double, alright?"     It seems like a really quick and easy op. Even the sounds of construction start dying down in the background, as labourers look away from their work, though it seems a great many of them are working with very little left. There are carts and errand boys standing around antsily, extremely agitated seeing the commotion at the smithy. As the sound of hammers and chisels dies down, the silence starts to deepen, and then shortly become very unnerving. Maybe a minute after the events unfold, the group would be feeling a deeply inexplicable understanding that the noise dying down is bad, and an unbidden urge to try and make it start up again. The peaceful aura of this place is drying out quickly.     And then it just gets worse.     The creeping dread is quickly joined, and then overwhelmed, by a more familiar, coldly malicious aura to some here, announcing someone before they even show up, as bubbling anxiety bows to ice cold dread. Looking up, a certain Deathknight has apparently situated herself on top of one of the furnace stacks, probably fifteen feet into the air, seated on the scaffold of black iron like a Cheshire Cat in a tree. The slaves immediately stop stirring, all turning to stare in obvious, barely suppressed horror.     "You should listen to him you know." she begins, wiggling her finger and then emphatically pointing it straight down at the lovingly etched iron flooring. "I don't know what you think you're pulling off here, but you're very poorly informed. Carting those people off is a /very/ bad idea." Of all goddamn things, why is she here all of a sudden?
Yuna Kagurazaka	The fight has begun. That's all Yuna needs to know. With a flare of light, the Matrix Divider manifests in Yuna's hands as she steps into the forge behind Lin, her weapon's blade/barrel end blazing with holy radiance as Yuna builds up the most powerful charge she can in a hurry. She doesn't aim at the forgemaster, or any of his workers; the crackling blast which discharges from Yuna's weapon is aimed straight at the main forge. It's only the arrival of Bloody Revelations which puts a halt to Yuna's fledgling rampage - and that's not even by physically seeing her. Yuna's heard her voice on the radio but doesn't know her beyond the whole arena challenge thing that was talked about. Still, she's sort of local, seems to know what's going on, and that's enough for Yuna to hold back for the moment ... Even if the Matrix Divider is already crackling with the charge for her NEXT attack, just in case she needs one.
Sanary Rondel	Those odd looks have Sanary squinting as she continues to hunch over in feigned pain, staring incredulously at the head raider in particular when he approaches her. "What, you're not telling me you-"      And then everything goes down. Or, rather, the guards start going down. Rather quickly, even, and before the healer's even had a chance to use her axe! She lets a mild grunt as she looks over at the rest of the guards surrendering to them, and then she sighs before channelling some healing energy towards the charred probably-corpses.      Lin /did/ mention that people dying was bad here. At least she can try to keep a few of them barely alive even if they'd rather be dead. "We're not here for the money. We-"      And then ANOTHER thing happens before she can finish that sentence, too. The unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach... No, her /everything/ catches her attention first. Not enough to stop her from looking rather irritated at this point with all the interruptions, but that's more her being stubborn and not wanting to let herself get thrown off by anything else.      Sanary peers over as Bloody Revelations speaks with another squint and a hand resting on her guanxe properly, although she doesn't draw the weapon just yet. "... Oh, hey you. Why do you say that? Bad for who?"      The healing magic fades from the 'dead' guards a moment later, too. If they were already dead to begin with, she doesn't have to worry about that! "Bad for you, bad for us, bad for these... Uh. Ghost people?"
August Kohler	As the guards crumple and burn, August winces. He didn't mean to /kill/. He's fretting a bit as he approaches, and the fire stops when the others surrender. His worries are distracted when Bloody Revelations shows up, and he stares at her, frowning. Pulling up his radio, he asks questions, like 'what is this place', 'are these people ghosts', 'are you involved'. The answers are unsettling, as is what exactly that weird feeling is. Desummoning his Persona, August rushes over to the ghost-prisoners. "Hey, everyone, we're getting the hell out of here. Move it!" A gesture to the blacksmiths and guards as well. "You too!" And then, as he tries to herd all these cats, August turns to Bloody Revelations and speaks to her in person. "What are you going to do? Just watch us, or stop us?"
Tomoe	Sanary and everyone else the raider bristles and shift thir weapons but none of them go full out hostile yet, it feels so something doesn't feel right either with the nature of the forges and something else. The fitht full on gets going there's nothing left that can be do as she is now looming over them. She looks very angry, oh so very angry you could almost see the flare of red. She seels something strange now she sees that things are gting worse for a moment. Then she hears the voice and it chills her like a hammer to her untransformed face. "Oh dear God."
Laura Kinney	Laura Kinney eyes the death knight, before a kick to the back of the bandit leader's leg drops him to his knees, and finger pressure on a specific nerve cluster drops him to the floor, likely unconscious. "Nobody is dying today who does not want to. These people have lives and families. They are not your playthings. And I am not scared of you, or them."
Yuna Kagurazaka	Everything Yuna knows about Soulsteel makes this place an utter, unspeakable, abomination. Her hands tighten on the charged-up Matrix Divider, wanting more than anything to unleash that charge in a devastating blast - to obliterate something critical in the forge, maybe, or to wipe that smirk (actual or imagined) off Bloody Revelations' face. To do SOMETHING with it that scores a blow for the ideals Yuna's embraced and chosen to protect. But there is that chance that the Deathknight isn't lying - that the horrible ongoing sacrifice of souls is keeping something even worse from being unleashed. Underneath her gloves, Yuna's knuckles are nearly as white as the reinforced fabric which covers her hands - all except those of her trigger finger, deliberately and consciously held back from closing, even as Yuna turns from the forge and steps outside. She lifts her gaze, searching for Bloody Revelations, expecting to recognize her by attitude even if she's never laid eyes on her before. Yuna's fought Abyssal Exalted in the past; she isn't sure what the Deathknight is, exactly, but that uncertainty doesn't change what *IS* certain: that should the need ever arise, she'll do everything in her power to wipe the Deathknight from existence. And the look in Yuna's own eyes conveys that - a crystalline cold anger and a rigid determination. And all the power Yuna had focused into her weapon is finally unleashed - not at the forge, not at the Deathknight, not even at the guards or the loathsome construction surrounding her. Instead, that blistering, ravaging blast is aimed down into the impenetrable darkness far beneath the city. Then Yuna dismisses her weapon, takes her attention off Bloody Revelations, and starts moving among the slaves, pushing her anger out of her mind as best she can and engaging the captives to see who's responsive. If any of them don't respond at *all* to words or friendly smiles, Yuna has Elner take note.
Laura Kinney	Laura Kinney moves down the line along with Yuna, claws out, cutting the chains that bind them with quick swipes of her claws. "We are leaving. Now." She starts to walk towards the crowd blocking the exit. "Stay out of my way, unless you enjoy pain." A few droplets of blood drip from the gleaming edges of the blades, probably her own. But they don't know that, do they?
Sanary Rondel	With the plan of action more or less sorted out, Sanary actually seems rather calm about the whole situation considering the massive threat of Bloody Revelations lingering overhead and the ghosts below. It's not for any particularly good reason, but not knowing what she's up against might actually be helping her this time around!      Either way, she's moving to assist in keeping the crowd moving along from the back, acting as a sort of rear guard!
Lin	Lin's used to having people draw swords on her, but the reaction still has her scowling. But she doesn't flinch for her life in fear... as if the blades of what is now revealed to be ghosts doesn't frighten her so much.     "Okay guys. I'm gonna give you a choice. You get your ghostly asses out of here and to nicer parts of the Underworld, AFTER you help me get these unfortunate souls on a safe path back to the sunlit lands... or I dice you into ribbons again and again until you fall into lethe."     She grins as she says this, trying her damndest to seem unafraid and put on a poker face even though inside she's struggling to not start quaking and just RUN.     This is by no means a good situation. Her instincts are screaming to simply run, run for her life, and so on... but she couldn't live with herself for turning her back on people who're trying to do the right thing, however stupidly they're going about it.     To further make her point, she summons forth a little divine power. The mark of the Dawn Caste shines forth on her forehead, as if to say, 'you mere ghosts are going to **** with me?'
Bloody Revelations	The head smith stops trying to negotiate pretty quickly as Yuna discharges her weapon into the biggest and most central furnace she can see. The smiths around it yelp and dive for cover as the crackling bolt of holy energy streaks past, briefly erasing their shadows, where it impacts the furnace interior and mangles the black machinery inside, blowing smoke and shattered fuel out the back in a choking cloud. The black iron of the city structure itself, however, remains undamaged.     It isn't hard to figure out why. Anyone looking down to the floor, as Bloody Revelations had indicated, can see something if they stare closely. Like having their eyes adjust from light to darkness, staring for a little while allows them to make out shapes 'behind' the metal. The floor ceases to be polished black iron, and instead a writhing pit of ghostly hands and faces, silently pressing themselves to the edge of their metallic prison, mindlessly trying to claw their way out, so easily ignored and taken for granted as the Elites walk all over them.     A rather lengthy sequence of negotiations ensues, taking place over joint radio channels for convenience. The blacksmiths mostly stare agog, trying to figure out what the power dynamic really is here, as the mortal fodder begin to panic. The situation is simple. Through the roots of the hanging tree, the group has somehow bumbled into the Labyrinth again, and their surroundings only maintain their peace and stability in that dimension of madness by a spell woven of the very act of construction itself. Depleting the forges will let the whispers of that horrible, nightmarish place return, and probably drive the residents into a frenzy. The Deathknight is waffles on the subject of allowing it, apparently having stopped by to look for inspiration in a unique location and work on her Necromancy, but is equally interested in seeing either outcome.     The lead raider collapses as soon as Laura applies force to him. The others look pretty damn dead, but that's always a vague proposition here. The Abyssal mostly stares in lazy interest when Yuna shoots into the blackness, watching the holy spark, antithetical to this twisted dimension, slowly diminish into the distance as it follows the roots miles and miles down. She doesn't even move to stop her, as she starts shaking the abductees out of their stupor, finally starting to react to their situation as any reasonable person would. Their panicked urge to start running for the ramps makes Laura's job of cutting their chains more difficult than it needs to be, but thankfully it's just normal steel. The remaining guards want nothing to do with this. They back well away from Karal, probably thinking of booking it themselves, as the construction noises quiet, and a horrible, gut-twisting anxiousness settles over the city like a smothering blanket. The awful sensation is something like being mentally waterboarded, and it could probably get a whole lot worse once the sounds stop completely.     The Deathknight seemingly arrives at an arrangement with August. One that involves her not getting off her ass to fight for possession of a bunch of sweaty mortals she couldn't care less about. She does, however, tilt her head towards Laura, investing so little tension that it lets curtains of raven hair slide all over her front. "Fear is a valuable instinct. It compels you to run when a situation is clearly out of your league. It also compels you to stop and listen when it's good for you. Like so."
Bloody Revelations	Her obsidian-gloved finger dances to a handful of individual faces in the crowd --fifteen in total-- pointing deliberately and commandingly with the attitude of a queen. That aura that seems to surround her intensifies tenfold, though to the living Elites, it feels like they've just caught the edge of it. That sensation of crushing, terrifying inevitability seems to be aimed at a selection of mortals of her choosing. "You, you, you, you and you. You're going into the furnaces. Don't even bother trying to leave; you'll only be killed more painfully."     Though the other three quarters of the crowd start moving /immediately/ after their chains are broken, the quarter selected by the Abyssal . . . don't. They just stand there, giving up on the spot. They don't look glassy-eyed and hypnotized, rather, they look like they absolutely agree that it's impossible for them to run for it, and don't even feel like making the attempt. "I'm surprised they even dragged them down here in the first place. Such a lazy and unsubtle job of keeping them in line."     That's a problem, because the sounds have gotten so quiet that it seems the smiths can't tolerate any longer without using their hammers. Scratching at their skin, tugging on their hair, and rubbing fretfully at their faces, it seems a couple of them can't take it anymore, and with screams of desperation, they rush the group, assaulting whoever just happens to be in range, both with their tools and their weapons of craft, depending solely on what was closest at hand. As soon as they start, others are emboldened. Townsfolk all over, even in the far distance, are watching in abject fixation. Some begin running, and others /fly/ across the gaps, fervently chasing down their fleeing construction stock. Their bricks and beams are getting away.
Yuna Kagurazaka	A smith's hammer smashes down on Yuna's head - and a flare of light surrounds the point of impact, the defensive aura projected by her Light Suit doing its job and protecting her human body from physical injury. The Matrix Divider rematerializes as Yuna spins to face her assailant, her eyes newly ablaze. Some last spark of mercy ensures that when she swings her weapon, she does NOT do so with lethal force - but the flash which accompanies the Divider's impact, a 'blunt force' boost to Yuna's strike, is powerful enough to hurl the smith straight off his feet. Yuna tries to be compassionate and merciful, but even she has her limits ... and this mission into the fetid bowels of Creation has pushed her straight up against them. The Deathknight's interference, whatever Bloody Revelations' intentions, has done nothing to make any of this sit any easier with Yuna. Rationally speaking, it's a simple enough equation: save those who can be saved, get out with them, leave the minority who can't be saved. Yuna never did all that well with math ... and the 'simple equation' completely omits the fact that, rather than being a creature of cool reason, Yuna is, at her best and her worst, a ball of emotions. "GET OUT OF OUR WAY!!!" Yuna's voice rings out as the Divider flares up again in her hands, as if she were holding a barely-tamed bolt of lightning. "We are LEAVING with the prisoners we've freed, whether we have to go around you, through you, or OVER you!!"
Sanary Rondel	With the pressure building between Bloody Revelations issuing those commands so casually, captives starting to run, and the townspeople chasing after them, there's a lot that could go wrong between now and Sanary getting out of this awful place! Luckily, she's not the only one willing to get physical with the townspeople, and she soon aboutfaces with the gunaxe finally drawn.      "Alright... If it's a fight you want, then come on!" The healer roars out in challenge, and she starts hacking away at the townsfolk coming for the group. She might not be as angry as... Well, anyone in the group, but she's certainly ready to batter and cleave through anyone that gets by Yuna!
Lin	"Gahhh--!" Lin's quick to respond to the smiths pulling hammers, chisels and tongs on her. There's a flash of steel and her sword's out and moving too quickly to see anything but its wake - a sonic-boom-*CRACK* of wind. Ghosts are blown backwards along with their tools... and Lin doesn't seem to lose so much as an inch of footing.     Not from ghosts and their Arcanoi.     Of course, the sunlight that begins bleeding from her skin and ignites into a soft blaze of golden light might have something more to do with that, right?     "HEY YOU! YOU AND YOU! Anyone with a heartbeat! Are you just gonna give up your lives without a fight? Cowards! Have some backbone! These people ripped you from your lives, they're gonna take everything... you'll be nothing than someone's jewelry. Don't just stand there and take it! Show them why the Gods chose us!!"     Her words resound through the vast cavern, briefly piercing even the insipient, maddening Whispers and the clamor of battle. It stokes the heart, kindling dwindling fires of hope... and all because Lin's simply pissed off at people giving up so easily.     Now scowling, she begins backpedaling her way through the city to secure a pathway out. No use rescuing people if they don't have a way to rescue them THROUGH after all.
Tomoe	Tomoe looks to Lin and nods she's following her friends lead now as she attempts to recover from mentally going wait what at everything. Tomoe wants to run, oh god does she want to run, shes want to run but she can not leave the others and she looks to Lin for a moment and she now starts to channel a light spell of her own this mostly one are ready. She's about ready to scream and has to put up a front. Soul Steel, she's trying to not mentally think about this nightmarish material. She had no idea how she's bumbled unto the underworld and well they have a very unhappy Death Knight, then again the jail break is underway. They have to act now and with Lin's action? Tomoe's going to end up face first in the the black smiths that are attacking she'll move to shield slam the first one that gets near her and then comes a spell. She's got an idea to hopefully slow them down a bit. She chants rapidly in badly accented norse and the golden runes fly about her for a moment causing a massive flash of light which she attempts to direct at the smiths maybe it will stun them for a moment or distract them but either way she'll be using her shield to slam them back for the most part.
Laura Kinney	Laura Kinney's lips shift into a snark as she bisects a set of tongs, removing a decent chunk of the frenzied smith's hand as well, before a kick to the groin sends him backwards groaning. She tries to pull one man along, but even with her strength, it's hard to pull someone double your weight who doesn't want to come with you. She lets go, teeth clenched tightly, before turning and diving into the mass of frenzied ghosts pressing forward to interfere with the team, claws striking precisely to disable and dismember. This was something she was familiar with, at least. Massively outnumbered, fighting towards an exit.
August Kohler	When Bloody Revelations 'mindcontrols' several of them, August frowns. This is going to be an issue that's difficult dealing with, as he asks over radio how long it lasts - it's not actually mindcontrol, but more 'teaching them that escape is futile'. With a sigh, he realizes that they can't save everyone, logically. "We take one shot at convincing them. If it fails, we leave them." As he says this, he's pulling the mirror back up and summoning his Persona again, for defense. And then, August turns to the ghosts who have had their willpower sapped. "Come on! Do you really want to be turned into metal? Do you really believe in the inevitable? Take control of your own damn fate. We're here to rescue you, and we'll do just that. You can come with us, or you can stay here and given a fate worse than death. Which do you want? Which do you really want inside? Make your choice." He extends a hand out for about a minute, waiting to see who comes along. After this minute, he begins moving, using the Tin Soldier's flamethrower to burn through hordes of ghost as he ushers the others forward. "Come on! We're getting the hell out of here."
Bloody Revelations	In seriousness, the ghost artisans here aren't something to sniff at in the same way as a rabble of peasants. Though disorganized, they're desperate, and pretty strong from centuries of manual labour, as well as a goodly portion of them being armed with very nice gear.     They are still, however, effectively extras, and so when Yuna goes laying out, their only recourse is to go flying. Whether she intended to be lethal or not, however, the Light she employs seems to scorch them like acid, sending them reeling back where the touch of holy light burns them. Sanary's axe seems to cleave through their ghostly corpus as easily as living flesh, though the effect is considerably more waxen, and their blood is dark, lifeless and impotent. Still, the weapon is big, and Sanary is strong, and it works well enough at fighting off the anxiety-consumed mob flying straight at them.     Somehow, no less than /three/ holy element wielders had wound up here as well. Tomoe's light may not be effectively damaging, but the light seems to completely overwhelm the crowds looking, allowing Karal to repulse them with trivial ease, even cutting down any that she chooses. The chaos is bordering on complete, but so far, none of the maddened cityfolk make it past, leaving the mob of sweating, panting, terrified and thoroughly mortal living humans to sprint screaming for the entrance through which they had originally come, booking it up the complex web of black ramps as fast as they can through the tiny hole in the wall. Maybe before it closes.     The people still behind resist Laura with all of their strength --average, but not inconsiderate with their lifestyle. They seem utterly compelled to stay, fearing fleeing the Abyssal sitting catlike atop the forge more than they fear going into it. It's only the inspired, hot-headed speech making by a pair of unlikely and highly impassioned teens that gets some of them to consider their choices. Many of them, upon seeing the display, visibly grapple with themselves, shaking with the effort of exercising the force of will needed to look away from the Deathknight and tapping into their most basic fight-or-flight instincts again. Seven turn away from the horror. Eight remain, inevitably to be slaughtered and beaten into indestructible black iron, but the rest wrench their hearts into flight, and the Deathknight makes no attempt to stop them, rushing through the hollow, back towards the surface, struggling two at a time.
Yuna Kagurazaka	They're ghosts. Somehow Yuna had not *quite* assimilated that detail ... and it makes sense of why, despite her attempt at restraint, she wounded them so badly. It has the somewhat-ironic side effect of making her not mind as much whether the 'ghosts' trying to hurt her and the others survive the fray, though. Nothing about this venture will make her happy to look back on, and as much as she hates to inflict pain, Yuna is far more focused on rescuing people who shouldn't have to suffer. They're making it out with, hopefully, better than fifty of the sixty captives they were going to rescue. The last handful may keep something far more terrible at bay for a little while; it's horrible, yes, but ... What would the alternative be like? For the 'Whispers' to go unchecked? She doesn't know, she doesn't want to think about it, the entire situation makes Yuna dreadfully unhappy for the possibility that there *IS* no good solution. She'll settle for saving the people who can be saved at this juncture. She'll curl up in a ball and weep for those who couldn't be saved when she isn't in the middle of saving people.