==BATTLE==
Crystal moves into Generator Way, spawning at U15. He, as well as Lily and Pope, wait to act until the Sleuth spawns in and finishes buffing them.

(The order of actions should be: Sleuth (buffing), Pope, Crystal, Lily.)

Speaking of which, Crystal requests that Ette and the Sleuth join Generator Way as well, and that the Sleuth activate Sepulchritude before buffing him, Lily, and Pope with one Inspiration each, before waiting until the forthcoming combo is done and then doing whatever he feels needs doing. Ette can also do whatever she feels needs doing.

/waiting on the others to post

After Pope's action, but before Lily's action, Crystal moves to P14 and consumes a charge of his new and improved Metaphysical Awareness to teleport Pope to O14. He then slashes at Magirifle3 with his Nightmarron Custom, before firing a set of Rapid Rounds at the BCharge at J11, destroying it.

ZONE 5

"The Thaumaturge," upon Venia's entrance, seems to almost ignore her, instead studying the frozen room. After a long silence, he turns his icy gaze to Venia.

"THE THAUMATURGE": Very well. I had (onsidered unveiling Omtose Phella(k, but su(h an a(t (an endanger this one's body. Yours as well, now that you have arrived, Du(hess.
"THE THAUMATURGE": As for (ypress's request, I'll pass the message along, but be warned: what you are suggesting is tantamount to sui(ide from (ertain philosophi(al points of view.
"THE THAUMATURGE": I myself do not subs(ribe to such views, and I suspe(t neither does (ypress, so this parti(ular refle(tion may not take issue with it. But (hoose your words and deeds (arefully, Praefortis.

As Nia comes to deal with the ice, "the Thaumaturge" picks up the recently-unfrozen scientist over a shoulder as they recover and hefts them into the warmer Eastern Hub, allowing the healers of the party to tend to them. "The Thaumaturge" then returns to the Broke Room and, as Nia presumably collects the bomb and deals with the cryocore, raps on the sealed-over vent gently.

"THE THAUMATURGE": Aren't you in the least bit (urious where these (an take us?
"THE THAUMATURGE": I'm happy to investigate for all of us if you'd kindly unseal it.

VolatileLily0058: oh apparently theres a fight over there and i want to join in... we can talk later :P
VolatileLily0058: bye~!

Waving goodbye to Mari, Lily runs off towards the Generator Way.

VolatileLily0058: hey, you people seem like you need some help!
VolatileLily0058: ready when you are :P

She spawns in at U13 and waits for the Sleuth, Crystal and Pope to finish their actions.

VolatileLily0058: thanks for the buff, it seems to be displaying as bugged text but i _guess_ it works xD
VolatileLily0058: i tend to just focus on dealing damage in these kinds of fights but do what you want i guess, im fine with it
VolatileLily0058: wait
VolatileLily0058: oh wow free kills! i _think_ this weapon powers up per kill or something too

She walks over to Q13 (avoiding the ZoCs of anything on Q12 and P13 by sidestepping to R14) before using Multistab to the northwest, hitting Magiriflers 3 and 4 plus anyone that got warped into that spot earlier.

VolatileLily0058: dang this is a cool weapon

She upgrades her Fell Star with option A for the first, then B for the second.

Pope Bill spawns in on U14, and waits for the Sleuth to act.

Next, he moves to Q12. He Abducts Eviscerator1 and drags Eviscerator2 onto P11 & P12. Finally, he basic-attacks Eviscerator1 using Surprise!

The Skylabs Proper
Woodthorne: So, your name's Leaf? Good to meet you. You're more than welcome to stay with us and even help us out if you want to! Tell me if you need anything, I'd be more than happy to help!
Woodthorne: Er, well, you get what I mean...

Battle: Shifting Storage
Combat Time!
Woodthorne spawns at F20, follows the boosters to D13, basic attacks Mitocyst5 (with a quick golden revolver shot for good measure), and then retreats to E14.

Not!Echoss doesn't mine at night
Down in the Everground, Not!Echoss ceases his bullying. Probably not out of a sense of guilt (meme characters are legally barred from having a conscience) but instead because now he can grab the ore vein. Which he does. Smack smack smack. He hits the gold vein until it gives up its valuables. Does this count as bullying still? Probably.


Not!Echoss's alt account clears an Iti infestation
By which I mean to say: he goes and deals with the two Migis and Migi'd Fellbeast that nobody's done anything about yet.
While the Iti are busy scratching futilely at the air barrier, Not!Not!Echoss rushes in and quickly paints two tunnels onto the walls on either side. One of the migis notices the sudden change, only for a large blue roadrunner to rush across from one painted tunnel to the other. The Migi, taken unawares, is promptly flattened and dies.
The Fell Beast and other Migi suddenly realize that there is a problem. The two of them try to ascertain where the sudden splattering came from, only for a coyote riding on a comically oversized firework to come barreling down the tunnel after the roadrunner, slamming directly into the fellbeast and carrying it down through the tunnel. There is the sound of a distant explosion. the fell beast does not return.
The last Migi, completely on its own, is then run over by a train.
The train doesn't even come out of the tunnels, it just runs over the last Migi and then disappears again.


Pionobot: READY... KERFUFFLE
Pionobot acts last.
Pionobot spawns in the Shifting Storage with his scythe in ICE CREAM CONE mode. Using Eager Beaver he spawns on J19, and then using the access card he auto-hacks the console, causing the bottom right platform to move Northwest two tiles, stranding all three of the Iti that are on it.

Skylabs

Irongutta was a bit surprised by R-8's sudden apology, but rolled with it anyways.

"Alright, alright. No harm, no foul. Especially since yer lettin' me do the fun part next time!"

He then listened to his protégé's speculation on both Acacia's barriers and what she might be hoarding behind it. Scratching his chin, Irongutta nodded in understanding, especially after hearing the explosion. "Right you are then! Ain't fair to us that she might be tryin' to keep all the good dakka to herself behind those barriers. Not to mention that, well, I think she's a bit of a loon now that she got fried an' all. I've 'eard that ain't good for your kind on a whole different level. I'd be down to nab wotever she's hoardin' fer fun, but on a practical level we'd be in big trouble if she used it against us!"

Putting his hands on his hips, Irongutta was absolutely sure this was the way to go now.

"That puts our plan into motion! There ought to be more of those bombs 'round 'ere somewhere. No self-respectin' air fortress is gonna 'ave only one of those."

---

Battle: Shifting Storage

Irongutta spawns at E20, moves to D13, and casts Fury on Remiel and himself.

With Lutea, Auth shrugs in response to her first question.

AUTH: I wasn't the one to acquire it, I'm just stating where I believe it to have come from. I can ask, but I'm pretty sure that it was made. Of real flowers, but...
AUTH: The reason? I wouldn't be able to tell you why either. I believe it's because someone thinks it's funny to "upgrade" the flowers repeatedly to see what happens.

Auth laughs quietly as Lutea comments on what the plants she's looking for are.

AUTH: I know, I know. Don't worry. I'll be looking for anything along those lines, not just necessarily ice.
AUTH: It was my thoughts that something very nice would be up in the labs. As for what it's like up there?
AUTH: High. We haven't explored too much, and it's currently under attack by Rebels and Iti, so I dunno if I can really speak about what it's like.

As they prepare to leave... Nana suggests they should buy some things. Lutea even suggests that she'd be okay giving them some stuff.

AUTH: Good point, Nana. We should help the family business... one minute.
AUTH: One Tornadopetal Remedy, and one Eterna Remedy, please.
AUTH: I don't think I could accept the free potions, from a personal standpoint. It just wouldn't sit right with me. I'll make sure to keep visiting, though.

With the exchange of 200 credits, Auth and Nana wave goodbye. Auth leads Nana to the Projection Box, and then all the way out to where the shrine is in the system.

AUTH: Here we are... see the flower?

---

In the Skylabs, Auth observes Chi's nervousness. It's... an interesting response. But Auth probably won't push on it too hard. Directly.

AUTH: Fair enough. Given the current circumstances, an individual with medical expertise would be extremely useful to have to hand.
AUTH: All things considered? In normal circumstances, meaning not like the current Iti outbreak and such, most people would probably be most concerned with accidentally poisoning themselves or being infected with some disease. A doctor with expertise in those areas will probably help more people than your average medic.

Auth considers the thought of a Poison Archer.

AUTH: Hm... we have a sentient bow that inflicts poison effects. Kind of mad. I think Venia might have spoken to you about them already, though.
AUTH: You wouldn't happen to know a Pomme, would you? Rebel leader, I've heard that she's also an expert in poisons. If we knew more about what she could do, maybe we could have some sort of counter-balance. I don't know if you've heard, but apparently the Rebels are planning to besiege our base later today and I'm hoping to try and find a way to nip that in the bud, so to speak.

Auth chuckles when Chi says that it feels like it's been months.

AUTH: Isn't that the truth? I've only been here a few days and it feels like I've been here for years.

Auth listens quietly as Chi talks about what she knows about Acacia's treatments.

AUTH: Ah, fair enough. I was curious if you knew anything. Cypress might have trouble telling me, considering he's restricted to three word sentences. Is his voice box broken or something?
AUTH: But she gave up something perfectly healthy, huh? That sounds odd, especially since she hated the idea of coming up here... I hope we have enough resources to tend to everything. We should... probably.

Auth laughs quietly.

AUTH: My presence on Sussui? Well, it's pretty easy. I was asked to help deal with the sphere.
AUTH: How much do you know about it? I believe that most people have been told that it's a superweapon against the Tabletopians. If you know what I'm about to say, I don't think there's a need to tell you what you already know.

Auth waits for the response to that.

AUTH: Either way, that's what I first came for. I do have other reasons to, perhaps, stay for a while, though. After the Sphere is dealt with.

---

Auth nods as Atalus insists that he is calm.

AUTH: Alright. Thank you, then. I appreciate your restraint. I can't really blame you for being stressed, with what's going on. I can't imagine it would be fun for anyone involved, really.

Auth thinks for a minute at Atalus' next question.

AUTH: Truth be told? We can't. We can't prove to you that we aren't playing the long game, other than insisting that we aren't.
AUTH: I can't prove that to you beyond promising we are, but as you've said, it doesn't really mean much, does it? A significant chunk of the party would object if that was the plan, probably.

Auth crosses his fingers as Atalus walks over to the barrier. And then he comes back.

AUTH: If you didn't have the ability to speak to her, you could have just said so, I'd understand.
AUTH: But she's probably not going to be happy to see us, is she...
AUTH: Acacia... I can't imagine that area is holding up that well. We might need to calm her down once we can get through. That's... hm...
AUTH: I know you probably don't want us to visit, and I totally understand why. But I think this is important. I'm sure you know you can't stop us from seeing her anyway, though.

Auth appears to be trying to consider how to get Acacia to calm down. The first step is probably defeating her, but then what...?

---

For the first time in a while, a battle! Auth spawns on B20 in the Shifting Storage battle and casts Perseverance on himself.

Meanwhile, somewhere completely different...

A mage seems to tumble out of nowhere in The House Proper - specifically, square G37, also known as a space in the Kitchen. Irritably enough, though, he doesn't seem to have any proper statistics yet - just a space to himself, a standard 4 Movement Speed, and a sense of a name.

What is this guy's name, though?
>Torix?
Gods, no. That causes so much confusion it's not even funny.
>Austin Kepsek.
There we go, that's a more acceptable term.

> Austin - Describe yourself.
Your name is AUSTIN KEPSEK. You're a storm mage from a distant land called the Tempest Peaks, though you're not quite sure how you ended up here. You attempted to teleport home, but... this isn't your house. You appear like a human-elf hybrid, and it also appears that your TRENCHCOAT you always wear has gotten a bit scuffed up from the teleport - all in all, you look like some sort of mad scientist that got caught in the rain. No matter though.

> Stop with this Homestuck tomfoolery.
Yeah, fair enough. Kepsek decides to actually do something, getting up and observing his surroundings - and realizing there are actually people at the table! Jumping up and patting himself down (only to find his trustworthy wand got mis-teleported somewhere else), he looks frantically about for anything to help before realizing he's completely helpless here. He sighs, realizing he's looked like a fool, and straightens himself out...

Kepsek - "Um... hi. Sorry for the ruckus."
Kepsek - "Would you mind explaining where I've ended up?"
Kepsek - "This place seems unfamiliar to me..."

<ROUND 249>

First, some stat stuff!

---

Remiel approaches the figures in the kitchen. They turn around, still smiling, using his spare hand to reach out for Remiel for a handshake.

???: Hello, hello, good tidings!
???: My name is Regalus Hemmors-I am an Emperor, yes, but not of here. Well, yet, anyways, but that's not important, other than the formalities associated with it.
REGALUS: This is my wife, Cindy Hemmors, the Empress-and these are two of my three lovely daughters! Rosalind is the eldest, and Rebecca is the second-eldest.

They all politely wave.

REGALUS: As for who you are... Ah, hang on, don't tell me!
REGALUS: I'm going to take a wild guess here.
REGALUS: You are...
REGALUS: ... NOT the soldiers and/or mercenaries hired by Venia to handle the incredibly dangerous task of dealing with the Sphere, in lieu of allowing herself, duchess and celebrity, to suicidally dive directly into the task rather than heed both my warnings and requests, as well as my desire to see her to a therapist as well.
REGALUS: ... I'm not blaming you for anything, let's clear the waters! I'm not even sure you know what I'm talking about, but you know, oh, half of why I'm here now! And we're all friends, I suppose, against that abomination in the Sphere!
REGALUS: In any case, I was wondering if you knew about the other half.

He leans over. His smile does not waver in the slightest, but his eyes focus in.

REGALUS: You know where my lovely youngest daughter Maria is, right?
REGALUS: She is only a child, after all... Best be safe as you can with children!

His other hand wraps around the handle of his sword.

---

Venia decides to chill for a moment. Slamming the door on the room full of Iti, she turns to the frozen room just south of it. Surely, this is far safer. She chats with the Reflector as she explores the frigid not-wasteland. This ice would be a pain to break through, and nearly impossible to melt, so she’ll need to employ some help.

Suddenly, there’s a honking from outside of the frozen room. An old-timey car horn of sorts? Venia pokes her head outside of the room, the temperature differential dazing her ever so slightly.

NIA: Hiya, sweetheart!~
NIA: Check out my kickgorilla ride!

Nia kicks back, sinking into the plush seat of her sweet ride. Venia beholds the glory, the majesty, of… Nia’s unmodified Hoverseat. The mere act of kicking back causes Nia’s weight distribution to shift enough to cause the Hoverseat to begin riding backwards away from Venia at a very modest pace. Nia scrambles up out of the seat, soon re-maneuvering the seat back to the door to the Break Room.

NIA: This baby’s got… like, at least one horsepower, and room for two!
NIA: Oh, and cupholders!
NIA: I mean, maybe we’ll need to squeeze together a bit if we’re both gonna fit, but… is that such a bad thing?~

...There is most definitely not room for two people. Venia then quickly explains that she needs love, affection, and her almighty magical goddess powers. Nia bobs her head, hopping out of the Hoverseat, and into the Break Room. She gives Venia a quick smooch on the lips, before turning her attention to the ice wall.

NIA: Ooh, it’s kinda chilly in here! I like it!
NIA: Anyway! Ice wall, prepare to meet your maker! Prepare to meet...
NIA: ...Uh.
NIA: An ice Nia? Yeah, go ice Nia!

From out of the barrier of ice, an Ice Nia pops out! She politely maneuvers herself outside of the room, where she melts. An army of Ice Nia’s pop out of the wall, forming a very disorderly line as they follow the same route the original took out of the room, an increasingly large pile of melted Nia forming just outside of the breakroom. Nia also morphs together a wet floor sign, which she tosses outside. This too, melts into the puddle.

A few moments later, and Nia’s successfully carved a tunnel through the ice! She bows towards Venia and the Reflector, the former of which has just finished clogging up a vent with Terraform, and thawing a scientist from the ice with Sol Aeterna. Somehow unfazed by the cold, Nia snuggles up close to Venia.

NIA: So, Venia.
NIA: Wanna go for a bit of a joyride?
NIA: Sure, we’re stuck inside a snooty old lab, but there’s still some nice sights to see!

An intriguing offer! Elsewhere, back with Gibbet, Venia feeds the birb another banana as a reward for a job well done! They tweet a happy little tune, before hopping back on Venia’s head to be ferried downstairs. Once back, they hop off onto their nest, where they shake their feathers, get cozy, and take a little nap.

Elsewhere, Maria begins her work with Marron! Is she now the apprentice of a professional seamstress? Possibly. She tells Marron off for saying swears. Marron shakes her head.

MARRON: Naughty words are cool.
MARRON: I can say naughty words whenever I want, because I’m cool.

Maria then notes that she has no idea what she’s doing, but she wants to make a pretty pink heart! Marron nods, and gestures to Maple.

MARRON: That sounds lovely!
MARRON: Maple! Help her out, will you?
MAPLE: Okay!
MAPLE: Here, let’s grab some stuff...

Maple grabs a variety of things out of the inventory. Mental Clusters, Cyan Diamonds, Hardened Glass, Electrum Ingots… just things that are shiny, really.

MAPLE: So, I’ll help you with whatever you need!
MAPLE: Gem cutting, shaping things, finding you shinier things… I’ll do whatever!
MAPLE: Just tell me what to do!

Finally, down in Yew’s Mindscape, the adventure continues!

---

Hannah does some cargo work! Examining the boxes, she figures that she could just cut holes into the boxes to loot the contents within. Making use of a Luminous Crystal for light, she grabs Maxim’s Razor from her Accomplishments section, and uses it to slice a hole in her first container.

She pulls a variety of things from it. Looks like this first box held some cash. 200 Credits, 15 Platinum Ingots, and 4 Divinity Gems obtained! She repeats the process on another box. This one holds some munitions for the crew. It’s probably good that she found these earlier, rather than later. 10 Mortar Shells, 20 Assorted Chairian Weapons, and 3 Morphbullets (Consumable)!

As for the other boxes… well, it seems like without the items in the boxes, the crates are a deal less stable. Taking anything else with this method (at least, at the moment) would likely collapse the structure. Still, it’s a start. There’s only two more boxes of stuff, so she could probably let it collapse after fetching these.

Back with Yew and Venia, Hannah is asked to go and fetch Chi. She complies, wandering the labs until she happens upon the doctor. When Hannah mentions the Poison Archer, Chi tenses up.

CHI: H-Huh? Why would you need information on her?
CHI: That case was shut a long time ago by a detective known by the name of Areca…

CHI: She was a monster, you know.
CHI: From what they told the public, we knew she was an absolute sociopath.
CHI: She would never finish off her victims quickly unless she absolutely had to.
CHI: She confessed it herself. She’d lethally poison her victims, then watch in delight as the life left their body.
CHI: It was… horrific. So many people died in the exact same manner.
CHI: After an attempt on Areca’s life, she was brought under custody.
CHI: It’s said that one day, she escaped… but nobody knows how...

She trails off, going into deep thought. One of these thoughts is “wait, I haven’t answered this girl’s questions yet”, so she goes and does that.

CHI: Oh, yes!
CHI: Household remedies…
CHI: Well, while I would HIGHLY advise visiting a medical professional, if it was absolutely necessary, something could be prepared by mixing alcohol and green sap together.
CHI: It wouldn’t save your life if you were badly poisoned, but if the effects were only just beginning to set it, it’d help a lot.

CHI: Green sap. The miracle cure.
CHI: Never leave home without a bottle!

Finally, Hannah decides she’s going to visit the cable car. Take a ride, see what’s on the other side. She slots her Level 2 Access Card into the door, unlocking it. She steps inside, and takes a seat. It's rather comfy in here, with the chairs being soft and cushioned, and the cab itself being air conditioned. The car lurches as the drive mechanism slots itself into place. The air barrier then fizzles out of existence, and the cable car begins on its way!

Hannah's able to appreciate the land in the interior segments of the Sky Labs. While most of the outer rim of the island is dedicated to facilities, it seems that there's an open ecosystem taking up most of the central environments. Forests, some small hills... it all looks like this was directly lifted from the ground below. Which it was, but shhhh. Taking a look around the cabin, there's no helpful info cards or the like- just simple safety instructions.

Still, Hannah's able to take in the beauty of this land, trapped between two cloud layers. Then, a glimmer of crimson catches her gaze. Looking through a window, she gets a closer look. She's barely thirty seconds into her trip at this point, so the labs aren't very far behind at all. This gives her a clear view of the gigantic spire of wood that's rising out of the Weapons Testing Chamber.

It swirls and twirls up into the sky, streaks of red arcing across its spiraling surface like serpents. The point of the spiral is poised directly towards the cable car. Cautiously, Hannah makes her way to the other side of cable car, pressing against it. This buys her roughly a few microsecond of extra time as the spinning spire rushes at the cable car like a thunderbolt. As the spire rushes onward, it breaks into a furious burst of fire, becoming a searing arrow sent from hell itself.

She wastes no time getting out. She thrusts her elbow (or weapon) to the window, shattering it. She leaps out as the burning wooden spire, a few degrees bigger than the cable car itself, impales the cart. As she tumbles towards the treeline below, she catches a glimpse of the two halves of the cable car, a messy explosion of flame and black smoke between them. Half of it has been sent flying a rather insane distance, impacting another section of the labs entirely. The other half meanwhile, seems more than happy to fall into the forest.

Hannah awakens in the midst of some wreckage, having only been lightly bruised from the fall. Seems she's woken up in the middle of a lake. A very forested lake, but still a lake nonetheless. Ominous chittering comes from the woods surrounding her. Yggcrawlers. Lots of them. It seems like a fair deal of them wish to murder Hannah for disturbing their peaceful lives.

In a few moments, it seems she'll be getting jumped. Anything she can do to get herself out of this mess? In the Sky Labs proper, Cypress has clearly taken notice of the assault.

CYPRESS: Joy. Acacia's mastery: confirmed.
CYPRESS: Also, regret. Acacia's mastery: confirmed.
CYPRESS: However, mostly: regret.

CYPRESS: Fire crystals: unprovided. Must've been smuggled.
CYPRESS: Summarizing situation: gorilla.

While Hannah considers her options, Boshi continues his work, sailing further to the East. However, it... really doesn't seem like there's anything of interest on the lakebed anymore. That is, of course... if you're just looking at the surface! There was a fisherman here earlier, was there not? Maybe he could try a spot of fishing. See what he can get.

Back in the chapel, Adria applauds Taeda, winning a verdant blush from her.

TAEDA :Aww, thank you!
TAEDA: I think I'd be better if I had more time to practice...
TAEDA: Life at the Church of Helix doesn't really give me much time to practice... and barely any time where I could practice in quiet.
TAEDA: Still though, that's not my calling, so I can't be mad, can I?

The two then mention grabbing soil from a holy area. Why not get some from around the Church of Helix? Chloe nods.

CHLOE: That's probably like, the most holy place in all of Sussui.
CHLOE: If we're gonna get the best soil we can, it'd be from there!
CHLOE: But... walking all the way over there for some dirt might be hard.
CHLOE: Like, hard on the body, and hard to... explain.
CHLOE: "Hey, mind if we put our lives at risk for a jar of dirt?"
CHLOE: ...Wait, I think I saw a movie about that concept...
TAEDA: It might be a bit awkward to explain, yeah...
TAEDA: Maybe there's someone who can grab some for us?

Is there? Panning the map over, there very well could be! But addressing that isn't really my business, is it?

---

Nidra continues her work in the Yewscape!

---

Crya discusses theology with Taeda. Or is there a different word for that in this context? Who even knows? Anyway, she notes how the gods took a far more direct approach with humanity after seeing them fail. Taeda can't help but giggle.

TAEDA: Well... that's one way to look at it!
TAEDA: I can't imagine how frustrated Lord Helix must be, watching us go about our days, doing such silly things like waging an endless war against the Tabletopians...
TAEDA: Perhaps it is smart that you're taking a direct approach with your people- we can be insufferable, can't we?

TAEDA: Thank you for being understanding with me, miss Crya.
TAEDA: I always thought that a god would be... more wrathful?
TAEDA: Y-You know, Lord Helix and Lord Dome are sometimes depicted that way...
TAEDA: Kinda scary, don't you think? Why depict yourselves as so terrifying, when you can just put the people at ease?

---

Asha offers to help Marron go through the vents. She nods, still standing all small and uncomposed.

MARRON: I-I'd... like that.
MARRON: B-But... the vents are really small. I... don't think we can hold hands in there.
MARRON: A-And besides...

They really are quite cramped. However, Asha mentions that perhaps, they could just go around. Marron tugs on Asha's normal, non-robotic arm.

MARRON: T-That option! I like that option!
MARRON: Screw the vents! L-Let's just walk!
MARRON: T-Together, of course!

A still-spooked seamstress interlocks her left arm with Asha's right, her hand clinging to hers tightly.

MARRON: A-Anyway... l-let's go... find something fun to do.
MARRON: Preferably s-something that's not in a vent.
MARRON: That'd be great.
MARRON: L-Like... splattering some Iti.
MARRON: That's usually pretty fun.

The two of them walk over to the Shifting Storage. With Marron still clinging to her, Asha decides to take this chance to ask Marron to make a modification to her scarf. She nods, and the two of them take a quick sitdown outside of the fight to perform some essential modifications. These modifications have been covered above.

---

The Reflector helps the frozen scientist. They move towards the just-thawed scientist, and escorts them out of the room. In the far warmer Eastern Hub, they seem to be far more comfortable. It seems that for whatever reason, they're also wearing a propeller beanie.

SCIENTIST: whoa
SCIENTIST: it was almost as cold in there as...
SCIENTIST: ...as cold as a spoon in molasses in the fridge.

...Is he okay? He seems the slightest bit delirious.

---

Woodthorne welcomes the fae into his party! While it seems she's ever so slightly dissatisfied with the name of "Leaf", she shrugs. Must be close enough. The woodfae flutters over to his shoulder, sitting upon it. Her tiny legs dangle off of his comparatively massive shoulders, swinging happily. Looks like she's more than happy to stick around.

---

Not!Echoss continues to pillage the Everground! He whips out a pickaxe, and defeats the vein instantly, by some miracle. 50 Gold enters the inventory, as well as a few flakes of other things! 2 Divinity Gems found! 4 Starite obtained! That last thing seems to be fairly valuable. As he finishes destroying the vein, he notices that something is happening to the stone face. Fleshy tendrils of red seem to be seeping out of it. Not scary at all.

Elsewhere, Not!Echoss decides to go and body a group of Iti! Using the power of paint and roadrunners, he gets some trains to flatten and obliterate her foes. It's all quite messy, really. With no Iti remaining in the area, the barrier sees no reason to keep standing, so it dissipates. Perhaps it's some sort of auto-quarantine measure.

---

Otpmhiyys- okay maybe I missed by a few keys but anyway Irongutta chats with R-8733. The ork notes that Acacia might be a bit of a loon after getting fried.

R-8733: Wasn't Acacia always a bit of a loon?
R-8733: Many disagreed with having her on the council, if only because of her temperament.
R-8733: If people didn't know she was probably one of the deadliest woman on Sussui, they'd probably find her cute.
R-8733: Although, I'm sure some people still find her cute anyway!
R-8733: Like possibly maybe me, but that's besides the point!

R-8733: Anyway, sir!
R-8733: Let's go and locate more bombs, so that we can steal ourselves some explosions!
R-8733: Or perhaps we could try some demolition efforts on our own?
R-8733: I don't know how successful we could be, but I'm sure that with our minds together, we could think of something!

Is R-8733 seriously suggesting to try and breach through the plot barriers on his lonesome? Could this work...?

---

Auth chats with a lot of people. First, he browses Lutea's wares. For 200 credits, Auth purchases a Tornadopetal Remedy, an Eterna Remedy, and a bright smile from Lutea.

LUTEA: Thank you for your business! Be sure to come again!
LUTEA: And be safe, you two!

Taking Nana by the hand, he then proceeds down into the gardens, towards the Projection Box. Flinging it open, the two of them proceed down a twisting maze(?) of passages, eventually leading them to where the Godblossom lies. Nana's eyes sparkle at the sight.

NANA: A-Amazing!
NANA: You know, my sister would kill to get her hands on one of these... and so would I!

...Fortunately for everyone involved, Nana is just kidding, and there's no edgy betrayal scene where she stabs Auth in the back, and claims the flower for herself. Someone feel free to write that, though. It'd be neat.

NANA: W-We've got to transport it safely!
NANA: A-And... also carry it out of the catacombs safely. I don't know where to begin...
NANA: H-Hey, think these tunnels are part of the catacombs? I-I wonder where we are on Sussui right now?

...Where are they, anyway? It's not really an important question, but it's fun to think about. Back in the Sky Labs, Auth asks about Pomme. As per usual, Chi freezes up.

CHI: U-Um...
CHI: W-Well, Cypress a-and I have been trying t-to plot ways to... k-kill her...
CHI: N-Not specifically w-with me, but he's mentioned it.
CHI: A-And... y-you say the Rebels are planning t-to raid your b-base, are they?
CHI: T-That's... strange. I don't know why they would e-even think that's a good idea...
CHI: Sure, you guys have Linseed, but r-really, he's quite the extremist, a-and the Rebels r-recruiting him was honestly a mistake...
CHI: B-But let's not talk about t-this, a-alright!? A-Anything else, p-please!

...Okay. Auth then asks if Cypress's voice box is broken. She nods.

CHI: If you'd believe it, as a kid, he lived somewhere closer to where many skirmishes between the Chairians and Tabletopians were held.
CHI: During one of the battles, something happened, and his throat was burned.
CHI: He says that he performed an incredibly risky operation on himself in order to install even the simplest means of speaking.
CHI: I wonder how he was capable of that at such a young age? Especially as a Chairian, too! It's not like we had many people who were good with technology before he came along.

CHI: And... yes. Acacia gave up a perfectly healthy part of herself.
CHI: I was surprised, too.
CHI: From what I could pick up, though... it was something small.
CHI: He said he was dealing with "optical connections", so perhaps she got a new eye?
CHI: I have no idea what a new eye could provide. Or at least, what'd drive Acacia of all people to get one.
CHI: She did also request a new magical staff, too. Maybe they're connected?
CHI: I can only speculate, though.
CHI: I firmly believe that Cypress didn't pressure her into it, though. He's an understanding guy.

Anyway, Auth then talks about the Sphere. It's the reason why he's here. What does she know about it?

CHI: Well, coming here to deal with the Sphere makes sense.
CHI: Rumors are circulating about the darn thing being a bomb that'd... "end the universe", or something.
CHI: I personally don't know if I believe that myself, but.... it's a scary thought!
CHI: What is at the moment though, is Chairheir Spark's project against the Tabletopians.
CHI: With the rate at which we've been installing systems onto it, we should be good to begin shipping it off to the Tabletopians in a few days.

CHI: Between you and me, though... I personally hate the thing.
CHI: As a doctor, I hate the thought of things like this.
CHI: Why must all of our progress and work go to killing each other?
CHI: Why can't we try and enrich the lives of those around us through this work instead?
CHI: So... don't tell anyone, but I'm rooting for you guys, okay?

You have a fan! How sweet. Finally, Auth converses with Atalus. He can't really prove to the paranoid Chairian that he's not playing the long game. This doesn't seem to help. Like, at all.

ATALUS: I KNEW IT!
ATALUS: You are planning something, and there's nothing we can do about it!
ATALUS: ...But, maybe allowing you to perform your long game is better than letting the Iti win the short game?
ATALUS: I AM TANGLED IN A COMPLEX WEB OF INTRIGUE AND THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT.

As Auth notes that they should attempt to calm Acacia down, a gigantic flaming spire goes out and destroys the Cable Car.

ATALUS: Welp.
ATALUS: NOW SHE'S OFFICIALLY THROWING A TANTRUM.
ATALUS: According to my personal royal protocols, the best course of action is to leave her alone for two to three days, and deal with the resultant mess... later.
ATALUS: I know I can't stop you from visiting her, but please reconsider.
ATALUS: You know that Rebel that's still stuck on a spike outside of Acacia's house?
ATALUS: That. ALL OF YOU.
ATALUS: I DO NOT WANT TO CLEAN UP TWENTY SOMETHING CORPSES.

The mood penalty from seeing dead bodies is really quite staggering. Best to have the animals carry the bodies off, if at all possible.

---

Torix manifests in this universe! Well, kinda. He doesn't have a character sheet yet, but there's no harm in letting him chat up some people! He appears as a man known as Austin. How'd he get here, anyway? Where is he, anyway? He decides to talk to the group of people who are at the table. They're really quite the suspicious bunch, but I suppose he wouldn't know that just yet.

REGALUS: We are on the lovely planet of Sussui, the home of the Chairians and Tabletopians, and one of the most intriguing and mysterious worlds ever known... Pre-Sphere.
REGALUS: This designation is because post-Sphere, there isn't much of anything at all! Utterly annihilated, along with quite a great deal of world around it too!
REGALUS: I am fairly sure escape is reasonably possible if you start immediately. I am also fairly sure it is quite foolish, as the 'detonation' of the Sphere would have an extraordinary blast radius.
REGALUS: That said, fear not, I have great news! You've serendipitously arrived at the effective base for the most concentrated effort to save this planet from annihilation!
REGALUS: Progress is excellent, I hear, and reserve gear is plentiful enough to reasonably outfit you to fighting shape immediately if you so choose!
REGALUS: I'd recommend seeing to that before anything else. Outsiders are apparently shoot-on-sight.

...Shoot on sight, huh? Best to get geared up.

---

<GENERATOR WAY, ROUND TWO>
Slight problem on your hands. Electrophorus has decided to bust in and join the fray! He won't be around for too long, but he'll certainly be throwing a wrench or eight into your plans. Either ignore him, or see if you can leverage him against your enemy! Or maybe just lay the smackdown onto it. Who knows?

<SHIFTING STORAGE, ROUND TWO>
Not too much to speak of, really. The Mitocysts are really beginning to spread, and only a few enemies have been slain. Something of note to watch for however, is the Overwhelming Storm targeted at (K18)! Those who are being threatened by it are stuck on a small platform, so you might need to make use of the Console to escape it!

Not!Echoss goes back to bullying a rock.
Seeing that the rock face is not done causing problems, Not!Echoss decides to make its life miserable again. First he pulls the acidic dirt shovel out of the inventory and lobs it like a javelin at the stone face. The shovel explodes dramatically, showering the face in acid, making it far more vulnerable to the incoming attack.
Not!Echoss descends from the ceiling
"FALCON! PAWWWWWNCH!" and the face is suddenly looking a lot less like a face.


Shifting Storage battle
Pionobot goes after Generic.
He starts by bonus actioning the console he's next to again, moving it North 2 tiles, and East one. As he does so he gives an advisory warning to Chloe and Maple that sticking around for this particular ride is probably a bad idea. Then he triggers Elemental eclecticity on Generic, swapping his Enchant:Poison for Enchant:Ice
He then move to K15 and triggers his trait, casting Ice element Proximity Burst on Mitocyst9

Bauhaus moves to O14, and fires off a Light-element Dawn of Existence to the left!

Skylabs - Hannah

Cablecar Ruins

For once in her life, Hannah was at peace. Nobody nagging at her, nobody trying to rip her apart... just her and the silence but for the movement of the cablecar. Well, until she spotted the spire poised to strike her or the cable car, one or the other. To which she replied with a simple "...peck."

Once said spire was launched in a blaze, Hannah wastes no time in melting out a window to leap through in a panicked rush, just barely getting out in time.

...

A minute later, she wakes up to the smell of burning and ominous chittering. Also she's soaked from landing face-up in a lake. Must've broke her fall. Not by much, though... the fall still hurt a lot.

Hannah rights herself in the lake, understandably dazed and annoyed. And sore. She looks up at the broken rail, where the spire was still. Wood on fire... what the peck, she thought Chairians hated fire! Not even Hannah was that intent on putting people in an unrecoverable position if she never wanted them dead in the first place. A little sick, sure, but not outright burnt to ashes.

Though, honestly, she was more upset about the loss of some time for peace and quiet for once... and not having to look at god-awful cave walls all day.

In the distance, she heard Cypress. Something about Acacia's "mastery" whatever that was. However, while Cypress was quick to clarify that he felt more regret towards it, Hannah clearly didn't miss that he also felt some 'joy' in seeing it happen.

The fire crystals weren't a mistake. They couldn't have been. And this was enough to get Hannah to flip the peck out at him, even if he couldn't hear her. "Rrrrrgh, y-you can't be serious right now! How!? How did you not think this would be a terrible idea!? Are you nuts!? I mean, come on now! Even for my standards this is absurd, and I used that stupid bow for a little while! And you're trying to tell us you don't feel an ounce of pride from this thing, an unexpected happenstance from a hate-fueled loose cannon!? You've got some real nerve to be saying that, much more actually making that possible to begin with!"

She eventually snaps out of it, tugging at her locks, then clapping herself in the face. "Deep breaths, Hannah... deep breaths. No use getting riled up now. (god they do suck at lying though)"

She finally turns to the beasts that want to rip her to bits. For once in her life she was totally innocent, and only now do things start wanting her head. She sighs. "Guess I'm doing this today. Don't expect me to feel bad."

She engages the angry wildlife!

Cargo - yeah she's still there too technically, time's weird

Noting the cargo hold's general instability now, Hannah begins putting solid iron rods inside the crates she's just emptied to help stabilize the crates for use as supports, along with the surrounding structure of the hold. Not great, but it'll do.

However, now that she knows the crates are gonna collapse if she doesn't hold them up with something, she opens up the last two crates the same way as before, making sure not to disturb the structural integrity too much. As she works through the cargo, she puts up some more rods within the crates, helping the stability of the hold. She'll get the heck out if, despite her efforts, it looks as though the place will collapse.

Once she gets everything out, and checking to see if there's anything else around, she exits, tying a rope to one of the poles (particularly one where structural integrity would be compromised heavily) and pulls it once she's vacated, removing the rod and letting the place collapse.

Venia, Nidra, Yew, Chi

Hannah simply nods at Chi. "...Thanks. They'll appreciate the info. (...me too honestly...)"

She runs off to report her findings to Venia and co. Though rather than her usual indifferent or bored expression, Hannah instead looked... contemplative. Uncertain, even. "So, household cures first. Mix Green Sap and Alcohol if you're just starting to feel the effects of any poison. Anything past that and you're probably gone."

"On Areca and our... 'friend' here... apparently the archer's case was shut a long time ago by this Areca after an attempt on her life. Supposedly escaped somewhere down the line. And, well, I'm pretty sure you and I know where that went."

"...How's it going, by the way?"

---

Boatshi

"(...Nothin', huh? I mean I guess the shack could be a good backup base in case things go terribly wrong. Assuming that bloody Electrophorus ain't gonna be around anymore.)"

"(...I'll probably try an' get it set up later.)"

Currently with little to do, Boshi goes fishing, using Spider Meat as bait. He'll probably get a lot outta just one.

---

Chapel - Adria

The mention of the way to the Church of Helix being potentially perilous doesn't bother her, being more than used to perilous situations by this point, but the distance to there might be draining... "...Point. Do any of you, um, have any way of contacting anyone who could go there and grab some?"

"...Though I did see some vehicles out by the house. Maybe I could rig one of the smaller ones for travel if contacting someone isn't an option."

---

Library - Sophia

Bored of lazing around doing nothing, Sophia decides to wander the library some more. Maybe pet the spiralfloof near Omo's office? Roast marshmallows on the crystals? Find a good book to read? Maybe there's something relating to knitting somewhere for her to read. Maybe even something relating to robotics if she's really lucky. She kinda just wanders as she looks for things to do.

Looks like Boshi's Daycare is back in service.

---

Gardens - Dorothy

...Dorothy's meditation was broken at the sound of the projection box opening, looking behind her to see Nana and Author head down. Normally she'd follow her gut and not go down there... but in a show of concern, perhaps, she gets up and follows them down, following their trail closely and ending up behind the couple.

She stares in awe at the pretty flower in front of her, admiring it for its beauty.

...Also she's kinda hungry. Probably should have taken that french toast earlier.

Yewscape

Nidra takes all of the sap jars, and waits for Venia to join her, if she indeed does. Either way, she readies her Elemental Handgun, points it toward the room to the left, and kicks it open.

Shifting Storage

Wait until end of player phase.
Power Nap Marron.
Move to F14.
Last Dream the Bastion.

Yewscape

Venia-as-Areca whirls back around to the storage closet and enters, taking the alcahol along the way, and joins Nidra in the pantry, careful not to stick too close.

---

The Skylabs

"I uh, only sealed that off to make it a bit easier, and uh, pretty sure only things in there are fans and angry iti... But sure, why not."

Venia unseals the vent at the Reflector's request.

"Nia, before we go, do you think you can, ah... Hrm, seal the leak on that cryocore so we can just snag it? It's unstable so be careful. I'm going to get that bomb-we need that to get at Acacia, given she's sealed herself off."

Venia grabs the bomb as Nia presumably tries her hand at grabbing the Cryocore, and the two presumably head off together ("Uh, I think that thing won't support both of our weight...").

Cue massive spire impacting the trolly car. Venia's mood drops as she hits comms.

UT: Spherebreakers, emergency, the cable car to the central labs has been hit by Acacia, some sort of flaming spire thing.
UT: Point is Hannah's surrounded by tons of Yggcrawlers!
UT: I'm not equipped right to deal with this, somebody come in!"

"Nia, I've messaged for help-I'm not sure either of us are good on an angry horde of Yggcrawlers but I'll try my hardest if I have to. Come'on, we got to talk to someone about something sensitive before we head off," Venia says, heading to Cypress's location, which is conveniently on the way just in case Venia changes her mind about not going.

"Cypress," Venia says, stress plainly visible. "... Yeah, uh, that. I'm not going to question why, because 'why,' uh, I have a feeling it's now surmounting to 'I didn't see this coming,' my only question is, what did you do and to what extent?"

"... I should point out something I've noticed about the thyme field," She adds, hesitating. "Long story short, I've noticed that the field... Has a sense for drama, basically. Maybe it's unfounded-or, uh, maybe we should prepare for the now-inevitable confrontation with Acacia as if we were fighting even more extreme than the Netwyrm."

"Oh, and uh, new cable car, where'd we get it, or do we have to improvise now?"

---

Mariaaaaaaaaa

Maria looks over the shiny things and touches each one, handling it carefully and smiling as she handles them. "I wanna make em' all in hearts. Pretty tiny hearts, and uh, we use this metal thingy to make metal frilly things, and we put the hearts in 'em, and then we put it on the scarf thingy. These are pretty rocks," Maria says, holding up the Cyan Diamonds and the Mental Clusters.

---

That really uncomfortable family meeting

"... You two must be much newer here than I anticipated," Regalus says, without actually waiting for the response from either of them. "I guess asking for your assistance might be irrational. I'll ask around. Cindy, Rebecca, Rosalind-you're allowed anywhere in the house, and on the porch, but nowhere outside! Any more unaccounted for family members would trouble me dearly," He says. "Oh, and please, contact me if you find Maria and tell me exactly how you found her. Are we clear?"

"Don't worry, my king," Cindy says, serene. "I'll keep watch." The other two girls nod their heads-the younger much more vigorously than the elder.

"Excellent!"

The emperor heads out into the living room, where the black kitsune does nothing that isn't their usual imitation of a statue despite their newfound presence-perhaps they already got informed? They spy Chaos behind the counter and approach. "You must be this 'mister Chaos' that Maria adores so much. To be brief, I'm her father-ah, his royal highness, Regalus Hemmors. Would you happen to know where Maria and Venia are at this time?"

Crya nods a bit and smiles.
I always try to be kind and understanding. I have always believed the best rulers are ones that keep their power through respect and adoration. I was once a mortal being, as you are. In the Place of Old I was but a powerless girl who had a normal life, but I attained godhood through the Trials. So maybe through my past I have gained a different... perspective on mortal life.
But maybe other gods see it... differently. We are not all the same, and in the end each one of us chooses how our creations see us. So maybe some deities see their absolute power as a better way to keep themselves worshiped. Certain deities may... have a different way of thought entirely. But I can assure you most if not all deities desire only the best for their creations.

--------------------

Destiny, meanwhile, spins 2 win, using Whirling Blades to go to H4, I3, all the way to N3, then diagonally to P5.

Auth acts before me.

Asha moves to F13, then uses a Poem to move to H13 and restore 6 MP to herself. She hacks the lower right platform to move it once space up, then finishes her movement at I12. There, she casts Tumbling Walls at M19, M12, K6, and C10. This effectively targets: Bouquet3, Ohmnic5, Bouquet1, Petal11, the Bastion (twice), Mitocyst1, Predator3, and Omnic2.

This has 10 Buff Levels (Enlightened + Loaded Spellbook), costs 15 MP, and gives Asha 2 stacks of Might and 1 stack of Magic. It also gives Asha SP equal to 15+the highest damage dealt to a single target.

She then Alters Reality to switch Focused into Evasive.

Chloe moves to L18, attacks Predator3, and retreats to K16.

Warp Ring to N17
Use the console to get to P14 with the platform
Quickfire Phial Bouquet2
Wait to get enchantswapped by piono
Attack Bouquet2

Lily re-attempts to spec her Fell Star with A for the first option and B for the second.

She activates Gift Tracker, pings Eviscerator3 with the Elemental Blaster set to Light, then basic attacks him.

-- more to come later --

Pope Bill uses Burrowing Rally to get to H17. Next, he basic-attacks the Railsniper and fires an Ice Elemental Blaster shot at the Barrel Charge!