Code: PIRULUK

Kagari glanced at the ninja. "Neither did I, in all honesty. Not much I can do about it now, in any case." She gestured around her. "Doesn't look like we'll find anything useful here. We could go up and assist the rooftop team with the helicopters, or we can go down and raid the R&D lab. Thoughts? I don't have any real preference, myself."

Prei attacks A4

Kagari quickly sent another message. "Okay, I'm on the 32nd floor. There are four projects in the R&D lab; codenamed Snowball, Raptora, Stopwatch, Bulwark. The research around me seems to be relating to replicating plastics with hard light. I'm going to look around a bit more. I could probably try to work my way downward to hit the R&D lab first, but I'm not too comfortable doing that without backup." With that, Kagari began to snoop around the lab more. Kagari examines more notes and some of the experiments. Was this lab recently occupied? Check for levels of dust, signs of human activity and all the test tubes. While searching, grab a sample of hard light and ingest it to try and understand how it works.

Kagari groaned and shook her head. What was that? That couldn't have been mental interference, her bodily structure should have been too different to be affected by any kind of interference employed by inhabitants of this largely-human world. Gravity manipulation? Possibly. It did remind her of that one time a Gravity Paragon attempted to kill her by massively increasing the gravity in the space she was on. Of course, that hadn't worked. She'd just flattened herself on the floor and waited for the mage to run out of mana. Shaking herself out of her recollections, she looked around. Odd place, this was. She shifted her right ear into the shape of the radio headset she had previously ingested, using it as a conduit to transmit magical signals into radio signals, such that she could send messages without actually speaking. "Something went wrong. I'm up. High up. Might have been some form of gravity manipulation, but I can't be too sure. I'm near the top of the building right now. Looks like some kind of lab. Not sure what it's for, but I'll investigate it. Might find something helpful. You'll need to find another route into the basement." With that transmission, Kagari began to cautiously glance around her. Kagari attempts to investigate the lab. What does she find?

Prei moves to D7

Kagari, having largely remained silent, spoke up now. "Are we certain that explosives will be able to do damage to a building that's literally made out of light? And even if it did, wouldn't an explosion big enough to damage the building risk harm to our captured friend?" She turned to the AI. "As for your previous inquiry, Lotus, I can, in fact, freely move in any body of water."

Kagari paused for a moment, considering. "...Actually... Where does the water in their water supply come from again? If it's an open space, I might be able to get into the tank." To demonstrate, Kagari collapsed into a puddle, then quickly reformed herself.

Prei's lips twitch upward in remembrance. It felt like only yesterday their little family had been playing a prototype recreation of this game. The rules here were slightly different, but the basic concept was the same. She took up a position next to Chronos and angled her spear downward, preparing for battle. Prei does nothing and holds.

Whaps Waddle Dee 2 with Myriad in Frying Pan mode.

Serene blinked awake to the sound of trees falling in her vicinity. Yawning, she stretched out her nude body, working out the kinks that came along with sleeping amidst the branches of trees. Playfully, she conjured up a lick of flame between her fingers, prodding it and molding it until it took the form of a bird. Then the bird took off into the sky, flying into the distance. Watching it go for several moments, she then turned her attention to the noise. She spotted Meredith, seated on the ground, a fallen tree next to her. Serene raised an eyebrow at the sight of the shattered lance. She sighed. Something about the armored woman drew her. Perhaps it was her hidden pain - much like Serene's own. Perhaps it was her strength of spirit. Serene changed her seating position to be across rather than along her current perch. Then she leaned backward and allowed herself to fall off her branch, catching hold of another on her way down, repeating this process until she landed on the ground without a sound. She quietly made her way around, outside of Meredith's field of vision, using the forest for cover. Then, once she was in Meredith's blind spot, she quietly crept forward, concealing her presence and her approach. Thankfully, she had left her armor behind another tree prior to falling asleep, along with the remainder of her clothing. She made no sound as she moved - only someone who was actively trying to locate her would have noticed her approach. Finally, when she was reasonably close, she spoke up. "I'm fairly certain that axes are better than spears - for cutting lumber, at least."

"Electricity, huh." Prei spun Myriad again and switched it to her other hand. As she did, a new set of spears formed behind her, this time made of water, clear and shimmering. "Let's see how this goes." She took up a ready stance once more. Prei activates Elemental Spears (Water). Her next instance of damage will deal 3d6 bonus Water elemental damage and soak enemies. Counter damage: 1d6 phys + 3d6 water

"Well, the first step is to stop using Thunder magic." Serene smirked, then gave him actual advice. "The archer girl is... sort of correct. The spirits are fickle things. You need to really feel them. Magic isn't performed by reading a book. It's performed by taking the words, burning them into your memory, and using those as the kindling for something deeper, more...raw." Serene quickly traced a pattern over her tome and threw out an arm. As she did, a bolt of fire shot from her hand, curving around just as it reached the tree. It ringed the tree multiple times, then split into five smaller bolts, all of which hit the mark on the spear's tip with pinpoint accuracy. "Like so."

"Well then, this, at least, is something I'm used to." Prei spun Myriad around and stretched out her arms, causing numerous fiery magical spears to materialise behind her. Prei uses Elemental Spears (Fire). The next time she does damage, she deals an additional 3d6 fire damage. Current Damage on Counter: 3d6 fire + 1d6 phys

"Oh? Why don't you give it a shot, then? See if you can replicate your previous success. I think I understand the problem, but it would probably be good for me to observe it closely before I address it. I wouldn't want to light the wrong kindling, after all."

Serene took one glance at the tome and immediately noted that it wasn't a fire tome. Wrinkling her nose a bit, she gives a dismissive wave. "Nah, not hot enough for me. Perhaps our spatially-challenged friend here can make use of it."

Serene quickly located the two people in the forest. Hoshiko seemed to be teaching Terrin to... pose? In an attempt to correct his aim. She understood the rationale, but it wasn't really... It was more addressing the symptoms than the cause. She walked up to the two. "Hello there, what's burning?"

Serene turned away briefly, hiding her face while she changed into her spare set of identical armor. Unlikely. "Ah, no worries there; I'll not get burned. I know my limits, and more importantly, I know fire's limits." Serene clapped Meredith on the shoulder as she left the tent. "Get some rest. You did a blazing good job." Exiting the tent, she heard a high voice shouting from the direction of the forest, along with the sound of crackling thunder. Interest piqued, she turned and walked in the direction of the sound.

Serene nodded and stretched out, reflecting on Meredith's words, taking off her own armor. As she did, she exposed her back, revealing an impressive array of scars. Most seemed to be left by bladed weapons - long and thin, crisscrossing and running over each other. Serene casually wiped herself down, drying her sweat, while she responded to Meredith. "Dreams, huh... nostalgic memories... must be nice to have them."

Kagari arranged her face into an expression of practiced concern. "Oh, my. Someone messing with the doors? Is this something that happens often? That sounds slightly unprofessional..." Her eyes widened in mock fear. "Wait, this isn't some kind of outsider thing right? We're not under attack, are we?! Like, terrorists, or something?!" Playing perfectly the part of the panicked, worried girl, she clung to Hikari's arm while trembling, eyes imploring their tour guide for reassurance of some kind.

Serene nodded and led the way to the tent. Once they were safely in the tent, Serene began helping Meredith remove her armor. A soldier herself, she was no stranger to the discomforts that accompanied adequate protection. As she did, she found herself staring at Meredith's finely honed arms, her sinewy back, skin stretched taut against trained muscle. Meredith certainly had a heroic stature, that was certain. Deciding that it was rude to stare for too long, she coughed and turned her attention to Meredith's words. "Wanted to be a hero, you say? I can't... quite say I completely understand. I've never felt the same. I find that one has plenty of things to worry about without worrying about others. Of course, I hardly qualify as a normal girl, so perhaps I'm the exception. Do all girls have these yearnings? To be a hero? That archer girl seems rather taken with the idea, at least."

Kagari reached out and tapped their tour guide on his shoulder. She put on her most convincing attempt at an expression of concern and curiosity - very convincing indeed, considering that she had complete control over her facial muscles - and asked in a sweet voice - again generated by manipulating her vocal chords: "Is something the matter, sir? Where are we, currently?"

Serene folded her arms behind her head. Unlike Meredith, she looked completely fine, her breathing remaining regular, her clothes neatly arrayed about her frame. Perhaps it was just the fact that she had not carried anyone, but it still spoke of a remarkable physical stamina to run that distance without being winded. She responded to Meredith's gratitude with a casual dismissal. "Nah, what I did amounts to just cinders. All I did was toss a few fireballs at people. Nothing much, in any case. In fact, you pretty much saved me earlier, too. Though the manner of that saving was a bit...unexpected, to say the least." Serene lightly blushed as she recalled being carried in Meredith's strong, reliable arms, breathing in the strange mix of scents that surrounded her savior - the metallic tang of blood, the earthly stench of sweat. She briefly shook her head to clear it of such thoughts. This was not the time. "So, uh, tell me about yourself. Why'd a pretty woman like you become a soldier? I dare say, you wouldn't look out of place among the ladies in one of the many parties the aristocracy is so fond of hosting."

"A reason... Yes, definitely. Or I had one. A really silly one." Kagari scratched her head, feeling a little embarrassed. "I wanted to have my own plane, populated with lolis. Imagine it! Me! Ruler of a plane, and with all the lolis I could ever want, all to myself! It's like a paradise!" She lowered her gaze and her voice. "But then I met you, and all that changed. I don't know why. I mean, we barely even know each other. I don't know much about you, beyond your name. I don't know who you are, where you come from, how you found yourself here, what you're after. But somehow... Somehow, I think I love you. Despite not knowing anything about you. I can't explain it. I feel like... even if I were to never see another loli again, I would be fine with that as long as I got to spend time with you. And if it means fighting you, then... I'd rather give that silly dream up. It's not worth it. I can't do it. I just... can't."

"Oh, I would be glad to. Allow me to show you a blaze you've never seen before." With that, Serene took up position behind Meredith, covering her back, a sharp glint in her eye. Moves to Z10 and hold.

Prei put a pondering finger to her lips, regarding the map with a critical eye. "We don't actually know if this collection of tiles is a map. Hopefully it is, but it could also just as easily be a message, or instructions, or really just a collection of tiles." She snapped her fingers, causing a skeletal copy of the tile arrangement, traced by orange fire, to appear next to her head. A small crystal of ice, gleaming with some inner light, floated outside the left border of the map, indicating their present location - if it was, in fact, a map. "Still, I see no reason not to at least make an attempt at navigating this maze - it seems we have a lack of favorable alternatives, after all."