Duty Session 405: Isle of the Terraformers

The Island lies a good distance to the South of what many would consider the furthest reaches of mainland Yamato. Even the boat that left the Adventurers off here, refuses to come closer to shore, having anchored a distance out and provided longboats for landing.

To say that the island is overgrown is an understatement. Plant life is in abundance here, growing into thick jungles of entwined leaves. Even the trunks of various trees have weaved together, creating massive natural structures that stretch high into the skyline.

More unusual, though, is that there seems to be steam coming up from various points on the island in regular patterns. Upon investigating further, the group had stumbled upon what looked to be a domed entryway into some ancient ruin, now overgrown with foliage. Above, tucked against some rocks, a spout releases white steam into the air. Those with keen ears may pick up the strange clunk of moving machines in the distance, far below.

* * *

Uta finishes tying the boat to a pole she had to ram into the ground by herself a few minutes earliers. So much punching. Still, that's a Godhand's life for you.

There had been other longboats, and even other boats travelling - this far from the mainland, pirates were ever a threat. Numbers helped. Moving up, from another boat, boots kicking up the dust from the overgrowth - or pollen, perhaps - is a strangely familiar silhouette against the light behind them; a knee-length, fitted skirt, a shield on an arm, and a buzzing pair of fluttery wings. Light gleams on a little set of half-moon spectacles, flashing, as the figure approaches. Pauses. And then, with a wary resignation, asks in hope that she may be wrong "... is that Uta?"

"...Is that Ayame?", Uta asks, in the excited hope she may be right, as the other adventurers who have come here on a mission from the Hunter's Guild. Still clad in the same white nurse's-uniform-slash-martial-artist-gi-slash-MMORPG-fantasy-outfit getup with black trimmings Ayame used to see her sport back in the day, Uta rushes over to the Sylph, dark wings aflutter with elation. "Oh, by the goddesses! I haven't seen you in ages! How's things been?"

The entrance into this mysterious, ancient ruin seems to be blocked by a strange, stone door. There is metal inlaid into portions of it, giving the impression of some feat of mechanical engineering that must have come from some earlier age. Vines cling around the edge of the entrance, but the fact that this has not been overgrown suggests someone, or something, has been making its way through from time to time.

To one side of the entrance, there is a series of carvings in some ancient Gnomish tongue, the sort of thing that few of the modern age would understand. Then again, the wise may pick out a word or two of instruction. Otherwise, the door seems to be a massive, circular slab with gold lines that weave over the surface. At various points, there are indents where it looks as if objects should be inserted, but there are none obvious to be found.

Lines extend out from these holes in the door, giving obvious signs that some sort of power source is required in order to open it. Even if the right 'keys' can't be found, perhaps something equivalent can be enchanted to imbue enough energy to open the way forward.

"Hello, Uta" Ayame says, for indeed it is she. Pristinely neat, the white shirt crisp and shining with either an excessive amount of laundering or someone who abuses their menu functions, she shifts her shield away from where she'd subconsciously moved it to defend herself, and smiles down "It's been a time! I've been well enough, keeping busy and out of the way. I don't suppose it's too much to hope you have been as well?" She asks, with just a little teasing, as she makes her quick-stepping little way towards the ruin.

There, she stares at it, frowning, and then extracts her wand from the prim little bun the secretarial sylph traditionally wears, tapping it on the shield; runes around the latter and the tip of the former gleaming as she looks at the carvings, still chattering down "How is everyone? I've been out of touch for so long. They need adventurers all over, still. Now more than ever. How are ... Gwen? And the Baroness?" As she picks out names she recalls them both talking to.

"Gwen is as Gwen as usual. Tall. Stealing people for nefarious acts of fashion. The Baroness-" There is some hesitation there. "She had to evacuate Eas. Then she entered a Strange Mood. Now she seems to be out of it, so there's that. She is, as usual, doing her best to take care of the people under her protection. And work the political side of this whole..." She gestures vaguely in the air. "...mess. Last I saw her was just after the meeting with the Uncrowned, where they explained what is really going on with this invasion, and how the Palace Land Landers seem to be forcing control on Adventurers through the use of Crowns."

Uta goes straight for the inscriptions, and runs her finger in the air, while she quietly mouths words in ancient Gnomish as her eyes scan the glyphs. "Hmm. Seems like it might require some sort of 'powered magical keys' in the slots in order to unlock. I wonder..." She paces around the circular slab, kneels down to inspect one particular slot more closely, and in the end, she jabs the bottom tip of her staff into the opening. "The part I read did not give many specifics about the particular resonant frequencies that might be needed to trigger the release mechanism, but I suppose we can try a frequency sweep and hope for the best... unless you have found something on your side of the carvings?", Uta asks, before beginning with the lowest note she can utter, and sliding the frequency up in a never ending portamento. As she does so, helical tendrils of light and magic interwine on the handle of her staff, coalesce into the gem at the top, and flow downward to be poured into the slab, which seems to hum and vibrate slightly along.

It keeps doing so until, likely thanks mainly to Ayame's additional guidance, the door rumbles open, revealing a passage beyond.

* * *

The main tunnels of the ruins open wide into vast galleries that might have once been a central living area for the Gnomish people who lived there. There is little sign of that now, leaving the location feeling eerie and abandoned, especially with the thud-pop-hiss of machinery around them.

As the group passes from one empty chamber to the next, there is a blinking light that awaits them. Just below it, a single chim stands, looking in their direction before darting off further into the facility. That red light, however, reveals itself as a metallic sphere which rolls out of a side alcove, transforming into a strange mechanical guardian.

Part of the sphere is wielded as a shield, while another forms into a wicked, curved sword. The automaton hisses steam before making slow, thumping steps in their direction, intent on stopping them from finding their way further into the ruins.

"Sounds like it's the usual mess, only much more" Ayame smiles ruefully, looking things over as she sweeps the wand back and forth "Not sure. It says something about the colors of the sky, from dawn to dusk - oh. Yellows to blues to reds, then?" She hazards "Those would be ... medium, then high, then low?" She suggests, moving to assist in that, and smiling as it sweeps back.

A little bobbing firefly emerges from the wand, bouncing down and casting a greenish glow into the tunnels as it descends, and Ayame follows, heeled boots clicking on the stone as the sylph shimmies ahead, quick little steps and a carefully raised shield. "Control of us? That's rather horrifying" She admits with a nervous flutter of a breath and buzz of her wings "I'll need to offer my help. That's just a horrible idea. I mean, they might make you not like Slimes! Can you imagine?!" A forced, rushed levity in her voice as she cracks a little laugh.

Then pauses, as the sphere rolls out, and transforms. She groans, and adjusts the shield - moving in ahead, to begin the much-practiced routine of Tank The Clank.

"That... that is precisely what they wanted to do to me, it would seem." Uta replies, over the rhythmic clicking of her own boots, punctuated only by the occasional drip. She is as tactful as she can be, but an undercurrent of dread seeps through the tiniest cracks of her controlled elocution. "I was attacked by a Sheriff type, Sheriff Shirin. I was apparently placed under arrest for being a nuisance to Landers, and he said that Queen Laira Lorelei would be glad to show me the errors in my ways, starting with using monsters." Her staff, whose gem at the top has recently been sung into emitting a faint glow, is swept left and right, like an inverted metal detector. "As one might understand under such circumstances, I was uncooperative. My sentence had therefore been upgraded from 'arrest' to 'repeated deaths'. Whose effects... you're probably aware of of by now?"

"Oh, hey, look! A chim!", she points, upon seeing the little creature. "Have I told you about the Chims already? I once found them in a cave, and they-LOOK OUT! IT'S A-" She frowns, after having instinctively jumped back into a defensive stance. "...murderball? I... I guess it -literally- is one?"

As the machine lunges for the Spriggan, she bolts out of her position, doing a cartwheel in the air. She impacts feet first on a wall, absorbs the shock by 'squatting' sideways, then hurls her self back at the monster. While she spins into a flying kick, she also intones a powerful, rhythmic hymn, meant to shake the ground rigt under the creature, and create a chasm for it to fall into.

Uta's efforts are very much appreciated by Ayame, who is getting beaten back by heavy, repeated blows from the Ridiculous Robotic Murderball. Wand and board are less effective when your short-ranged blasts ricochet from the curved plates, and your shield only just holds against the swift blows. Still, she holds the RRM off long enough for Uta to drop it into a chasm, and she grunts, adjusting herself and fingering a scuff to the glove of her wand hand where the thing's sword cut at it "I'm fine" She assures "Just superficial" She nods, moving on in, ahead, before responding

"I'm aware it's bad" She admits "We start to lose things. Which makes the current invasion all the more worrying" With a little sigh, scratching the back of her neck. Behind her, the little cast is securely fastened to the small of her back, under those wings and above the skirt.

"I'm glad you're okay, though. An Uta without a strange fascination is like a slime without glistens, or rats without tails" She grins back just a little

"Or a party without Ayame," Uta follows on, as pulls hersef back to a standing position from the offensive stance she had landed in, after kicking the monster to say hi to the Abyss. Or... well, at least a chasm large enough to contain it for now. She goes check on the Sylph. "Memories, specifically. Memories of who we were before the Apocalypse. What makes us the Adventurers we are is dismantled, piece by piece. And we change accordingly," Uta mumbles. "I've heard rumors that people have started journaling just in case. Or sharing." There was no invitation or silent implication in her tone of voice. A mere stating of facts, reported as heard.

The sound of machinery seems to grow louder as the group traverses further into the depths of the ancient ruins. It's obvious that this is not simply some abandoned place, but a full on dungeon. It seems that there is some sort of location sensitivity, as they come to a certain section of a narrower tunnel and giant blades shoot up in front of them. The large, metallic blades extend from a central column, fanning outward before spinning in place, neatly blocking the way forward through to the chambers beyond. It's at that point that the group spots their first 'Terraformer'. A dark creature with strangely metallic accents sticking out of the arms, standing in a hunched position. It seems to watch them from beyond the trap, as if considering them. Then, retreats down a set of stairs.

The group is left standing in front of the trap, left to their own creative devices in order to determine the best way to disable it so they can continue forward.

"That makes sense. I don't know if that's better or worse" Ayame says solumnly "I mean, at least not knowing has a certain - peace to it? If you knew what you were missing, but couldn't recall it - I can only imagine it's people telling you what you're looking at without you being able to see it"

Ayame sighs as she tries to wedge the shield with the glowing runes into the whirling blades. It works - briefly - but as she crawls through, she nudges it - and they start going again! She's quick, but by the time she gets out, the little sylph has suffered more than clothing damage. And there's a lot of that, too. One hand clamped over her arm, pale, wincing and muttering magic to at least stave off the worst of it, breathing heavily

The blades take Uta by surprise as well. She yells "FROST SHIELD!", but none appears: she screams in pain as she's thrown up and backwards, and slams on the floor with longitudinal red gashes all over her body. Her uniform took corresponding damage as well, boots and gloves included. Durability may have been impacted, but thank goodness modesty has been preserved. She lies there in pain, moaning for a few seconds, and then-

The flmsiest protective bubble of ice forms around her, and shatters in a sprinkle of snowflaces.

"H-have I mentioned I am training to learn how to Shield?", she mumbles, as she pushes to stand.

Once up, she dusts herself off (not that it does much given the sorry state of her outfit...), and looks around. "Okay, uh... are you any skilled in Construction? Because if not, I... I fear oud only choice is to just... you know. Run through the blades and take the HP hit." She glances at Ayame's HP bar, then her eyes dance to the corner of her HUD, where her own health indicator lies. "It'll hurt, but based on my medical training, I estimate we'll both make it." She mumbles. "You even more, considering your shielding skills and tank build."

Following the retreating form of one of the 'Terraformers' the group finds themselves moving down a narrow stone stairway, broken in places and strewn with bits of rubble. At the bottom, the passage opens into an absolutely massive room that seems to have been entirely overrun, not only by plants, but by the 'Terraformers' themselves.

The room is so massive that they cannot truly grasp the size, the walls hidden by foliage. Above, there is some sort of observation structure, but it is out of their reach. The hunched, black creatures move in and out of the forest, as if this place were some sort of obsession. The jungle seems to have no creatures living in it, only a startling variety of unusual plants that the 'Terraformers' seem to be caring for. Many of these do not look native to Yamato, or perhaps to any part of the natural world that they are aware of.

There are many of the creatures here, a perfect time to strike from the many hiding places and thin out their numbers. It's even possible that a skilled herbalist might be able to turn their own plants against the creatures, trapping them here so they cannot escape and bring havoc to the outside world.

"Not terribly skilled in it" Ayame says, adjusting herself. At least the slashed skirt allows her more freedom, now she's through, breathing deeply and the very worst of the bleeding stopped after her muttered chants, the Light seeping into her as she takes a few wobbly steps forward "I'm not much of a builder. People tend to assign me the more delicate tasks when we're around the place" She chuckles tiredly, her shoes finding that rhythm as she slowly picks up ahead

"I'm not sure what I need to start learning. Shield is useful - very useful - and I would like to learn more. I haven't specialised much at all, beyond that. What would you recommend, to augment my existing skillset of summoning and shields? With a dash of writing and such?" She asks, blinking ahead.

Then she sighs, looking at the terraformers. Then at Uta. "I won't ask if they're friends of yours" She murmurs, holding her shield up and chanting, a list of sounds that correspond to the runes around the edge of her shield, which flash white as she finishes with "OL REPTH!", sending the vines and kudzu of the jungle into a frenzy of strangling growth.

"I suppose that advancing our defenses in any way, these days, is vital," Uta replies after some thought. "After that, I would probably go for something that you like. Hm. Maybe you can reach out to Baroness Wake? You two strike me as two types that could work very well together. I'm sure she will be able to counsel you far better than I could, on these matters."

Uta looks at the Terraformers. Then at Ayame. Then, once she's spoken, back to the Terraformers. "They are no friends of mine," Uta replies, despite having been explicitly not asked about it. "Speaking of friends, I got distracted earlier. How's Kuroyuri? We haven't seen each other since that time at Gwen's," she asks, before leaping into the fray.

A quiet hum, and the Spriggan is enveloped by darkness. Silent. Functionally invisible. Nobody can see her zigzag through the terrain, except-

-Except that she happens to step on a Snarevine, which springs to latch around her leg. Unexpectedly grabbed, she slams face-first onto the ground. The aura of Darkness is dispelled, and everyone's attention by now is on her. "Oh, great," she grumbles as she keeps thrusting the tip of her staff at the base of the plant. "I guess I'll have to fight them the old fashioned way..."

Which she does. It ain't pretty.

Beyond the strange laboratory and testing facility, everything about the dungeon seems to change. The tunnel that leads onward is no longer finely cut from stone, inlaid with golden wiring. Instead, it seems to have been rough hewn out of stone, with rubble lining the side of the passageway. The passageway weaves in different directions and the floor beneath their feet is nowhere near flat. They must be beyond the scope of the original Gnomish facility now.

A low hum and a rumble of earth seems to greet them as they step out into a wide, natural cave. The source is immediately visible. A giant robotic machine with a pointed drill-bit seems to be burrowing into the wall of the cave. Accompanied by two of the smaller 'Terraformers', this massive drill seems to be trying to expand the facility, extending the reach of the 'Terraformers' into new places. If the chaos they have seen is any sign of what this could bring, it needs to be stopped here and now.

One of the creatures riding the machine seems to indicate the Adventurers, and immediately the party finds themselves aggressed by the enemy. The giant machine seems faster than one might expect, trying to run them down in the close confines of the cavern. It may be made to burrow through the earth, but possibly not to have it rain down onto delicate machinery, and there are those convenient stalactites hanging above them.

"She's well" Ayame smiles, trotting along with a little more freedom than normal. For all she enjoys the occasion, the sylph's sartorial style is perhaps confusing "We've been keeping eyes out for each other, and we both manage to more or less run under the radar. We're neither of us big names or notable out of the masses, so we find it a lot easier to manage" She says with a little relief.

"I remember you trying to introduce me to the Baroness. She has the Right Clothes as well?" She taps the case at her back with her wand "It would be interesting to meet her and look into it sometime" She says with a thoughtful tone "I don't typically use them, but I understand she does, from the one time we met."

Then they look up, and out. Ayame scowls, as she looks at the burrowing groups; and gestures Uta to stand behind her. She ducks, taking shelter behind the circular shield, and begins to mutter.

The resultant burst of magic seems to be going well - until a little nick from the earlier whirling blades is shown having altered a rune on the edge of her shield. And the resultant flare of magic from it knocks her on her back, making her skid along the floor. At least she's well padded ... and gave Uta a distraction

"Considering how many outfits I've seen her in, I am pretty sure the Baroness does use The Right Clothes regularly. She really, really likes her fashion. She even gave me a new gi/uniform as a present for the last Bonded Hearts Festival. Not one from The Right Clothes, mind you. It doesn't disappear." She looks up and away. "Hm. I keep forgetting. I should wear it at some point..." Considering how the Bonded Hearts festival was back in February, and now it's almost the end of June, that says a lot about Uta's attention span.

There is not much time to elaborate on that, though: the creatures attack all of a sudden, and Uta leaps off to one side just in time to avoid being hit by a Terraformer. She zigzags amont them, while intoning a call-response chant which alternates between angelic and ominous, leaps on one of the creatures, and bounces off it as if it was a trampoline. The last note is hit, and two beams, one red and one green, are shot from the gem on her staff towards the opponents and herself. HP is sapped from the former, to be... *AHEM* 'redistributed' to the latter.

Thanks to the extra energy boost, she can now proceed to leap from creature to creature, impale them from above with the bottom tip of her staff, and different magical blasts from her hands directly (since her staff is busy pumping health). The Sylph is periodically glanced at, and with a yell of "Here, take some!", she occasionally redirect the healing beam her way. She has been DPS'ing a lot for this mission, but one must not forget she's also support -- and keeping the Tank alive is crucial.

Blow after blow, sap after sap, parry after parry, the creature's bars are driven into the red.

The 'Terraformer' drivers seem the easiest part of the boss to eliminate, but it still seems to act, even without their guidance. After a time, it's clear that the machine can't take the onslaught of damage that the Adventurers can throw at it. Piece by piece, it begins to fail, the drill stopping, the treads and wheels falling off, and finally it seems to stop all-together.

Then, the machine begins to tremble, giving them only a moment's notice before it explodes, filling the room with dust and debris.The Adventurers are able to protect themselves from the area-of-effect damage, but there isn't much left in the aftermath. Within the crushed pieces of metal and rock, there are a few bits of shattered crystal which seem to glow with a strange connection to the earth.

Ayame had picked herself up, and joined the fray - it's very hard to ignore someone in the middle of a fight, since when they turned to assault Uta, they were met with blasts of energy to the back. Trapped, harried, warded by shields and drained to nothing, by the time it's over, Ayame is breathing heavily. She gives Uta a wry smile and nod "Good to see you've not lost your touch" She grins tiredly "Thank you. Yes. If you get the chance, I'd love to meet with her sometime. Whenever is good for you all. We can figure something out and maybe even come to a good discussion together"

"Glad you haven't lost your touch either," Uta beams, over her own heavy panting. "It'd be a great loss for Yamato." She slumps to sit on the ground, then... just -sprawls- on the ground. "I'm sure we can arrange something. We'll have to see how busy she is these days, but I am sure she will be able to make some time if I ask her nicely."

Breathe in, out, in, out. Her chest heaves and sinks as she oxygenates those lungs. HP bar crawls slowly up, but far, far too slowly. "How about we go get cleaned up and celebrate somewhere?" Her stomach growls. "...I would suggest a tavern."

"You're actually eating? You must be in a good place" Ayame groans, rubbing her face and then slinging her shield to her back, where it sticks "That sounds good. It'll be nice to see how things are going. When we're not in the usual life or death situations" She chuckles "And we can get cleaned up when we're back in town" She offers Uta a gloved hand to help her up "Let's scoot, Ute."