"What kind of idiots are you two?"
Jan. 26th, 2014 07:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
renferretMouse and Sewall journey into the Cyberrealm, seeking a means of overcoming their respective battlescars. And by journey we mean fall.
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456 From: Mouse At: Sun Jan 26 15:09:21 2014 (Conn)
Fldr : 0 Status: Unread
To : *Glass_Walkers, Nicodemus, Rina
Subject: Email from Mouse
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This may come as a surprise. Maybe not.
I'm gone. I'll be back, or at least I'm planning on it. Recent events have made it pretty clear that I can't put this off any longer, no matter what reassurances I might get. I know I'm leaving things hanging. Left undone. Important things. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the lack of notice. I wanted to make it quick and clean, with no more excuses on my part. And I hate uncertain goodbyes. Doodle, I'll be back for that gift of yours, but in the meantime, and if not, enjoy what you've learned.
Evacuation protocols for the Tenement have been uploaded to Salem's, Kavi's, and Riley's user accounts. Starting up the kill command .exe will wipe the entire network. It's a giant pain in the ass to get going again, so be sure before you use it. I've left a few...surprises for anyone trying to recover data once that .exe is used, so don't, if you like having a workable laptop. There's a safe in the breakroom closet, and I've given you three the combination. It contains what you should try to get out of the building if you can: the pillow fetish, the buttefly pendant fetish, official paperwork for the building, you get the idea. I also set something up with Kavi for ensuring nothing from the building is recoverable; he can fill you in. Kavi, I've left my cell phone on my desk. You know why.
Our network data is backed up nightly to a server off-site. Talk to Edward Maxwell about access if you need it.
Jack is in charge unless you bunch shake out differently. This might be entirely unnecessary; maybe I'll be back sooner than I expect. But if I'm gone for more than a month, sort the tribe out as if I'm not returning. If something DOES happen, I've made some arrangements with Kakkerlak. Hopefully she'll know, and she can let you know. Talk to her if I'm gone for more than a month anyway, because there are a few more contingencies that I'll pass on to whoever's taking the reigns.
So there you go. I think that's that. Don't get worked up yet, anyway. Hopefully I'll be back a little more whole than I left.
And if not? I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of family than you guys. Be careful.
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Elsewhere(#215RJ)
GM Room. Please +gm/ok Jacinta. Warnings: I don't use a lot of dice. I made decisions based primarily on Story, Sense, and Stats. Death is a possibility, though generally unlikely. Please try to clarify through pages if my posing is unclear.
Current Setting: Light and shadow and thread. The web of knowledge extends in all directions. The threads that connect each nodule are stable enough for walking, but each step causes small vibrations along the path. Spiders of various sizes walk the web as well, repairing, extending, and adjusting the pathways. The trails are ever shifting, a clear path that exists in one moment is gone in the next.
Contents:
Sewall
Machine(#815PIOcdr)
Obvious exits:
GM Nexus
With the help from a friend, the Garou find themselves trasported to a world that bears no resemblance to anything of the physical realm. Light comes from all directions, casting shadows that quickly fade. There is no real sense of up nor down, other than what gravity provides, for in all directions there is simply more light, more webbing, and more of the small nodules present wherever two or more of the lines meet.
Three From Ashes has come without Kakkerlak, and there's the sense that the roach spirit's absence is being felt, because her desire to share what she's seeing is quite readable. The Walker elder's twisted lupus form is wearing that spinal support vest that she got from Nick, which makes her look, if anything, even stranger, but still, while her front legs are sure, her hind legs drag as often as they step, and her tail remains barely above the strand of web that they're standing on.
Bitter-Draught isn't much more mobile than the Glass Walker, though has the advantage of being less troubled by back issues than she. In Crinos, he hunkers down close to her, staring at their surroundings with undisguised interest.
Three From Ashes licks her muzzle as she glances at Bitter-Draught. Information, she tells him, by way of explanation. This is Information, as it exists now. Anything on any ~computer~. Some things that aren't. It connects to where we are going. Hopefully we can get out the same way.
An orb-weaver works quickly to attach a new strand of webbing to a nodule a few layers down from the garou. Once the strand is attached, the arachnid lifts two limbs, and then four, and begins to climb through the void between webs. It's path seems to lead to the nodule just behind where the garou stand now.
~Amazing.~ The Fang hardly seems worried about getting back. ~Your people can access the information as it's encoded here, can they not?~ His attention's caught by the approaching spider; after a second or two, he glances down at Ashes to see how she reacts.
Three From Ashes likewise turns her head to watch the spider, but there's no sign of wariness or alarm about her. Not yet anyway. Rather, she makes it clear that she's curious as to where it's going, without actually asking the question itself.
The spider makes good time through the void, reaching the nearby nodule quickly. It takes only a little longer for it to attach the new strand creating a new connection between the two centers of knowledge.
Bitter-Draught watches the spider at work with admiration, then shifts his weight restlessly.
*Hello,* Three From Ashes says toward the orb weaver. Her demeanor is friendly, but she doesn't add anything else to the greeting.
The orb-weaver seems to focused on its own work to take note of the two garou, but when Mouse speaks it turns its attention to her. It lifts two forelimbs, mouthparts shifting, rubbing together, perhaps in speech, perhaps in anticipation. *Hello,* it returns, not yet leaving its position at the nodule.
Bitter-Draught's ears push forward, focussing on the orb-weaver as though he could understand it by sheer force of will.
Three From Ashes flicks an ear to the side and turns her head, as if encompassing their entire surroundings. She expresses that she is impressed. *We are looking for the way to the Cyberrealm. Perhaps you would know best?*
The spider climbs up onto the top of the nodule, giving it a better vantage for looking down on the Garou. Again the forelimbs raise and one reaches forward. *Down,* it says. *Or in, if you have the pass code.*
Bitter-Draught shifts his weight again, restlessly.
*Thank you.* Three From Ashes is complete in her sincerity. *We won't bother you further.* She looks at Bitter-Draught. Down, it said, or into the node there, if we have a ~pass code~.
The spider turns without anything further, and begins detatching a strand on the other side of the nodule.
Bitter-Draught huffs. ~Which I gather that we don't.~ He looks downward, gauging the difficulty of the web-climb ahead of them, then looks at Ashes. ~Will you need help?~ Silver Fang chivaltry, albeit a brusque and businesslike version.
~Not unless we're very lucky at guessing,~ Three From Ashes responds dryly. She too looks down, and there's a small amount of trepidation that she's not quite able to hide. ~I will be slow,~ she says after a moment. ~Crinos. There isn't a chance I can do it in a form with less strength.~ She slides up into that form now, slowly, mindful of alarming the helpful spider spirit.
As the pair speak, the spider finishes its work, and the disconnected bit of webbing falls away.
Three From Ashes keeps to all fours--that back brace is still present--as she moves carefully along the webbing, looking for a sturdy strand to start climbing down. Preferably one that's not purely vertical.
Bitter-Draught follows a short distance behind but not /directly/ behind. Every movement is careful, deliberate.
Webs stretch in all directions and at a variety of angles. It's easy to find several that lead gently downward, though reaching one will necessitate passing over, or through several nodes.
For the moment, Three From Ashes opts for avoiding going into the nodes, at least for as long as she's able, even if that lengthens the route considerably. She does, however, observe them with distinct interest.
Bitter-Draught keeps eyeballing the nodes with interest -- at least as much as the painful exercise will allow, anyway.
The nodes seem to pulse with energy. Their shapes at a distance appear sphereical, but up close, are made up of thousands of regular planes. It isn't easy to pass them, but it is possible. However the farther the garou travel, the more eyes appear to take interest in their movement. The orb-weavers seem content to let the pair be, but other eyes, larger eyes, seem less friendly, and as Mouse makes the first turn onto the gently downward sloping web, a hairy-looking spider with well spaced eyes and long, furry mouthparts makes a leap from a nearby thread to land before them. It rises up, more than half the size of a hispo, forelegs waving in the air and mouthparts clacking. *INTRUDER*
Three From Ashes keeps herself from taking a step back as this new spirit arrives. She regards it steadily. *Visitors.*
Bitter-Draught carefully makes his way over close to Ashes, nice and slow.
*INTRUDER! INTRUDER* The spider repeats, and it starts toward the pair, a clear air of menace about it.
Orb-Weavers go about their business, only a few of the nearest taking any notice of the confrontation. But farther away, others of the larger, hairier variety keep watch, and one makes a downward leap that puts it at the same level as the garou.
Three From Ashes does back up this time, in the direction of the nearest node if she can help it. Meanwhile, something...distinct changes about her eyes. They change colors from yellow to red, but the red seems artificial, the eye itself looking more like plastic than flesh.
You paged Sky with 'Cybersenses. Basically motion detection, but she's mostly just seeing if it'll dissuade them.'.
Bitter-Draught's fur ripples in a combination of nervousness and irritation. Ears flat, he follows Ashes, grumble-muttering under his breath.
Every thread of webbing connects two nodes, so moving backward will take them toward a node they'd passed, just as much as forward would take them toward a new point.
The spider blocking the path follows their retreat, but does not press an attack, and the alarm it has been calling drops off. The other, now on their level but several strands away, seems content to wait and watch.
~Well,~ Three From Ashes still sounds rather dry, considering the situation. ~Option number two?~
~It seems so,~ says the Fang. He eyes the node. ~Presuming we calculate the code, how do we enter it?~
Three From Ashes eases back onto her haunches with a faint grimace. ~Oh, the hard part's after we go in. This part is like crossing over.~ She lifts a hand and presses her palm against the node's surface.
Bitter-Draught huffs a breath, nods, and then does likewise.
Almost as soon as Mouse touches the surface, her form disappears slipping through the crystaline structure. It takes Sewall much, much longer, and the longer he stands, the closer the spider comes. At first, it's just a step by step approach, but as Sewall waits out the long seconds of focus, the spider becomes aggitated, and makes several leaps to close the distance. *INTRUDER* it calls again, rising up and then coming down, pincers ready to bite into the Silver Fang. And just as it comes down, Sewall slips into the crystal, reforming on the other side.
Larger on the inside than the outside, by several orders of magnitude, the interior of the crystal is like standing on the inside of a factal, each point at which there could be an edge, becomes another corner, with more on the other side. A futuristic library, all the surfaces are lined with knowledge, and all that's necessary to access it is to find the right piece and place it in the viewer at the center.
That is, if one is not stopped by the overprotective librarian. Like the surface of the structure, the librarian is crystaline as well, utter perfection, each facet a regular planar figure, each facet fitting with all the others in seamless perfection. The colors of it seem to shift, perhaps it's only a trick of the light. *Enter your Pass Code, now* it says, gliding toward where Mouse and Sewall appear.
*How might we obtain a Pass Code?* Three From Ashes asks. She studies the crystalline entity as she speaks, and once again drops onto her haunches.
Bitter-Draught sinks into a crouch next to Mouse. His ears tilt back with frustration, then push forward at the librarian.
*Enter your Pass Code,* repeats the librarian as it nears, coming to a stop just beyond arm's reach of the Garou.
Three From Ashes flicks an ear to the side, and then moves to the keyboard in front of the viewer. She presses a key at complete random, though she keeps an eye on the librarian as she does so.
~I wonder how many attempts we'll be allowed,~ mutters Sewall. He peers over Mouse's shoulder, brow furrowed, clawed fingers twitching.
The keyboard is not a typical one, but a hexagonal set with hexagonal keys, each one sporting a different, non-English character.
The librarian doesn't turn, but why should it need to, when each facet is the same as any other.
~I'm going to guess not many,~ Three From Ashes murmurs, as she picks another, different key to press. ~It would help to know just how many characters is in a Pass Code. Be ready.~
Bitter-Draught eyes the hexagonal keyboard. ~Six, perhaps?~
The librarian remains motionless as the Garou depress one key and then another.
Three From Ashes inhales. ~Well. In theory, we can simply work through every single combination until it does something to stop us. In that same theory, it would take quite a while.~ She presses another key, then the next. Both are random like the first two, neither the same character as before.
Bitter-Draught nods. He's paying more attention to which keys Mouse presses than the (for the moment) motionless librarian.
Two more keys, and still no reaction from the librarian. It could easily be nothing more than a sculpture taking up space in the vast, fractal of the node.
Three From Ashes continues to press keys. She goes with Bitter-Draught's theory of six--two more keys, and then, if there's still no reaction, she begins the pattern again, this time with one key difference.
Bitter-Draught grimaces and sits down on what passes for the floor. From this positon, he keeps a better eye on the librarian.
*INVALID ENTRY* shouts the librarian, and then everything goes black. It almost feels as though the floor falls out from under the garou, but that isn't quite right. There is, however, the definite sensation of falling. And falling. And falling. The darkness around them is a physical thing as they fall, but in the end, when they splash into a puddle of fetid smelling liquid, it seems to lighten, and even though they remain in the dark, it's simply the absence of light, and not so opressive as a moment before.
It's not that the fall doesn't hurt, it certainly does, but for as long and as far as they must have come, for them to be alive and not entirely broken seems a miracle enough.
Three From Ashes doesn't move. She doesn't even make a noise, unless you count the sharp /huff/ of breath that's beaten out of her by their less than dignified landing. Even twitching seems beyond her at the moment.
Bitter-Draught lets out a shout of surprise and fear at the sudden plunge, then a pained yelp at their landing. He lies still for a few moments, then starts dragging himself to his feet, wincing with every motion.
As senses return, as much as they might wish the sense of smell not to, the darkness lifts, somewhat. The faint light of a flickering flourescent bulb some distance away gives the garou the ability to see, though not much. The tunnel appears to be brick, the floor cement, and all of it is in a state of disrepair. The stench is almost unbearable, human and animal waste, mixed with the rot of decay. Trash litters the sides, and only the center is clear enough to maneuver, though that is where the worst of the puddles lie. All around them the air seems to hum, distant sounds of metal on metal interrupt the more mechanical whirring, and now and again something alive can be heard to scream, though they remain too distant to discern the meaning behind them.
At first it seems that they're alone, at least in their current location, but Mouse's motion sensor eye picks up movement in the darkness away from the direction of the light. At least three figures, as large as they, approach with a military-like march.
~Fuck me,~ Three From Ashes breathes, more than says. ~Three, incoming, that way.~ She gestures, and then attempts, very, very slowly, to roll an elbow underneath herself.
~I see them.~ Sewall's voice is full of pain, but he gorilla-walks (or limps) over to crouch protectively over Mouse. Not that he looks like much of a protector -- winded, bedraggled, unable to stand upright.
In triangular formation, three figures approach. At first glance the one in front could be the spider that backed them into the nodule in the first place, but as it comes into that faint light, it seems somehow wrong. Broken. Two eyes, human blue rather than spider black, adorn the top of its head, and it walks on six legs rather than eight. A long, black tongue, barbed at the end, snakes outward to test the scents on the air.
Behind the spider, two other insectoid creatures follow, and like the first, both seem incomplete, and malformed.
Three From Ashes narrows her eyes. She gets a second elbow beneath her, and manages to raise up just slightly lower than Sewall. She doesn't really need to say anything; her body language suggests quite strongly that she doubts this bunch are going to be remotely friendly.
Bitter-Draught clenches a fist, lips skinning back from his fangs; he glares at the incoming trio and growls under his breeath.
That's all the warning the pair of Garou are allowed, as the mal-formed wolf spider makes that first leap, landing on Mouse and biting into her shoulder, the barbed tongue sinking deep into flesh like a spear. The others converge on Sewall. One has wings beneath a carapace and it makes a screeching noise that tears at ear drums and threatens to make both Garou retch. The other lashes out at Sewall, but the extension of its pincers doesn't quite reach the Silver Fang, its single eye appears to lack the fine tuning of depth perception.
Machine pages: 2 agg.
Three From Ashes snarls in pain and fury, but there's no more waiting from her. She strikes back, albeit not physically, as she attempts to twist and wither one of the limbs the mal-formed spider is leaning most of its weight on at the moment, even as she strikes out with claws.
Long distance to Machine: Three From Ashes uses Wither Limb, and spends willpower.
Bitter-Draught, snarling, strikes out at the winged foe with a claw attack that would be more precise and sure if he weren't so battered.
Both Garou find their marks, and the spider that grapples with Mouse begins to topple. Unfortunately, it seems intent on bringing her with it. Her claws tear through chittin, and it draws back that spiked tongue. It's perhaps even more painful than the original strike, as it rips flesh with every inch of that withdrawl.
The Silver Fang's claws rip into one of those wings, and at least the horrible sound fades. It does nothing to slow the other, however, and having misjudged the distance the first time, it doesn't the second, and the pincers rip through the fur and flesh on Sewall's side, exposing ribs to the putrid air.
~Idiots!~ comes a shout from somewhere beyond. And then a bright light flares through the tunnel, almost blinding those used to the darkness. The winged insect glows bright red and screeches for an instant before it explodes. Shrapnel from the explosion covers friend and foe alike, searing skin where it strikes.
Machine pages: 1 agg more
Three From Ashes doesn't seem inclined to give that tongue another opening. She attempts to tear away at its root, claws flashing again. She certainly hears that voice, but she's a little busy to do anything about it.
Bitter-Draught is likewise a little too busy with handling the creature with the pincers, though he certainly looks quite pissed off -- affronted, even.
~Bine!~ calls that same voice. ~Take the cyke. Kit, be ready.~
Even in the moment that the voice is heard, it's clear that Mouse is no longer alone in her battle, and the spider is attacked from both ends.
Only a second later, Sewall is aided, and the one eyed insect is being ripped apart.
It doesn't keep the insects from getting in their own final blows, and while Mouse manages to rip out the spear-like tongue, her arm takes the brunt of the bite that follows, bone snapping as flesh is ripped away.
Sewall, too, feels the sting from the pincer again, lashing flesh from bone across his side.
Machine pages: 2 more. Ow.
Three From Ashes shudders, but with the sudden assistance she drops instantly to glabro. She may have left Kakkerlak behind, but the roach clip equipped pistol of hers is another story, and she draws it with the hand attached to an arm that's not just been horribly mangled.
Bitter-Draught drops backward onto his haunches as the pincered-monster is killed and pants, one arm pressed close against his bleeding torso.
~Kit,~ shouts that first voice as soon as the enemy fall. ~Juice 'em!~ And then he stands, reverting easily from crinos to Homid, to regard the two Garou before him. "What kind of idiots are you two?"
Coming around from behind him, a smaller, female lupus approaches, mechanical arms extending from a harness she wears as she reaches for the more spider-like of the fallen spirits.
And looking across the corpse of the other stands another garou, still in crinos. ~You need healing?~ he asks, and then shuts up and looks to the homid. This third has no obvious cybernetics, unlike his companions.
Machine
At six foot four, this dark-skinned man might once have been considered handsome. Today, however, the deep scarring and cybernetic implants disrupt the otherwise smooth, strong lines of his face and jaw. One eye has been replaced by a telescoping lens, and cables extend from his scalp where once there might have been hair. His right arm ends just above the elbow, replaced by a multi-function limb, complete with a variety of tools and, presumably, weapons. His torso is covered in a shell of metal, and the whirring of gears and servomotors can be heard from time to time. Several ports of different sizes are available at the upper left side of his chest, just below the collarbone.
Mouse lowers her weapon slightly, and then all the way, though she doesn't holster it. The man speaking gets a weary sort of smile. "The particularly smart kind, if you'll believe it. Thanks." To the crinos, she nods. "Could stand some...yeah. I can help my friend's injuries. Do we have much time?"
Bitter-Draught stays in Crinos form, looking rather disgruntled truth be told, though he's got a keen eye on the two with cybernetics, taking in every little detail.
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456 From: Mouse At: Sun Jan 26 15:09:21 2014 (Conn)
Fldr : 0 Status: Unread
To : *Glass_Walkers, Nicodemus, Rina
Subject: Email from Mouse
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This may come as a surprise. Maybe not.
I'm gone. I'll be back, or at least I'm planning on it. Recent events have made it pretty clear that I can't put this off any longer, no matter what reassurances I might get. I know I'm leaving things hanging. Left undone. Important things. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the lack of notice. I wanted to make it quick and clean, with no more excuses on my part. And I hate uncertain goodbyes. Doodle, I'll be back for that gift of yours, but in the meantime, and if not, enjoy what you've learned.
Evacuation protocols for the Tenement have been uploaded to Salem's, Kavi's, and Riley's user accounts. Starting up the kill command .exe will wipe the entire network. It's a giant pain in the ass to get going again, so be sure before you use it. I've left a few...surprises for anyone trying to recover data once that .exe is used, so don't, if you like having a workable laptop. There's a safe in the breakroom closet, and I've given you three the combination. It contains what you should try to get out of the building if you can: the pillow fetish, the buttefly pendant fetish, official paperwork for the building, you get the idea. I also set something up with Kavi for ensuring nothing from the building is recoverable; he can fill you in. Kavi, I've left my cell phone on my desk. You know why.
Our network data is backed up nightly to a server off-site. Talk to Edward Maxwell about access if you need it.
Jack is in charge unless you bunch shake out differently. This might be entirely unnecessary; maybe I'll be back sooner than I expect. But if I'm gone for more than a month, sort the tribe out as if I'm not returning. If something DOES happen, I've made some arrangements with Kakkerlak. Hopefully she'll know, and she can let you know. Talk to her if I'm gone for more than a month anyway, because there are a few more contingencies that I'll pass on to whoever's taking the reigns.
So there you go. I think that's that. Don't get worked up yet, anyway. Hopefully I'll be back a little more whole than I left.
And if not? I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of family than you guys. Be careful.
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Elsewhere(#215RJ)
GM Room. Please +gm/ok Jacinta. Warnings: I don't use a lot of dice. I made decisions based primarily on Story, Sense, and Stats. Death is a possibility, though generally unlikely. Please try to clarify through pages if my posing is unclear.
Current Setting: Light and shadow and thread. The web of knowledge extends in all directions. The threads that connect each nodule are stable enough for walking, but each step causes small vibrations along the path. Spiders of various sizes walk the web as well, repairing, extending, and adjusting the pathways. The trails are ever shifting, a clear path that exists in one moment is gone in the next.
Contents:
Sewall
Machine(#815PIOcdr)
Obvious exits:
GM Nexus
With the help from a friend, the Garou find themselves trasported to a world that bears no resemblance to anything of the physical realm. Light comes from all directions, casting shadows that quickly fade. There is no real sense of up nor down, other than what gravity provides, for in all directions there is simply more light, more webbing, and more of the small nodules present wherever two or more of the lines meet.
Three From Ashes has come without Kakkerlak, and there's the sense that the roach spirit's absence is being felt, because her desire to share what she's seeing is quite readable. The Walker elder's twisted lupus form is wearing that spinal support vest that she got from Nick, which makes her look, if anything, even stranger, but still, while her front legs are sure, her hind legs drag as often as they step, and her tail remains barely above the strand of web that they're standing on.
Bitter-Draught isn't much more mobile than the Glass Walker, though has the advantage of being less troubled by back issues than she. In Crinos, he hunkers down close to her, staring at their surroundings with undisguised interest.
Three From Ashes licks her muzzle as she glances at Bitter-Draught. Information, she tells him, by way of explanation. This is Information, as it exists now. Anything on any ~computer~. Some things that aren't. It connects to where we are going. Hopefully we can get out the same way.
An orb-weaver works quickly to attach a new strand of webbing to a nodule a few layers down from the garou. Once the strand is attached, the arachnid lifts two limbs, and then four, and begins to climb through the void between webs. It's path seems to lead to the nodule just behind where the garou stand now.
~Amazing.~ The Fang hardly seems worried about getting back. ~Your people can access the information as it's encoded here, can they not?~ His attention's caught by the approaching spider; after a second or two, he glances down at Ashes to see how she reacts.
Three From Ashes likewise turns her head to watch the spider, but there's no sign of wariness or alarm about her. Not yet anyway. Rather, she makes it clear that she's curious as to where it's going, without actually asking the question itself.
The spider makes good time through the void, reaching the nearby nodule quickly. It takes only a little longer for it to attach the new strand creating a new connection between the two centers of knowledge.
Bitter-Draught watches the spider at work with admiration, then shifts his weight restlessly.
*Hello,* Three From Ashes says toward the orb weaver. Her demeanor is friendly, but she doesn't add anything else to the greeting.
The orb-weaver seems to focused on its own work to take note of the two garou, but when Mouse speaks it turns its attention to her. It lifts two forelimbs, mouthparts shifting, rubbing together, perhaps in speech, perhaps in anticipation. *Hello,* it returns, not yet leaving its position at the nodule.
Bitter-Draught's ears push forward, focussing on the orb-weaver as though he could understand it by sheer force of will.
Three From Ashes flicks an ear to the side and turns her head, as if encompassing their entire surroundings. She expresses that she is impressed. *We are looking for the way to the Cyberrealm. Perhaps you would know best?*
The spider climbs up onto the top of the nodule, giving it a better vantage for looking down on the Garou. Again the forelimbs raise and one reaches forward. *Down,* it says. *Or in, if you have the pass code.*
Bitter-Draught shifts his weight again, restlessly.
*Thank you.* Three From Ashes is complete in her sincerity. *We won't bother you further.* She looks at Bitter-Draught. Down, it said, or into the node there, if we have a ~pass code~.
The spider turns without anything further, and begins detatching a strand on the other side of the nodule.
Bitter-Draught huffs. ~Which I gather that we don't.~ He looks downward, gauging the difficulty of the web-climb ahead of them, then looks at Ashes. ~Will you need help?~ Silver Fang chivaltry, albeit a brusque and businesslike version.
~Not unless we're very lucky at guessing,~ Three From Ashes responds dryly. She too looks down, and there's a small amount of trepidation that she's not quite able to hide. ~I will be slow,~ she says after a moment. ~Crinos. There isn't a chance I can do it in a form with less strength.~ She slides up into that form now, slowly, mindful of alarming the helpful spider spirit.
As the pair speak, the spider finishes its work, and the disconnected bit of webbing falls away.
Three From Ashes keeps to all fours--that back brace is still present--as she moves carefully along the webbing, looking for a sturdy strand to start climbing down. Preferably one that's not purely vertical.
Bitter-Draught follows a short distance behind but not /directly/ behind. Every movement is careful, deliberate.
Webs stretch in all directions and at a variety of angles. It's easy to find several that lead gently downward, though reaching one will necessitate passing over, or through several nodes.
For the moment, Three From Ashes opts for avoiding going into the nodes, at least for as long as she's able, even if that lengthens the route considerably. She does, however, observe them with distinct interest.
Bitter-Draught keeps eyeballing the nodes with interest -- at least as much as the painful exercise will allow, anyway.
The nodes seem to pulse with energy. Their shapes at a distance appear sphereical, but up close, are made up of thousands of regular planes. It isn't easy to pass them, but it is possible. However the farther the garou travel, the more eyes appear to take interest in their movement. The orb-weavers seem content to let the pair be, but other eyes, larger eyes, seem less friendly, and as Mouse makes the first turn onto the gently downward sloping web, a hairy-looking spider with well spaced eyes and long, furry mouthparts makes a leap from a nearby thread to land before them. It rises up, more than half the size of a hispo, forelegs waving in the air and mouthparts clacking. *INTRUDER*
Three From Ashes keeps herself from taking a step back as this new spirit arrives. She regards it steadily. *Visitors.*
Bitter-Draught carefully makes his way over close to Ashes, nice and slow.
*INTRUDER! INTRUDER* The spider repeats, and it starts toward the pair, a clear air of menace about it.
Orb-Weavers go about their business, only a few of the nearest taking any notice of the confrontation. But farther away, others of the larger, hairier variety keep watch, and one makes a downward leap that puts it at the same level as the garou.
Three From Ashes does back up this time, in the direction of the nearest node if she can help it. Meanwhile, something...distinct changes about her eyes. They change colors from yellow to red, but the red seems artificial, the eye itself looking more like plastic than flesh.
You paged Sky with 'Cybersenses. Basically motion detection, but she's mostly just seeing if it'll dissuade them.'.
Bitter-Draught's fur ripples in a combination of nervousness and irritation. Ears flat, he follows Ashes, grumble-muttering under his breath.
Every thread of webbing connects two nodes, so moving backward will take them toward a node they'd passed, just as much as forward would take them toward a new point.
The spider blocking the path follows their retreat, but does not press an attack, and the alarm it has been calling drops off. The other, now on their level but several strands away, seems content to wait and watch.
~Well,~ Three From Ashes still sounds rather dry, considering the situation. ~Option number two?~
~It seems so,~ says the Fang. He eyes the node. ~Presuming we calculate the code, how do we enter it?~
Three From Ashes eases back onto her haunches with a faint grimace. ~Oh, the hard part's after we go in. This part is like crossing over.~ She lifts a hand and presses her palm against the node's surface.
Bitter-Draught huffs a breath, nods, and then does likewise.
Almost as soon as Mouse touches the surface, her form disappears slipping through the crystaline structure. It takes Sewall much, much longer, and the longer he stands, the closer the spider comes. At first, it's just a step by step approach, but as Sewall waits out the long seconds of focus, the spider becomes aggitated, and makes several leaps to close the distance. *INTRUDER* it calls again, rising up and then coming down, pincers ready to bite into the Silver Fang. And just as it comes down, Sewall slips into the crystal, reforming on the other side.
Larger on the inside than the outside, by several orders of magnitude, the interior of the crystal is like standing on the inside of a factal, each point at which there could be an edge, becomes another corner, with more on the other side. A futuristic library, all the surfaces are lined with knowledge, and all that's necessary to access it is to find the right piece and place it in the viewer at the center.
That is, if one is not stopped by the overprotective librarian. Like the surface of the structure, the librarian is crystaline as well, utter perfection, each facet a regular planar figure, each facet fitting with all the others in seamless perfection. The colors of it seem to shift, perhaps it's only a trick of the light. *Enter your Pass Code, now* it says, gliding toward where Mouse and Sewall appear.
*How might we obtain a Pass Code?* Three From Ashes asks. She studies the crystalline entity as she speaks, and once again drops onto her haunches.
Bitter-Draught sinks into a crouch next to Mouse. His ears tilt back with frustration, then push forward at the librarian.
*Enter your Pass Code,* repeats the librarian as it nears, coming to a stop just beyond arm's reach of the Garou.
Three From Ashes flicks an ear to the side, and then moves to the keyboard in front of the viewer. She presses a key at complete random, though she keeps an eye on the librarian as she does so.
~I wonder how many attempts we'll be allowed,~ mutters Sewall. He peers over Mouse's shoulder, brow furrowed, clawed fingers twitching.
The keyboard is not a typical one, but a hexagonal set with hexagonal keys, each one sporting a different, non-English character.
The librarian doesn't turn, but why should it need to, when each facet is the same as any other.
~I'm going to guess not many,~ Three From Ashes murmurs, as she picks another, different key to press. ~It would help to know just how many characters is in a Pass Code. Be ready.~
Bitter-Draught eyes the hexagonal keyboard. ~Six, perhaps?~
The librarian remains motionless as the Garou depress one key and then another.
Three From Ashes inhales. ~Well. In theory, we can simply work through every single combination until it does something to stop us. In that same theory, it would take quite a while.~ She presses another key, then the next. Both are random like the first two, neither the same character as before.
Bitter-Draught nods. He's paying more attention to which keys Mouse presses than the (for the moment) motionless librarian.
Two more keys, and still no reaction from the librarian. It could easily be nothing more than a sculpture taking up space in the vast, fractal of the node.
Three From Ashes continues to press keys. She goes with Bitter-Draught's theory of six--two more keys, and then, if there's still no reaction, she begins the pattern again, this time with one key difference.
Bitter-Draught grimaces and sits down on what passes for the floor. From this positon, he keeps a better eye on the librarian.
*INVALID ENTRY* shouts the librarian, and then everything goes black. It almost feels as though the floor falls out from under the garou, but that isn't quite right. There is, however, the definite sensation of falling. And falling. And falling. The darkness around them is a physical thing as they fall, but in the end, when they splash into a puddle of fetid smelling liquid, it seems to lighten, and even though they remain in the dark, it's simply the absence of light, and not so opressive as a moment before.
It's not that the fall doesn't hurt, it certainly does, but for as long and as far as they must have come, for them to be alive and not entirely broken seems a miracle enough.
Three From Ashes doesn't move. She doesn't even make a noise, unless you count the sharp /huff/ of breath that's beaten out of her by their less than dignified landing. Even twitching seems beyond her at the moment.
Bitter-Draught lets out a shout of surprise and fear at the sudden plunge, then a pained yelp at their landing. He lies still for a few moments, then starts dragging himself to his feet, wincing with every motion.
As senses return, as much as they might wish the sense of smell not to, the darkness lifts, somewhat. The faint light of a flickering flourescent bulb some distance away gives the garou the ability to see, though not much. The tunnel appears to be brick, the floor cement, and all of it is in a state of disrepair. The stench is almost unbearable, human and animal waste, mixed with the rot of decay. Trash litters the sides, and only the center is clear enough to maneuver, though that is where the worst of the puddles lie. All around them the air seems to hum, distant sounds of metal on metal interrupt the more mechanical whirring, and now and again something alive can be heard to scream, though they remain too distant to discern the meaning behind them.
At first it seems that they're alone, at least in their current location, but Mouse's motion sensor eye picks up movement in the darkness away from the direction of the light. At least three figures, as large as they, approach with a military-like march.
~Fuck me,~ Three From Ashes breathes, more than says. ~Three, incoming, that way.~ She gestures, and then attempts, very, very slowly, to roll an elbow underneath herself.
~I see them.~ Sewall's voice is full of pain, but he gorilla-walks (or limps) over to crouch protectively over Mouse. Not that he looks like much of a protector -- winded, bedraggled, unable to stand upright.
In triangular formation, three figures approach. At first glance the one in front could be the spider that backed them into the nodule in the first place, but as it comes into that faint light, it seems somehow wrong. Broken. Two eyes, human blue rather than spider black, adorn the top of its head, and it walks on six legs rather than eight. A long, black tongue, barbed at the end, snakes outward to test the scents on the air.
Behind the spider, two other insectoid creatures follow, and like the first, both seem incomplete, and malformed.
Three From Ashes narrows her eyes. She gets a second elbow beneath her, and manages to raise up just slightly lower than Sewall. She doesn't really need to say anything; her body language suggests quite strongly that she doubts this bunch are going to be remotely friendly.
Bitter-Draught clenches a fist, lips skinning back from his fangs; he glares at the incoming trio and growls under his breeath.
That's all the warning the pair of Garou are allowed, as the mal-formed wolf spider makes that first leap, landing on Mouse and biting into her shoulder, the barbed tongue sinking deep into flesh like a spear. The others converge on Sewall. One has wings beneath a carapace and it makes a screeching noise that tears at ear drums and threatens to make both Garou retch. The other lashes out at Sewall, but the extension of its pincers doesn't quite reach the Silver Fang, its single eye appears to lack the fine tuning of depth perception.
Machine pages: 2 agg.
Three From Ashes snarls in pain and fury, but there's no more waiting from her. She strikes back, albeit not physically, as she attempts to twist and wither one of the limbs the mal-formed spider is leaning most of its weight on at the moment, even as she strikes out with claws.
Long distance to Machine: Three From Ashes uses Wither Limb, and spends willpower.
Bitter-Draught, snarling, strikes out at the winged foe with a claw attack that would be more precise and sure if he weren't so battered.
Both Garou find their marks, and the spider that grapples with Mouse begins to topple. Unfortunately, it seems intent on bringing her with it. Her claws tear through chittin, and it draws back that spiked tongue. It's perhaps even more painful than the original strike, as it rips flesh with every inch of that withdrawl.
The Silver Fang's claws rip into one of those wings, and at least the horrible sound fades. It does nothing to slow the other, however, and having misjudged the distance the first time, it doesn't the second, and the pincers rip through the fur and flesh on Sewall's side, exposing ribs to the putrid air.
~Idiots!~ comes a shout from somewhere beyond. And then a bright light flares through the tunnel, almost blinding those used to the darkness. The winged insect glows bright red and screeches for an instant before it explodes. Shrapnel from the explosion covers friend and foe alike, searing skin where it strikes.
Machine pages: 1 agg more
Three From Ashes doesn't seem inclined to give that tongue another opening. She attempts to tear away at its root, claws flashing again. She certainly hears that voice, but she's a little busy to do anything about it.
Bitter-Draught is likewise a little too busy with handling the creature with the pincers, though he certainly looks quite pissed off -- affronted, even.
~Bine!~ calls that same voice. ~Take the cyke. Kit, be ready.~
Even in the moment that the voice is heard, it's clear that Mouse is no longer alone in her battle, and the spider is attacked from both ends.
Only a second later, Sewall is aided, and the one eyed insect is being ripped apart.
It doesn't keep the insects from getting in their own final blows, and while Mouse manages to rip out the spear-like tongue, her arm takes the brunt of the bite that follows, bone snapping as flesh is ripped away.
Sewall, too, feels the sting from the pincer again, lashing flesh from bone across his side.
Machine pages: 2 more. Ow.
Three From Ashes shudders, but with the sudden assistance she drops instantly to glabro. She may have left Kakkerlak behind, but the roach clip equipped pistol of hers is another story, and she draws it with the hand attached to an arm that's not just been horribly mangled.
Bitter-Draught drops backward onto his haunches as the pincered-monster is killed and pants, one arm pressed close against his bleeding torso.
~Kit,~ shouts that first voice as soon as the enemy fall. ~Juice 'em!~ And then he stands, reverting easily from crinos to Homid, to regard the two Garou before him. "What kind of idiots are you two?"
Coming around from behind him, a smaller, female lupus approaches, mechanical arms extending from a harness she wears as she reaches for the more spider-like of the fallen spirits.
And looking across the corpse of the other stands another garou, still in crinos. ~You need healing?~ he asks, and then shuts up and looks to the homid. This third has no obvious cybernetics, unlike his companions.
Machine
At six foot four, this dark-skinned man might once have been considered handsome. Today, however, the deep scarring and cybernetic implants disrupt the otherwise smooth, strong lines of his face and jaw. One eye has been replaced by a telescoping lens, and cables extend from his scalp where once there might have been hair. His right arm ends just above the elbow, replaced by a multi-function limb, complete with a variety of tools and, presumably, weapons. His torso is covered in a shell of metal, and the whirring of gears and servomotors can be heard from time to time. Several ports of different sizes are available at the upper left side of his chest, just below the collarbone.
Mouse lowers her weapon slightly, and then all the way, though she doesn't holster it. The man speaking gets a weary sort of smile. "The particularly smart kind, if you'll believe it. Thanks." To the crinos, she nods. "Could stand some...yeah. I can help my friend's injuries. Do we have much time?"
Bitter-Draught stays in Crinos form, looking rather disgruntled truth be told, though he's got a keen eye on the two with cybernetics, taking in every little detail.
