REVELATION - Story - Chapter 11: Melted Mall Mania

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Date: 5:30:33 PM, February 22nd, 2015.

Metal Man (GM): Recap. The Questers were at the base of Eritea, the ancient 115th Erastian base that was on a moon that faced the sun. In said base, they encountered:

Metal Man (GM): * Evil Ghosts of dead Erastians

Metal Man (GM): * Evil Solarian runes

Metal Man (GM): * Self destructing evil Solarian Runes

Metal Man (GM): * Blaine's personal ship, the Spirit of Vengeance

Metal Man (GM): * And more rooms beyond they hadn't explored yet, but were well worn out before they could do so.

Metal Man (GM): The Questers are currently on the Wing Fortress, as Xavier ponders the next move. XRCS Wing Fortress Xavier is busy flipping switches on his base computer, seeing the ancient 80's text on the INSIGHT system flip by. Although he also has some on his visor.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "You know, all this information was there the entire time, and I never bothered to magic it back to life. I feel kinda dumb right now."

Santigue is eating a very disgusting looking dry bar of some description with bits of strange green meat in it, polishing her axe with the other hand.

Valron: "Funny how that works out, I s'pose."

Nonna: *Has still been attempting to teach Asgard their language some more.*

Metal Man (GM): Asgard has been slowly learning, though for now it mostly makes some strange noises that sound like the language but not quite it. A few more iterations can probably get it to learn enough.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "While we were resting, I browsed through the archives. This base, while ostensibly only for Lava Golfing, also happened to have a suit gallery. The one that we lured into our ship and captured. The trick is that the same thing there can ostensibly repair my suit... ...and more importantly, the ship, since the ship is made out of a lot of Erastian tech."

Metal Man (GM): A nearby light fixture falls onto the ground 2 steps away from Santigue and makes a dusty noise.

Valron: "Ah yes, the champion butt-sliding team of... whatever year this is."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Oh right, what year this is..." *Flips open Smash Dex* "I use Wolfman years, myself. It says it's the Year of 2015, February 22nd, in Wolfman years. Even though that was some ancient time in another dimension that Wolfman came from, you know. I just find the universe keeps changing, so I keep using that so my logs match up."

Santigue looks down from her protein bar. "Right..." She'd put her helmet on after shoving the rest of the bar in her mouth, putting up her cloth and putting her axe on her shoulder. "Gonna go safety-proof the ship now." And off she went.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "That's... going to take a while. But... but! There's machines to do that inside the ruins! Er, base!"

Santigue waves a hand and keeps walking out the door and into the hall.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Because the only way to safety proof it without parts is to just remove a bunch of broken stuff... ...Anyway..."

KitRedgrave: "We better get going before there's no ship left to improve."

Nonna: "The whole place seems to be nothing but deathtrap after deathtrap."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The base is too large to get through all at once. We stunned or otherwise temporarily disabled whatever malevolent entities were in our way, so it's going to be time to make a direct beeline for the repair place. Since that's what we ultimately came here for. We have multiple ways to get there, though..."

KitRedgrave: "...Didn't I also hear that there was a 'shopping mall' here? A bunch of shops?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "We can try more of that stuff we did last time and crawl through shaky ladders and avoid explosions."

KitRedgrave: "We could make a side trip there and have our pick of it too."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Or fly the ship to another part of the base and just break into the area we need. Since even in the ship's busted state, it can still hover over there, rather than... wel,l this place is kind of like a city, you know. Shopping malls? Hmmm..."

KitRedgrave: "If we can avoid breaking anything, that'd probably be better. If we still can, if she hasn't gotten to that part yet..."

Nonna: "Would an abandoned ancient shopping mall on a fiery death moon still have quality products in stock?"

KitRedgrave: "That was one of the functions in Insight."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yes, Insight confirms the existence of a shopping Mall. You know, that's a good question. Shopping malls are where stereotypical zombie attack scenes occur a lot, too."

KitRedgrave: "...Point. Very good point. We better bring a lot of holy symbols."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'm guessing we could take a look without entering or something. Or if there are zombies, we suck them out the airlock. Now so far there's only been ghosts. So maybe there's ghosts instead. I'm not sure if ghosts are weak to the sun. I've never tried."

KitRedgrave: "If they were, would they be sticking around here?"

Nonna: "Or zombie ghosts." *She said this with a straight face, but intended for it to be a joke.*

Valron: "If it's fine between you and me, I'd rather just fly to a different part of the base and make a beeline for the repair area."

KitRedgrave: "Yeah, we better do that first. Just bringing up that there's probably good looting here too."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Heheh... zombie ghosts... that'd be the day... almost as ridiculous as the time we fought force fielded robo-crabs. Well, I should say I fought them. You guys weren't there... With good reason. The shields were aggravating."

Nonna: "Sounds like you didn't find their weakpoint."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yeah, and they attacked us for maximum damage. They weren't massive, thankfully, but there were many of them. Right, let's find out where to land the ship..." *He pokes a bunch of buttons.*

INSIGHT: 'LEFT HANGER R. KEYCODE Idz3912. BAY IS READY.'

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Right... we probably should have looked for this first..." *Facepalms slowly* "Granted, exorcising those computers expanded our access to this base's systems."

Valron: "Well, at least we still got something out of it beforehand. ...On top of that, yes."

KitRedgrave: "We got something we really needed, too."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'm... thinking we wouldn't have had automated access if we had left every computer as we found them, all cursed and stuff."

KitRedgrave: "Probably not. We might've gotten directed into the sun or something. Vengeful spirits are dicks."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yeah. The archetypal Solarian trap. Or Erastian ghost next to the sun trap."

Santigue walks back in finally, grinning, and the sounds of zappiness behind her as the doors shut.

Nonna: "Welcome back."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier flips a bunch of gears and things, then licks an exposed electrode to get the ship to go into the air.

Santigue: "Thanks. Hall's fixed. Sorta. Don't ask."

KitRedgrave: "Can't be as bad as it started."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Let's just say the hall of ungrounded extension cords is best not spoken about, for fear it hears you."

Santigue: "Eh... heheh... heh... Yeah..."

Nonna: "'kay."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "When we get prisoners, we can just throw them in there. If they move... it will get them."

Valron: "...Right."

KitRedgrave: "More like an execution chamber or something. Or would be, if we weren't fighting gods and demons every day."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Eventually we'll get a chance to fight some pirates and thugs."

KitRedgrave: "It'll be like a vacation!"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Their guns may not be powerful enough to threaten our lives, but they'll probably still be annoying."

Nonna: "So we may have to deal with more... moon ghosts. Possibly Moon zombies. I don't know why, but the very phrase 'Moon zombies' sends a terrible chill down my spine..."

Santigue: "Some of your doors no longer work in the hallway, by the way."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Cool, I can pretend I'm on the Skedar homeworld now!"

KitRedgrave: "As long as they're locked open... and not into vacuum."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I hope they do that thing where they open part way and shoot sparks, and then the lights flicker a lot."

Nonna: "...what about my room?"

Santigue: "Which one is your room? I pried open several doors."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "If your door starts malfunctioning, I can just replace it with a different, non-broken door."

Valron: "Eh. Can't say I'm entirely worried about prospective moon zombies. ...Especially if they're as susceptible to becoming butt-sliding experts like the suits were."

Nonna: "The one with nothing in it but a bed."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Moon Zombies... by the sun..."

KitRedgrave: "If we can steal doors that work."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "In an Erastian's Garden..."

Santigue: "No, by the moon. They're moon zombies..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "In the sea..."

Metal Man (GM): The ship moves into position as a hangar door proceeds to throw a bunch of sparks and malfunction like the Skedar doors Xavier spoke about.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "See? That's exactly how the doors inside the hall behave now... probably."

KitRedgrave: "Um."

Santigue: "Oh no, that's fixed. I disconnected the power to them all then blocked them all open."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier flips the switches on INSIGHT.

KitRedgrave: "Are we sure the convenient atmosphere fields are going to work?"

Valron: "...Ah."

Santigue smiles. "I hope you all have no shame."

Valron: "Still glad I don't need to breathe."

Nonna: "Some of us do, however."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "This is my room, so I'm not sure what this shame you speak of is." *He leans on the controls like it's a bed.*

Santigue: "That explains a lot, Xavier."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Ow... ow... pointy..."

Metal Man (GM): The ship hovers over the half-open hangar doors below.

Santigue: "You're... Wearing armor."

KitRedgrave: "...Right. Well. Let's go get into those Erastian space armors then..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The armor is a part of me, and we installed pain sensors into it. ...They were very stupid people, the people who made my armor."

Santigue: "Must be Dark Mechanicus. Or Orks."

Xavier Ridgecrest plays back montage of him illogically saying 'Ow' at things that only hit his armor.

Santigue: "Anyhow. Where is the gelatinous little thing that stays in my pocket?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Sadly, I must focus on the fact the door into the happy fun ship repair place is not open." *Flips switches more* "It's not responding all the way... and if I crash in, it'll never close again. I'd go and push on it with the ship, but this thing has the accuracy of a gigantic all-consuming moon."

KitRedgrave would cast an Alter on one of the stolen armors, to make it fit better, and then gets into it. Not gonna miss out this time. Probably more of these in there.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The Gelato? I'm not sure... haven't seen him around for the moment."

Metal Man (GM): The Stolen armor will require 1 Equip slot to equip, FYI. Normally you have to pick one or the other, however I'm gonna say the stolen armor comes in two types:

Santigue goes looking for Gelato

Metal Man (GM): One is Illian-like and therefore gives you no additional armor, so you can wear yours underneath. Another is Xavier like and therefore grants you +10 to your armor block modifier. Since it would appear the Erastians had two major armor types--a lighter type that transfers blows to your internal armor, and a heavier type that acts as your armor. These are both the 'low tier' versions of each, sooo.... Hence why they don't add a ton of bonuses or anything.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Anyone got any ideas about this hangar door thing? I'd say climb outside, buuut... no, just no. It's too hot even for people like Gelato."

Nonna will go for the Illian-like.

KitRedgrave: "Well... It's kinda awkward you broke all the doors, since I gotta change into this."

Valron: "I'll... pass. Don't really think either one will do me all that much good."

KitRedgrave: "So. Be right back." *She would go for the room farthest away from everything, just kinda breaking physics and hovering over the ungrounded extension cord madness.*

Santigue: "Is it too hot for me? Only needs a second to break a door pannel and hit an override." *The one that couldn't even use a keyboard could... Nevermind.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yes. I mean, like, direct sun heat. Boiling lead... stuff melting that shouldn't melt... by the way the outside of the Wing Fortress isn't liking it too much either. I think all my commemorative pink flamingoes melted."

Valron: "...Ah."

Santigue: "Shoot the panel then. I'm not sure how Space works."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'd say launch a ship, but only the Charles shields can block it... oh, right. Kit can probably cast magic at it. When Kit gets back... ...note to self: get the doors fixed with what's down there."

KitRedgrave returns, looking not much different from her usual self. Apparently the armor really does fit nicely, especially with some magic done to tailor it.

Nonna goes off to change, too.

Santigue: "Kit is back."

Valron: "Could just Panel our way through it, maybe?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "That's the idea I have. Kit can use magic on it to panel it into opening."

KitRedgrave: "Yes. Time to be useful and not fail at typing! Soon as we're all ready."

Nonna: *Returns momentarily.* "If all else fails, we could just blow open a hole with the amplifiers."

KitRedgrave: "I don't know, we might blow a bigger hole than we think. I got something more precision for that anyway."

Valron: "I figured, yeah."

Nonna: "Fair enough. Let's get moving, then."

KitRedgrave would go ahead and draw some things on the giant door we're facing, and activate a Panel spell on it. Hopefully...

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Okay, ready." *Points to the amplifier* "Hit it with the Panel, I guess."

KitRedgrave would just go use the amp instead, because why not.

Metal Man (GM): The spell helps clean up whatever was jammed into the panels as it begins to open. You see a busted up ship float by and towards the sun.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "...Huh..."

Valron: "...Well, then."

Nonna: "Anyone recognize it?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "INSIGHT claims it's some sort of Solarian fighter... well, what was left of one."

KitRedgrave: "We better not lose it then..." *She would go and cast a Kinesis into the amplifier, and maybe try to pull it over into our hangar or something. Maybe? She is one of those kleptomaniac adventurers.* :3

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I hope Santigue didn't disable tho hangars on the Wing Fortress... ..." *Flips buttons.*

Santigue lofts a brow. "Me as well. I might have."

Metal Man (GM): Loud clanging noises occur.

KitRedgrave: "...rrrr. It's stuck."

Metal Man (GM): Borne walks in, with part of the Solarian ship stuck in his shoulder. Well, as mall part of it.

Commander Borne: "I fixed the hangar door. Then that ship you sent in decided to smack me for doing that."

Santigue: "Holy Terra..."

KitRedgrave: "...Oops. Sorry."

Nonna: "Well, if you want it that badly, it's your responsibility to take care of it, clean any messes, you know."

KitRedgrave: "I can't really see what I'm doing when I use telekinesis like that. Did it make it in?"

Commander Borne: "It's yours now. You can have fun fixing it up. There's a lot of pieces everywhere."

Valron: "...Oh. Well, that's a bit awkward."

Commander Borne: "I would complain except I also brought in my own broken mess to fix. The Dauntless ship you've seen me finish."

KitRedgrave: "...Oh." *She says this in a very sad tone of voice, like her only Christmas present was smashed on the ground in front of her.*

Commander Borne: "So, here you go." *Yanks the wingtip out of his shoulder and hands it to Kit* "Now to clean up the giant dent in the hangar wall." *Walks off.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "If it helps, we can probably put it back together. Illian was a Solarian after all."

Santigue: "I'm Cadian."

KitRedgrave: "Maybe. But the things we could've learned by having it un-smashed... Who knows when we'll have that sort of good fortune again?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Guess you should carefully observe its movement next time..."

Nonna: "No use crying over spilled milk."

Santigue: "What is milk?"

Valron: "Well, we should still be able to make something of it, at least."

Nonna: "Um. It's a beverage made from... well, I can tell you later."

KitRedgrave sets the wingtip fragment down nicely, at least.

Valron: "In any case, shall we continue on? I think we shouldn't linger even closer to the sun than we already were."

Santigue shrugs, pulls a button off the control panel, looking for the Gelator still.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Hey, that's my second least favorite button! Wait, maybe I should give you the 4 button. On second thought, no, that button is cursed."

Valron: "...I thought I gave that thing to Kairah, though."

KitRedgrave: "...What's your least favorite button?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I did, right..."

Santigue: "I don't want a button. They go back on, right?" *She'd try to put it back with a mash.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "They actually do go back on."

Metal Man (GM): The button clicks in, as if it was made for meat-fisted people with metal armor to violently smash it in.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "That's why I use them, actually. Every time I use a touchscreen, my metal fist goes through them."

Valron: "...But seriously though, can we just. Make our way to the repair bay now?"

Santigue finds this most pleasant, and decides to start mix-matching buttons.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "No! My control panel is the mission now!" *Changes buttons to try and mix and match them faster than Santigue.*

Commander Borne opens the door to the outside. *C* "Don't mind him, he's insane. The way into there is open."

Santigue plays 52-button pick up in defeat!

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The sad part is technically none of the buttons were in the right place to begin with. I remember them all by location instead."

Nonna: "Okay, then. Let's get moving. Shall we bring Asgard, or should we leave him here?"

KitRedgrave would just go walk in, quickly apologizing to Borne in the meantime for smashing a 500-ton vessel on his head.

Santigue grins and follows the others.

Metal Man (GM): Borne would point to the ship, which looks like it neatly fell apart at the joints, and apparently had been accordion'd by the door it was stuck in to begin with.

Valron: "Thank you." *He nods to Borne, before going to head onwards as well.*

Metal Man (GM): He'd then show KitRedgrave a before and after picture of the Dauntless, which appears to have been in similar shape before he fixed it.

KitRedgrave: "So we can fix it. Good to know... if we had the parts for it."

Nonna: "Hm, best to leave him here then." *She'd issue a standby order and go off after the others.*

Commander Borne: "There's probably something out there, or if there isn't, coordinates as to where to go to find them."

Metal Man (GM): Outside is a large, open hangar room. It's almost like that one on Alsa that the SSQ^2 Questers went to so long ago.

Santigue: "Well. Are we going in there or no?"

Metal Man (GM): The hangar is wide, open, and has a door that says WELCOME TO ERITEA, THE LAVA GOLF COURSE KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE.

Nonna: "Keep an eye out for hostiles. Who knows what died in here over the years and has a vengeance."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier walks into the hangar, inspecting the vaguely hot but not deadly hot (but hot enough to need temperature resistance)

KitRedgrave: "Yeah, some people might still be angry over their final lava golf games..."

Valron follows behind Xavier, looking around as he walks in.

KitRedgrave: "...I sure hope we don't run into the golf course."

Metal Man (GM): The door is much like the doors on the Wing Fortress. Including the part where it refuses to open.

KitRedgrave follows behind as well, letting Valron and Xavier go first.

Santigue tags along as usual, wandering around and looking for things. "So... What are we doing here again? I was busy hacking ... Repairing the hallway."

Nonna: *Bringing up the rear.*

Metal Man (GM): There's only one door and it leads into whatever the main room of this place is.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "This is where the ship repair bay is. I assume there's robots or something to help repair our ship in here. Or there could be Moon zombies that try to kill us all. It's hard to tell with this place."

Metal Man (GM): The door has no obvious controls on the outside of it. Xavier attempts to use INSIGHT on it, but it apparently isn't an auto-door either.

KitRedgrave: "...Hey. We got a line of sight back to the ship from here, right?"

Santigue: "So long as there are no Chaos forces here."

Metal Man (GM): It's just a rust red iron door with two halves.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yes, seemingly, Kit."

Santigue: "Want me to break the door?"

KitRedgrave: "If we can't just trick the door into opening itself."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Normally I'd say yes, but I think we should only pry the door open."

KitRedgrave: "Who knew Panel would be the most useful spell?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Moon Zombies, you know. I guess we could try Panel on it."

Nonna: "Getting a peek inside without having the whole thing open would be... useful."

KitRedgrave would poke around at the door a bit. Any evil curses on the door?"

Metal Man (GM): The door has no evil curse, except for one: Many years without WD-40.

KitRedgrave: "...Wait."

Santigue taps gloved fingers on halligan bar. "Let me know when your heretical spells fail."

KitRedgrave: "If we just wanna see behind it, I got something even cheaper than Panel. Ehehehe..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I do want to see what's there. Last time it was clogged with a space ship."

KitRedgrave would try casting an Alter on it, to make it more transparent. Like glass.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It could be two space ships."

Metal Man (GM): Behind the door is a bunch of guys in suits that look like they melted into the door. Another cursed console awaits further inside.

Valron: "...So, it's a melted corpse blockade. Grand."

Santigue: "Must've had the Captain's chili." *She sniggered.*

Metal Man (GM): Xavier flinches at seeing that.

KitRedgrave: "Well. That's unfortunate."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It's good they didn't eat my chili. They would probably be undead abominations instead of metal statues."

Nonna: "Lucky us." *Stone-faced as usual.*

KitRedgrave: "At least we know there are no space zombies on the other side."

Santigue: "No, those are likely behind us in the ventilation system."

Nonna: "...that we can see."

KitRedgrave: "Just another evil computer. It looks like."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Can we somehow knock them over without damaging the door?"

Nonna: "I'd imagine by going in there we'll end up waking the place up."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Just wondering to what extent we can warp reality. Because then maybe we could open the door normally."

Santigue: "No warp. None of that."

KitRedgrave: "...Warp. We can do that."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It's warpin' time!" *Plays Power Rangers music.*

KitRedgrave: "But then we can't get the ship in, unless that console controls the door. And we can clear the unfortunately melted people off of it."

Nonna: "...Where is that music coming from?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "My suit. I have a bunch of old music data on it."

KitRedgrave: "That seems like a reasonable plan, assuming we can get all of us in. My time device normally could solve that problem, but it's out of juice and I haven't yet been able to recharge it. Maybe when the time's right... anyway."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "My Time Device could even more solve it, but it's busted."

Santigue: "That music is terrible."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "So... can you fetch us a warp into that room?"

Valron: "...And we just can't try and scrape the corpses off because...?"

KitRedgrave: "They're on the other side, aren't they? We'd need people capable of that over there."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "We can probably just pry the corpses off, yeah. We have the power to destroy Gods, so dead metal corpses shouldn't be too bad. That thing Santigue has could get them off."

Santigue: "Halligan bar. It's a Halligan bar, not a thing."

Nonna: "Anyway, let's get to it."

KitRedgrave: "Okay. Don't freak out, Santigue, but I'm gonna send you over to the other side of the door. You might see things, you might not. I've never tried this before."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Or alternatively, freak out, after you're on the other side, and directionally freak out in the direction of the corpses."

KitRedgrave: "It should be okay, but your safety is not guaranteed."

Santigue: "You're gonna what? just let me ... Break the door... Uhg... Fine. No one saw this..." *She'd grumble.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It's okay. Nobody will hear that you used this magic."

KitRedgrave: "You might even end up back in the 80's, and see John Titor!"

Nonna: "Want to hold one of our hands?"

Santigue: "I never use that. It's heretical... What's the 80's?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The 80's are a time when Radioshack is still a viable business."

Editor's Note: Ouch. That joke really hit hard now that Radioshack is dead.

KitRedgrave: "It's something I learned about in the archives."

Santigue huffs and crosses her arms. "No! I am a servant of the Emperor! I fear nothing!"

KitRedgrave: "Apparently a magical time."

Santigue: "The 80's sounds like a horrible thing."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I also only know of the 80's from recordings I stole off Digifanatic's computer."

KitRedgrave: "I kinda hope we do time-warp back then. Later."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Because Erastia had no '80's' on it. Only doors and people melted to the wall. And Lava golfing."

Santigue: "That just sounds like some golfer or something."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Digifanatic is a guy who can deal so little damage, sometimes you'd swear his punches heal enemies. ...And I'm certain you can warp Santigue in when you're ready, Kit." *Stretches a bit as he waits.*

Santigue: "Golfer. Send me before I change my mind."

KitRedgrave: "Anyway, brace yourself." *She would start making freakish hand gestures in the air, weaving eldritch spells of limited probability twisting, before pushing them onto Santigue and sending her across the door.*

Valron: "Yeah. Whenever you're good to go. Not like we're even close to the sun than before."

Nonna: "Great last words."

Metal Man (GM): Santigue is on the other side of the door. There's a computer with the evil runes that occasionally explode when you pry on them... and the door's got all those melted suit-guys stuck to it. You can see what they were running from: There's a wall of hardened lava further in the room. This room must have once been hot enough to melt steel. Not anymore, though. That wall of solid rock looks like it blocked the heat source.

Santigue: "...Terra and He wat... ches... It worked! Thank the Emperor!" *She'd flip the computer off and get to work a-pryin' on the melty peoples.*

Metal Man (GM): They are pretty brittle. You pry them all loose and discover the door was already set to open. The door slowly opens the moment you pry all the corpses off.

Nonna: "Thank you."

KitRedgrave: "It worked! Awesome. Thank ya."

Santigue: "Mmhm." *She'd go to see if she could unplug the evil computer.*

Nonna wanders inside to check out the rune from a distance.

Metal Man (GM): Unplug. Interesting idea. You would find a power conduit at the back of it. It looks fairly permanent, but nothing you couldn't break open.

KitRedgrave would inspect the rune. Hm...

Metal Man (GM): Especially since the entire area's all corroded.

Nonna: "This whole thing bothers me."

Santigue: "Wait, I learned this from last time." *She'd axe the conduit.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Remember last time... no prying on the destroyed..."

KitRedgrave: "Looks like it's some sort of godawful version of the Panel spell."

Metal Man (GM): It turns off.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "...Computer. Well, I guess it won't attack us anymore."

KitRedgrave: "...Wait. Did you just sever the power cord?"

Santigue: "Yes."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'm pretty sure she did."

KitRedgrave: "What if we needed that?"

Santigue: "No one needs the work of Dark Mechanicus."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "We'll have to abuse more evil magic to fix it, I guess. But at least the hideous evil rune is powered off."

KitRedgrave: "That might've been the repair computer for all we know."

Nonna: "We've found nothing but death and curses since we got here."

Santigue: "Repairs are not evil, that machine was evil."

Xavier Ridgecrest: *Looks at the cord* "She only severed it, so we can fix it carefully. That is true. Once we get our repair parts, we should probably go somewhere not full of death and evil."

KitRedgrave: "Technology is never good nor evil, it's what use they're put towards. And that was pretty obvious influenced towards evil."

Metal Man (GM): The way ahead is blocked up with that rock. It's all solid, you see a poor dead statue of a lava golfer-suit with his club partially stuck in the rock.

Santigue chips gently at the hardened lava to check on how old/cool it is, or if it has any danger of bubbling out again after making a fresh hole.

KitRedgrave: "...That would be the golf course, huh."

Valron: "Honestly? As long as we don't have another giant rune explosion, I don't mind. Regardless..."

Metal Man (GM): Seems to be fairly old. You could actually chip your way through it, it seems pretty fragile. However hot it was, it seems to have aged.

Santigue: "Can I break this or will you all get upset again?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The rock? Uh... I think you can break that. Now we should reboot the computer."

Nonna: "Feel free to. If it's a problem, I... can handle it."

KitRedgrave: "As long as you don't get a face full of lava..."

Valron: "Smash away."

Santigue: "Right." *She'd beating away with the flat head of her axe to make a path.* "Shouldn't, seems cool."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier connects the conduit back and duct tapes it back together and the computer starts rebooting. No rune appears on it this time.

KitRedgrave: "...Wait. You can just do that, and the rune disappears."

Nonna: "Speaking of which: Have a space open in your book, Valron?"

Valron: "...wow."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I think the runes require power to keep functioning... I was wondering if it'd come back."

Valron: "That would've been nice to know an age ago."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "You literally have to turn it on and off again to remove the evil."

KitRedgrave: "I was preparing to have to spend even more time and energy dispelling it, but that works. I only have so much capacity for solving all our problems..."

Valron: "I'm just amazed that that's something that works."

Nonna: "Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one."

Metal Man (GM): The computer shows the INSIGHT system logo.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yeah, this is the repair computer."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier flips some switches.

Valron: "Handy."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It says there's a 'blockage' ahead. Guessing it's whatever is over there where Santigue is destroying lava rock."

KitRedgrave: "Maybe. Does it know how how it is? Or what the blockage may be?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It claims the parts warehouse is... 'blocked'."

Metal Man (GM): Santigue carves her way into a hallway that's all darkened with eerie red lighting. There's three directions. One is to the golf course, which is, predictably, blocked by rock and lava.

Santigue pokes her head through and flips on her helmet's lights. "Hmm..." Inward!

Nonna: *Is waiting cautiously close to Santigue and the blockage, ready to blast any hostiles that may come out of the new opening.*

Metal Man (GM): The dead ahead one goes to a 'main hub' and has a sign that says 'to shopping mall' And off to the left is the Parts warehouse and Repair depot. The door to the main hub is unlocked. The one to the parts warehouse has another dumb scifi door thing like the Wing Fortress, that's shut. This one though just has a switch on it that's set to 'closed'

Santigue: "Coming through, or do you want to use me as a test again?"

KitRedgrave peeks into the hallway. "That was because you seemed confident you had the tools to do it."

Nonna goes on through.

Santigue: "Tools are everything in my profession."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I like tools too, myself." *Leans on his golf club.*

KitRedgrave: "Indeed, it's what separates us from the mere animals." *He says this as she quite clearly has fox ears and features, but otherwise humanish.*

Valron: *He walks in, glancing around as he takes note of the door to the warehouse* "Huh. This one's just... closed. Surprising. Mind if I play test dummy and switch it open in case more possessed armor butt-slides out into the area?"

Nonna: "I'll be your support."

KitRedgrave: "We've got the full party here, we can take this."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'm going to cover your six." *Takes out his freaky gun and points it over Valron's shoulder in case of monsters.*

Santigue: "If you want. Your repair things seem to be over there. I'm going to inspect this... Hub thing. Perhaps it has a working Vox Relay." *Away Santigue goes!*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Be sure to stay in contact, this place is... dangerous... ...That said, you seem like you will know to run back if things catch on fire over there or something."

Valron: "Good to know I've got you covering me." *He nods, pulling out the Brick Blaster, nodding to Santigue as she does her own thing. He goes to stand to the side of the door, before flipping the switch to open it.*

Nonna: "Shall I go with her?"

KitRedgrave: "Oh no, we're splitting the party. This is like the classic horror movie tactic. I took notes. 92% of all parties who split up in horror movies die horribly. ...Though then again, 89% of parties in horror movies in general die horribly."

Valron: "We're the eight percent, obviously. ...Well, eight and eleven in this case."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Does it count if the party includes someone who is themselves horrifying?"

KitRedgrave: "...No, I have no data for that."

Xavier Ridgecrest takes off his helmet, and it appears he has no head.

KitRedgrave: "We're also different from the normal human teenagers and clueless adults... AAAAAAAAAAA"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "...Ow it's hot out here." *Puts the helmet back on.*

Nonna: "You need a haircut."

Xavier Ridgecrest: *Pops his head back into view* "I can do that thing Turtles do, you see. However I forgot that it's like Las Vegas out here... toasty. Anyway! Let's go and see what's inside."

KitRedgrave: "That... is frightening on its own."

Metal Man (GM): The door finishes opening.

Valron: "Was wondering if the thing was stuck. Guess it just needed time to open. Huh."

KitRedgrave: "We'll probably be fine. Or at least, if we DO die it'll be another data point. Onwards!"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The good news is we're Questers. If we die, we just come back to life."

Metal Man (GM): The other side is something a bit less dramatic or straightforward.

Nonna: "...We do?"

Metal Man (GM): It's a large warehouse.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Ah, right, it's been so long since anyone died... I forgot to explain that the energy around Questers makes them come back to life if you just let them heal a bit."

Valron: "...So. Any real need to actually explore this warehouse or can we just go back to that computer and get things done from there?"

Metal Man (GM): The warehouse has shelves of stuff, and in the middle of it, it looks like the roof fell in.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It said it was blocked."

Nonna: "It probably needs materials to work with. Best to have some kind of inventory before starting repairs."

Valron: "Guess we now know what's blocking it."

Metal Man (GM): The warehouse is full of shelves and shelves of parts... Including door fixing parts. The issue is that there's the roof sitting on top of a bunch of conveyor belts. The area around the collapsed roof is pretty hot and melty looking, too, like it needs some repairs. Steel, mostly. You can only do it with people, otherwise it'd be about the same as Warp. Well, people or objects with people in them... It has to be equal for equal.

Nonna: "I don't think my runes will help much. Though I could try the ice thing again, like with Garrok..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I can pick it up, but I'd have to hold it up the entire time. And you know what happens in horror movies."

Valron: "If I were to help, do you think we could actually move it off?"

KitRedgrave: "If it's hot, I could help cool it off too."

Valron: "As long as we can at least put off to the side and not on the conveyor belts..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Sure."

Valron: "Right. Just tell me where to grab onto the danged thing, then."

KitRedgrave: "Maybe I could try to help Kinesis it up, too, if we need it. Not sure how effective it'd be outside of the amplifier."

Nonna: *Inscribes an Inguz rune on herself and takes out her sword from nowhere again. This time it's in the shape of ice, like during the time with Garrok.* "Cooling it off may make it more... solid for lifting out of the way."

KitRedgrave: "Oh yes, good idea. It'd take more energy for me to help, and it's a finite supply... and I get the feeling I'm gonna need to pace myself through this place."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier walks towards it and goes to the roof and tries to hold it up.

Nonna encases the collapsed, melty rubble with powerful ice using the Inguz-charged Frierenfesseln attack.

Valron: *He also makes his way over towards the chunk of roof, going to help Xavier hold it up.*

KitRedgrave would carefully watch over, ready in case we need more ice or more lifting.

Metal Man (GM): Xavier moves the roof aside, and the conveyor belt can now begin moving.

Santigue: "Anything over there?."

Nonna: "We fixed a problem."

Metal Man (GM): You hear a distant 'ding' as the belt continues moving, and some lights turn green.

Valron: *Helps to move the the roof aside.* "Aaand, there we go."

Xavier Ridgecrest: *C* "Seems like it's a working parts warehouse in here."

Valron: *C* "Got the warehouse working again. Just had to move something that was blocking the conveyor belts."

Santigue: "Right.."

Metal Man (GM): A console in here also appears to be working.

Valron: *And now to access the console.*

Metal Man (GM): It seems to be pretty normal, and allows you to dispatch 'auto repair mechanisms.' It seems to have some sort of message though, in the 'message page'

Valron: "Huh. What's this about...?" *Checks out the message, first off.*

Nonna: "Have you found anything, Miss Santigue?"

Santigue: "Nothing yet. Wandering the Hub thing. Looks like everyone just ran out of here. Ideas as to why?."

Nonna: "I'd love to know the answer to that, too."

Metal Man (GM): Message: 'The Solarians have overtaken the area. Major damage to the Warehouse and to the suit storage area.' Message: 'Curses have begun melting those who remained. Beware of remaining Solarians.'

Nonna: "...and there it is."

KitRedgrave: *C* "The person-melting was though curses, apparently, which should have long since ran out of mana. So you're fine as long as you don't swim in any lava." *C* "Or hit any weird computers."

Metal Man (GM): The mechanisms start dispatching a bunch of interesting squat robots that start picking up parts. It starts spitting out a bunch of diagnostics. 'FLYING ERASTIAN BASE DETECTED. MULTIPLE ERRORS. DOOR DAMAGE: SEVERE. ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS: MALFUNCTIONAL'

Valron: "Multiple errors is putting it really nicely."

KitRedgrave: "Well, that's not surprising in the least."

Santigue: "Yeah... I found more old coffee sitting here from a shop or something if Xavier wants it. I think it's got a layer of dust sprinkled on too."

Nonna: "So, can someone explain who these Solarians are?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "They were an ancient race of beings who coexisted on the planet of Erastia. At one time the two races shared the planet, but over time they came to fight over land. The Solarians, having the most magic, had the upper hand. As you can kind of tell, the Erastians had only technology and for the longest time didn't really manage to get very far against them. However they created the Time Devices... or at least they had Time Devices for some reason, and then got the upper hand, until the Time Cops got in the way. This base was around after Erastia was destroyed, so vengeful Solarians appear to have wrecked it."

Valron: *He checks the console to see if there's any estimate on how long the repairs to the Wing Fortress will take.*

KitRedgrave: "...That seems very interesting. VERY VERY interesting."

Metal Man (GM): It notes that 'repairs will take approximately 2 hours.'

KitRedgrave: "Because it takes a solid foundation of wizardry knowledge to really get how those work, so I would be very interested to see how the Erastians got it."

Valron: "Well, folks, we have about two hours to kill."

Santigue: "Can anyone receive pictures?."

Valron: *C* "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can. Xavier also probably could. Why do you ask?"

KitRedgrave: "In fact... it might've been one of those closed time loops. And so anybody with a time device left at this point could be the ones to give it to them, so long ago..."

Santigue would send a picture to the both of them of herself with a pair of terrible, baggy pants on that were horribly patterned, and a very gaudy leather jacket over her uniform. It looked terrible. "I have found the 80's."

Metal Man (GM): The repair devices go out to the ship. A comms message is sent back.

Commander Borne: *C* "Strange robots have begun replacing broken fixtures with dusty, but not broken ones. Hopefully that's you doing it and not some supervillain."

Nonna: "So a civilization of conquerors."

Valron: *C* "Yeah, that's us. It'll take about two hours for them to be done."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yes, the Solarians were these people with pale skin and elf-like ears, and flowing robes... and lots of ceremonial knives and death spells. ...You can see from the destruction here that they meant business."

Valron: *...He pauses as he takes a moment to register what the picture he's looking at is. Suffice to say, he's trying not to crack up.*

KitRedgrave: "Hm... I wonder how we'll find repairs in the future. Surely we can't keep coming back here. And this may well be the only place that has parts. And surely nobody else makes them anymore... ..."

Nonna: "Did the Solarians find what they were looking for with the Erastians dead? Or were they like all others who just replaced them with a new 'enemy'?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "That's the mystery, truthfully. Most of the Solarians died or vanished."

Valron: "Huh, that's... rather peculiar."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Since my civilization was destroyed and I was marooned in Nintendus, I missed out on what became of them."

Santigue: "There any ghosts over there?."

Xavier Ridgecrest: *C* "No, only robots and dusty parts."

KitRedgrave: "We could see first-hand... if my time device weren't so dead of battery."

Valron: "I'm sure we'll get that fixed up some day."

KitRedgrave: "You think maybe this place has anything for them?"

Nonna: "No remains, no records. Likely still around, just not in plain sight. Or... pissed off the wrong civilization that did what they did even better than them."

Valron: "If they did, I'd figure the Time Cops would've made sure to destroy them or take them for themselves..."

Santigue: *Grunt* "Yeah. Ok. Well... Er. Found something. Might wanna come over when you're not all busy doing ... Whatever."

KitRedgrave: "But then again, we're psychotically close TO THE SUN."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The only ones we encountered were with Illian's people back in Nintendus... Psycho Illian that is. But when Psycho Illian vanished, so did they."

KitRedgrave: *C* "On our way over." *He would go make her way over there. Curious to see, and nothing's going on here that can't be radioed back.*

Metal Man (GM): Xavier would follow, given that the warehouse seems fairly dead-endish without anything going on.

Valron: "Right. Let's get a move on, then." *And out he goes.*

Nonna: *Was the last one out.*

Metal Man (GM): The way to where Santigue is would lead into the hub, which is, indeed, some sort of mall-ish area. It's like a post-apocalyptic mall, though.

Santigue is currently braced with both boots on a door, trying to un-wedge a set of armor from said door, dressed in the stupid outfit still.

Nonna: "Oh... my. Didn't take you for one so adventurous."

Metal Man (GM): Dark energy can be seen around the armor stuck in there.

Santigue: "Ghosts are around here. I smell the work of Chaos!"

KitRedgrave: "...I'd be careful, ghosts are in that armor you got your hands on too."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Are you quite so certain you want to pry open the place full of them at the moment? Maybe we can do it after we finish repairing the ship?"

KitRedgrave: "I can see ghosts and other spooky 'psyker' things too. So you know."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "So we can, you know, blow them up with the ship."

Santigue: "Bah! The Emperor protects! It comes out now. Dammit."

Valron: "..." *He's still visibly trying not to crack up, before pausing as he takes note of the armor.* "...Oh. Well, then."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "But the Emperor hasn't shown his presence in this dimension anywhere near as much as these evil chaotic things have..."

Nonna: *Whispering to the others* "Baton Toss?"

Xavier Ridgecrest nods softly.

KitRedgrave: "I betcha the Emperor is one of THOSE people who just indirectly pokes around here."

Santigue: "The Emperor protected me from the Warp. He will protect me from this." *She'd climb off the armor and start hacking at it.* "There could still be trapped people inside here, after all."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I don't even know who the Emperor is. Maybe Santigue should tell me his story."

KitRedgrave: "Enough so you're never truly sure whether he helped or whether you did it entirely yourself..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Trapped people?"

KitRedgrave: "After all this time?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "They'd have been trapped here for a very long time. I mean... here, I'll check. They should have the same frequency I had back when."

Valron: "Honestly, if any of them are as half as hardy as Xavier is, I wouldn't be entirely surprised."

KitRedgrave: "I mean, they surely would've starved to death by now."

Santigue: "Yes. Trapped people. This place was full of them... It is possible. I've seen similar circumstances. Although they were pitifully not very human any more."

Xavier Ridgecrest changes frequencies and says something muffled into his suit.

Metal Man (GM): The radio crackles with some static as something strange starts speaking.

???: *C* "You th-th-ththink people are here? Ha ha haa aha ha aha ahahaahaaha. Dead... dead... everyone died... dead... dead... everyone died..."

KitRedgrave: "...Of course. The ghosts are trying to be funny."

Santigue: "I will not trust the word of Chaos."

???: *C* "You presume to kn-kn-know what we are... that is so amusing..."

Valron: "Annoying. You're annoying."

Santigue: "I concur."

Metal Man (GM): The door busts open by itself, knocking Santigue over.

KitRedgrave: "Yep. Ghosts. Really annoying ghosts."

Santigue grumbles and gets back up, looking into the door.

Metal Man (GM): The ghostly image of the Erastian guy shows up again.

Nonna wordlessly brandishes her soul weapon.

KitRedgrave also brings out her soul claws. Let's see what happens here.

Metal Man (GM): However it gets weirder, as he flickers more.

Santigue: "Back again?" *She puts the axe back onto her shoulder.* "You seem a trick of the Warp but I'd wager that your strange technology makes you, Dark Mechanicus."

Valron: *Already has his Brick Blaster out, so he just levels it at the image.*

Metal Man (GM): A Solarian rune can be seen at the center of his being.

???: "You aren't supposed to be able to visit here. The will of Solarian forbids it!"

KitRedgrave: "How are you even still existing. Those runes can't be rated for more than five years, tops."

Valron: "If only we could power this guy off and on again."

???: "Have you not looked outside the window?"

KitRedgrave: "That can be arranged."

Santigue: "The will of the Emperor trumps your own. Be gone, agent of the Warp."

???: "My creator is gone, but his wrath exists as long as the sun does."

KitRedgrave: "We were just outside. Nothing out there but heat."

???: "The sun will outlast any Emperors and any beings who dare befoul the universe with their darkness."

Metal Man (GM): He starts glowing with light like the sun does.

KitRedgrave would go ahead and preemptively Dispell now.

Santigue: "It is possible to kill a sun, just so you're aware. One only needs to stop the reaction inside it and it will die."

???: "I must admit, the years have taken their toll on my brothers... and you did something to the only other brother of mine left..."

Nonna: "You are aware you are being corrupted by a Solarian Rune, correct? Your people were not friends of the Solarians. Who do you do their bidding even after death?"

???: "Am I being corrupted, or am I the rune itself? You will have to find out yourself... moments before I trigger the destruction of you and this... this!"

Metal Man (GM): He points at the people in suits and Xavier.

???: "The Erastians were destroyed! All of them! Any remaining one is an abomination!"

Santigue: "So... You use a signal to trigger a catastrophic failure of a suit instead of fighting honorably? You're not worth our time after all."

Metal Man (GM): Actually it was just me finishing his speech long enough to trigger battle stuff. The Dispell hits him, but it just damages him rather than killing him.

Nonna: *Stands in front of Xavier.* "Sorry, but I won't allow you to go after him."

Metal Man (GM): His rune is too strong to destroy all at once.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I can't allow you to go after me either!"

???: "Pfeh. It is a blasphemy that I, a remaining trap rune, are the only thing left to fight you, but so be it. Bring your useless weapons to bear so I may witness your death and join my brothers in the afterlife!"

Metal Man (GM): Roll inits. Order: SolGhost, Valron, Kit, Violet, Santigue, Xavier.

SolGhost: "I am both an Erastian ghost and a Solarian, but also neither. Most importantly, I am not made to talk to you fools... but to melt you into nothing like the others!"

Nonna: "We shall see."

Metal Man (GM): He then stops rambling to instead create a beam of solar energy and fires it at Violet. z5

Nonna: *Dodge.*

Metal Man (GM): He melts an ancient milkshake store into slag.

Nonna: *Suddenly a bunch of crimson red daggers appear and surround the SolGhost.*

SolGhost: "..."

Nonna: *Counterattack!*

Nonna: *Mors Tua, Vita Mea.*

Metal Man (GM): He goes to try to dodge... And just barely gets hit. Maximum damage.

Nonna: *All the knives try their best to pierce it before violently exploding. 170 damage!*

Metal Man (GM): He makes an unearthly ghost screech noise, then summons an ancient Erastian sidearm and opens fire at Violet with a bunch of bullets. 60 damage. He reloads and opens fire at Santigue with the machinegun as well.

Santigue: *barrell roll.*

Metal Man (GM): Well, he misses, so it's a moot point for now, just remember that's 1 TP used so far. Also gonna get a snack and some caffeine, didn't quite have enough today... XP

Valron: *He takes a deep breath, before suddenly going silent as he stares down the ghost, almost as if he was trying to stare right into its' very essence.* *Silent Fury.*

Metal Man (GM): The ghost flies away from the silent fury.

Metal Man gets the snack while waiting.

Valron: "Welp. There goes trying to stare down the horrible death ghoul." *He shrugs, before moving on to a more pressing matter. And by that, I mean he opens fire on the ghost, attempting to blast it with a wave of icy death. And lasers. That too.*

Valron: *Frozen Cyclone.*

Metal Man (GM): *He gets the snack while waiting.*

Valron: "Welp. There goes trying to stare down the horrible death ghoul." *He shrugs, before moving on to a more pressing matter. And by that, I mean he opens fire on the ghost, attempting to blast it with a wave of icy death. And lasers. That too. Frozen Cyclone.*

Metal Man (GM): Back. The ghost goes to try and dodge some more. He dodges the Frozen Cyclone. Using up plenty of his TP just leaping around everywhere. It's a very annoying ghost.

Valron: *Cue agitated sigh.*

KitRedgrave: "Hey, dodge this." *She then casts 3 spells' worth of Dispell, and then spends 2 TP to give herself an Agility buff.*

Metal Man (GM): The ghost malfunctions some more and burns from all the dispells. It's still there, but less so.

KitRedgrave would then go and use one of the few Ivantek Magic Vials she has left from Confrontation, and spend 2 more TP and EP casting more Dispells. "...You know, we don't give the guy enough credit. He sure knows how to mass-produce very handy green potions."

Metal Man (GM): The ghost seems quite damaged by that. It curses in some strange tongue at Kit.

KitRedgrave then ends turn.

Santigue looks to see if there's anything to destroy near by, actually.

Nonna inscribes a few runes. First Uruz to heal herself for 48 HP. Then Inguz on her weapon. End turn.

Metal Man (GM): Feel free to ask about the surroundings. Also you have 8 TP currently. Roof's really high up, however there's a balcony above it. The doors it busted out of are still behind it and are quite loose and flappy. It takes 3 TP every time you use your attack, ergo you can do it about two times without losing your ability to dodge due to running out of TP this round.

Santigue looks up and smiles. "Hold on. Got a Vox call." She'd... Leave? Nope. She's running off to a wall to hack-climb up it and onto said balcony to start hacking at the section of floor above him.

Metal Man (GM): In any case, it only takes 3 TP to do the actual move, which is ... hmm, using the axe I bet... Roll a for accuracy on this one. Except you're doing it over a ghost who ran out of dodge. Ergo, he doesn't have the energy to dodge it and gets hit. *SMASH.*

Santigue: "Balcony delivery for you!"

Metal Man (GM): ...And in the living room, my Mom seems to be watching Backdraft or something. Firefighters. Firefighters everywhere. 30 damage to the ghost from that, plus it creates a continual environmental hazard you can use to cause more damage with next time 'round. Xavier decides no time like the present is a good time to take advantage of the jagged debris next to the ghost and takes out his golf club, and begins violently beating up the ghost with it.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "IN THE NAME OF THE ERASTIAN GOLFERS YOU KILLED!!!"

Metal Man (GM): The ghost can't dodge anyway, and gets slammed into the debris left behind by Santigue for 30 more damage, plus the 85 from the golf club. The debris, though, is destroyed in the process, its hazard having been 'consumed' in the process. Xavier then concludes his turn by putting up a silver shield to protect himself.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "All right, just a bit more and we should be done with this... thing..."

SolGhost: "..."

Metal Man (GM): It holds up both its hands and summons more copies of itself out of the ground, even as this strains its very being. It makes an angry yell as they turn supernova and explode, covering the entire area in cascading explosions. Threatens all. 35 damage if hit, also corrosion that'll keep damaging you for 10 more damage on your turn, lots of fire.

Valron: "Welp." *Cue wincing, muffled cursing, and general annoyance.*

Metal Man (GM): Xavier levels his shield at it.

KitRedgrave: *Glad I cast Agility.*

Metal Man (GM): Xavier only takes 16 damage, and the 10 damage later, his shield lessening the damage. Santigue: A dodge check from you, I guess. A for that. You get hit for 35 damage, then 10 more damage when it hits your turn. The ghost then closes both its fists and flies at Kit, and tries to punch her out with a violent flaming fist. Angry Solarian Ghost... PAUNCH!

KitRedgrave: *Alsa... ian? Dodge GO!*

Metal Man (GM): And as is typical, Alsan stuff > Smash Melee stuff. It punches a pretzel stand to death.

KitRedgrave: "Stop that!" >:E "That's HISTORY YOU'RE WRECKING, BUB."

Metal Man (GM): Then it picks up the pretzel stand and exasperatedly hurls it at Kit, just wanting to peg them with something. z3

KitRedgrave: *Dodge the pretzel stand with the last of the TP.*

SolGhost: "You can have your Pretzel... stand?"

Metal Man (GM): It flies past Kit and lands a ways down from everyone.

Valron: *He just... kinda shakes his head at this before mouthing 'fuck it' as he goes to try and quickdraw the weapon cube. After grumbling about being on fire One successful quickdraw later, he has two Brick Blasters, and is going to treat the SolGhost to the traditional murder technique of hellacious green deathfire lasers. Yeah, well.*

Nonna cheers.

Metal Man (GM): The ghost gets hit really hard, and as it's hit, it screeches something out.

SolGhost: "Who are you people? Where did you get these weapons? What are yooooouuuuuu???"

Santigue: "We're from the 80's."

Metal Man (GM): Not to mention the previous explosion also lit several places on fire. This room is basically a giant fire now.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I couldn't have put it any better myself."

Valron: "You do not cross the 80's. Ever."

Santigue looks around and sighs. "And... The 80's set things on fire."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It's been said the 80's was a time when everything was on fire."

Valron: "...Yeah, sorry."

KitRedgrave: "...You're still moving around?"

Valron: "I can... at least help clear it out?"

KitRedgrave: "Whoever inscribed your rune must've been very skilled. But I'm afraid it's the end for you." *He proceeds to spend 3 TP and EP in one more Dispell.*

Metal Man (GM): The Dispells rip apart what was left holding it together. It makes a last death cry and dissipates, causing a huge wave of wind to blow out most of the fires.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, I can safely say we kicked that thing's non-existent ass. Not that it felt--ow--all that good to be burned by its fire."

Nonna: "We merely overwhelmed it with strength. It's nothing to be proud of."

Santigue starts ripping off the 80's clothing. "You know... You people can keep your 80's. It's scary."

KitRedgrave: "...Wait. We're still on fire..." *She screams and runs around on fire.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "You're in a suit."

Santigue: "Stop drop and roll you fuckwit."

Valron: "...Now, if you excuse me, I have a fire to put out." *The Brick Blasters get put away, and out comes the memory cube spellbook. He starts slinging Laguz runes around, using the water to put it all out.*

KitRedgrave: "...Right."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "You can safely stay on fire forever... ...actually that isn't a good idea."

KitRedgrave screams and rolls around.

Nonna puts out her own fire and helps Valron using Laguz.

Valron: "Already on it."

Xavier Ridgecrest: *Casually walks into a fountain and rolls in it.*

Santigue pats self out, having removed the overlaying burning clothing anyhow.

Xavier Ridgecrest stands up with ancient Erastian pennies melted onto his armor. "Hey, you know, I got a good idea. We can loot the coins from this burnt down shopping mall."

Santigue: "Firefighters don't loot."

KitRedgrave stands up, quenched. "Yes. The coins are the most valuable part. Obviously."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "We can be archaeologists and preserve the history of the mall by taking it with us."

KitRedgrave: "Firefighters don't loot, but foxes do. Don't mind if I do~" *She takes a few coins from the fountains in various denominations.*

Santigue: "That's still looting. The view up here is also dusty."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It's in grave danger from these history destroying fire demon ghosts. Also the sun melting it."

Valron: "Well, they're probably rare and ancient coins."

Nonna: "Want to wait on the ship until we're done?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "If it helps, we can sell them to a museum. Or even the Celians."

Santigue: "No. I'm going to stand here and further disapprove of your looting."

KitRedgrave: "Okay. I'm going to go ignore your disapproval and keep looting anyway."

Xavier Ridgecrest starts collecting melted cash registers.

Nonna: "...'kay. Are you going to actively try and interfere, though?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I don't think she is."

Santigue: "No. I will let the Emperor punish your sins at his leisure."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It's not like she's going to fly herself home if she actively wanted to try and stop us. I made sure to avoid the problem I had with the old Questers by ensuring my ship is the center of everything..."

KitRedgrave: "It's still better if we don't anger her too much. We're stuck with her."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "...so if I ever did encounter Aetos, I could Han Solo him. Pew pew... boom! No more Aetos!"

Editor's Note: I do wonder what Aetos would have done had I made it clear that he could in fact face real consequences for being annoying. XD

KitRedgrave: "...You're talking about doing that with someone SANE."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I don't plan on doing anything to her, not to worry."

Valron: "Pretty sure Aetos is just stuck in a crystal for all eternity, being used as a health battery for Dans. Or something like that. ...At least, that's what I remember when I last saw him."

Santigue: "Lady, I run into burning buildings for a living. You think I'm sane?"

Nonna: "Well, let me know when you're all done."

Xavier Ridgecrest glues melted cash registers to his armor to carry them.

KitRedgrave: "You've never seen Aetos in action. I archive binged for months straight. MONTHS. *Not-quite-sane laugh*."

Santigue: "That sounds unhealthy."

Valron: *He goes to help with carrying off the cash registers.*

Nonna: "Wait. Who's carrying the most?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I put a warning label on my log viewers that if you look too much, it may drive you insane."

Santigue wanders around putting out any fires that're left.

KitRedgrave: "Why are you carrying the cash registers? There's only so much ancient cash we need."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I want to build a small bed out of them. So I can roll into bed and make cash register noises."

KitRedgrave: "I... guess."

Xavier Ridgecrest: *Pushes one of the buttons* *DING.*

KitRedgrave: "I kinda feel bad for the people here. Since this is a mall, probably civilians died here."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The odd part is there have only been corpses of soldiers so far."

Valron: "...I'm just carrying them because it's what he was doing."

KitRedgrave: "And we're just taking their stuff. We should at least give this place a proper burial."

Valron: "...And that is an interesting point."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It makes me wonder if the civilians went somewhere."

KitRedgrave: "I hope so."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "We could even find them if they are somewhere."

Valron: "Could be a distinct possibility."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Then give them their money. Minus a finder's fee."

KitRedgrave: "I hope the civilians got away unharmed. We'd have no way of knowing who to redistribute it to, though. And they're probably way over it."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The INSIGHT system suggests that they were sent a warning of impending doom when Erastia bit it, but there's no evacuation records, just a lot of records of ships flying away from here."

KitRedgrave: "Do you think they would've kept evacuation records?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "They're as sloppy as I am. So probably nothing decent."

KitRedgrave: "They probably all got away. Maybe. Or ghosts ate them in some hyper-dimensional hell we'll need to save them from."

Nonna: "...I'll send Asgard to help with the cargo." *She'd look rather down all of a sudden, before drawing an Othala rune on herself and suddenly disappearing into thin air.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Or if they didn't get away, they had time to escape here before whatever befell them. I counted maybe that one lava golfer that looked even remotely civillian... You know, you might be on to something. If they found a place, it might be a more livable place for us to go to."

KitRedgrave: "Who even plays lava golf, let alone during an evacuation?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Most likely insane people who were going to die eventually anyway."

KitRedgrave: "They may have even gone to that beach planet INSIGHT told us about."

Valron: "For all we know, they could've tried to weaponize their lava golf abilities."

Santigue: "Or they could all be melted into a pile in the room that the Chaos beast came out of." *She's now down on the same floor as them.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, given I somehow instinctively knew to create a golf club out of fire making pieces... ...we should double check that room."

Nonna: *She'd suddenly appear back inside the Wing Fortress, and would issue some commands for Asgard to go help the others with the lifting and looting.*

Metal Man (GM): The armor-bot would walk out and slowly start collecting all the cash registers and stuff.

Valron: "Might be a good idea, in any case. Best to leave no stone unturned, especially now that we aren't being harassed by any more ghosts."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier would walk towards the chaos being room that was previously blocked.

Santigue tags along, wielding her axe still.

Metal Man (GM): It's a long hallway with glass windows that you can see outside with, through the heavily tinted glass. A handful of Erastian soldiers are dead here, having dropped their machineguns. The oddest part is these ones look like they were fighting someone or something living, given the burns and holes in them.

Santigue: "I'll wager it was those Solarian things."

Metal Man (GM): Not the mystery melt people you kept finding.

KitRedgrave walks with you, just looking to the sides and noticing all the dead shops around.

Metal Man (GM): Up ahead, you start seeing some different corpses.

Nonna checks on the repairs and such, pry Borne and Illian apart from fighting if they were doing so, and then returned to the bridge to keep an eye on things.

Santigue: "Are these your strange golfer people?"

Metal Man (GM): Borne and Illian seem to have currently decided to put Kit's ship in a neat parking spot. Illian is busy inspecting the ship, while Borne is busy making sure the robots don't break anything.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Those people? Sort of. Wait, no, what are those people..."

Valron: "Hmm... Peculiar." *He glances around, idly examining the corpses, before checking out the strange new ones.*

Santigue prods one with her halligan bar.

Metal Man (GM): The new ones... they're pale skinned people, weird elvish ones in robes. The weirdest part is they don't decay or anything. They're almost rubbery like.

Santigue: "That's disgusting. Pitch them into the sun."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I would guess they would consider putting them in the sun a holy thing to do. ...And the only way to destroy their bodies, given they're somehow not decayed yet."

Santigue: "They remind me of Eldar."

KitRedgrave: "Make sure to loot everything off them first. Don't wanna miss anything."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier picks up some stuff off the Solarians and stares at all the weird runes and things on them.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I don't even know how the heck to use any of this stuff, it's a bunch of colored glass in the shape of things."

KitRedgrave looks at it. hm...

Valron: *He scans the strange runes and objects on the Solarian corpses.*

Santigue: "So long as it's not Chaos-tainted."

Metal Man (GM): The dex scanner detects it's some predecessor to Magitek that would be best considered regular old magic enchanted things. Apparently with some activation keywords that nobody at least currently knows. Without that, they are most likely just mysterious bits of glass, a mystery to be studied. These ones were guarding a room behind them, which has the door open.

KitRedgrave: "Oh I love these already. Lots of study to be done..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "At least these seem mostly harmless, compared to the vengeful death ghost."

Valron: *Well, he was using his visor, but hey, whatever.* "Hm... These seem to require some sort of keyword to activate. While I did pick up a bit of Solarian knowledge during my time with Illian back on the Eternal Dauntless... I'm not all that familiar with these..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "These are old ones. There's a thing I've been wanting to say..."

KitRedgrave: "We're both gonna need to look at these. Oh? What's that?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The ones with Illian were warped by Nintendus."

Santigue wanders through the doors.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The data in INSIGHT and my memories are much more like these guys. They don't have weird Kefka or Kuja or whatever things. They had weird glowing crystals and eerie magic spells. The survivors of their kind were warped by arriving in the realm to begin with..."

Metal Man (GM): Inside these doors is the command room to the entire base.

Santigue: "Well. This is convenient."

KitRedgrave: "Oh wow. So we better really make sure we shield and guard these well."

Valron: "I see, I see. So what I know won't be entirely useful. Not too surprised... Hm." *He makes his way over to the command room, making sure to pick up an object or two to show to Illian for later.*

Metal Man (GM): Dead Erastian corpses lay about, burnt beyond recognition. But also at the center of it, in the main command chair, is a slumped over dead Solarian. A high ranking guy who had a crown and everything.

KitRedgrave: "They may very well be the last true Solarian artifacts in the universe."

Valron: "I doubt they're the last. Maybe some of the last in this particular area, but..."

KitRedgrave: "...I'm starting to get concerned. We need a better storage solution than keeping them all aboard the Wing Fortress."

Metal Man (GM): Something in the room blinks and a hologram of the dead Solarian shows up. It doesn't seem angry or anything, instead it looks around, scans and begins talking to nobody in particular.

Hologram: "You have reached Eritea, the Heretic Paradise destroyed in the name of Solaria. I successfully destroyed the heathens who lived here, but it was a trap. They left behind a cursed being. I cursed it with my own magic, but it had already killed me before I could curse it back. Even then, it is a diminished remnant, like we all are these days. The Time Cops destroyed us both after tricking the Erastians. There is no safe place for any of us as long as they live. My detection indicates you are most likely Erastian in nature. Normally I would use my hologram subroutine to blow you to hell and avenge the dead... but you are forced to be in the same boat as us, see, because Time Cops are likely hunting you too. It may be anathema to you, but you must seek the Solarian Ha'Kar and use it to destroy their domain over this universe. We hid it somewhere they could never find it, but the Time Cops managed to destroy most of our legions before we could activate it. I, one of the last Lords of the Solarians, have authorized you and any others who find this to avenge both our peoples. For with the Time Cops' Bloody Peace solution, neither of us will likely survive, making our war... meaningless. Enclosed is also whatever remaining data we could fit into the crystal worth sharing, in the hope someone could find something of use."

Metal Man (GM): It then flickers out, the power in it exhausted.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Hm... so that sort of wraps it up then. The Solarians were only briefly able to exploit their advantage before the Time Cops also took them out. That's why the ones with Illian were so... mad."

Santigue was standing there, paying attention but not really understanding anything.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, I guess we take this crystal and go on our way. Unless there's something else here... Even if we could understand everything they did, it seems like most of it failed."

KitRedgrave: "Anything else in this mall before we go? Hardware, maybe?"

Valron: "Well, then. Any idea on the 'remaining data' enclosed, or will we need to re-power the crystal?" *In any case, he shrugs, before taking the crystal with him.*

Santigue: "Then why bother with something that's already failed?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Hm, but what kind of Hardware? They didn't sell military weapons in malls... Well, mostly to pry out the useful components. The Crystal probably has the remaining data, whatever it's worth. Give it to Illian or something."

Valron: "Will do. Not like I don't already have stuff I'm going to show him, anyways."

KitRedgrave: "Anything civilian we can use? We also have a weapons R&D lab here too, probably full of more zombies and ghosts."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I've been burnt enough for one day, we can go venture out there after I recover from the fire... civilian stuff? Probably nothing better than what we already have. We can forage for some stuff before we leave, I guess..."

KitRedgrave: "At the very least, we have dry supplies for our journey. Maybe we'll find something cool. ...Cool. What a weird word."

Santigue: "Looters."

Valron: "Back to the ship, then?"

KitRedgrave: "Well, they sure aren't using this stuff."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "We might do one more run into these ruins, then we should probably be on our way. I fear there's far more destruction hiding in here than just that guy. We keep thinking it's over here, but... it isn't." *He nods* "Back to the ship. We can do the last one quick-like, grabbing more immediately useful supplies. Then... I think we can go somewhere less... depressingly dead."

KitRedgrave: "We have just the place too, courtesy of INSIGHT."

Xavier Ridgecrest: *He sighs a bit* "I feel like I was a bit too late, unfortunately, and so busy getting high on Smash Power that I forgot what happened to my people. While I was busy punching Goombas everybody I knew probably died."

KitRedgrave: "Would they have listened? Would they have cared? ...Sorry."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Not most of them, no, but some of them maybe."

Valron: "...Not exactly the best of things to dwell upon, I guess. Regardless."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'm not gonna be emo like some horrible people in the past of the Questers, but I definitely wish I had wasted less time fighting weird things without even bothering to check using the hole in reality Digi created. A mailbox shaped hole in the Nintendus barrier... I coulda climbed out and investigated when nobody was looking."

KitRedgrave: "I guess use those regrets to be smarter in the future...? You also went insane for a lot of that time."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "More or less." *He would slowly start walking back, through the shopping mall.* "It didn't help that I went insane, no. Reminds me, we should check on Alsa sometime soon as well. Don't want your homeworld to, well, become like this one."

KitRedgrave: "Difference is, if it does I have the ultimate reset button. Back at the ship. I had to leave it behind to come with you."

Valron: "...I keep forgetting that hole was a thing. Hm." *He shrugs to himself, before going to follow Xavier along* "Yeah. Best to give Alsa another check-up at some point. Maybe pen it in after we find that one bug-out base?"

KitRedgrave: "Yes, I would definitely like to keep as much of an eye on it as I can."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I guess that's true. The trick was, I attempted to use a reset button on Erastia. All I discovered was a paradox made it untouchably broken."

KitRedgrave: "Though not much else. After I get everything set up the way I like it, it shouldn't need much direct intervention."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier looks around at the burnt up shopping mall.

KitRedgrave: "A paradox, you say... Any way we could trick it? Break it? What exactly happened?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I dunno. Basically I went back in time and met myself."

KitRedgrave: "...Self-interaction. Yep. That's like the ONE THING YOU SHOULD NEVER DO."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Then I told myself to escape while they still could. Well, after I tried to fix a misunderstanding with Ael... That only made him angrier because he was busy telling me what you said about not interacting with myself. For all I know that interaction was what actually made the paradox and I was doomed to do it."

KitRedgrave: "Maybe. If we try to unravel it, we risk undoing everything we did..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Because if it hadn't happened, my memories of encountering someone who looked like me wouldn't have existed and I wouldn't have been compelled to run away screaming. Originally I was probably gonna comply until I saw myself in the future telling me not to do it, then the way Ael reacted to him caused me to book it."

Valron: *vr* "Certainly sounds like a hot mess, to say the least."

KitRedgrave: "...Comply to what?"

Valron: *Whoops.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The Time Cops had come to demand all our Time Devices be turned over."

Valron: "Giving up the Time Devices, pro- Yeah."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "The Erastians had developed them illegally to defeat the Solarians."

KitRedgrave: "...Yeah, that's like giving up and willingly becoming their slaves."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I refused at first because I felt like we would die or worse to that."

KitRedgrave: "Better death than slavery."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "But it looked like they had me surrounded, you know. I couldn't say no without dying, until future me showed up and they freaked out because future me had a Time Device stolen off of a Time Cop. And a bunch of other things that, well, you know that I have. That let's just say, they didn't ever expect an Erastian to have. Plenty of time for me to flee while my future self tried in vain to politely explain that he came from a future where the wheels had begun coming off their bus."

KitRedgrave: "No helping it, then. We need it to happen that way, despite the unfortunate implications here..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yes, I think the only way to resolve it is to find each and every one Time Cop from that incident... and destroy them."

Valron: "Can't say I'm surprised that everything's a bit of a mess, but... That's just how it goes, isn't it?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Those same people created The Void, those same people chase us everywhere we go now... In the past it'd be considered impossible, but you saw how powerful we were there. It feels like we're ready to destroy them head on now."

Valron: "My apologies if I sound a bit more... detached in comparison to you two, but."

KitRedgrave: "Yeah, we need to just overwrite them. In fact, it's 'mandatory' that we be the only version of the Time Cops existing."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well..." *He gestures to Valron.* "I don't even know what happened to your homeworld, to be honest."

Valron: "I'm more focused on the matter of taking them head-on in the now. Or rather, preparing for it."

KitRedgrave: "I fear the timeline would become irrevocably inconsistent if we fail."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I just recall you were a dragon and a yoshi... simultaneously... no wait, that was in another reality... my head hurts."

Valron: "Don't worry. I have even less of a clue than you do. It's far too muddled for me to... really worry about, to be honest."

Santigue digs her boot at the floor a little. "So... We staying here or going back... Or...?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well I've been walking in circles rambling about my backstory, but that's over with, so back to the ship."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier walks to the ship.

Valron: "I blame Evil Wolfman and The Void for that 'other reality' business. Regardless."

Metal Man (GM): The Wing Fortress looks... different when you do near it.

KitRedgrave would go back to the ship, though looking around for anything interesting.

Metal Man (GM): It's still an angular death thing. It's still old school looking.

Valron: *Shipwards, ho!* "Now to see what the damned thing looks like now that it isn't such a colossal wreck."

Santigue tags along. "It's still ugly."

Metal Man (GM): But instead of a falling apart piece of junk it seems shiny and... more maintained. Doors actually open when you approach them properly. The floors are even, and the weird angles are gone.

Valron: "On the other hand, it's something that actually functions properly."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I also was rambling because we needed to kill time until the ship was done, I figured."

Nonna: "Welcome back."

KitRedgrave: "It looks... shiny. Unreal."

Valron: "Hey. Guess everything's all nice and clean and working right on the rest of the ship?"

KitRedgrave: "Like some sort of vision of the future."

Santigue wanders around, prodding at things with her halligan bar to inspect them for safety.

Metal Man (GM): Xavier sits at his console, which is still a wacky mess of buttons, but at least they have new labels, the way you would put them on old school--old label style under things. Things seem pretty firmly attached now. It looks like somebody went through checking all the structural integrity. Some parts are still being sawed apart and rebuilt by robots, on the edges.

KitRedgrave: "I never did get an answer to that one question... how can we be sure we'll get repairs in the future? Surely this place has only finite parts, and we've used up most of them..."

Metal Man (GM): There's a mound of wreckage outside the ship, too, that looks like a gigantic bent mess of busted and wrecked equipment.

Nonna: "It should be. No problems have been found so far."

Valron: "...I remember the stuff being used being a bit more dusty coming out of the warehouse, though."

Santigue checks the coffee maker for fireproofness.

KitRedgrave: "And they sure aren't making more of them." *He looks at the coffee maker, and frowns.* "Hey, all that work I did on it is gone."

Valron: *He lets out a low, soft whistle as he sees the mess of wreckage.* "God damn. I'm surprised replacing all of that only took two hours at most."

Metal Man (GM): The coffee maker has been replaced with a steel one that looks to be industrial grade and made to lock in place to avoid spilling everywhere.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Robots... robots did it."!

Santigue: "I can finally approve of this. You may resume this... Coffee making."

Valron: "I know that. I'm still impressed it only took two hours."

Metal Man (GM): Oh, and the lighting of hallways are no longer all askew and hilariously badly put together. No more flickering creepy hallways either.

KitRedgrave: "And I kinda feel bad for the place. We're the first contact it's had in... years."

Metal Man (GM): The hallway of extension cords is just a normal one with some subtle metal conduits in the corners that are properly grounded and separated.

KitRedgrave: "And probably ever."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "To find more parts, I'm not sure."

Valron: "...More importantly." *He checks to see if they have... y'know. Proper chairs. And not horrible trainwrecks that are being used as replacement chairs. Or beanbag chairs for that matter.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "We can keep the robots in here, I think."

Santigue: "Wait. Did the robots bring the 80's in here?"

Valron: "That'd be a good idea. Best not to backslide into a state of disrepair again."

KitRedgrave: "Is there some sort of emergency end-of-the-world thing in the base itself?"

Metal Man (GM): The chairs are all old school chairs, metal ones with basic padding.

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'm not sure I get what you mean, Kit."

Valron: "Yeah. This is definitely better."

KitRedgrave: "Surely they must've thought something like this would happen, and make provisions to evacuate everything... ..."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "We'll probably need to go to old Erastian bases for more parts now and again... until we can, I don't know... steal a factory?"

KitRedgrave: "But then again, it is Erastian."

Nonna: *After making sure Asgard was back on board too, she'd return to the bridge.*

Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'm pretty sure we can find an Erastian parts factory. We can then make it so all we need is raw materials."

KitRedgrave: "We should go get one of those and somehow build it into the ship."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "It's possible, a lot more feasible than a frickin' sports arena anyway."

Metal Man (GM): Xavier takes out old blueprints of the 'Mobile Melee Stadium' from a new, nice, locking drawer.

KitRedgrave: "Yeah... a lot better use of space for our new life as space fugitives."

Valron: "Well, this ship is supposed to be a portable base anyways, right?"

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yes. Eggman made it that way originally, and my way of modifying it was to make it an Erastian-ish version of what he had, with all the extra trimmings."

Valron: "So I'd be surprised if there weren't some sort of thing that'd allow an add-on for a parts factory/warehouse to be built intio it."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "Consider that originally, Eggman created a ton of robots on his Wing Fortress and used it to escape Metropolis... yes."

KitRedgrave: "It would be a pretty bad base for this Eggman person if it didn't, given as he liked to try to take over the world."

Valron: "The Wing Fortress seems like it'd be modular enough to allow for it, anyways."

KitRedgrave: "In fact I'd be surprised if it didn't ALREADY have a factory in here, just horribly broken."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "We can most likely build it on here... then we can be ready to fight those Time Cop bastards head-on. Using their destroyed ships as repair parts should we get busted up."

Santigue crawls into a ventilation shaft to look for signs of the 80's.

Metal Man (GM): Santigue would notice this ship is actually kinda... 1950'sy due to all the toggle switches and metal things.

Valron: "If we need to. I was figuring the factories themselves could help accommodate for that, but."

Metal Man (GM): Santigue does find something intriguing, though. A part of the ship, seamlessly integrated but weird all the same. 'Holo Room'

Valron: "Unless you meant like some sort of Erastian/Time Cop blend. Could be an interesting piece."

Metal Man (GM): 'Property of Super Smash Melee Stadium, Nintendus' This part is more 90's than 80's in design.

KitRedgrave: "Time Cop ships are kinda similar, so it should work. We could even steal their time device parts, maybe."

Xavier Ridgecrest: "That's the plan, we'll need some of those to do more than merely move sideways really fast."

Valron: "...Also, before I forget." *He goes to check the weapons systems to see if they're still hilariously outdated and only good for providing a distraction or are actually of legitimate use now.*

Metal Man (GM): And before you decide to throw an axe into the Holo Room, it would be noticeable that a bunch of other people attempted the same--indeed, remnants of stupid stuff Coop, Alys and others did back when could be seen. Seems whatever it is, it doesn't break. It just gets transported along. Labels indicate it's been moved over 20 times. The weapons systems are still hilariously outdated. But they appear to be fully armed and ready to fire. Also some basic work has been done on rebuilding the Anti-Reality-Device.

Santigue has no idea what any of that is. She'd prod at the room with her finger curiously, confused by the technology.

Valron: "...Huh. Should've expected that, but I wasn't expecting some rudimentary work on the RRD... Interesting."

Metal Man (GM): Seems like there were parts enough to build the base and properly mount the busted stuff into a nice unit that has a trigger and everything. It's just missing the Time Cop-related stuff. The Holo Room casually simulates holograms of Goombas, Mario stages, Final Destination, and even Fox vs. Falco on said Final Destination for Santigue to look at. All at the push of a button.

Valron: "Well, now we definitely need to knock over some Time Cop ships. If we can get this back up and operational..."

Santigue still has no idea what's going on, but drops in to fuck around anyhow and axe at the holograms, yelling something about Chaos.

Metal Man (GM): The holograms respond in real time to the axing. The Kales hologram moves out of the way supernaturally fast. Then it swings back. z10 A million numbers show up showing it did insane 'damage' before the hologram disappears because the Kales hologram 'won.' The hologram shows an interactive option menu inside the room. It responds to you swinging your axe on it, you can even use it to select options that way. The ultimate in responsive UI.

Santigue: "This room is horrible.."

Xavier Ridgecrest: *C* "Oh... you found my collection of Mariah Carey CDs. Beware the Spice Girls tower. It takes hours to re-stack once toppled."

Valron: *Iiiin any case, before he forgets and becomes too absorbed with pondering about what they'll do with the RRD once it's fully operational, he goes to check up on Illian and see how that guy's doing. Also to bother him about the stuff he found on those Solarian corpses. And the crystal. That too.*

Santigue: "How do I get out of this horrible place?."

Xavier Ridgecrest: *C* "Ask it to let you out. Or poke the option that says 'Exit' with whatever you feel like using as an input device, be it your hand or... yes, even violent attack moves."

Santigue tries to axe the wall.

Xavier Ridgecrest: *C* "Ah, I see, the holo room, it's telling me how it's 'beating' you, that's where you are. I thought you were in the more normal simulation." *C* "Uh... Holo Room, open."

Metal Man (GM): The door opens to the holo room. You'd also notice that the walls of the Holo room are made out of indestructium. It'd make a pretty good prison.

Santigue grumbles and storms off to destroy the coffee maker again.

Metal Man (GM): The coffee maker is made out of ballistic glass and steel. You could probably now use it as a weapon by itself.

Santigue: "Dammit."

Metal Man (GM): Apparently Erastians believed in coffee machines that doubled as shields. It begins to become clear why Xavier uses mundane implements to kill people. His culture seems to have worshiped the idea of absurdly tough objects. Even the drinking glasses in the kitchen appear capable of doing serious damage to people. And yes, this most likely means that in an eventual session, people will wield the ship's mundane implements as lethal weapons. XP On that note, finishing session here, tired and... complete. Mission complete: Ship upgraded.

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