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It is a fairly typical rainy August afternoon. Edie is lounging in civvies with a good book, and Emily is snacking on some leftover birthday cake while transformed and working on a metal sculpture.
"I don't know why you're bothering," Edie says of the copper-and-verdigris design. "I mean, the rest of it is going to go green too eventually, right?"
"Maybe, maybe not," Emily says stubbornly. "I could coat it with clear paint or something to prevent oxidation."
"Fair enough," Edie says, and returns to perusing her book.
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whatamithinking
iamnotpolaris
"So how are we doing this? Any bright ideas besides, 'find villain, smite villain?"
whatamithinking
"...I don't like how many hostages he has. And the implications for why someone like that would want to have that many people captive...I'm going to get everyone out I can. You should see if you can figure out what the fuck he wants them for and get his artifact away from him if you can--your powers are better for that than mine."
iamnotpolaris
"True. Alright, just let me--Si Vales Valeo," she casts, swooping down to leave a silver dot on her sister's forehead.
whatamithinking
Edie casts the spell too, twisting up to leave a reciprocal mark. "Standard minor injury code applies?"
whatamithinking
They fly in silence the rest of the way to the mall. Edie checks that Emily's eyes are closed, closes her own, and casts, Mind Mirror.
A number of large mirrors spring into being around her. She considers carefully where each one is coming from, then dismisses them, opens her eyes, points and says, "that way."
A number of large mirrors spring into being around her. She considers carefully where each one is coming from, then dismisses them, opens her eyes, points and says, "that way."
iamnotpolaris
They fly for another half-mile, which only takes a few minutes, before landing and dismissing their wings for the narrow corridors. They find the door Janine pointed out on her map, and slip inside under cover of the Periapt.
The exterior of the abandoned factory is completely innocuous, but inside, there are armed guards at every door.
No one notices the intruders, of course. The corridors may be too narrow for wings, but there's more than enough room to slip past magically oblivious guards.
The maze is... ominous. The walls seem to be made of an opaque purple-black glass with an oily iridescent sheen that pulses unnervingly in one's peripheral vision.
No one notices the intruders, of course. The corridors may be too narrow for wings, but there's more than enough room to slip past magically oblivious guards.
The maze is... ominous. The walls seem to be made of an opaque purple-black glass with an oily iridescent sheen that pulses unnervingly in one's peripheral vision.
iamnotpolaris
The twins wind their way through the corridors, Edie firmly tracing the path that Janine set on paper and Emily following--she'll split when she sees a likely-looking doorway, but no point in just running off to get lost without a sign it'll be productive.
The maze is difficult to navigate - every glass wall looks the same - but Janine's map proves to be accurate.
When they're a ways into the maze, but not yet past the long succession of confirmed dead-end branches, the walls turn from purple to red and an alarm starts blaring.
When they're a ways into the maze, but not yet past the long succession of confirmed dead-end branches, the walls turn from purple to red and an alarm starts blaring.
iamnotpolaris
Emily considers casting a Mass Driver, considers the possibility that the spacewarping is more insidious and she might hurt the prisoners, considers a Shrapnel Barrage, considers that that seems less than likely to be able to pierce the walls, and casts, "Prismatic Railgun!"
The projectile hits a wall, and... passes right through it, leaving the wall rippling violently in its wake. More like water than glass, or maybe a thick oil. The sound of it going through the next several walls is audible over the ripples; the impacts are sharp cracks, while the ripples sound more like the tinny wobble of rapidly flexing sheet metal.
A black stain spreads out over the wall from the point where her projectile hit it.
A black stain spreads out over the wall from the point where her projectile hit it.
whatamithinking
Well. If that's the effect a physical projectile has...
"Third Eye Annihilation Beam."
"Third Eye Annihilation Beam."
That punches a large hole through several successive walls. The blackened, rippling edges begin to flow back together, but only very slowly.
Part of one of the walls flips around as a man in a dark cloak with glowing deep blue threads running through it steps through.
"Interlopers," he manages to snarl tiredly, and he swings his right hand, backhanding Edie into the opposite wall without actually touching her. The fact that that hand has a profoundly black gauntlet on it with blue stones like the threads in his cloak on the knuckles probably has something to do with it.
"Interlopers," he manages to snarl tiredly, and he swings his right hand, backhanding Edie into the opposite wall without actually touching her. The fact that that hand has a profoundly black gauntlet on it with blue stones like the threads in his cloak on the knuckles probably has something to do with it.
The villain has excellent reflexes. He manages to dodge--almost. The actual projectile doesn't--quite--hit him, but having something that large and fast pass so close by you is not generally beneficial. He staggers, but frustratingly, the wall opens around him so he isn't thrown into its unpleasantness.
iamnotpolaris
But it'll buy time--
Emily hauls Edie to her feet and away from the terrible wall, and activates the Si Vales Valeo mark. She hisses as the pain of whatever those walls did to her sister burns through her nerves for a moment, and then they are both okay--physically, Edie was on that thing for a bit--
Emily hauls Edie to her feet and away from the terrible wall, and activates the Si Vales Valeo mark. She hisses as the pain of whatever those walls did to her sister burns through her nerves for a moment, and then they are both okay--physically, Edie was on that thing for a bit--
whatamithinking
Edie's good at putting aside things that are unpleasant to deal with later when she has time.
This man has kidnapped hundreds of people--horrible torture walls--no time to think--
"Perfect Scream," she whispers.
This man has kidnapped hundreds of people--horrible torture walls--no time to think--
"Perfect Scream," she whispers.
It's not as hard for him to dodge that one.
whatamithinking
So it's just wasted. Fuck, why does she have no AoEs, she needs to fix that, she's going to really really want one, but that's not helpful right now.
"Ironwill Shield," she casts. Between the two of them and the horror wall, not the villain.
"Ironwill Shield," she casts. Between the two of them and the horror wall, not the villain.