OOC: Note: Archlich's disguise was blown off by one of the demon-ninjas. So right now he's in his standard armor. Except this time he's got a royal purple cape with red sigils woven around its edges.
And before I can post, what were the other buildings again?
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
Essex quickly shook her head.
"Oh, no no no." she answered. "Please, it's no problem at all. I was glad for the opportunity to see you and I was really excited that I was invited." Glancing down, the android looked sorrowful.
"I'm just sorry it had to turn out like this." she mused sadly. "Um...but...If you want me to stay, I don't have any plans tonight or tomorrow morning. I'd be more than happy to, if you'd like."
Looking up at Ian, she eyed him somewhat...critically. Not in a negative way, but as if she were analyzing him. A bit of admiration entered her expression.
"...You're very strong." she murmured. "...Even though you weren't too close with your father, I can't imagine what you're going through. I would break down in your position. ...I will do whatever I can to assist you, Ian."
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Youd think Ian would blush from being praised and called strong but he did the opposite. His skin grew pale and he stared down at his feet with quivering eyes. Not really... he said finally looking back at Essex. Lets just find the others. Maybe theyd like to stay the night....lord knows this place can get boring here alone.
((*Cue victory music* Ian has joined your party....Ive been playing Chrono Cross since I cant play anything on my PC right now...and Im too poor to afford any new games.....and thats the only game I havent beaten yet.....*sigh*
As for the other buildings: Main Mansion, Laboratory, Banquet Hall, Guest House. Its really like having two and a half mansions on the same estate really(the laboratory not counting as one because its for work). Theres other things like outdoor and indoor tennis/basketball courts, golf course, a lake etc. around as well. Oh, and its fully night time now so its dark.))
"Okay." Essex said, offering Ian a hand as she engaged her thrusters to send her into a skim once more. Whether he took her hand or not was moot, it was a silent offer of support. "I can probably convince Curtis, Hal, and Experiment to stay. I don't think I know anyone else, though."
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Archlich stalked along the path to the guest house, his cape flowing out behind him in a slight breeze the lich had conjured for just such an effect. Glowing runes surrounded his head and upper torso, alternately winking on and off as he scanned the area he passed through with several magical spells, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
At that moment, Essex would hear a voice inside her head. . .
"Hey, uh, Essex. . . this is Hallucinogen. I'm kinda making you hallucinate so that you think you hear this, hope you don't mind. . . Well, but if you do you should really just stay away from me, since what I look like is basically a hallucination, but anyway, uh. . . Where was I?"
". . . Oh yeah. I kinda thought you should know. . . Archlich is here, disguised as a hero. I'm following him. Please don't try to stop me. . ."
And even then, Hal was creeping after Archlich, releasing twice as much radiation as usual to ensure that the ancient mage was tricked into thinking that his spells had not detected anything.
[ QUOTE ]
OOC: Note: Archlich's disguise was blown off by one of the demon-ninjas. So right now he's in his standard armor. Except this time he's got a royal purple cape with red sigils woven around its edges.
[/ QUOTE ]
((Exactly why I keep saying 'Knight' instead of Knight. Sarcastic tone kind of thing.))
Experiment frowned as he shot himself over the side of the hole with one of his slightly elastic organic spine-lines. He landed in a 'ta-da' pose, and walked through the hall to the door once again. He stopped, thinking slightly about where he should go next.
Well... It COULD be 'Mrs. McNinja kills Mr... uh, Ian in the Ballroom' thing... Or perhaps the Library? The Bedroom? Bah, Cluedo was supposed to help in real life... I guess I could try to talk to Ian... Or maybe--"
"Stop talking to yourself. It is creepy." came PDA's voice, slightly annoyed.
"Bah, I am informing our readers of my inner thoughts!"
"...You are insane, E."
"No, no, see, we are in some kind of cross-over novel. We have to find Sherlock Holmes, or Nancy Drew, or someone like that! Then, we will be in mortal danger, but come out of it just in time because of their quick thinking!"
"...Shut up, 2.0."
"K."
((Ill do a bit of controlling.))
Inside the bag, Andrew only saw pieces of some kind of machine. The little knowledge he knew of Williams magitech project wasnt enough to really understand what the components did unless he knew what they were from but he took the bag with him, figuring someone knew what they were for and why they were in a bag anyway. He began following the lich toward the guest house which was a bit far away but thanks to the maps he saw earlier he wouldnt get lost.
Archlich would have trouble finding much out of the ordinary. Not because of Hallucinogens powers though, but because there really wasnt much to find. Perhaps a foot print faintly visible in the grass.
This is when the sorcerer could sense four figures in the distance. They were shrouded in darkness and even trying to reveal them with tech or magic would fail as they seemed to be apart of the shadows themselves. Obviously they were skilled in the art of stealth.
.....well, maybe not. As Archlich and the rest approached, it was apparent from two of the figures squawky voices that they were the group of ninja from before.
It wasnt our fault....they came in while we were blowing the rest of it up. shrieked one.
Not to mention Sunako nearly crashed through the whole lab with his sand devil jutsu.
Stop your bellowing, commanded the female voice. Just give me the other elements of the gate.
......well you see... the first began. .....It was all Sunakos fault! We couldnt find the bag that we left in all the rubble because of him!
Youre a pathetic weakling Akikaze! retorted the low scratchy voice. If I didnt come in when I did, you would be on your knees crying for mercy from those meddling-
I dont want to hear it, the female leader said calmly. Just go back and get it. We might need them.
....but.....what if....as you command. Akikaze answered.
~~
Okay, Ian replied to Essex, taking her hand but only to be polite. Um...maybe I should change into something.....Itll only take a second. He walked into his closet and twenty seconds later came out dressed in his heroing costume. Light grey gi, blue lining, black belt and both his hands wrapped. He skipped the mask though. Its the only thing I like wearing, he frowned.
They both walked down into the Foyer only to be intercepted by Linn. Where do you think youre going, Ian? To escort this young lady off of the estate?
Um...no, Ian replied with a bit of a frown. Shes going to be staying the night with the others.
If Linn could look angry he probably would now. You do understand that this isnt in the best interest of the investigators dont you? Ian didnt answer. I dont want them to interfere with the officers investigation. Make sure to stay with them at all times then.
"Who on earth is that?" Hallucinogen thought to himself, hearing the ninja's voices in the distance. He swore he could see something, but his radiation was refusing to scan that area. . . although that was all the more telling.
"Them again," Archlich hissed, swiftly dismissing his scrying spells and cloaking himself in a field of invisibility.
Continuing forward, Archlich tried to get close enough to get a good look at the figures without getting close enough to let them notice him.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
"Ah...." Essex blinked at Linn, and then looked to Ian apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry if it's an inconvenience." she said with a bob of her head.
"Um, Hallucinogen just contacted me. It seems that Sir Archlich is here...in the guise of the Silver Knight from earlier. He is following him."
Wringing her hands, having not taken Ian's hand when he returned from changing, she sighed.
"...Oh, Ian..." Essex worried. "What if whoever did this is still here? We could all be in terrible danger..."
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
"Ugh! Where did he go now?" Hal thought to himself, scanning with his radiation to try to spot Archlich. Hopefully the mage's invisibility didn't make him undetectable by Hallucinogen's personal radar, but it certainly didn't seem unlikely. . .
Essex would hear Hal's voice in her head again.
"Uh, hi again . . . Essex, you might want to get over here with Ian. . . There are some weird guys here, I can't even see them properly and I can't scan them. . . I might need your help. Archlich is already up to something, and I'm worried it could turn into a fight. . ."
". . . Oh, and, uh, please be careful, Essex. . . I don't want anything to happen to you. Heh. Just follow the light. . ."
And a faint light shone on Essex's face, at least in her mind. It was another hallucination, but if she walked toward it, she would head straight for Hal's location. . .
[ QUOTE ]
"Ah...." Essex blinked at Linn, and then looked to Ian apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry if it's an inconvenience." she said with a bob of her head.
[/ QUOTE ]
....yes, Im sure you are, Linn said emotionlessly then retreated up the stairs.
Ian turned and waited for him to get out of sight and turned back to the android. Dont worry about it. Its....my fault really.... he paused for a while, staring at the polished floors.
[ QUOTE ]
"Um, Hallucinogen just contacted me. It seems that Sir Archlich is here...in the guise of the Silver Knight from earlier. He is following him."
[/ QUOTE ]
Hmm...Archlich? I hope he wont cause any problems but if theyre all in one place, I can ask them all at once if theyd like to stay a while. Ian had no clue why theyd want to stay but there wouldnt be any harm in asking.
[ QUOTE ]
"...Oh, Ian..." Essex worried. "What if whoever did this is still here? We could all be in terrible danger..."
[/ QUOTE ]
He audibly gulped at her words and grew pale again. .....yeah.. is all he could say. Lets find the others. Its getting late, he said to change the subject and opened the front door for her.
~~
Archlich managed to get quite close, enough to seem them far more easily than at a distance, so he could distinguish the colors of their skins and their clan colors. Just be quick about it, Fuijin said with a dismissive hand gesture, If we return with this job only half finished, shell have my head.
Being so close, one could tell the group of ninja were slightly distracted; Fuijin with her back turned, Sunako sitting in the grass rubbing his forehead, Akikaze pleading with their female leader and Namikaze entranced by the beauty of their leader. It was only a short time before Archlich and companys presence was sensed by the leader. What was that? she wondered, her head perking up as she looked about.
Although Archlich and Hallucinogen were invisible, Andrew was not. Andrew didnt follow behind the group and stayed behind but his presence was still sensed from where he was. Thats the android that attacked us along with his little group, Sunako said, rising to his feet.
Fuijin clasped her hands together and vanished in a flurry of feathers. Akikaze stretched his hand toward the android. His fingers were rigid, in a claw shape. Grass Caltrops! He pulled up his claw hand and the grass around Andrew, reaching out far enough to encompass everyone else, wafted in the wind for an instant before they became stiff and sharp to cut and slow the android and company.
Howling Fist! Namikaze announced as he punched at the air, sending a huge forceful ball of wind in Andrews direction.
((I'm guessing 2.0 fell slightly behind so wasn't in range of sight to be attacked.))
((Very much purposeful. He may ACT clumsy, but we all know he planned ahead.. Or maybe he is just slow. One or the other.))
"Ballroom... Return to lab... Go to the park... Get coffee..."
"PICK ONE ALREADY, YOU [censored] [censored] [censored]!!!!" came PDA's voice, bursting into 2.0's ear from a megaphone, growing from a tiny size so as to fit in the device.
"YIAAAH!!! Okay, okay! Jeez..." muttered the hero, proceeding to unintentionally go the exact same way Archlich and Hal had left. By now, he had totally forgotten. However, a quick beep from his PDA informed him of an invisible being. "Remember what happened last time?"
"Yeah, but this time, I know who it is. They are in your records. Give ya a hint... Begins with 'H'..."
"...Howard?"
"*Sigh*... Close enough."
(([ QUOTE ]
"Ballroom... Return to lab... Go to the park... Get coffee..."
[/ QUOTE ]
Hmmm....well there's coffee in the banquet hall near the lab if you decide that's what you need....oh, and whenever you guys are ready...I need something to react to to put down Leek's post....Ah screw it, I'll just put it in now.))
<Leeksoup>
(Sorry I've been gone for a bit. My internet's been down. Also, cool! I have a bag full of magic demon tech!))
Andrew stiffened when he realized the demons saw him. Before he could whip his sword into shape, the grass caltrops and fist-shaped air were coming at him. He fired a burst from his boosters on his ankles, trying to dodge into the air. ((Okay, now this is assuming I succeeded in dodging.)) He did a spin, firing his boosters once more to propel him towards the caltrops-thrower. As he sped towards the demon, he pulled his belt, snapped it into the shape of his liuyedao and held it in the Wading Crane position. It left his side open for an attack, but it would do a lot of damage if it hit, especially propelled by his boosters.
((Okay, so, here's the deal with the boosters. They're supposed to be CJ on steiroids, not as much as SJ, but higher than normal CJ. They have a set amount of fuel, too, so eventually unless Andrew can refuel I'll be having him run out of fuel.))
((*sniff* *sniff* Everyone's forgotten about my thread......
You know, I just had a severe case of deja vu when I typed that first line and it wasn't because of you guys....Everything that was happening while I typed it seemed to have happened in my mind already and the only thing that broke it was typing about it....You guys get those kinds of feelings often 
?))
Archlich stood perfectly still, watching the android try to fight off the demon-ninjas. There was no need for him to involve himself in this fight. What he did want, however, was some revenge. But for now he was content to merely cast a spell to see the unseeable and looked around for Fujin.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
((My deepest apologies. Somehow, I wasn't aware anyone had attacked. 
))
A blinding light tore through the area, tearing at the shadows the ninja hid themselves in ((no, it doesn't necessarily dispel the effect, just mentioning it's the sort of thing Hal's light can do)).
And it all seemed to solidify itself into a being of shimmering light, Hal's Phantasm.
"I have no idea who you are, but I'm not going to just watch," said a voice out of nowhere near Andrew, and then the Phantasm was hurling huge waves of light at the ninjas as bright flashes appeared out of nowhere, tearing at the shadows further.
Okay, lets finish this, Sunako said in his gritty voice. All three of them drew their swords and leapt at the attackers, the grass caltrops bending at their feet due to their special wind powers. Andrews attack seemed to be right on its mark until it got close. His weapon met some kind of force which directed it off and missed Akikaze entirely who followed up with a slash from his katana. "Give us that bag!" the ninja demanded.
The phantasms blasts of light dissipated across the same force and made the barriers visible as the light faded. Sunako charged at the being of light with Namikaze following. Nami slashed the air with his blade which sent searing wind edges flying at the phantasm with Sunako following up with a lateral strike. If the phantom couldnt react quickly, Namikaze would continue the attack with an aerial vertical slash.
Up on the limb of a tree, Fuijin watched the battle, her war fan drawn up to her face.
Internally frowning as he glanced at the battle and Fujin, sitting in her tree, Archlich decided he would weigh in on the side of the heroes, despite how much he detested them. Reaching down to his left hand, Archlich pulled off his pinky and crushed it into a white dust. Throwing that dust into the air toward the fighting, Archlich chanted a short spell that caused the dust to begin swirling like a storm. As the cloud descended on the fight, it centered on Sunako, instilling that demon and the other two around with the chill of undeath, slowing their movements considerably.
Then, his spell of invisibility fading, Archlich spun around and launched an explosive bolt of magical energy at Fujin.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
The Phantasm did not even try to dodge the attacks. The strikes appeared to go right through it, and though it was clearly hit, it hardly moved from the spot it floated.
((Whaddya know. Phantasms are resistant to Lethal damage. 
))
And flashes of light appeared around Namikaze's head, threatening to blind him as he struck at the Phantasm. Followed shortly by a blast of light from behind him. Hallucinogen was giving away his position now, but it would be worth it if the ninja was blinded. . .for then the blast of light would be that much more deadly. . .
Watching the fight, Fuijin saw the white dust storm center on one of her ninja. With a very small wave of her fan, a powerful barrier of wind swirled around all three tengu ninja, easily tossing the dust cloud away and toward Archlichs allies.
Then a bolt of magical energy homed in on Fuijin herself. With a slight movement of her hand, she vanished in a cloud of feathers and reappeared a good distance from Archlich. Are you challenging me? she said with a smile.
The barriers of wind would have blocked Hals blasts of light if the barriers were still there. The energy blasts smashed them squarely in the back, and knocked them both to the ground. Sunako, began pushing himself to his feet but Namikaze stayed down. Apparently, the toxins within him were still working against him.
((Ill just take liberties here and say Ess and Ian finally arrived.))
Finally arriving on the scene, Ian saw the battle ensue only to be frozen in fear. He could barely take another step toward the battle and he was visibly shaking.
"Well well well, what have we here? Started the party without me?"
Experiment flew above the battle quickly, getting what he would call a good vantage point. He eyed out Namikaze, seeing he was down while his counterparts were in battle.
"Hmm...."
2.0 landed, walking slowly toward the ninja. "That detective thinks we are crazy because of you guys. He may not be far off in the skeleton's case, but still. If we send you to the Zig, I can finally prove my intelligence actually means something."
2.0 unsheathed his spines once again, the same knockout neurotoxin on the tips. "So, time to go beddy bye, little ninja."
But the dust was merely an instrument for the magic that now permeated the air around the three ninjas. While the dust itself was blown away, falling to the ground helplessly, the magic remained, chilling the limbs of the demons and slowing their movement.
"I am not 'challenging' you," Archlich spat, his voice easily heard despite Fujin's distance from him. "I am erasing you."
Spinning his hands in the air, Archlich conjured a bolt of magical energy that he threw at Fujin. He then stepped forward and thrust with his other hand, firing a second, more powerful blast. Finally, while Fujin was busy with those two blasts, the lich channeled power into his arm in preperation for his most powerful unfocused attack.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
*BEEP*
"Hm?"
2.0 looked down at his PDA, flashing yellow. He read the text, frowning deeper than before. "Someone is invisible? Well, yeah, real specific."
"In this room, E." came the voice of the device.
"...Oh."
He hit thermals on his goggles. Nothing. U.V. Nothing. He went through all his viewtypes, before putting his goggles back on his head. "There is nobody here, PDA."
"...Ugh. Idiot." It shut off, causing 2.0 to raise an eyebrow. He glanced around again, shrugging. "Malfunctioning devices are an annoyance, eh, 'Knight'?"