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FernStone
shylarah
Bork Lazer
AtomicEmperor
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Estylwen
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NoriWasHere
The Eleventh Path."Hey now, no need to fret, Blackmore! C'mon... 317 ain't exactly the benchmark when it comes to combat Adepts: No offence to you guys, of course, you do what you can. But Linqian was never one of our best either, right? I can handle her and Aryin at the same time, confirmed by several recent tests too. So, I think it's in our best interests that if Scott Reese shows up to play, you leave him to me. Just give me whatever artifact you want applied to him that you think would weaken him, and boom: You lose one asshole for one asshole. Equal trade in terms of effort and power."
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, dude, where’s all the shit gonna go if we lose our asshole? And what’s this about worrying? Worrying? You’re worrying? Man, the one who needs to be worrying is that bitch ass Scott Reese. Look, check this out. Over here we got the goddamn Thunder God Drake “Raiden” Blackmore and over here we have the Big Bad Wolf, Leon “Motherfucking” Richoux. You throw in me, the Water Boy. The Juice Man! You throw in me, the…the Juice Man…and what’s Scott Reese gonna do? Nothing. Scott Reese ain’t gonna do nothing. He gonna walk back in that ocean and disappear for another ten years. Squad up, boys. We got our Team Aggro right here.”
Drake couldn't help but crack a grin. Sure, he was worried about Victoria. Sure, he was worried about the triplets. Sure, he was concerned about everyone, but he knew that the four of them (including Stormy, who was silent the whole time) could kick Scott Reese's ass from one end of St. Portwell to the other. He laughed at Leon,
”... I'm going to tell her you said that,” Drake said before laughing. ”But, you can't take that monster alone. I'm not going to let you.” Drake nodded before he turned to Ruby and took a step forward.
”I'm going aggro,” Drake said, as his left hand began crackling with electricity. ”They'll be so worried about me that they won't even realize we pulled a fast one on them until it's too late!” Drake laughed.
The Eleventh Path”I'm doing okay. They didn't force anything, promise. And uh, Alizée and I are getting along nicely. She's still her old self, though she doesn't remember.
“Thanks for asking, Adora.”
”My apologies if I disturbed you the other day. Yes, Layla's fine. Eating better too.”
Adora smiled or tried her best to smile. Did Adora trust the Temple? No. Did she trust Layla's word? No. However, it was not her tree to bark up, or her business to stick her nose into. As she kept preaching to the social rejects here, you can't help people who don't want it. She was glad that Layla took the apple and was eating it, and seemed to be happier with Alizee (?) adjoined to her - though she treated this Alizee as a whole new entity.
”I'm glad to hear it, just let me know if you need anything,” And Adora left it at that. However, she turned towards Alizee. ”And... don't worry about it. That meeting was looong over before you even showed up.” She shrugged. She wanted to say it was pretty much over when Layla opened her mouth about Naomi, but Adora knew that Layla learned her lesson.
Hopefully.
”Sor-sorry for the other day.”
”C'mon, you can do a bit better than that,” Adora sighed, crossing her arms. Her gaze drifted over to Ruby, who was flat-faced. Adora knew she was fuming about that.
"I want to sit down and talk about that like we should have done from the jump," Ruby said to Layla with a nod. "Not right now, though. We have important work to do."
"Britney's here, Amara... We're trying to reduce the chaos of these meetings by having less people, remember? Besides, you should be asking me about ammo. He'd tell you himself that the Temple produces quality ammunition: We supply half the Western Seaboard's "religious" institutions with good shit. If it's for Sycamore, as much as you all may not want the help, the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals is willing and able to provide. Physical arms and armaments, Lux boosters, healing salves, the list goes on. Yeah, you would expect a price... Clearly you don't understand the kind of debt that some of our magical community owes to us. We're Goddamn Heroes, Anya. If we ask? We'll receive"
As Leon spoke, Adora narrowed her eyes at him. One minute, Adora was fine with him for his help at the Halloween Festival. As of yesterday, Adora found it hard to trust him with that whole mess with Alizee and Layla - even though it seemed to work out fine, there was something shady about the Temple. Well, aside from their business with Alizee's apparition.
Nothing good ever comes from cults either way. Though Adora wanted to ask if the Temple had ANYTHING that can boost her abstraction enough to be helpful. She didn't care if it did something to her because it was her choice and her body. She didn't care much if she died in the process of trying to get to the bottom of this. So, Adora raised her hand, and asked,
”You got anything that can help out an Aberration, Leon?” Adora asked.
"Whatever you guys want from me personally, I'm happy to do it: But, I only ask that you keep in mind I may not fully be in control of myself by the end of this. If the worst happens, stay clear of the big, grey and gold wolf-thing... And call my folks, I guess. Worst comes to worst, it's an island I can stay isolated on until I'm dead, or I can be put out."
I thought he was an Adept. Adora thought to herself before she shrugged. She was sure that a rampaging werewolf on an island wouldn't be the worst thing in the world - maybe. With the heavy hitters like Drake here, they should be able to take care of him, worst come to worst.
”I'm not going to be much good in a fight,” Adora said to Ruby - and the Coven at large. ”I want to help out, though. So, I'm going with the heist group.”
Adora didn't want to be around Britney or Sloane, but having Luca, Aislin, and sort of Amara, there balanced out the situation (Though what Amara told her the other day loomed over her and made it hard to wonder if she was a liability or not). Hopefully, everyone would be so focused on the mission that they wouldn't have time to chatter.
Adora leaned back in her chair.
Ruby White.
The Eleventh PathInteractions: Amara (@Blizz), Alizee (@Estylwen), Lynn ([@NoriWasHere]), Anya/Luca (@FernStone), and the entire Coven.
”Okay, back up a second, I’m seeing a couple problems with this. The first one being communication. Like you said, we gotta just let this shit flow sometimes so a hard and fast plan won’t be perfect. But, how’re we getting everyone in gear for shit when we’re actually there? We just banking on teleported being enough when the Veil’s down? That’s gonna be a lotta people moving around, some of them might need to meet each other when they’re done, for backup. But that’s no big deal- I got an idea for that. I’m magically linked to all of them, like a hive mind. Four teams means I’d have one to spare if I gave up one for all four. Treat ‘em like they’re expendable when you’re in. They’ll fight and if someone happens, I’ll know even if you don’t radio in. I’ll send the extra in with your vault team, so two of them can deal with this “Starving Dog” thing. Based on what you’ve got here, the vault’s gonna be the most dangerous part of this even if you draw heat away.”
”But could we not have a fifth group - the coordinators? We had a control group during the fight against the Stygian Snake, or organised all the groups on the field - getting healers where they were needed, teleporters, and so on. It can be difficult for anyone in the heat of battle to do that. That solves the communication too - you all have phones, don’t you? Or we can go back to radios like we used to use? Easy to get a hold of. Means we’re not putting all the pressure on Amara.”
Ruby turned towards Anya, then back to Lynn, then at Amara.
"... I think we found a way for you to help," Ruby said to Lynn with a nod, before turning to Anya and Amara, "That sounds like a great idea. We can have some extra communication - which translates to extra coordination. Just let me know how many radios you need because I may have to pull in a few more favors. But, it's no big deal for the Spring Maiden." Ruby grinned at them.
”I have some questions. First of all, what’s the magical statue made of? Second, do we have any way to get into the vault itself? I assume it has some heavy doors we can’t just get through? I can probably help there either way, since I can rot just about anything. So I think I should go with the Artifact group, but that brings me to my next question… Does the Eye of Ankhara detect Abstractions that are always on? Or is it just active use?”
Ruby shrugged.
"The Starving Dog is made of stone or marble. I honestly don't remember."
”Marble,” Britney answered.
"Thank you, Britney," Ruby nodded her head. "And the doors are like... bank vault style. However, it's enchanted, so you can't just teleport inside. I'm not sure of any other enchantments, but let's assume there are."
She shrugged.
"When we were trying to break in a few years ago, our plan was just to blow the door down with magic, but if you have an easier way to open it - go ahead."
”Also, the Eye won't trigger off passive Abstractions.” Britney nodded.
”Say you get the artifacts. Say you kill a couple of them. How are you getting off the island? Not everyone is lucky like Layla in being able to void-step. You will be disorganized and weak. Some will be disconnected from the group, to be sure…
“How does everyone make it home?”
Ruby facepalmed at this.
"... The same way we're getting on the island," Ruby groaned with her hand still pressed to her face, but she released her hand from her face. "That's why we have a group to deal with the Eustis Veil, so we can just teleport off."
She looked at the group, "Worst comes to worst, we jack one of their sailboats and me and Amelia can get everyone off that way - but long as everyone is on their shit and we keep the Veil off, we don't have to worry about that."
”I still think a contingency is necessary,” Britney added.
Ruby rolled her eyes, saying, “Yeah, Britney, I understand. You’re always the one who wants to plan for the worst. But we gotta focus on the mission here: getting those artifacts and making those rich fuckers don't come after us when all is said and done." Britney crossed her arms and rolled her, and Ruby leaned in and lowered her voice. “If we overthink this, we’ll drive ourselves batshit before we even set foot on that island.”
”I'm not saying we don't get the artifacts or your payback,” Britney said, tone laced in venom and each word sharp as a knife. ”I'm just saying that we need a backup. What if- actually, nevermind.” Britney sighed as she just leaned back in her chair.
”I'll be getting the artifacts with the others,” Britney said. Britney did not like rolling with Sloane, Aislin, Adora, or Amara's weird little ghosts - it was a better option than rolling with Kenshiro, just not that much. However, she was at the point where she was just over it all and willing to do anything necessary to end this Father Wolf nonsense. That meant taking risks. She wasn't sure if this was an essential risk, but it is what it is.
Ruby gestured for everyone to gather around the map of Elysium Island, and then, she pointed at a spot on the wooded west end of the island. "There's a grove right here," Ruby said. "This is where we will teleport everyone, and from there we will quickly sort into our groups." Ruby then turned to Pearl who was desperately scribbling all of this down.
"Make sure you know where you're going to go because once we get onto Elysium Island, it's going to be-" Ruby paused momentarily to snap her fingers, waving her hand in front of her. Then, she turned her attention back to the map. "Once everyone is sorted out, everyone's getting in position. The Aggro group will wait in the woods right outside the mansion; the support group will also be in the woods right by them. These two groups should be able to see the entire mansion, and they will stay relatively close to each other. The Veil and Artifact groups will circle the island, Veil going north and Artifact going south - and someone please bring a compass. The island is wooded enough for you all to have some cover or get the drop on any zombies or rich fucks wandering around."
Then Ruby looked at Britney and continued, "After everyone is sorted and on the move, we will begin the assault on the mansion. The plan is for the 317's new power booster to boost Jess, and she'll fry the mansion - which should take out a majority - if not all - of them, and then the Aggro group will push in and keep everyone's attention on us. The Artifact and Veil groups will do their thing while Aggro gets all the smoke. And remember, this isn't about winning some fight; it's a distraction. Keep them focused on you, but don’t take unnecessary risks."
”And what about the artifact group?” Britney asked, ”If this goes south, everyone's gonna be too tied up to lend any help.”
“That’s why the Artifact group’s going in with minimal baggage. All you need to focus on is getting in, grabbing what we came for, and getting out. Don’t engage unless absolutely necessary. Just get the artifacts and teleport it all off the island,” Ruby shrugged.
”And if teleportation isn't an option?” Britney said.
"Improvise," Ruby shrugged again. "Like I said, we're going to be here all day if we overthink every single last detail."
Ruby tapped the veil's location on the map, "Remember. We have to keep the Veil off at all costs. I don't care if the other groups have to pull back - otherwise, we won't be able to get off the island and will have to improvise." Then Ruby glanced at everyone in this room. "Now, before I get ahead of myself, each group will be equipped with a radio and a flaregun - these will be the "team leaders" of each group and will have the luxury of coordinating with the... coordinators. If things go sideways, we get the fuck out of there - no ifs, ands, or buts. And for the love of God, don't try and play the hero. Drop whatever you're doing, shoot the flare into the sky, and regroup at the grove so we can all teleport off together or right then and there. Just don't leave the rest of us in the dark."
Ruby took in a deep breath, "Yes, this is longwinded as fuck, but I’d rather everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to be doing instead of getting lost or panicking. The Elite are prepared, and we have to assume they know we're coming, and if anyone fucks up, that's the end of that."
Ruby sighed before looking between the 317, Sycamore, and then Greenwood.
"Now, if we're all in agreement, let's hurry up and get a move on already," Ruby began, "You all have one hour to get ready. Grab everything and I mean EVERYTHING you need. Make sure to dress up to disguise your identities. That way, they, or the magic Feds, can't come after us if it goes tits up and it'll trip them up if they are aware of us. They won't know who's who."
Ruby turned around and tapped her staff on the ground as she spoke to Sycamore,
"Thank you all for hearing us out; I know things didn't go super well last time..." Ruby shook her head, "But I'm glad things have gone better this time. I knew you all could do it."
She nodded at the four Maidens and Kashmira.
"Let's go."
Then they departed, and the plan was a go.
The Greenwood Coven, & The 317.
Interactions: None.
An hour later. The Rooftops Overlooking the Harbor Longue.“... Where are they?” Naomi asked from the rooftops.
“Maaaaaan, I betcha’ they ain’t even left!” James said with a cocky grin on his face.
“They haven’t left yet,” Autumn said with a nod.
They stood on the rooftops, giving a clear view of the Harbor Lounge. Naomi held binoculars to her face, scanning desperately for their targets. “I can’t see them, they moved.”
“They’re still there,” Autumn nodded her head.
“See? We shouldn’t doubt Autumn’s little ghost!” James grinned at Naomi, and she rolled her eyes while scanning.
“Maybe we should have some members of Sycamore here,” Autumn shrugged. “They are helping us, after all.”
“Nah, we don’t need ‘em!” James said. “Probably too busy screaming at each other!”
“Come on,” Naomi said, “They’re not that bad… Just a lil’ messy.”
“People who are getting murdered usually are,” Autumn shrugged.
James threw Shango’s Axe over his shoulder as he turned around and looked at the members of the 317. He scanned them, eyes pausing on them for a moment before looking to the next one… and then grinned. “Hope all of you are ready for this! We are entering the big leagues!”
He laughed. “Meaning… literal and all-out war if this doesn’t go as planned! But, I’m certain it will all work out!”
Naomi shook her head as James continued.
“I mean, we survived the Nazis, and they were stronger and crazier!”
“I never imagined I’d be here,” Faith sighed as she looked towards Naomi, “but I’m ready. Those fuckers destroyed our community. They hurt my friends. If I was still in the monster making business I’d turn every last one of their leaders to send a message to their flock.”
“It’s a good thing that we’re out of that business,” Sypha responded as she looked towards James, “I don’t envy Octavia handling that meeting. I bet she’s about ready to quit, and I bet Ruby is feeling the second hand rage that Sycamore gives off.”
”I survived much worse than all out war,” Aryin said with a cocky grin as they shot out a wicked side eye towards James, ”as did everyone else. When shit gets going today I have a hundred bucks that says they carry the day,” Aryin grinned as they delivered the wager.
“Hey now, I’m not worried about you. You been through hell twice and came out just fine!” James shot her a cocky grin. “The rest of them, though, especially the newbies, have not.”
“That is fair enough,” Faith responded with a sigh, “I know we needed the boost after the fight and some of these newbies are incredibly strong. But I wouldn’t be honest if I said I wasn’t worried. I guess we’ll learn soon enough if it was a good idea, yeah?”
“I dunno,” James shrugged before grinning. “If we live long enough!”
Naomi rolled her eyes. “I mean, before coming to St. Portwell, I didn't get into half of the supernatural fuckery that goes on here, and I did just fine.”
“That's because you're tough!” James said. “You were born and raised in the trenches!”
“... Hardly,” Naomi rolled her eyes before turning her head to Faith, “Surprised you’re not at the big meeting.”
“I hope Octavia listened when we said keep your expectations low!” James laughed.
“Well the plan calls for scaring some rich pricks,” Faith grinned as she used her eyes to look at the various pieces of jewelry that controlled her monsters, “and I am the best at that.”
“I know the 317 is itching to-” Autumn said. Naomi’s phone beeping cut her off from a text message she opened.
“... It's time,” Naomi said, looking up at Faith. “I'm going to let ya’ll take charge.”
“Alright,” Faith said as she took in a deep breath, “where are they?” Faith began to look down to the streets below.
Autumn pointed at the Harbor Lounge.
“In there,” She answered.
“... I hope you are not planning on having a monster charge in there dicks out,” Naomi said with a roll of her eyes.
“Oh god no,” Faith grinned as she walked towards the small shadow cast by the bezel top of the building. “Nothing so dramatic,” she finished as she stepped into the shadow, a hand reached out and pulled her into it.
Across the way inside the Harbor Lounge even the most observant of eyes might have missed a shadow dancing within the shadows of the room. The shadow was the Living Shadow and Faith, and they danced from shadow to shadow unseen and out of sight until they finally spotted the rich pricks and their escort. They were in a private room and this made it easier for Faith to launch her attack. Faith waited for a few minutes waiting, watching, before she decided it was time.
Two hands made out of the blackest shadow erupted from the walls, one grabbing Sylvia around the waist and the other around Johnny's face and neck. As soon as the hands had their grip, they pulled with frightening strength back towards the shadows from where they came.
Both Johnny and Sylvia hit the ground, immediately, a stream of poker cards came out of the sleeve of Johnny’s jacket and scattered. He looked up and a Taurus 44 appeared in his hand, and he aimed it at them.
“The fuck?!” Johnny shouted.
The hands shot out again, this time from under the table, and once again aimed at Johnny and Sylvia with the same intent to drag them into the shadows.
“Oh no you don’t!” Gabe shouted, she stuck both of her hands out and fired a powerful beam of concentrated light.
The room would go silent with the beam of concentrated light. The shadows all seemed to retreat to their normal places, and no further attacks were launched. Though if any eyes looked towards the light switch they would see a single hand reach up with a singular finger reaching out. The shadow turned off the light and launched a new series of attacks. As it did the darkness of the room grew as if the shadows themself were swallowing the group whole.
The next up to use their magic was Jake, who raised his hand into the air and a sun-like ball of like appeared and stretched outwards—shining an overpowering light in all directions.
“Sylvia! Portal!” Johnny shouted.
Sylvia quickly grabbed her guitar drummed the strings, and created a shimmering light purple portal - all of them promptly escaped into.
Faith instantly commanded the living shadow to bring her back to the group as the rich pricks started to head through the portal. As she emerged from the shadows, she looked at the assembled group of hippies. “They’re leaving NOW.”
“Shit! The Veil is still up, though!” James shouted, looking at Elysium Island surrounded by the Eustis Veil.
“... Then they must be teleporting somewhere else,” Autumn softly said.
“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!” James shouted. “All this for nothing!”
“Shit. Can you track them? I can be a little less subtle next time,” Faith groaned as she rubbed her head.
“I can’t find them,” Autumn said as she looked around. “They are outside of the range of the Adept Hunter.” She shook her head.
“The fuck did you do to them?” James asked Faith, laughing. “The point was to corner them!”
“We gotta send this up,” Naomi said, pulling out her phone and texting Ruby.
“I assaulted them from the shadows,” Faith sighed, “I thought the plan was to scare them into portaling home.”
James facepalmed.
“The plan was to get them to drop the Veil so we can teleport onto the island,” Naomi sighed. “But it sounds like we need a Plan B.”
”Well shit,” Aryin said with a sigh, ”spread out and hope for the best?”
“Oh lawd we-” James threw his hands into the air, except at the corner of his eyes, he noticed something.
The Veil had gone down.
“Oh shit!” James’ jaw dropped. “It’s a Christmas Miracle!”
“We gotta get on now,” Naomi said.
Lin Liu.
Elysium Island - Mansion. The Bar.Interactions: None.
After her conversation with Mika, Lin waited anxiously at her table. She was unsure how the Sycamore Tree Coven was getting on this island, but she knew they would likely get cut down. Not that she cared about them at all (The gene pool would thank them for that one). She was hoping they would create a big enough distraction for her to snatch the notes-
Lin's phone rumbled from within her purse. She had forgotten she had it on silent, but she quickly unzipped the designer purse. She looked at her phone and saw that it was Jake. She remembered that he wasn't on the island as he wasn't a member of the Elite; if they were, it would be easier to get the notes off. However, she answered the phone, and before she could get out a "hello" Jake spoke frantically.
"... Lin! Are you okay?!" Jake said.
"Y-yes," Lin stammered for a second as she stood up. "Are you okay? What's going on?"
"We got attacked at the Harbor Lounge," Jake said, "By some shadow creature. We teleported out of there before it could hurt us."
He sighed, "We're at the Valos Manor now."
Lin tapped her chin. No doubt it had to be Sycamore's doing. However, Lin was happy that they were safe. "Are you all okay?"
"They just gripped us up a little bit," Jake said. "We're all fine."
Lin paused for a moment... as an idea popped into her head.
"Can you do me a huge favor?" Lin asked.
"Yes, anything," Jake said.
"Can you have Sylvia on standby?" Lin asked, looking across the room at May and Rhea Pimm. "I'm about to do something stupid."
"Oh God," Jake groaned, "What are-"
"Just trust me," Lin said. "Please have her ready to open a portal the second I call you."
Jake sighed.
"Fine, do you need our help?" Jake began. "Maybe we can-"
"I got this, trust me," Lin nodded.
"Okay... just be careful," Jake said, "See you soon."
"Love you," Lin said before hanging up. Then, she kept her eyes on May and Rhea Pimm while she slipped her phone back into her purse. There was a subtle thrill to what she was about to do, but she kept her expression flat. The two sisters seemed to be obsessed with making their younger brother drink more and more. Going into their minds was the last thing that Lin wanted to do, but they were perfect for what she was planning - impulsive, stupid, and adrenaline junkies. Lin focused her energy and felt the gentle pulse of the Arrowhead as she activated her telepathy and slipped into their minds...
Isn’t it boring just sitting here bullying your little brother? Lin projected, her voice playful in their minds. What if you dropped the Eustis Veil? You could let some real excitement in!
As her influence took hold, Lin watched with satisfaction as their brows furrowed as if they were some hive mind. She nudged their thoughts further, feeding May the idea that breaking the Veil would be thrilling and a bold move that could earn them recognition.
A little chaos might be precisely what you both need right now. Who doesn’t love a bit of fun? Lin continued.
As Lin withdrew her mental claws, she noted the look of determination on May’s face and the excitement in Rhea’s eyes. The idea of dismantling the Eustis Veil was taking root, their thoughts racing with the possibilities of chaos and adventure... They got up and quickly skipped out of the building.
Satisfied, Lin kept her attention on her table and waited.
May & Rhea Pimm.
Elysium Island.Interactions: None.
The two Pimm sisters went from the opulent mansion to the storm that raged outside. Adrenaline coursed through their veins, a palpable energy fueled by the thrill of the unknown. They skipped through all the zombie forces taking guard until they made it to the Eustis Veil, guarded by a team of zombies... which they shoved aside until they made it to the Eustis Veil in its massive glory.
"Oh boy! I can't wait!" May said.
“Are you sure about this?” Rhea asked, her excitement barely masked.
"Are you kidding?!" May laughed. "No orgy? No nothing?! Do you want to sit around in here and play with our dicks for how many hours!?"
"Oh, true!" Rhea said. "Let's shake things up, I'm gonna go crazy!"
"You're already crazy!" May answered.
"I know!" Rhea responded, "This won't be the fun kind!"
"Let's do it together!" Rhea said, raising her hand.
"Sure!" May said, also raising her hand, "On the count of three!"
"One..." Rhea said.
"Two..." Rhea said.
"... Three!" They shouted in unison as they trusted their hands forward and pressed it against the glowing orange runes of the Eustis Veil. The racing storm that created a forcefield over the island had dissipated through force of will, revealing clear skies...
"That voice in our heads better be right!"
"It was right last time!"
"... The time we blew up the last headquarters?!"
Ruby White.
Cliff overlooking Elysium Island > Elysium Island.Interactions: Your mother.
It's been an hour. Ruby was the first at the cliffside where she told them to meet, the one that gave them a perfect view of Elysium Island—wearing the Spring Maiden costume: a bright green hoodie, sweatpants, and ski mask with boots. The rest of the Maidens were in the same costume but different colors. Jess was red, Pearl was blue, and Amelia was orange. It wasn't long until the other two groups arrived, fully dressed and disguised as instructed.
Drake walked up, cracking his knuckles. He wore a black leather jacket with a black T-shirt, a black neck gaiter, cargo pants, worn-out combat boots, and a baseball cap. ”When's this damn veil going down?” Drake asked.
"Any second now," Ruby said with a nod as she pulled out her cell phone. "I guess I'll take this time to ask if everyone knows what group they're in and what that group will be doing."
”Aggro,” Drake said, putting his hands behind his head. ”A big ol' distraction.”
The next to walk up was Britney, who elected black cargo pants with a black hoodie and sneakers. She had a facemask on, a baseball cap, and the Noble Vow dangling in her hand. ”Artifacts.” Britney said with a nod. ”But if I can, I'm walking out with a TV.” She laughed.
Adora walked up, dressed as usual but in all black. She crossed her arms and said, ”We're pulling an Oceans Eleven on them.” She grinned from underneath her facemask.
Everyone else voiced their roles, and Ruby raised her staff in the air. "Alright, this is your last chance to back out! If you are worried or afraid, just step out now! Because once we get on that island, we don't have time to teleport people back and forth, you are committing."
”Ready as I'll be,” Adora said.
”Let's get it on, then!” Drake said, brushing his hands off.
"We gotta wait until we get the Veil down," Ruby said.
Britney raised her hand, ”Hey, I said it before, but overcommitting to one plan is-”
As Britney spoke, she got cut off by Ruby's phone beeping before she pulled it out and looked at it... her shoulders sank. "... Fuck."
”What's up?” Adora asked.
"Those rich fucks disappeared," Ruby said, "And we don't know where they went."
”... See?” Britney laughed. ”I told you-”
"Don't start," Ruby facepalmed. "The plan didn't work."
”Because it was a stupid plan!” Britney said, facepalming.
"I don't see you coming up with a better idea," Ruby said, "Your homegirl earlier pointed out a problem but also gave us a solution. You just bitched."
”I was trying to!” Britney said.
”I mean it wasn't a stupid plan per se,” Adora just shrugged. ”We just banked too much on them acting one way and made no plan B if they acted another.”
”See, Adora gets it,” Britney said, ”We set ourselves up to fail. Like they were going to themselves and drop the Veil just because ya'll bully some of them.”
”Bro, let's just find another way on the island already,” Drake just shrugged, throwing his hands up. ”Standing around arguing isn't going to accomplish shit.”
”Yes, I agree with Blackmore,” Adora said, rubbing her temples. ”Ya'll are giving me a headache. We still have a chance. Let's just figure out what to do next.”
"Okay, fine," Ruby said, looking at Britney, "You said you were a 'magical expert'. Do you know any other ways through the Veil?"
”Rumor has it that there's a moment where the storm calms down which can allow us to slip through buuuuuuut...” Britney explained, turning towards Elysium Island. ”Weather controlling artifacts or abstractions could allow us to slip through... can anyone do that?”
"We sorta had a guy," Ruby said. "But-"
Their conversation was cut off by the Eustis Veil going down. Ruby and Britney's jaw dropped as they stared ahead, at a loss for words.
"... EVERYONE! TELEPORT ON NOW! IT'S GAMEDAY! LET'S GO! GO! GO!"
Ruby shouted, raising her tree branch into the air.Amelia raised her hands into the air, and a wind appeared, carrying leaves—before the majority of the group disappeared in a flash, seemingly carried away. The other teleporters did their work and teleported the rest of the three factions onto Elysium Island.
Right in the grove...
The winds coalesced at the thicket, a grove flanked by trees, and then the Greenwood Coven and various members of the 317 and Sycamore appeared.
Giving everyone little time to get their bearings, Ruby got to work.
"... Okay! We don't have time to fuck around!" Ruby said in a hushed tone as everyone scrambled together. She went from the left to the right and said, "Artifact group here; the south of the island is that way, by the way," Ruby pointed towards the south beach. Britney, Autumn, Kashmira, and Adora formed up.
"Aggro group here!" Ruby said as James, Drake, Jasmine, and Lucia formed up there.
"Support group next to them!" Ruby said as Lily, Jessica, and Amelia formed.
Finally, Ruby pointed next to them and said, "Veil group here!" Naomi and Pearl formed up on command.
Then Ruby walked front and center. She clutched her tree branch and said, "Alright, no speech. Nobody got time for that. Everyone knows what to do - if you don't, then you better figure it the fuck out," Ruby said with a nod. Veil and Artifact groups hurry up and get a move on; we're going to light the fuse in approximately five minutes. So use this time wisely."
