[center][h3]Defend a Caravan[/h3]
[@shadowkiller912][@Herecomesthesnow][@write][@chukklehed][/center]

The Taijitu attacked by Lilac played right into her ploy, hissing at the flames that charred the tender inside of its maw before giving a shrieking hiss at the ice buried in its back.  Badly wounded, it instinctively backed down, sliding beneath the edge of the caravan vehicle and leaving its four fellows to continue attacking.  Lilac, having been more focused on attacking than where her attack might end her up, continued on in the arc of her jump to land on the canyon floor in front of the vehicle—a disadvantageous position if ever there was one.  Down there, the other heads of the four Taijitus still attacking the caravan could get at her.  Two enormous snakeheads lunged at her from either side.

A ripple passed over the caravan when Estelle activated her semblance, pouring aura into it to maximize its effect.  Now that the caravan had begun moving forward, the greater weight increased its momentum.  If allowed to pick up more speed, a good chance existed that it could smack right into the Taijitu blockade and rip them from the canyon walls rather than come to an abrupt stop.  A miracle if only the senior could keep it up.  With four serpentine Grimm still looming over the vehicle in attack position, Estelle lay only a single crushing bite away from sacrificing her entire aura to save herself rather than the mission.

Fortunately, Sarina's efforts prevented her from throwing it all away just yet...or would have, if only Sarina stood next to her.  Instead, she heroically held off several Taijitus from a position a hundred feet behind the vehicle.  Just as the monstrous creatures hurled themselves toward her as one, the young woman disentangled herself and sped toward the caravan.  Landing nimbly atop it, she found an unmoving Estelle within handy devouring distance of four Taijitus, with only Sterling -who had yet to react- to back her up.  Two of the Grimm, drawn toward the aura projected by Estelle, lunged at her, while one each attacked Sterling and Estelle.  Time was short; if the group meant to escape without cutting each and every Taijitu in the colony, this moment was critically important.

[center][h3]Brewing Storm[/h3]
[@Krayzikk][@Kaithas][@NarayanK][@Suku][@Sho Minazuki][@Plank Sinatra][@Herecomesthesnow][/center]

A few moments had passed with no substantial disagreement to Benjamin's proposed plan of action.  Lauren's mention of securing drums met collective acknowledgment and affirmation, but nobody tendered the idea that the objects should be sought out before people.  From a logical standpoint, it made sense to wipe the facility clean of threats before working to gather secondary objectives.  No further deliberation among the beleaguered seven meant that the time had come for action.

Upon returning to the junction room as a single group, armed with the comforting and steadfast radiance of their new portable lantern, the students found no Grimm.  Whatever gremlins slain by their mostly-blind efforts a minute or two before had already disintegrated.  Interestingly, the body of the old man had disappeared as well.  All that remained was the choice: the stairwell to the bottom floor in one direction, and that to the top floor in the other.  Splitting off into two teams, though as acceptable a notion as any, might have led to second thoughts when some realized that the undermanned team would be the one delving past more rooms and more opposition to reach Priscilla far below.  Still, the time for objections had passed.

As JCL descended the staircase, the first obstacle that lay in their way was the Generator room.  The mechanical components that gave this chamber its function lined the rectangular room's walls, leaving much free space in between.  Seeing this as a waste, perhaps, the facility's staff had erected all sorts of tables, chairs, and workstations in the space, though a decent aisle remained through the middle for passage of personnel.  Nestled just by the doorway lay a device very much like a dumbwaiter, though conspicuously super-sized, most likely utilized for the transportation of heavy objects between floors that would otherwise be rendered terribly painstaking by stairs.  A would-be hunter with a decent memory might recall a similar chute in the junction room upstairs, as well as a heavy-looking industrial battery right beside the hallway to Traffic Control.  According to a wall plaque, the adjoining room at the opposite end of this one connected to a decontamination chamber, though for now JCL would have to take its word for it; the door was sealed shut.  No doubt this held some sort of link to the very much offline generators, which instead lay dormant.  As convenient as it would be, no fuel sources could be seen in the room, though at least the counterbalance-operated dumbwaiter would work manually.  At least, it would after the Scavenger sleeping inside it had been removed, though for now the ratlike Grimm lay unseen behind the device's shutters.

Meanwhile, the spiral staircase upward to the residence area turned out to be a problem in and of itself.  Its upper third appeared to be retractable into the walls, mostly likely for the sake of security, but by working together a strong human could boost a lighter teammate or three up to the second floor.  The residence hall itself took the form of a large, looped hallways with doors to individual rooms pockmarking its every side.  Some were closed and locked, others wide open, and all open to investigation if one got over the blood smeared on the floor.  Though nothing aside from the usual pitter-patter of presumed Grimm feet could be heard, anyone entering might feel compelled by instinct to move more quietly and deliberately than usual, lest some hidden foe burst out and lay them to waste.

[center]-=-=[@princeofhearts]=-=-[/center]

As it happened, Priscilla's eagerness to help her fellow Beacon students impaired her memory, leading her to believe the control center lay on the second floor rather than the basement floor.  Either way, she would have encountered resistance, but now the girl turned herself topsy-turvy to boot.  Immediately after exiting the Control Room, which the other survivors rushed to seal afterward, she entered the Supply Room.  Within, in addition to a floor with a vast array of clutter to snag unwary feet, stood a pair of Harpies rummaging through scattered food.  Instantly they noticed her brazen presence, squawked, and leaped into the air.  Though they hadn't much room to fly, they needed to fly in only one direction: straight at Priscilla, claws extended.