ooc: characters may be placed in scene as they please (all are in free fall). preferable posting pace is at least once a week. Open to more folk, so apply if you like in direct message to me or the ooc. Ask ALL questions.
Time: ???
Weather:
Mentions:
TLDR: characters are in free fall into several holes leading deep into the world. hive bugs are attacking anything moving in the free fall
music: youtube.com/watch?v=o_Ay_iDRAbc

Stone gave way in a thunder of dust and weight. What had been ground moments before opened into a vast throat that swallowed light, sound, and anything caught within it. The pull came hard and fast, dragging bodies, beasts, and broken earth into a single plunging column that narrowed and widened in turns like a living tunnel.

Michael dropped with the rest, his breath torn from him by the rush. Wind roared past his ears as the shaft stretched below in a dim glow cast by veins of pale crystal set within the stone. The light flickered along the walls in streaks, enough to mark distance and motion without ever settling. Shapes fell around him at uneven intervals. A wagon wheel spun end over end. A slab of rock tumbled past. A figure turned in the air, close enough to reach with effort. Some timbers and stone block remains of a town left to waste after the war in east empire accompanied Michael in his fall.

The descent tightened. The walls drew closer, guiding everything into a single stream. The air itself seemed to press inward, shaping their path. A drifting body that pushed too far to one side found itself eased back toward the center, as if the space allowed movement but refused escape. The pull held steady, unyielding, and the speed built to a violent rush that promised ruin to anything that tried to halt it outright.

A tremor ran through the falling mass as something large entered the stream. Chitin caught the crystal light in dull flashes. One of the hive bugs spun through the air, limbs spread wide to steady itself before it lashed out at the nearest shape. Another followed close behind, its bulk carving a path through smaller debris as it angled toward movement with blind aggression. They were about 10ft tall but not quite as wide, their forms built for tunnels , and their instinct drove them to strike even as the fall claimed them all.

Lauren barely had any time to react to the sudden tremor before the hole claimed anyone and anything within its reach, witholding her urge to scream as she frantically looked around herself. She had been enjoying the weather while trying to fix a broken component for one of her machines in her manufacturing facility, having nearly finished up the lengthy repair work. It didn't matter anymore though, as now the component was lost amidst all of the debris. She was thankful that she didn't decide to just fix it at home or at the facility, if only for the fact that she got to enjoy the nice weather before this possible death sentence... She was going to die. Almost certainly death was assured, with the only silver lining being that it'd be an instant death upon landing. Still, she took a moment to gather her thoughts and assess the situation more thoroughly, noticing something unusual about the way everything around her seemed to fall.

What she noticed was that the debris along the edges of the hole were being nudged back toward the center of the hole, without ever having actually touched the sides. Yeah, this was looking to be a deliberate act of god as opposed to any form of coincidence, feeling a bit of frustration well up in her before a bigger issue started making itself apparent. Not only was everything caught up in the fall now accelerating down into the abyss faster, she could practically hear the walls of the hole tightening around her as the air grew more turbulent at the edges. Lauren opted to push one of her feet against a nearby tree stump falling down next to her towards one of several trees the hole had swallowed hole along with her, its large size and fragile branches hopefully being enough to slow her down enough to survive once she and it hit the bottom of the hole... At least, she hoped it had a bottom and didn't just turn her into elf puree.

As Lauren clung to the falling tree the sound of more tremors had her sweating out of nervousness, her eyes going wide as the glow of the crystal veins within the walls of the hole showed something else moving. Her eyes caught a glimpse of chitin before seeing giant flying insects attacking some of the flying debris, her prosthetic gripping onto one of the trees branches as her good hand reached for her weapon. It felt good to have a proper firearm in her grasp now, especially as it would be a massive help in taking down flying enemies from range. Without hesitation she opened fire on any of the hive bugs that got too close to her, putting her firearm training into practice as she descended further down into the hole.

-Actions:-
1. Propell herself towards one of the trees that had fallen down with her in the hole.
2-3. Use her FN-P90 alongside her firearm training (fighting style) to shoot any of the Hive bugs that get too close. Relevant weapon/fighting style below.
|-| Item Type: Weapon (Submachine Gun | FN-P90)
Skills:
Regeneration B
|-| Fighting Style [Gunslinger] B
Technique Cores:
Blight [Piercing] F
Range F
Penetrating F
Spreading F
Selective F

Jareth

One minute Jareth had been standing with Michael in the ruins of an Otenzian town. The next the ground fell out from under him and he was falling. Daylight was replaced by the pale glow of strange gems embedded in a seemingly unending pitfall. Though the glow allowed sight, Jareth felt like he was blind all the same with no ground beneath his feet.

Instinctively, he began looking around for Michael, who had been only a few feet from him a moment ago. The air around him was littered with rubble and assorted parts and pieces of the surface world. It quickly became apparent that inanimate materials weren't the only thing that followed them down below: scritching, crawling, hissing pests made their presence known through frantic flailing strikes at anything within reach.

Seeing them steady themselves on large pieces of debris was the only worthwhile contribution they offered Jareth, who sought to do the same. Scanning his vicinity, there was a portion of wall somewhat close by that he decided to navigate towards. He quickly found that air was not as easy to "swim" through as water, however, as his flailing was mostly unproductive in moving him in the desired direction.

Suddenly, the air fluxuated oddly and he found himself pushed somewhat closer to his objective. Though this was initially seen as a favorable happenstance, that delusion quickly left as something very big and very heavy could be heard smashing through the air overhead. When Jareth finally managed to reach the wall, he looked up to behold an elite bug menacing the air overhead.

"Michael?!" Jareth called hopefully into the whistling air of the tunnel. As the bugs drew closer, Jareth spoke to his companion, "Fleet activate the Particle Armor." A fountain of black material blossomed from Jareth's shoulder as the peculiar medium of the fabriken infused his own sand to form a shell around his form not too different from the shells of the bugs.

Actions: 1) move to large debris, 2) scan for michael, 3) activate armor

Ao Ba

Ao Ba was sure she was foraging for herbs and mushrooms in a forest on Ryken outskirt, but now somehow she found herself falling through a suspiciously deep hole, alongside people, monsters and objects that weren't anywhere around her on the surface. Some sort of mana phenomenon? Maybe. Her current priority should be to land safely, and if possible help the others do the same.

That would be easier said than done though. The wind friction made her long hair and loose foraging clothes flailing wildly, while the bamboo basket strapped behind her back rattles as if the wind would rip it away anytime soon. She tied her hair into one large bun-shaped lump above her head to make it less inconvenient before she notices one of the giant bug heading towards her.

Ao Ba didn't see anywhere to run to so instead of moving away, she suddenly vanished and reappeared right on top of the falling bug, then hugged it tightly from behind. Hopefully this position would keep her away from the bug's reach while letting the bug take the direct hit should they finally stopped falling.

Action(Energized E):
1) Teleport F to move behind the bug
2) Hug bug with Superstrength F

Time had always been a fickle thing.

Sometimes it slipped through trembling fingers before one even realized it was gone. Other times it stretched endlessly, forcing every painful heartbeat to linger far longer than it should. A year of memories shared with someone dear could vanish in an instant, becoming little more than fragile bubbles swallowed by the sea. Bonds of trust and romance could burn away beneath the weight of revelation in mere seconds.

Time rarely cared what mortals wished of it.

And as the earth vanished beneath Aedrianna’s feet, time slowed once more.

The last several weeks had been spent carefully, almost delicately; trying to rebuild what had once existed between herself and Noelle Nishi. Somehow, impossibly, the siren had lost memories of the friendship they once shared together. Torn away. Stolen. Left hollow in places Aedrianna still remembered vividly, now that her own memories had been returned.

Yet even without those memories, Noelle had still smiled the same way.

Still listened with that familiar patience.

And slowly, piece by piece, Aedrianna had convinced her to travel together again. To wander. To adventure. To place distance between herself and Lord Stormcrest after learning the truth surrounding his benefactor.

Noelle had simply become the perfect reason to leave.

They had been walking through a market in one of Ryke’s smaller cities only moments ago. Browsing trinkets. Comparing foods. Laughing quietly between stalls beneath the afternoon sun.

Then the world broke. Stone collapsed beneath them with a deafening roar. Aedrianna barely had time to gasp before gravity seized her.

The sky vanished.

Wind screamed past her ears as dirt, shattered timber, and broken stone tumbled alongside her into the abyss below. Her body twisted violently end over end through the darkness.

Feet down.

Then head down.

Then sideways.

Again.

Again.

Her stomach lurched sickeningly as the world became a blur of crystal light and shadowed stone. Loose strands of pastel-streaked hair whipped wildly across her face while the rushing air tore the breath from her lungs.

For one horrifying moment, instinct threatened to overwhelm her. Panic clawed at her chest. Her eyes squeezed shut as she forced herself to breathe.

In.

Out.

Focus.

There was no ground in sight. That realization alone sent ice through her veins.

Still falling. Still no end. At least that meant she still had time.

Aedrianna forced herself to spread her weight outward, flattening herself horizontally against the violent stream of air in hopes of slowing the descent even slightly. The pressure buffeted against her limbs as debris whipped past from every direction.

A wagon wheel spun past close enough to shatter bone.

A beam of timber tumbled end over end beneath her.

Something large screamed somewhere deeper below.

"NOELLE?!"

Her voice vanished almost immediately into the roaring shaft, swallowed by distance and rushing wind before it could properly echo back to her.

Blue violet eyes snapped open again as she twisted sharply aside, narrowly avoiding a jagged slab of falling stone. Another shape passed nearby.

Not debris.

A bug.

A massive one.

Her heart seized violently as memory flashed through her mind, hittering tunnels, the Queen’s nest, suffocating heat and bodies writhing through the dark.

For half a second she froze. Then her jaw tightened.

"...I hate bugs." [Bugged]

Light gathered instantly along her fingertips, brilliant against the darkness as mana surged through her hand in radiant strands of gold and pale blue. Her eyes locked onto the nearest creatures spiraling through the descent alongside them.

And then she fired.

Actions:
1. Gather bearings and slightly slow descent by spreading weight horizontally against the airflow.
2. Avoid debris and nearby hive bugs while falling.
3. [Light Arrows] - [Magic] B, [Affinity: Light] F, [Magic Range] D, [Selective Magic] D, [Magic Targets] F
Aedrianna fires 10 concentrated light arrows from her fingertips toward nearby hive bugs within range. (Grade B, Cool downs 4 posts)

The forest had long since gone quiet. Only the crackle of a small fire and the occasional chirp of night insects disturbed the stillness beneath the trees. A short distance from the flames, a woman with long blue hair sat beside a makeshift table fashioned from the flat-cut end of a log, its surface scattered with springs, screws, and carefully machined metal components that caught the firelight in dull silver glints.

One piece clicked into another with a soft chk.

Yumi paused, her azure eyes narrowing as she turned the mechanism over in her hands, lightly brushing her thumb along the seam. For a moment, the faintest hint of satisfaction crossed her expression. However, her brow furrowed a bit when she tested its movement.

Better, but not quite.

With a quiet exhale, she reached for a smaller spring beside the table and began disassembling the mechanism again with practiced patience. Tiny adjustments. Fractional differences in tension. Alignment. Weight. Everything needed to move smoothly, every failure point had to be accounted for before she trusted it.

Beside her, partially wrapped in dark cloth, rested the shape of a larger device. Barely visible beneath the fabric were dark lengths of metal and a silhouette too angular to be mistaken for anything ordinary.

Yumi studied it silently for a few moments before finally setting her tools aside. Carefully, she lifted the object into her lap and pressed a small recessed switch near its side.

Chk—clack-clack.

The mechanism shifted immediately. Sections folded inward with smooth, practiced precision. Metal slid over metal in compact layers as the larger shape compressed itself piece by piece until it rested in her hands as a dense rectangular form not much longer than her forearm. The transformation took less than a second.

This time, the smile that crossed her face lingered a little longer. In theory, the device was complete and ready for use, but she still wasn’t quite satisfied enough to move on to the field testing stage. She wrapped the compact object tightly in cloth once more before setting it beside her within arm’s reach. After feeding one final branch into the fire, Yumi leaned her back against the stump that served as her seat back. She nestled the haft of a massive scythe diagonally across her chest, its blade angled safely away from her, but still ready at a moment's notice. Her fingers closed fondly around the leather grip as she quickly nodded off to sleep.

Above her, dark branches swayed softly against the night sky, and before long, the forest returned to silence.

---

Morning came cold and gray beneath the forest canopy. By the time Yumi set out toward town, her camp had already vanished without a trace. Tools and carefully wrapped metal components rested securely inside the pack on her back beside the unfinished mechanism, while her scythe remained sheathed behind her shoulder as always.

Yumi slowed suddenly, her eyes narrowing slightly as a strange rumble vibrated through the soles of her boots.

Then the ground shook.

A violent tremor tore through the forest floor beneath her boots. Birds burst from the canopy as nearby trees groaned loudly against shifting earth. Before Yumi could fully steady herself, a deafening crack split the air around her…

…and the ground gave way.

Her eyes widened as the earth directly under her feet collapsed into darkness. Dirt, stone, and roots vanished downward in an instant, dragging her with them as the forest floor caved inward around her. Wind roared upward from the depths as countless gigantic bugs began appearing amidst the debris.

Rock and shattered roots tore past Yumi in the darkness as the sinkhole widened around her, smaller tunnels and collapsing caverns merging into something vast enough to swallow entire forests whole. Wind screamed upward hard enough to whip her cloak violently around her body.

Then the hole opened wider still.

Yumi’s eyes widened slightly as the darkness below suddenly expanded into a massive central chasm. Countless streams of debris poured into it from every direction like rivers feeding a black sea. And caught up in it were the shapes of people. Small silhouettes tumbled through the void far beneath her, scattered among the falling rubble.

Without hesitation, Yumi moved. Her foot struck a falling slab of stone just long enough to redirect herself before she launched away from it at a downward angle.

She drew her scythe as she landed atop the shell of one of the massive buzzing creatures, pausing just briefly enough to catch her balance. The blade flashed and plunged into the creature’s face, causing it to take a nosedive. She kept a tight grip on the weapon as she turned it upside down and launched herself downward again, wrenching the blade free as she did so.

Again and again, she propelled off of anything she could get a foot onto, each point of contact another step in a rapid descent through the collapsing abyss, her trajectory narrowing steadily toward the falling figures below.

---

Actions:
1-2: Buggalo Rodeo | Grade D

[Fighting Style: Scythe] D [Fast] E [Acrobatics] E [Jumping] F
2 post cooldown
One action used to stab face, the second for movement.

3: Human Pinball | Grade E

[Fast] E [Acrobatics] E [Jumping] F
1 post cooldown
Additional movement; the idea is that, between the two movement actions, she's effectively accelerating downward to catch up to those at terminal velocity.

Cooldowns:
E - 0/1 | D - 0/2

One moment Shael had been in stable ground in the Fae See somewhere and now she was free falling in some sort of cavernous space. The Lune Elf forced her initial surprise away when she realized the ground was literally falling away and now she was falling herself. Given Shael had been in the forest, she attempted to stabilize herself on a trunk or a stone quickly while she traveled down quickly. She didn’t have much to say at the moment other than to act, even if she did possibly take notice of others taking decisive action as well, as long as they weren't proving a threat, she was very much focused on dealing with any would be monsters and making sure that she didn't get killed in the process.

Immediately a scowl fell upon her face when she saw that there were those monstrous insects, the sorts that she had killed before around and about that she could recognize even as she fell But assuming she was able to stabilize herself some even if she noticed the others who she had been falling with, she was quick to try to increase her chance of survival, now was not the time for socialization. She’d take her Eclipse Lunen Elf Catalyst Bow B and open fire with poisonous Lune elf arrows on any insects that seemed to get too close for comfort if she were able too on her way down,

Actions 1&2 Using: On the Move Nightshade Shrapnel- [Specialize] Fighting Style [Eclipse] D , Range D, Area D, Continuing (poison) D,Blight [Piercing] D, Hot Shot, D Bane [Monster] E, Acrobatics F, Fast F, Steady Hands D Energized D, Selective D,

Shael takes a shot to try to strike a critical area on target using a specialized lune elf arrow with a poison designed to deal extra damage to monsters using an arrow which explodes into tainted shrapnel which potentially poisons more targets, while Shael is on the move acrobatically.

"Hey! Watch out! You’re traveling down too fast! Slow down!"

"Thanks Nada," Yume answered the glowing clockwork pixie. Next time, she’d just bring a lantern. At least she could see… kinda. Lots of rock.

"Honey, you really should be more careful…"

"Thanks Mom!" Yume shouted, sarcasm growing more impatient. "Next time I go to buy bread, I’ll be sure to watch out for the ’Pitfall trap to hell’ sign! Can’t you do that dream thing and whip us up a parachute!?"

"It doesn’t really work that way, honey…"

"Of course it doesn’t…"

Yume’s eyes scanned the abyss. Lots of crap everywhere. Bricks from the road, a few market stalls, even the side of the bakery they were headed toward — sadly, no bread with it. Then, trees and clumps of dirt. Was it her imagination, or was the junk multiplying!?

"Mmkay, I’ll figure out something."

Focusing in on the collapsed wall of the bakery, Yume held out a hand, glowing with a purple energy as her [Telepathy (Maximum, Concentration II)] pulled it just beneath the two silver-haired women. The wall croaked and moaned as it caught the air and slowed their fall, bits breaking off as bricks from above struck it like meteors.

Slowly but surely, their descent began to slow. At least until Yume noticed the giant shadow approaching, looking to see the massive, shelled monstrosity careening down like a building-sized bullet.

"Eek!!"

[Concentration Broken SHATTERED]

A good thing too, as the wall resumed falling just quick enough to evade the insta-kill: just out of reach. For now.

Yume frantically waved her staff like a newspaper, as if it might paddle herself down just a bit faster. "Someone do something, I can’t cast under these conditions!"

"Yume, this monster looks dangerous!"

"Shut up, Nada!"

@CinderRadcliff

Suddenly, the bug flinched, the side erupting into a series of cracks. Bullets!? Yume whipped around, catching sight of the storm trooper girl clinging to a tree. "Miss, help! We’ve fallen into the wrong genre! Get us out of here!"

Actions
1. Impotent Telepathy F(C)

It’s been about a month now since the events at the fair in the duchy. Noelle found herself wandering the world together with this girl named Aedrianna. Although her memories told her she had never met this girl before. Something inside the mermaid said that she should stay close to her. And it was not the other voice, although it does seem to agree that staying close to the blonde girl was going to lead to some "Interesting" things to come. Although the tone of it did leave Noelle worried about what the voice meant by it.

This has brought them to where this story starts. A marketplace in one of Ryken’s small cities. The two were walking through the market. Browsing around and having a good time. Noelle had gotten slightly peckish, so she offered to get some snacks for the two of them. But really, Noelle just wanted some sweet cinnamon rolls she saw at one of the stalls earlier. But as she stepped away to get the snacks. That was when it happened. A sudden tremor, and then the light of day started to fade as the market collapsed into a giant hole.

The wind was rushing as Noelle fell down the hole. Debris from the world above is falling all around her. "w̵a̷k̸e̶ ̵u̷p̵ ̴d̶a̶r̶l̸i̴n̴g̷" Noelle snapped to reality, realising the situation she was in. She was able to stabilise her positioning dodging some pieces of debris "N̵o̶ ̶t̶i̷m̸e̸ ̵t̴o̸ ̵e̴n̴j̷o̸y̸ ̴t̸h̷e̷ ̵v̵i̵e̸w̵.̴ ̸w̷e̸ ̷g̴o̶t̴ ̷c̷o̴m̶p̸a̷n̶y̵" The voice suddenly announced. Sudden flashes of hardened chitin shot through the shaft. A quick examination Noelle was able to locate the source. With everything that had fallen from the surface, several hive bugs had also joined the freefall and were attacking things. "Shit! Shit! This is not good. "u̷n̵f̴o̴r̵t̶u̵n̷a̵t̸e̸ ̴s̴o̷.̵ ̶A̸n̶d̶ ̵s̸a̷d̶l̴y̵ ̷I̶ ̶d̸o̵n̸'̸t̸ ̴t̸h̵i̵n̵k̴ ̷t̶h̶e̷s̸e̵ ̴d̶i̸r̴t̶ ̶c̵o̴c̸k̴r̸o̸a̸c̵h̷e̵s̸ ̶a̶r̶e̸ ̷s̵m̶a̵r̴t̵ ̸e̸n̴o̵u̸g̴h̶ ̵t̴o̵ ̴s̵t̴o̴p̵,̵ ̸e̵v̵e̵n̸ ̸i̶f̸ ̸I̵ ̵w̴o̵u̶l̶d̵ ̷a̶s̶k̷ ̸t̶h̴e̶m̴ ̸o̴h̶ ̵s̷o̵ ̸"̵n̶i̴c̴e̶l̸y̵"̴.̵.̸.̴ ̶s̷u̶c̶h̶ ̸a̴ ̵s̷h̷a̷m̸e̴ ̵r̸e̵a̴l̶l̸y̶"" YOU’RE NOT HELPING!

The bugs didn’t seem to have noticed Noelle yet. But it was only a matter of time until they did. She carefully pulled her instrument from her sack. A quick glance down revealed that there was no bottom in sight of this well yet. That meant she could fully focus on repelling the bugs for the time being. She was ready to cast a spell until she heard a familiar voice carried in the wind calling out her name. "MISS!?" Noelle yelled out and frantically looked around for Aedrianna. She quickly spotted the girl nearby gathering magical energy in her fingers and firing it towards the bugs. "MISS!!" Noelle adjusted her posture to move her towards her friend as one would move through water. Once she reached Aedrianna, Noelle placed her hands on Aedri’s shoulder "Calm down! It’s okay… i’m here"
Noelle let go of Aedri’s shoulder and floats a little bit up, taking her harp in hand "Miss… quick! Cover your ears. This might hurt" She said before she screamed, unleashing [Bug repelling sonic blast] a giant wave of high-pitched sound was blasted into the shaft aimed to blast the bugs in a fifty-foot radius around her out of the air.
"That… That should do it for now" Noelle said catching her breath. She hoped this would avert the threat of the hive bugs for the time being.
"s̶e̷r̴v̵e̷s̶ ̷t̵h̸o̷s̶e̵ ̸c̴a̶v̶e̷ ̶r̵o̸a̵c̵h̴e̷s̸ ̷w̶e̷l̶l̵.̶.̴.̴ ̴b̵u̸t̴ ̸I̶ ̴d̴o̴ ̴h̴o̶p̸e̸ ̴y̶o̷u̴ ̵s̶t̸i̶l̷l̵ ̸h̵a̷v̴e̶ ̷e̸n̶o̷u̴g̵h̵ ̵p̶o̴w̴e̶r̶ ̸l̵e̵f̸t̵ ̴t̶o̵ ̵d̶e̷a̵l̸ ̸w̷i̶t̸h̴.̵.̵.̴ ̷Y̴o̶u̷ ̶k̴n̴o̷w̶.̶.̴.̸ ̸t̶h̸i̵s̸ ̶f̷a̵l̵l̴ ̵w̸i̵l̴l̷ ̶h̶a̵v̸e̶ ̸t̸o̴ ̶e̵n̸d̸ ̴a̵t̶ ̶s̵o̸m̴e̶ ̷p̸o̵i̴n̴t̷.̶.̴.̴"

ooc: in free fall, solid anything is fake and attacks will create a recoil to launch characters spinning, tumbling or similar. Selective isn't as effective then as picking out allies in a dizzying tumble will be nearly impossible.
Time: ???
Weather:
Mentions:
TLDR: party members fill the chasm with attacks. everyone gets to make defense action or face some attack by the party as well as any other hazard that may be still in play.
music: youtube.com/watch?v=o_Ay_iDRAbc

The pull deeper in the shaft continued strengthening. Attempts to stop, fly, or sharply redirect movement still resulted in bodies getting dragged back into the main descent stream. Strong movements carried recoil. Gunfire, spells, and heavy swings risked spinning or redirecting anyone who failed to brace properly.

Lauren successfully redirected herself onto the falling tree. The trunk gave her a stable platform briefly before the pull equalized her speed with the rest of the debris. She killed a hive bug that drifted too close, though the recoil from the burst sent both her and the tree into a dangerous sideways spin. She may need to brace or risk being thrown loose/getting clocked by the tree itself as it spun. (Lauren defense action)

Fleet successfully armored Jareth before one of the larger hive bugs collided with him. The impact failed to injure him but launched him away from the center group while the bug tumbled off with broken limbs. Michael answered Jareth's call from farther down the shaft.

"Jareth! I hear you!"

Michael continued struggling against the pull with little success.

"Something is pulling us down! Can you sense anything?!"

Michael's eyes started to glow as he considered his own recommendation.

Ao Ba successfully latched onto the hive bug. The creature immediately began thrashing violently while continuing its descent. Falling debris struck both the bug and Ao Ba repeatedly. (Ao Ba will need a Block action to remain mounted and unharmed.)

Aedrianna killed one hive bug outright in an explosion of light. The recoil from the first shot sent her spinning heavily through the air, causing the remaining light arrows to scatter unpredictably through the shaft. Nearby allies and bugs alike had to avoid the stray projectiles. (ALL characters must make defense actions or face shiny destruction)

Yumi successfully killed another hive bug and accelerated enough to reach several of the other falling characters. Her movement now carried her close to the main descent group.

Shael held fire while the nearby space filled with stray light arrows and sonic force. Most nearby bugs either died or scattered toward more isolated targets farther down the shaft.

Noelle managed to drift close enough to Aedrianna to unleash her sonic blast. The attack devastated the remaining nearby hive bugs and sent several crashing into debris or tunnel walls. The blast also struck the bug Ao Ba rode, causing it to lurch sideways into another debris field. Ao Ba and the bug were both battered by the impacts. (Ao Ba's required block action just got higher difficulty)

New hazards emerged ahead. Massive black spires rose through the center of the chasm and split the falling stream into narrower lanes. Several hive bugs collided with the formations and exploded apart across the stone. One partially survived impalement and continued clawing at nearby targets while pinned to the spire.

The narrowing descent separated portions of the group briefly as debris and surviving bugs were funneled between different gaps in the spires. (Anyone failing movement or defensive actions risked collision with the formations at terminal velocity and/or potentially a tight fall with an oversized bug.)

Jareth
| Human | Ryken Adventurer D | Sandman | Mazerunner |
| Comrade | Champion of the West |



Fleet finished manifesting the armor just in time. Whether Jareth's yelling had attracted it, or it was helplessly sent his way by the strange forces of the space, a large bug careened into him. Jareth had time to do little else but instinctively raise his hands in front of him in an impromptu defense. The bug would collide with him, knocking him free of the wall he had perched on, as its appendages lashed out at its perceived catch.

To Jareth's surprise, without even mounting a proper defense, he found that he barely felt the impact of the bug's strikes. Furthermore, the limbs that struck him catastrophically imploded upon contacting him, crumpling around his form or completely severing from the bug in the process. As Jareth drifted away from the bug, who was now short a few functional limbs, his bewildered stare shifted between his blackened arms and the damaged bug.

It was Michael's answer to his call that shook him from his self-reflection. The azure fellow's voice was coming from below. What does Jareth sense? In open air??

"I sense that we're falling, my friend!" Jareth calls back as a burst of light catches his eye. "...And that we're not alone!" He added as streams of light burst from somewhere overhead, nailing the large bug hurtling down with everything else. This would have been good if not for the subsequent streams of light now swirling and richocheting around the space. Having been knocked away by the bug, Jareth was out in the open and mostly exposed. As the bolt of light was about to connect, Jareth's body disintegrated in a cloud of particulate before reassembling.

Disperse [Sandman title; Change State F] - F Grade - Jareth disperses his body temporarily into a cloud of sand.

Assuming he is able, Jareth would try to sway himself out of danger of the oncoming spires. If Michael was in view, Jareth would try and steer himself over to him if it was safe to do so.

Actions: 1) cast Disperse ability, 2) Movement action to dodge spire, 3) Second move action to dodge spire if necessary
Cooldowns: F (Ready) | E (Ready) | D (Ready)
Regen in 4 posts

Ao Ba

"Ah, beautiful firework." Ao Ba watched various debris and projectiles of light coming to her. She wanted to just stay and hope everything will turn out fine, but sometimes one must take the fate onto their own hand.

"Bye, buggy." Ao Ba let go of her grip, turning the bug's thrashing into a momentum that threw her away.

She squinted her eyes, relying more on her other senses to detect the incoming dangers. She raised her hand and strike the first incoming debris with open palm, the attack simply kill the debris momentum instad of destroying it.

1...

Several more debris coming, Ao Ba dispatched them all in the same way. Quick, gentle, silent.

12...

Next were the light projectiles. She wasn't sure where that's coming from but that doesn't matter. She thrusted her palm into it, her chi harden the light so her bare fist can shatters it safely.

13...

More debris incoming.

21...

36...

Once there's no danger coming, Ao Ba stared at the lines of spires beneath them all. She teleported herself within short distance, just to make sure that she wouldn't be impaled by the spire or grabbed by the bug.

Action:
1) [Consciousness expansion] Heightened sense (hearing) F, danger sense F
2) 108 sun-flattening palm - Fighting style(nat. weapon) B, Enervating B, Non-lethal B, Hardening F, Area F, Selective F - Perform up to 108 precise palm strikes within split seconds. Affects area 5ft around the user and only attack dangers. Immaterial objects will have hardness F when clashing with the technique. Does not kill and will temporarily disable B grade or lower ability of affected creatures.- B grade - 4 turn cooldown
3) Attack combo
4) Quick transmission - Teleport F - Teleport up to 10ft

While the hectic scene continued to unfold around her, Shael had quite a few things to deal with avoiding. First there was some sort of stray magical attack which had been shot off probably to try to kill some of the monsters that had been showing up. But Shael did not have much time to think about that, first she’d attempt to dodge any incoming stray magic coming toward her.

Her expression didn’t shift from one of focus and seriousness when she paid attention to the next upcoming obstacle, as she attempted to shift herself through the air using her lune elf silk cloak some by taking either side in her hands, and shifting away from the upcoming rock spires, then using another movement to try to avoid any other obstacles rock or otherwise.

Shael Actions:
1. Attempt to dodge magic attacks with:
Lucky Maneuvers - Acrobatics F + Fast F + Lucky F + Focus + Energized F.

Shael attempts to perform an acrobatic action(s) and or dodge with some focus and fae luck involved to avoid the worst outcome. - Grade F 0 post cooldown (Energized)

2. Attempt to dodge upcoming rock spires with:
Aerial Maneuver - Acrobatics F + Fast F + Focus + Energized F.
Shael attempts to perform acrobatic action(s) and or dodge with some focus to hopefully succeed.
Grade F 0 post cooldown (Energized)

3. Attempt to maneuver in air to avoid more hazards in the cavernous space, bugs, rocks, attacks ect.

The platform lurched, rattling like it was weathering a hurricane, bits and pieces ripping off the sides as it tried to resist a pull which was far too great.

"Come on, hold it together!" Yume begged, just in time for a beam of light to rip through the surface. She leapt back to evade, toppling over the side, and before she could even process what just happened, it was well out of reach. "Crap! Where did that come from!?"

@Moonberry

Her eyes narrowed, settling on the mass of sparkly blonde hair below. "Of course it's you..." she groaned, narrowing to a pin and speeding her descent to approach Aedrianna.

"Heya," Yume called, forcing a casual tone despite her stomach slapping against her throat. "Crazy, meeting you like this. Do you come here often?" She deftly adjusted her angle of descent to avoid a passing obsidian-colored spike of insta-death, throwing Aedrianna a mischievous grin. "I'd offer to fix your brain if it's still screwed up, but I'm a little busy not getting impaled."

@Novama

Her next thought was interrupted by a shout she couldn't help responding to...

Hands cupped to her mouth...

"It's called gravity, doofus!"

She knew exactly what Michael meant.

Actions
1. Basic Dodge (Lasers) [SPD A]
2. Basic Dodge (Spikes) [SPD A]

The air rushed past her in a dizzying rush as she spun out of control. That had been stupid. Very stupid. She wasn't thinking clearly at all. When Noelle appeared at her side and settled her spinning, she stared in horror as her magic shot out towards other unfortunate souls.

She and Noelle weren't any luckier. The magic bounced off something and came flying back at them. She yelped and threw up a barrier in a knee jerk reaction. A Glyph of light magic appearing in a circle in front of them. [Light Barrier]

The barrier was barely summoned, when Aedri caught sight of some of the other souls that where trying not to die as they fell. One specifically evoked a number of emotions from her. Which she really didn't feel like she had the time to properly proccess. And so the only words that came out were....

"You!!" She pointed at the white haired golden eyed girl with a certain level of excitement and indignation. Of course, the pillar of rock and dirt that she was about to slam into kept her too busy to properly converse with the strangely familiar acquaintance.

Another yelp escaped her as she tried to push away from the oncoming pillar. Her foot finding purchase on a light barrier that formed just beneath her foot. Like a stepping stone suddenly appearing in the air.

Actions:

1. [Light Barrier] - [Componentless Magic] D, [Magic] D, [Barrier] F, [Affinity: Light] F, [Hardening] F, [Energized] F: Character summons a light barrier to block an oncoming attack. (Grade D, Cool down 2 posts)
2. [Stepping Glyph] - [Magic] E, [Affinity: Light] F, [Hardening] F , [Energized] F: Character forms a glyph of light in the air and pushes off of it. (Grade E, Cool down 1)

Cool Downs

B 1/4
D 0/2
E 0/1

Lauren found herself grateful for the fact that she had clung onto the tree as the hail of bullets from her P90 riddled the hive bug's chitin exoskeleton full of holes, as the sheer size and mass of the towering trunk of spruce had helped with curbing the recoil of her gun. Still, the recoil was still enough to send the tree gently spinning top to bottom like a carousel, and a tree that moves didn't make for much of an anchor. For now at least it didn't seem like any more hive bugs were going to be flying her way, her eyes getting a good look at her surroundings to find that the tree was starting to spiral towards a nasty looking field of debris. Worse still, it seemed that someone else had lost control of their spell, with the erupting lightshow sending a few stray beams of light her way as well. Without much time to think the familiar glow of her [Holographic Great-Shield] formed at her side, quickly adjusting the parameters away from their default settings to form a bubble around herself before leaping off of the bark of the tree. With how hastily she had jumped away from the tree she had focused more on jumping towards the source of the spell, though she hoped that her protective barrier would keep her safe for the time being.

As she drifted towards some of the others falling down the hole with her Lauren briefly locked eyes with the person who had casted the spell, though her attention quickly shifted toward the rapidly approaching spikes down below. Stashing her gun under her coat for the time being she adjusted its strap and moved to grab hold of whoever was closest to her, the glow of her [Holographic Great-Shield] reforming around her as she refreshed its durability and adjusted the parameters once more.
"Please refrain from such a lightshow next time, not all of us have the luxury of creating shields or barriers!" Lauren yelled a warning to Aedri as her holographic projection took the form of a windglider, her hands getting a good grasp of its shimmering surface while she pressed her legs against the footbar in the back as best she could. Having used her shield as much as she has since that fateful day she was confident that this improvised solution would work, the wings of the windglider cutting through the air roaring around her as she used it to elegantly maneuver through the air to avoid the spikes.



@Moonberry

---

Yumi hummed calmly to herself as she drew close enough to make out what the others trapped in this freefall looked like. Her eyes quickly assessed the situation:

1. Falling rocks and debris everywhere
2. Giant bugs flying around
3. Stone spires of stone skewering straight up from the abyss
4. Some crazy mage shooting fucking lasers everywhere

A familiar, snarky voice reached her ears. Her gaze snapped directly onto the speaker, a familiar drill-haired witch. A heavy sigh of resignation escaped her lips. This day just keeps getting better, doesn’t it? she silently complained with a smirk and a slight shake of her head.

The light of the magic bolts glinted off the blade of her scythe as it plunged into the back of a nearby bug. It screeched inhumanly as the sudden added weight caused it to roll over backwards. Yumi used the momentum of the rotation to swing herself forward and narrowly dodge the bolt that was heading toward her, which obliterated the bug instead.

As the weapon came free, she twisted her torso just enough to avoid being skewed by a rising spire. The scythe flashed as it hooked around it, biting into the stone. The ear-grating screech of metal against stone immediately echoed around her as she spiraled downward around the spire.

Yumi gritted her teeth as the weapon vibrated violently in her hands. Kuso, she cursed to herself as she noticed the sparks coming off the weapon. She knew this was as good a way as any to destroy a blade. "Ato sukoshi..." she muttered, quietly encouraging her beloved weapon to hang in there.

As she rotated around toward Yume, the girl who had set off the light show, and the one who did the sonic attack, Yumi planted her feet firmly against the spire, pulling up on the scythe to keep her in place as she tensed her legs. A split second later, she jumped downward, making sure to unhook the blade as she accelerated downward toward them. She pulled her limbs in tight to reduce drag and speed up to join them. As she drew near Yume, spread her limbs again to match her descent before tapping her shoulder and pointing at the one with fins around her ears. "And here I was thinking YOU were the loud one!" she shouted over the noise of the wind.

---

Actions:
1: Buggalo Rodeo | Grade F

[Fighting Style: Scythe] F [Fast] F [Acrobatics] F [Energized] F
0 post cooldown
Stab butt and swing to dodge beam.

2-3: Human Corkscrew | Grade F

[Fighting Style: Scythe] F [Fast] F [Acrobatics] F [Jumping] F [Energized] F
0 post cooldown
Control descent around spire with scythe, then jump downward. Extra action for covering distance if needed.

Cooldowns:
E - 1/1 | D - 1/2

---

Pings: @Moonberry @Tau @Tellussoil

The sonic blast decimated the hive bugs within range while sparing most other creatures and things. Or at least not worse harm due to her loud screaming. They still were in great peril to begin with. So if anyone were put in any more peril due to uncontrolled magical shenanigans, that can all be blamed on Nova The hole.

Noelle had no time to relish in her destruction as Aedri’s stray non-directional lasers were now causing havoc. "EEK!!" Noelle exclaimed as she hurriedly moved around, grazing the laser beams like a true Touhou protagonist. "That was a close one" Noelle stabilised herself "You okay?" She yelled towards Aedrianna.
In the meantime, multiple other people have made their presence known. No one, Noelle could remember having been in the town square when the hole appeared. So where did all these people come from? Among them was this girl with white drill-shaped hair. Did she make these holes with those drills? No, that is not possible. But there was something about her. As if Noelle had met her before. Well, one thing is for sure. Lorelei didn’t like the sight of this girl.
But none of this is of any importance at this moment because everyone had something bigger to worry about… the stone spires they were coursing to at high speed.

Noelle had to think fast about how to ensure she ended up in a safe position. "Here goes nothing" She clutched her harp as she aligned herself vertically and started spinning around her vertical axis. With the strum of her finger, Noelle drew in the ambient moisture, forming a watery shield around her in the shape of a cone, twisting around like a whirlpool. The plan was that the water shield would absorb the blow if she were to hit one of the spires, and due to the shield's angled form and her spinning movement, when it hits the spire, it would cushion the blow and divert her momentum away from it, keeping Noelle safe. It was a bit of a Hail Mary. But better to try something than to end up skewered on the rocks.

ooc: last round before arrival. make final posts
Time: ???
Weather:
Mentions: @Moonberry@Tau@Tellussoil@supamusu@CinderRadcliff@TheTimePiece@Spoiled Bread@FalkinPAAAWNCH
TLDR: several party members are severely injured from the a light arrow or crashing into some part of the chasm. Time is short before arrival
music: youtube.com/watch?v=o_Ay_iDRAbc

The scattered light bolts tore through the descent and most of what they came into contact with. One of Aedrianna's arrows struck directly through Jareth moments after he dispersed. The blast exploded his body apart into a cloud of sand that continued falling through the shaft. The rising spires passed harmlessly through the drifting particles while pieces of him scattered across the descent stream. Reformation would need to wait until he regained enough control to pull himself back together.

Ao Ba shattered the incoming light arrow sent toward her with her palm strikes while the hive bug she had abandoned slammed directly into one of the rising spires. The creature split apart on impact. Her short teleport carried her clear of several nearby formations and debris fields as the descent lanes tightened.

Shael failed to fully evade one of the light arrows. The projectile pierced through her side and burned clean through part of her clothing before exiting behind her. The wound cauterized immediately from the heat, though the impact still sent pain through her body hard enough to threaten her concentration. Even injured, she was able to narrowly maneuver herself clear of the rising spires afterward.

Yume took a direct hit from one of the light arrows. The blast tore through her rune tattoos and detonated across her body before the rising stone caught her moments later in a glancing collision. Blood sprayed outward through the descent stream as the impact spun her violently away from the formation in an uncontrolled tumble whipping the blood around.

Aedrianna avoided the worst consequences of her own attack. Her stepping glyph redirected her just enough to avoid colliding with a jagged ledge protruding from the tunnel wall while the destruction spread around her. Bugs, debris, and most other things that were falling with them were cleared out by her attack and others by that point.

The incoming light arrow obliterated Lauren's tree outright and shattered through her barrier shortly after. The remaining force still struck Lauren hard enough to injure her badly even after the shield absorbed part of the impact. Her reshaped glider barrier managed to carry her around the nearest spires and debris clusters before they could finish the job. She was not as bad off as some of the other party.

Yumi avoided a direct hit herself, but the light arrow struck her scythe instead. The weapon exploded apart in her hands into a storm of metal fragments that blasted outward into the surrounding descent lanes. Without the weapon anchoring her movement, one of the rising spires slammed into her during the fall and critically injured her before she bounced away trailing blood through the air.

Noelle failed to evade the incoming light attack. The projectile ripped through her kimono and severely injured her before passing onward through the shaft. Her water shield still held together well enough afterward to redirect falling debris and protect her from the surrounding spires.

Michael reached for his belt as another incoming light arrow screamed toward him.

"Theta! Blue World!"

Space folded open before him into a glowing blue domain large enough to swallow the attack entirely before sealing shut again. Moments later Michael kicked against empty air and launched himself backward through a flipping motion that narrowly avoided several rising formations.

"I think I found the problem!" Michael shouted upward toward the others. "And it definitely is not gravity!"

Then the shaft changed. The black stone and crystal veins ahead warped into a shimmering curtain stretched across the entire chasm. The barrier flexed outward when the falling bodies struck it like a membrane forced beyond its limit. Resistance dragged across skin, armor, debris, blood, and magic alike for a brief moment before the entire group burst through into the space beyond.

The pull vanished. Their descent slowed abruptly from a deadly plunge into something almost drifting. Colors spread through the darkness below. Green light shimmered across the distant walls while strange glowing growths and flowing crystal veins in a rainbow of colors illuminated enormous shapes hidden deeper beneath the earth. Massive structures and shifting movement became barely visible far below through layers of mist and colored light.

Michael suddenly convulsed midair. Blue liquid poured from his mouth first before spilling from his nose, eyes, and ears as his body folded inward from the strain. The glowing fluid drifted through the slowed descent around him while he struggled to remain conscious in the unfamiliar space below.

Pain swallowed everything, a white-hot burning in her veins.

Yumi's mind had been racing to the point it felt time was slowing. She had had the perfect maneuver planned out in her head. The wet crunch of the bug's guts as her scythe hooked in. The gut-wrenching swing that ensued as she defied gravity. It had all gone so well.

But plans never survive first contact.

The blade of her beloved weapon shattered like glass. Her eyes widened as the fragments of steel tumbled impossibly slowly before her eyes. One carved a bloody line across her cheek, but she hardly registered it.

Her eyes turned downward as she fell. As she saw the stone spire rushing up toward her, she twisted as far as her body would go, desperately trying to dodge it, but...

...a white-hot burning in her veins...

...then nothing...

The pit, the wind, the pain: everything vanished at once, stripped away so completely it felt unreal. In their place was only white. Endless, silent white, stretching in every direction like an empty room with no walls, no floor, no ceiling. No sensation. No sound. Her mind had severed itself from the outside world entirely, desperately trying to spare her from the agony ripping through her body. Curled tightly against herself in the endless white, Yumi barely registered her own breathing. The silence wrapped around her like a cocoon, numbing, distant, safe.

Then something pierced it: a sickening, wet crunch.

Her eyes immediately snapped open to see Yume get hit by another spire, half her body already scorched from one of the beams of light.

Any thought of her own pain vanished as Yumi kicked off the stone spear that had nearly killed her moments ago. She caught Yume in her arms, carefully turning in midair to shield the witch with her own body. This time...I'm saving you...Hikari... She silently repeated the vow in her head as she tried to dodge the shit surrounding them. She barely registered Michael's effort to slow their descent, her vision flickering as she struggled to stay conscious.

---

Actions:
1: BFF Catch | Grade B

[Precision] B [Fast] E [Acrobatics] E [Fast] E [Jumping] F
4 post cooldown
Catch Yume and pray for mercy.

2-3: Pray | Grade E

[Fast] E [Acrobatics] E [Fast] E [Jumping] F [Energized] E
1 post cooldown
Pray for mercy and try to dodge shit while holding Yume.

E - 0/0 | B - 0/4

---

Pings: @Tau