World Tree MUSH

    Once again Samus returns to Lli Ferun Nalima... A planet dubbed by the mysterious and enigmatic Chozo people as 'The Altar Planet'.
    The planet is lush, vibrant, green and blue; a perfectly habitable world, verdant and full of life. The Federation has been here as well; researching the ancient Chozo ruins that dot the planet. It is at one such set of ruins that Samus has designated the meeting place.
    Already waiting inside, the Hunter seems to be quietly conversing with the transparent hologram of a bird-like humanoid amid the ruins of what appears to be an old, old, venerable temple.
    She's already clad in the purple and white plating of her power armor, just waiting for the others to arrive before she descends into the depths of the temple where something lays dormant and in need of reckoning.

    Well, here she is, over her clan elders' complaints. Just one day after going into battle - not just danger, but battle - Matsu Shuzenji has come back to the 'Altar Planet' to deal with what is ostensibly some manner of threat. The elders absolutely did not want her going into danger again so soon, but it's one of the few times the girl has solidly, firmly dug her heels in. 'Do you want offworlders to think of us as flighty? A clan that does not finish what we start? I am going. I will see this through to the end.'

    So it is that Matsu and one of her attendants quietly walk in, and the white-haired girl simply walks up beside Samus, and stands there in silence.

    No signs of any biohazards on this planet, the oxygen is breathable...so Talia's not wasting time bringing the spacesuit this time. Taking in the ambiance, Talia breathes deep and senses into the Force while remaining outside of the temple, at least until she senses Matsu's arrival. A soft nod to the Phoenix Maiden, and the Jedi stands up to enter the temple, remaining as silent as Matsu as the hunter talks with the Chozo hologram.

    Talia can't begin to pretend she knows what they're saying.

  Later, the idea that she's walking on another planet will be the stuff of a legendary geek-out, but for right now Agent Anneka Stojespal is all business. The pilot comes marching down the ramp of the quinjet where it's parked, helmet clutched under an arm, wearing a harness with her ICER holstered on it. On the other side is an agency-issued pistol, this time with ballistic rounds.

  She follows without much preamble or conversation, blue eye hooding and red brow arching faintly. Both Matsu and Talia each earn a nod of recognition and a lazy salute.

    Monsters and restless spirits? Call the Archangel of Justice. Tyrael has no lack of experience when it comes to vanquishing evil beings and putting the 'dead' out of their misery. 

    So he's down there in the ruins with Samus and the others, floating a few inches off of the ground as the bounty hunter finishes her conversation with the Chozo on the hologram. He nods slightly in greeting at Anneka and Talia as they enter.

    High above, the bulbous yet sleek spaceframe of the CEFS Sanctuary hangs. Within, this ship the lithe frame of Justina settles into her rig. She closes her eyes, and a moment later she opens them to the view of the temple.

    On the planet surface, the reinforced body of a Mk.XII Hazardous Environment Exploration Doll frame comes to life, and strides in to join the others within the temple. "Captain Aran." she says shortly, giving the others a courtesy nod of acknowledgement.

    Once everyone has arrives, Samus turns from the Chozo hologram.
    "Matsu. Thank you for coming." She says as the Phoenix Maiden takes a place at her side. The hologram rests a hand upon its chest and bows deeply on seeing visitors to the temple and says something in a language that doesn't quite translate.
    The Hunter takes a slow breath, dipping her head in greeting. She's been a little reticent and pensive since the events yesterday on the colony planet from Justina's universe, but the bounty hunter clears her throat. Her voice should be familiar to Anneka, as well.
    "I've had Platinum Crest-" She says, motioning for the hologram, "unseal the previously inaccessible areas of the temple. We should have a clear shot down to whatever's in the lowest level." She says leading the way to an elevator at the back of the chamber.
    She boards it. And once everyone else has, she thumbs the controls, causing the platform to descend into the darkness of the lower levels of the temple.
    Even the elevator is decorated with elaborate hieroglyphs.
    But eventually it comes to a stop deep, deep, underground.
    So deep that it's actually grown a little warmer.
    And as though sensing the group's arrival, something even deeper within roars, causing dust to fall from the ceiling as it rattles the temple walls.
    "Mm..."

  The SHIELD agent tilts her head, just slightly, at the hologram of Platinum Crest. A formal gesture is a formal gesture no matter the language, and she bows in return to it. As she straightens, she tosses her helmet aside. She'll pick it up later.

  Samus' voice does sound familiar. As Samus boards the elevator, she follows, checking the charge in her ICER and her sidearm both. Her eye widens slightly in the gloom, but it's too dark to see very much through the descent.

  ...Huh. It's getting warm in here...

  Being someone accustomed to colder temperatures, it isn't long before Anneka is actively uncomfortable--

  Something in the depths thunders.

  "Oh, good," Anneka observes, languidly, drawing her ICER and maintaining a ready grip on it. "Here we go..."

    There's a few exchanged words between Matsu and her attendant; the older woman will be remaining up here. Matsu follows along with Samus; Talia, Justina and Anneka all receive nods of recognition, and she watches Tyrael with a mixture of wariness and curiosity for a short while, before following along behind the Hunter. To Tyrael, the girl feels quite literally divine. There is a holy presence inside her, a being of Light and Fire, of healing and purification.

    It's probably a little weird seeing a divine being fidget like a normal 14-year-old girl on the elevator ride down.

    As it comes to a stop and they all step out, Matsu looks around with a faint frown. "Kinda warm down he-" A booming roar silences her, drawing a startled yelp out of the Phoenix Maiden. "Hya-!" She immediately springs behind Samus.

    There's a brief pause.

    The look she shoots everyone absolutely screams, 'None of you saw that.'

    Talia bows her head to the hologram and Samus. "Samus. It's good to see you." She greets the others as they arrive, before producing a glow-lamp she clips to her belt, producing just enough light to get by as they make their way to the elevator. Gripping her lightsaber, Talia waits as they descend into the depths of the tomb.

    A distant roar makes Talia wonder just what they're looking for, or what's waiting for them down here. She looks to Samus, as if expecting the bounty hunter to know what lurks in these depths.

    She pretends not to have seen Matsu's outburst.

    Justina listens to that roar. "I'm beginning to think I should have brought the Type-IX Heavy frame." she muses to herself. She doesn't register the temperature shift consciously, but it does trigger a thermal protection warning on her HUD. "Ambient temperature is climbing, we are likely closing in on a magma pocket, or a geothermal cavern system." she announces. "Though I'm no geologist." she adds quickly, stepping off the lift platform and summoning a blade to her 'off' hand. The entire right forearm glows, and the shape of a slightly curved metal blade appears while the optics in the Doll's head pitch white and begin shining out beams like flashlights.

    Matsu jolts. Samus instinctively shifts her stance, protective of the Phoenix Maiden. But when the roar was just that- a roar from the depths, the Hunter lowers her weapon and starts cautiously proceeding through the cave system.
    "I wish it just didn't always have to be under terrible circumstances." The Hunter asides to Talia.
    "My thermal scanners are spiking." She agrees with Justina's assesment. "It's going to get hotter the deeper we go."
    Soon enough, the caves are lit by a hazy red glow and the heat becomes dry and sweltering as Samus leads the party through a complex series of caverns.
    At some points she has to roll into a small ball to progress and lay several bombs in order to widen the path for others.
    But soon enough the party reaches a wide chamber. This is the origin of the heat, as magma bubbles on either side of a narrow bridge-like platform, several smaller platforms of stone float amid the bubbling pools and...
    Did something just move in the lava?

    By the time they get where they're headed, Matsu is sweating; not to mention the dirt on her robes from the caverns. She looks a smidge cranky, but at least she's pushing onward without complaint. At least, until they reach the bridge.

    "...You know, even if I come back from being burned alive, it's not pleasant," she murmurs, eyeing the lava warily.

    And then the lava shifts in a way she doesn't think lava should shift. "...is... are there things in this universe that can live in a volcano?"

    Talia can feel the heat hit her like a bus. She doesn't have the luxury of Samus's varia suit, able to withstand immense pressures and environmental temperatures whether hot enough to turn sand to glass or freeze helium. Sweltering like mad, she grits her teeth and bears with it.

    "Mustafar has several, for one." She asides to Matsu. "I've seen creatures thriving there before, when...it doesn't matter now." A story for another time. Some boring diplomatic meeting turned chase amid the lava rivers. It was wisest to keep to the high ground then.

    Talia keeps her hnad on her lightsaber, narrowing her eyes as she looks and senses out at the flowing lava. "I think we're about to find out for ourselves if it's possible here." She says, as her lightsaber flashes to life.

    "I have seen extremophile life on my expeditions... it's not outside the realm of possibility that a creature could have evolved, or been designed by a greater power, to exist in molten rock." remarks Justina as she steps closer to the edge of the outcrop and peers down into the magma pool. Her optics shift red, then yellow as she shifts through various vision modes, attempting to filter out the thermal signature and locate the source of the movement.

  By this point Anneka is mopping at her brow with a sleeve, muttering curses under her breath in at least two different languages at the uncomfortable temperatures. She totally saw Matsu's startle, but she is tactful enough to grin and not say anything. Secret's totally safe with Agent Stojespal.

  Turning her head, she glances at Talia from the corner of her eye. "Tell me if you pick up on anything weird?"

  Only once she's sure it's in the distance does she holster her weapon again. "My thermal scanners are spiking and I don't even have thermal scanners," she grumbles, in regards to the heat. The further in they go, the more uncomfortable the pilot looks. She waits patiently when Samus has to widen the path.

  Putting aside the outrageous temperature, she generally doesn't like to go down...

  By this point it's hellish. It isn't actively fire, but it's close enough, and the shimmer of heat waves over the surface is hypnotic. Anneka swallows against a dry throat and frowns, deeply. "Something definitely moved down there..."

    Tyrael follows the Samus and the rest of the group down into the caverns, the glow surrounding his body becoming more distinct in the darkness of the subterranean chambers. He doesn't seem to mind the heat, if he even notices it at all. He does notice Matsu looking at him. "Are you all right?" he asks when she startles at the entrance to the caves.

    "If you would prefer to be carried across, I could do so." he offers, as several members of the group appear disconcerted over the narrow bridge across the lava

    "I know plenty of things that can survive in lava. None of them are good." Samus replies to Matsu.
    As... There's definitely something moving in the lava. Something... Something big.
    Talia will feel it through the Force, a malevolent presence as large as the chamber itself. And Justina's scanners will pick up something alive under the surface of the lava.
    That something rises. A massive green-scaled reptillian beast with jaws big enough to swallow a car, and taloned claws that look like they could shred a tank apart.
    "... Again..." Samus mutters under her breath almost tiredly as she charges up her arm cannon, particles of light gathering at the barrel as the creature ROARS at the group.
    And Samus almost casually shoots it right in the mouth, causing it to reel back in pain, snarling.
    "The eyes. Aim for the eyes and mouth. That's it's weak point."

  Oh.

  Oh, that's a very big thing.

  Lava blossoms as the creature erupts upward through it. The creature opens its maw and thunders, and Anneka scrabbles backwards with a sound that is entirely not a cut-off shriek as lava spatters the rock beside her, sizzling and burning where it meets. The lump of magma even make a faint puff sound as it ignites.

  It's kinda everywhere, after being splattered all over.

  The eyes. Aim for the eyes and mouth. That's its weak point.

  Only... Anneka's not listening any more.

  The others might hear the sound of desperate footfalls away, though, and the pilot demonstrates excellent sprinting skill.

  She'll just. You know. Guard the elevator.

  Where it is not on fire.

    Justina starts to speak, but is cut off as the monsterous form rises from the molten rock. She glances to Samus as that arm cannon fires and makes the beast stagger. She nods, then looks at the melee weapon on her arm. "My ranged options are limited... buy me some time." she says jumping back from the edge and beginning to chant. "Ye Lords. Mask of Blood and Bone. Ever Crawling beast of chaos. Still and Shatter. Crack and Sunder. The northern star sets in the east. Destructive Arts, Cochytus Javelin!"

    Those who can sense life force would feel Justina become more present, and those who can feel magical auras would detect a massive spike from all three Primus Cores in the Doll frame as that channel power into the spellwork. A magic sigil draws into place before the Doll, and a massive chunk of magical ice forms from it, before splitting into a fusillade of about twelve individual javelins. The Doll pushes a hand forward and the ice spears lance out in a volley aimed at the general area of the monsters face.

>> GAME >> Justina Thyme spends an Edge for: Magic use: Ice Spears to the face.

    Oh my, is that a big thing.

    Talia senses the beast before he emerges to greet them. Brandishing her lightsaber, Talia adopts a defensive stance and takes in the sight of the mighty Kraid.

    She sighs as Anneka runs. Might be wise, Talia can sense something about Anneka that indicates she's been on the wrong end of fire before. It's hard to blame her for this.

    While Talia senses Justina's abiities intensify with her ritual, she's more concerned with the matter of Kraid. Justina is a luminous sigil of ice, throwing spears of frost at the beast. Talia hitches a ride on one of said spears, leaping onto it and bouncing off as she lands on a chunk of igneous rock, then another. Convection? Bah, Talia's got the Force keeping her from burning alive. Then she hops onto Kraid's arm, running along it before she leaps into sabering distance and jams her lightsaber into the side of Kraid's fast.

>> GAME >> Talia Kyras spends an Edge for: Talia uses the Force to not burn alive.

    Does she want to be carried? Matsu frowns. She looks at the lava, then at Tyrael. "I-"

    The request is rendered moot. That... is a very big lizard monster. Very... very big.

    Matsu stares in utter shock. "W... what is...?!" She stumbles a step or two back, but other than that she's almost entirely frozen... until Kraid roars. Then she utters a yelp and scrambles to open some distance, before whirling around and lifting a hand. It's not supernatural, so she doesn't have a lot of options. Just... just her fire conjury, really. And she doesn't expect the fire to do much of anything against a monster that can live in lava. But, she wants to feel like she's doing something while she waits for someone to heal.

>> SUMMARY[Matsu Shuzenji] >> Ineffectually flinging fire.

    The monster shows itself, rising from the lava. And, it is quite large. It reminds Tyrael of some of the demons he's seen, in more ways than one. The archangel floats upward as Justina lets loose with the ice shards, until he is level with the creature's head. Drawing El'druin from its sheath on his back, he throws the sword straight at the reptilian's face. Eyes and mouth, she said, right? 

    This will be followed almost immediately by a flash step of sorts, where he'll suddenly disappear from his current location and re-appear wherever the sword happened to land, which is likely to be right in front of the gargantuan alien's face.

    That is a very big thing. And Samus can't blame Anneka for hot-footing it back to the elevator. For those who remain however, it suddenly becomes very hectic as the monster- Kraid- raises its clawed hands...
    Samus lunges, grabbing Matsu around the middle and leaps for another platform, "Incoming!" Called out as warning to the others as Kraid smashes down on the bridge-like rock formation.
    Thankfully Justina's ice spears... Impact. And when they do, the beast reels, clawing its face with a screech as it staggers stunned for a few beats while Talia rides an ice-spear to meet the monster- making it howl in pain and swipe at her as she stabs through his scaly face.
    Fire is... Surprisingly effective in blinding the beast; sensitive eyes exposed to Matsu's flames before the monster's nictitating membrane can snap into place causes red eyes to flash yellow as it opens its mouth and tries to bite down on Tyraeal after El'druin scores a deep cut upon Kraid's maw.

    Oh. Her... her fire worked.

    That's unexpecte- "HYA?!"

    Matsu finds herself scooped up and hauled to safety before she can even quite parse what's happening, and any complaint she might have had about the rough treatment dies on her lips when she sees what becomes of her former location. "A... ah. Uh. Thanks." She brushes herself off hastily, then settles into a stance, and begins conjuring forth more fireballs at a steady pace. She's not exactly a magical artillery, but she can at least add a little firepower, both metaphorical and literal, to the group's barrage.

    Talia gets hit, knocking her free from the beast. She produces a knife from her belt, jamming it into the beast's hide and hanging precariously from its arm. "Kark!" She exclaims in shock, before turning her saber off and clipping it to her belt. She needs the extra hand. Climbing up, Talia waits before she yanks her knife free and runs along Kraid's arm, reaching out with the Force to pull igneous stones and hurl them at Kraid's maw.

    Justina pauses for a moment too long, and very nearly gets smashed into the lava pit by those claws. She does a half-leap backward and grabs onto the edge of the remaining outcropping, hoisting herself up with a nimble half flip to get back onto a stable platform. "Seeping crest of turbidity, arrogant vessel of lunacy. Boil forth and deny, grow numb and flicker. The Crawling queen of wrought Iron, eternally self-destructive doll of mud. Unite. Repulse. Fill with soil and know true powerlessness. Split the void, Basalt Hammer!" Another spellseal draws and a spike of stone erupts out of the seal, and lances out toward Kraid's face. Then another, and another.

    Upon arriving at El'druin's location, Tyrael grabs the hilt and twists hard as he pulls it out, aiming to do additional damage. As Kraid tries to chomp down on him, he moves through the air away from the attack, but one of its massive teeth clips him in the upper left arm, drawing a glowing white substance forth from between his armor plates.

    Taking the sword, the archangel climbs yet higher, almost to the roof of the cavern. Then he dives down at an incredible speed yet again at the monster's head, weapon poised to impale once again.

    Setting Matsu down, Samus whirls around.
    "Don't worry about it, keep firing."
    Even the Hunter joins in unleashing a fussilade of rapid fire missiles at the green-scaled menace's face as it flails and snarls. Its TALONS detach from its fingers, flung like sickles through the air, regrowing and flinging more with each passing second as the team lays into him, massive rock spires slamming him in the face from both Talia and Justina, while Tyrael rams his blade home.
    Eventually, amid all the screeching and flailing about, the beast succumbs to the multitude of wounds inflicted on it, sinking with a crash against the nearby cave wall before it starts to go under the lava, the light leaving its eyes.

    CLANK. "KYAAA! NNngggh..." one of those talons slams home into the Doll frame as Justina recovers from her casting... it pierces the armour plate and pins the robot to the cave wall. Justina herself grunts in pain, she was very close to the Doll at this point after all and soon enough she passes out from the pain bleedthrough the Doll returning to automatic protocols and yanking the talon out with little reaction... Justina's soul has been recalled from the frame, so someone will have to lead it out of the caves.

    Talia's rock clobbers into the beast's ugly maw, and Talia leaps off to rejoin the others after a few skips and hops. Watching the beast descend into the lava, Talia brushes dirt off her shoulders. "That was too kriffing close." She mutters.

    Matsu gives Samus a quick nod, and just keeps up her barrage as best she can; when the creature finally succumbs and sinks under, she lets out a breath and relaxes, just slightly, though there is a stare down into the lava. "...what did you mean by 'again', anyway?" she asks, frowning in the general direction of Kraid's last position.

    She straightens herself up, however, and looks around with a hint of concern. "Does anyone need healing? That, ah... Justina's puppet body, I don't know if I can do anything for it, but..."

    A few of the detached claws that go flying embed themselves in Tyrael's armor, as more of that glowing liquid leaks out from underneath it. As the monster falls, he yanks El'druin free from its head and just floats there for a moment, watching the reptilian alien sink back beneath the lava. Once it appears the thing is truly down for the count, he returns to the rest of the group, pulling pieces of monster claw out of himself and tossing them aside.

    With the beast defeated and left to sink to the bottom of the lava, Samus's shoulders heave in a slow breath.
    "Now this planet is safe." She murmurs before looking to Matsu.
    "... That's... A long story."
    One that will have to come later as the party re-groups, recovers, and heads back to the elevator to leave. Samus will lead Justina's doll up if need be.

    "Captain Aran, just so noone worries, Captain Thyme only took minor feedback trauma and is currently being tended to in the Sanctuary's medbay." Minerva's gentle tone comes over the commlines. The Doll seems to have an auto-follow mode and falls in with the first person to come near to it, this being Samus it seems. The Doll bodies are pretty quiet on automatic, the quiet click of metal feet the only sound that can be heard.

    Seeing the ooze from Tyrael's wounds, Matsu frowns, and takes a step or two over towards the angel. "...I apologize if I'm being rude to a kami of some sort, but come here. I'm a healer." For being somewhere in the neighborhood of half his height, she's pretty brave.

    Talia waves off Matsu. "I'm fine, I'll live." She says quietly, watching her working on Tyrael, curious.

    Tyrael nods and approaches Matsu. "Thank you for your kind offer. What may I call you?" he asks.

    "Shuzenji-no-Matsu," the girl replies, lifting up her hands towards Tyrael. "Matsu will do." Her healing comes in the form of flames - flames that pass through the body like a warm, soothing wind. They are definitely a holy, divine fire, and they're also very effective at healing.

    "Well met. I am Tyrael." The archangel answers her, accepting the healing and finding it...different, but effective. Once she's done, the injuries are no more. "I am in your debt, Matsu."