World Tree MUSH

    The news had reported a minor earthquake; a magnitude 2.8 that had rattled the San Francisco bay region barely an hour ago.
    Then the burgeoning structure of the San Francisco Arcology had started billowing smoke and things became hectic as it became clear that there was a fire within. The arterial streets near the arcology were flooded with evacuees, emergency service vehicles, and news vans. Overhead flew helicopters, both to report on the situation and coordinate efforts among first responders.
    Amid all this were eye-witness reports of huge 'burning wolves' running amok within. With mundane authorities having their hands full managing the fire and evacuation, the Beacon Society has put out a quiet word to its members and outworlders to see if the creatures do indeed exist. And if so, eliminate them before the arcology burns to the ground.
    Aurelia found herself in the middle of trouble once again. She had been shopping for new clothes when all hell broke loose. And now she coughed as smoke rushed through the mall corridors, stinging her eyes and obscuring her way out. She grasped at a door handle and flung herself inside only to find it was a janitor's closet. The fire suppression system had soaked her through, the excess water lapping at the bottom of her soles.

    Okay so Leviathan's first foray at being a tourist of the tree? Not going so well, right now.
    Taking her first steps from the oceans of the Caribbean and finding herself in San Francisco was interesting! And she had decided to use what little money she had to maybe go shopping and get herself some more nice land-people clothes, which also means she was in area when everything went down the drain.
    So to hide from the smoke and chaos of people panicking and the evacuation she... Well...
    When Aurelia opens the door to that janitor's closet, there's a VERY confused looking sea-nymph already inside it, staring at her owlishly with vivid scarlet eyes.
    "Um. Hi?"
    She too is soaked from head to toe, but when you're a sea creature you tend to mind this kind of thing much, much, less than the landlubbers do.

    Claire was just trying to find someone who'd buy her parsnips when the quake hit. She'd experienced worse, and she'd done research on the area, so she wasn't bothered until the smoke started. And then the reports. She parked her cart and contacted the Beacon Society to offer help, and then she goes in. First order of business, ensuring the path out is clear, and what better way than...

    A good old fashioned axe to cut down doors, and a pickaxe to clear out rubble.

>> SUMMARY[Claire] >> Wait Claire's solution isn't to blow things up?

Benedicta's back from her vacation and already gathering help to deal with the fire and the burning wolves. The almir'aj girl glad to see Claire among the mages that have gathered at the Arcology. She's not looking forward to going inside after all, she isn't the best at handling the heat but someone has to deal with the crisis at hand. She's just waiting to see who else shows up to deal with it.

    Shopping for clothes and other things, Talia bumps her head against the dressing room door as she feels the earthquake coming. The Jedi grabbed a change of clothing and dashes out of the dressing room with Aurelia, rubbing her sore head. "Careful, smoke can steal your breath." She says, trying to keep bellow the smoke as they went through the mall.

    Her tennis shoes were already drenched too, as well as her socks, wet squelching announcing her steps as the magical girl and Jedi knight tried to ifnd a way out.

    So much for a Ladies' Day Out.

    Once they force the door open, Talia is greeted by a fishgirl. Her lightsaber dangles from her belt, having been passed off as a flashlight to her toolbelt to anybody curious. (IT technically is.)

    "Um. Hello there!"

    Some distance above Claire and Benedicta, the windows burst as gouts of steam geyser outwards in a wave of intense heat. The air begins to waver and distort as something intensely hot leaps from the higher levels, clouds of scalding steam streaming upwards as it descends. A burning white hot thing can be barely seen amidst the hot mist, the air being sucked towards it and blown high upwards, a walking mushroom cloud careening back towards the building. The view clears just as the oven-hot air washes over the pair, revealing an incandescent burning wolf-like creature roughly the size of a car.
    Inside the janitor's closet, Aurelia is a bit shocked to meet the sea nymph. "Um, hello, this is a really bad time because the building is on fire and there's people screaming and... maybe... dying..." She trails off as the realization of just how many people are in danger hits home. She reflexively takes a deep breath and regrets it as she coughs out the smokey air. "So yeah, a bad time. Need help getting out?" She asks hoarsely, gesturing to Talia and herself as potential helpers.

    "I noticed, this, yes." Leviathan replies to Aurelia, honest when it comes to understanding her situation. The building is on fire. But the building is also on water thanks to the fire suppression systems, and it seems like she was willing to take her chance in the closet because of said suppression systems. But those scarlet eyes trail down as she spots something shiny.
    It's Talia's lightsaber.
    "... Jedi?" The nymph asks point blank without so much as any thought to subtlety or guile. There is only a beat of hesitation before she makes her decision.
    "I will go with you!"

"Shit, I think we're going to need more than the sprinkler system to deal with this." Benedicta's already starting to breath quickly as her horn glows yellow. Where's Anne when you need her? "The earthquake wasn't even that big, there be a maho or something else at work here." She needs to cool off and fast or she's going to pass out. Still, she can't just let the giant flaming wolf run free as she tries not to panic here.

    "Sprinklers are fine tools, but in cases like this we need something more heavy duty." Claire reaches into her backpack and gets out her watering can made out of this strange purple metal, she takes a deep breath, gathers her strength, and then thrusts the tool forwards, water spraying like it's coming from a hose. "Now!" She calls out to anyone near enough to hear her.

    Talia blinks. Well, that cat's outta the bag. "Jedi, yes! I am Talia. You must be the sea nymph Lian mentioned. She is a friend of mine." She says with a fond smile, before she nods to Aurelia. "We'd best be getting out of here, no telling who might still be stuck in this mall."%

    The iridium watercan sprays forth water towards the sun dog, turning to billowing steam that distracts the supernatural creature and giving it pause as it gets its bearings again. Enough time for Benedicta and Claire to escape or do more.

    Aurelia nods to Talia and Leviathan, then kicks open the closet door. The smoke has subsided from this area, the sprinklers similarly having fallen silent. There's still water roaring down the hallways, now ankle-deep. This portion of the mall is also fairly empty now.
    Which makes the crack of displaced air startling as Aurelia armors up, the gleaming gold of her heavy armor shimmering under the interplay of light and water. "I think..." She spots an exit sign illuminated with emergency light and points the way. As the trio gets closer, they'd feel heat emanating from the door. Thinking that it was simply cooling down from the fire, Aurelia mimes pulling it open, reaching out with her magic abilities to open it.
    The stairwell was illuminated from below by something bright and hot. Mist begins to rise from the depths of the stairwell. 
    "Oh sh-" Aurelia's cut off by a brilliant thing leaping and bounding up the stairs, then bursting forth like a gigantic flare.

Benedicta's nose suddenly glows yellow and turns into an elephant trunk. She takes in the water that Claire's watering can is spraying and aims it at the sun dog. That also helps her cool down a bit but she's still feeling overwhelemed by the heat. It seems like they're going to need a larger source of water to extinguish it, but luring it to to the ocean or bay would result on more places catching on fire. She's pretty sure that the fire department has their hands full as it is.

    Aurelia armors up. This is probably a sign that there's something more dangerous than the fires out there, but Leviathan simply blinks owlishly once again as they reach the exit. Aurelia pulls the door open and--
    It's not safe- it's very not safe!
    Mist rises, something bright and hot comes bounding up.
    It CLEARLY must be more fire.
    There is one way to deal with fire, as she draws in a deeeeeep breath.
    As that flaring beast comes leaping up the stairs, it's going to be met with--
    Cold.
    So very very cold.
    A sudden plume of absolutely frigid breath shoots down the stairs to meet it as Leviathan exhales a hoary breath of frost, cold, and ice capable of freezing human flesh instantly on contact.
    It might slow the fire-thing down.
    Or just piss it off.
    Or both.

>> SUMMARY[Leviathan] >> Chill out, please.

    Talia trudges through the flooded mall. She turns on a flashlight and begins to lead the group towards an emergency exit. Once she does, she covers Aurelia's back just as suddenly, satan puppers.

    Talia's lightsaber jumps to her hands and the emerald blade lights up the area. Her hand reaches out to send the burning thing flying with the Force, hitting it hard as she can!

    The fact she did this just after Leviathan began to try to freeze it solid with her breath is purely coincidence. Yes.

    Claire draws her slingshot and gets out some purple metal lumps. She loads one up on the slingshot and takes a step back, aiming at the flaming beast's head. "I'll hold it off if you go and find more water." She offers her suggestion, already loading up the next iridium bullet.

    The torrent of water from Benedicta and the nasty iridium sling bullet hits the sun dog. The water evaporates into steam that billows outwards quickly. Barely visible as a vauge incandescence amid the mist, the sun dog retreats, bounding back into the arcology in full retreat.

    The sun dog's brilliant light gutters to a dimness under the rush of cold, revealing just how ephemeral the beast really is, being composed of corona bright heat and held together by some supernatural force. The Force push manages to extinguish the sputtering flame, leaving only a sparse few cinders as evidence anything was there.

    Talia slowly approaches the sun dog, switching her lightsaber off. Nudging the beast with her saber's hilt, Talia makes a face. "What _are_ these things?" She asks Aurelia.

"Sounds good..." Hopefully, the dog won't decide to run after Benedicta instead, she is a rabbit after all. It isn't long before she's caught up with the other group thanks to her agility. She's still breathing quite hard though, "Glad to see your okay Aurelia, it's been a while Talia, who's the dragon girl?"" Leviathan kind of reminds her of Lizzie but she hasn't her around Sunset Road before.

    Claire comes running up soon after Benedicta, having stopped only to pick up the expensive chunk of Iridium. "I don't know what they are." She says after overhearing Talia's question. "Maybe the locals know?" She glances to Leviathan, "Hi! I'm Claire. Farmer and adventurer."

    "Leviathan. A friend of mine met her, I think." Talia nodded to Benedicta, jerking a thumb towards Levi.

    That... That was just one of them?
    Leviathan stops breathing ice and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand as Talia's use of the Force causes the sun dog to gutter out.
    Introduction time though.
    "Oh! Yes, I am Emerald Leviathan. It is a pleasure to meet you all." She is at least bright and cheery in spite of the current circumstances.
    "... Should we not do something about the other one?"

"I'm Benedicta Cornell, kind of an awkward time for introductions I know but it'll be easier to work together. I have a friend who named Lizzie who's also a humanoid dragon, you'll have to meet her sometime. Yeah, it might be a good idea to figure out where they came from, and if there's more of them." She nods in agreement with Leviathan.

    Aurelia uhs. "Nope, don't know what they are. Other than dangerous." She pops out her cell phone and checks some local news. "The arcology is still burning, there's definitely more than one." 
    Then she looks around at her allies. She's met Claire, Talia, and of course she knows Benedicta well enough. That leaves... "I wish we'd met under nicer conditions, Emerald Leviathan, but I'm Metallia Gold." Using her 'stage name', so to speak.

"I hope that pyromancer I ran into isn't behind this. I haven't seen them since I lost them in Night City. Then again, that doesn't explain the earthquake...unless there's more than one Cabal member behind this." Benedicta wonders if Sybil has a bigger problem on her hands than she might think.