A Malevolent Villain: Rescue mission

[allthepowersofhell]

Built into the side of a mountain, Maleficent's castle was dark and imposing. A monument to Imperial power.

And deep within the dungeons of the castle, two Corsairs were currently imprisoned. Their changes of ever seeing the outside of those dungeons seem - to a casual observer - practically non-existent.

But the Corsairs are a very, very resourceful bunch. And the Duchess herself is not presently in residence, having been called away by a summons from the Emperor. As such the castle's security - while by no means lax - was not currently at full strength.

This was their best time to strike.


[ooc: Sub-threads below! And as a general note: I will tag in as needed for NPCs and environmental details, etc. But don't feel the need to wait for me to tag - I won't be sticking with any specific tag order, just dropping in where it makes sense].

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[upupatomway]

"I was built, not born. That's one reason Donnie and I get along so well," Atom explains quickly.

He approaches the heavier metal gargoyles, keeping a hand up to remind the others not to get close yet, his eyes lit to scan again.

"Diaval!" he announces just before stepping between them.

[allthepowersofhell]

As Atom steps forward, the gargoyles flare with a dark, malevolent purple light...

...but then Atom speaks, and the light dies. The guard, it seems, spoke the truth - and the trap has been disabled.

And behind the gargoyles, the door the guarded creaks opens - revealing a twisting staircase that descends down into the darkness.

[upupatomway]

Atom waits a moment, just in case there's an additional mechanical part that has to fall into place for the trap. The gargoyles return to normal though and the door opens. He turns and gives the others a thumbs up. "He was telling the truth. It's safe. Hopefully the stairs through here lead down to dungeon..."

[singlemilletgrain]

More stairs? Shu sighs slightly, and she looks downwards at their prisoner. While he's been busy blubbering, small vines have curled upwards from the floor and begun to gently entwine around his feet. They accelerate in growth now, pulling his ankles tight and creeping up towards his hands. Shu gently guides his hands behind his back as they, too, are bound together.

"You will be fine if you don't try to break free. Why don't you take a nap and reflect on seeking employment elsewhere?"

So saying, she snugly affixes the gag, advises him to breathe through his nose, and nods at her companions.

"Shall we continue?"

Down they go.

[allthepowersofhell]

Down they go indeed.

And as they make their way down the spiralling stairs, the direction's of Renne's signal will suggest that they are close. Very close.

In fact, when the staircase comes to a end - to a single closed door - the source of the signal is not far beyond at all.

On the other side of this door is, most likely, Maleficent's dungeon.

[upupatomway]

Atom walks up front again to scan for signs of more guards. He'd like to think the guard they captured spilled the beans and there aren't even more traps ahead, but he has no idea what would be normal for a sorceress's dungeon. At least they might be getting close to their friends.

[supersmashbrother]

With the loose ends tidied up, Raph takes up the rear again. The signal on Renne's device keeps him hopeful, keeping a lookout on his end while maintaining the tension that builds in his gut.

[singlemilletgrain]

Glancing briefly around at her companions as they reach the bottom of the stairs, Shu gives an encouraging nod. If Atom doesn't sense anything abnormal about the door, she pushes it open.

[allthepowersofhell]

The door creeks open - and beyond which they will see a long, dark hallway, lined by metal bars.

This is, indeed, the dungeon - and at the far end, they'll find two familiar faces...

[purplexing]

Donnie lifts his head with a frown. The silence had lapsed between him and Aira again, and he's certain she'd heard the noise too.

"Are the guards coming?" he asks, given Aira's the one keeping an eye out by the bars, his voice a whisper as he makes ready to shrug out of his jacket so he can cover the ENCs with it.

[upupatomway]

Atom's hearing is turned up and he turns to smile back at the rest of the rescue party, "I think it's just them at the end of the hall. Sounds like Donnie."

No signs of guards that he sees that way. He cups his hands near his mouth and calls ahead, "Donnie? Aira-neesan?"

[straykitty]

"Atom, please. Scan them first, then call out if everything looks normal."

Renne's tone is admonishing, in a big sister sort of way.

[upupatomway]

"You think it could be an illusion?" he asks, as he quite literally zooms his sight in on the figures in the cell.

"I'm not picking up on anything strange. They have a physical presence and give off regular body heat. The sound registers as Donnie's voice to my system."

[straykitty]

"When dealing with a witch, one can never be too certain. All manner of traps have felled many a Corsair, something I know quite well. If they appear normal, let us proceed to the final test."

She turns and regards Aira with a haughty gaze.

"Well! These are quite disappointing circumstances to find you under. I had expected better, truth be told."

[testygirl]

Upon hearing the creak, Aira slips back from the bars a little; the angle still allows her to look out, but she won't seem as immediately suspicious if there are guards coming. She lifts a hand, signaling for Donnie to wait a second.

Her hand ends up dropping once she recognizes the two voices, and her pulse quickens. Still, like Renne, she wants to be cautious. The timing does seem too good, almost, especially since the two of them were just discussing a potential rescue. Could this really be a trick?

But no, Renne's provocation works as intended. That look, and her taunt, and her voice all lend support for her authenticity. Atom sure sounds like himself, too. Aira stomps right back to the front of the cell and grips the bars.

"Yeah, yeah, we're the real deals." She squeezes the bars tighter, locking eyes with Renne. "So. You wanna come in here and say that again, you total beeee-aaaaaah..." Dangit, Atom is here. She ends up trailing off, breath hissing through her clenched teeth.

[supersmashbrother]

Although he matches some of the hope Atom has, Raph squints. "Ooh, if it's full deception, Raph's not gonna have a good time..."

This, however, shifts toward relief when Renne tests it out further. Sharing a quick look with Shu, Raph wastes no time in plowing ahead.

"Donnie! Aira!" His exclamation is kept to a minimum, dropping back into a half-whisper as he practically pushes through Atom and Renne like swinging doors at an old Western saloon, making a beeline for the cell. "That works! Everyone looks pretty real to me!" His eyes dart around the cell door and its bars, finally clutching onto them as he sizes up the situation. "Now we just gotta get you outta here."

Is he really going to strong-arm the door into submission and break it off of its hinges? You better believe it. Someone stop him before he actually does.

[singlemilletgrain]

"Beloved friend."

Shu helpfully finishes for Aira as she spots the direction the girl's eyes flicker. She has a feeling Atom has heard worse, though. As Raph plows through, Shu gently sweeps in behind him and coughs as he latches onto the door and rocks back and forth in agony.

"We do have a key. Renne, if you could?

Hopefully it actually works. In the meantime, she peers through the dim lighting at the prisoners and reaches a hand through the bars. ...They can hold it if they want, but her open palm is sprinkling seeds on the floor that instantly sprout and glow gently with the power of her arts, suffusing them with a small burst of energy - and any minor healing that may be required.

[purplexing]

Donnie tenses, nodding at Aira as he tries to swallow down that ball of anxiety that starts fluttering in his stomach. But then he hears not one but several familiar voices, and he's already clambering to his feet- although perhaps the operative term is trying, when he sees Renne step up to the bars to 'greet' Aira. The pins and needles prickling at his feet and legs make it a short attempt, but he supposes that's what he gets for sitting about so long.

But as he pushes himself up again he hears Raph, and then it's like the big turtle's just appeared at the bars. If anyone could have torn those doors open, Donnie's sure it would have been possible by those ham-sized fists. His vision's already getting dangerously blurry, and as Shu speaks up, and the prison floor is suddenly filled with a familiar greenery, he drags in a shaky breath as he wipes the back of his hand across his eyes, an equally shaky but relieved smile pulling across his face.

He knows Aira had said as much, that someone would come, but it's a different feeling, to see that someone's here, that so many people came for them, and it thaws the chill of the cell.

[upupatomway]

Aira's words trail off and Atom's smile grows. His creator had seen to it he could express himself in nearly every way a human could, including snort noises from the throat when suppressing a laugh. Shu finishes that thought more politely, though he knows exactly what Aira was going to say, and a snort slips out of him.

"Almost said that word a second time in front of me, Aira-neesan," he teases. With his memory, he can keep count.

He doesn't stop to joke long, however. He grabs the bars and leans in, concerned. "How do you two feel? Do you think you can walk out of here okay?"

[straykitty]

Renne approaches the bars and leans in close to Aira's face.

"You disappointed me."

With an impish smile, she unlocks the cell.

[testygirl]

At some point, there's almost certainly going to be a third instance when Aira forgets herself around Atom again; though if she really wants to show some maturity, then this is when she should try to take the high road. Renne's words really sting, though, so it's hard.

Aira ends up slouching a bit and looking away, then gestures for Donnie to use the unlocked door first. She'll have to find a way to thank everyone individually—maybe even get them flowers or something—but this isn't over until all of them are out of here safely.

Shu's magic helps with the lingering pains, cuts, and bruises that hadn't fully healed. Once that's finished, she can answer Atom's question with a genuine nod.

"I'm good." Her gaze lifts and shifts between each member of the rescue team. "Same with you guys? You didn't have to fight off that horned hag, did you?" She assumes they would look a bit worse for wear in that case, but who can say.

[supersmashbrother]

Raph does give up eventually, pulling back and folding his arms to let Renne unlock the door. Never mind how bent the bars are where his hands used to be — maybe it's a new design for the dungeon aesthetic.

"Bah. Raph could've smashed the door down in one go, but we're supposed t'be the stealth team," he huffs. His grumbling doesn't last very long, however, expressing concern as he makes more room for the two. "We didn't see her on the way over. Just some guards doing guard things."

[purplexing]

"So much better now," Donnie says, trying not to get too choked up. He sits, wiggling his toes out to make sure his circulation's making its more proper rounds before he tries to get up again before he responds to the other half of Atom's question. "I think so..."

He turns to gather up the ENCs he'd rigged together, doing a quick disconnect of the wires before tucking them into his jacket pockets. He'll have to reconnect things again before Aira can make use of hers. She gets a concerned glance when she has him leaving first, bumping his shoulder lightly against hers before he steps out of the cell.

That's about as long as he manages to hold things together before he goes to hug Shu tightly, and then latches onto Raph.

"Good," he says, muffled against Raph, glad that they didn't have to deal with Maleficent.

[singlemilletgrain]

Donnie gets an equally tight hug and a gentle, affectionate ruffling of the head before he is released to his brother. When Shu speaks again, the tightness and clipped tones that had previously characterized her words have faded.

"I am so relieved to see you both well. But let us not dawdle."

Her eyes fall meaningfully upon Renne and Aira. She could follow this up with, "You can flirt later," but that was perhaps too much levity in a still-treacherous situations.

"The path back is clear for now. Unless someone discovers the bodies, we should be able to leave unharassed. There are others outside creating a disturbance so that we can move more freely."

[supersmashbrother]

Donnie hugs are great. This also feels like it's out of left field since Donnie doesn't just hug people all the time, but it's nice. And concerning. And weird. That all doesn't matter as Raph automatically hugs him back, trying not to set off the waterworks on his end.

The calm urgency in Shu's tone sets him back on track, however, giving Donnie another big brother-sized squeeze before letting him go, patting him on the shoulders as he looks over the rest of the dungeon. "Right. We gotta make like a tree an' split." That's not the phrase at all, but he's thinking of a way out. A quicker way out.

"Let's head back up. I've got an idea."

Which is promising.