event: portal five | the carnival

[mayfield_mods]

The fifth portal is in the park, tucked away behind a cluster of trees; as usual, any drones walking past simply ignore it. The cheerful carnival that can be seen on other side of this portal may strike many of you as quite familiar.

The carnival doesn't seem to have changed much since the last time it was open. The street that had been behind the carnival has disappeared, but everything else remains the same, down to the sky looking like it's been completely deleted and replaced by a gaping hole of nothingness. Despite this area being the smallest and most enclosed environment so far outside of the blimp, there are plenty of places to begin your search, from the Ferris Wheel, to the funhouse, to the various rides and stands. Just make sure to avoid the large glitch holes that seem to be all over the place.

Oh, and you might want to speed this one up, because you're not alone here. The faceless drones from the blimp are having fun at the carnival as well, queuing up for the rides and playing the games. They'll ignore you for now, but they're not the only ones you have to worry about. Here and there, you may catch glimpses of hideous, mutated drones...and they don't seem very happy to see you.

Comments

[guiding_starlight]

[ Dressed for potential fighting, Nanoha steps in the portal a short time after from Fate's arrival. The other woman with the long blonde hair is the close-combat specialist, after all. As dangerous as the sky looks, Nanoha isn't too eager to fly far.

Though one look around at the drones and the holes in the ground don't give her much incentive to stay on the ground, either. None of the few stories she had heard of this place can do the sight before her the proper, unsettling justice. ] ...this isn't at all what I expected.

[ Then she spots the Funhouse and points toward it with her staff. ] That was the entry point last time, right? I think that should be the first stop.

[thunderace]

[The entire area sends a chill down Fate's spine. She, too, had heard the stories... which meant she knows how dangerous this place can be. Not that you really needed to hear the stories to know that; just the current appearance made that clear.

Which is why she, too, is clad in her Barrier Jacket, Bardiche already in his default combat mode.]

That would be our best bet. It's also the most dangerous, without a doubt. [Not that she's trying to talk her friend out of it. She knows she could never do such a thing.]

[guiding_starlight]

[ It would be a little too late for that. She has been wanting to investigate the degradation for some time, now, and her earlier failure to uncover any useful information was still frustrating her. ] I'll be on my guard. [ With what little protection spells she had access to, that would be mostly up to Fate, but Raising Heart makes an affirmative sound as she chimes her support. ]

[ Off they walk toward the run-down Funhouse. As they move, she looks to the strange drones and suppresses her disgust. ] This place... it is more warped than I expected.

[thunderace]

Same here. I knew it was bad... but not this bad.

[It's good that armor and cloth covers Fate's hands while her Barrier Jacket is active. That way nobody can see just how white her knuckles are from gripping Bardiche so tightly.] And it's not just the appearance of this area. Everything just feels wrong. I'm sure this place could look brand-new and completely normal, and it would still have that same feeling.

[guiding_starlight]

[ Likewise the swaying of Nanoha's twin pigtails masks the shudder that worked its way from tip-to-toe as she stopped in front of the large carnival building. ] I... know what you mean.

[ Her eyes scan over the outside of the building, looking to see for any open doors or windows, or really, any way in that didn't involve her blasting a wall open.

Not that she wouldn't do it... ]

[thunderace]

[As Nanoha examines the front, Fate moves around to the back. It's not like this place is completely wrecked, so there has to be some way the people who were stuck in this town got in and out...

Bingo. An entryway.]

Nanoha! I found a way in.

[guiding_starlight]

[ It's hard to be separate for even a moment. She pushes down the panic rising deep down, her eyes traveling to the space around her.

God, what's wrong with her? She's not new to field work. She's not a child anymore. She has to be strong, for everyone's sake.

Fate's call snaps her out of it and she jogs right around. ] Good work! Let's see what we can find... [ Taking a defensive posture with her staff, she heads in. ]

[thunderace]

[No need to worry, Nanoha. Fate is concerned about your safety as well, so she's staying well within earshot, no matter what.]

It's too dark for my liking.... Bardiche?

"Zanber Form."

[In a flash, Fate's device transformed into a familiar magical golden blade. It's bright enough to illuminate their surroundings, and a more comforting weight in Fate's hand. She could fight well enough with Bardiche in his standard form, but a sword is a bit more reassuring.]

[guiding_starlight]

[ That certainly did the trick. Shadows will move too much when that gets swung around, so Nanoha holds a magic ball of light in the air beside them on the other side, just in case. ] Good call.

[ Now, to venture deeper in. ]

[mayfield_mods]

[The rustling sound of movement from nearby would be loud in the darkness. A glimpse of bright white facepaint before a clown with only a mouth is leaping at the pair of them with a large knife.]

[thunderace]

Look out! [Fate was already on edge before entering the funhouse. So the moment the soft sounds of movement reached her ears, she raised her sword. It was long, almost as long as she was tall, but she could wield it as swiftly as any normal-sized blade. The monstrous clown - and its knife - slammed into it before it could reach Fate.]

[guiding_starlight]

[ At the sounds of a scuffle, Nanoha spun, the light spinning with her. But she doesn't need to do more than bring Raising Heart at the ready because Fate has already taken care of the problem. Or so she thinks. ] A drone? Are there more? [ She half-turns away, her orb of light rising and growing brighter to illuminate a wider area. If anyone else wishes to rush them, she is hoping to flush them out then get jumped quite like that again. ]

[mayfield_mods]

[Its limbs bend unnaturally at the elbows and knees, giving it a greater dexterity than is natural. It attempts to lean under the next sword blow to try and land a hit with its own knife.]

[thunderace]

[the clown may have better dexterity, but Fate is faster. She twists to the side at the last possible second, leaving the knife to merely shred through the cloth of her uniform, just barely knicking the skin beneath. She followed up the slash with a pommel blow straight to the clown's face.]

No, not a drone! Something different!

[guiding_starlight]

[ There is nothing she can do with that — clown?


Whatever it was, Nanoha steps back and away a few feet so that Fate has plenty of room to maneuver without risking any incidental damage to her. ]

[mayfield_mods]

[The pommel blow breaks something with a loud crunch. The clown gives a screech and scuttles back into the darkness.]

[thunderace]

[Fate doesn't chase it as it runs off, but neither does she lower her sword. She seems a bit... shaken, despite how brief the confrontation was. She's never seen something that terrifying this up close before...]

... It's gone. For now. [She takes a deep breath, turning to Nanoha.] It looks like we have to continue down that way, if we want to proceed. We might run into that thing again... maybe more. Are you sure you want to go ahead?

[guiding_starlight]

[ She tightens her grip. ] Yes. I believe it is nothing we can't handle and... besides. If they are attacking us, it could be that we are getting closer to something important. [ That is assuming that logic applies at all, and these are not just mindless killers roaming around. A frightening thought. ]

Let's continue on. [ Weren't there different rooms in here? That stands to reason, too. She keeps her eyes peeled for the stairs, or a door leading to the hall of mirrors. ]

[mayfield_mods]

[The door leading to the house of mirrors is up ahead.

The clown is standing in front of the door, almost as though he was waiting for them.]

[thunderace]

[It's a little suspicious, but there are times when you have to take risks. Fate approaches, sword raised, waiting for the clown to make the first strike.]

Step aside. I don't want to hurt you, but I will do what I need to in order to proceed.

[Yep, even with something that clearly isn't fully human, Fate tries a reasonable option first.]

[guiding_starlight]

[ Nanoha stands back, watching the encounter. She has no need to echo Fate's sentiment, because her determination is also clear; they will both do what is necessary so that their family, and others, can be free. Killing isn't in their playbook but that isn't the only way to incapacitate someone. ]

[mayfield_mods]

[The clown doesn't react to their reasoning. It draws a knife from inside its outfit somehow and throws it at Fate .]

[thunderace]

[Fate easily dodges. This, if anything, gives her even more of a reason to try to get through to... whatever this is. If that's the best it can do, it wouldn't stand a chance.

She takes a few more steps froward, but still doesn't attack.]

I'll give you one more chance. Step aside, and you won't be in danger.

[guiding_starlight]

[ Speaking of danger, Nanoha was really looking away at the wrong moment. Fate moved aside to let the knife pass her body and as it happened Nanoha turned back just in time to see the glimmer of metal an instant before it grazes the outside of her thigh.

She cries out and slumps against the wall. ]

[mayfield_mods]

[The clown lets out a shriek of victory as it injures Nanoha. It doesn't revel for long, leaping at Fate to try and throttle her.]