[IC] Mey Hem: Submitted For Your Disapproval (cont.)

Patch heard a crack and the droid stopped. It seemed she broke something and the droid's grip weakened. From here, she saw her chance to escape and took it! And yet, there was this feeling that she was being watched...

---

Cinniúint replied to Beathra, "Mortality indeed. I sometimes ponder it. This current form could be killed and banished from this plane but I probably can't be killed permanetly. There's no way to get rid of chance itself and even a place such as this has its own games. Likewise, I doubt Moscareina could ever truly be killed...though, it would make it far harder for her attempt to cross over to this world." As Cinniúint continued conversation, Beathra felt a unease he couldn't quite put his finger on. A sort of calm before the storm. But now that he was looking, he realized the feeling had been very quietly growing just outside the mind's eye since the moment they set foot on YPNR.

---

EB looked around and with the way the people were reacting, it seemed to be flies here. Such a thing would generally not be strange. Not any stranger than the two large roaches that skittered across his foot. Kage saw the general commotion and he also noticed one of the exits was unguarded as the guards were coming over to address the commotion. Elizilah was staring up at the sky in confusion but something that interrupted and then amplified the confusion was Correspondent 251 suddenly appearing on the view screen and stating, "I'm sorry to announce this, but the Math Off must be cancelled."

"There is something very wrong here." Beathra murmured, then to Cinniúint he thought, Can you feel that? There is something building in the air...

Switching his attention to Kage, he reached out to the Knight's mind, There is something wrong. More than just the insects, I can feel it. Something that has been here the entire time. Can you see where these insects are coming from?

Without waiting for the Lady of Games response, he began to make his way through the crowd, toward Kage, though the disarray of the mass populace hindered his movement. With a frustrated frown, he thrust his hands wide and said, "Seas i leataobh![1] Stand aside!"

EB's skin prickled at the bugs. Normally it wouldn't be such a big deal, but this place seemed so clean and uptight, it did seem odd. Of course, the flies also reminded him of someone else...

At the announcement of the Math Off being cancelled, EB moved to help direct people out of there, while also keeping an ear out for any surprises.

Night Cap breathes a sigh of relief as the Math Off comes to an abrupt end.

There's no facing the math monster. It has no face. It's unconquerable. Uncaring. But this fresh foe that inevitably approaches? Whatever this is, they'll face this together.

Looking up sharply as Correspondent 251 appeared onscreen to cancel the Math Off, Kage felt his tension building as guards started moving in on the restive crowd. Fighting to night slip into a defensive combat stance as he saw the opening the guards left towards a doorway out of the grand area their were in.

Then Kage heard Beathras voice in his head and his attention diverted to the bugs. Watching the directions some of the bugs were moving in, Kage tried to track them back and figure out where the had initially come from. He also noted that the timing of all these bugs and the cancelling of the Math Off for…reasons… seemed more than just a coincedence.


As Beathra approached, Kage nodded to him.

Patch continued to charge through the hallway, possessed by a spell of inhuman wildness. The few thoughts that entered her mind were fleeting and confused. She was running... away... towards... which was it...?

Patch found that the hallway eventually led to a right turn that ran parallel to a large window. Looking in, she could see a woman with a bulky visor and coral dress trying to use an abacus to comfort a small girl. Trying and failing miserably.

---

Beathra heard Cinniúint reply in amusement, "Of course I can feel it. I was wondering what you, or perhaps the princess, were going to do about it."

---

As far as Kage could tell, the bugs didn't seem to be coming from any particular place. It seemed more akin to the calamity at Merchant Javier's but on a vastly lower scale.

There was a tangible disappointment in the room at the announcement that the Math Off was cancelled. From the twins, Ronny spoke up, "In all due respect, Correspondent, the Math Off is a highlight people look forward to. What could be so important that..." Correspondent 251 firmly replied, "The utmost importance. I will speak to you and Palin shortly. Everyone else but the guards must return to your residences. Hopefully the Math Off will be rescheduled."

---

Amidst the increasing calamity, Dee heard Cher comment "Through all this, I still worry about the prophecy. The descendant still has not been found."

Beathra did not bother to respond to Cinniúint. There was no point. He continued to the stage and with little regard for whatever attempt might be made to stop him, quickly joined Kage.

"We should probably use this opportunity to make our exit and refocus on our actual purpose here and hopefully track down Patch while we are at it." He said. "I do not know what is about to happen here, but I suspect the guards will not look kindly on us dawdling."

She briefly paused in shock, beholding her human self as a child, in this of all places! This startling delusion shocked her momentarily, but when she blinked her eyes, she could see that the girl was not her past self, but a completely different individual. Still, the encounter had already caused her blind fury to subside, and she focused on a new goal.

"She... I, I must... free her!"

Shattering through the glass, Patch saw the girl close her eyes and start crying while the woman looked on in shock, then shouted, "Monday, assist me!" But there was no response.

Though disappointed for a moment that ge could discern a pattern to the bugs appearance, Kage felt himself tensing as he considered the significance of them being here at all.

”Agreed,” he said. “Wherever Patch in this floating nation, she is using her powers and Moscareinas influence is building. Remember Merchant Javiers? The world is shifting.

It is time for us to take our leave of this guilded cage.” Lowered in his voice, Kage continued. “Notice the unguarded doorway?“ Kage casually inclined his hesd towards the doorway the guards were moving away from. He also reactivated his stealth tech. The ‘Omega Knight‘ still stood beside Beathra, while the real Omega Knight moved aside. Quickly writing a note, Kage dropped it into Beathras open hand and then silently moved towards the exit. The ‘Omega Knight‘ spoke softly.

”What will your supernatural friend do? Will she be accompanying us, or will she simply sit and observe. Also, since we now seek the truth of this place, should we have the Chief Librarian with us too?

Regardless. Read the note, count to ten, then get our companions together and follow me.”

The Note read.

crouching down near the door, the invisible Omega Knight palmed a smoke, activated it, then sent the tiny sphere rolling into the crowd. Under his breath, the Knight started counting.

”One…Two…Three…”

Patch moved to place herself between the woman and the girl, angrily staring the woman down with her lips curled back in a snarl.

Night Cap begins bravely prancing in place in pretend nervousness as he wonders what else to do. He mustn't speak unless the situation is truly out of control, and it doesn't seem quite there yet.

The girl tried to scamper away from Patch while the woman, still in a state of alarm, shouted, "S-stay back monster, I won't let you ruin this! Monday, I said assist me!"

Spotting Night Cap amid the chaos and worried that he might get trampled, EB made his way over and scooped up the little pawny.
"You ok? And are you as confused as I am?" He also scoured the arena for Dee.

With a brief glance at the note, Beathra nodded and simply said, "Aye. If she wishes."

As Kage counted, the hooded man muttered under his breath. "Siúlóid an Scáth. No traces left to tell the tale...[1]" As the Knight's count reached ten, a sharp crack of noise[2] emanated from the smoke bomb and Beathra turned, making for the exit.

Upon the release of the smoke bomb, the pandemonium increased, easily allowing the party to slip out undetected. Now out in the hallway, they had only moments to decide if they wanted to turn left or right.

Night Cap nods vigorously.

Patch's arm thrust out to grab the woman's shirt and lift her into the air. "You... what were you doing... to her? What... have you done... to the others...?"

The woman vainly struggled to get out of Patch's grasp, clearly lacking physical strength. She whimpered, "I was trying to use math problems to comfort her but she's still crying. I don't know how these ground children work! Several of us were assigned children to educate. We were told that any who aren't made more amendable within a period of time will be sent to the Chief Apothecary."