>>{_"hEx=Chain^judges#"

Shimmjord rolled the bronze Kite-clamp between slender, topaz fingernails. "Seems dumb you wanna take this accessory. It's no huge deal; just a reminder of well-wishing."

"Muss apply some sorta sigggnificance if Old Hoot Owl wants it," Saul slurred. "What seems ridiculous is why we get two favors, but the Moth chargggez three thingggs in return."

"Had you listened clossser," trolled the Entity, "You would recall I am tollinggg extra for insolence. Truly I should humiliate a section of your ranks, but I feel I've unEarthed a corosive amount of Gated matters between your colony."

It was rubbing salt over our stress. Without even processing I was visual-OOZING it full of squirming-hot metal.

"Fear & ambition," Ruby spoke, now standing. "The two impulses enough to cause brashness, outside of actual spite."

"You had us over a Barrel," Falco admitted, fastening the knapsack back around his shoulders. "But from my engineeringgg perssspective, please, return sometime when I'm reeally *hooked up*, and seee how your resolution fairs then."

"On top of ambition," added the Dragon, "I have to derail my own schedule in waiting for your posse to whip up some little Nature-bending elixirs before I get to vacate - since apart from my help, you'll never trudge to your destination in a quarter hour's pace."

"No more dilly-dallying," encouraged Hooksclot, probably fearing to become dinner. (not that he'd be desirable, shriveled as he was). "Let's package the order and ship out."

Nika ordered, "So that waxy bag's empty now. We can place the offerings in there."

Becca peered down at her palms with a temPestuouS'Whimming, as if beyond the confines of rigiDensity, signaling whetheRugged hands would be enough to duke things out by themselves. For a moment it looked like she craved something, perhaps to show the whole world some unparalleled secret—in that moment she appeared perhaps aware how to fortify a Bridge amidst collapsing, but wafFoiled skeptical if she could really generate the supporTechnique safely... (or perhaps suppressing it due unsuitable circumstance.) Swifter than her ruminating had congealed, it festered to resentment. One elbow snapped tight with disgust as she clasped a fist.

Saul sprawled his fingertips gingerly at the crestfalLumpy base of her neck, before she would relinquish the Honeycomb. Once obtaining it, he whisked over to the dainty girl in anticipation of gathering the Hairclip. Amy shuddered, appearing frigid, second-guessing the throng around her. She wrenched her vision away as she passed it away into his clutch. He distributed the collection to Rovo's outstretched bag, where Gutt was already sliding the TelecomPath'whip egg to the bottom of the Peace Treaty basket. My gaze lingered as the items were swallowed. I cached later note to probe BeccAbout that sticky subject. She seemed partial to my nature, and might reveal more.

Finally with that predicament wrapped up, we could get back to hatching our Eggshell catalysts. Malibu informed the Bird that once we'd had a few minutes to pass out formulas, we'd bring the offering outside.

"Prudent to make me uphold my part first," the Ruthless Rafter warranted. "And keep in mind when you approach, you shall not seek peeks at my exterior features - for such creature that doeShall be revisited with a series of plight."

Trent grappled his flamethrower tighter. Amy hurried to braid rotations of her hair out of the way to one side, and then re-assume her Solar'Lamp from a bar-stool cushion.

"Proceed with your concoctions," Grand'maw authorized. "I shall hasten your capability." And then, behind a Gust of Wings we found ourselves ({within a Dilation cloud of diaspora}) initiated into a Bll'urr of acceleration...

Before anyone could sufficiently stream around the bar counter, Trent went adamantly bonkers to be stamped by *Acid Reflex*.. Similarly I got frisky about *Minera-L@ncing* as Gutt began walking Trent through the blending process -- Lancing was supposed to allow metallurgy, but you had to be careful with not pushing too hard as to clot your blood=streams.

Ruby swung around rapidly & positioned herself to assist in the brewing management, permitting Gut's eyes to rest easy - helpinGo twice as fast. "Wow, this fortune is gonna spoil you beginners on magiChordium," she grouched light-heartedly.

Siggy announced, "I preefer most defensive type present."

Beck@Hemoth peered into the cartons: "I see one says *FORTIFY* - work for ya, partner?" Siggy endowed it as suitable, and stretched his neck comfortably.

"And I," proclaimed the Tyrant, "Want to work nothing with those repulsive patches." Saul tried to change his viewpoint, but Capone insisted there could be dread-Fool ramifications.

To the contrary, Rovo eagerly wanted to fly. Sig was suddenly enamoured by the prospect, but Gutt protested that the malleability of being Fortified wouldn't allow for *Flight* to function properly (not to mention too many 'high' flyers at once could attract civilian astonishment for miles around).

Buck was made to take the }*Leap*{.

Falco sided with ~stealth~ (as he was more satisfied with traditional propulsion systems) & seemed to figure he would later prank his spicy sorceress -- she poked his belly & warned, "Don't even try sneaking up on me mister, or I won't tie you up for a week," & juiced up a twin bowl portion to counteract his shenanigans. {Later she squeezed out some *stuB#Link* egg as well, which proved to be a wildcard, since not even Gutt could attest to knowing what that one conduced}

Skeletal Fin stayed quiet for a long manner, but eventually voiced his interest in ~gills~ (although it wasn't valiant enough alone) & we supplied him D#windlow... Phission as well for offense, which was frequently used to narrow an enemy's field vision & supposed to Cage things in other creative ways.

Amy paraded her eyeLashes around <{*Electr!ne T'wine>}.

Pheo selecTold ^!Heat*Defe@ter!^ +plus not incidentally, she also wished to test out *stuB#link* like Ruby-- but Becca theorized it was a multi-purpose talent no amateur magician should be trying to harness. "Whatever then," she declared: "Let me fly like my brother, in case I wanna get personal up close..."

One by one we left a powdered trail of cups and vials, until all we whippersnappers patched on at least one reptoid Scale. Gutt took what was left over, huffing as he pasted on (~&?)Whirling Dervish{%+}, probably since he didn't feel like steadying a gun after all his exercise earlier.

After Wards were done baking, our members cranked out a round of high-fiving, jigs, and cheering -- gestures short-lived as time abruptly chopped down out of Hyper-Action.

"Awaiting my lovely spoils," nagged The Divebomber. "Usher it up onto the roofing ledge when you exit - and attempt nothing Unceremonious."

"Will do," Beck@Hemoth voucheDouble for us. All in one movement she bumped Rovo's arm, leaning over his collar, whispering something furiously. "...winTry equinox climBack.." I caught a snippet of her vowing. His non-blanketed eye FROZE, before he ripped his Boulder shoulders around nearly inside her bounty of hair, unable to short-circuit his shock. It would appear her Sneaky wiles had resumed to cruising. No way I was gonna miss whatever clanDestiny was shaping up, & i scuttled toward the Giants.

"Say Fairy Gwad'Mudder," Buck protested in the background. "Fi give ya a featheRub, would ya lemme take a joyride once fur-" Pheo elbowed him: "Excuse his poor manners."

I pushed right past both of them, hardly even hearing as I targeted Rovo, but noticed a ~#swishy#~ sound recurring aside me. I flicked my eyes & saw it was the buzzing of Anika'saggy jeans. She was intent on the destination too.

"For one proud as Birdfolk requesting," the Harpy reflected Gryffly, "Pardoned: low focus just wants to prance as the centaur of buzz anyhow."

In my fervor, I almost rammed between the two Titans, and arrived flipping my hands in a questioning manner: +{- making jAb'solute sure to clip Anika's rib cage in hopes she'd give me more space}. "Watch it, dude!" she hissed. She missed the hint. Popular kids were familiar being in compact proximities, but not us loners.

Becca beckoned each of us to squeeze in closer (to my dismay) & scents pounded of cheeseburger (Rovo), sliced with pungent peanut (Nika), folded a haze of papayAnd banana (Ruby) & squirteDraft of vineguttar and cake. I could only guess what they smelled on me; normally indoors it was a lime smell, but after carrying metals around & as many places I'd been literally dragged, It may have wilted into something more of a spicy bell-pepper.

Sign language was enacted by pointing at the $cale stuck to Rovo's bulging neck, then him uncertainly mock-firing the coiling IceGusher. So they intenDiversion of ambuscade involving Frostbite...Anika peppered: "C'mon, you heard it, no funny business. We have no idea what it's capable."

Becca felTugged to discourse: "That beehive I brought trails me a horDEfenDoors. It pans out like great luck in this realm. Now we could tough it alone, but the thing maps their Sanctuary perches, and can be traced to locale if some Peeper understands how to read what it's looking at."

I fixated onto Ruby's flushed mask. She was wanting to protect their invisible Livelihoods too. "Then why not forfeit the Scar-Staff from the beginning & hold out for the sake of your charm?"

She summoned frown lines with an impatient look. "Had to gain the Time boost." -- Oye derp, I curled my finger on chin with pondering shame.

"One problem with a stunt,′ Rovo dumped. "I don't wanna fly towards Grandmyth alone."

"The real snag," I prop'Sected. "Is trying to resist, while pressuring it to grant us Godspeed on our passage."

Anika escalated, "I mighTerrorize it toward relenting."

Pheo barged around her brother's side, & promised: "Nobody's charging alone here."

"In thaaat case," I deLiberated. "To ice it, or just freeze it with bluff?..."

"Keep options open," Beck affirmed. "Cause neither is likely to slow something Old as the last ice age very long."

GutTapped on the counter, peeling Beck'attent down from us. "You can't always shield everyone from their own choices," he mellowed, peering up. "As long as you didn't pick the fight, no one's gonna be upset. Girl, I don't expect your Guardians will mark you as Traitor for noble trading."

"Well," tensed Ruby. "At the end of the day, these things can be misinterpreted if I don't show effort to conceal their whereabouts. However - only a handful have retreated," she smiled as her eyes shimmered around the room. "When adding my outLanders, we're banking around twenty to 1 odds."

Pheo pleaded, "Can't they shroud themselves from being targeted?"

Becca paused at her with annoyance. "The TimeSlope grease they're funneling to stay in sync with us, depletes other tactics like shielding."

"What are they?" Anika asked.

"Unsafe to say true names right now," she cautioned. "They look like a pair of orca finSurrounding both beetle or cameLike face between, with Buzz-saw cageSprouting from their collar bones. I call 'em helMuck Cagems."

"Shred me like a rapper," Rovo blessed. "Sounds stout enough to have my back."

"Formidable," I relished. "I am a big fan of spikes." Which was why i chose minera-Lancing.

Gutt hailed: "And it takes a LOT to go wrong with the porpoise-Graced."

Everyone present, including Ruby, knit their brows at him. "Flippers," he explaineDemonstrated.

"Ok," she affirmed. "One of you aside from Buff meatbones, handle the bag when we depart. Whenever that person ducks, the rest of us will tag it with whatever we got."

"You really shake a spice between your words," Capone had taken to flattering the Fairytale Phisher. "Sure you're not a Lawyer? Cause I could use a few tips."

"I don't fling away tips without price," stated the Bidding critic. "Feather'more, I find courtrooms indigestable; as I don't strike to get caged by Rulebooks."

Sig chipped, "Heights o speech, offin underscore heap o stubborNest."

"Now there's a stud..." Amy admired. "Reprimand the lawless."

"Stud?" emphasized the Dick-tater. "I got proverbs behind this tongue, and you don't hear my IMPACT under#Scoring!" he spliced.

"Clue-moanication is what it takes to be Successful, children," Grand-Maw undermined him. "You must forge charisMATools & hardly mind the Jurors over public opinion. Such advice is token of my hopes that you may come to discard protocol appeal apart from indifferent energy, to convene your own village Councils that execute solutions, insteaDepositing mere demerits & bail outs. Where I dwell, there tends too much maintenance to glide the zephyrs of pleasure [as we say between the Gas*nests] but watching your gears whirl has been pleasant."

"Glad we could surprise you," remarked Pheo, biting back deviancy. "We'll be right out."

"I have to tidy up," Malibu excused. "You kids handle yourselves."

"Indeed, you bag-worn Dodgebottle," the Creature nearly seemed to sympathize.

"Oh," Falco told Gut. "It'd be conveeenient to leave the Launcher here for now. Too heavy."

"You're at the right guy's place for that," he accepted.

"Oh boy!" Buck yapped. "I can't wait to tackle me a pie-rut." This caused the gargOwl to prattle 'on Airs' about low levels of attentiveness - during which our Squadron coalesced tighter around the Great white Sack, there were gestures thrown out such as pistol-popping fingers, plucked feathers, & strangled necks. For good measure, Rovo told Buck to calm down & stop pestering the Negotiator by *Leaping* forward to irrelevant remarks, while Ruby patted Trent's flamethrower & tilted it down, shaking her head. Pheo also came over & gently persuaded Buck to shed the steel Mitts for an UZI - since we didn't want his indiscretion to jump in the way of any Freeze beam.

Siggy pointed an arrow at the bag. "So who wanDoo carry it?"

"That's another issue," pounced Freight-beak. "Anyone can offer it - save the Alchemist or her tinker mate."

I shot a frenzied glance between the Prowley's, then Anika. They had better combat options, while I would remain the only other who knew we were gearing a pump-fake.

"Let me," DalLoose volunteered. "I'll be delighted to throw out all that Witch doctor trash."

I lunged and yanked the bag out of range. "Excuse me," I forged, "But if you don't treat everybody respectfully, things might go haywire."

"I respect the Creep," he spurned. "but not voodoo!"

"Try Incantation," Becca bristled. "Voodoo feeds off two words - Violence & doom."

"In OUR Eerie culture," MothMane exhibit'shed, "We call it engineering when it ex-cells; or if the goals crumble, then sloppy architeXture."

"Whatever," our Kingpin dismissed. "Bout to clear out the riff-raff soon enough. March away, fleabags."

Amusing to record, CaPunitive lolly'Dragged to the back of the pack as we banded towards the front Doors. Ruby was at the helm, Scar-Scepter bobbing harnesSnuggled against her thick hip. Falco instinctively hovered abouy her flank of course, & just as much Siggy paced by his half-brother's side. As I paraded next, escorted between the Prowleys, my hand grasped clammy on the elastic liner, alMOiSTiff.

Saul unhinged the Bolt's chain, & Rebecca plowed past the hinges with watermelon undertones competing to seep through her tangled mane... Humidity & murk blustered all around us, as we poured out over the welcome Balcony. Ruby's hair wasn't obeying the breeze - a center strip of hair down the back appeared to form a miniature shovel.