ClockQuest Complete Logs (Pt. 5)

Archive: https://pastebin.com/fP6neawT



_____Finale: Like Clockwork (2/3)_____

{Titanpad PnP Continuation: GO!}
<DrEvilKitteh> “Rose!” Blah. But it's nice and floaty and oddly comfy here...like being on a cloud~... “Rose! Listen to me!” Oh come on, couldn't she just enjoy this sleep? It's really relaxing...and it's a pain to move, anyway... “Rose! Wake up! You need to grab my hand, /now/!” ...Actually, it /was/ a pain to move. Literally. Why did it hurt like that?
<DrEvilKitteh> The events leading up to that point fill her mind, and Rosemary's eyes snap open. Walter, one eye gone and the right side of his body damaged and crumpled, reaches out to take her hand. He's...also holding on to the side of a mostly-trashed cab of an eighteen wheeler. And both are floating along, slowly tumbling end over end in the air in apparent slow motion.
<DrEvilKitteh> And that's when the vertigo kicks in. They were floating in that ring of detritus around the spiral tower connecting the fortress and factory, with a legitimate “ground” and “bottom” both “above” and “below”. And to the “side”, too, since the Overcity curves in an arc in this location. Oh, yes, and the center of the spiral tower had been completely obliterated, with a gap of six or so stories between the still-intact sections. The Ironclad Man was nowhere to be seen.
<DrEvilKitteh> Needless to say, Rosemary flails in the air and grabs Walter's hand tightly enough to somewhat dent the metal that composes his appendage. Without hesitation, he pulls her into the truck cabin and sets her between the seats. Even in here, the near-zero gravity affected them-- though it was more like “too much gravity pulling in opposing directions, simulating the effects of zero-gravity in a specific area”.
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter ducks out of the cabin and again holds on as he looks around the ring of debris. “Amelia!,” he bellows out at some figures in the distance, voice amplified beyond human capabilities. “Seo-Hyun! Use your Fire magic like thrusters! Get the others and fly to me!” He lifts his free arm to aim and fire his revolver, sending a bullet through the Core of a Clockwork Stalker climbing up the side of the spiral tower. Several of them are doing so, heading from both the fortress and the factory. “Lin! Pick off as many of the Stalkers as you can!,” he added, hoping the Beacon girl is aware enough to hear and acknowledge.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Situation: After the Ironclad Man's hammer detonation wrecked the central sections of the tower, everyone was sent into the “asteroid/debris belt”. Rosemary fell unconscious and was rescued by Walter. Both are in a semi's cabin, floating along with the debris. Amelia, Alexa, Lin, and Seo-Hyun are all Very Far from one another and Walter/Rose, and are all conscious, if wounded. Several stalkers are also ascending the spiral tower, and are at Very Far Range relative to everyone else. Also, FP and MP are restored to full.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [This is not a combat exactly, but I'm limiting the characters to a short action per “turn”, just so things don't get too terribly out of hand: Alexa healing, Seo doing an Illusion fuckery spell, Amelia using fire thrusters, Lin taking potshots at the Stalkers... You get the picture.]
<LHoG> Lin groans on hearing her name, and refocuses on the area around her. There's a couple gashes on her where she's struck debris...or was it vice versa? At any rate, she's a little wounded, but is aware enough to perk up on hearing orders. She looks around, spots the stalkers, and barks out a quick, “Got it!” before bracing her pistol against her knee and trying to pick off the approaching foes.
[17:18] <LeftHandofGod> ~ex 14 v [Clockquest Roll: Barrage, Hollowpoint Rounds.]
[17:18] <Zeneroller> LeftHandofGod: [9, 9, 1, 7, 7, 4, 3, 9, 9, 5, 7, 6, 6, 5]. Successes total: 7
[17:18] <LeftHandofGod> (And not a marksman proc to be seen.)
[17:18] <@DrEvilKitteh> (That's unfortunate.)
[17:18] <LeftHandofGod> (-3 MP for use of barrage.)
[17:24] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 7 v multi 10 v
[17:24] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: 7d:[1, 9, 2, 10, 1, 6, 4] = 3; 7d:[5, 6, 9, 10, 10, 10, 1] = 7; 7d:[10, 8, 4, 8, 4, 1, 10] = 6; 7d:[3, 8, 9, 7, 6, 5, 5] = 3; 7d:[7, 4, 9, 8, 2, 10, 3] = 5; 7d:[8, 2, 10, 1, 10, 7, 5] = 6; 7d:[2, 10, 2, 7, 9, 2, 5] = 4; 7d:[5, 9, 10, 1, 5, 4, 3] = 3; 7d:[8, 10, 10, 7, 7, 5, 7] = 8; 7d:[2, 2, 2, 5, 8, 8, 4] = 2.Total successes: 47
[17:25] <LeftHandofGod> (Dis some bullshit.)
[17:25] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Yer)
<DrEvilKitteh> Four of the Stalkers are hit and torn apart by the powerful magical rounds, their inactive chassis' slipping from the tower and tumbling end over end in the wonky gravity. Five others are hit and damaged, one of them critically, and a sixth nimbly avoids one of her shots completely.
<Seo-Hyun> Seo-Hyun didn't bother responding in any way. At this point it would just be a waste of time and energy that would also serve to draw attention to her. Instead, she focused her magic to attempt to simulate some sort of thrust via foxfire, in the hopes of pulling herself closer to Alexa. She was the group's healer, it only made sense to try and help her first. [Movement, I think? GM arbitration. *shrug*]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Yep, movement. Um... You move into Far Range from Alexa. Subtract -1 MP for the magic usage.]
<Tangent> Amelia's drifting limply. She isn't moving. Her proud azure outfit's singed and torn, stained with her own blood, and only the faint glimmers of embers...from UNDER her skin and injuries show that she's anything but a corpse. She's still clutching her sword with inhuman force in her hand...but she's still out of the fight for the moment.
<Jar Mimic> It didn’t work. Even though her fist was evenly matched with the giant metal man’s defenses, everything else he had was far and away over what the little former lamb could handle. Even with so many other people by her side, it was far more than they could handle together. Even with the motivation of avenging the wounds of her friend wasn’t enough to push her strength to the point of victory. This had been a summary defeat, and a failure to perform the only real goal Rosemary had come here to accomplish. So. “I want another shot at him!” This is the closest she’s ever gotten to solving an unsolvable problem, which is something she’s had trouble with in the past, if anything else she’s ever tried to do with her own power is any evidence. So, her resolve tells her to do what she’s always done.  Learn from the experience and overcome.  But, for now, she just floats and shakes her fist in the direction they were all exploded from.
<Jran-Kri> Oh, bloody Hell, is Alexa's first coherent thought. Then it is followed by a cacophony of internal screaming, punctuated by a single external choking sound for variety. Her head swivels around on her neck like a cocaine-addled owl's. She is only mildly pleased to see the illusionist moving towards her, although the look on her face is nothing short of horror. Adjusting her glasses with nothing more delicate than a slap upside the head, she spots Amelia. What remains of her good sense tells her that she is at the very broadest range at which she could possibly help her. A twinge of pain in her gut tells her that the PHYSICIAN SHOULD HEAL THYSELF. She is decidedly unable to compromise between them, and chooses instead to put Amelia back together. [Miracle Worker, 3 Mana: +25% HP on target]
<DrEvilKitteh> The Ironclad Man was, of course, nowhere in sight. "You will most likely get your wish before this night is over," Walter muttered in Rosemary's direction as he leaned out of the truck cabin again. He aimed and fired twice, picking off two of the Stalkers that Lin had already wounded.
<DrEvilKitteh> [There are approximately 13 Stalkers remaining that are in Range of Ranged attacks/spells. More are on the way, but they're in a second wave.]
<LHoG> Floating in space and trying to aim is a new experience for Lin, and she's hoping that excuses her mediocre first few shots. She steadies herself and sends another burst of hot lead flying at the climbing foes, letting her actions speak for her.
[01:52] <LeftHandofGod> ~ex 14 [Clockquest roll: Barrage, Hollowpoint, MP 3 -> 0]
[01:52] <Zeneroller> LeftHandofGod: [8, 9, 8, 4, 2, 8, 9, 1, 3, 5, 5, 5, 2, 2]. Successes total: 5
[01:52] <LeftHandofGod> (Where the fuckin' marksman procs at, fam?)
[01:53] <@DrEvilKitteh> (>Cue most of the Stalkers not being hit.)
[01:55] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 5 multi 3 v
[01:55] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 7 multi 7 v
[01:55] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: 5d:[6, 9, 5, 6, 6] = 1; 5d:[7, 7, 4, 1, 8] = 3; 5d:[6, 7, 7, 1, 4] = 2.Total successes: 6
[01:55] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: 7d:[7, 2, 5, 2, 3, 4, 2] = 1; 7d:[3, 4, 5, 3, 8, 1, 8] = 2; 7d:[10, 2, 1, 7, 3, 6, 6] = 3; 7d:[2, 5, 10, 5, 10, 5, 2] = 4; 7d:[6, 3, 10, 6, 10, 4, 9] = 5; 7d:[8, 5, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2] = 1.Total successes: 16
[01:55] <@DrEvilKitteh> (/Wow/.)
[01:55] <@DrEvilKitteh> (You did much better this time even with far fewer successes.)
[01:56] <LeftHandofGod> (Great! I like killing entire encounters!~)
[01:56] <LeftHandofGod> (I-I mean, u-umm...please be gentle, GM-senpai!)
<DrEvilKitteh> Five of the Stalkers are utterly destroyed by a magical slug through some critical section of their chassis, three of which Lin had previous damaged. Five others were all hit, but the same one that had danced out of the way of her last Barrage took the least amount of damage, with merely a scrape along its leg.
<Tangent> Amelia jolts, and shoots upright with a gasp as the familiar magic flows into her. "A-ah...Alexa!"
<Tangent> [anyone in melee range of her?]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Nope. No one is in Close Range of Amelia. The other PC's are at Very Far and the remaining Stalkers are at Far to everyone.]
<Jar Mimic>  "Well good!" the former sheep doll replies, clearly not taking whatever situation they might currently be in with so much worry as everyone.  After all, compared to doing what she came here to do, why bother doing anything else?  "Next time, I'll find a weak spot for sure!  Hitting him in the joint didn't work like I thought it would at all."  She folds her arms, obviously thinking hard about this thing that wasn't an issue at the moment.  "Maybe I should try sucking his soul a little bit first.  If he has one.  I should probably check next time."  Of couse, one can only get in so much thought when guns are firing overhead.  "Say, we must be fighting something now, right?  Are we not doing the whole stealth thing anymore?  I don't know how much help I could be, but should I be helping?"
<DrEvilKitteh>  [Amelia's Soak/HP is 1/5, according to the logs, but she was healed by Alexa and has Regen.. FP have been refreshed for everyone due to the long wait between stopping and starting again. MP are also back to full. Also Tangent, next time please ask questions on the Titanpad itself, because they're easier for me to notice and read.]
<Tanget> Amelia's outfit is charred tatters, but that doesn't stop her from shooting right into the middle of the mob with an enraged scream and a jet of intense blue flame. She's sick of this. She keeps fighting and the monsters keep coming and she keeps screwing up and Alexa gets hurt...But there are monsters to kill, right there. She can start with those, and end with that monster in human clothing when they catch up to him. [Amelia uses the fire movement power to enter melee range with the monsters]
<DrEvilKitteh> [-1 MP for the magical Movement.]
<Seo-Hyun> Progress was being made, but Seo-Hyun hadn't quite reached her goal yet. She simply continued rocketing (admittedly somewhat slowly) towards Alexa, reaching out to grab hold of her as she gets close and beginning to use the same magic to start moving towards... no, not Amelia, she was too close to hostiles to drag in Alexa. It'd have to be Lin. [That's probably gonna be 2 turns of movement but I don't really have any ideas on other actions to take here.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Yep, that would take 2 turns of Movement to reach her. Um...next "round", if you want, you could try rolling MAG to make big thrusters like an explosion behind you. If you roll enough successes, you can reach Lin in just the one turn, otherwise you'll end up Far from her again and would've wasted a few more MP.]
<Seo-Hyun> [I'll go with that, but for now... Yeah, grabbing Alexa.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Right-o.]
<Jran-Kri> The red-coated healer is quite cheered to see Amelia doing what she does best; in fact, she seems decidedly too pleased, grinning like a loon as she charges into the fray. She adjusts her glasses with her free hand, barely giving a thought to the problem of movement when Seo-Hyun takes hold of her arm. She nearly jumps out of her skin, jolting like Seo had run her soles over a carpet for an hour. Upon recognizing her as friendly, she adopts a slightly more pleasant crooked grin, her eyes wild behind the spectacles. "A-a-ah. D-d-do you, um, n-n-need h-h-help?" Alexa stammers. Without even waiting for a reply, she flicks her staff, the crystal ball glowing bright red. Instantly, a shimmering, translucent red barrier forms over Seo-Hyun's outfit, forming into something like hard armour. [Armor of Light, 2 Mana: +2 Soak for 3 turns] Alexa immediately lolls her head to continue watching Amelia. "B-b-beautiful, i-i-isn't it?"
<DrEvilKitteh> “I wouldn't recommend it, but we might as well give it a shot.” Walter aimed at the remaining Stalkers, but when Amelia jetted over to them, he let his finger off the trigger. The Fire girl didn't need a slug to her back from a friendly, and she and Lin likely had the last five covered anyway. “...No, we're not doing 'the stealth thing' anymore. Because the Alchemist knows we're here now.” He glanced at Rosemary and gave her an appraising look. “Unless you have a ranged attack--jumping at the Stalkers--then you can't do much in this fight right now.”
<DrEvilKitteh> Three of the Stalkers, including the undamaged one, engage Lin with crossbows and silenced flintlocks. (How the hell they silenced a flintlock-like rifle is a mystery...) The remaining two engaged Amelia with their armblades.
[15:30] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 9 multi 2 v (ClockQuest wounded Stalkers Ranged attack vs Lin! 1 Soak Pen, 1w/s.)
[15:30] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 11 v (ClockQuest Stalker Ranged attack vs Lin! 1 Soak Pen, 1w/s.)
[15:30] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: 9d:[1, 3, 4, 6, 6, 10, 2, 7, 9] = 4; 9d:[6, 2, 7, 5, 3, 10, 5, 5, 2] = 3.Total successes: 7
[15:30] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: [4, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 1, 10, 6, 7, 3]. Successes total: 3
[15:35] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 7 multi 2 v (ClockQuest Stalker Melee attack vs Amelia! 1 Soak Pen, 2w/s.)
[15:35] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: 7d:[10, 8, 10, 5, 9, 5, 9] = 7; 7d:[5, 5, 4, 7, 7, 6, 6] = 2.Total successes: 9
[17:26] <LeftHandofGod> ~ex 9 v [Clockquest roll! Lin dodge.]
[17:26] <Zeneroller> LeftHandofGod: [1, 3, 6, 1, 4, 4, 3, 5, 5]. Botch!
[17:26] <LeftHandofGod> (Fffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck)
[17:26] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Welp.)
[17:26] <@DrEvilKitteh> (What's her Soak/HP right now?)
[17:27] <LeftHandofGod> (Mm, if the numbers I had down were correct, her soak was at 1 and her HP was at 10.)
[17:27] <LeftHandofGod> (She does have determination!~)
[17:28] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Alright, so then that deals...10 Wounds.)
[17:28] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Determination kicks in.)
[17:28] <LeftHandofGod> (Mhm, determination procs and puts her back at, uh... 14/4 = 3.5, round... up? down?)
[17:28] <@DrEvilKitteh> (I'll round up. 4.)
[17:29] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Then she can attack.)
<LeftHandofGod> Lin wriggles desperately in open air, trying to avoid being hit by the incoming shots, but to no avail! Her body is riddled with a few holes, and it looks like she shouldn't be able to keep going at all. But, after a moment of stillness, she shifts, and returns fire with cold precision, as though she was not feeling her wounds at all. All the same, her exhaustion is showing in her movements.
<LeftHandofGod> (Lin's presently at 4 HP, and has had one determination proc out of the two she has total.)
[17:32] <LeftHandofGod> ~ex 8 v [Ranged attack: AP, -2 penalty for attacking all five stalkers at once. Ignoring wounds due to Determination.]
[17:32] <Zeneroller> LeftHandofGod: [3, 8, 5, 9, 9, 3, 10, 10]. Successes total: 7
[17:33] <LeftHandofGod> (Two marksmen procs for 9 successes total.)
[17:33] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Whew.)
[17:33] <LeftHandofGod> (That's the Lin that we know and love~)
[17:37] <@DrEvilKitteh> [Overclock Engaged for all 5 Stalkers.]
[17:37] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 9 multi 4 v (Wounded Stalkers' Dodge!)
[17:37] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 10 v (Stalker Dodge!)
[17:37] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: 9d:[8, 8, 5, 4, 3, 1, 10, 10, 5] = 6; 9d:[9, 6, 6, 3, 4, 10, 1, 5, 5] = 3; 9d:[7, 9, 9, 5, 9, 10, 6, 6, 9] = 7; 9d:[3, 2, 2, 7, 5, 2, 2, 1, 10] = 3.Total successes: 19
[17:37] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: [4, 4, 7, 3, 5, 7, 9, 6, 2, 3]. Successes total: 3
<DrEvilKitteh> Five bullets, two kills. The remaining three Stalkers almost lost their grips on the side of the spiral tower, bodies shaking violently from the Overclock interacting with steadily-falling-apart bodies. Needless to say, that left them wide open for Amelia's attack.
[19:00] <Tangent> !ex 11 v
[19:00] <Molbot> Tangent: [3, 5, 8, 10, 7, 2, 9, 10, 9, 7, 7]. Successes total: 10
<Tangent> Amelia glows like a beacon in the gloom of the debris ring as she shoulder slams into the nearest stalker- the slight fire girl's sword swinging around into her target in a clumsy but forceful slash a moment later!
[17:08] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 7 v (Stalker Parry!)
[17:08] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: [6, 10, 4, 8, 7, 5, 10]. Successes total: 6
<DrEvilKitteh> The Stalker is bashed by Amelia, the blow denting its chassis and tearing its claws off the spiral tower, sending the automaton helplessly spiraling through the air. It attempted to right itself and deflect Amelia's strike, but her blue-hot sword cleaved through its weakened metal structure like a hot knife through 15-second microwaved butter. Its two halves went tumbling away in opposite directions, internal components crackling and spiraling about aimlessly as they filled the space in between.
<Jar Mimic> “Oh, I have ranged attacks,” Rosemary replies to the smallest of metal men, looking for a convenient way out.  As it turns out, opening the door is pretty convenient.  “But I was hoping that I could save them for a last resort.”  When she scrambles on out, she uses her pointed nails to keep a firm grip on the cab until she gets to the roof.  Then she finds someplace to align her feet so that the force of her attack won’t knock her off.  “I didn’t think that I’d ever be pushed this far, though.”  This is yelled loud enough for Walt to hear.  “Looks like I’m gonna have to go all out if I want to be helpful to you all until we find the metal man again.”  Focusing on one of what she assumes is a bad guy, she grabs her right wrist.  A growl rises from her as her hand begins to first glow faintly, and then glow brightly.  Once it’s glowing a certain amount, she points her palm at her target!
<Jar Mimic> !ex 11 v 7 +1 FP
<Molbot> Jar_Mimic: [6, 5, 3, 9, 8, 7, 3, 3, 8, 10, 4]. Successes total: 6
<Jar Mimic>  “Oho Hou!” she shouts, firing a single ball of bright light from her hand.  It screeches through the air toward her intended target.  A Stalker, she guesses.
[01:43] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 7 v (Stalker Sunder!)
[01:43] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: [8, 4, 5, 4, 6, 7, 9]. Successes total: 3
<DrEvilKitteh> The top half of the penultimate Stalker exploded. Its legs twitched and lazily spun away from the Spiral Tower.
<Seo-Hyun> Seo-Hyun curses under her breath, stating even as the magic envelops her, "Save your mana. I'm fine, but the rest of us might not be. Including you." With that out of the way, she repositioned with a few quick bursts of fire before... perhaps it was time to make a bad decision. She focused her fire, bringing together a bigger amount of energy than was perhaps entirely safe in the hopes of hastening their travel towards Lin.
[18:54] <fox_de_lumine_> !ex 16 seo's gotta go fast
[18:54] <fox_de_lumine_> (huh)
[18:54] <fox_de_lumine_> (command changed?)
[18:55] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 16 v blablabla
[18:55] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: [1, 5, 1, 10, 3, 8, 3, 4, 6, 9, 1, 10, 5, 10, 7, 7]. Successes total: 10
[18:56] <fox_de_lumine_> (New command, got it.)
[19:10] <fox_de_lumine_> ~ex 16 once more, with feeling!
[19:10] <Zeneroller> fox_de_lumine_: [10, 7, 2, 7, 3, 10, 10, 7, 1, 7, 8, 9, 3, 8, 2, 4]. Successes total: 13
<DrEvilKitteh> [Success. Like it wasn't obvious enough from all those...successes. Seriously, it's like a lazer-accurate focus thrust spell. Seo moves into Close Range, next to Lin, at the cost of -3 MP.]
<Seo-Hyun> As the gumiho and Alexa approached their target at... a not insignificant speed, Seo-Hyun called out, "Lin, grab on! I'm going to get us out of the zero-gravity area!"
<LeftHandofGod> Lin turns her head, slowly, mechanically, then realizes that the fox is flying at her rather fast. Her pistol disappears into its holster, and she reaches out to catch a grip on whatever is offered to her as the pair flies by. It's pretty obvious that she's in bad shape from the shots of the stalkers, but she seems oddly detached from the pain.
<Jran-Kri> "Me? Wh-wh-what could p-p-possibly be wr-wrong with m-meeEEEEE!" Alexa's query trails off into a senseless squeal of surprise as Seo-Hyun sharply increases her forward momentum. Alexa wriggles a bit, a fit of jitters wracking her form as she clings to her tall wooden staff like a witch on a broom. The bright red crystal ball flashes again as Alexa's head swivels around, enveloping her own injuries in her mending glow. [Miracle Worker, 3 Mana: Healed up to next threshold]
<Tangent> Amelia's slashing away, singlemindedly trying to tear the last monster apart with her magical blade.
[15:06] <Tange> !ex 11 v need to roll
[03:06] <Molbot> Tange: [7, 5, 10, 1, 3, 10, 10, 5, 3, 3, 5]. Successes total: 7
[15:13] <@DrEvilKitteh> ~ex 7 v (Stalker Parry!)
[15:13] <Zeneroller> DrEvilKitteh: [10, 4, 6, 5, 3, 6, 6]. Successes total: 2
<DrEvilKitteh> The last Stalker, at least in that group, is chopped into several twitching pieces by Amelia's nigh-wild strikes.
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter craned his neck to look out of the cabin and up at Rosemary. "...I think you should open with that next time." He scrambled over to the other side of the cabin. "Amelia! Seo! Make your way here and we can get out of this area!"
<DrEvilKitteh> [Combat End. With Alexa working her magic, HP and Soak are put back up to max, as is MP. FP, after being refreshed at the start of this encounter, will stay depleted for now. Use them wisely.]
<Tanget> Amelia looks over, eyes wild and oil and other fluids splattering her face. For a moment, she doesn't seem to register Walter's words, the blue flames licking hungrily at the air around her...and then she shakes her head and lowers her sword. "Got it! I'm coming!" She leaps, and her magic does the rest. The first one she approaches is Alexa. "Hey...Alexa. You're not hurt, right?" She says anxiously. "When the tower...when it..." She shakes her head. "Never mind. You're okay now. Let's just...Let's go."
<DrEvilKitteh> [I'll just assume that the part where she talks to Alexa is after they all get back to the truck cab.]
<Jar Mimic>  “And let my enemy know what I’m capable of right from the start?” Rose shouts down to Walt, looking quite cross at the suggestion that she’s doing it wrong, “I may not be too smart, but I know that you’re not supposed to show your opponent the hand you’re playing with.”  All the same, she lets her muscles relax and deflate a bit.  No reason to stay huge when there’s nothing to throw one’s self against.  Cautiously, she climbs back down into the cab of the truck, taking the driver’s seat.  Great idea when you don’t know how to drive.  Don’t worry.  There will probably be a filler episode in which she learns how to.  “And speaking of which, do you know how we’re gonna get back to the tower?  I have an idea if you don’t.  But I’d have to reveal another special technique, so I’d rather not do that right away.”  Then something catches her eye.  “Hey, let’s turn on the radio.  What frequency is the tower owner guy broadcasting on?”  She starts fiddling with the thing, stopping here and there on her favorite radio stations.
<Seo-Hyun> With Lin and Alexa both retrieved, Seo-Hyun made her way back to the others, not quite as swiftly now that the immediate threat was past. She took a moment to glance around for further threats before fully entering the cabin - which was probably getting pretty crowded at this point - and trying to bring in Alexa and Lin as well if they didn't enter of their own accord.
<Jran-Kri> Alexa appears somewhat relieved to have her legs underneath her again, once Seo-Hyun brings her and Lin back to the cabin. She's grinning like a loon despite herself, staring straight ahead like a toy soldier. She lurches forward, bobbing her head as she giggles, her shoulders trembling with the motion. Leaning heavily on her staff, she giggles until she hears Amelia's voice. Sobering, she trundles around to face her, a softer, though still crooked, smile creasing her face. "Y-yuh-yes, I'm f-f-fine," Alexa assures her. A hand darts forward to rest on Amelia's arm. "Y-y-yuh-you were hurt. A-a-are y-you o-okay?"
<DrEvilKitteh> "Taking down the enemy as quickly and efficiently as possible is the smart thing to do," Walter countered. "You don't win by holding something like that back until you have no other choice, unless you can only do it so many times." He glanced from Seo-Hyun to Amelia. "Yes, I have an idea. Seo and Amelia can use Fire magic to propel us where we need to go."
<DrEvilKitteh> As for the radio, it's inoperable. The entire truck is damaged and broken with no power going to anything. And yes, it is getting rather crowded with six people now inside. Especially since they're floating all about the place, with the zero-g effect still affecting them.
<DrEvilKitteh> "...I don't think we can tune into the frequency the Alchemist is using right now," Walter muttered. He didn't give the inactive radio another look. "But we should get going before more automatons show up."
<LeftHandofGod> Lin isn't in any condition to listen to the group chat. Upon being pulled into the cab of the truck, she begins her awkward routine of healing: Popping a round out of the chamber of her weapon, she flails to catch it in the low gravity, then...blinks twice and winces in pain. With gritted teeth, she begins recharging her mana...then healing, then repeating the cycle, sealing her wounds bit by bit. It's a painstakingly slow process...but she's used to it, and doesn't complain, other than the occasional whimper of pain.
<DrEvilKitteh> "...Alexa, please heal everyone back up to one-hundred percent starting with Lin," Walter said, looking mildly cross but unsurprised that Alexa had focused on Amelia.
<Jar Mimic>  "Oh, save me for last though.  I feel like I'm dying, but I'm sure everyone else is dying more than I am."  And then, to herself.  "Wah.  I'm going through so much spirit."
<Tangent> Amelia tries to offer Alexa a smile. It doesn't quite reach her eyes. With her friend like this, will she be okay until she can find a way to help her once this is over? "Hey, you know me...I'm fine. The others need you too, yeah?" She pats her best friend on the shoulder comfortingly, then nods to Walter. "Right! On it!"
<Jran-Kri> Alexa jolts like a horse at the crack of a whip when Walter addresses her. She stares at Amelia for a moment longer before rounding on Walter, her arms crossing over her staff as a pronounced shudder runs through her form. Her jaw works awkwardly as Rosemary speaks; she stares at Rose blankly for a moment, blinking rapidly and out of sync. Then her head jerks, and she tries to march over to Lin with her characteristic loping strides. The lack of gravity notwithstanding, she works her way over and knits Lin's wounds back together with a much more practiced wave of her crystal ball-tipped staff. Once Lin is healed up, she moved on to Rosemary, silent all the while as the healing glow suffuses over her.
<Jar Mimic>  The relief on this former sheep doll's face is clear to see.  Her eyes close while she lets out a large sigh.  Though she stays seated, she rolls and stretches her joints, starting with her now much more loose shoulders.  "Say, your name is Alexa, right?  Thank you for healing me so well.  I feel much better!"  And then, ignoring personal space, she leans toward her healer, adding in an almost conspiratorial way, "Hey, I used to have a bad speech impediment, too.  Keep up your effort.  I know you can overcome it."  She then proceeds to lean back into the driver's seat.  "Good teamwork, everyone!  We'll get him next time for sure!"
<Jran-Kri> Alexa stares at the sheep silently, bobbing her head to confirm her identity. She doesn't withdraw as Rose comes so close to her, and a crooked grin splits her face. Alexa's pale blue eyes are wide and almost panicky behind her glasses, and a prolonged, shaky exhale bursts out of her nose. It might be intended to be a laugh. She clutches her gnarled black staff in a white-knuckled death-grip. "N-n-next time," Alexa mutters, looking around. "Wh-wh-what d-do we do n-n-now? H-he kn-knows we're h-huh-here."
<LeftHandofGod> Now that she's not full of extraneous holes, Lin is feeling up to contributing to the conversation, at least a little bit. “We stick to the plan. Our next target was the Prime Core, wasn't it? We want to take it out to avoid being overrun...like we're about to be if we don't get moving.” Nervously, she checks her GPS map, and pokes her head out of the truck to look for any incoming hostiles.
<Tangent> (What happens now?)
<DrEvilKitteh> (Sorry, been playing Destiny since Tuesday. Working on a post now.)
<DrEvilKitteh> No hostiles are on the radar in their immediate vicinity, fortunately.
<DrEvilKitteh> "Yes, the Prime Core," Walter confirmed. "In the factory." He pointed up at said factory. Then down. Then left. The truck cab was spinning in a weird gravity area, it's to be expected. "Seo, Amelia, I'll need you two to coordinate and get us moving there; I'll point you in the right direction. Alexa, I need you to reinforce and shield this cabin to protect it from enemy fire and brace it for the impact. Lin, Rose, you two just need to sit still and brace yourselves." He shrugged and smirked slightly. "A potshot or two at any enemy automatons nearby wouldn't be amiss, though."
<Tangent> "On it!" Amelia waves with her sword, clambering to her position..over the others until she's clinging to the cab's doorframe.
<Seo-Hyun> "Will do." Seo-Hyun got moving as well, shifting over to the opposite side of the cab from Amelia in case they needed to correct the direction in which they were moving mid-flight. "On your mark, Amelia."
<Tangent> "Ready!" Amelia raises her sword, furrows her brow in concentration, and lets her magic flare up. "Go!"
<Seo-Hyun> The gumiho follows suit, letting loose another stream of fire, careful to try to match Amelia's intensity as she does and avoid getting pushed too far off-course by uneven thrust.
<Jar Mimic>  Not really possessing the best aim of the strength based magical type, Rose opts to take Walt's first suggestion and just holds on.  Although, she doesn't really hold on to anything.  What she does is relax a bit more.  Her kind of strength is most effective in short bursts.  When they're about to hit something; that's when she'll hold on.
<LeftHandofGod> Lin takes aim forward, out of the window of the truck, and grabs onto the frame as tightly as she can with her free hand.
<Jran-Kri> Alexa shudders visibly when she's addressed, one of her eyes twitching spastically. She watches Amelia silently, nervously, continuing to cling to her staff like a life preserever. A spastic laugh leaves her as she raises it, the crystal ball at the end glowing a bright red. She mouths a phrase, and her magic projects itself as a series of almost interlocking red 'plates' of light settling around the mangled cabin.
<Tangent> "Hanging in there?" Amelia calls, almost laughing as her magic flares up in bright streamers that propel the group. It's draining, but...at the same time, she can just cut loose. Everything seems simplier this way.
<DrEvilKitteh> "Looks like everyone's doing well so far!," Walter called back over the roar of the fire thrusters. "...Aim a little more to the left! Good, that's good!" He gave them a thumbs-up as they rocketed closer to the factory "below".
<DrEvilKitteh> The factory, and the ground, rushed at them faster and faster. Gravity was reasserting itself in a more proper way, so they were in essence a free-falling semi cabin propelled by rockets. In other words, they were going pretty damn fast.
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter eyed up the rapidly-growing factory and some artillery Sentinels on some guard posts atop it. They took aim and fired, anti-air projectiles detonating in their path. "...This is going to be rough. Everyone, brace! Impact in twenty! Lin, do your best to disable and hamper those Sentinels! We'll need as much of Alexa's shields intact when we finally hit the factory!" He slipped down into the cabin and took aim through the shattered windshield, the interlocking shielding plates serving to protect the group while allowing them to shoot back at the Sentinels. Walter squeezed the trigger and reloaded as fast as he could, aiming to reduce the number of attackers as quickly as possible.
<DrEvilKitteh> Faster, they fell. Faster...faster...faster, /faster/...
<Jar Mimic>  Rather than brace in the more traditional way, what Rose does is slightly more productive.  Now that the spinning has been stabilized and their course set, she has a much more clear shot than before.  So, she clasps her hands together forcefully, bulking up her body once more.  As she concentrates her power, growling with the effort, her hands start to glow slightly.  Then they start to glow intensely.  When she pulls them apart, electricity arcs between them, just as bright as the hands themselves.  "Disabling the Sentinels, boss," she states, though she wasn't asked to, "I'm sorry, but this one might make your hair stand on end."  Without waiting to be asked to follow through, she thrusts her palms forward.
<Jar_Mimic> ~ex 16 v 7
<Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [4, 5, 10, 9, 8, 1, 6, 10, 6, 4, 5, 9, 5, 4, 5, 10]. Successes total: 9
<Jar_Mimic> "Raikou Hou!"  From her hands, a beam of energy lances forward.  Although the force from the beam's backlash might slow them down a bit, it streaks forward toward the targets upon the tower.
<Seo-Hyun> "Amelia, slow us down! We don't want to be reduced to paste by the impact!" Abruptly, the gumiho switched the direction in which she was firing, instead firing downwards to attempt to make their crash landing slightly less than cataclysmically forceful.
<DrEvilKitteh> The beam of energy shot out of the cabin and, simply put, smashed part of a tower to pieces. Two artillery Sentinels atop it went tumbling away, falling towards the ground amidst some rubble. Additionally, the equal and opposite reaction did indeed slow the cabin, but only somewhat. It shuddered and groaned at the sudden pressure exerted by Rosemary's body, but it held. Mostly because of Alexa's reinforcing spell.
<Tangent> "WHAT?" Amelia yells, then catches on. "OKAY! HANG ON!" The flames splutter and arc sideways.
<DrEvilKitteh> The cabin groaned again and shuddered as it was slowed by the large jets of fire. They were still going fast, but not nearly as much as just a few moments earlier. Thanks to Walter, Lin, and Rosemary shooting at the Sentinels, they had little resistance while coming in.
<DrEvilKitteh> "Seo, Amelia, get inside!," Walter bellowed as their destination began to grow close. "Everyone, BRACE!"
<DrEvilKitteh> A few seconds later, there was a terrifically loud cacophony of noise. Their cabin smashed through the damaged outer wall at an angle. It then proceeded to plow straight through the next three floors it came into contact with. All throughout the intense impacts, the reinforcing magic held. It kept the cabin intact and absorbed most of the shock, even when the cabin hit the fourth floor. Cracked and flickering, the plates of reinforcement magic faded away.
<DrEvilKitteh> [The impacts would essentially take away your Soak, but since that regenerates between combat encounters, it's no real biggie at this point.]
<DrEvilKitteh> “...Is...everyone alright?,” Walter groaned. The cabin was dark and cramped, but it wasn't in pieces, so that was a plus.
<Jran-Kri> Alexa had already seemingly started to brace even before the worst of it arrived; she was wrapped around her gnarled black staff like she was clinging to a buoy, unheeding of the bright red light it radiated as her barriers ate the punishment. Her only concession to the momentum was to press herself up against a wall without even opening her screwed-shut eyes. When the makeshift craft breaches, she goes sailing right to the back with a strangled yelp; but once the ride comes to a halt and her staff's glow dies, she snaps her eyes open. Adjusting her glasses with a trembling hand, she sputters. "A-a-alive, b-by the g-g-grace of God. D-d-did it w-w-work?"
<Tangent> Amelia groans, sprawling on the cabin floor. She'd thrown herself in through the door, almost at the last moment, and there's a spiderweb of cracks in the windshield where she'd hit it dead on before falling onto the others. There's a jagged, painful looking cut across her forehead where she'd hit the metal head on, and her arm's twisted...but even as she lies there, her magic flares up with a flickering blue light. Her cuts fade, leaving only drying blood, and as she moves her arm, it slips back into shape with a faint, vaguely sicknening pop. The temperature inside the cab goes up very slightly. "Ow...My head...Did I hit something?" She groans, groggily struggling to scramble up ."Yeah...I think so...Alexa...You, urgh, you're okay, right?"
<Jar Mimic>  As beefy as Rosemary had become in the moments leading up to impact, she was braced just about as well as she could be.  Well, at least her bones had plenty of padding.  And indeed, her body was battered and bruised, and one of the buttons on her mother's jacket sprang free in the chaos.  But as soon as she pried her face out of the dashboard, she looked to be in little more of a mess than she was before the crash.  Of course, she was already quite a mess before then, anyway.  Once she's shaken off her dizziness, this well muscled girl shrinks back down to her normal size, making a bit more room for everyone else.  "Yeah, I'm fine.  My face broke my fall."  And in liu of giving a thumbs up, she digs her fingers into the roof of the cab and tears a hole in it.  Because there weren't already enough holes for everyone to escape through.  Before climbing her way out, however, she retrieves her mother's button and pins it back on to her jacket.
<Jran-Kri> Dragging herself back to an upright position, Alexa continues to adjust her glasses, looking around with wide, almost panicked eyes. She looks like a cornered animal, possibly due to actually being in a corner. At the sound of Amelia's voice, however, she stirs, scurrying over to Amelia's side. "F-f-fine. I'm f-fine," she mumbles, looking her up and down with concern writ large on her face. Her staff glows, sweeping over the other girl. "A-a-are you a-alright?"
<Tangent>"Yeah...." Amelia mumbles groggily. "Just peachy..."
<LeftHandofGod> After a moment of unconsciousness brought on by the ferocity of the impact, Lin starts awake, one hand immediately going to her hip, the other rubbing the smooth, black jet hanging from her neck. On ascertaining the presence of both, she examines herself quickly, professionally, and finds that she's more shaken than stirred. As she shifts into a mostly-upright position, she calls out, “Fine here, and nothing missing.” She plucks her GPS unit from a pouch on her vest and examines it, trying to determine just how long they had until the next wave of foes came for them.
<DrEvilKitteh> Lin's map would show that there are several contacts nearby, but they're small and don't seem to be particularly hostile. Probably more of those spider-like server bots or whatever they were called. True enemy automatons don't seem to be anywhere in sight just yet.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Good, good...,” Walter muttered under his breath. He wobbled as he rose, back bent in the cramped space. Quickly, he reached up to grab the edges of the hole Rosemary had made and hauled himself out. “We need to get moving, quickly.” The android knelt at the edge of the hole and held a hand out for someone else to take in order to help them up and out.
<LeftHandofGod> Lin immediately gets moving, calling out as she starts towards the door, "Area outside is clear of hostiles for the moment. Let's move for the core." Even if she said it was clear, her map has lied to her against this foe before. On getting clear of the truck, she scans the area, pistol low, but locked and loaded.
<Jar Mimic>  "Why are we moving there, again?"  Someone wasn't paying much attention.  "Removing it'll kill all the small fries, right?"  At least she was paying a little attention.  Regardless, the former sheep doll follows everyone else, like she's been doing since the very beginning of this mad enterprise.  But this time she has a suggestion.  "I could try smashing holes through the floor until we get to the right one.  If no one else wanted to take the stairs.  Or the elevator.  But you're not supposed to use the elevator when there's a fire."
<Tangent> "...That's not a bad plan. I'll help. Guys?" Amelia comments.
<Jran-Kri> "U-u-um, r-ruh-right, y-yes," Alexa mumbles, immediately withdrawing back into herself the moment she remembers that people other than Amelia exist. She peers at Rose, cocking her head this way and that, twitching like she's got an electric current running through her. "I-I mean, um, I d-d-don't know, um... wh-what if w-we l-land somewhere... bad? I mean, um... Y-you know. With a lot of... th-th-those things." She shakes her head, looking away. Another jolt runs through her. "A-ah! B-b-b-but th-that w-w-ould let us f-f-FREE th-them from their m-m-misery. Y-yes. Brilliant. Idea."
<Jar Mimic>  "Plus, miss Lin has a map, right?  As long as she has that, she can show me and Amelia the exact right places to break through the floor to avoid running into any more small fries.  And we also won't accidentally try to break through some place that doesn't have a floor below."  With a confident smile, she offers a closed fist to Amelia.  "Ready when you are."
<DrEvilKitteh> “Yes, Rose, destroying the Prime Core will shut down the automaton army.” Walter closed his eyes and thought intently, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “...Stealth is not an option, either way. The only problem with your idea is time. I don't think we can smash through the floors fast enough before the automatons overwhelm us.” He shifted on his heels and pointed in a direction and down a bit, eyes still shut. “Get us four floors down to that elevator. Then we drop down the shaft the rest of the way--Alexa, Amelia, and Seo can work together to ensure we survive the fall.”
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter's eyes snapped open. “Alright, let's get to work. They already know we're here, so they will be sending automatons after us.” He reloaded his revolver and snapped the cylinder shut.
<DrEvilKitteh> [GM Note: Remember, you don't need to roll for this part. Just...freeform it. Makes things quicker and easier.]
<Jran-Kri> Alexa jolts again at the sound of her own name. She bobs her head all the same, however, taking a deep breath as she rises to her full height, her staff already glowing in preparation. "R-r-ruh-right. O-o-once more unto the b-breach, right?" She grins crookedly, glancing around at the rest of them. "A-a-as He died to m-m-make men h-holy, s-so we l-live to m-make m-m-men f-free." She mumbles absently, her gaze locking forward. She does shuffle behind Amelia, slightly undercutting her point.
<LeftHandofGod> Keeping one eye on her map, Lin nods along with the android's orders, then turns her focus to the ones who will be key to the plan's success. “Ready whenever you guys are. Spot over there is clear for the floor below us, I'll direct you as we descend. Sound good?” Her finger flicks the safety of her pistol on and off, on and off.
<Tangent> "Perfect." Amelia replies tersely, though her mind seems to be elsewhere by the way she's looking back to Alexa. A surprisingly gentle touch of her smaller friend's shoulder. Reassurance. She's here. She won't leave her. She'll keep her safe.
<Jar Mimic>  "That spot over there?" Rose replies, lifting her hand toward the very spot pointed out to her.  Without waiting for confirmation, however, as soon as she turns her gaze away from Lin and toward that spot, she shouts out, "Oho Hou!"  And it naturally follows that a globe of light streaks from her hand toward the place she's looking.  As soon as it touches down, it explodes in a bright, noisy blaze, tearing a hole in the floor that a car could drive through.  Again, without waiting or warning, the former sheep doll marches forward and hops down into the hole she made.
<Jran-Kri> Alexa smiles thinly at her friend, looking up at her thankfully. For a moment, she almost seems to relax, ceasing to shake like a leaf in the wind. Then, when Rose cleaves a path out of the floor and sallies forth, Alexa's gaze snaps back to the fore, and a pronounced jolt runs through her. Her head cocks roughly to one side, and one eye twitches like a spastic. "GODQUEENANDCOUNTRY!" She barks, starting forward, her staff glowing as a bright red shield materializes before them.
<DrEvilKitteh> A fairly large crater was made in the floor, but it would take a few more hits like that to fully break through. Between Rose, Amelia, and Seo (dammit Vox), blasting through to the next floor down proved no large obstacle.
<DrEvilKitteh> The hallways were thoroughly industrial, as befitted a factory. Pipes, valves, numerous clockwork mechanisms of varying functions, mostly-grated floors... The ceilings weren't very tall, the only internal lighting was a dim red (it's not like automatons need a ton of light, after all), and the distant sounds of machinery could be heard beneath their feet, which really spoke to the size and scale of the factory's assembly stuff.
<DrEvilKitteh> After smashing through the second floor, a large but scattered group of contacts appeared on Lin's map and began heading their way. A few Soldiers appeared, but she and Walter shot them from afar. It was only after reaching the third floor down that they encountered significant resistance. Several squads of Soldiers supplemented by some Sentinels and a couple Stalkers converged on their position.
<DrEvilKitteh> [If 1-2 people have posted  since your last post, you can go ahead and make a new one. I'm done  waiting for an ungodly amount of time--I want this shit done as soon as  possible, and I think everyone agrees with me on that.]
<LeftHandofGod> And of course, Lin takes note of the incoming foes. "More this time. A few squads, some of the sneaky ones!" As one would naturally assume, she opens fire the moment they come into sight, prioritizing stalkers over the ordinary grunts, and riddles whatever hostiles she could make out in the dim lighting within the confines of the factory.
<Jar Mimic>  "Small fries," Rosemary growls out between her teeth, "There's always more small fries."  She says this as she continues punching her way through the floor.  No way she's burning the material of her own soul just to dig her way through a floor.  Not when it won't happen in one shot.  With her eyes glowing red, each hit from her arm tears away a chunk of metal that might kill someone even if it were to gently roll onto them.  But then that gives her an idea.  Why toss them to the side when she could make use of them?  So, while holding one of these chunks in the palm of one hand, she draws back the other in a fist and punches it down one hallway!  Unfortunately, it doesn't go anywhere because the first chunk explodes when she hits it.  "Ah.  Maybe not so hard."  Keeping that in mind, she rips another chunk out of the floor and then smacks it like a pinball down the narrow hallway.
<Tangent> "Try harder!" Amelia yells at no one in particular, a familiar glint in her eyes as she slashes and burns anything foolish enough to wander into range. She's careful to stand in front of Alexa, even as her attacks degenerate into wild swings and frenzied flares of blue flame.
<Jran-Kri> Despite her blustering, Alexa advances at a slow, regular pace, only speeding up in little spurts to keep Amelia within range of her magic. A bright red pane of light forms in front of her as she marches robotically forward, matching complements to their armour fizzling into existence in front of her allies. Her eyes, glazed over with a feverish intensity, dart about frantically, as if afraid of more of them coming out of the walls. She keeps silent, at least until Rose's display elicits a sharp, hysterical laugh from her. She takes some time to stop.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Keep digging!,” Walter shouted as he emptied his revolver into the automaton mass converging on them. A few quick snaps of his wrist and he began firing the newly-reloaded gun once again. “We can cover you!”
<DrEvilKitteh> What with the Reinforcement armor shrouding everyone and numerous illusory doubles (courtesy of Seo) throwing off the automatons' aim, rare was the time that someone received an actual hit. Amelia and Walter took one apiece, thanks to a heavily-armored Sentinel and fast Stalker, respectively, but the lion-like clockwork creature and spindly assassin were swiftly dismantled. Violently.
<DrEvilKitteh> Blue foxfire, compressed and concentrated into a superheated beam, swept through the air and cut the legs off of several automatons. Seo-Hyun's copies cackled, sharp-toothed malevolent grins in the dim red lighting making for an almost nightmarish scene. Lin's followup with a Barrage of precisely-aimed bullets killed a few of the downed automatons and a couple still standing. The pieces of metal Rose was smacking at them like a volleyball being served occasionally hit an automaton, causing said clockwork creature to crumple and fall from the sheer force and weight of the metal chunk. Of the automatons that got too close, Amelia's wild swings and uncontrolled fire slashed them apart and melted what remained into slag.
<DrEvilKitteh> ...However, more clockwork automatons kept appearing. Lin would be able to see that more and more were meeting on the edges of her map and preparing for a charge en masse. If they didn't get moving /now/, a veritable sea of clockwork bodies would cover them.
<DrEvilKitteh> Fortunately, it wouldn't take too many more hits to smash through to the fourth floor below where they landed.
<LeftHandofGod> Round after round flies into the horde of clockwork men. As she drops another magazine and reloads, Lin sneaks another peek at her map, and nearly loses her grip on the fresh mag in her hands. "We need to break through now! There's a whole horde of them coming!" Even if it's not going to stop the foes charging at them, Lin unleashes another magic-fuelled barrage into the horde of foes, aiming lower this time in the hopes  of tripping some up and slowing the mass's advance.
<Jar Mimic>  "Oh.  My.  Gosh!  Stop rushing me!  I'm working on it!"  And Rosemary is.  She really is smashing into the floor with all of her might.  In fact, when her fist finally passes through the floor into the hallway below them, she's gathered up so many chunks of the floor that the twisted hunk of metal she's holding could go toward covering all the other floor holes they made on their way down.  And that, as it did before, gives her an idea.  "Hey, get out of the way!  I have a really big one this time!"  When she says this, a vision of her own arm bowling down an entire hallway's worth of soldiers flashes through her mind.  When she actually, throws it, however, it just ends up stuck in the tight confines of their surroundings.  "Uh, I meant to do that.  It's, um, a barricade!"  If it weren't so noisy, there would probably be crickets.  "Hey, look at that, the way is open."  Looking quite embarassed, Rose punches a few more holes into the crater, leaving enough room for all of her allies to follow her through down to the floor below.
<Jran-Kri> Alexa bursts into a fresh fit of giggling at Lin's bleak report. Her head whips to and fro as she stumbles after Amelia. She manages the presence of mind to scurry out of Rose's line of fire, her wild-eyed grin watching the haphazard projectile sail. The bright red crystal ball at the end of her staff glows like a red flare to support the series of protective barriers, and her giggling graduates into a cackle as she hops over to the crater and after the others. "A-a-a-and the k-KINGSOFEARTH and th-th-the g-g-great m-men h-h-HA-hid th-thems-selves in the DENS a-a-and ROCKS of the m-m-MOUNTAINS!" She prattles as she goes.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Alexa, seal the hole!,” Walter barked as he dropped down after the others. A red plane of Reinforcement magic materialized beneath the hole on Alexa's command. Fortunately, the clockwork attackers hadn't tried to follow them down just yet, thanks to some of Seo's illusions distracting them.
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter raced down the hall in the direction they needed to go, leading the other five onward. There were a few scattered Soldier squads around here, but they were easily dispatched. When they finally came to the small elevator doors, Walter, Amelia, and Rose worked together to quickly pry them open.
<DrEvilKitteh> “We're going all the way to the bottom,” Walter told the girls. “Alexa, keep us together and protected. Seo and Amelia, slow us down when I tell you to. And if an elevator gets in our way, blast it apart.” The android beckoned to the empty elevator shaft that stretched down seemingly forever before them.
<DrEvilKitteh> Alexa made a flat floor-like plate for them to step on. A protective spherical bubble materialized around them once they'd all hurriedly filtered through the doors and piled into the shaft. Lin could see contacts on the edge of her map, rapidly swarming towards their location...
<DrEvilKitteh> “Drop us,” said Walter.
<DrEvilKitteh> Alexa did so, the “floor” of the Reinforcement bubble shrinking to not stick to the walls, consequently putting them into freefall.
<DrEvilKitteh> Dim red lights that illuminated parts of the elevator shaft rushed by at a blur as they went faster and faster and /faster/. Not too long into the fall, Walter pointed and said something, but Seo and Amelia were already pushing their hands out to project fireballs at the elevator below. It exploded violently, and Alexa's protective bubble allowed them to plow right through what remained.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Start slowing us down!,” Walter bellowed over the rushing air. Seo and Amelia complied, twin jets of fire immediately bleeding momentum from their fall. It was enough, as the Reinforcing plates held when they hit the bottom of the shaft. Without needing any prompting, Rose punched the elevator doors open and sprang out, the others following suit one after the other.
<DrEvilKitteh> This floor was different. The hallways were made of smooth, bare concrete. No lights were placed anywhere, which left them on their own with regards to seeing in the dark. There also weren't any visible contacts on Lin's map, but there was a zone on the edge of the map to the front and right where it became...fuzzy. Indistinct. It was weird and hard to describe.
<LefthandofGod> "Clear." Lin checks back and forth by eyesight, just to be sure, then nods to herself. Genuinely clear, apparently. "There's something odd up ahead. Noise on the map." This map noise is displayed to anyone who cares to look, then she shifts slightly, tugging at her vest. Now that the bullets aren't flying, she's not entirely sure what to be doing. This is the part everyone else is good at.
<Jar Mimic>  “I-I’ll go first,” the former sheep doll replies, sounding a bit less than confident.  Now that there wasn’t anything to punch or shoot at, what use was she?  Would algebra be able to help her here?  Would reading comprehension?  Would any of the high-school level skills she knows really be of any kind of help here?  At least this way, if there is anything that needs to be smashed, she’ll be there to smash it.  “As l-long as the hallway doesn’t get any wider, it’ll be tough for anyone to get out of the way of my Oho Hou or Raikou Hou.”
<Jran-Kri> Alexa voices no protest to Rose going first; in fact, having been reminded of her own mortality, she is as pleased as she can be to have anyone else going first. The crystal ball at the end of her staff shines as bright as it can through the low light; she strides cautiously after the others, keeping close to Amelia. "Th-th-the l-l-light sh-shines in the d-d-darkness, a-a-and th-th-the d-d-darkness h-h-h-has not o-o-overcome it," she mumbles to herself, her thousand-yard-stare locked straight ahead.
<Tangent> "Hey. Hey..." Amelia pauses, distracted for once even with the prospect of imminent combat. "Hang in there, okay? We'll get this done and be back home before you know it." She's in front of Alexa...and while she'd be quite happy to go first, she finds herself more worried about her friend than anything. Better to stick with her and charge in when the enemy shows up.
<Jran-Kri> Alexa shakes her head, smiling crookedly at Amelia's back. After a moment, she bobs her head; she appears to have done all of this without realizing that Amelia's attention should be frontward, and stammers out an actual reply a moment later. "I-I-I kn-know. I know. I'll j-j-just be r-ruh-right b-b-behind you. A-a g-g-good b-b-bit behind y-you." She giggles half-heartedly at that.
<Jar Mimic>  "Oh, Lin, tell me if there's going to be a turn in the hall," says Rosemary, her arms out in front of her, "I can see okay in the dark 'cause I'm a doll 'n' stuff, but I don't wanna run into a wall.  I could light the way myself with a little bit of my magic, but, um, I don't feel like it.  So, uh, just give me a sign."
<DrEvilKitteh> A flashlight clicked on. Walter held it in a reverse-grip and positioned that arm to support his gun arm, wrist perpendicular beneath wrist. The cone of light emitted was bright and wide, illuminating most of the passageway. So far, it was still smooth, bare concrete. When a fork came up, he double-checked Lin's map and chose the right hall to take.
<DrEvilKitteh> “There are other elevators leading down here,” he stated for the girls' benefit. “We have some time, but it won't be long before more automatons show up.”
<DrEvilKitteh> The interference Lin's map was experiencing drew closer and closer the farther along they walked, and it seemed confined to a roughly circular area. Well, the part she could make out seemed circular, anyway. A door eventually loomed ahead, thick and reinforced, and it led to that area.
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter removed his hat and pressed a metal ear against the door. “...I don't hear anything.” He glanced at the others, but even those with Awareness and sharp hearing (like Seo) could hear nothing beyond the door. “...Alright. Be ready for anything.” He turned the lever on the door and pushed.
<DrEvilKitteh> The door opened without so much as a squeak. It was evidently extremely well-balanced, as it took just a small bit of effort on the android's part to push it wide open. Beyond was a massive room, roughly cylindrical in design, though it tapered into a soft egg- or warhead-like shape near the top. A catwalk ran around the wall of the room and had two other doors that could open out onto it, and it had a like number of stairs that led to the floor about thirty feet below.
<DrEvilKitteh> But by far the most prominent thing in the room was the huge...device that stretched down from the ceiling like a giant's arm. Wires and cables, clockwork mechanisms, protective plating, vents...it had it all. Whatever it was, it connected to a squat dome-like hub on the floor. At five sections around the hub were command consoles, and interspersed between them were closed rectangular slots on the dome itself, evidently viewing ports one could open in order to peek inside.
<DrEvilKitteh> In contrast to the above factory and the hallways leading here, this room is well-lit by numerous lights along the wall and on the dome.
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter peered around momentarily before stepping onto the catwalk and swiftly striding down the stairs. Lin's map would show that they were in the direct center of the fuzzy, blurry, static-y area of the map, and the effect was centered approximately around that dome.
<Jar Mimic>  "Is this what I'm supposed to smash?" Rose inquires, seeing the...  Thing.  "I feel like I want to smash this.  It doesn't look like it would be too hard.  But, then again, the floors didn't look like they'd be too hard to smash, and that took way too long.  Should I start smashing it now?"
<LeftHandofGod> "Uh... don't smash it just yet." Lin walks over to one of the viewing ports, eyes scanning the room for threats. "Map's useless in here, so keep your eyes up." After another glance around to ascertain that there's no immediate danger of being attacked, she peeks into the dome.
<Jran-Kri> Alexa marvels up at the monstrosity, adjusting her glasses as her head swivels about. She follows the others for a moment, until her attention is drawn to the viewing ports; she scurries over in that direction, clearly curious. "Wh-what o-on e-e-earth is it?"
<Tangent> "Yeah, well, Rose's right. We should smash it." Amelia comments, clearly much less curious. Her dark hair bobs with the movements of her head as she looks from side to side, clearly expecting an ambush. "It's here. It looks important. It's clearly not doing anything good."
<DrEvilKitteh> The more they walked and moved around the chamber, the more they began to see strange things in the floor and walls. Patterns of some sort lined almost every inch of the smooth surfaces, barely discernible as they walked and practically invisible when they stood still. The classy-dressed android didn't remark on the patterns beyond a passing glance to the side.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Not...just yet.” Walter eyed up the machine as they drew closer. While the girls moved to one of the viewing ports, he stepped over to a console and began tapping commands on one of the keyboards.
<DrEvilKitteh> As for the aforementioned viewing port, Lin was the first to slide one open. Bright light shone from within, even despite the foot-wide window being polarized, so it took a couple seconds for her and Alexa's eyes to adjust. Inside the domed hub was...something interesting. Something /big/.
<DrEvilKitteh> The “arm” going down from the ceiling to the dome extended down quite a ways into a sunken chamber about two hundred feet deep. Inside, it turned into a long, telescopic cylindrical machine that terminated in dish-like object at the end that had several prongs and spokes poking out from the sides and angled downwards. And downwards, at the very bottom of the pit, was the source of the bright light.
<DrEvilKitteh> It was difficult to tell exactly what it looked like, especially since it seemed to...have a fluid sort of shape. Constantly shifting and flowing and rippling, the changes alternating between fast and slow and everywhere in between, it seemed like a roughly-spherical mass of agitated molten light. It was almost hypnotic to look at--not because it was literally hypnotic, but it was just one of those really fascinating things that caught one's eye for a long period of time.
<DrEvilKitteh> The Prime Core. It had to be.
<DrEvilKitteh> After about a minute, Walter spoke up. “I think-”
<DrEvilKitteh> The arm activated, cables glowing and steam hissing and gears spinning. The dish inside the dome lit up, limbs of lighting arcing from prong to prong like a Tesla coil, then shooting down at the shifting thing at the bottom of the pit. The Prime Core writhed and contracted numerous times over the course of a single moment, and countless streamers of lightning filled the chamber. Even through the dome, the buzz of electricity was so loud the walls vibrated.
<DrEvilKitteh> Pulses, massive shockwaves that deafened and shook the immediate area, were released from the Prime Core with every major contraction. However, they were safely channeled down and out, dispersed into the wider Overcity. This is what caused those building-leveling shockwaves they'd seen and felt, and they were right on top of it.
<DrEvilKitteh> Additionally, those vaguely-seen patterns in the surfaces of this room lit up and glowed a soft amber color, sparkling with magical energy. They were wards of some kind, most of them Reinforcement in nature. Alexa would be able to tell that they were a failsafe in case something went wrong and the shockwaves were unable to be safely dispersed into the Overcity.
<DrEvilKitteh> After exactly a minute, the dish switched off. Electricity arced around the pit for a few moments longer, and the Prime Core settled, no longer agitated. Several large, glowing-white chunks now floated before the dish, uneven, rough, and quite large.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Unrefined Cores,” Walter stated after taking a brief glance through the viewing port. “To be taken and, well, refined for mass production.”
<DrEvilKitteh> The center of the dish slid open, and the Unrefined Cores drifted up into the chute. Hot clouds of steam escaped the arm after they shot up, apparently venting excess heat. Gears slowed and cables ceased glowing as it powered down for the moment.
<DrEvilKitteh> “I take it you're enjoying the Prime Core, ladies?,” came a familiar voice from the catwalk. The Alchemist stood there, hands resting on the railing.
<DrEvilKitteh> “It's a beaut, that's for sure.” Another Alchemist, standing in a similar position near one of the other doors.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Prize of my collection.” That came from a third, near the third and final door.
<DrEvilKitteh> “So, how about it?,” the first one continued. “Do you feel like surrendering peacefully and amicably, like the good girls you should be, or try in vain to fight, like the rebels you have so desperately tried to be?”
<Jran-Kri> Alexa could probably have marvelled at the monstrosity for hours if it hadn't sprung to life -- even then, it had a remarkable beauty to it as it did... whatever it did. She wasn't too sure about the particulars, but she knew she could understand if only she had enough time alone with this device. She understood the wards, at least. Very responsible. She nodded approvingly; couldn't have done them better herself. She worked her jaw awkwardly, a grin building as her breath started to come in quick half-gasps. She bounces in place for a moment, trying to put the words together to express her wonderment when the voice of the heretic rang in her ears. Nearly jumping out of her skin, her staff springs to life again, the bright red glow bursting out of her crystal ball. Her head swivels on her neck, and a wild snarl rips across her face like a cornered animal. This time, she doesn't have to hesitate when a high-pitched phrase tears out of her throat. "ICAMENOTTOBRINGPEACEBUTTHESWORD!"
<LeftHandofGod> The scream tears Lin's focus away from the machinery that she'd been watching, and she responds to the sudden appearance of the main objective himself the way that any good soldier would: Her pistol comes up from her side and she immediately opens up with a barrage of bullets, half a dozen for each target in the first round alone.
<Jar Mimic>  Well, she beat one of whoever this guy’s supposed to be with one finger before.  Nothing to distract from what’s apparently her objective.  Destroying it will turn these guys off anyway, right?  So, that’s what she keeps her eye on.  The glowy white thing.  Can she hit it from here?  Maybe.  It’s not that great of an angle.  Oh, wait, he asked them a question, didn’t he?  “I am so a rebel.  Here, watch.”  So, she decides to do what she had thought to do anyway when she first entered the room.  That is to say, she decided to smash.  Raising an open palm toward the prime core and the mechanics near it, she focuses her soul power.  Then, as though she were letting out a laugh like her mother, she says “Oho Hou,” and fires a blast of that very magical energy at her target.
<Tangent> Amelia lets out a bark. Surprisingly, she's smiling--a humorless, tight-lipped expression that owes more to bloodlust than mirth as she storms forward towards the first of the Alchemists, sword blazing with blue light. Forget the people this thing has murdered, forget the corruption and the evil he represents and would spread...right now she just wants to carve him up because he's a monster and stopping the monsters what she does. "Just. Die. Already." The short swordwoman snarls with each hacking blow.
<DrEvilKitteh> First thing's first. Rosemary's magical energy blast, targeted at the viewing port directly before her, bounced off the polarized material and fizzled into nothingness, leaving just a small smudge on its smooth surface.
<DrEvilKitteh> As for Lin's Barrage of enchanted bullets, only a few of them actually hit their target, and even then they weren't severe or fatal wounds on any of the three. Most of that was due to illusions shrouding them.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Tsk tsk, yOu DisSaPPoinT me.” The first Alchemist nonchalantly backed up as Amelia hacked at his body, which also seemed to be made of clockwork. When she cut at his leg and he stumbled back, he just cackled and opened his arms--er, stumps--wide open for her. When the Paladin went for the power chop, her sword clanged against something and skittered off it.
<DrEvilKitteh> What, exactly, was shown when the air rippled and colored, revealing the towering form of the Ironclad Man. He backhanded Amelia away, though she was quick enough to spring off his armored fist and land at the bottom of the stairs. And then...he spoke.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Your theatrics are done with.” The Ironclad's Man was...suitable for his appearance. Very suitable. Deep, bass, but there was an inhuman quality to it as well. One part almost animalistic, the other as large stones grinding against one another. Almost like if the Balrog talked, except with less fire. Maybe Sovereign is a decent example, too... “Now they die.”
<DrEvilKitteh> “yoU AlWAys rUIN m-mMy funnNN, Ironclad,” the damaged first Alchemist said.
<DrEvilKitteh> “I always attempt to salvage your failures,” the armored giant rumbled as he strode down the stairs.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Ex/cuse/ me,” the second Alchemist said, a blast of magic shooting across the room to destroy the first. “If you'd actually done your job in the tower, they wouldn't even be here!”
<DrEvilKitteh> “Had your 'security' measures not been so lax, I would not have been needed.” The Ironclad Man reached the bottom of the stairs and slowed to a stop.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Hah!” The Alchemist barked out a laugh. “Enforcer?! You shift the blame and whine too much for that!”
<DrEvilKitteh> “Failure is not tolerated.” Ironclad took his hammer of his back and readied himself. “If I must drag you before the Nine for incompetence, I shall.”
<DrEvilKitteh> The remaining two Alchemist devolved into mutters and mildly-veiled insults and swears uttered beneath their breath.
<DrEvilKitteh> ...Er. Well. Maybe not two. Apparently there were a couple other Alchemists showing up to take the destroyed one's place.
<DrEvilKitteh> But, of course, that was the least of their issues. The Ironclad Man was set to attack, and they had no way of brute-forcing their way through the protective dome above the Prime Core. Not yet, anyway. This situation can only be resolved by one thing...
<DrEvilKitteh> [Roll Initiative]
<Jar Mimic>  Before any of the above, Rosemary watches her blast, which she had such certainty would do what she thought it would, simply fizzle out.  Uselessly.  Which is appropriate, as useless is how she feels right about now.  She was useless in destroying the prime core, useless in lighting the hallway, useless in helping them down the elevator, getting them out of orbit, fighting the iron clad man the first time, helping those girls, and even finding their way up to where they were before in the first place.  And the whole thing with digging through the floor and smashing a few clockworks was only arguably useful at all.  So, when she is presented with the whole reason she’s here at all, her face falls.  Not because of how powerful he might be, but because of her own inability to effect even the smallest change in the world around her.  Iris.  She’s probably very disappointed in her.  Who could stand to be sisters with someone that’s such a failure?
[02:22] <LeftHandofGod> [Clockquest r-damnit, there's no bot in here]
[02:22] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Puchuu.)
[02:22] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 7 v blah
[02:22] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [3, 9, 6, 4, 1, 3, 1] Successes: 1
[02:22] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Tadah)
[02:22] <LeftHandofGod> (... Wot.)
[02:24] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Zenee made a new bot.)
[02:24] <LeftHandofGod> (Oh, so Zenebot got a new name.)
[02:24] <@DrEvilKitteh> (It's basically Zeneroller/Zenebot.)
[02:25] <@DrEvilKitteh> (...Er, I think that Zenebot actually got killed in favor of Puchuu. Or something. I'm not a hundred percent sure. Anyway, Initiative Roll plz~)
[02:26] <LeftHandofGod> !ex 7 [Lin Clockquest initiative.]
[02:26] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [7, 9, 6, 8, 10, 10, 9] Successes: 8
[02:26] <LeftHandofGod> (... That wasn't the number of dice she rolls for initiative. That was 3 less... six less if we're doing the bonus 3 dice thing)
[02:26] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Wait what)
[02:27] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Uh...yeah, Base Three Dice is what I always go with.)
[02:27] <LeftHandofGod> (She has 19 AGI, so 10 initiative dice, +3... rolling six more!)
[02:28] <LeftHandofGod> !ex 6 [get it together, LHoG]
[02:28] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [8, 1, 7, 2, 8, 6] Successes: 3
[02:28] <@DrEvilKitteh> (...Right. I forgot she had fucking ridiculous AGI.)
[02:28] <@DrEvilKitteh> (>11 Successes)
[02:28] <@DrEvilKitteh> (I think I know who's going first.)
[02:28] <LeftHandofGod> (Imagine getting shot with that kind of roll. Speaking of which, can we just assume I win and roll an attack?)
[02:29] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Sure, go ahead. If by some bloody miracle someone else gets all tens and surpasses you, we can just save it for Lin's turn.)
[02:30] <LeftHandofGod> !ex 14 [Barrage, Armor piercing. FP spent. Target is all valid enemies. -3 MP.]
[02:30] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [4, 6, 6, 1, 7, 3, 1, 8, 2, 3, 8, 1, 7, 10] Successes: 6
[02:30] <Jar_Mimic> (So we're rolling with +3 still, right?)
[02:30] <LeftHandofGod> (9 with FP and marksman.)
[02:30] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Yep. +3 Base dice.)
[02:31] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Alrighty then.)
[02:31] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 6
[02:31] <@Puchuu> Jar_Mimic, [4, 3, 5, 1, 9, 10] Successes: 3
[02:31] <Jar_Mimic> (That was for Rose's init.)
[02:31] <Jar_Mimic> (I guess.)
[16:11] <Tangent_> !ex 5 v derp
[16:11] <@Puchuu> Tangent_, [2, 6, 7, 9, 1] Successes: 2
[19:27:42] <Jran-Kri> !ex 7 v Init
[19:27:42] <Puchuu> Jran-Kri, [6, 10, 5, 4, 7, 10, 2] Successes: 5
[23:14] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 10 v (Walter Initiative!)
[23:14] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [5, 8, 9, 3, 3, 5, 2, 6, 8, 9] Successes: 4
<DrEvilKitteh> Lin's bullets fly true...and go straight through all of the Alchemists save one, who loses an arm from it. As for the Ironclad Man, the bullets just ping off his armor, not even marring it.
<DrEvilKitteh> Seo-Hyun's image flickers as she darted away, foxfire and mind-boggling illusions in hand as she sought to counter the Alchemists surrounding the group.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Seo-Hyun is battling the Alchemists off-screen, so don't worry about them. The Ironclad Man shall be your four's (and Walter's) only opponent, unless Vox suddenly pops up.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Alexa's Turn!]
<Jran-Kri> Alexa's staff, glowing brightly, forms the spell that was being summoned just in time for battle to be joined: with a flash of light, a bright red pane of magical armour settles over Amelia and Rose, supplementing their outfits' natural protection. [Divine Aegis, 4 Mana: +4 Soak for 4 turns on 2 targets]
[01:57] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 10 v (ClockQuest Walter Ranged Attack!)
[01:57] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [7, 7, 4, 1, 5, 8, 1, 2, 6, 5] Successes: 3
[01:57] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v (Ironclad Tank!)
[01:57]<Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [7, 6, 6, 3, 3, 9, 10, 5, 1, 5, 4, 9, 8, 8, 3, 5, 4] Successes: 7
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter pulled out his revolver and fired a couple shots off at the Ironclad Man, but they pinged harmlessly off the giant's armor. In the meantime, his free hand danced over the control panel, pressing button, flipping switches, turning knobs... Why, he didn't yet say.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Rose's Turn!)
<Jar Mimic>  Of course, when that red armor is suddenly draped over her form, Rosemary, who had been too distracted by her own self-pity to even realize that people had already started fighting, is startled.  She lets out a little yelp.  That’s all she would have done, but looking at what kind of armor it is makes her look at the person she knows made it.  Alexa.  The others that are here!  They’re in trouble!  Well, so is Rose, but that doesn’t occur to her.  This isn’t the kind of thing a real Magical Girl should be doing!  Failing even worse than she already has won’t make things any better, and giving up would be failing.  If she gave up here, Iris really wouldn’t be able to forgive her.  At least, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.  So, the former sheep doll lifts and squares her shoulders, lifts her head.  She sticks her chest out and grows her muscles once again, maintaining a toned form that’s not so bulky as before.  From there, she raises a single finger toward the sky.  The tip of her finger begins to glow with a point of light.  Once she’s gathered enough power, she levels her finger at the metal man and lets out a shout.  “Hoshi Hou!”  (Spec Spell:  Hoshi Hou)
<Internets> :: Total 80 / 130 [61%] :: Results [5, 8, 8, 6, 1, 2, 10, 5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 9] :: (8 Successes)
<Jar Mimic>  A beam of light lances from her fingertip, aimed right at the metal man’s…  At the metal man!
[15:15] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Tank!
[15:15] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [7, 8, 9, 7, 4, 1, 7, 9, 9, 2, 2, 8, 7, 7, 9, 4, 1] Successes: 11
<DrEvilKitteh> Rose's magical blast is deflected off the Ironclad Man's pauldron as he charged forward, servos whirring loudly and jets on his back propelling him rapidly forward.
[15:23] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Charge!
[15:23] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [5, 8, 10, 9, 6, 4, 5, 8, 7, 5, 8, 1, 9, 7, 9, 3, 6] Successes: 10
<DrEvilKitteh> With a rushing sound, he brought the massive hammer over his shoulder and brought it slamming down on Alexa... Or at least that was the plan, but since Amelia was interposed between the armored giant and the Reinforcement specialist, it was quicker and simpler to strike at her first.
<DrEvilKitteh> [The Ironclad Man has now moved into Close Range with all five good guys and attacked Amelia. Tangent, roll your defense.]
[15:31] <Tangent> !ex 12 vs 7
[15:31] <@Puchuu> Tangent, [5, 8, 2, 6, 4, 6, 9, 10, 1, 4, 8, 3] Successes: 5
[15:31] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Good lord.)
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia loses 5 Soak.]
<Tangent> Amelia's eyes go wide as she scrambles to batter the blow aside with her suddenly inadequate-seeming sword...
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia's turn!]
<Tangent>And she's sent sprawling to the ground, her sword clattering from suddenly-limp fingers. That thing has a nasty right hook...but she doesn't care.
<Tangent>"Ha..."
<Tangent>It's going after her. Alexa's behind her, and watching her back. Like she always does. Like Amelia knows she always will. That means she just has to worry about hitting it right back and not letting it past her. And she knows she can do that.
<Tangent>Woozily, she pulls herself back up. She laughs again, a surprisingly harsh bark of a noise. This feels right.
<Tangent> "Come on then! If you think you're so tough, bring it on!"
<Tangent> And with that, she lunges right at it like a blue comet, magic flaring to searing life around her and her weapon!
<Tangent> (Power Overwhelming used, 1 Wound taken)
[04:42] <Tangent> !ex 13 vs 7 AoA, Power Overwhelming
[04:42] <Puchuu> Tangent, [7, 2, 3, 2, 8, 4, 3, 5, 10, 1, 3, 2, 10] Successes: 6
[15:46] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Parry!
[15:46] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [4, 2, 8, 2, 2, 8, 5, 9, 4, 4, 6, 10, 6, 8, 4, 5, 9] Successes: 7
[15:46] <@DrEvilKitteh> (...Daaamn. Just /barely/.)
<DrEvilKitteh> The Ironclad Man had slowed in his movements after the charge as his armor readjusted and cooled down. Amelia's fiery lunge /almost/ got him, but he reacted in time to bat her aside.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia takes 1 Wound.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Lin's Turn!]
<LeftHandofGod> Lin's eyes widen at the sheer force with which the Ironclad Man strikes Amelia down, then narrow as she takes careful aim. Three shots are fired in quick succession, all center of mass.
<LeftHandofGod> !ex 13 [Clockquest roll! Armour Piercing, FP spent (6->5), dice gods please!]
<Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [8, 9, 10, 3, 3, 8, 3, 10, 8, 4, 5, 7, 1] Successes: 9
<LeftHandofGod> (13 successes with FP and marksman.)
[00:52] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Tank!
[00:52] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [1, 9, 10, 1, 7, 8, 8, 10, 3, 3, 1, 6, 10, 10, 9, 8, 2] Successes: 14
[00:52] <@DrEvilKitteh> (/Holy fuck/.)
[00:52] <LeftHandofGod> (FUCKING BULLSHIT DESU)
[00:53] <@DrEvilKitteh> (What the shit, Puchuu)
[00:53] <Zene> (t o p k e k)
[00:53] <Jar_Mimic> (I honestly don't know why you're surprised that he's rolling so well.)
[00:53] <@DrEvilKitteh> (I made the Ironclad Man to be tough, but you're just giving him a free pass here.)
[00:53] <@DrEvilKitteh> (>14 out of 17)
[00:53] <@DrEvilKitteh> (/That's a lot of successes/.)
[00:53] <LeftHandofGod> (to be fair, 13/13 with marksman and FP)
<DrEvilKitteh> Once again, the attack came /so close/ to hitting a potentially weak spot on the Ironclad Man's armor, but at the last second, a minor shift resulted in the bullets hitting a thick, tough section of his armor.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Alexa's Turn!]
<Jran-Kri> Her magically-conjured armour had not lasted nearly as long on Amelia as she had been hoping it would; seeing her knight go sprawling, Alexa cringes backwards, her glowing staff shaking like the ancient tree it seemed to have been carved from. But seeing Amelia get back up and come right back at him banishes her doubts; springing back to the fore, her staff glows like a firework, a red corona in her hands as its glow suffuses around Amelia again. "'H-H-He w-w-will c-c-c-come with v-v-vengeance! W-w-with DIVINERETRIBUTION H-He w-w-will c-come!" She mutters hysterically to herself, her eyes out of focus even as she weaves the spell around Amelia, the construct forming into a sort of 'hard' light construct -- not the firm pane of a shield, but the tight wire-frame of an exo-skeleton. [Boost, 16 MAG, 6 Mana: +4 to Amelia's STR, +2 to MAG for 4 rounds]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Walter's turn!]
[22:46] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 10 v (Walter Ranged Attack!)
[22:46] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [10, 9, 1, 7, 1, 3, 6, 4, 10, 9] Successes: 7
[22:47] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Tank!
[22:47] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [3, 10, 7, 9, 9, 5, 4, 1, 9, 9, 6, 3, 5, 1, 3, 9, 7] Successes: 9
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter fired off another shot, but between the Ironclad Man's charge and movements, and Amelia's retaliatory attack, it went wild and harmlessly pinged off the Ironclad Man's armor.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Rose's Turn!]
<Jar Mimic>  One shot didn’t work.  So, she tries it again!  Luckily, the Hoshi Hou is a very efficient finger ray.  “Hoshi Hou!”
<Internets> :: Total 78 / 130 [60%] :: Results [6, 7, 9, 6, 7, 8, 5, 3, 1, 10, 4, 5, 7] :: (7 Successes)
<Jar Mimic>  Again, a ray lances from Rose’s finger.
[01:06] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Tank!
[01:06] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [10, 8, 4, 3, 8, 8, 9, 4, 5, 4, 6, 10, 7, 10, 2, 7, 8] Successes: 13
<DrEvilKitteh> Again and again, the blows and shots simply bounce off the armored giant. And then, he readied his hammer and swung it in a wide arc, his reach and a small shockwave trailing alongside the hammer allowing him to target everyone around him in Close Range.
[01:12] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad AOE Attack!
[01:12] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [3, 9, 9, 4, 1, 10, 6, 10, 2, 5, 3, 1, 2, 8, 3, 9, 6] Successes: 8
<DrEvilKitteh> [Everyone roll Dodge/Parry/Luck Out. Defender wins ties.]
[01:12] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 10 v Walter Dodge!
[01:12] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [7, 2, 1, 10, 1, 9, 9, 7, 9, 7] Successes: 8
<Jar Mimic>  Rose puts up her dukes to block whatever’s coming her way (Parry +1FP)
<Internets> :: Total 67 / 140 [47%] :: Results [10, 1, 7, 3, 3, 2, 7, 1, 7, 6, 5, 6, 5, 4] :: (7 Successes)
<Jar Mimic>  That didn't even hurt, desu.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Rose takes 1 point of Soak damage to the Reinforcement armor she has.]
[01:34] <LeftHandofDawg> !ex 12 [Clockquest roll: Lin dodge.]
[01:34] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofDawg, [5, 3, 3, 6, 3, 2, 8, 1, 7, 8, 1, 6] Successes: 3
[01:34] <LeftHandofDawg> (At least she has sturdy.)
<DrEvilKitteh> [Lin loses 5 Soak.]
[12:06:50] <Jran-Kri> !ex 7 v Alexa Dodge
[12:06:51] <Puchuu> Jran-Kri, [1, 6, 10, 6, 1, 3, 4] Successes: 2
<DrEvilKitteh> [Alexa's Soak is now 1/3, and HP is now 4/10. I believe that triggers Avenger for Lin, but let's wait for Tan to roll for Amelia first.]
[12:49] <Tangent> !ex 13 vs 7
[12:49] <@Puchuu> Tangent, [5, 2, 9, 10, 10, 7, 9, 2, 2, 7, 3, 9, 2] Successes: 9
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia Parries successfully. And it's Amelia's Turn!]
<Tangent> "Nice try-" Amelia starts to jeer then freezes. "Alexa? ALEXA!" She shakes her head furiously. "Keep her safe! I'll keep it busy!" She yells, then charges right at the monster, blue fire flaring up further still!
<Tangent> (Power Overwhelming again. Amelia takes 2 wounds)
[13:08] <Tangent> !ex 15 vs 7 (Power Overwhelming, All Out Attack)
[13:08] <@Puchuu> Tangent, [4, 3, 6, 8, 2, 1, 7, 5, 5, 9, 8, 7, 10, 7, 5] Successes: 8
[13:09] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Man Parry!
[13:09] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [1, 9, 6, 7, 4, 1, 1, 9, 4, 2, 1, 7, 2, 9, 4, 10, 9] Successes: 8
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia takes 1 Wound from the Ironclad Man's Parry.]
<Tangent> Amelia glares up from where the titan's backhanded her into the ground again. "DAMNIT, WHY WON'T YOU DIE!"
<DrEvilKitteh> [Avenger Roll, then Lin's turn!]
LeftHandofGod> !ex 10 [Clockquest roll! Lin Avenger proc, AP ranged.]
<Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [7, 7, 6, 7, 3, 2, 3, 10, 1, 8] Successes: 6
<DrEvilKitteh> (Doesn't Avenger give additional dice if it's more than one wound threshold?)
<LeftHandofGod> (Bonus dice are for the next turn, not the procced attack. I did forget our +3 dice though.)
<LeftHandofGod> !ex 3 [Goddamnit.]
<Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [4, 9, 9] Successes: 2
<LeftHandofGod> (For 9 successes.)
<DrEvilKitteh> (Ah, nice.)
<DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Man Tank!
<Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [8, 6, 3, 10, 6, 5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 7, 6, 8, 4, 6, 6] Successes: 7
<DrEvilKitteh> (Whoo! A hit!)
<DrEvilKitteh> (Now hammer it home with Lin's turn! Or something.)
<LeftHandofGod> Seething with anger, Lin lets loose an insane barrage of fire into the foe before her. Shot after shot is aimed into her foe, the first couple hitting within moments of his AoE strike, the next dozen following immediately after.
<LeftHandofGod> !ex 18 [AP. Avenger for +4 dice, -3 MP for barrage, +1 more. FP spent. Fuck this guy.]
<Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [3, 7, 2, 10, 5, 4, 5, 2, 8, 9, 5, 1, 6, 5, 4, 4, 5, 4] Successes: 5
<LeftHandofGod> (Or fuck me, that's cool too. 8 successes with marksman and FP.
<DrEvilKitteh> (...Dude. The dice are bullshit.)
<DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Tank!
<Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [6, 1, 6, 5, 2, 1, 4, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 1, 4, 2, 6, 6] Successes: 2
<DrEvilKitteh> (AYYYYY)
<LeftHandofGod> (... Okay then.)
<DrEvilKitteh> [10 Soak damage dealt!]
<DrEvilKitteh> During the Ironclad Man's wide swing, he left a part directly beneath an arm exposed at /just/ the right angle for Lin to aim at. The weaker, thinner plating there buckled and crumpled beneath the barrage of magical bullets, the force of them all actually causing the giant to stagger back a step.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Alexa's turn!]
<Jran-Kri> Alexa went sailing from the force of the hammer, coming to an ungainly halt not too far away in a crumple of limbs and cloak. She lays under her red mantle, adjusting her glasses as she staggers to her feet, astounded to discover that she is merely bruised, not broken into a thousand pieces. She laughs, a rough, wheezy sound as she staggers in place, her staff regaining its br ight red glow. "M-m-my e-e-enemy h-h-has n-not t-t-triumphed, b-but you've upheld me," she mutters to herself, grinning like a loon as she summons a bright red shield around herself. [Kinetic Barrier: Free action, 3 Mana: Block Melee attacks with Shield for 1 turn]. In the same motion, she knits her own wounds back together as best she can. [Miracle Worker, 1 Mana: +2 Wounds [4/10 - 6/10]]
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter narrowly avoided getting clipped by the gigantic hammer by dropping flat to the floor. That done, he popped back up and quickly scrambled up onto the top of the dome and began to fiddle with a panel and some cables on the column/arm that reached down from the ceiling.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Rose's Turn!]
<Jar Mimic>  Alright, Rose.  Now’s not the time to lose your cool.  So your weakest attack isn’t getting through?  No surprise.  Let’s try taking it up just a little bit.  Reaching back one hand, Rosemary forms a fist and delivers a punch to the iron clad man’s knee.  (One-Two)
<Jar_Mimic> .d 14d10
<Internets> :: Total 70 / 140 [50%] :: Results [9, 8, 6, 6, 6, 4, 2, 6, 9, 4, 1, 1, 3, 5] ::
<Jar_Mimic> .d 1d10
<Internets> :: Total 2 / 10 [20%] :: Results [2] ::  (3 Successes)
<Jar Mimic>  She hurts her hand doing it.
[01:00] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Tank!
[01:01] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [2, 3, 2, 2, 4, 7, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1, 7, 6, 1, 4, 1, 10] Successes: 4
<DrEvilKitteh> [Ironclad Man's turn!]
<DrEvilKitteh> Though Lin had successfully damaged the Ironclad Man's armor, even now the dents slowly began to mend. Saying nothing but moving with vicious purpose, the titan swung his hammer around in an arc again before bringing it over his shoulder and slamming it on the floor, hard.
<DrEvilKitteh> The force of the impact actually caused the glyphs etched on the floor to glow momentarily to prevent the floor from being damaged, but the hammerhead still released a small shockwave after it hit.
[16:51] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad AOE Attack!
[16:57] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [10, 10, 6, 8, 8, 4, 6, 1, 1, 2, 3, 9, 6, 2, 9, 8, 5] Successes: 9
<DrEvilKitteh> [Roll Parry, Dodge, Luck Out to avoid. Alexa can roll Shield because of the Kinetic Barrier.]
[17:36] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 10 v Walter Dodge!
[17:36] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [9, 7, 7, 2, 3, 10, 4, 10, 4, 9] Successes: 8
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter only took a scrape to the shin as he leaned out of the way of the hammer swipe.
<Jar Mimic>  Once again, Rosemary puts up her dukes to block the hammer hit!  (Parry +1FP)
<Jar Mimic> .d 14d10
<Internets> :: Total 82 / 140 [58%] :: Results [4, 6, 9, 3, 3, 8, 3, 9, 9, 9, 1, 8, 9, 1] ::  (9 Total Successes)
<Jar Mimic>  She knocks that stupid hammer right back into his big, stupid, metal face.
<DrEvilKitteh> [The Ironclad Man takes 1 Wound.]
[17:13:18] <Jran-Kri> !ex 8 v Shield (+1 FP, 6/7)
[17:13:18] <Puchuu> Jran-Kri, [4, 4, 9, 2, 7, 3, 9, 7] Successes: 4
[17:18:50] <Jran-Kri> !ex 3 + 3 Base Dice
[17:18:50] <Puchuu> Jran-Kri, [6, 5, 2] Successes: 0
<DrEvilKitteh> [Alexa takes 4 Wounds. That's two Thresholds for Lin's Avenger.]
[17:09] <Tangent> !ex 11 vs 7 #parry
[17:09] <@Puchuu> Tangent, [1, 2, 1, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 6, 8, 6] Successes: 2
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia is down to 1 Soak and 10 HP.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [There should have been an Avenger proc for one of Amelia's Thresholds going down earlier, too, and since she just took enough damage to go down a Threshold (Regen), I'll allow it to count for two Thresholds for the purposes of Lin's Avenger.]
[20:25] <LeftHandofGod> !ex 12 [Clockquest Roll: Lin dodge!]
[20:25] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [4, 4, 5, 8, 1, 10, 6, 4, 4, 1, 4, 7] Successes: 4
<DrEvilKitteh> [Sturdy procs for Lin, bringing her to Soak/HP 1/7.]
[20:31] <LeftHandofGod> !ex 11 multi 2 [Avenger x 2, AP.]
[20:31] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, Roll 1: [1, 10, 4, 7, 4, 2, 6, 5, 5, 8, 10] Successes: 6, Roll 2: [6, 9, 8, 1, 8, 3, 4, 10, 6, 8, 4] Successes: 6
[20:32] <LeftHandofGod> (8 on the first, 7 on the second with marksman taken into account.)
[20:32] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Alright then. Will roll 2 separate Tanks for Ironclad.)
[20:32] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 14 multi 2 [Ironclad Tank the shots!]
[20:32] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, Roll 1: [9, 8, 6, 8, 8, 7, 3, 4, 5, 1, 1, 2, 4, 5] Successes: 5, Roll 2: [1, 5, 10, 2, 6, 3, 10, 6, 5, 2, 4, 9, 5, 4] Successes: 5
[20:33] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Niiice.)
<DrEvilKitteh> [7 Soak Damage to the Ironclad Man's Soak!]
<LeftHandofGod> The hammer's strike knocks the air out of the gun-toting Beacon girl and sends her arcing through the sky. However, discipline, anger, and her sheer sturdiness kicks in, and she manages to fire off a few retaliatory shots before meeting the ground with a crash.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia's turn!]
<Tangent> [Aid action. Someone speak up if they think it'd help- Alexa if she'd benefit from it, otherwise, whoever's actually doing something useful.]
<LeftHandofGod> [Lin could use a hand getting up and taking aim. She's the only one to have scored hits on it, right?]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Rose got one hit on him, I think. But it was a small one.]
[22:40] <LeftHandofGod> !ex 21 [Clockquest roll! AP. +8 dice from Avenger, +2 from Aid, FP spent. Fuck this guy!]
[22:40] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [4, 10, 6, 7, 8, 6, 2, 9, 3, 1, 10, 2, 4, 9, 6, 2, 2, 3, 4, 3, 3] Successes: 8
[22:40] <LeftHandofGod> (... 12 successes with marksman and FP. C'mon Puchuu, cooperate!)
[22:41] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Jeez.)
[22:41] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Tank!
[22:41] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [7, 10, 5, 4, 9, 8, 1, 9, 1, 10, 7, 1, 1, 1, 10, 5, 8] Successes: 12
[22:41] <@DrEvilKitteh> (...)
[22:41] <LeftHandofGod> (... Okie dokie then.)
[22:41] <@DrEvilKitteh> (I feel like Zene rigged this bot in my favor.)
<DrEvilKitteh> [Ironclad takes 2 Soak Damage.]
<DrEvilKitteh> The Ironclad Man's armor was damaged, quite badly, too, by this point. Mostly thanks to Lin's barrage of bullets intermittently targeting his weak points. But he was still moving, and now quite angry.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Alexa's turn!]
<Jran-Kri> Alexa is quite peeved to have had her shield shattered and once again be in something approaching horrible agony again. Twitching like she's got an electric current running through her, and trying to nurse her wounds, she attempts to mend her wounds -- but it is immediately apparent to her that she doesn't have enough mana to do that and keep herself from being crushed to bits. She hurriedly scurries away from the fray, limply backpedalling. [Move action: Close -> Far]
<DrEvilKitteh> There was a loud /clunk/ as Walter tore one of the tubes/cables from the apparatus connecting the ceiling and the dome, and he quickly slotted it into another mishmash thing that looked like it weighed a ton from sheer size alone. Holding it like how a movie action hero would hold a minigun, he aimed the end opposite the cable at the Ironclad Man. “Everyone down!,” he barked. Then, he pulled the trigger.
[00:52] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 10 v Walter Surprise!
[00:52] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [10, 5, 3, 10, 7, 5, 4, 2, 1, 6] Successes: 5
[00:53] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 6 v Ironclad Dodge!
[00:53] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [10, 6, 9, 5, 4, 4] Successes: 3
<DrEvilKitteh> From the...oddly familiar array of spokes at the “barrel” of the...thing...issued forth a single arc of lightning. It wasn't like any lightning they'd ever seen before, however. Eldritch, psychedelic, kaleidoscopic, all those words fit what it was. As for the Ironclad Man, he barely had time to react before the arc hit him directly in the center of the chest.
<DrEvilKitteh> The results were spectacular, to say the least.
<DrEvilKitteh> The Ironclad Man /roared/ and convulsed, armor shifting and warping in response to the alien lightning's shock.
<DrEvilKitteh> “NOW!,” Walter shouted over the rush-hum-buzz of the lightning bolt. “ATTACK WHILE HE'S WEAKENED!” [Focus Fire Lite]
<DrEvilKitteh> [All within range get an Attack of Opportunity on the Ironclad Man--which means everyone. Also, consider all attacks against the Ironclad Man until Walter's next turn to have a +2 Aid bonus thanks to Walter's...whatever. Yes, that includes the AoO.]
[01:16] <LeftHandofGod> !ex 13 [Clockquest roll! Lin Attack of Opportunity, AP. Please stop cucking me, Puchuu.]
[01:16] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [3, 1, 3, 7, 7, 8, 10, 5, 3, 8, 6, 7, 3] Successes: 7
[01:16] <LeftHandofGod> (8 successes.)
[01:29] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 15 v Ironclad Tank!
[01:29] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [5, 6, 9, 3, 4, 1, 1, 9, 6, 5, 6, 4, 8, 7, 6] Successes: 4
<Jar Mimic>  “What, he’s weakened NOW?  But I was just getting warmed up!  Oh well!  I should hit him as hard as I can, right?”  This time, when Rosemary reaches back her fist, her body swells with strength, filling out her baggy clothing with her muscle mass.  Once she’s gotten to the same size she bore during their first encounter, she sends that one punch forward.
<Jar_Mimic> (Flurry +2FP)
<Jar_Mimic> .d 19d10
<Internets> :: Total 101 / 190 [53%] :: Results [8, 1, 9, 7, 2, 7, 6, 5, 8, 9, 2, 7, 2, 6, 1, 3, 7, 5, 6] :: (12 Successes in total.)
[02:08] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 15 v Ironclad Tank!
[02:08] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [4, 7, 4, 4, 3, 8, 5, 1, 2, 6, 1, 10, 3, 6, 10] Successes: 6
<Jran-Kri> Alexa continues to hobble away from the main fight, and haphazardly lobs a glob of bright red energy from her staff over her shoulder. [Magic Missile]
[16:18:07] <Jran-Kri> !ex 12 v I cast magic missile at the darknesss
[16:18:07] <Puchuu> Jran-Kri, [6, 10, 6, 2, 6, 8, 1, 3, 7, 6, 7, 1] Successes: 5
[16:18:47] <Jran-Kri> !ex 2 v Forgot the Aid bonus
[16:18:47] <Puchuu> Jran-Kri, [2, 2] Successes: 0
[16:41] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 15 v Ironclad Tank!
[16:41] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [9, 9, 4, 9, 5, 1, 5, 2, 7, 9, 8, 1, 8, 1, 10] Successes: 9
[05:43] <Tangent> !ex 12 vs 7
[05:43] <@Puchuu> Tangent, [1, 10, 6, 6, 2, 8, 7, 3, 1, 3, 6, 6] Successes: 4
[16:45] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 15 v Ironclad Tank!
[16:45] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [3, 2, 4, 2, 5, 10, 2, 8, 2, 6, 9, 5, 2, 10, 8] Successes: 7
<DrEvilKitteh> A flurry of shots, blasts, and strikes all impacted the Ironclad Man's shifting, almost writhing armor, damaging it even more. The dark plates, now cracked and dented and a little melted in some places, barely hung on to the giant's hulking form.
<DrEvilKitteh> [The Ironclad Man has been brought down to his Permanent Soak.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Rose's Turn! Remember your +2 Dice from Aid!]
<Jar Mimic>  The former sheep doll grits her teeth.  “Everyone’s doing their best…  Iron guy, I hope you appreciate this!  All of these amazing people are trying their hardest!”  And since she’s already opened herself up to the corresponding earned retribution that using her full strength brings, Rose decides to forego caution, and simply draws back her arm for another single punch.  (Flurry)
<Jar Mimic> .d 19d10
<Internets> :: Total 121 / 190 [63%] :: Results [7, 6, 9, 9, 4, 6, 3, 6, 7, 9, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 10, 2, 8, 8] :: (11 Successes)
<Jar Mimic>  Where that fist went?  Right between the legs.
[01:29] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 15 v Ironclad Tank!
[01:29] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [10, 10, 6, 3, 10, 1, 4, 4, 9, 4, 1, 6, 2, 4, 3] Successes: 7
<DrEvilKitteh> [Ironclad Man's Turn!]
<DrEvilKitteh> Although the blow to the groin didn't seem to overly pain the Ironclad Man, it did crack-dent the armor there and make the giant stagger back from the force of the blow.
<DrEvilKitteh> But...now, it was his turn. A monstrous, inhuman bellow issued from within the confines of his helmet, the armor seeming too small to contain such rage and ferocity. Pained and incensed, the Ironclad Man whipped his hammer around with wild abandon at any and everyone within range.
[13:54] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 15 v Ironclad AOE Attack!
[13:54] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [8, 10, 10, 6, 7, 6, 7, 2, 10, 8, 10, 6, 10, 3, 9] Successes: 15
<DrEvilKitteh> ...He is very, very angry, it seems.
[13:56] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 10 v Walter Dodge +FP!
[13:56] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [8, 9, 8, 6, 3, 8, 5, 8, 10, 1] Successes: 7 (9 Total.)
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter grunted when a hammerblow knocked him back into the apparatus. His body was damaged, but the worst of it was either armored sections of his metal skin or relatively superficial parts.
<Jar Mimic>  This is where she suffers for her own super powerful strength.  Rosemary puts up her dukes to defend, but will her bulky, slow body be able to move quickly enough?  (Parry +1FP)
<Jar Mimic> .d 12d10
<Internets> :: Total 63 / 120 [52%] :: Results [9, 6, 2, 10, 4, 6, 10, 1, 4, 2, 8, 1] ::  (8 Total Successes)
<Jar Mimic>  The blow breaks through every defense she had, and even some she didn’t.  The forearms on the sleeves of her mother’s jacket explode off of her wrists as she’s sent screeching backwards.  “No!  Ah, now my mom’s gonna know I was fighting someone!  She’ll kill me for this!”
<DrEvilKitteh> [Rose is down to 1 Soak and 8 HP.]
<Jar Mimic>  "M-miss Alexa, could I please have another one of those red things?"
<LeftHandofGod> !ex 10 [Lin dodge. FP spent. Puchuu pls]
<Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [2, 8, 2, 6, 2, 6, 3, 10, 3, 1] Successes: 3
<LeftHandofGod> ( ;__;7 )
<DrEvilKitteh> [Lin goes /down/. Determination proc!]
<LeftHandofGod> Lin is sent flying once more, but not a single shot is fired this time as she tumbles like a ragdoll, bouncing twice on the ground and skidding to a stop a few feet away...a soft groan, and she's already pushing herself to her feet. (Det. Proc. 1/2)
 <Tangent_> !ex 10 vs 7
[06:19] <@Puchuu> Tangent_, [3, 7, 1, 3, 8, 9, 5, 10, 8, 10] Successes: 8
<Tangent> Frantic, Amelia brings up her sword again. Her outfit's torn and stained, and small flickers of embers follow her movements as her magic struggles to compensate for her injuries. She's starting to feel that familiar ache from magic overuse...but she's more angry than worried right now. For herself, anyway.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia is down to 1 Soak and 2 HP. I believe that's two Thresholds for Lin's Avenger.]
<Tangent> It hurts. It hurts so much as she gasps for breath, sprawled on the ground helplessly. But she's not done yet. She can't be. Not while the monster's still there and Alexa needs her. "Cold...How is...it...cold...Alexa..."
<LeftHandofGod> Watching her allies get knocked down inspires greater anger, the sort of anger that provides impetus to shoot a tin man as many times as she can. Her pistol rises and she peppers the Ironclad Man with a few more shots.
[00:46] <LeftHandofGod> !ex 15 [Clockquest roll: Lin Avenger attack, no wound penalty due to determination, +2 from aid action. Hollowpoint.]
[00:46] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [9, 3, 10, 4, 3, 9, 9, 7, 10, 4, 10, 6, 9, 4, 8] Successes: 12
[00:46] <LeftHandofGod> (18 successes with Marksman.)
[00:46] <LeftHandofGod> (... 15. Long day.)
[00:49] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Heh.)
[00:50] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 15 v Ironclad Tank!
[00:50] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [6, 8, 9, 8, 3, 10, 2, 5, 8, 8, 5, 5, 1, 1, 2] Successes: 7
[00:50] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Niiice.)
[00:50] <LeftHandofGod> (Keep it up, little Beacon!)
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia's Turn!]
<Tangent> Wearily, painfully, Amelia struggles back to her feet yet again, surrounded by an smoking aura of...is that blood or smoke? It's hard to tell, but it constantly blows away into nothingness as the fire magical girl moves. Limping, she pulls herself back up, fires coming to hand as she throws whatever magic she can summon up in a vain attempt to do something. She has to do something, anything, to stop this thing- for Alexa's sake, for all the girls it's already hurt, for a world where things like it and its masters can't exist...but it's anyone's guess if the spiteful blue flames pouring from the diminutive magical girl and licking across the thing's armor plates are doing anything but cosmetic damage...or distracting it from the real threat? (Aid action for...Rose. 2 MP to regen an extra point of HP and since this is 2 turns in, guess that 1 point of soak and MP comes back due to lolregen?)
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia is up to 2/4 Soak/HP. Lin's Turn!]
<LeftHandofGod> Having managed to find her feet and, by some miracle, also not be hit by a hammer for having done so, Lin continues shooting. It's what she does best, after all!
[01:45] <LeftHandofGod> !ex 19 [Hollowpoint, FP spent. +2 from aid, +4 from avenger, ignoring wound penalty due to determination.]
[01:45] <@Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [5, 9, 6, 2, 1, 8, 9, 8, 4, 9, 8, 4, 8, 10, 3, 1, 3, 2, 6] Successes: 9
[01:45] <LeftHandofGod> (12 successes, 3 FP remaining.)
[01:45] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 15 v Ironclad Tank!
[01:45] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [2, 2, 1, 1, 6, 6, 9, 3, 10, 8, 1, 2, 7, 4, 1] Successes: 5
[01:45] <@DrEvilKitteh> (Noooiiiiiice.)
<DrEvilKitteh> [Alexa's Turn!]
<Jran-Kri> Alexa watched the unfolding catastrophe with her characteristic dread, now quite glad for the DIVINE PROVIDENCE that had surely let her get out of the fray. Cringing behind the dimming glow of her staff, blinking away tears from her own considerable wounds, she tried to prioritize. The gunslinger went down, but she seemed to be back on her feet; the one with the fists had taken a real shiner there; and then there was Amelia. She winced at the sight of her. Decisions, decisions -- she compromised, like the WEAK-WILLED WORM she was, and summoned another bright red pane of armour to settle around Amelia and Rose. Amelia could put herself back together. Right? Right. [Divine Aegis, 4 Mana: +4 Soak for 4 turns.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia is up to 6/4. Rose is up to 5/8.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Walter's turn!]
[23:04] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 10 v Walter Ranged Thingy!
[23:04] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [10, 1, 4, 3, 3, 8, 6, 7, 9, 1] Successes: 5
[23:04] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 6 v Ironclad Dodge!
[23:04] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [8, 9, 10, 1, 7, 2] Successes: 5
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter hopped down to the floor and kept on with the psychedelic lightning, which still connected and kept melting the Ironclad Man's armor. More or less. “That's right, come and get me you bastard!” The android let out an uncharacteristic cackle as he taunted the giant.
<DrEvilKitteh> [The party still gets a +2 Aid bonus to attack rolls from Walter.]
<DrevilKitteh> [Rose's Turn!]
<Jar Mimic>  Wh-what’s this?  What’s this?!  Even though Rosemary barely knows these people, isn’t even friends with them, Alexa and Amelia are still going out of their way to help her get in a better shot at this guy.  What is this?  Is this…  Is this what they call comradery?  Well, that might be the cause of the feeling, but this feeling is something new to her.  It’s a feeling that doesn’t feel selfish.  It’s a feeling that makes her believe that the next punch she throws at this metal man won’t just have her own strength, but the strength of everyone she’s fighting with behind it!  That’s why!  That’s why, when she reaches back to throw this next punch, it’s stronger than any other she’s ever let fly in her life!  (Flurry)
<Jar Mimic> .d 21d10
<Internets> :: Total 122 / 210 [58%] :: Results [3, 7, 10, 5, 8, 2, 5, 9, 7, 10, 9, 10, 6, 1, 7, 5, 6, 1, 4, 2, 5] ::  (12 Successes)
<Jar Mimic>  This time, she rockets herself up off the ground to land her punch right in his gut!  “Alexa!  Amelia!  Thank you both!”
[01:03] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 14 v Ironclad Tank!
[01:03] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [9, 7, 5, 8, 3, 7, 10, 3, 3, 5, 9, 9, 3, 6] Successes: 8
<DrEvilKitteh> [3 Wounds dealt to the Ironclad Man. His turn!]
<DrEvilKitteh> Growling fiercely, the Ironclad Man took a step forward towards Walter and Rose (but mostly walter), both of whom were still standing more or less in front of the dome. Hammer's head glowing with that familiar sickly orange aura, he roared and swung it down.
[01:18] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 17 v Ironclad Malice-Infused AOE! +1 FP
[01:18] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [1, 9, 8, 7, 1, 10, 3, 8, 10, 8, 4, 2, 9, 10, 7, 8, 7] Successes: 15 (Total: 17 Successes)
<DrEvilKitteh> [Rose, Lin, Amelia, and Walter must roll to defend.]
[01:21] <DrEvilKitteh> !ex 10 v Walter Dodge! +1 FP
[01:21] <Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [3, 7, 10, 2, 7, 5, 3, 7, 4, 6] Successes: 5 (Total: 7 Successes)
LeftHandofGod> !ex 12 [Lin dodge, FP 3->2]
<Puchuu> LeftHandofGod, [8, 7, 3, 1, 4, 10, 4, 4, 6, 7, 3, 9] Successes: 6
<LeftHandofGod> (Det proc 2. Ouch.)
<LeftHandofGod> This one hits home hard. Lin goes down a second time, and groans softly before slowly pushing herself back up to hands and knees. Somehow she's at least kept her grip on her pistol, but it's a damned miracle she did.
<Jar Mimic>  And again, Rosemary puts up her dukes to defend from the strike.  Will the power of friendship be enough to save her from whatever’s about to hit her?  (Parry +Final FP)
<Jar Mimic> .d 12d10
[00:25:20] <Internets> :: Total 72 / 120 [60%] :: Results [6, 7, 1, 1, 10, 2, 10, 8, 10, 1, 10, 6] :: (12 Successes Total)
<Jar Mimic>  It is!  The power of Magical Girls working together for a common cause was enough!  Through some miracle, the former sheep doll not only remains standing, but standing firm.  All even such a brutal attack as that did was shatter the red armor Alexa had just made for her.  “Alright.  Alright!  That’s it, you monster!  I’m done playing with you!  YOU DON’T BELONG IN THIS WORLD!”
<Jar Mimic>  (For the record, Rose is going to KB next turn.  Anything to make those dice go up would be appreciated.)
07:51] <Tangent> !ex 9 vs 7
[07:51] <@Puchuu> Tangent, [5, 7, 3, 1, 3, 8, 10, 5, 7] Successes: 5
<Tangent> Amelia's tried to block the hammer, glaring up at the monster as she brings her sword around in a deflecting blow...or an attempt at one. She's NOT going to fail. Not when her friend, the others, the people this thing's hurt are counting on her!
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia is at 1 Soak, -10 HP, and is Unconscious. She can go until -16 HP before dying.]
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter tossed the heavy lightning projector aside and scrambled for safety, but part of the hammer ended up crunching into his side and sending him tumbling away as the Ironclad Man swung it; unlike Rose, his clothes and chassis had been torn up and rent, and he'd have noticeable difficulty moving from now on. As for the other, important effects of the malice-filled hammerblow...
<DrEvilKitteh> The hammer's head left a quickly-fading trail of that sickly orange energy in the air behind it. That and a minor shockwave emanating from the head is what hit both Amelia and Lin and sent them both crashing to the floor--only the former stayed down. The strike's intended targets, Rose and Walter, both withstood its primary impact better than the other two, with Rose tanking the blow in magnificent fashion.
<DrEvilKitteh> But quite possibly the most important thing that happened during that attack was the fact that the Ironclad Man's strike continued past Rose and Walter and ended square on the dome. The results were loud and fantastic.
<DrEvilKitteh> Whatever inhuman strength was behind the hammer, whatever evil magic imbued its head, it was enough to tear that side of the dome open like a sardine can. There was a blastwave of the orange energy that forced the girls and Walter back a ways (while thankfully leaving them unharmed), and the Ironclad Man himself was thrown off-balance after the desperate, rage-filled swing.
<DrEvilKitteh> As for the dome and the pit that held the Prime Core far below, bright, almost blinding white light shone out, emanating from the Prime Core as though it were a miniature sun. Alarms went off, red lights shining and the still-intact consoles flashing warnings, and the reinforcement glyphs on the walls and floor lit up.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Amelia's Turn! She regenerates 1 HP, which puts her up to 1 Soak and -9 HP.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Lin's Avenger rolls, and then Lin's actual Turn! Remember, Rose is gonna pull off a x3 KB on her turn, so she's gonna need all the Aid Dice she can get!]
<LeftHandofGod> !ex 2#13 [Avenger rolls for Amelia and Walter. Hollowpoins the both of 'em.]
<Puchuu> LHoG|AFK, Roll 1: [9, 4, 5, 6, 4, 3, 8, 1, 10, 6, 2, 4, 7] Successes: 5, Roll 2: [7, 3, 8, 5, 4, 10, 5, 4, 8, 10, 6, 6, 8] Successes: 8
<LHoG|AFK> (6, 10 successes respectively.)
<DrEvilKitteh> !ex 14 v Ironclad Tank!
<Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [4, 7, 8, 7, 3, 9, 4, 5, 9, 3, 6, 7, 9, 1] Successes: 7
<DrEvilKitteh> !ex 14 v Ironclad Tank!
<Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [8, 4, 2, 3, 6, 5, 10, 6, 7, 6, 4, 7, 5, 7] Successes: 6
<DrEvilKitteh> [Nah, no damage even with that last one. 3 Permasoak's kind of a bitch.]
<LeftHandofGod> [Fuck.]
<LeftHandofGod> !ex 19 [Hollowpoint, FP 3->2. +6 dice from avenger.]
<Puchuu> LHoG|AFK, [3, 1, 9, 8, 7, 5, 2, 10, 2, 1, 7, 1, 4, 1, 8, 10, 5, 6, 9] Successes: 10
<LeftHandofGod> (14 successes with marksman and FP.)
<DrEvilKitteh> !ex 14 v Ironclad Tank!
<Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [9, 8, 5, 3, 2, 7, 1, 5, 4, 7, 6, 3, 1, 9] Successes: 5
<DrEvilKitteh> [The Ironclad Man takes 7 Wounds.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Alexa's Turn!]
<Jran-Kri> As horrifying as the sound of alarms and the catastrophic damage delivered to such a clearly crucail mechanism were, the sight of Amelia crashing to the ground like a broken toy was worse still. Alexa stumbles lamely away from the mangled core, tripping over her own tangled legs and hunkering down on the floor. "A-A-Amelia...!" Alexa whines under her breath, her staff's glow beginning to sputter and die out in the face of such continuous use. But she had to keep going. She had to keep her going. [Reinvigorate, 2 Mana: Raises the target's current HP to a minimum of 1 above the point at which they would fall unconscious. The target suffers a -2 penalty to all rolls for the remainder of the encounter and skips their next turn]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Walter's Turn!]
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter got to his feet and grabbed the partially-damaged lightning emitter. It was still good for one last go, it seemed. “Get him through the hole!,” he said, gesturing at the gap the Ironclad Man's hammer had made in the dome. “Take him down along with the Prime Core!” With that, he hefted the emitter and fired another streamer of iridescent lightning at the Ironclad Man, seeking to continue making the giant unbalanced and remain more or less directly in front of the hole in the dome.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Aid Action for Rose.]
<DrEvilKitteh> [Rose's Turn!]
<Jar Mimic>  With grit teeth and a determined look, Rosemary charges past the metal man.  Using uncharacteristic agility, she positions herself so that her primary and Prime targets are both in her line of fire.  After slowing down, she takes a few more steps back as she gets prepared for what’s about to happen.  Although they’ve been quite abused at this point, her jacket and shirt come off of her muscles with a bit of effort.  An effort not to rip them anymore, of course.  They’re tossed aside, leaving her completely bare-chested.  But this is for good reason.  When she stops moving, she puts up her arms like she did last time she bulked up.  This time, her exposed arms grow even more huge than before, going beyond what a body like hers should be able to support.  And when she throws her fists back to her sides, popping out her pectorals, the rest of her musculature expands to match.  If she hadn’t removed her shirt and jacket, they would have exploded off of her for how much she grows.  While staying in this stance, something else begins to happen to her.  It’s something less visible, but with obvious effects.  That is to say, she builds up life force energy.  Even someone who had no supernatural ability to sense spirit could see the faint glow her entire being is being enveloped by.  Little bits of electricity seem to flick off of her body as she builds her power, the runes in the walls of the room closest to her activating, preventing a small tremor that would be shaking the floor.  Once her energy has reached its peak, she speaks.  “Dodge this if you can, tin grin, but it’ll still blow the Prime Core AND this tower straight to hell!”  Her stance becomes even more rigid.  “Unless you think you can take it!”  She breathes in.  “O-“  Her body trembles.  “-Ho-“  Her shoulders and back tighten.  “-Rai-“  She visualizes her attack blowing away her opponent.  “-Kou!”  The hands of Rosemary, the strongest living doll in the world, are thrust toward the Ironclad to
<Jar Mimic> deliver an attack at a fraction of her true upper limit.  “HOU!”  From her entire body, lancing forward more accurately from her outstretched arms, a wave of energy unlike anything she’s unleashed before cascades forward, forming a column of light, noise, and fury which puts to shame the light of the Prime Core.  This is the kind of Killing Blow leveled at the Ironclad.
<Jar Mimic> http://i.imgur.com/r0VpCuM.jpg
[01:21] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 57 [Killing Blow:  Ohoraikou Hou]
[01:21] <@Puchuu> Jar_Mimic, [1, 7, 10, 4, 6, 5, 6, 2, 3, 5, 9, 3, 9, 10, 10, 2, 9, 7, 9, 3, 7, 4, 6, 8, 9, 7, 3, 4, 5, 4, 10, 4, 2, 5, 1, 4, 1, 2, 1, 5, 1, 10, 2, 9, 5, 8, 6, 3, 7, 2, 4, 10, 7, 6, 4, 5, 4] Successes: 26
[01:22] <@DrEvilKitteh> !ex 14 v Ironclad Parry!
[01:22] <@Puchuu> DrEvilKitteh, [2, 4, 7, 2, 7, 8, 7, 8, 3, 2, 7, 4, 5, 8] Successes: 7
<Jar Mimic>  As big as that giant warrior and his hammer were, Rosemary and her beam are bigger.
<DrEvilKitteh> The Ironclad Man, unable to move much from where he stood, made a desperate attempt at deflecting the overwhelmingly powerful attack directed at him. He failed miserably.
<DrEvilKitteh> Whatever scream, roar, or shriek of agony the giant may have let loose was drowned out by the sheer /sound/ radiating from the Ohoraikou Hou. Damaged, melted armor crushed and crumpled like so much aluminum foil, the Ironclad Man was blasted back, through the hole in the dome and down towards the Prime Core.
<DrEvilKitteh> The spherical sun-bright mass at the bottom of the pit shuddered and churned after what was left of the Ironclad Man and the remnants of the Killing Blow impacted it. It began to convulse and writhe, giving the impression of pain and a fatal wound.
<DrEvilKitteh> Alarms continued blaring and the Reinforcement glyphs marking the interior of the chamber glowed brighter and brighter, channeling more and more magic into them. The world began to tremble, quaking at the Prime Core's death throes.
<DrEvilKitteh> [Combat has ENDED. Soak and MP return to full, and Alexa's healing should bring everyone back to full for all intents and purposes.]
<DrEvilKitteh> By then, Seo-Hyun had finished playing her game of illusory cat-and-mouse with the Alchemist and slain the clockwork bodies that had been there. She returned as Walter staggered back up to his feet and threw a look over at the consoles.
<DrEvilKitteh> “The Prime Core's dying, so we need to be gone,” Walter stated. “/Now/.” He thought hard for a moment, then stepped over to one of the consoles and input several commands. In the meantime... “Alexa, heal Amelia and Lin. Seo, get ready to cut a piece of the floor out, and Rose, help me extract and carry it.”
<DrEvilKitteh> Not far from the group, a roughly-square section of the floor stopped glowing. Seo used a focused beam of fire to trace its outline. Walter and Rose knelt at opposite sides to stick their fingers through the gap and pry it off the floor.
<DrEvilKitteh> “The Alchemist and Ironclad Man should've come down here in an elevator,” the android explained as they jogged over to some stairs and hurried up them. “There's two others around here, and if we can get one and put this piece of Reinforcement-enchanted floor on the bottom of the elevator, we can use it as a basis for our protective shield--the Prime Core's destruction is going to be explosive, so we need something to shield us from the blast when it inevitably breaks through the wards in this chamber.”
<LeftHandofGod> Lin mumbles curses under her breath as she starts healing her wounds, ever so slowly. It's a miracle she's conscious at all, and thank goodness for that... mm, she should say so aloud. "Nice shot," she calls out to the one who dealt the 'Killing Blow' to the iron man.
<Jran-Kri> As spectacular as the display was, Alexa is not awed by the cataclysm for very long. Before Walter even speaks, she's scrambling back to her feet to limp raggedly towards Amelia at hest best speed, a wail of fear leaving her. "A-A-Ameliaaaa," she whines, her staff's glow sputtering for a moment before she begins to reaccumulate mana. She practically collapses onto Amelia, her staff's healing glow mending her many, many wounds and supplementing her natural regeneration. Only after Amelia is put back together, and Alexa has clung to her for a little while, does she regretfully detach to help Lin heal herself. "O-o-oh d-d-dear," she mumbles, looking around and back at Amelia, biting down on her lip. "U-u-um... g-g-good. Work. Rose." She eventually manages to cough up with a ragged smile.
<Jar Mimic>  As much as Rosemary tries to help Walter and do what he asks, she struggles to go along with him.  After putting out so much energy, and thus decreasing her own life force, she finds herself struggling to even stay on her feet.  Her body has shrunken back down to its normal and decidedly feminine size, leaving her rather indecently exposed, as she’s still without her shirt and coat.  Of course, being as drained as she is, she doesn’t exactly have the strength to go back and grab them while also carrying the panel.  To the praise of her comrades, all she can do is let out a weary, “Thanks, guys.  It was nothing.  C-could one of you grab my clothes?  Please?  She’ll kill me if I leave those here.  A-and don’t tell her I said ‘hell’, either.  Please.”
<Tangent> For a few moments, it looks like Amelia isn't going to get up at all. Her trademark fiery healing's died out completely by the time Alexa got to her, and she's gone very, very pale and still. Then, as Alexa works on her, she lets out a weak, ragged, spluttering breath, eyes opening wearily and gaze distant as she looks up. Then she seems to register what's going on and weakly returns Alexa's hug. "S-sorry...Screwed up again...Sorry for making you worry, Alexa..." She coughs, struggling up and taking in the scene and her comrades. Her sword's already in hand as she stands, only slightly-unsteady on her feat. "Is it...dead?"
<DrEvilKitteh> Seo grabbed Rose's clothes and hurried after the younger girl.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Yes, the Ironclad Man's dead,” Walter grunted as he walked the panel up the stairs, holding most of the weight so Rose didn't have to. “If he isn't right now, he's going to be in a minute,” he added grimly. It didn't take long for the two to reach the elevator, and after the doors slid open, he and Rose let the plate drop onto the floor of the elevator with a bang, making the whole thing shake somewhat from the impact.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Everyone, let's get moving!,” Walter called as he jogged back to the Prime Core chamber. “/Now/!” If need be, he'd grab one or all of the other three and haul them back to the elevator, but either way they got there quickly. He wasted no time in hitting the button to send the elevator up as far as it could go. “Alexa, I need you to...to link your magic with the plate's,” he told the Reinforcement girl. “Empower it and use its magic to protect us.”
<DrEvilKitteh> Really, it was quite simple for Alexa to sync with the magic that infused the plate on the floor. The glyphs started glowing again, this time the same shade of red as her Reinforcement magic. It was a good thing, too, since it was only about twenty seconds later that everything went to hell.
<DrEvilKitteh> Again.
<DrEvilKitteh> Specifically, the Prime Core finally went critical and detonated. The reinforcement magic lining the walls and floor kept the blast contained for a scant moment before giving way and vaporizing before a fury unlike anything they'd been made to withstand. A fair portion of the explosion had been channeled down in a manner similar to those shockwaves from earlier, but the rest of the pure white not-quite-fire escaped the housing chamber and...well, went everywhere else.
<DrEvilKitteh> The Reinforcement magic acted as a buoy atop a tidal wave; unlike the plates in the housing chamber that had been made to withstand and contain, the elevator was much more mobile and only touched a small fraction of the explosion. Granted, its force caused the shielded car to smash through parts of the factory again and again and again as the not-quite-fire consumed the building and licked at the flaring-red magic, but that was a small price to pay for safely escaping what amounted to a miniature nuke going off.
<DrEvilKitteh> Long story short, the entire factory vanished in a huge plume of volatile energy and the elevator car was spat out like a glowing red comet. It plummeted, trailing not-quite-fire as it went “up” and then “down” towards the stronghold directly opposite the factory. The travel time wasn't all that long, and before the shaken and battered occupants could really try to recoup, they found themselves smashing through a structure one floor at a time. /Again/. Apparently it was a theme that day.
<DrEvilKitteh> Fortunately, with the plate's impressive Reinforcement magic taking on the brunt of the impacts and leaving Alexa free for supporting casting, the journey through a giant castle/stronghold/whatever actually wasn't quite as bad as it had been when they'd used the borrowed truck cabin to.../infiltrate/ the factory.
<DrEvilKitteh> Once they'd come to a complete and definite stop, the red Reinforcement armor flickered and popped out of existence. Walter tore the door open and stumbled out, as even he'd had some circuits jangled by the intense ride. “...I am extremely glad I'm incapable of vomiting,” he muttered under his breath from where he was laying spread-eagle on the floor.
<LeftHandofGod> Lin looks most displeased in a visceral way with the manner of transportation: To put it in simpler words, on the way up, she looks like she's about ready to pass out from the height. Halfway through the trajectory, however, something shifts about her, and she accepts the rest without comment. Sure, she staggers when she steps free, but she's sharp, alert, and focused, weapon raised and looking for hostiles...both with her eyes and with her map.
<Jar Mimic>  As soon as that plate was placed upon the floor of the elevator, Rose immediately fell to her knees.  By the time everyone else managed to pile on in for another ride of a lifetime, she barely had time to take her clothes back from Seo, and certainly not enough time to put them back on.  So, she goes for that ride huddled in on herself, almost curled into a ball around her jacket and shirt.  The excitement of their trip, in and of itself, doesn’t appear to jar her that much, but her own exhaustion is to blame for that.  When it finally comes to a stop, to put what it actually comes to quite lightly, wherever it is that they landed, the purple haired girl flops out, only managing to crawl as she slowly redresses herself.  When she’s finally managed to do so, she goes limp on the floor, lying on her back.  She’s breathing heavily.  “I need…  I need to feed.  I used up too much power.”
<Tangent>"Join the club..." Amelia groans from nearby. "Everyone's still...in one piece, yeah? Alexa?"
<Jar Mimic>  Groaning, the former sheep doll rolls onto her side and lifts herself up onto her hands.  "No.  You don't understand.  I need someone to feed on."
<Tangent> "Wha?" Amelia doesn't seem to get it, looking at her blearily. "You're gonna need to run that one by me again..."
<Jar Mimic>  "No."  This is said just as it was said before.  "Never mind.  I'll tough it out.  We've come this far.  I'll make it."  Clearly straining, she gets herself up on her knees, and then up on her feet.  "I hope.  Come on, Rose.  Pull it together."
<Tangent> Amelia shakes her head, then tends to Alexa...as much as she can.
<Jran-Kri> Alexa is more than a little quesy after the rther extrme manner of egress. She, too, decided to huddle up into the fetal position during the ride, the tattered remains of her mantle clumped up around her. When she can finally leave, she scurries out like a spider, her movements sharp and jerky. She clings to Amelia like a drowning girl clinging to the poor soul trying to save them -- that is, she practically drags her down. "... H-h-help? C-c-can. I... help?" She mutters stiltedly at Rose, her eyes glossy and unfocused behind her glasses.
<Jar Mimic>  “Y-you’d help me?” Rosemary responds, her eyes widening at the suggestion, “But…  You’ve already done so much for me.  Oh, Alexa, thank you so much!”  Although her spark of life is flickering, the very suggestion brings a certain energy to her otherwise healthy body.  In fact, she nearly dives at the two huddled girls to turn it into a group hug.  After giving them the tightest squeeze she could, she lets go, keeping one hand on her savior’s shoulder.  “Alright.  All I have to do is put my hand on your chest, but you’re gonna feel cold for just a second.  Is that okay?”
<Jran-Kri> A look of primal terror flits across her face as Rose bounds towards them, and she seems to be trying to melt into Amelia. Nonetheless, Rose's good cheer seems to assure her there was no real danger. Her gaze snaps to the hand on her shoulder, and she bites her lip nervously. Then she nods, trembling like a leaf in the wind. "O-o-okay," she mumbles, closing her eyes. "'Y-y-you are w-with m-me, I-I have no f-f-ear...'" She whispers, continuing to clutch Amelia.
<Jar Mimic>  At the mention of ‘okay’, Rose nods.  The hand on Alexa’s shoulder moves down to her sternum.  Once it’s come to a stop there, it begins to shake lightly.  There’s a tremble in the energy vampire’s breath.  She licks her lips without even realizing it.  “Alright, Rose.  Just a little bit.  Just a teensy tiny bit.”  With an inhale, she closes her dilated eyes.  It only lasts half a second.  When she opens her much more focused eyes, she exhales, a relieved look upon her face.  It was like she said.  The huddled girl would only feel cold for a moment.  As for Rosemary herself, she shoots right up to her feet, a vital glow about her, as though she just woke up in a summer sunbeam.  “Aah!  Much better!  Alexa, thank you!”  After cracking her knuckles, she offers both of them a hand up.  “Your soul was rich and delicious!  It’s been very well seasoned.  As expected of someone who works so well in a team.”
<Jran-Kri> Alexa gasps at the strange chill that runs through her, shuddering, her teeth chattering lightly as she screws her eyes shut. It takes her a moment to start breathing again, and her fumbling hand takes Rose's as she rises back to her full, insubstantial height. A moment later, however, she freezes. Already pale as a sheet, she nonetheless blanches, her grip on Rose's hand tightening as a look of shock whips across her face. "S-s-s-soul?" She stammers incredulously. "Y-y-you t-t-took my s-s-soul?!" Withdrawing, she resumes clinging to Amelia, shaking her head in sudden fear and disbelief.
<Jar Mimic>  “No!  Nonono, no, no!”  This, of course, is said by Rose at near a panic.  Did she really just say that Alexa’s soul tasted good out loud?  This is a disaster!  She holds her hands up with alarm as she tries to explain.  “I just, no, I didn’t eat the whole thing!  That would be awful, and also you’d be dead.”  The hands being held up are each tipped with a sharp, pointed nail.  Although they couldn’t be called claws, they look dangerous enough.  “No, I just skimmed a little…  I mean, um, think of it like this!  It’s like I gave your soul a haircut, and then I just ate…”  Her whole form seems to slouch over this analogy.  “Ate the hair.  But you’ll be fine!  Your soulstuff will regenerate in no time!  And if you’re really missing the stuff I just took, I can always give it back to you after I’ve fed off of someone else!  Well, uh, most of it.  Some of it.”  Slouch?  No, she full on slumps.
<Tangent> And this is the point where Amelia stops dithering and draws her sword- it looks like about the only reason she hasn't lunged at Rosemary is that she's trying to comfort Alexa at the same time she stares at Rosemary in revulsion. "Do that, right now! Whatever you did to Alexa, FIX IT!"
<DrEvilKitteh> On the plus side, there were zero enemy contacts on Lin's map. On the downside, there was a space fairly close by (albeit on the edge of the map) that also had that familiar static-y effect. It was circular like the housing chamber, but not nearly as large as that space. Maybe...thirty meters in diameter or so? Regardless, nothing was happening during the...argument taking place. Nothing exited that room or entered the map that seemed hostile, at least not that the map could detect.
<DrEvilKitteh> After taking a few moments to readjust some rattled parts on/in his head, Walter sighed and stood up. “Enough!” He put a hand on Rose's shoulder and raised the other to ward off whatever Amelia might do. “Listen to me. Yes, Rose is a kind of energy vampire, but she doesn't do permanent damage. The blood a traditional vampire drinks isn't lost forever, the human body makes more in short order. Like that, Alexa will recover what she lost soon--even quicker if she uses healing magic. So  she has caused no lasting harm to Alexa; you'll be fine.” He directed that final part to the Reinforcement mage in particular.
<LeftHandofGod> Lin shifts nervously for a moment, glancing around one more time to try to be sure there's nothing hostile around...then holsters her pistol and turns to the group. "Area's clear, other than whatever the hell that is." A thumb jabbed over her shoulder indicates the big fuzzy area on her map. "Nobody's dying, right? Can we not kill each other while we have something to fight against? I'm already putting up with that... corrupt one." She must've missed at least some of the yelling, checking and double checking for foes...but it doesn't take her long to get in on the lowest level.
<Jran-Kri> Alexa's face remains twisted into a grimace of shock and offense throughout Rose's explanation. She's clearly hyperventilating, her small chest heaving with every breath, and she cringes away from Rose. She glances at Amelia, then at Rose, then, finally, at Walter once he intervenes. It takes her some time to respond, her focus settling on Amelia for some reason -- probably because Alexa had no way to attack Rose on her own. At length, however, she nods slowly, lightly pulling Amelia back by the chest. "... It-it-it's... f-f-fine," she says slowly, breathlessly, trying to breathe normally again. "I... it-it's not... I-it'll b-b-be f-f-fine soon." She sounds a little dubious of this concept. Closing her eyes, she mumbles to herelf, "'M-mercy is sh-shown to th-those who a-a-are m-m-merciful...'"
<Jar Mimic>  Well, at this point, after sucking a soul, that is, Rosemary isn’t terribly afraid of getting hit by a sword.  But she cowers away from it anyway.  Not because of the sword itself, but because of the angry eyes of the person holding it.  “I’m sorry!  I’ll give it back as soon as I can!  I need to see my usual source.  Once I fill back up, I’ll give you as much back as I can!  Honest!”  And between how Walt stands up for her and how Alex relents, Rose becomes very thankful, putting her hands together before a bowed head.  “Thank you!  Walter, thank you.  And thank you, Alexa!  I’ll make sure that I do good with what you’ve given me.”  With that, she tries to look chipper and skips to the head of the group.  “I’ll go first!  That way anything that decides it wants to hit us can hit me first!”
<Tangent>  Amelia's still furious, even as she stops with Alexa tugging at her. At least, she's lowered her sword. "No. You can take whatever you need from me instead. If you need it. Give what you took back to her, right now, you...leech!"
<Jran-Kri> For some reason, Alexa almost seems to laugh at this, a high-pitched wheeze leaving her. Nonetheless, her face remains drawn in a look of distinct nervousness. She tightens her grip on Amelia's midsection. "A-A-Ameliaaaaa," she whines. "Ch-charity i-i-is a v-v-virtue. I g-g-gave it w-w-willingly, e-e-even if she DECEIVEDME!" She barks, squeezing Amelia again as she seizes up. Breathing heavily, she shakes off the surge of anger. "I-i-it's okay. It's f-f-fine..."
<Jar Mimic>  The former sheep doll finds herself slumping again.  "I am not a leech..." she mutters to herself.
<Tangent> Amelia's distracted long enough to return the hug- protect Alexa, no matter what- but she's still stubbornly glaring at Rose. "Well?" She demands. "Give it back to her."
<Jar Mimic>  Turning back with a pathetic countenance, Rosemary raises an open palm toward Amelia.  The swordswoman might notice she’s made a gesture like this before, when she’s used her Oho Hou.  “I-I’ll give it back.  I’ll give it back now.  But I want to take my share from you first.  So I need to put my hand on your chest, and you’re going to feel a little cold for a second.  And you can’t fight it!  If you fight it, it won’t work.  Is that alright?”
<Jran-Kri> This wasn't what she wanted at all! Alexa shakes her head, tugging at Amelia again. "N-n-nooooo," she wails again, shaking her head. "I-i-it's d-d-done. Sh-she s-s-said it'd be f-f-fiiiiine. I-I will n-not m-meet the L-Lord s-s-soon -- I have t-t-time to f-f-fix it." This, admittedly, is said with a slightly accusatory glare at Rose.
<Tangent> "Shh, it'll be okay. Don't worry, Alexa..." She squeezes Alexa, reassuringly, once then lets go. "Fine. As long as you follow through. Hit me." She's still tense. Her magic flares up slightly, unconsciously in response to her unease, burning through her veins like fire through a forest.
<Jar Mimic>  Just as it was with Alexa, so is it with Amelia.  A light touch on the chest is followed by a chill.  When Rose pulls back her hand, she has a sour look on her face.  “Ick.  Your mana is flowing too much.  Bleh.  B-but it’s done.  Here.”  That same hand is placed again upon the Reinforcement girl.  The feeling of having pure life force introduced to the core of her being is one she might describe as pleasant.  Like waking up wrapped in a blanket straight out the dryer.  Good memories might reoccur to her.  A vague feeling of friendship, perhaps, though directed at no one in particular.  “I’m sorry for being so needy.  I’ll give yours back as soon as I can, Amelia.  Right after I see my mom.  Ah, I mean my source!”
<Jran-Kri> Sighing laboriously as this process is carried out again, Alexa pouts, clearly not pleased with being put aside, even if it is for her own good. But she manages to keep herself collected enough, even if she sticks her tongue out at Rose at the vampire's apparent displeasure towards her friend's soul. There is a moment where that is all washed away with the return of what is rightfully hers, and she gasps, stepping back in a daze. "U-u-um... um... i-i-it's um, really a-a-alright," she mumbles, scuffing her show. What was she so angry about again? "L-l-let's, um, g-g-g-go. Away. From here. N-n-now p-please."
<Tangent> Amelia isn't sympathetic for Rose at all...and isn't too happy about what she sees as a necessary evil. She feels...cold after being drained. It's not something she's used to, and that doesn't make her mood any better. She reaches out and pats Alexa, gently. "Yeah. Let's go..."
<Jar Mimic>  "Ah, like I said, I'll go in front."  And again, the now slightly fuller energy vampire scampers to the head of the group.  "Just tell me which way to go, miss Lin.  I'll make sure we don't run into any walls."
<DrEvilKitteh> Much was Walter was tempted to say something about what had just happened, it wouldn't do to fracture the group any further. So for now he stared in the direction Lin had indicated before looking back at the Beacon marksman. “...Something's there?” He frowned when she nodded and succinctly described the effect as similar to the housing chamber. “Then...we...need to investigate.” The android sounded a little...distant, thoughtful. “I have a feeling it's important. An incomplete but residual memory from that Stalker's mind I downloaded.”
<DrEvilKitteh> Walter drew his revolver, set his miraculously undamaged hat atop his head, and headed in the direction of the interference on the map.
<DrEvilKitteh> This area was somewhat familiar to the girls. It was a place they'd raced through to reach an elevator going up, a place where they'd seen a glimpse of the Alchemist--or one of his clockwork bodies--walking by, whistling. And...a set of thick, heavy double doors directly to their left at the following intersection. Those seemed to be the entrance to the odd room, which had previously been just a...blank, empty, nonexistent space on Lin's map. Maybe something changed after the Prime Core's detonation?
<DrEvilKitteh> Regardless of the reason, Walter stopped at the doors and tested them with a push. They didn't budge. And...there didn't seem to be any concealed buttons or switches that opened it, at least not here.
<DrEvilKitteh> “Rose, try to force it open,” he told the young energy vampire. “But be careful in case there's a trap or something...delicate inside.”
<Jran-Kri> Alexa tags along dutifully, remaining silent as she clings to Amelia. She seems quite disinclined to let go of her, and even less inclined to go anywhere that isn't as far away from this place as possible, but she manages the latter. Upon Walter's request to Rose, she reluctantly accomplishes the former. Her staff springs to life in her hand and, despite the distasteful grimace on her face, she forms another bright red cuirass over Rose's outfit. "T-t-traps. Wouldn't. W-w-want. That," she stammers haltingly. [Divine Aegis]
<Jar Mimic>  “Careful.  Right.  So don’t, like, punch it open.  Right.  Careful.  Thank you, Alexa.  Here I go.”  Testing the waters, Rosemary gives the door a little shove.  Alright, didn’t move.  So, she braces her feet a bit and firmly places one hand on each side of the door.  The cords of muscle in her arms tense for a moment, but one resolute step forward parts the doors from one another.  Not widely, of course, but, at that point, she wedges between them and shoves them open much more quickly.  The benefits of a petite figure.  “There you go!  Hoo.  Those were heavy!”
<LeftHandofGod> Lin follows hot on Rosemary's heels, pistol trained on the room beyond the doors even as the martial is catching her breath after shoving them aside. Someone obviosly doesn't want to take any chances.
<Tangent> Amelia carefully safeguards Alexa even as she strides along after the others.