Chevaleresse

The shot ricochets off of the machine's still-active barrier, slamming into his gut and knocking him over. Kyle has obtained the Flaw: Gut Wound. Enemies attacking Kyle have a DEX*2 chance to inflict double damage. The barrier drops.

Kyle recieves another shock, this one stronger.

Kyle receives an unpleasant electrical shock for his trouble. The Hellfire Knight seemed to be looking around. . . well, it was hard to describe the mass of powered armor as "frantic," but certainly seemed to be missing something. They were distracted for a moment, however, by the appearance of the glass rose. Not that they'd never seen intricate glass sculpture before, but to see it created so suddenly was intriguing.

The orcish craftsman leaps upon the flailing abomination, managing to wrest it to the ground with his momentum, the thing's tentacles proving to be no match for a bit of well-applied physics in the form of good old brute force. As he falls, he drives his blade, not into his foe, but into the shard of twisted magic he'd obtained earlier. A sinister not-glow seemed to draw in the light around it as the blade wedged its way inward - before the thing drew in more than light, the being seeming to stretch and shrink simultaneously as it was pulled inexorably into the piece, a well-placed blow paired with a Shinto ward driving the foul being into a new "body," and this time one it wouldn't be able to get out of so easily. The shard skidded across the floor, eventually slowing and coming to rest against the base of the Heartless Machine with a light tink. It vibrated for a moment or two after it was sealed, before finally falling still, though it still seemed to radiate a faint sense of malevolence.

Jade recovers from his stun. He takes [8] lightning damage. Hikari quaffs a potion. Kurosawa administers her own potion to Hikari. The armor's shield drops. It goes for a leaping slash at Venus, striking him for [15] damage. Jesse snaps off a quick shot at the remaining arm for [3] damage. It shakes. Kagari probably goes through some fancy sequence involving random nudity that's conveniently censored by hair, ambient light, or camera angles, and transforms into her Magical Idol form, healing for [6] HP. Snow prepares to dodge. Her frost inflicts [2] more damage to the arm. Theodore attempts to set up a resonance against "enemies," and this rather vague action fails. Solomon laughs maniacally while mocking his teammates for not being able to figure out an encounter that he, himself, has also been utterly unable to solve. Ego healed for [7] health. The armor goes for another whirling assault, this one targeting Alexandria, the Hellfire Knight, Venus, Visrii, Magna, and Snow for [2], [4], [9], [11], [8], and [0] damage. Aurora mends Jade magically for [6] health. Sachi enters a guarding stance over Hikari, halving the damage both of them take. Visrii gathers his strength after letting off an invective or two, then cuts at the possessed armor for [11] damage. A dark essence flows out from the gash in the armor, blowing past Visrii and filling him with a brief sense of utter dread but not harming him. The gaseous substance congeals into a purplish-black ball with two glowing yellow eyes, with red lines streaking across its surface that form themselves into ropelike appendages. That same black-and-red heart emblem is located where one would think the mouth would me; while it doesn't seem to have facial expressions, the Heartless looks to be quite startled by this development, tentacles flailing. Venus fires a precise bullet in the direction of the armor as it falls, striking the creature for [44] damage. Katsuo smashes at the reactor for [1] damage. Kyle tosses a grenade into the machine, which explodes for [0] damage to the arm and [1] damage to the Possessor. The reactor bounces the shrapnel back at him for [0] damage before the barrier vanishes. Bridgett fires magical arrows into the creature, anticipating its presence, for [6] damage. Edmond welds the arm for [0] damage. The next hit will deal [8] additional damage. The possessor flails ineffectually, but begins to drift toward the reactor. . . Mar fractures the reactor, dealing [0] damage but obtaining a Magitek Reactor shard. Magna strikes the reactor with her scythe for [8] damage. Hiroki sends another wave of plasma outward, dealing [9] damage to the remaining arm, [8] damage to the reactor, and [12] to the Possessor. The shimmering shield reappears. Eon quaffs a potion. Alexanria begins charging her cannon! The reactor hums. Initiative Party Status Enemy Status:

Hoshiko replied to the dance with a pose, before running forward. "You, servant of evil, whose foul machinations put my comrades to sleep! FEEL THE WRATH OF A TRUE SERVANT OF THE GODDESS! HIIIIYAH!" She punctuated her bold proclaimation with an arrow headed straight at the mounted healer. F-15 SHOOT DAH TROUB W/IRON BOW

The girl in the cloak tried to strain against Kagari's unwanted - if not unpleasant - affections in such a manner that it wouldn't actually look like she was responded; which was to say there was pretty much no noticeable response. And now there was this new girl, who was apparently not worried about the others deriding her for her stature, much like Sleeping Giant. Hiroki knew better, though, which is why she wasn't going to compromise herself any further than she already had. She did have to compose herself for a moment, however, to think up her phrasing of her reply to her sudden appearance. The other girl pressed against her would feel a slight shake of her head before she spoke, and possibly even heard the whispering that presaged the speech from the device on her chin. "Are you feeling well? I would not want to defeat an opponent not fighting at their full capacity."

Jesse sends a round into the right arm for [8] damage. The bullet seems to have interrupted it once again. Hikari recovers from her stun. Kurosawa purges the violent electricity from Hikari's body, sealing it in a magazine. Another bolt of lightning lances out at Jade, stunning him and electrocuting him for [8] damage for this and the next 2 turns. Jesse prepares to dodge. Kagari recovers from her stun. Snow strikes at the left arm for [4] damage. Ice creeps along the device, dealing an additional [2] damage which will last [1] more turn. The arm shudders. Hikari follows up for [6] damage. Theodore doses Hikari with his own potion. Solomon offers up his one-two of hardcovers and softcovers to the reactor. He strikes it for [7] damage, prompting a spark from the reactor to arc outward and strike him for [28] damage, before arcing to Eon for [18] damage and then to Hikari for [15]. Abruptly, the second suit of armor stands up. It leaps at Jade with a slash, striking him for [10] damage. Aurora wraps Jesse in a soothing light for [6] health healed. Sachi strikes the reactor with her lance for [2] damage. Hikari follows up for [4] damage. Visrii offers up a sharp sweep of his own weapon at the reactor for [10] damage. The armor begins to whirl much like the previous one, striking Hiroki for [1] damage, Sachi for [0], Kyle for [3], Katsuo for [7], Visrii for [6], and Venus for [6]. Venus fires a powerful shot into the suit of armor for [32] damage, striking it right in the visor with a faint puff of a violet-black something exiting the back of the helm along with the bullet. Katsuo angrily smashes Gwaedu into the armor for [3] damage. He regains 1 health. Kyle takes cover. Bridgett creates a magical shield before her. Edmond welds the reactor for [1] damage. The next attack will deal [7] more damage. Mar fractures the right robot arm - right into pieces. He obtains two more Heartless Machine shards. Magna strikes the remaining arm with her scythe for [6] damage. Hiroki launches another intense ray of heat at the suit of armor everyone seems to be targeting for [24] damage. Eon crushes another star and blasts it at the remaining targets for [1] damage to the arm, [7] damage to the reactor, and [0] damage to the armor. The shimmering barrier comes up again. Alexandria taunts the reactor with a choice insult. There's no visible response. The armor raises its shield. . . Initiative Party Status Enemy Status (Player ver):

The archer looked about worriedly, her brave facade faltering for a moment. It was getting entirely too crowded around here with both allies and enemies, and she was just one girl with a bow; but still, surely the favor of the goddess would remain with her and defend her from the blows of her enemy. She took a deep breath before loosing her next shot. F16, DELIVER THE GODDESS'S WRATH WROUGHT IN WOOD AND FEATHER TO THE ONE WHO DARES USE THE SPIRITS OF NATURE FOR EVIL (aka shoot the mage with a longbow)

Saigai Mitsurugi

You didn't hear about me rolling Merlin, Jack, Musashi, Carmilla, EMIYA, NP3 Anne/Mary, and NP2 Helena

Turn 2 Katsuo leaps forward into combat, smashing at the currently-inactive armor with magically enhanced strength for [11] damage. Hikari casts a spell to heal Edmond for [8] health. Jade fires a [5] deadly round into the right robotic arm, jarring it and dealing [44] damage. Hikari follows up for [5] damage. Kurosawa blasts the armor for [8] damage. Hikari strikes again for [8] more damage. The suit of armor raises its shield against the onslaught. . . Jesse retreats behind Alexandria's shield and drinks a potion. Kagari goes for her signature rear-forward method of attack. She strikes the shield and [32 vs 14] is tossed backward, dazed and stunned. Snow uses her Ice Calamity, striking the two robotic arms for [0] and [0] damage and the armor for [2]. It disrupts the motion of the other arm, and [12 vs 13] doesn't seem to slow down the armor. Theodore blasts the right arm with sound for [7] damage. Solomon follows up with a torrent of books for [7] damage. The armor offers up one more whirling assault, targeting Kurosawa, the Hellfire Knight, Hikari, Jesse, Kagari, and Bridgett. They take [9], [4], [0], [16], [29] and [8] damage. It then slumps over a bit, but stays standing, immobile. Aurora hits Bridgett with an actual non-harmful beam which is sadly not actually powered by friendship for [8] health healed. Sachi issues a bold challenge to the unmoving suit of armor. It doesn't react particularly strongly. Tower Stance ends. Visrii cleanly slices the battered suit of armor in half. It makes a loud clatter as it falls to the floor in pieces. The glowing object on the machine sparks and sputters, heralding the bolt of lightning lancing out at Hikari. Electricity courses through her, stunning her and inflicting [24-RES] damage for 3 rounds. Venus fires a shot into the still-unmoving armor for [9] damage. Kyle overrides the GM's choice of quality music that is both thematic and dramatic with his own alternative. It doesn't seem to do as much as he expected; probably a mistake somewhere in the process. +1 RES to the entire party for 2 turns. Bridgett quaffs a potion. A jagged bolt lances out at Jade, but his lightning reflexes save him (and his friends) as it discharges into the ground. Mar gives Bridgett a. . . questionable Orcish healing concoction, and then Bop Fractures the left arm for [3] damage. He obtains a Heartless Machine fragment. Edmond drinks a potion. Magna attempts to reanimate the fallen suit of armor. It doesn't seem to stick, though. The Hellfire Knight retaliates against the assault with an expanding wave of fire, narrowly avoiding her allies, dealing [10] damage to Armor B, [10] to both arms, and [7] damage to the reactor. A slightly shimmering barrier of hexagons forms up around the device. Eon blasts both arms with shattered stars for [2] damage each. The third rebounds from the reactor, the barrier dissipating as the stardust strikes Eon himself for [1] damage. Alexandria projects a shield covering the wounded mechanic. Initiative Party Status Enemy Status:

Jade's bullets strike the Heartless being produced by the machine. It seems to have adjusted, however; the shots don't seem to do much, with the darkness rippling slightly at the assault and nothing else. Hikari's magic shines forth, boosting the resilence of Sachi and herself and the power of Solomon and the Hellfire Knight. Kurosawa hits the suit of armor with a staccato series of blasts, making it more vulnerable to succeeding attacks. The suit of armor leaps into the fray with a whirling slash, slashing at Jesse, Kagari, Aurora, Bridgett, Mar, and Edmond. Kagari narrowly evades the assault, while the others are not so lucky. Jesse takes [23], Aurora takes [6], Bridgett takes [9], Mar takes [5], Edmond takes [9]. Jesse, despite the heavy wound, fires a round into the armor for [13] damage, cutting off its special powers. Hikari follows up for [9] damage. Kagari viciously assaults the armor with her rear end for [10] damage. Theodore uses the power of music to increase all of the party's stats by a whopping 1 point. Solomon prepares to defend himself using ancient lore, doubling his current RES. The armor seems confused for a moment, before it swings its blade at Edmond for [12] damage. Aurora fires a magical bolt into the gathering darkness. Similarly to Jade's bullets, it has no noticeable lasting effect. Sachi takes a defensive stance before Hikari, halving incoming damage to both. Visrii launches a bolt of lightning at the armor for [4] damage. The armor leaps, slashing at Bridgett, who narrowly avoids taking another hit. Venus fires a shot into the armor, inflicting another [5] damage. Katsuo Pulse Dashes backward, setting himself into a better position. He will strike first for additional damage next round. Kyle blasts his shotgun at the machine, attempting to knock something bolted to the floor off it's feet. Do I really have to say how well it works? Bridgett peppers the armor with rays of magic for [9] total damage. The armor attempts once more to swat Bridgett down, managing to strike her with the blade for [14] damage. Mar breaks off a chunk of the machine. It doesn't seem to have a notable effect, but he does notice, through his rage, that the two large arms and the glowing piece seem to be doing most of the work. Edmond analyzes the situation and discovers that being hit with swords seriously sucks ass when you're not wearing plate. +3 INT for [1] round. Magna strikes the armor with her scythe for [5] damage, and it gives way beneath the combined assault, a vulnerable crack opening up in it. It almost seems like some kind of darkness is leaking out... The Hellfire Knight aims her main cannon at the armor, melting through a portion of it for [17] damage. Eon blasts the armor for [7] damage. Alexandria activates her barrier, creating a safe spot for an ally to hide. Initiative Party Status Enemy Status (Player ver):

So is this a multiverse kind of thing, are there any rules on what characters should and should not look like, etc? This seems interesting but somewhat lacking in information.

The blast from the grenade dissipated the Heartless, the darkness scattering in motes before fading. The machine went right back to its task, however, once again beginning construction of another foe for the heroes to face. As they assault the machine, one of the decorative suits of armor suddenly leaps forth, deflecting the attacks with its shield before tossing the would-be aggressors backward with a bash from the same implement. Initiative Party Status: Enemy Status

After a couple moments, the unmistakable hum/whir of machinery coming to life sounds through the room as the arms begin to move. Two streams of a dark something focus on the center of the platform, and the arms come in immediately, adjusting, manipulating the rapidly forming pool of darkness. In seconds, one can make out the outline of something familiar - a rounded form with spikes, just like the Heartless they'd fought on the way here.

i don't generally listen to music as it comes out but i guess i'll say The Devil's Bleeding Crown

The flare doesn't do much but make it even harder to see in the room than it already is; the stark whiteness of it sharply contrasts the surroundings. It looks blindingly bright at first, but it's actually not that much brighter than the outside rooms - though this is definitely electrical lighting, or at least something closely mimicking it. Adding to the incongruousness is the continuation of the decor pattern around the edges of the room; tapestries and ornamental armor once again line up along the left and right walls, though the structure behind them is smoothed and bright. Most striking, however, is the contraption in the center of the space: a somewhat elevated platform with a set of robotic arms, numerous and varying in size with two large ones with welding apparati on their ends taking prominence. A faint hum echoes from the back of the thing, as something glowing and occasionally sparking with electricity connects to the rest with a series of wires. You feel a faint, but unshakeable foreboding as the flare ceases, and the light level in the room drops to more normal amounts.

As the whole party proceeded forward into the larger hall (presumably even the ones staying in absolute silence, for whatever reason), it painted a slightly clearer picture of what this place might be. The lighting was still a little dull, but managed to adequately fill the space; it looked like a fairly large entrance hall, complete with a large drawbridge (raised at the moment, of course) at one end. A few suits of armor - a sharp eye could tell they were of the decorative, rather than practical variety - stood guard along the walls, marking off the space at regular intervals, with the occasional aged tapestry replacing one. A few hallways split off from this one, but of more interest was the set of doors at the end of the hall; they looked rather grandiose compared to the plain ones they'd passed so far, and a significant amount of light passed through the cracks between the doors and the floor.

friendly reminder to ACTUALLY READ THE UPDATES if this thing where people don't actually read the content of GM posts continues to come up this often and this egregiously i'm going to start removing people from the game

ragnar you can see just fine please stop doing this

The door opens into a decently sized hallway - enough for Alexandria's statuesque proportions to fit into quite comfortably at least - that leads a short distance into a larger one, looking like an entrance hall from this angle. The place is dimly lit, but enough to see; it looks like torchlight, though they're not giving off nearly as much smoke as one might expect. The place is free of Heartless for now, oddly enough. The walls, at least on the inside, look like they're composed of sturdy stone bricks. Judging by the echoing sound of Alexandria's second slam, this place is pretty large. Best get moving.

I told you on discord but I'm boosting Recurves.

The door is surprisingly resilent, only kicking up a bit of dust at the impact despite Alexandria's juggernaut strength. Perhaps using the knob would be more productive.