Sutoratosu

There is a solid thud as the shaman collapses like a sack of potatoes, snores loudly echoing. God damn sleep staves... "Are you fucking kidding me?" The fencer muttered under her breath, gripping the bridge of her nose. Of bloody course, he's asleep. By the Goddess, these Troubs were more like rats: vile little pests that were practically infesting the place, hiding behind every wall, sneaking out whenever the opportunity presented itself before scurrying right back to their decrepit little hidey holes... "Look, someone wake him. I don't care if you guys have to kick him awake, so long as he's back up again... I'm gonna try to deter some of these Wandroughts trying to come up from behind." With Gale Sword in hand, she did just that, firing off two roaring blasts of wind at the nearest knight... D3, Rock NullArmor 1 Like a Hurricane

Revenant v Giant The explosive bursts from the grenades went off one by one, succeeding to impeding the path of the black mech. Already on an aerial course, the force of the attacks managed to force Revenant up and over top of the Giant, causing the massive blade he wielded to only glance the armor, not that it seemed to have any real effect. The beast ground his teeth with malice as at the same moment as the grenade burst, there came the peel of energy fire, and with it a shockwave that propelled it even further, until it hurtled right into the far wall of the arena not even a half-second later, but in the moment after the beast had been repelled he had already begun to ready his second approach and counter, even with the ceiling beginning to collapse immediately after. It had managed to turn itself around to face the FAD...its fields preparing themselves in a frenzy blow the 2 pt Reflex bonus to prepare an nigh-immediate reaction after the impact of Earthquake, rather than try to dodge it The Giant's shockwave had both helped and hindered her little strategy. It may have well succeeded destroying the arena, and putting distance between her and the Revenant. But having been thrown so far from the epicenter of the destruction and with his back literally to the wall, the rubble that had fallen around the Revenant in the short span of time- not even full seconds -before his cracking mech making impact and it's reaction was not enough to stop the beast's rampage... and he launched himself right at the spot where the signature of his prey had remained stationary through this entire match. Six Point Speed Bonus- TP Once per Match No screech this time, no bellow, and the brilliant lights had ceased, though the cracks exposing them remained. He had been there one moment, and the next he simply was not, as his mech rocked forward with such inertia it would've easily broken a person's entire being, smash and rend their very flesh into bloody pulp, were they not protected by favor. Hate, fury, wrath, pride, all pathetic excuses for the raw forces of nature driving the monster. Pale descriptions for sensations people tried to equate with language, but no one ever truly knew the actual meanings of until they were so consumed by it that all that remained was the all consuming desire to cause pain, to kill and destroy. Because those were the only powers that really mattered in the end, because if you can't kill, you would always be subject to those who can, and nothing and no one would ever save you. His father had known that, his father's father had known it, and his father and so on. Even Tesla had likely known it, whenever she would leave them, say nothing of where she'd be going or doing. And it had taken nigh 26 years for the beast that had once been Solomon Ryke, not to realize this simple truth... but to finally embrace it as it was. And Embrace it he did. The time between the grenade detonation, the triggering of the Giant's Signature, and the Revenants subsequent counter was utterly miniscule. As Momo would be preparing to arm her escape system and her laser, what would've greeted both her mech and her ears would've been a massive amount of force slamming directly into the back of Slumbering Giant, as more and more rubble continued to pile around them as the very sky itself fell. "viaminveniamautfaciam" The words, rapid-fire latin that was barely intelligible with the manic speed it'd been delivered, would've rang out through the sounds of the arena crumbling. The whirring from much earlier in the match was back, and it would not have taken a rocket scientist to realize what was going on- the Revenants blade, the frequency of it's oscillation so high it seemed to sing as it ate through metal, whirring as the motors and hidden spheres powering its rotation, greater than any saw blade could hope to achieve- backed up by physical force so great, only a unit as heavily armored as the Revenant was Armed could hope to withstand it, without the use of a certain trick of Armor A trick the Giant had already blown. There was no denying it, the blade known as Ragnorok was back for seconds now, and with the ravenous fervor, becoming ever clearer as it continued to cut its way through the various layers of Armor, it became clear that the Giant did not have very long at all until it cut through to the cockpit, and end this mess. And yet despite it, some part of the beast found that it simply had stopped caring. The cracks in its armor had accelerated greatly when the emotional storm driving it's current state had given up control even further, completely given into the primal secrets of fury, and what might they may bestow. It mattered not how many precious seconds had passed anymore... For one way another, it would be the last attack the beast made. Could Momo do it? Could she triumph over this demon, so quick, so ruthless? Could she save herself from the power to kill and destroy, could her will surpass the beast, and let her take the victory without firing even a single shot more? Could her calm, her meditation, prove to be stronger than the raw storm that weathered against her shores now? Would what she'd been given by the gods themselves give her the strength to act fast enough, coherent enough, to perform her Escape before it was too late? To get away, and watch as the beast would crumble and break under with the power of it's own hatred? Fall apart? Fall apart, and be crushed by the ensuing rubble when it did? ********************** Asmoedeus had tried every method he knew of to re-enter, all the backdoors, all his emergency codes, all the ingenuity he could muster. Not a god blessed one of them had done anything. Whatever state the mechanic was in, whatever raw force was defying all the safeties and protocols the man had designed him with, it was far greater than anything Asmodeus had even seen the Tinkerer unleash before, even during the battle in Lust when he'd claimed to have put the Spheres into overdrive. What he sensed was nothing but utter wrath, its merciless firewalls so great, he was uncertain whether the Solomon he'd once known was still alive beneath the surge, if what he would find would be the boisterous bastard, and not some construct of hate. But he kept working.... over and over again. Attacked the great walls of Solomon's kingdom with every ounce of artificial will he'd been bestowed with since his creation, fired one bomb of ungodly complex coding and junk logic arguments after another. He would not stop, he could not stop. It was clear that in his absence, the revenant- that thing -that had always claimed to be part of the fighter, that he'd never trusted, never let out of his sight even during the few times when Solomon had unleashed its chains and given it partial control. He could feel himself beginning to break through, but by the gods if it went any slower he was certain he would go mad with frustration.... "I should've never left him....Someone is going to die here, and it will be because... I left him. Just as his Mother did. Just as Tesla did. Just as Sasha will."

"Nothing good" was all Ole responded with as she got out of the Cabin, Scythe already in hand, it's blade gleaming faintly in the growing fire light. She'd been clutching the thing close to her ever since they'd gotten out the town gates- with the various monsters that had attacked the previous nights, it had gone without saying that they were probably going to run into trouble sooner or later. And how right she was. Stranded in the middle of the road, a fire growing ever quicker nearby, and the rest of the world totally pitchblack despite the illumination the conflagration gave off. Lovely, simply lovely. "Won't do us any good to stay here like sitting ducks, at the very least we should get away from the wreck- bloody thing is nothing but a beacon out here, and whoever's come to greet us can't be too far off..."

So, the girl had apparently defected. Maya couldn't say she was surprised in the least bit, from how out of sorts she'd looked while taking shots at them. Hopefully she'd lose a bit of that hesitation now that she'd be fighting against the crown rather than for it, but either way, it didn't matter. Better she was with them now, rather than remaining just an expendable pawn in a sea of ashes and blood. "I suppose you won't be firing any more shots at us now, will you? Though, I must thank you for missing our mage by such a wide margin; it's always easier to just patch someone up than it is pulling them back from the brink." Soft light emanated from her staff, mending up their wounds. Heal Renee

Cheryn She looked once in the direction of the explosion, once back at Beza, cowering there on the floor, before sighing. She held out an arm, gathered her focus, and a shield of crackling, red light quickly expanded there, hovering parallel to her forearm much in the same manner a traditional shield would. It may have looked small, yes, but it honestly didn't matter, with a mere impulse the thing could easily expand into a full size barrier, should the need arise. Which she was fairly certain it would. "Stay here," was all she said to Beza before heading off to investigate. She doubted the girl would leave the room in her current state, but hey, why not be sure? No reason to risk any more people getting hurt in this upcoming exchange than was absolutely needed. She kept her arm- and the shield anchoring itself to it at the moment -up and at at ready as she proceeded to next room, immediately scanning the area for any sign of Calliber...

"What, I'm merely calling them out on the fault they've displayed time and time again," The spider snarled indignantly at Mitsu "These ones here, like the talking slab said, they rely too much on me, What about when this situation happens all over again? What about when I am indisposed or too far, and they are left to fend for themselves against the beasts we were gathered to destroy in the first place? And this not even the greatest Mockery or Disdain I can muster... compared to the fleshbags I have spent my entire existence fighting tooth and nail, the treatment I give these lot is utterly unimaginable by comparison. Imagine, for so many countless generations, pests who are constantly multiplying, swarming across the lands, tearing down everything in their path, flaunting forces the likes of which they have no cognition of, daring to use magic and the power of the non-material planes to subjugate and destroy the very boundaries which were set up to protect the world they inhabit. All for the sake of defying their place, the vain, constant hope of ascending to some higher form when if they'd simply stop and tried to work with the world around them rather than in spite of it, they'd find...." A pause, the whites of her eye shifting to green. Her tirade hung on that note, before eventually falling as she gripped her head in her hands, snarling filled the air, her carapace again lit up... And yet, then there was... them. The fleshies here, these other outworlders. The ones for all their quirks didn't seem outright murderous, or so dangerous as to warrant destruction. The ones who for the most part seemed to just want to end this mess and go home. Yes, some of them were fools, many of them were short-sighted, but... but not the same breed as the utter horrors she'd faced her entire life. No, no, not even close... how could it be, that two types of beings who looked so similiar in form and biology, could very so differently in every other way? They each smelled a bit different, depending on the ambient scents of their own homes, but undeneath it was still the same stink- the same stink that had clung to the crusaders, the parasites, the Worldkillers... They were reckless and wateful and destructive, yes, but even still, the nature they'd displayed so far came nowhere near as much... as them. There had to be something more...something deeper... Someone greater... what if... the humans were merely the symptom... mere pawns, pawns which on their own might be bad, but.... somewhat tolerable to a degree, as she'd managed to do with all these damn outworlders? What if, by the influence of one unseen, one forgotten, they were simply amplified into the scourge they were when she'd been snatched up for this fight? "....so..." She at last uttered. The worse of the memories had passed. Whatever she had seen, whatever she had heard, whatever she had been thinking, it had all been over in the span of mere seconds, "To think, for so many years, I only saw the surface... never put the pieces together until now, when it might already be too late... To think it would take being around so many misfits, to see all the infighting and the foolishness... that even if such qualities are ingrained in them, there was still something... wrong with the ones I was so used to... something... driving them, pulling the strings like puppets, pushing the extremes, all for a purpose." She turned once, looking hard at the spot the Assassin had once occupied. "Against her will, she said... was she really so blameless in this as she pleads? Or was she simply acting on something that had always been there, that was simply amplified, twisted and bloated to the point where it eclipsed everything else? You humans... so strange, so conflicted. But enough. I know now what it was about her that woke me up. Not the witch herself, but the something standing behind the witch. A presence that feeds on death... gorges on destruction, until it can become so powerful, it no longer needs pawns. A type of presence that only now do I realize, I have become far more familiar with than I ever thought. A type of presence that no matter where it hides, where it runs... I will find it... And I will purge it." She began skittering towards the entrance of the cavern, not saying another word more besides "Regardless, i suggest at least some of you think long and well about what I offer to teach you. There are more like her, this much we already know. But what happens when they are all dead? What happens when there are no more great and powerful pawns, and this presence is forced to rear its ugly head? Our work here is far from complete, and you will help no one if you die before you end this mess."

"what, this?" The Spider asked, before holding her palm- instantly a sphere of white, pulsating light formed in it "It's positive energy, the stuff that makes it possible for fleshbags like you lot to exist in the first place; It's the glue that holds together all the other elements in order to create living organisms, animates them. Just like negative energy does the same thing for undead. Whenever you fleshies take too much of a beating, I just pour some more of this into you to restore what's been lost, and you get to keep living a bit longer. This realm has some... odd similarities to the cosmological structure of my own. Which is good, for my purposes. If I teach you fleshies how to channel directly from the Positive Plane itself, you might get a much better feel of what it feels like in it's rawest form, and that will make the process both easier and faster...." A pause... before Aurora smiled, rather ominously "That is, it will...If you obey me and don't end up drawing too much, in turn causing your fleshie little bodies to explode in pure radiance as raw life force overloads each and every one of your cells~ Hmmmm... oh my, that does sound like a fun idea for execution though. I should try that on some foolish fleshie sometime, just filling them up with the stuff until they go.... POP!" Another pause, as she pondered the idea... before "Oh wait, now that I think about it, it would take quite a lot of the stuff for that to happen, probably much, much more than beginner fleshies like you lot could ever hope to channel, without stepping foot inside the Positive Plane. Which would also result in a big, glorious POP. So... I suppose you'd probably be safe if you somehow screwed up. Anywho, seeing as how I'm leagues more resistant, can draw it out as easy as water from a flooded well, and even radiate the stuff at will, I'll most certainly be making a mental note to try it~"

Cade looked the wound over, trying to retreive her Vulnerary with a still trembling, clumsy grasp before she sighed in frustration, snatched up the vial with the hand that was still worth a damn, and pried the stopper off with her teeth. Yes, up close it was even worse than she'd thought... for a moment she considered it might be nessacary to use the same spell she had on Karik, but even as she began to prepare it, her fathers words rang through her mind.... hmmmm... on second thought... she suppresed the magic before it could even manifest itself, the soft white light in her gimped hand fading. Both of Karik's wounds were pretty near the heart and all. Yeh, it's still alot of blood she's lossing, but... I'm uh... sure she'll be just fine with just the Vuln, in comparison... maybe... hopefully... hell, so long as she can stand and use that staff, it'll be enough. C5, Vuln Emilee

The spider looked around for a few moments before answering. All these fleshbags, all these... humans? How far out of it had she truly been, up until now? How insane had she become that she had willingly put up with them, helped them, when any other time she would've pounced on the lot of them? She shook her head, snarling. In truth, though she'd indeed experienced a burst of the past, a torrent of memories both old and new, the flood was still raw, uncut, and struggling to order itself within her mind. Like a tangled web, some connections were crossed, others mangled, until one event could not help but have it's lead up mired by that of another. But it was slowly beginning to right itself. The most recent past was the easiest to set straight, given it'd been the shortest and she'd been rather.... disposed mentally all the way through. Yes, yes, the White One, the Dragon, those two were the reasons why she hadn't killed them all. Much to her Chagrin, Aurora felt her face grow hot at the memory at the strange being's embrace, flushing a bright blue around her cheeks. Cuddling her like some pet.... and to think she'd just let her do it too... hell, between ITE's display of affection and Eon's steaks, somehow the predatory side of her had been surpressed enough for something else to take over... something more lucid, slowly, but surely, until it had garnered enough power to gradually establish more and more control. What the hell was it about this place, these fleshbags, this mission, that had somehow accomplished in mere hours what Ajax and Sylvi had been trying for so long to undo? Gah, too much was still so fogged... to hell with it. It hurt to focus too hard on anything much further beyond the point of the Canyon... but one way or another, she felt... whole again. Not just whole, but even better. Like... a curse had been lifted. Wait... when she'd condemned the witch, there had been no burning, except for the variety she herself had dished out.... the chains of the divine were.... gone... Yes. Whole again indeed. Unbent, Unbound, and Unbroken. "Maybe," was all Aurora finally answered Lotus with, "Whoever, whatever that brooding fleshbag was, something about her stirred part of me, was enough to wake the rest of it up, until it all came surging to the surface...and fried her to a crisp. It felt like only months to me, but to flesh-bags like you lot, the time I spent as some mentally broken animal was probably years. Who knows though, with some time to get my barrings again, I might be able to do even worse than the fate I gave her... maybe. But that is later, sometime soon maybe, but still later. This now. And right now" -She interrupted herself by firing a few burst of light from her eyes, as she had all throughout the fight, fixing up the wounds of those who were in the worse condition, and then moving to those who weren't that bad -"You lot would be better off if I took the time to teach some of you how to Heal yourselves, rather than spending it trying to repeat what I did to the mage. Would certainly make my job easier, and maybe keep some of you from becoming nice red paste when I'm not around or can't get to you..."

Cheryn "Don't know...." Cheryn muttered. She honestly wondered the exact thing herself; the place, just like most of the other living quarters, was pretty sparse. A Bed, a desk, chair... nowhere to really hide except under the bed, but from what she'd come to know of Calliber over the last few days, she sincerely doubted the rebel would go to the trouble of giving her the slip, make her way into the least used section of the facility... and then simply hide under a bed like some child playing hide and seek. Then again... she did have a... fixation on Tallow. Cheryn couldn't completely put it out of her mind that she may be trying to lay in wait for whenever he came back, for whatever reason. "Ya know maybe we were wrong about the computer banks, maybe she might be there trying to look for something about the dudes who ran this place... We can check there next, but for right now, stand back..." With that said Cheryn honed her concentration, preparing herself to fling up a barrier at short notice, before reaching down beneath the covers to peer beneath the bed, just encase one of her hunches proved correct. If there was nothing of note under the bed and Calliber wasn't there though, she would take Beza and check out the Computer Storage next.

Aurora's eyes flashed. The bolt she'd fired split as it flew. One became two, two split once more into four, four became eight. Eight became sixteen, sixteen to thirty-two, and onwards and onwards, their burning light growing greater with each new generation that was spawned, the air within the cavern beginning to rise steadily, the constellation upon the Goddess' back pouring cosmic radiation off in such great torrents it would've destroyed even the most reliable Geiger-counter. But even now, it was contained by her own will, like a tidal wave, barely held back from breaking free and choking the life out of her companions in her fury. They kept multiplying. Reproducing over and over and over again, encircling around the Assassin until they'd formed a cage of pure celestial fire, some 4 or five layers thick. Countless needles of cosmic energy, each one burning with the fury of small in it's own right, their radiance blinding to all who looked on except the Spider herself, as she chanelled all that she had once lost, all she had forgotten, all she had once suffered at the hands of mages just like this one, mages who exemplified the wanton destruction, the greed and arrogance that Humans, or at least the hairless apes she'd fought so many times before, seemed so consumed by. It all came flooding back. The war, the days before it when her people had been destroyed, reduced to nothing by mere dust, crushed under the heel of those who so habitually defied and defiled the natural order, those who sought to take the cycle of life and death which held all in check, the roles of predator and prey, and break it over their knees as if it were meaningless... The sewers. The moment she have chosen to sacrifice part of her own self to restore the life to Ajax's eyes... part of a soul, for another's. "Sometimes....if... they.... know any better.... If.... their.... nature." Remnants... broken fragments, becoming whole once more, blanks filling in, the past being reborn, retold. She knew naught whether the part of herself she'd given for him had somehow returned, or what remained of her was simply filling in the void itself... "Sometimes, I wonder if... they really don't know any better than this. If this is just their nature..." "No, no... do not make excuses for what they have done here, sylvi. They know, they simply do not care- whatever furthers their will is good in their eyes, whatever impedes it... must either be subjugated, or destroyed. Look at all this around us, my dear apprentice. These prisoners could have just as easily been us. Perhaps next time... it will be. We are past the point of negotiating. The Wodani were right, the Arcadians are naught but a scourge upon this world... no one is safe from their designs. Come... we'll find nothing for Aurora here." So long ago, yet so close. Yes, yes they had that conversation when they had come across the first of the... camps. The first of the slaughter grounds, the ritual places. The alters of death and blood. Human... Damned... something inbetween. Some primal part of her, did not care anymore. Perhaps it was the portion that had ascended despite the setbacks it faced, obtained dominion over life, became so capable of both restoring and rescinding it, as she'd so often demonstrated, healing these Fleshbags over, and over, and over again, the only thing keeping them from bleeding out as they constantly threw themselves against one eclectic foe after another. Perhaps it was the predator. The beast which had lived by the cycle since its very birth, knew little else, the instinctual drive to survive, to ensure that of her species as well. It did not matter. An organism such as this, such as the hairless apes from her homeworld this... thing so greatly reminded her, killing, destroying, without regard and without reason... such a being was a threat to all lifeforms, predator, prey, and everything else bound up in the chain. She would tolerate the existence of such beings no longer. If she must destroy a few to preserve many, many more, than so be it... but preserve them she would. "The power to kill and destroy," the Goddess began, a visage of celestial fire and radiance, bedecked in countless colors "That seems the only power that matters to your kind. Yet despite your lust for it, how readily you turn to the power to end life, its significance is still lost on you. Like children mesmerized by a flame, you think to toy with forces the likes of which you do not understand. And like a child with a flame, you let it grow, and grow, until it is beyond even your control, and it consumes everything." She closed her outstretched hand, snarling one last condemnation as the very air began to distort in the cavern, the spears of heavenly wrath growing even more blinding with each passing moment. "No more. NO MORE." The first lance moved like lightning, penetrating the witch's form and leaving a searing trail in it's wake. Then the next, and the next, tens, and then hundreds, all of them firing off into a hellish storm of fury and light. They did more than merely burn, shred, or pierce however.... no, that would be mercy. Their destruction was so complete that they utterly purged the very essence of the Assassin from this place, the purifying flames of cosmic order wiping clean the filth of those who sought to defy it. Aurora said nothing, as the execution ran it's course. The light of her carapace dimmed to nothing. The radiance of her eyes did the same, and the radiation and the heat she'd given off- just barely restrained from bringing ungodly harm onto those assembled with her by sheer force of her will alone -ebbed and then became naught. She lowered her hand, the Radiant Shard which even now shined with holy wrath. No longer did her hair shine with the silvered hue of the moon's light. No, far from it infact. Those locks burned a vibrant gold, brilliant as the sun.

Aurora-Goddess Mode41/42Con 1| Res 10| Dex 6| Int 0| Str 4| Syn 10|Immune to Poison; Regenerates 10% mHP at the end of her turns Seeing the witch's physical state beginning to grow more and more wounded over the passing rounds, for the first time since the fight began, the vibrant light that had illuminated Aurora's eyes faded, only to be replaced by an even more intense glow in the palm of her hand. Reaching up to the broach on her robes, she pressed one of the jeweled eyes of the Dacian Draco, and immediately the thing uncoiled into a far larger, more imposing version of itself. It's fangs dripped a while substance into her outstretched hand, not just venom, but the very idea of poison itself... "Enough of this, kill the flesh bag before she finishes her little ritual!" And with that single order that she gave to the others, she leveled her own palm and allowed the light to gather there. Within the blink of an eye, blinding radiance filled the area around her, tinted a sickly green as a burning bolt of cosmic radiation hurtled towards the witch. Aurora activates the Dacian Draco Emblems "Conceptual Alchemist's Touch" quality as a free action! The next attack made with her weapon will inflict a 1d10 poison status on the target, lasting 3 turns! Aurora then says fuck her role as a heal bot and fires a basic attack against Assassin, dealing [4d4+Syn(10), 25% stronger against enemies suffering status] Light-Based damage and inflicting Assassin with a 1d10 Poison lasting 3 turns!

"Agreeing to that fool's plan was a mistake...should've made him come with us," Cade muttered beneath her breath, just before the Shaman had been so kind as to alert them of the carnage she could she already see and hear through the doorway. He was definitely right though, if they didn't abandon this front and head back immediately, they'd be leaving this place several folks short... if they left it at all. and of course, shit only got worse. Someone else had gone on a spell-induced rampage- and bludgeoned the cleric to the point where Cade was almost certain her brains were a scrambled mess afterwards... lovely. Just lovely. But now was not the time to lament. Not the time for any of them to panic. If they were going to live, someone had to take charge. "We have little choice. But it'll be much harder to tend the wounded with Emilee's.... current condition, once we get in there," that said, she turned to the boy pirate "Karik, can you go get her from myrdwyn, help me get her back on her feet?"

Revenant v Giant "Show me." That was all it took to fully set the fiend off. No longer was there any division between man and doppleganger; Two split halves of a single whole had finally merged once more, and all the creature known as Revenant could feel was a haze of red as it howled, nothing human left in it's voice as a sickening cackle carried across the arena. The Crimson light burning around it- the aura of pure, unbridled rage, only grew more intense, as the spheres powering it were thrown into overdrive just as they had against strider. Berserker Mode- Active. 15 seconds before total degradation. Cracks bloomed on the exterior of its black armor, the beginning of the end, as even more light poured forth, barely controlled, barely contained. It drew something in it's hands, a circular blade which the very moment it had let out it's war cry, began to whir with a nigh religious fervor- the very same noise that had been so audible before. Many things lay between the beast and it's prey- the many stalactites, the bomb field... but it did not matter to a monster such as this. Predators could pounce. And Pounce the revenant did. With the Electromagnetism it gave off distorting the light around it to nigh unrecognizable degrees, there was a massive boom, one which shook the entire cavern, as the mech launched forward like a speeding bullet, a blurred mess of shifting black and red that smashed into and through several of the rocky obstacles as it flew up and over the grenade field that had been set up, heading straight for the giant. Though the obstacles did serve to impede it's movement which each one it destroyed, more massive booms resounded all throughout its flight, as the fields wound up and violently propelled it even further, again, and again, and again. one crash and explosive burst of sound after another, so quick in their succession that it all melded into a single noise...but even before that noise had ended, the Revenant was bearing down on the Giant, massive blade preparing to slice down into the massive machine, its cackling still going strong, and as it drew ever closer, it was now obvious what the whirring was- the circle it held, the outer edge was spinning so fast the very air around it was alight with orange light, the product of it's ungodly friction... At such speed, with so much augmentation behind it's impact, the amount of damage the beast would do if allowed to connect would... be quite far from minor, even against as well armored an opponent as this one. Quite far indeed. But the cracks were spreading. Slowly, but surely... the end drawing ever closer, only precious seconds standing between the beast and either victory, or defeat...

"Well she's.... certainly enthusiastic, as always..." Ole managed a small smile before glancing at the rest of them- and though she'd been expecting it given how Will's recruitment attempts had went all the previous nights, she still could not stifle the.... thoughts that passed through her mind. By the old Gods, only four of them? She knew folks were scared, yes, it was quite reasonable given the dire situation, but really? Only four people, and the mayor? Out of this entire damn town, were they the only ones who were courageous and willing enough to try and take an active role in defending not only their own lives, but the lives of all they cared about as well? Were they truly this short-sighted, all of them who were watching them even now, that they could be so content to stay here, hide, try and ride it out? Content to slowly die on the claws of the beasts who would come again, and again, and again, in larger numbers each time? Were they truly mice, rather than men, justing waiting to be crushed beneath the heel of a bengal tiger? It would seem so. What a pity...a horrible, horrible pity. "Fear has it's use..." Ole muttered beneath her breath as she headed towards the stage coach to see if Bel could use any help. The words were just loud enough for each and every one of the others gathered there to hear her.... "but cowardice has none. Better to die on your feet, than on your knees."

Cheryn Cheryn only nodded, dropping the charm and letting her eyes return to normal. She didn't bother pondering too much over Chip's disdain for her; more pressing things to worry about, like uh... just how much flak she would get if Caliber caused too much trouble while she was supposed to be under her watch. Thank god merlin was away leading a few of the others on a raid, cause... "Alright, lets go." She told Beza before turning and heading towards the magic sector.

Ole had watched from a distance as William once more tried, and failed, to convince folks that things were only going to get worse if they refused to act. Her scythe hung strapped from one shoulder, the knapsack she'd been using to cart her supplies to the wounded on the other. It still boggled her, the injuries the beasts had inflicted over the past few nights, unlike anything she'd ever seen before... Just as the monstrosities themselves had been. "He has a point..." The witch muttered under her breath. Mical gave her a sideways glance out of the corner of his spectacles, almost covered by a few strands of sweat soaked, dirty blonde hair. The past few days had been even harder on him, working non-stop to try and keep a steady supply of poultice and salve, among other remedies, available. That wasn't even mentioning how he'd accompanied her to just about all the wounded folk. "Honey," he began, "Please, don't... we have enough to worry about as it is-" "And even more if the attacks get even worse." She retorted, "Look at yourself, it's only been a few days... Do you really think we'll be able to keep this up for weeks or months? The castle is the source... The monsters are just the symptom." Mical paused for a moment or two. He knew she was right, that all this was delaying the inevitable but... "At least... Leave it to someone else, Ole. You shouldn't be traipsing about in some keep, what if something happens to you? What about our-" a finger on his lips, hushing him mid-sentence. "See, that's the problem..."she sighed. "Everyone wants to just... Leave it to someone else. Too afraid to do anything besides hold up in town. Mical, what kind of future do you think any of us will have is this isn't stopped? If I wait here doing nothing, or if I go and die, it's the same basic outcome... So I want to at least try, because we'll lose everything either way. Besides, it's only a few weeks along, I'm fine, can still fight. Unless you intend to go..." Her husband paled at the very idea. She wasn't surprised or even disappointed in the least bit; he'd always been a scholar, not a fighter. His talents were better used for healing, creating solutions, helping folks. It had been one of the many reasons she'd fallen for him to begin with, after all. "I promise, I'll be careful. Stay here, keep helping the others, I'll go talk to William" "But... Fine" The alchemist finally sighed in defeat. He knew he'd already lost "Go on then, if you're this certain about it... There's not much I can do. Maybe with your help, he can finally get some folks together." Ole nodded, before turning to head towards the mayor, when Mical called behind her, a tone far more driven than he had been just moments before "If you don't come back though, I will come to find you... whatever may lurk in that place be damned..." She smiled, just briefly, but kept walking. He certainly had his bolder moments, she could give him that much. She approached the bench, looking at the sulking mayor "Ya know, I think you're right, William... If someone doesn't stop this at the source, it'll only get worse."

Cheryn "Well, I..." cheryn started, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. She continued in a hushed tone, only loud enough for Beza to hear- she'd already lost track of her charge, she doubted any good would come if the other kids knew that Caliber of all people was running about, free to do as she pleased... "I uh...look, Caliber kinda got away, and it will take way too long to find her if I try scouring every inch of this place... I just need chip to point me in a general direction, narrow things down, then she can go right back to sleep."

Cheryn Cheryn sighed under her breath; shit could just never be easy, could it? When merlin had asked her to look after this one girl in particular, well... she had already seen why. Nevetheless, She returned a few of the strange looks the kids gave her with the best smile she could manage, given the situation. Under her breath she muttered something- a small illusion charm she had been cobbling together and tweaking during the past couple of days.... its purpose was honestly rather simple: to change the appearance of her irises from crimson to alternate colors, but she hadn't really had anything that specific in her basic kit. She had known several illusions that would be useful for hiding and getting away from a fight if things got to dicey, invisibility, decoys, and other such, but she had never really cared nor had any use for... glamours before. Until now, that is. With how obvious it was that her own natural color reminded the kids of Caliber's more volatile side.. With another sigh though, she finally stopped in her tracks and looked around... it was obvious Caliber wasn't in here. Buuuuut... she knew a certain little someone who might be able to help. She'd done a fine job pointing Tallow out afterall "Hey, guys," she began, calling to the kids in the room. Rather than their true crimson, her eyes were now a dull, misty blue thanks to the charm she'd uttered just moments prior... hopefully at least some of them would be a bit more at ease this way "Has anyone seen Poppy- I mean Chip? I wanted to ask her help with something...." It was ironic really, she'd come up with the name poppy afterall, yet for some reason, it still felt a bit better to keep calling her by the other name...weird... force of habit, she guessed.

Ya know, I always have enjoyed the insanity of the worlds you tend to come up with. Always something interesting to be found or discussed... Happy birthday, old friend.

Aurora-Goddess Mode23/42Con 1| Res 10| Dex 6| Int 0| Str 4| Syn 10|Immune to Poison; Regenerates 10% mHP at the end of her turns Aurora uses Starsign: Virgo on herself and Venus, restoring 1d4+(Syn((10))*1.25->1d4+12) health and curing 1 ailment on each

Turn 3 Liliya continues her shanking spree as she stabs Officer B for [13] damage! DT Beast Pack A takes note of the final beast under Magna’s control, setting upon both it and herself. They viciously tear into the possesed beast for [16] damage, destroying it, before gnawing on Magna’s bones and dealing [13] damage to her. Walmond creates a burst of magic that swallows Soldier Battalion B, dealing [16] damage to them! (16 vs 22) the attack fails to paralyze them. Regardless of the disappointment, he finally managed to complete Empi’s lesson in affection (again, still surprised everyone’s clothes are still on), gaining +6 to his Int! Lambda meanwhile charges recklessly into three different battalions, aggroing Soldier Bat A, DT Warrior Bat A, & Soldier Bat C! What she lacks in soul, she certainly makes up for in daring... Empi declares herself the damsel in distress with Save the Date, entering a weird kind of bide state like from pokemon, except it heals instead of nukes! Soldier Battalion A takes Lambda’s bait like the champs they are, slashing at the robotic maid for [7] damage! DT Warrior Battalion A Follows up with a brutal stroke of their own, cutting into her shields for [6]! Victoria attacks Officer B for [8] damage! DT Beast Pack B surrounds leon and pounces on him, fangs bared! [15 v 25] They tear into him, drawing deep wounds that will Bleed for [5] damage for 3 turns Soldier Battalion B follows up the attack, slicing Leon for [11] damage! Officer B attempts to fling a bolt of fire at Lilliya’s face, only to find the spell missing as she deftly dodges out of the path long before he even thought about casting it… her epic dodge however, comes at the cost of her action next turn. Leon slashes Officer B like it’s a nightmare, dealing a whopping [39] damage to him! He then bleeds for [5] damage! DT Archer Battalion fire upon Leon and Lilliya! Leon takes [6] damage, while Lilliya again has already moved out of their firing range before they even contemplated fletching her. Lexiel grants Victoria, Liliya and Soryn a boost of speed, granting them +1 Init! She also prepares a counterflux on Officer A. Her burn flares up for [7] damage in the meantime. Soldier Battalion C joins the Lambda hatefest and slash the robot for [7] damage! Soryn bleeds himself dry, and creates a shield of blood around Lilliya! DT Warrior Battalion B attempt to slash Lilliya to pieces, only to find her ducking out of their reach before their swords even raise! Magna reaves Officer A for [12] damage! Officer A attempts to hurl a bolt of lightning at Lambda and strike her down, but finds his spell bamboozled by the work of Lexiel! Sighing, he lowers his hand, resigning himself to his fate. The castle fires more acid at Officer B, melting him for [31] damage! No, quite literally! Officer B has melted into a puddle! He’s dead, jim! The ant drones regen 30 hp Siege Onager loads a rock and hurtles it into the castle exterior, dealing [24] damage! Siege Crystal sits idle as the only living soldier who can even operate lies bleeding out literally only feet away...it still warps for [12] damage. STATUS

Turn 4 Melina heals Kino for 21 health, taking an identical amount of damage in the process. Officer D, determined to strike down the ancient god who dared laughed at his previous attempt, again slashes at Tama. Even still, he barely manages to do more than scratch him for [4] damage. Tama, beginning to grow annoyed by the human’s persistence, glares down at the man as his claws and fangs glow an ominous crimson. With a single roar, he blasts the officer with a ferocious storm of scarlet electricity, dealing [42] damage and healing himself for [13] health; The Officer slowly begins to rethink his life decisions as he spasms in pain... Soldier Battalion B, seeing the trouble their superior is having against the old god, begin to form up, raising their shields high and beginning to guard as they slowly approach. DT Warrior Battalion A is far less concerned about approaching tactically, instead charging the old thunder god and slashing at him for [1] damage DT Warrior Battalion B attempt to follow it up, slashing for [0] damage… the look on tama’s face slowly begins to shift from mild annoyance as he bares a mouthful of razor-like fangs…. Enma once more proceeds to fire off a curse or two, dealing [7] damage to DT Archer Bat B, and marking them, as the little dead girls summoned by their adult sisters are wont to do. Kino, of course, follows up with her own strike, dealing [22] damage and causing one of the archers to crumble into dust. She also heals herself for [2] health and gains a measly shield for the turn as part of the deal. How nice for her... Soldier Battalion C, having seen more than enough of the old god’s destruction thus far, head over to assist their superior and fellow unit, slashing at Tama for [2] damage. He seems to have gotten used to it by this point. Hiroki proceeds to rain hot, hot plasma upon the enemy forces, she hits Officer A, B, and D for [13] damage each, melting Officer B into hot, hot goo and killing him instantly. Soldier Battalion A,B,C,D are hit for [8], [4], [8], [8]. DT Warrior Bat A,B,C are struck for [9] each. DT Archer Bat B & D are struck for [9] each. DT Beast Bat A is struck for [12]. DT Archer Battalion B fire wildly into the crowd, striking Hiroki for [0]. They also strike Kino, though her shield absorbs some of the blow. It is still too much for it and breaks through however, dealing [7] damage. DT Archer Battalion D turn their attention on the massive, man-faced tiger who’s been causing such a ruckus, firing on Tama for [0] damage. Soldier Battalion A rush towards Morgan and Halley. (4=Pass) Morgan however teleports out of the way and deftly strikes them for [5] damage. Halley isn’t as lucky and is still slashed for [7] damage. DT Beast Battalion A surround Melina and pounce upon the healer, claws and fangs beared. [17 v 27] they fail to draw any blood from the healer however, instead smashing into each other as she deftly ducks out of the way. Halley fires sparkling energy at DT Beast Bat A, DT Warrior Bat A, and DT Warrior Bat C, hitting for [8] [3] and [5] damage, and disabling them. Morgan heals himself, hiroki, and halley for [20] hp each. Officer A hurls lightning at Hiroki for [3] damage. Soldier Battalion D slash Melina for [1] damage. DT Warrior Battalion C find themselves too mesmerized by the sparkles shot at them to try slashing anyone… Dackly blasts DT Archer Bat B with one last stare, inflicting 136 hate stacks. They are instantly frozen in place, hardening into stone statues. Gozer charges yet more power, adding [5] to his bombs. House Asterlux sends it’s regards, raining down arrows and fire from the sky. They hit Officers A & D for [23] and [18] damage, killing both of them instantly. Their assault continues, and they hit DT Beast Bat A and Soldier Battalion A for [25] and [21] damage, causing one beast to crumble. Five more Dragon Tooth Beast Arrive…. [DTs defeated this turn…. 10]... they remain on the field. STATUS

little did anyone know, naming shit was Strat's jam... K073- "Nirav" (("Calm/Quiet" in Sanskrit)) A292- "Bezaleel" ((literally anglicized hebrew for "In the Shadow")) D3112: Flower- "Pan" ((Yes, the greek god of the wilderness)) G018: Chocolate Chip- "Poppy" I234- "Tesni" ((Literally means "Warmth from the sun" in Welsh)) G177- "Peregrine" ((English offshoot of the latin name "Peregrinus", meaning "Traveller")) D2412: Lemonade- "Pythagoras" ((Yes... the Greek mathematician)) P011- "Loki" ((Yes... the Norse trickster god, known for his cunning and solving about as many problems as he helped to cause....))

Cheryn "Apparently whatever was going on out there, I guess it's over now" Cheryn relayed, turning back to blink, "She said there were a few people wounded and that they were looking for the infirmary.... so I guess they'll find Tallow's sister on their own. Said to stay put too, signal one of the others, so I guess sooner or later, someone will be here." with that said, she closed her eyes again and once more concentrated... Sense... sense... sense... the name ringed a bell... oh right. He had been the other dude who'd taken training in telepathy, right? From what she recalled, he had seemed to be more serious about it than her... but wait, why wouldn't she have told her to relay Gypsy instead? Well, maybe he was one of the wounded. wasn't really the time to sweat the small details. Repeating much the same process as she had to hail merlin, she sent out a message to the guy.... (( @Strider )) "Hey, uh... Sense, you hearing this? This is Cheryn. Look, Me, Blink, and few of the kids held here are in a room called the 'Child Bank'. You can get there by going through the teleporter in one of the storage rooms labeled 'Dried Food' or whatever, off of one of the halls. Look for a map on a terminal or something if you guys can't find it."