2017-05-19: Everything at Steak

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============================<* Adlehyde - Castle *>=============================

Lying at the centre of its titular city and Kingdom, Adlehyde Castle is the seat of King Justin II. The Castle was built atop a ruined city shortly after the Day of Collapse, and is one of the oldest structures in Filgaia, outmatched only by the Sword Cathedral and Arctica Castle.

While the Castle is a medieval-style keep, its builders were clearly influenced by more modern construction techniques. The outer walls and ramparts are heavily reinforced stonework, and the keep is a dome of gold-wreathed steel, heavily armoured as if to resist attacks from above. Adlehyde soldiers are present throughout the Castle, but visitors are generally welcomed...though watched carefully.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydSsWl0Lm4c
===================<* CHALLENGE - The Demons are Coming! *>===================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The Metal Demon attack on Adelhyde has left the city in chaos. The Demons
 and Adelhyde's troops are fighting everywhere, with the ebb and flow of
 battle changing what parts of the city are safe and which are battlefields
 by the hour. There are thousands of civilians trapped here, as well as a
 number of Drifters who were visiting the city for the festival. The party
 may simply have been at the wrong place, at the wrong time; they might also
 have returned to the city in an effort to save those trapped within.

  Time is short - there are civilians who flee into the area, seeing the
 party and babbling about how the Metal Demons are on the way. Unless chased
 off they'll attempt to follow wherever the group goes, but the sounds of a
 large group of Metal Demons echoes down the street. Any delay will mean a
 running battle with the Demons!
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
Idle timer activated
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

It was supposed to be a leisurely visit. A group of friendly souls had shown up at Layna's ship a while back, and after some drink and conversation, had suggested she visit Adlehyde and it's exciting fair.

She'd let that offer sit a while, but now she was looking to make good on it. So, she gathered up interested members of her crew and went with them to go visit.

And, naturally, as soon as they entered the town, things went straight to hell.

It wasn't even their fault this time.

At that moment, Layna and her crew were taking shelter in an abandoned building. Layna was sitting atop what was clearly a traditional treasure chest with her arms folded in front of her, and her crew were gathered around her, sitting or standing as necessary.

"Alright, buckos, listen up! Adlehyde needs our help, see? Dahlia, Roche, take the crew and split 'em into two units - division's up to you, but take an equal number of the Water casters with you. Speakin' of which, Water Unit - focus your efforts on putting out fires, aye? As many as possible! Crossbows - focus on cover fire! Everyone else - just try not to get your faces bashed in, aye? I want to see you all back at the Empress in one piece, so don't go dying on me!"

With that, Layna gets to her feet. With one solid kick, the treasure chest opens, revealing a variety of weapons.

She backs away as the crew converges, each member picking out their weapon of choice.

A short, stern-faced woman - Dahlia - with a large boarding axe hefted over her shoulder nods.

"And what will you do, Captain?" She asks.

"Me? Well...I think I'm going to give these wastrels a show they won't soon forget!" Layna laughs, and then starts walking towards the door.

"You've got your orders, buckos! Make me proud!"

And with that Layna draws her gauntlets from her back and charges out the door.

She was not particularly enthused upon finding, shortly after leaving her crew to their orders, a gaggle of civilians that had apparently gotten lost. The panic of battle had forced them into this part of town. While it was ordinarily somewhat secluded, it was also quite far from any available exits...and by the sounds of it, there was trouble on the horizon.

Well, looks like it was time to put the 'Captain Voice' on.

"Avast your squabbling, ye yellow-bellied landlubbers! Line up in an orderly fashion and make waves! Out of here, on the double!" She orders.

They needed to get control of this situation immediately and get them out of here, or else they'd have a lot of trouble on their hands.

Fortunately, it didn't seem like she'd have to do it alone...!

DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Demons are Coming!.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Ida could not sleep. All she could think about was the disaster that was Dr. Bridges's presentation--the chatter of the crowd, the eyes on her, the way Zed looked at her. Everything's over. Bridges is furious at her for not being able to control the situation, even though it wasn't really hers to control. Not even Miss Miang was able to fully pull her out of it. She's been listless and anxious all day.

"I am neither dead, nor a monster."

Just babble, right? Just the unhinged ravings of a Drifter she made the mistake of trusting, even after repeatedly proving himself untrustworthy. Why wasn't he with Kalve? Why was he so upset?

Ida was in her hotel room, staring at a blank piece of paper. Then the sky tore itself open. She looked out the window, her eyes going wide. Someone screamed.

Devil's Due sat in its holster, along with her other ARMs. In that moment, it practically asked her to take it with her.

Ida charges down the terrace of the Grand Parlor Hotel, running as if the hounds of Valmar are baying at her heels. Her thoughts, which were a tangle of anger and doubt and betrayal and self-loathing mere minutes ago, have cleared. She darts between fleeing, terrified civilians, approaches an intersection, hears a familiar voice. "Layna?" Ida says, drawing a revolver from her shoulder-holster. It's her!

To Layna's eyes, Ida is kind of a mess; her hair is neat, but her coat is half-off, and there are dark lines under her eyes. Ida yanks her other arm into her coat as the civilians start to swarm them. They're panicked, terrified--she needs to do something. "The lady has the right of it," Ida says. She has something to focus on now. Stiff upper lip. Don't let them see you sweat. "Single file, please! If there are Demons--"

Ida blinks. A glimmer of recognition flickers in her eyes. It feels like she was just knifed.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Demons are Coming!.
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Claude C. Kenny has been complaining a lot about life on Cow Patty Planet. Today is the first day where it's probably justified. He's spent the past hour running from building to building, looking for Rena. He even left her a message on the stupid glowing cube things, which he hates, but she hasn't checked it yet. Or she's--

No, he thinks fiercely. No she is not.

By the time he arrives on scene in the plaza, things have gone from bad to worse. The young blonde swordsman's hair is plastered (literally) to his sweat-matted forehead, and he is trailing pieces of two buildings (and smoke from a third) behind him as he lands, coughing, and shoves a small girl into the hands of the woman standing next to Ida. Claude doesn't even look at his colleague and companion; his eyes are focused and intent. "Get her out of here!" he barks at the civilian, his voice taking on a sharp edge of authority that is totally alien to anyone who's known him since he arrived here. Training will tell - and of all the military people currently on Cow Patty Planet, Claude C. Kenny is probably the one whose training most accurately reflects 'what to do if flying alien robot monsters arrive and blow things up from the sky.'

"But--" the woman sputters, reaching her hands forward.

"GO!" he snaps, then draws his sword and whips it across his body. "AIR SLASH!" he roars (which will probably attract the attention of Ida at least), sending a whistling blade of vacuum energy hissing off down the lane to cleave a fallen cart in two. "It's clear that way! GO!" he shouts once more, then turns, takes two steps, and starts dashing in the direction of the most screaming. Which is...most places, really.

DG: Claude C. Kenny has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Demons are Coming!.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

There are still stories told among the Baskar, how in the old times, their ancestors witnessed the battle between the great Guardians of Filgaia against a menace so alien and overwhelming that they could only be called Demons. Nobody could have ever realized that the job was left unfinished- that the Guardians, for whatever unknowable reason, had never truly exterminated the Metal Demon menace. They had only driven it underground, to fester and grow until finally the time had come to make a second attempt at Filgaia's life.

But these things have a way of coming up in the worst possible ways.

Adlehyde is ripe with suffering, an echo-chamber of anguish and the wails of the dead and dying. Ge Ramtos has his due. Duras Drum reigns in the chaos. But there are still people to save, and still able hands capable of doing the job.

"This is ridiculous," Cyre breathes. It's hard to speak over the din. "How had we not seen this coming? This... This is just--"

No. There's no time to be awed by the devastation. Cyre cusses, unfurling a great plane of patchwork rawhide. A whisper to the winds conjures a gale that catches in the parachute, launching Cyre into the air. There, he sees them. People making their escape...! And moreover, a route ahead.

He lands not far from Claude and the others, his hood stripped away by the breeze. "Keep going past the path you opened," he instructs. "Then take a left. That should keep these people away from the front lines."

DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Reverse Parachute toward his party's challenge, The Demons are Coming!.
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has passed this challenge! The party gained 26 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Ida? Layna's head turn as she hears her name being said. Ida looked...awful, but having only gotten into town just recently she had only heard of the fiasco from the other day, not actually been present.

"Ida! You're a sight for sore eyes, lass!" Layna greets. She cheers up slightly, but returns to the stern, authoritative expression before as she turns back towards the crowd.

And then...the lad from the Venomous Sheep arrives, lookingly thankfully less drunk!

Ordinarily it would be strange hearing that from her, but right now they needed everyone as lucid as possible - and it seemed there was more to him than just being great at parties.

And then, another man, one she doesn't recognize appears. She doesn't pay too much attention to what's under the hood - right now, she's just focused on the civilians.

Fortunately, the four of them together manage to gain enough sway over the crowd that they begin to move into the right direction, and even those who might not have heard them start to move along with them.

That was one tragedy averted, at least.

One tragedy among many that would be experienced this day.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* CHALLENGE - Way Too Many Teeth *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 There is a terrible roar, and a massive quadruped Hunter Killer Metal Demon
 crashes to the ground in the middle of the party. The beast-like Demon is
 all fangs, claws, and terrible fury, and it lashes out immediately in a
 killing frenzy. The party has only moments to collect themselves and drive
 their attacker off - if its allowed to keep attacking who knows how much
 damage it will cause?
=Dungeon Conditions: Maim=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

The crowd disperses. Ida stares down at the ground for a moment, choking back what feels like a tsunami of raw emotion.

Claude is here. Ida's eyes widen. In the blink of an eye, she's facing him, her revolver pointed at center-mass. "Claude," she says. She almost sounds calm, but there is a roiling mass of pain underneath. She eyes him in a manner that could probably be called 'suspicious'. "I don't see you bleeding." Her lips pull back ever-so-slightly; she's balanced on the razor's edge of a breakdown. "What color is your blood?"

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Claude C. Kenny has a gun pointed at his chest by a young woman he considered something of a friend, or at least a protege. And notwithstanding the fact that his jacket and shirt would probably protect him from a chest shot, he has years of instinct (holy shit there is a gun pointed at me) and training (don't point a gun at someone unless you want them to die) screaming in his brain. He shouldn't antagonize her. He knows this.

On the flip side, he is angry at Ida already. And he has had a long hour.

"Probably the same as yours," he says, his tone level and angry. "And if you don't point that thing away from me, one of us is going to find out. We don't have time for whatever the hell this is, Ida."

<Pose Tracker> Yarobeleedt has posed.

It's as promising a start as anything - the gathered are a silver lining for the innocents that have huddled together for protection, however meager. All it would take is a stray shot, or some errant flying awful thing, to sever just about any one of them from the mortal coil in a flash. The fire and screams that engulf Adlehyde now should, by itself, erode any realistic hope of safe, turbulence-free passage. Some of the escorted scream in terror, losing stride from the overwhelming stress of it all.

...There is a gentle rumbling in the ground. Vibrations. With how many things are presently exploding, the ground shaking every so often isn't in itself novel, but there's a steady rhythm. Is something big coming from around the corner?

...No! It's coming from... underneath?!

It becomes chaos as dirt and rock fly everywhere to a sudden flash of a yellowish mass that comes up about seven to eight feet tall, but it's too soon to stand there and take a measurement. Two limbs flail about in the open air indiscriminately. To some, it feels like a sword is about to cut them open. For others, a jagged spear tip threatens to tear into soft flesh and twist. For yet others, a heavy bludgeoning weight seems ready to knock them back.

...But it's just two limbs. How can there be at least three distinct 'attacks' out of it?

The form pauses, hunched over (okay, measurement puts current posture at a bit over seven feet). The body shape is... serpentine. The arms dangle at rest, terminating in elongated hands with fingers that don't seem to stay at a consistent length, like there's an ebb and flow to their shape. A sense of not being entirely solid, their body from the waist down especially pulsating and struggling to maintain shape and balance.

"Fufufufufu!" They guffaw.

"Surprise, that is a twisted ending by yours!" A shrill voice screams from a maw that seems too wide to be supported by a narrow head, its 'hair' seemingly undecided as to whether it's long thin strands of steel hair, or a cracked helmet that just does not fit its wearer. Beady eyes narrow into even tinier dots at the sight of them, as both hands reform into sharper edges again.

"Not that time. Never that time! Never now that time!" What? Who is he talking to? "I'll present it! I'll present it and they will cry...!"

...He shakes, shudders, as if anticipating? Hesitating? If they're going to drive this monstrosity off, they'd better do it NOW.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Ida slowly, deliberately, lowers the gun. The ground rumbles. "What now--?" she whispers, her eyes going wide again. She takes a step back, looking down at the way the terrace stones are shaking--so, when the horror shows its face, she has a pretty good idea of where to shoot.

Even then, she does not open fire immediately--instead, she holsters the revolver. Her face twists into a rictus of terror, her hand halfway to the heavy pistol at the small of her back. This is--it's speaking. It's a Metal Demon. She recognizes its voice. She should have known, just like she should have known with the others, but it's so different and--

Ida's training is all that keeps her from being impaled by one of those flailing arms. She dodges back on pure instinct, leaping and twisting. The arm lances past her face, drawing a line of blood across her cheek. Ida responds in kind, drawing Devil's Due from its holster, leveling it at the monstrosity, and pulling the trigger.

A single, superheated slug races at center-mass. Ida cycles the next one in, and fires that one, too.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Devil's Due toward her party's challenge, Way Too Many Teeth.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Before Layna can say anything, Ida suddenly whirls on Claude, ARM drawn.

"Ida! Get ahold of yourself, lass!" Layna shouts. Unfortunately, she didn't actually have any real experience or training with ARMs at this point, so she's not really familiar with the proper etiquette for dealing with someone who was using one.

Before she can do anything that they might all regret, however, the ground...

Simply explodes.

Being focused on the situation at hand, she didn't notice the rumbling beneath it until it was too late. Layna goes flying, and collides with the ground with a thud.

She lays still there for a moment, until...

"This's gotta stop happening to me..." She mutters, sitting up. Her hat was thrown clear in the quake, so she picks it up from the ground and affixes it right back to your head.

"This grotesque blaggard muddied my coat..." There was a flash of anger in her eyes.

He'd also made her slam into the ground more violently than was probably healthy, but you know, priorities.

She doesn't say anything further. Instead she charges forward and delivers a gauntleted punch towards whichever part looks the most like a face.

DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Way Too Many Teeth.
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Way Too Many Teeth.
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

A Federation officer should probably react sooner to the Metal Demon coming out of the ground (THEY'RE IN THE GROUND is the second-most-favoured alien emergence tactics, surpassed only by THEY'RE IN THE VENTS), but is distracted by the aforementioned friend holding the aforementioned gun pointed at his centre mass. A knife-edge pseudopod scythes around toward the blonde-haired swordsman, who ducks not quite quickly enough - a deep cut opens along his right cheek, crimson blood (crimson!) spraying behind him, spattering across Ida's face. The young man staggers a step backward, his right hand tightening on the hilt of his sword, and then he steps forward.

Since he was about ten years old, Claude C. Kenny has been training under a swordsman who reinvented a dead style and a kung fu master who could lift cars shen she got angry. He received additional training in hand-to-hand counter-xeno combat from instructors of a professional space military. Since his arrival on Filgaia, he has been practicing like mad to overcome a rival regarded as the odds-on favourite to win the Lacour Tournament of Arms and be named the World's Greatest Warrior. And as a human born on Earth, he is one of the few people on the surface of this planet who does not possess a Limiter.

These individual facts come together in a single instant as Claude C. Kenny goes all out.

He quick-steps forward, edging left and right to evade slashing blows, his sword whipping across his body, sending a pair of Air Slashes scything toward Yarobeleedt, more to distract him than anything else. Claude takes another three steps closer before driving his right foot down hard, spears of rock ripping out from the earth in a cascading wave that crawls toward the Metal Demon, even as the young man leaps high up into the sky. He roars as he descends (another of those jagged spear tips catches Claude in the left shoulder, but rather than go through the jacket and his body there is simply a dull thump as the edge skitters impossibly off the cloth) and then Claude is down, driving dozens of blurring, chi-infused punches toward the Metal Demon's face, finally landing hard and drawing his right arm backward.

Blue energy flows into the young man's hand and up his arm, coalescing into the screaming draconic visage of ancient fury.

"DRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGON'S HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!" Claude roars as he pours everything he has into the blow, determined to take whatever Yaro can offer in return.

DG: Claude C. Kenny has used his Tool Pocket Steak toward his party's challenge, Way Too Many Teeth.
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has failed this challenge! The party gained 16 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Yarobeleedt has posed.

The would-be heroes to these people fight back against this unexpected (well, save for someone like Claude) emergence when the snake-worm monstrosity thing with weird morphing weapon limbs gives them the chance - inadvertedly, or otherwise.

Ida shoots for center-mass with conviction. The bullets seem to connect, to sink in, with visible splashes of whatever matter makes up this horrible creature whose ichor is - decidedly - not crimson.

This... this truly must be a Metal Demon.

Cyre generates a blast of wind that goes up high (note: not depicted in pose this round due to technical issues), making the monstrosity's upper body arch back to try and force them into a defensive. Layla moves in and sees a gauntlet-clad fist slide through their defenses and cause the neck to twist and stretch to a degree that would put an end to most better-understood lifeforms.

Claude sends waves of power through the ground through the serpentine body, splashing further unpleasantly-colored liquid everywhere. It burbles and hisses menacingly as it makes contact with the ground and stone, giving a sense that... one might not want to make skin contact with any of that.

"Kyaaaaaeeeeeeeeeeeee---!!" The Metal Demon screeches as Claude hammers at it. For being a big, crazy weird life form that no one here has ever had to deal with, its weapon arms curve ineward in a defensive posture as it is pushed back, back, back... that same unpleasant liquid drips from the tips of their weapons.

They squeal, they shake, they otherwise... don't look that much different from that screaming, crying child right there by her mother?

"Not like then, not like ever - not twice, not twice, not twice, forget once," they stammer at increasingly panicked tempo. The group might get an idea that they have time to run, now.

With a final eardrum-piercing screech, this yellowish metallic THING arcs through the air, limbs swinging wildly and indiscriminately through the team as it plunges back into the ground.

There is a non-zero chance that contact with this creature at any point may have envenomed them, which may yet hamper their ability to fight off further waves in a direct confrontation.

DG: Claude C. Kenny has drawn a new Challenge.
==================<* CHALLENGE - Out of Sight, Out of Mind *>===================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The back alleys in Adelhyde are usually quiet and abandoned places, and the
 larger Metal Demons can't even fit back here. This long stretch of alleyway
 is completely deserted, allowing the group to move through swiftly as long
 as they don't attract attention. Move fast, and move quickly towards the
 edge of the city!
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Claude C. Kenny has ad a long hour. He's had an even longer minute.

The young swordsman holds his fighting pose for another few seconds after Yarobeleedt disappears, and then suddenly the breath and steel rush out of him in a sudden burst. He staggers forward, grounding the tip of his sword to help him move, and begins moving toward one of the side streets, weaving drunkenly, barely aware of whether anyone is bothering to follow him.. although it would be easy to do, thanks to the blood trail.

That took nearly everything he had. And he didn't kill the thing - he only drove it off.

Claude leans up against a wall and chokes down a steak he pulls out of his pocket. By the time he's finished eating, he is feeling slightly recovered, the worst effects of the miasma purged from his system. With a deep breath, he starts moving forward through the alley. He's got to keep going - Rena's still out there.

DG: Claude C. Kenny has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Claude's blood splashes across Ida's face. She should be relieved, but it does very little to lift the weight from her shoulders. She stumbles back as Yaro burrows again, and takes a moment to breathe. Seeing the mother and child, Ida slips into focus again, because Granas, if she doesn't focus, she's going to fall apart, and she can't afford to do that. "You're safe for now!" Ida shouts, to the woman. "But not for much longer! Go!" The woman gathers up her child, and hurries off to join the others.

Ida then winces, as pain spikes through her face, and down her neck. "Claude," she says, though it comes out slurred. "I'm sorry for not telling you." She follows him, trying to reload Devil's Due and keep up with him as he runs down the alley. "Infiltrators. They had agents here the entire time."

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

"We don't have time for this, Ida," Claude repeats himself, blood still sliding slowly down his face, mixing with the plaster and soot. "There are still people dying out there. I've got to fi--"

He breaks off, jaw tightening. "We've got to save them," he says, his voice low. "The rest can wait."

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna, thankfully, did not receive any of the poison. She is, however, still dazed from her collision to the ground. Perhaps a little concussed, even? It's not immediately obvious, though she wobbles a bit as she hurries to chase after Claude and Ida. Fortunately, she's had enough experience with it that it doesn't throw her off too much, at least for now.

"Infiltrators, aye? You lot know what they're after? Or are they just in for the terror and the killing?" Layna asks.

She is thankful they have a moment to rest - she'd be a lot more effective once her head stops throbbing.

DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Thanks to TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES and ANIMATOR ERROR, Cyre had somehow gone missing from the previous fight (buy the BD release to see the cut scene starring your favorite shaman-cat!). That doesn't mean he's not suffering along with all the others from that... Monster's horrible poison. He staggers forward, grunting softly as the venom pulses terribly through his veins.

They... Have a straightaway ahead of them. They need to make it through, one way or another...! "Come on," Cyre murmurs, offering Claude a shoulder. "Rest your legs a minute. I can carry us through."

And he can.

Not with his arms!!

But with his... Inverse parachute.

DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Reverse Parachute toward his party's challenge, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has passed this challenge! The party gained 27 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Claude accepts the shoulder, because he's had a long hour.

And as it turns out, this is the renowned 'Jebediah Long-Legs Lane', named after a famous Adlehyde distance runner who, contrary to his nickname had very short legs but a really bad cactus juice habit, such that he would sprint down the mile-long lane uninterrupted in about 4 minutes flat.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* CHALLENGE - A Closed Gate *>=========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Adelhyde has a few gates within the city that are designed to be closed to
 help prevent invasion. The fact that this heavy, iron banded door is closed
 after the Metal Demons are already inside the city seems a bit like closing
 the barn door after all the horses have escaped, however. The sound of one
 of the Metal Demon hunter squads approaching means that there isn't time to
 look for another path - this gate is in the way, and the party needs to take
 it down!
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

At the end of Jebediah Long-Legs Lane is a heavy iron gate. Normally, this gate rests in a tasteful stone arch, engraved with a number of sporting figures doing their thing--sprinting, tossing discus, fencing, and so on. Now, the gate is closed, presenting the team with a formidable obstacle. Ida knew this was coming--she saw it, after all--and has steeled herself. "Later, then," Ida says, coming to a stop in front of it. Yarobeleet's venom burns through her body. She's already risking injury from this strenuous exercise. She has to keep going.

"It's not locked," Ida says, glancing through the gate to something behind it. "We can lift it." It's just like lifting one of those metal rods, and she's not doing it alone. Ida stoops down, grabs hold of a crossbar, and then starts a reasonable approximation of a deadlift.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Closed Gate.
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Claude C. Kenny has spent much of his time since arriving on Cow Patty Planet engaged in one of the following two activities:

a) Training with his sword so he can beat STUPID BROODY DIAS; or

b) Lifting goddamn doors and goddamn rocks in goddamn dungeons.

Needless to say, he is not surprised to find another one of these stupid things here. Claude sheathes his sword and walks toward the gate, removing his gloves and tucking them into a back pocket. He drops down into a squat, curls his fingers under the bottom of the door, grits his teeth, and then tries to deadlift it.

He's a lot better at it than Ida is thanks to qigong training, Saiyan genetics, and the fact that he never skips leg day. Not even right before the first weekend of summer, where every guy at the gym spends the whole week doing hammer curls because sleeveless shirt season is back.

DG: Claude C. Kenny has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, A Closed Gate.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

They can't keep going like this. Not just because of the impending doom closing in on all ends like the hangman's tightening noose, but also because of this... Toxin. The poison that eats away at all their strength. Cyre breathes long and laboriously as they land at the gate. It's... A heavy one. His lips tighten together as he goes to help.

Not by lifting the bar.

But by... Whipping out a dark, metallic censer, riddled with the iconography of the Guardian of the Winds. He fills the interior chamber with some thick, pale paste and a collection of various herbs, lights a match, and drops it in.

A strange, fragrant, mentholly smoke begins to waft from the tool. Cyre whirls it about himself, spreading the refreshing aroma throughout the alleyway. It's not just calming the soul, it's relieving pain, cutting at the vile toxin's power. Of course it is; it's not just an herbal mix. Cyre is murmuring something under his breath, his spare hand is grasping the tablet hidden within his cloak. Fengalon's power surges through the mists.

This... Should help a little bit.

DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Invigorating Vapors toward his party's challenge, A Closed Gate.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

A gate. Layna pauses, looking it over. She frowns, then removes her gauntlets and returns them to their sheaths. She then reaches into her coat and pulls out a few drinks.

"Need to keep ourselves hydrated. Anyone fancy a drink? Non-alcoholic, mind, considering the situation. Just something to keep you going, aye?" She sets them aside. They could partake later - after they got to this...monstrous contraption ahead of them.

She then joins the others by the gate, to help lift the frustrating bar that was barring their progress.

It wasn't her usual job, but Ol' Anchor-Arms Andy wasn't around to do the lifting for them.

DG: Layna Manydays has used her Tool Quartermaster's Stash toward her party's challenge, A Closed Gate.
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has failed this challenge! The party gained 4 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Claude C. Kenny has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* CHALLENGE - The Rooftop Road *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Sometimes the best escape is going upwards. There are enough buildings close
 together here that moving along the rooftop will allow the party and anyone
 accompanying them to make good time and avoid the worst of the fighting
 below. However, there are still gaps that need to be jumped, and anyone who
 falls will face a dangerous scramble to rejoin the party.
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

The gate starts to move, inch by inch, as the party pours their strength into it. After a minute or so, it looks like it's going to be just high enough to sip under--and then--

Something detonates nearby. Part of the archway crumbles, tumbling free in a landslide of limestone. Ida lets out a cry of surprise, and ducks back--but not too late to avoid getting clocked by a sizeable chunk of stone. But did this open up a new path...?

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Nope, it sure did not! The rubble is blocking the way forward now. That sucks.

Claude C. Kenny sighs, and takes the time to tug his gloves back on once the collapse is resolved, because between the stress and the whole city burning, he's sweating like a pig and a loose grip on his sword could get him killed. He scans the area quickly, then glances upward. It's a bit steep, but... "You can probably climb up the fallen rock to that ledge," Claude suggests. "From there, we're up on the outer walls and off the streets. We'll have to watch out for fliers," he admits, "But at least we won't be dodging ambushes around every corner."

Having made the argument, Claude decides to act on it, scrambling quickly up the collapsed pile of stone (scattering a few smaller chunks in the process) and then leaping up five or six feet to the ledge. He gets down on one knee and reaches a hand down for anyone who needs it.

DG: Claude C. Kenny has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Rooftop Road.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Well.

That could have gone better.

Cyre breathes a long, tired sigh. At least he's feeling better, the soothing vapors having cleanesed much of the pain from his body. Not that he can say the same for the others. But...

Well. That sure is a climb ahead of them.

Cyre frowns, unfurling his parachute again. It may not last much longer beyond this, but... Claude could use a hand up there, it seems- and Cyre's got two to use. "Hold on, I'll be right up," he says, before floating almost effortlessly up to the shattered rooftop. Once there, he settles in right next to the Totally Not Alien swordsman, reaching down with his own hand to lend. "Alright, nice and slow. Don't want anyone falling from this kind of height."

DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Reverse Parachute toward his party's challenge, The Rooftop Road.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

"Dragons," Ida says, as just a general observation rather than a rebuttal to any of Claude's points. "We can deal with them." She takes a handkerchief out of her pocket, downs the offered drink, and wipes her palms and brow. She stuffs the handekerchief back into her pocket, and starts climbing up the rockslide after Cyre and Claude. She has to scrabble a little, and once she reaches the top, she waits patiently for the others' assistance.

Hopefully one of the fliers doesn't see them. Ida really does not want to see a real-live Metal Dragon up close, she's still processing Yarobeleedt.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Rooftop Road.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna ducks back as an explosions rocks the alleyway, showering them with stones and debris. She manages to grab one of the drinks she had set aside as she dodges, though she is unsure if the others had managed to escape unscathed.

She pops the cork out of the bottle then takes a swig with one hand before using the other to remove her hat and shake some rubble out of it.

"Aye, good idea, lad." Layna agrees with a nod, affixing her hat back to her head. "Lead the way."

Once he starts she follows, jumping her way up to where he is. She's used to leaping onto enemy ships from frankly irresponsible distances, and this is no different.

Well, except for the angles and the lack of waves, but really, what was the worst that could happen?

DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Rooftop Road.
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has passed this challenge! The party gained 26 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

"Thanks," Claude says to Cyre as Ida and Layna jump up...

...and smack into the rocks because they are apparently a little heavier than Claude expected or he's a little more tired than he thought from trying to dedlift a two-tonne stone gate. Or, y'know, both.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Non-Stop Escape *>========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
  One of Adelhyde's gates is in sight - once beyond the party and anyone
 accompanying them will be in the clear, as those holding the line against
 the Metal Demons outside the city will be able to cover them! The Demons and
 a squad of the Adelhyde Guard are fighting in front of this gate, and the
 guard seem to have the upper hand. However, if the party waits for the
 battle to finish its likely more reinforcements will arrive to help the
 demons - the best course of action may be to hit them from behind and
 decisively turn the tide of this part of the battle!
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Non-Stop Escape.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

The group makes it to the roof, eventually. From there, it's a steady progression across the roofs of the castle district--they're fairly high, but they have things like 'balconies' and 'gutters' and 'decorative moulding' to help climbers. Things whirl and circle in the sky ahead--monsters with gleaming steel teeth. There seems to be no unifying theme to them aside from that, aside from flight, and the horrible destruction they rain down on the city below. Helplessness sinks into her gut, and stays there. And then--

The sounds of battle, up ahead--one of the walls around the castle grounds has managed to repel most of the ground assault, and Adlehyde soldiers swarm around it like ants from a disturbed anthill. A veritable wall of Metal Beasts stands between it and the party; a pair of Crest Sorcerers fling flame down at them, while archers and a handful of gunners try to whittle down their numbers. The soldiers have the upper hand for now.

But that's not good enough. Ida's eyes narrow. She looks up at the dragons, and pulls Devil's Due from its holster. She takes a breath.

A gout of Dragon-fire issues from the weapon's muzzle, along with a spray of superheated metal. Ida fires again, and again, and again, her higher brain taking in all the details of these creatures she knows only from bones and armor shreds. Her lower brain is too busy with the cold, angry calculus of killing.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Devil's Due toward her party's challenge, Non-Stop Escape.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Poor Ida. Too many push ups, too many situps. You are no longer the light and fluffy waifish type you once were. Now you are made of stone, and heavy enough to... Well. End up faceplanting right on the rocks.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Poor Ida. Too many push ups, too many situps. You are no longer the light and fluffy waifish type you once were. Now you are made of stone, and heavy enough to... Well. End up faceplanting right on the rocks.

Well. At least they were able to get you and the mysterious pirate queen back up to join the others...!

Right in time to wander into the middle of a melee between the brave defenders of Adlehyde and the no less brave but also extremely bloodthirsty hordes of the Metal Demons. Cyre's lips tighten into a fine line. He extends his left hand, ring and middle fingers extended, the remainder curled under a thumb. "Whirlwind."

He says.

And so it is. A whirlwind, blasting into the demonic ranks.

It seems this man... Really is some kind of weather wizard!?

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

THere are indeed Metal Dragons up here! Or at least they can be seen flying over the city, which makes Claude C. Kenny wish he had an AMWS point-to-point transport beacon in his back pocket instead of a phase gun. He's reasonably certain he could take one of them down with a well-placed shot, but there are a lot more than one of them up here... and it would mean revealing himself to this world. Which he still isn't willing to do yet; impossible as it may seem, it would still make things worse than they already are.

But the run-on-top-of-the-walls plan works well enough to keep them out of harm's way, right up until they come across a last line of beleaguered defenders protecting the castle. She might be here, Claude thinks to himself - she's smarter than he is, and would probably figure out that most wounded people would flee to safe zones, like the castle. There will be wounded here, who need her help. She might be here. She has to be here. But first...

Claude scarfs down a mouthful of steak for the last push and then leaps off the wall, chi flickering in the soles of his feet as he drops toward the earth. Cyre's Whirlwind blasts the Demons upward, and Claude C. Kenny goes after the rest, driving power into the earth as he lands. "TEEEEEEEEEEEEEAR INTO PIECES!" he roars, and jagged stone rips up from the ground, spears of rock pushing the besiegers back.

DG: Claude C. Kenny has used his Tool Pocket Steak toward his party's challenge, Non-Stop Escape.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Falling, why was she always falling? Just now...when that thing arrived...when she had initially arrived on Filgaia...it was like some force of nature was trying to kill her.

Still, she manages to shake it off and get back on track thanks the others. Sadly, her drink does not receive the same treatment - it slipped from her hand and broken against the ground.

It will be missed.

Or, at least it would be if there weren't a battle going on ahead right below them.

She'd leap down below and join the ground troops in battle, but right now she feels like the best course of action is to stay up here and act as defense for Ida. She doesn't have any ranged weaponry to aid in the battle directly, but there is one thing she does have.

"Good citizens of Adlehyde! I'm Captain Layna Manydays of the Ruby Empress! That might not mean much to you, but know that you're not alone! We're here, fighting alongside you! Don't give up, aye? Rout these wastrels, and protect your fair city!" She shouts, attempting to inspire the guards to fight harder.

DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Non-Stop Escape.
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has successfully explored The Battle of Adelhyde!
=====================<* CHALLENGE - It's Over - For Now *>======================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Discovery |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The party has made it out of the city, along with any civilians who were
 traveling with them. Outside of the city, the line is being held by parts of
 the Adelhyde Guard, the Yggdrasil Pirates and their Gears, as well as a
 number of Drifters who have set up defensive positions and safe areas for
 civilians to rest and prepare to move away from the city. For those who have
 escaped to Adelhyde castle, the fighting at the walls continues, but food
 and shelter can still be obtained. However, the fighting continues, and
 there are more people yet trapped inside Adelhyde City...
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lanford has posed.

MEANWHILE OUTSIDE THE CITY

"...... ......."

Rena stares, slackjawed, a she sees smoke billowing up from all over the city, metal dragons flying through the skies, and in general chaos streaming out.

"..... *What* did Claude do?"