2017-08-29: Lemina Buffs a Goat
- Log: Lemina Buffs a Goat
- Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline, Lemina Ausa
- Where: November City Plant
- Date: 29th August 2017
- Summary: Riesenlied is drawn to the PLANT through mysterious circumstances. Noeline and Lemina follow, and...
DG: A party led by Riesenlied is now entering November City Plant.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
============================== <* November City Plant *>=========================== ========================== <* CHALLENGE - Hidden Entrance *>======================= |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- At the heart of each of the Seed Cities is a Plant - a massive structure that produces power, clean water, and other materials for use by the residents of the city. Since they are so vital to the city's survival, they are constantly guarded... but rumour has it that a hole has opened up in one of the walls, allowing access to the swift and stealthy. =Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Tire===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
It's only been a couple of days since everything settled down at Wayside...
...and it's given Riesenlied some time to consider reaching a little further outwards, closer to November City. There are, however, some concerns that her face would be starting to get to a point where it's not safe to just walk openly amongst the city streets, which prompted Noeline and herself to explore the outskirts instead...
... when it happened.
The winged Demon holds at her head and gasps quietly, all of a sudden-- and she stares towards the Plant in the distance. It's one of her usual reactions, when it comes to the Ruins -- a vague voice calling out from nowhere, like she's being pulled... so often, just a red herring, some errant and unknowable quirk of her systems, but... she's never been one to be able to ignore it.
By the time they arrive at the Plant, it's clear that it's a terrible idea to go in -- especially because it's policed so heavily -- but Riesenlied seems stubbornly determined, even if it'll be breaking the law. She's tucked her wings in to try to shimmy through one of the holes that she's found in the wall, looking almost like she's in a bit of a trance.
DG: You use your Tool Dragon Wings against your party's Challenge, Hidden Entrance!
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon Wings toward her party's challenge, Hidden Entrance.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
In the past, Noeline would have been a good deal more devil-may-care about whether anyone recognized her face and her extremely distinctive clothes - now, however, she has Wayside to think of, not to mention Riesenlied and a bounty she didn't have before. As such, she's dropped the crimson and the black, however temporarily, for something a little lighter against the desert air. ... not that it isn't also fancy, and there's no way she's going to change her eye colour or hairstyle, so it's rather dubious whether the change is of any use at all. Good job, ultra spy.
"--Riese--" she hisses, recognizing all too well what a poor idea this is - but sliding forward quickly after the other metal demon, the Medium lodged within her pulsing as she does her best to try to cover their tracks and presence. "This is an /awful/ idea-- I can't condone--"
With a ragged sigh, she gives up and simply squeezes through the hole in turn. Riese may be extremely difficult to protect, especially at times like these, but she's damned if she's not going to take her promises seriously - all the moreso, after Equites laid down its edict.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Hidden Entrance.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
Though she still feels like she doesn't know Riesenlied and Noeline all that well, Lemina is at least given to trusting... mmmmost of the friends Lucia has made on the Blue Star, and her past interactions with the pair have always been fairly nice. Accordingly, she's volunteered herself enthusiastically toward their little poke at the November City Plant -- and though she probably wouldn't /admit/ it, part of it is in the interests of getting to know the pair better.
"This is a /great/ idea," Lemina shoots back to Noeline, as she -- with her loud blonde hair and total lack of chill -- follows along behind the pair. To tell the truth, she's kind of a liability in any stealth situation that doesn't provide an opportunity to plan a route out early.
She does, however, have nice shoes and move at a good clip, so she may be able to make up for the lack of agility with raw land speed before popping herself into the hole and trying to squeeze on through.
DG: Lemina Ausa has used her Tool Chiro Sandals toward her party's challenge, Hidden Entrance.
============================ < Results - Hidden Entrance >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 0 --(9)--> 9 Pass Dragon Wings 2 Agility Effects: Quicken ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 0 --(9)--> 9 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemina Ausa 0 --(7)--> 7 Fail Chiro Sandals 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ----------------------------------==== < Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Hesitate(2)|Tire(2) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1) ================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 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. [OOC] Lemina Ausa says, "CARRIED"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
I mean, as far as prospective plans go, this is certainly terrible from the word 'go' given that this wasn't planned. At all. But Riesenlied, unlike the other times she's fallen into a trance, seems more bothered and distracted than she'd been before -- in a daze, she's slipped through the crack in the wall to stare deeper as Noeline and Lemina both tag along with varying levels of reluctance and enthusiasm, respectively. At least her Crocs-- er, /Chiro Sandals/-- are nice. Does she get Hiro to wear 'em? She can say Hiro's wearing Chiros.
It's probably a good thing in the end they entered, because a patrolling force appears to turn the corner just as they do so -- kind of... trapping them inside if they don't want to be seen. Uh oh.
DG: Noeline has drawn a new Challenge.
============================== <* November City Plant *>=========================== ========================= <* CHALLENGE - The Jar Is A Door *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The floor gives way, and you find yourselves sliding down a tube, before emerging into a giant glass receptacle partly filled with sme sort of pungent orange fluid. More of the fluid begins pouring down the hole you came out of; you'd best break through the jar and get on your way! =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline could be forgiven for the faintly withering glance she gives Lemina, though it's far from a /serious/ one. "Weeks ago I would have agreed," she comments as she lets the black sphere she'd holding in her palm, apparently some kind of sorcerous focus for the rest of the medium's power, dissipate and dissolve through her fingers into so much nothingness. They're inside, at least, in an oddly technological corridor. "Right at this moment, however, everyone is rather on edge, and it's a little difficult to say Wayside is peaceful when we're sneaking around in here."
She snags Riesenlied's arm, intending to at least try to bring the woman back towards her senses - but this is the same moment when the world gives way under them, the stressed floor buckling and giving way under their weight. Noeline's stunned yelp is quickly cut off, in favour of: "--keep your mouth shut!", and before they know it they've landed in a--
--a cooling tank? A watery grave? The twintailed demon doesn't know, and doesn't particularly care to find out.
At least there's room to summon her enormous hulking white sword to her; more solid than her scythe, it's the preferred choice for smashing against the walls of tempered glass.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Jar Is A Door.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lets out a little gasp as she stumbles and falls forward, having less of a reaction than she really ought to be, even as she splashes down onto the cooling tank ... or whatever it seems like. There's a few moments as she whispers, "... there," as she stares towards the crack Noeline's sword left in its wake, before sending a brief burst of light in the shape of a faint arrow to strike where it's already damaged.
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Jar Is A Door.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
"I guess you're right," Lemina replies, feeling just slightly chastized. "Still -- think of all the --" She's told to keep her mouth shut, and within moments, she's falling, falling, /falling/ --
-- and they land in a tube. Yikes.
Lemina almost screams, but realizes in short order that that would be a /terrible/ idea and stops herself. She can't really... chant, in this circumstance, either, given her minimal height leads to being submerged in fluid in short order; accordingly, she elects to just start hitting the walls of the glass receptacle with her staff over and over as hard as she can.
She fantasizes, immediately, about a bath.
DG: Lemina Ausa has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Jar Is A Door.
========================= <* November City Plant - Round 2 *>====================== =========================== < Results - The Jar Is A Door >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 9 --(6)--> 15 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 9 --(5)--> 14 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemina Ausa 7 --(3)--> 10 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------==== < Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 20 --(15)--> 35 Pass Conditions: Bad Luck(2)|Hesitate(1) Effects: ================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has passed this challenge! The party gained 15 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> Noeline has posed.
Immediately, Noeline hauls Lemina above the line of the water - yes, with one hand, yes, while still swinging a metallic slab of white at least as large as she is to drive its pommel against the glass. It kind of drives home the fact that she's actually, definitively a Metal Demon, and much stronger than the gothic teenager she prefers to consider herself most of the time. "This is-- probably just rust," she mutters between strikes. "At least-- I hope so."
The initial cracks start to grow; focusing on a point works wonders, after all, and even if the glass is tempered it's done so with the aim of preventing external shocks, not internal. Between Noeline's strikes, the bright shots from Riesenlied's bow, and Lemina's rather panicked staff bops, the spidery lines grow and grow - and suddenly rocket outwards, the glass shattering around them.
Having expected that much, Noeline kicks off the back of the giant bulb, launching herself forwards in a roll that kind of brings the other pair along for the ride. It's not as fast as she'd like, and definitely scattered, but at least it gets them out of the immediately blast range and not instantly showered with glass.
"--on the whole, I prefer that to being cooked alive," she comments drily - at least until she picks at her soaked dress, and her matted hair, and realizes mournfully: "Ugh, I look like something a cat dragged in."
DG: Lemina Ausa has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================== <* November City Plant *>============================
============================== <* CHALLENGE - Hypnogoat *>===========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
---------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >---------------------------
A goat has apparently wandered into the Plant at sometime in the past, and
living this close to even mild radiation exposure has twisted it into a
paragon of goat fury.
It unleashes a freakishly human-sounding scream and a wave of mental energy
- the only thing to do is flee, but the sight of it will haunt you for some
time.
=Dungeon Conditions: Madness==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
Lemina spits up a little orange goop she didn't even realize, in the moment, she got in her mouth; she winces a little, saying, "You and me both," before taking a second to try to wipe herself off. "We're off to a mega-wonderful start -- the rest can't be /that/ bad, can it?"
Lemina jinxes it and immediately regrets it, as a goat -- honestly, slightly /smaller/ than a standard goat -- bounds into the room. Briefly looking to Riesenlied and Noeline, then to the goat, Lemina squints. "Is that...?" she asks, reaching into her soaked dress, pulling out her surprisingly non-soaked glasses, and putting them on.
Then the goat screams, and Lemina drops to her knees in keen anguish for a moment. She looks almost confused a second later, looking from side to side. "What did I --" she starts, before piecing the last several seconds together and saying, "RUN!"
Then she does just that.
DG: Lemina Ausa has used her Tool Reading Glasses toward her party's challenge, Hypnogoat.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There's a deep, shaken and trembling gasp from Riesenlied as she steps outside the goop and does... does not even seem to be really bothered by it, unlike what Noeline's saying. She does stare towards the goat as it wanders in, however, and...
"You are not... the one I seek."
With that absolutely helpful bit of commentary, the goat screams, and she gasps in turn as she holds the Dragon's Tear up -- and in a reverberating echo, there's a column of light that reaches into their minds. What happens next is a little bit psychadelic-- a psionic clash of Riesenlied floating in space as she reaches out towards the goat as it rebuffs her in turn --and when they've gone back to reality after that bit of nonsense, she's gone as she chases after Lemina.
DG: You use your Tool Dragon's Tear against your party's Challenge, Hypnogoat!
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Tear toward her party's challenge, Hypnogoat.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline doesn't make any comment as to how she knows what being cooked alive feels like - but the look on her face is remarkably grim and upset as she tries desperately to pat herself down. "Ugh, I will not get the smell out for /weeks/, I am quite sure, let alone the colour--"
Her grousing stops when the sound of footprints-- no, hoofprints-- fills the corridor - and she stares at the creature in honest, absolute dumbfoundedness. Even her ability to dance through the world has taken a bit of a hit thus far today, and the sight of a simple farm animal is a bit mouch to take down here in the midst of a PLANT.
Especially when it abruptly /screams/ in her head, and when Riesenlied mentally /screams back/ - or at least offers some psychic succour out of the blue. Immediately, Noeline jolts, feeling the two sensations war across her senses and become joined by a sudden and elated burst of mocking laughter from a dark voice within her.
It lasts only a moment, but it feels like longer - especially when an attempt to shake her head feels like moving through treacle.
"--what on /Filgaia's earth/ is--" she starts to grouse - but Lemina suggests running, and what a good idea that is.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Hypnogoat.
========================== <* November City Plant - Round 3 *>======================= ================================ < Results - Hypnogoat >============================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Riesenlied 15 --(3)--> 18 Pass Dragon's Tear 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Noeline 14 --(4)--> 18 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lemina Ausa 10 --(5)--> 15 Pass Reading Glasses 2 Wits Effects: Resilient -----------------------------------==== < Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Riesenlied 35 --(20)--> 55 Pass Conditions: Bad Luck(1)|Madness Effects: Cleanse|Resilient(1) =================================== < Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 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> Lemina Ausa has posed.
Riesenlied successfully gets in a psychic battle with a goat. These are words that go in this exact sequence at the moment.
Lemina is, of course, out of there immediately; she got exactly the right amount of taste of superior goat power, and by the time she's running, her feet are more or less on autopilot so the staggering amount of psychic noise is only mildly disruptive. She /does/, however, run straight into a wall by the end.
That part is less great.
/Noeline/, meanwhile, actually has a bit of a hard time getting started; she's much closer to the psychic noise, and as a result there's a certain jerkiness to her movements, a certain level of discoordination that makes escape feel impossible and oppressive.
It all seems to clear up about ten seconds after Riesenlied and the goat have it out; the goat has either been totally overwhelmed or magnificently bored by the whole experience, and has elected to trundle over to the jar of orange goop and start licking it, because it's a goat.
Lemina looks back at Riesenlied at this point. "... What... just happened?" she asks. "I mean -- besides, you know, the obvious part."
DG: Riesenlied has drawn a new Challenge.
============================== <* November City Plant *>=========================== ========================== <* CHALLENGE - Do You Even Lift *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- An elevator is stuck on this floor; the door is open and beeping loud 'OVER WEIGHT' alarms, largely because someone has used it to dump a whole bunch of random chunks of broken building material. If you want to use the elevator, you'll have to clear this crap out first. =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Injure===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is wandering back after the two after she's successfully deterred the goat -- in the midst of her flat-faced trance, she's waving enthusiastically to the goat, like they managed to achieve some kind of... goat-Metal Demon understanding. It proceeds to go lick orange goop, which is hopefully just Tang, and not instrumentality (hey, we have the Gazel Ministry, you can't be certain that we're all safe).
She does... stare towards the elevator and point up gently. "... there," she unhelpfully points out, then looks to Lemina. She looks like she's either incredibly sleepy or incredibly high, compared to her usual self.
"Goat happened..."
Thanks, Riesenlied.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's face hasn't quite fallen, but she is looking across at the other demon with a mixture of concern and sheer irritation. "... honestly," she sighs as she puts a hand to her forehead and immediately regrets it, already feeling irritated at the wet glove that takes up her lower arm. "I've seen some cases where Riesenlied's senses ran away with her, but this is a significantly advanced case. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole PLANT somehow ran on Dragon Fossils in some fashion, if it's sending Riese this far into her own mind," she grumbles along.
The Metal Demon points the way, and Noeline-- stares at the finger, and then the lift full of discarded rubble, and lets out a long sigh. "Very well," she sighs, as she starts to get to work heaving some of it out of the way. "Just-- be prepared to hop on quickly, yes?"
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
"... or it could just be the goat," Lemina replies to Noeline -- though even thoughtless, personally-unobservant Lemina has noticed Riese's general... vagueness, here. "But -- you really think it runs on Dragon Fossils? I mean, it'd kind of make sense, but... it seems a little... different, maybe?"
Lemina wobbles a hand, and then shrugs, before turning her attention to the elevator. "... Once you get that stuff out, you might wanna stand clear," Lemina declares. She proceeds to create a steadily increasing amount of ice starting at the rear and the corners of the elevator and gradually pushing -- /hopefully/ -- all the crap out through the entryway, and then melts the ice. Lemina is nothing if not profoundly averse to actual physical labor.
DG: Lemina Ausa has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Do You Even Lift.
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Do You Even Lift.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Do You Even Lift.
============================ < Results - Do You Even Lift >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 18 --(10)--> 28 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 18 --(12)--> 30 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemina Ausa 15 --(10)--> 25 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------==== < Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 55 --(10)--> 65 Fail Conditions: Injure(2)|Weaken(2) Effects: ================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 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> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied stares kind of pacifiedly as Noeline starts to lift at the rubble, which... takes more effort than usual, in no small part because her Metal Demon counterpart isn't really helping. Lemina does turn towards the elevator and creates a slick of ice to push the rubble out... which... works great!
...
... up until Riesenlied stares blankly towards the incoming pile of rubble, which Noeline probably has to jump and shove her out of the way of. Well, that was all very tiring and time-consuming, but at the same time -- hey, the elevator's clear!
DG: Lemina Ausa has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================== <* November City Plant *>============================ ======================= <* CHALLENGE - Inevitable Crate Puzzle *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >--------------------------- This room is seriously full of crates, so full that you can basically only push one at a time before shuffling forward and pushing another... unless you want to push MANY AT ONE TIME, but that would be crazy talk. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
Into the (freshly soaked) elevator! Down into the depths of the November City Plant! Into...
... the room all that random garbage from a moment ago was from. Really, this should've been the obvious result going in. It had to have come from /somewhere/, and it wasn't from the floor they were /on/...
Lemina stares out at the half-open crates of building material with her own dull-eyed expression. Hers is just purestrain exasperation, though.
"Yeah, no," she declares, flatly. "I'm just blowing it all up."
Before they even leave the elevator, there's a bright white light; Lemina at least thinks better of using /fire/ here, which might set something off. Showy light explosions that just concuss everything to the sides of the room, on the other hand...
DG: Lemina Ausa has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Inevitable Crate Puzzle.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied quietly moves along with the other two, seemingly entranced towards a locale that seems far-off as her head bobs to one side. When they arrive on the other side... Lemina's statement seems to get a bit of a nod from her, as she draws upon her bow once more and concentrates another arrow of light to adjoin Lemina's showy light explosions in turn. "... closer now..." she distractedly murmurs, shivering just for a moment. "What are you... telling me?"
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Inevitable Crate Puzzle.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline yelps as she's forced to dive in the way of Riesenlied and the encroaching crates, only just managing to leap out of the way with the other demon tucked under one arm; she at least manages to make it to the lift in time to partake in a lighter descent, but certainly she looks more than a little ruffled and grumpy as she dusts Riesenlied down--
--and stares at the blockaded room with something of a sigh. She has no sleeves to roll up - it doesn't work nearly as well when you're wearing gloves - but she makes a show of it anyway, stepping out of the lift and very nearly getting speared on an inattentive Riesenlied arrow.
"... honestly," she sighs, adding in the grumble: "You really are a handful at a time like this, you know." At least she's getting to work, applying Metal Demon brute strength to the problem as she tries to manipulate a couple of shortcuts.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Inevitable Crate Puzzle.
========================== <* November City Plant - Round 5 *>======================= ========================= < Results - Inevitable Crate Puzzle >====================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Riesenlied 28 --(24)--> 52 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Noeline 30 --(27)--> 57 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lemina Ausa 25 --(27)--> 52 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------==== < Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Riesenlied 65 --(10)--> 75 Fail Conditions: Injure(1)|Tire(2)|Weaken(1) Effects: =================================== < Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 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> Lemina Ausa has posed.
The good news: /Technically/, this creates a coherent path forward.
The bad news: that path is not straight through the middle, despite everyone's best efforts. Lemina mostly just renders the room a mess, and Riesenlied's arrow of light pushes a /bunch/ of materials toward the opposite door; Lemina volunteers a second explosion which undoes the straight shot that Riesenlied's arrow provides, of course.
In practice, the fastest path through ends up being 'make Noeline do it,' where 'do it' is 'painstakingly clear a bunch of debris physicaly because she's friends with idiots and weirdos, I guess.'
Lemina pulls out some Emergency Jerky -- and eats it!! This leads to the unfortunate optics of Lemina slowly eating food while Noeline clears a path, even if it /is/ to restore her ability to do magic.
DG: Noeline has drawn a new Challenge.
============================== <* November City Plant *>=========================== ========================== <* CHALLENGE - I Fought The Law *>====================== |Type: Climax |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Oh crap, someone called the fuzz! Local law enforcement rounds the corner, spots your group, and opens fire with small ARMs that shoot little bolts of electricity. Looks like they're going to try to take you alive - will you give them the same option? =Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Again, Noeline proves to be less a hostile metal demon and more just an incessantly grumpy one, making a noise of effort as she hauls the last of the crates out of the way. "You could help a little more, you realize," she grouses; she looks rather the worse for wear, at this point, and the only silver lining is that it provides her some time to dry off.
Mostly, at least. Really, she should probably stop wearing boots in the desert.
Once their way is clear to a corridor onwards, Noeline stalks off down it, sticking to the shadows. It's a blessing, and a curse - her ability to stay silent and stealthy means that they can hear the law enforcement troops coming, but also means that she's significantly ahead of the others when faced with the local guard.
At least she's close enough to spring immediately into action - and the butt of her scythe strikes the first of the men in the stomach, sending him doubling over as a spinning strike knocks the next aside, hopefully leaving him with nothing more than a headache down the line.
"Forgive us, gentlemen-- Trouble!" she calls. Is it a description, or an order? Apparently the latter, because the little spherical robot at her side beeps brightly and strafes gunfire across-- the ceiling, taking out a number of lights to leave them in the cover of gloom.
DG: Noeline has used her Tool Trouble toward her party's challenge, I Fought The Law.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied doesn't really answer in turn to Noeline; where she'd be profusely apologising and helping drag people across and thereabouts, she... seems content to just stand where she is -- perhaps hearing things that other people aren't... quite. You know, other, well-adjusted people who didn't just have psychic battles with goats.
But then there's a problem:
"I-isn't that?!" "That's the Metal Demon! The Deceiver! She's worth at least half a million Gella!" "Criminal scum!"
Yeah, this is probably exactly the worst case scenario realised right here, isn't it? Riesenlied reaches her hand out-- before she seems to realise something, and it makes her stop and freeze in her tracks as bullets start to riddle her wingspan.
"Ah--"
Before she can get in too much trouble, though, something incredibly weird happens:
"W-what is--" "Johnnyyyy!"
'Johnny', in this case, is one of the Keystone Kops that just got squished by the very same goat, now freshly empowered with orange Tang with a dangerous glint in its eyes.
"You came back..." Riesenlied whispers.
"W-why is a goat here?!" "I ain't goat a clue!" "If we had more time I'm gonna lamb-ast you for that pun!"
You might want to avert your eyes from the Hypnogoat's stellar eyes.
DG: You use your Tool Fereshte Bullet-Bow against your party's Challenge, I Fought The Law!
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Fereshte Bullet-Bow toward her party's challenge, I Fought The Law.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
... This isn't the first time Lemina's gotten in a fight with the police, nor will it be the last. She brings up the rear of the group, only moving when everyone else does; she has no idea how to stealth, which means she decides to just let Noeline set the pace of the party and goes with it.
She is not the first to hear something -- but when she sees Noeline spring into action, she realizes what's happening and adapts pretty fast! "Oh, jeez -- I /just/ finished my jerky," she laments, popping up. It's Lemina, from the wanted posters!
"... Isn't she worth 26 Gella?" one of them asks another. "... ehhhh, ignore her."
Lemina reaches Instant Huffiness Maximum, and whips out her staff, pointing it at one of the officers in hopes of freezing him solid, before --
-- the goat arrives. The goat was already an extreme threat to /them/... Lemina gets an idea.
"Power Flame!"
Lemina buffs a goat.
DG: Lemina Ausa has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, I Fought The Law.
========================= <* November City Plant - Round 6 *>====================== ============================ < Results - I Fought The Law >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 52 --(8)--> 60 Pass Fereshte Bullet-Bow 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 57 --(15)--> 72 Fail Trouble 2 Combat Effects: Resilient ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemina Ausa 52 --(12)--> 64 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------==== < Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 75 --(5)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Injure(2)|Tire(1)|Wound(2) Effects: Embolden(1)|Resilient(1) ================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has passed this challenge! The party gained 5 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> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's initial shout helps less than she'd like; while it's easy enough to send two of the soldiers scattering to the ground and clutching their heads, her ARM's strafing run against the lights doesn't exactly work out as planned. No sooner have the lights cut out in a shower of sparks than a series of red emergency strips spring to life along the walls, leaving the group of guards no worse off than they were already. As if that weren't enough, there are more audibly on their way.
Fortunately, that's when the goat appears, drawn by Riesenlied's bidding or perhaps a karmic sense of fate. It shrugs off Lemina's boon - but fortunately it also shrugs off the desperate antics of the guards, as well. Before the intrepid Drifters (Drifter, singular, and two Metal Demonds) can really tell what is happening, the majority of the guards have already fallen to their knees in a little pain, a great deal of panic, and not a little reverence.
One guy, um, one guy is praying amidst his unconscious friends. Let's just leave that alone.
At the very least, they're free to continue - and hopefully the addled and confused guards might wake up without any real memory of who they witnessed there.
DG: Riesenlied has drawn a new Challenge.
============================== <* November City Plant *>===========================
============================= <* CHALLENGE - Crane Game *>=========================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >--------------------------
In the heart of the Plant is a huge chamber with a giant spherical device at
its centre. There are no noticeable ways of accessing or entering it. Next
to the sphere, however, is a giant crane machine with a crane that dangles
down into the darkness... where a series of large crates can be seen.
The crane only has power for one attempt, but if you manage to pull out a
crate, its contents will be yours for the taking.
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire, Exhaust============================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied shudders just a little further in the wake of the battle with the authorities -- she has no idea of what has just transpired, and it's probably through a rather pointed comment from Noeline and Lemina later that she'll be deeply and gravely mortified at what she's actually done. Hopefully goat mental scarring is not... permanent, right? Either way, the Goat seems to have trundled off again, hopefully not in search of more Cops to subvert towards its dominant mental agenda.
But more importantly, Riesenlied wanders in towards a grand chamber upon which a massive pod lies... a pod that she stares at, in its massive spherical shape -- and she suddenly holds at her forehead and gasps further. "... what? What is it?"
The Dragon's Tear shimmers in her hands as it wildly fluctuates, perhaps offering a brief glimpse into the sheer, chaotic madness within Riesenlied's emotions and memories at present.
She holds her hands tighter, looking as if she's starting to claw against her temples. "I can't understand... anything..."
She's trying to get to that center, to move ever closer -- but it's going to be terribly dangerous if she's left to just drop onto the expanse. The crane might be able to get her a step closer where the trance appears to be pulling her like a magnetic force ever closer...
DG: You use your Tool Dragon's Tear against your party's Challenge, Crane Game!
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Tear toward her party's challenge, Crane Game.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
While Riesenlied goes on what we will, for the moment, call 'a Riesenlied,' Lemina moves toward the crane itself. She doesn't see, thus, the fluctuations of the Dragon's Tear -- only that Riesenlied seems totally hell-bent on getting into the center of the Plant... /and/ the crates down below.
Popping her reading glasses on again, Lemina reveals a terrible, awful idea. "Riesenlied!" Lemina calls, fifty-fifty at best on whether her voice reaches. "I'm gonna pick up one of the crates and try to use it to get you closer!" This way she can give Riese a chance to try to get into the center and look at that spherical device /and/ steal something.
"Uhh..." she pauses, looking to Noeline. "... Help me with this thing." She can get it moving, but the low power indicator has her... nervous.
DG: Lemina Ausa has used her Tool Reading Glasses toward her party's challenge, Crane Game.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"--Riese!" calls Noeline, already used to having to intercept Riesenlied at times like this; she catches the dragon demon around the waist, then reaches up urgently to take the other woman's hands in hers, drawing them away from her temples gently. "--focus," she orders, if softly, and then again. "... focus, Riese. It's alright," she promises, even if her sigh is rather put-upon.
She leans back a little, aware she's rather close to the lip of the enormous, cavernous gap, and does her best to sight over the edge and down into the contents there while also judging exactly how much of a drop it might be - and immediately deciding she doesn't exactly fancy her chances.
"--Miss Ausa, if you would mind driving," she starts to say, but nods her head as Lemina gets much the same idea; she pauses in holding Riesenlied back, giving herself a few moments to hop up and look over the cab's interior. "It is not as if my own powers would be of any help here, you know," she grumbles, but does have her attention tugged to a couple of points. "Let out the choke before you try, at least - that stick, to the left of the control rack. --it may be best if I try it, instead," she adds, rather diplomatically.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Crane Game.
========================= <* November City Plant - Round 7 *>====================== =============================== < Results - Crane Game >=========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 60 --(8)--> 68 Pass Dragon's Tear 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 72 --(21)--> 93 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemina Ausa 64 --(9)--> 73 Pass Reading Glasses 2 Wits Effects: Resilient ----------------------------------==== < Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 80 --(35)--> 115 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Injure(1)|Tire(2)|Wound(1) Effects: Cleanse|Resilient(1) ================================== < Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has successfully explored November City Plant!
============================== <* November City Plant *>=========================== ======================== <* CHALLENGE - Copious Comestibles *>===================== |Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------==== < Challenge Information: >-------------------------- This crate is full of food! Delicious fruits and vegetables, mostly, as fresh as though it was picked straight off the vine. You could keep this for yourself OR sell it to a greengrocer's... though for the latter, you'll have to move fast. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied continues to tremble, the aftershocks of what's going through in her mind seemingly worsening as Noeline holds onto her -- she's drawn her hands away from where she could be seriously harming herself at this point in time, as she's drawn back as she watches Noeline and Lemina work the crane. Which... does, exactly, have just enough power for one trip -- despite being stationed in a power station, right next to the power source! These folks should take better care of their manueverability devices.
Once the crate is over, however, Riesenlied seems to take this as a cue to hurry across--
--and finds that the crate isn't exactly stable, as it begins to crack and burst as it caves in underneath her.
It might normally be a bad idea to fall straight into a crate, but in this case, she doesn't crater or anything...
...she just lands in a giant pile of melons, strawberries, bananas, kiwifruit, oranges, apples...
"... what is this..." she mumbles, distractedly. A pause. "... are you... giving it to us...?" A longer pause. "... fruity..."
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
"You better go check on her," Lemina says to Noeline, blandly, as she sees Riesenlied fall into the crate. "I'm not gonna do it, and maybe it's, you know, the crate full of weird mind control goats."
A pause. "... actually, if it's that one maybe leave her in there. Then we have pets."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
With another of those grumbles, Noeline quickly crosses over to the crate and its metal demon counterpart - she does not /scurry/, harrumph, no matter how worried she might be - and looks inside.
"... what-- what on earth?" she blurts after a long moment, even as she reaches down to try to help the rather scattered Riesenlied up; the sight of the purely preserved food is an extremely strange one, and even manages to leave her slightly speechless.
"... I haven't seen some of these in many years. You just can't find some of them anymore," she notes, reaching into the crate for an apple and tossing it through the air to Lemina's waiting hand - and immediately looking quite uncertain as to what to do with the thing in general. "... what on earth to do with these-- rather, I should ask what they're doing here, but--"
But first she looks to her fellow metal demon, and sighs. "Well. Let's leave those questions for a little while, hm?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied quietly turns her head to Noeline and holds a peach up. "Noeline... eat this with me?"
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
"... I don't think even /you/ guys can get through this whole crate before it goes bad," Lemina says, once she peeks her head over the edge of the crate and takes a look inside. "We should probably sell this before it goes off..." She thinks about it for a few moments, as if trying to figure out a game plan.
"... I'll turn the crate into an ice crate and we'll sell it in Aveh!" She gives a big, easy-going grin, noting, "And of /course/, I'll cut you guys in on it... but I get half 'cuz I'm gonna be refrigerating it too!"
A pause, before she adds, "... or you two can just take the fruits back to your weird village or whatever. Either way is mega-fine with me!" Despite the promise of a huge payday, Lemina is managing... /some/ degree of chill.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"--I dare say it won't be terribly much worth to us, at the moment. Wayside is still getting underway - and most of its occupants aren't going to be the sort to really partake of this sort of food just yet," Noeline huffs at the thought, but can't deny that it's a tempting idea. "Perhaps if we take some of our cut out of the stock, we can introduce a few of the Tainted to some good food."
She does pause for a long moment, though, frowning uncertainly as she looks back at the sphere - Riese was guided here, after all, and it does make her wonder what might be waiting in the depths, and who exactly could exert such a strong influence on her, stronger than any she's seen before.
"Riese, we should--" she starts to say as she turns back, and runs straight into the peach that the other metal demon is presenting to her, lips to its skin.
Wow, she's gonna stay red for /days/.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied furrows her brow as she expresses back to Noeline, "We're taking it back. ... it's a gift." ... from who, exactly? The Hypnogoat? It isn't exactly hard to think of what kind of lurid madness might be in the depths of her mind, imagining the goat sweeping its front clove to exclaim, 'Please, sup upon this rich and bountiful trove of fruit for your efforts!' while dressed in a cape and crown...
...
Either way...
Nom.
"Yay... it's sweet..."
Oh yes, she'll be red for days yet.
<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.
"... Uhhhh... I think... I'm just... gonna..." Lemina crawls back to the crane. The /arm/ has no power, but the vehicle itself still does, at least. Lemina starts wheeling the crate out with both Metal Demons still inside.
beep beep beep
Lemina, too, is bright red.