2020-09-21: Wolves (and Others) at the Gate
- Log: Wolves (and Others) at the Gate
- Cast: Elhaym van Houten, Xantia, Emeralda Kasim, Fei Fong Wong, Citan Uzuki
- Where: Cardon Forest
- Date: September 21, 2020
- Summary: Forced to flee by Megaman Juno's presence and the impending threat it forms, the Black Wolves -- some of them, plus Citan Uzuki -- hurry into the Main Gate. But within, they must deal with the machine's defenses, if they are to escape safely.
DG: A party led by Elhaym van Houten is now entering Flight Through the Main Gate. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>====================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Relentless Pursuit *>===================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Solaris has seized control of this facility. Or, more accurately, they've awakened something that has done so on their behalf. With the main gate blockaded, and a relentless robotic killer on your tail, you have one option left: Run. Megaman Juno's voice rings down the corridor, calm and composed as ever. It's coming from speakers on the walls, giving the illusion that he is everywhere, at once. Nevertheless, the low, steady hum of his systems points out his true location--he's nearby, and getting closer. "System diagnostics complete. All security measures remain operational. I am attempting to isolate and contain the invasive Biomass before further contamination occurs." With no warning whatsoever, a door to your left slams shut, sealing itself tightly. A door up ahead does the same. Fortunately, there are more doors to choose from, but Juno is doing a good job of locking down the area. The network of sterile corridors turns into a dynamic, reactive maze--a clear path could become a dead end at a moment's notice. It will take lightning speed to outpace him, but if you're lucky, you might be able to gain a lead on him. =Dungeon Conditions: Fright, Hesitate, Slow, Vault============================
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
EARLIER -
The arrival of this enigmatic Megaman Juno and his speaking on anomalies and biomass had left Elly with the shockingly familiar grim sense that she may have to place everything she has on the line to protect Emeralda. Something about this has a subtle sense of familiarity to it, as if it has happened this way.
But history does not repeat itself, it rhymes. The sacrifice of a condemned man...
And a way is clear. A way to take a road that is unfamiliar to Elly van Houten.
A road...
Elly hugs Emeralda tight, pivots towards the newly revealed entrance, and takes that road, the opportunity...
... to run away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcPqr87sSRc
ON THE WAY, there is only time for brief greetings, momentary embraces.
AND THEN
Inside, towards what is hopefully either an Elw teleporter or, possibly, a supply of pre-war Gears... and instead, there is a hallway.
Someone is behind them.
> "System diagnostics complete. All security measures remain operational. I am attempting to isolate and contain the invasive Biomass before further contamination occurs."
A door slams shut next to them. "Ah!" Another one, further up the ways. "Darn - ugh - this is trying to herd us like sheep!" Elly says, and her answer is to get something out of her hip pocket.
It's fishing supplies, alright... it's what may be the last wad of that underwater blasting putty she's used before! Elly runs up ahead and slaps it on one of the latched doors before popping the cap and running back to rejoin the party. "Remember, don't hold your br-"
THOOM! Well, that door is opened.
But there are so many more.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Fishing Gear toward her party's challenge, Relentless Pursuit.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
During the battle not long ago, Xantia was with Elly as they engaged Solarian forces. Xantia is no longer with Elly now. Elly herself knows best why that is, having clearly seen what happened after her fellow redhead got herself caught in a massive wall of fiery doom following the invocation of a Guardian's medium. Whatever that Mysterious Figure was all about, by all appearances it looked to have been a rescue, and a successful one, so presumably Xantia is alright somewhere.
Or, she could be alright right here. Suddenly, a long but fairly thin section of the ground suddenly turns to ice, starting somewhere from behind the others and stretching itself out further ahead. Before long, who should show up but Xantia, sliding along the slippery surface, wielding the Blizzaga Claw responsible for creating this particular method of increased movement speed.
"Elly! Everyone!"
For someone who spent at least a few seconds in the middle of an intense blaze, she looks pretty alright. She doesn't look the slightest bit singed, in fact. She does look quite frantic, which has only a little bit to do with the fact that, while this may have been a good way to catch up, now she can't slow down her approach. The other reason is that she has absolutely no idea what's happening.
"What happened? Who is that guy? What's going on??"
That's about as much as she can get out before sliding past and further on ahead. She'll managed to stop sometime. Probably.
DG: Xantia has used her Tool Blizzaga Claw toward her party's challenge, Relentless Pursuit.
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
Not that long ago, Emeralda got shot with a blaster cannon. She also got nearly bisected by a sword! It was a very busy evening.
It is not over yet.
Emeralda is running with Elly, though a little slower and less energetically than usually; she feels stiff and slow and honestly kind of tired. Not to mention confused by Juno and Azoth both. It's been very eventful.
Despite everything she still manages to keep pace, though she's going to pay for it later (if nothing else she is going to sleep for like twenty hours straight). "He disintegrates plants!" Emeralda calls to Xantia when she skates in. "And I guess people! He was preparing a thing - hey, don't keep skating! Go this way!"
If there is one sport, one game that Emeralda excels at, it is hide and seek. Even disregarding her ...abilities, she has a solid grasp of where she can go and where she might not be spotted. And right now they're trying to get out of Juno's gaze, right?
Emeralda hops through the door blown open by Elly, rounds a corner, and accelerates, pulling away a few feet as she skids through another door before it closes. "He's going to have to look in the big halls first, right? Let's go through the smaller tunnels!"
DG: Emeralda Kasim has used her Tool H&S Badge toward her party's challenge, Relentless Pursuit.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Thank you Big barrel chested guy, Fei no doubt thinks. He'll bake a pizza in your honor. Some part of him will be sure to remember that he may owe Brad more than he realizes.
Fei, who was occupied with fighting some distance away to try and keep them off his family, manages to catch up here using the power of a KAKEI powered rocket jump to land nearby.
"Elly! Emmy! You're okay!" It's so conenient that he can shorten both names this way come to think off it, particularly in moments like this. He unfortunately, isn't a super speedy people, and he skids to a stop as doors start shutting down.
"Ugghh what the hell is he talking about?" Fei wonders aloud before looking to Elly. "We just have to hurry and p ick one and hope, right??"
He starts running forward, looking back to Xantia as he attempts to just BLAST APART future doors with a chi blast. It's one way to get through a situation. If there are no doors, Juno cn't close them!
In the moment he doesn't miss Emeralda isn't her usual self--but he does kind of expect that she has plenty of reasoons to be a little down right now considering SO MUCH BAD is happening!
DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Relentless Pursuit.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Ice spreads across the floor.
It, suddenly, grows in strength, the extent covered by the slick ice becoming far greater.
The source will become clear once any of them glances back: there, standing towards the back as the door behind him slams shut, is Citan Uzuki. He's holding a sphere that glows a pale and gentle blue.
"I had thought that it was you three! It seems that we made it just in time--" he says, glancing over at Fei, "--but of course, we are not 'out of the woods' just yet!" More doors slam shut, as the automaton seems bent on penning all of them in.
Elly's bomb goes off in the next heartbeat, after which Citan, using the ice slick he and Xantia have created, skids along atop it. "Fei, never mind the doors! Take my hand!" he shouts, stretching out a hand.
If they linger here, he figures, it's possible that Juno -- or something else -- might catch up to them.
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Macalania Sphere toward his party's challenge, Relentless Pursuit.
======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>====================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Relentless Pursuit *>===================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Solaris has seized control of this facility. Or, more accurately, they've awakened something that has done so on their behalf. With the main gate blockaded, and a relentless robotic killer on your tail, you have one option left: Run. Megaman Juno's voice rings down the corridor, calm and composed as ever. It's coming from speakers on the walls, giving the illusion that he is everywhere, at once. Nevertheless, the low, steady hum of his systems points out his true location--he's nearby, and getting closer. "System diagnostics complete. All security measures remain operational. I am attempting to isolate and contain the invasive Biomass before further contamination occurs." With no warning whatsoever, a door to your left slams shut, sealing itself tightly. A door up ahead does the same. Fortunately, there are more doors to choose from, but Juno is doing a good job of locking down the area. The network of sterile corridors turns into a dynamic, reactive maze--a clear path could become a dead end at a moment's notice. It will take lightning speed to outpace him, but if you're lucky, you might be able to gain a lead on him. =Dungeon Conditions: Fright, Hesitate, Slow, Vault============================
=================<* Flight Through the Main Gate - Round 1 *>================= =======================< Results - Relentless Pursuit >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elhaym van Houten 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Fishing Gear 2 Agility Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Emeralda Kasim 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass H&S Badge 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Xantia 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Blizzaga Claw 2 Agility Effects: Quicken ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Citan Uzuki 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Macalania Sphere 3 Agility Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Elhaym van Houten 0 --(30)--> 30 Pass Conditions: Fright(2)|Hesitate(2)|Slow(2)|Vault(1) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Elhaym van Houten has passed this challenge! The party gained 30 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> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
"Xantia!" Elly says, eyes widening at the sight of her. Elly blinks once and then says, "That was you out there, right?? Thank heavens you're alright! Please! Don't hurt yourself!" THUNK goes a door. Of course, that worry... may not have room for margin.
"I don't know if you're dealing with amnesia," Elly says to Xantia, "or if it's just really confusing right now. That thing out there is some kind of ancient artificial person. I think Gebler woke it up. I don't know why."
Emeralda power-slides through a door. Elly follows. Fei gets a leaping hug in the hallway but only a brief one, if a welcome one. "I don't understand, but 'biomass' is a word that means, just... living things! Like in a forest, it would be the trees, the animals, even the microbes in the soil! And I don't know if you heard, but he said something about -"
A ray of horrible force streaks forwards, though the shot goes wide.
Elly has to flee through the last lingering door -- but the ice lets HER power slide, too!
"That 'person' - Megaman Juno - he said something about "Valmar!""
DG: Xantia has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>====================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - A More Personal Touch *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Main Gate is a true labyrinth. It's larger than each of the three Sub-Gates, and would be difficult to navigate even if it had landmarks worth the name. Just when you think you've gotten lost, someone decides to lend you a hand. "Activating remote manipulator system in sterilization mode." Something punches through the wall with a horrible shriek of shearing metal. It's a massive arm, identical to Megman Juno's, and the palm of its hand boils with iridescent energy. A searing beam lances through the corridor, missing you by inches--and there's only a moment's reprieve before the weapon fires again. Run! =Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Suffer=============================================
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia has to mentally file away what's being said to her for a moment while she focuses on stopping herself. To her surprise, this actually becomes even more difficult when the ice suddenly grows in scope. Granted this does help in covering distance more quickly, but as she doesn't want to lose track of the others, it doesn't feel like a good thing right that moment. "W-wait, not more ice! Less ice!"
As she looks behind however, and sees others are sliding after her, she calms somewhat. As long as she's not stuck here all alone, she figures that together, they'll be able to figure out some way out of this mess. ...Still, being able to stop at some point would be nice!
Eventually though, even the combined forces of Claw and Sphere come to a natural end, and the group has solid ground under their feet again. Which gives Xantia a chance to respond.
To Elly, first of all: "...To be honest, I don't know what happened. I got caught in some kind of fire trap, and I think I fainted? Then I woke up to a huge explosion, I saw you running in here, and that - so it's a machine? - that machine coming after you."
She frowns at the word 'Gebler'. That explains why it's after them, at least. Then she gets back to Emeralda: "It disintegrates plants and people, you said? You mean it's like... some kind of sterilization unit?"
Xantia says the darndest things sometimes. That thing in particular is something she's never said before. She looks a little surprised herself for having said it. There isn't any time to worry about it though, because as if in answer to her theory, Megaman Juno's voice sounds out.
"Activating remote manipulator system in sterilization mode."
A huge arm then punctures the nearby wall, firing some sort of giant beam, uncomfortably close by. This is rarely something good for one's health, so before it can fire again, Xantia turns to Fei and Citan, and suggests, "...Same thing again?"
Not waiting for a response, she slams down the fist adorned by the Blizzaga Claw, creating another long but thin stretch of ice. She hops on, trusting that whatever made it get bigger last time will be happening again. Hopefully, it'll be enough to escape this situation.
DG: Xantia has used her Tool Blizzaga Claw toward her party's challenge, A More Personal Touch.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"My apologies for our late arrival," says Citan to the rest of them, once they're clear of the last of the doors--
And the ice, for that matter.
"We had, ah, been delayed by the Gebler and Veruni forces," he explains, glancing over at Fei for confirmation. "After the... blast," he phrases, using a little more care with the subject, "we thought it was best to, well, 'strike while the iron is hot'. It seems we came just in the nick of time! Any longer and we may have been caught outside with..."
He glances over at Elly, then at Xantia.
"...'Sterilization unit' may be correct. When it says 'biomass' it appears to mean all organic lifeforms. ...I do not doubt that it will make good on its word. Now that we are in its maze, I advise that we continue to move forward."
Right on cue, there is the machine's voice again. Ever-so-slightly, Citan Uzuki frowns. "Remote manipulator... Wait, then it means--"
A huge arm penetrates through a nearby wall, confirming his apparent fears. He takes a step back, perhaps from the heat of the beam, and shakes his head. "...This is no good. --Yes, I believe that would be wise, Xantia!" He produces the sphere once again, and there spreads -- or rather, amplifies! -- the ice sheet that Xantia conjures. Despite the latent heat in the air, the ice doesn't melt -- rather, it seems to even begin to spread up the walls, as if being directed by some other force.
"...That should hold, I think," the doctor remarks, before waiting for the right moment and--
Sliding along again??
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Macalania Sphere toward his party's challenge, A More Personal Touch.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei hugs Elly. It's brief, but there's always time enough for a KIND of hug.
Fei Fong Wong wrinkles his nose when he hears the phrase' sterilization mode'. THAT he kind of understands even without having to ask Citan first and, specifically, he understands it to be... REAL BAD GUYS.
What he wasn't expecting was 'sterilization' to take the form of a giant freakin' arm. Fei jumps back in alarm beffore--it boils with energy and...
"Frick...!" Fei says, glancing to Citan. He nods once and smiles at him. Whatever is going on here--he's a lot more confident with Citan here. And Xantia? Well... She brings a different kind of confidence to Fei.
He slides along the ice and tries to PUNCH the giant robot arm off balance just enough to give his friends more space to maneuver through the door.
"Oh geeze." He says to Xantia. "That sounds roough." He glances back to Emeralda. "It's--" He pauses. "All organic life? ... ... That's us!"
DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, A More Personal Touch.
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
"Fei!" Emeralda practically bounces in place. She is not really entirely 'okay' but she'll keep going for today, so good enough. She's certainly not dead or crippled. "We need to get somewhere safe! Safer!"
Xantia says something she's not very familiar with. "A what?" Emeralda pauses, running that through her head again. Nope, she doesn't know that word. "Maybe? But he's a machine person, like..."r
Not like her, not really. But like Tio. Like the one she fought today. Like...
"I don't think he likes people very much. He said he wanted to fix me." Emeralda does not have that quite right - he said she needed repairs - but it's close enough for business. "It talked to Dash, and Kamui, and me a little, but almost nobody else..."
Emeralda would have said more, but she thought she was safe. Arms are not safe! Emeralda throws herself flat as the beam fires - she doesn't turn into a puddle, she just goes prone, but that's enough that it doesn't hit her. Rather than get up immediately, she crawls, hiding under the arm - the ceiling isn't high enough for it to swivel to point straight down and shoot her while she moves underneath it.
Take *that*, Juno!
"Wait, which way am I going...?"
DG: Emeralda Kasim has used her Tool H&S Badge toward her party's challenge, A More Personal Touch.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Well, that would do it, Elly thinks grimly as the arm slams through the wall. The sound and chaos are already such that she does not feel particularly ADDITIONALLY daunted by this - but it is still horrifying, terrible!
But there is no way to deal with it but to keep going. Maybe they'll be trapped at the end, but -
"I see her," Elly says, BECAUSE when Emeralda moved forwards and past Elly, she got a twinkling spiralling mackerel-style fishing lure stuck on her scarf and/or hair! (Where does one end and the other begin? A mystery.) "Emeralda!! Wherever we go, we'll go together!!"
She dives forwards, opting for the full belly slide along the ice slick that the Doctor has so helpfully provided. "I hope this keeps working," Elly says mid-tobogganing.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Fishing Gear toward her party's challenge, A More Personal Touch.
======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>====================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - A More Personal Touch *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Main Gate is a true labyrinth. It's larger than each of the three Sub-Gates, and would be difficult to navigate even if it had landmarks worth the name. Just when you think you've gotten lost, someone decides to lend you a hand. "Activating remote manipulator system in sterilization mode." Something punches through the wall with a horrible shriek of shearing metal. It's a massive arm, identical to Megman Juno's, and the palm of its hand boils with iridescent energy. A searing beam lances through the corridor, missing you by inches--and there's only a moment's reprieve before the weapon fires again. Run! =Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Suffer=============================================
=================<* Flight Through the Main Gate - Round 2 *>================= =====================< Results - A More Personal Touch >====================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elhaym van Houten 8 --(12)--> 20 Fail Fishing Gear 2 Agility Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Emeralda Kasim 8 --(12)--> 20 Fail H&S Badge 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Xantia 8 --(12)--> 20 Pass Blizzaga Claw 2 Agility Effects: Quicken ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Citan Uzuki 8 --(12)--> 20 Fail Macalania Sphere 3 Agility Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 8 --(12)--> 20 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Elhaym van Houten 30 --(20)--> 50 Pass Conditions: Fright(1)|Hesitate(1)|Slow(2)|Suffer(1) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Elhaym van Houten 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. DG: Citan Uzuki has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>======================= ==========================<* CHALLENGE - Hotwiring *>=========================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The path ahead ends in a slab of reinforced steel. It's a security door, and it's locked tight by some sort of electronic mechanism. Something stands out on the sterile white wall next to it--several sections of access paneling have been pulled away, revealing the wiring beneath. Was someone performing repairs, or maintainence? Juno's voice echoes over the intercom. He sounds almost surprised. "How odd. I've identified traces of Biomass Subtype M, despite the apparent success of Purifier units during the initial campaign. Megaman Trigger, you were involved in the counter-purge, weren't you?" The wiring connects directly to the door in multiple places. You'll have to figure out how to bypass the locking mechanism and open it. "...But then, you wouldn't remember. How inconvenient. I will devote more bandwidth to the backup download, once this matter is resolved." Was that the sound of a cutting laser, just now? =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia may have thought that this would be a case of 'second verse, same as the first', but that was a bit too optimistic. Turns out that sliding across a slippery surface is a lot more tense when there's a giant arm periodically shooting beams at you, occasionally requiring to duck or otherwise contort one's body to avoid them. Thankfully, traveling as a group and being able to alert each other to each shot before it fires aids in this.
Which isn't to say it isn't still a very harrowing, stressful ride the entire time. After the slide ends, Xantia makes for the nearest open door, beckoning the others to follow. It can't be exactly assumed that they'll be safe there, but at least it allows for a short moment to catch their breath.
When Xantia catches hers, she suggests, "We can't stay in these big long hallways, we'll be sitting ducks!" This has her so stressed out, she doesn't even notice the rare occurance of her getting an expression right. And to Emeralda, she can only only add, "So it only cares about other machines... makes sense, I mean, if we're just 'biomass'..."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
It's not the most pleasant of experiences. If the last time had been a rush through the doors... this time, it's a harrowing attempt at personal bodily integrity along with a rush to the other side.
"Whew... that was a little too close," Citan asserts, taking a moment to catch his breath, then readjust his glasses. "Now, it seems we only need to get through..."
He regards the door. He regards it carefully, particularly the exposed access panel next to it. "...Hmm," Citan muses, rubbing at his chin.
This is where Juno chimes in.
"...Biomass Subtype M..." Citan muses, bowing his head as he appears to mull it over. Whatever conclusion he comes to, it prompts him to frown, if briefly. "..." He shakes his head, as if to set that particular consideration to the side. "...We will need to get through through this door." Quickly, if he's to be any judge.
Approaching it, he sizes up the gap, then retrieves from within its protective casing the undamaged camera. He quickly takes a shot, apparently using the flash to illuminate the space around the wires. "Aha! Just as I thought. ...Unfortunately, I am without my toolkit. Fei, Elly, Xantia, Emeralda, might any of you have something I would be able to use? From the look of the arrangement, the red wire should permit us to bypass the key we would otherwise require."
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Strauss Camera toward his party's challenge, Hotwiring.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei smiles. "Yeah... you're right there." NO TIME TO RUFFLE THE HAIR thankfully, this fantasy robot cowboy world is suddenly becoming extra sci fi after all. It's always bad when the robot sci fi world starts leaning on the sci fi part.
He quirks his head at Xantia and... he decides to not point out the strangeness of it because really it's not so strange anymore from Xantia. Sometimes she says strange things.
"Oh sure I have some stuff." Fei slows to open up his bag of artist's supplies. He offers Citan the following:
1x Compass (for drawing circles, not a compass compass)
1x Protractor
2x pencils, one colored
1x flashlight
6x paintbrushes
Manyx pieces of paper.
10x Varieties of paints wrapped in paper.
"Does any of this help?" He asks, his player forcing Citan to think about what to do with it all. How cruel.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Artist's Toolkit toward his party's challenge, Hotwiring.
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
Emeralda keeps pace with Elly, though in a significantly less fishing-related manner. She picks herself up from the ground when she's behind the arm - not that the arm can't move, of course, but that's why she ducks around a corner before it fires again.
"I don't think I like him very much," Emeralda confides in Xantia, as she trots up. "I don't know what he wants! But that's what he said."
Pause.
"What's a Subtype M?" Emeralda looks at Elly as if she could explain it, because - well, she explained biomass in general, surely she knows what a type M is. Then she turns aside, standing on tiptoe to try to see what Citan is doing.
"Oh, I can reach it! Am I supposed to cut it or touch it or..." Emeralda reaches into the little gap, stretching and twisting her fingers in a manner that looks completely boneless. She manages to poke one of the wires while she does it and recoils slightly because it shocked her - not enough to do any damage but enough to startle her.
But with direction (and maybe Fei's flashlight or something) she can probably help! Right?
DG: Emeralda Kasim has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Hotwiring.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Biomass Subtype M. Elly worries for Emeralda even more now.
She is breathing a little heavily, and so she does not offer many words. There is not a lot of encouraging stuff to be said right now. At Citan's request, Elly reaches into her already compromised fishing pouch, takes out a professional grade reel...
And breaks it open (this seems to be a deliberately designed mechanism) before offering it to Citan. It is, at least, a fine precision mechanism - it would be hard to do better on the surface, and Elly has kept it well.
"Something that lived... I don't know what it's referring to. I know that most 'purges' aren't completely successful..."
DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Hotwiring.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia can't help but chuckle at Emeralda's judgment of Megaman Juno. "People who want to disintegrate your friends aren't people you should want to be friends with, I'm pretty sure about that."
She tenses up when she hears Juno's voice again, expecting another wall is going to get knocked down in short order. Not this time. "...Is it talking to itself?" She hopes so, because what she's hearing doesn't make any sense to her. She's mainly just glad that the beams aren't happening anymore. She takes a guess as to the reason: "It stopped shooting... maybe there's something important here?"
Removing the claw from her hand for now, she steps closer to the door that Citan is examining, rapping her knuckles on the metal. It's probably not a surprise where her thought pattern goes. "It's probably going to take a while to punch this down." She'd be fine with trying anyway, of course, but she realizes that faster options are better options right now.
Citan has hopefully found one of those. Peeking curiously over the doctor's shoulder, she briefly examines this mechanism on the off chance that it might be one of those random things she knows about without realizing, but no luck. Then she is asked for anything that Citan might be able to use. "Not unless you want to smash it," is her immediate response. That's the only kind of tools she tends to carry.
She does have an idea, however. She extends a hand over Citan's shoulder, and a stream of soft light begins to flow out, coalescing in her palm. Holding the orb of light in place, she attempts to make it easier for Citan to see the mechanism's workings. "Does this help?"
DG: Xantia has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Hotwiring.
=======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>======================= ==========================<* CHALLENGE - Hotwiring *>=========================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The path ahead ends in a slab of reinforced steel. It's a security door, and it's locked tight by some sort of electronic mechanism. Something stands out on the sterile white wall next to it--several sections of access paneling have been pulled away, revealing the wiring beneath. Was someone performing repairs, or maintainence? Juno's voice echoes over the intercom. He sounds almost surprised. "How odd. I've identified traces of Biomass Subtype M, despite the apparent success of Purifier units during the initial campaign. Megaman Trigger, you were involved in the counter-purge, weren't you?" The wiring connects directly to the door in multiple places. You'll have to figure out how to bypass the locking mechanism and open it. "...But then, you wouldn't remember. How inconvenient. I will devote more bandwidth to the backup download, once this matter is resolved." Was that the sound of a cutting laser, just now? =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
==================<* Flight Through the Main Gate - Round 3 *>================== ============================< Results - Hotwiring >============================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elhaym van Houten 20 --(8)--> 28 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emeralda Kasim 20 --(8)--> 28 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xantia 20 --(8)--> 28 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 20 --(8)--> 28 Pass Strauss Camera 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fei Fong Wong 20 --(8)--> 28 Fail Artist's Toolkit 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Elhaym van Houten 50 --(20)--> 70 Pass Conditions: Stupify(2) Effects: Enlighten(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Elhaym van Houten 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> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Whatever he does think about 'subtype M', he does not say, save to remark to Elly, "'Subtype' would indicate that he is speaking of some smaller set of the larger population. Which greater population or subset thereof he is referring to, however... I cannot say. Thank you, Elly," he adds, taking the mechanism from her.
He has his pick of choices when it comes to the contents of Fei's kit, which may make it a little odd when he selects the waxed paper from around the paints specifically, after a moment's thought. "This will do, I think," he says. "Thank you."
This is when Xantia opts to shine a light on the situation. "--Yes, that will do nicely," says the doctor, who begins to reach into the guts of the wall with the waxed paper--
Emeralda gets there first. "Actually, if you could pull out this wire for me," he says, indicating a different one. "Try not to touch this one," he says, before grasping it with the waxed paper.
It takes a little doing, and the help of the mechanism from Elly's kit. But he's able to take both of the wires and connect them, which--
The door slides open. "There!" declares the doctor. "Now, let us hurry!"
DG: Emeralda Kasim has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>======================= =================<* CHALLENGE - Distraction Urgently Needed *>================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Your path through the Gate has taken you to a large chamber lined with viewscreens and terminals. No sooner have you entered than the door slams shut, trapping you inside. Juno's smiling face appears on every screen, looking down at you from a dozen different angles. "This Biomass cluster has been successfully isolated. Now, for the next priority..." The terminals are all active, and those who can read Zeboim can identify a particular highlight on each of them--they're being accessed remotely by the Chief Administrator. Not all of the text is in that language, though--and either way, it's clear Juno's paying attention to what this system is doing. If you're clever, lucky, or well-equipped, it might be possible to feed Juno false information, or otherwise distract him. It might just save your comrades' lives. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Suffer==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
Emeralda is happy to help with directions, provided they don't get her shocked again. It startled her!
The door slides open and reveals something that actually isn't a hallway, so they appear to have gotten out of those at least! Instead it opens into a larger room with a lot of screens in it. There is another door, at least. Emeralda, of course, just walks in.
Nothing happens.
Nothing happens, that is, until everyone is inside, when all the doors slam shut, and the screens switch from showing nothing or text to Juno. "This Biomass cluster has been successfully isolated. Now, for the next priority..."
"Eh?" Emeralda asks, a startled sound. She looks at the closest of the terminals, then slides one over to one that is in Zeboim. "Hey! Someone's accessing this one! Chief Administrator..." Emeralda stares at it for a moment. Then she does two things in a row.
One, she hits some keys on the keyboard. It is probably not clear what she typed because it didn't display on the screen and she was typing in Zeboim anyway. And two, she goes a few terminals over to one with a camera... and makes a face at it, hooking her fingers in the sides of her mouth and tugging before sticking her tongue out.
"Nyeh! I'm not biomass! Go to a different room! I think you're a big butt! <Your hands are stupid!>"
Emeralda is... well, she's probably getting Juno's attention, at least, if anyone wants to sneak past her and try messing with the door(s), or otherwise do things unnoticed.
DG: Emeralda Kasim has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Distraction Urgently Needed.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Screens! A room full of screens! Elly looks around with concern and, like a truly evolved being, immediately smashes a stray monitor with her iron staff.
It accomplishes nothing.
"Chief administrator?" Elly says, looking over her shoulders. She blinks as Emeralda works the ancient keyboard. She shares a glance with Fei as Emeralda refers to Juno as "a big butt." But(t) Elly does not have room to dispute this interpretation.
Instead she sidles over to another keyboard and, after putting her iron staff down from an active stage, starts to execute...
... Well, it makes sense to Citan if he knows. Elly is using what she hopes are keyboard shortcuts for cancelling out of or otherwise neutralizing a piece of software that is having difficulties. Though of course most of the software in Solaris has been eroded into liquid smoothness by centuries of debugging, audio and video playback are always finicky beasts.
"Maybe there's a logic core or something we can destroy," Elly says. "If it's using some kind of remote signalling method - Empathite or something... You could have a powerful computer without having to carry it in that Gear frame of a body..."
DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Distraction Urgently Needed.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia closes her fist on the orb of light once Citan finishes, dispersing it into tiny motes. With a happy "Okay!" she follows along into the next room. Which promptly locks them all in, and Juno appears, seemingly considering the lot of them dealt with.
"Wh-- are we trapped?" Xantia wonders aloud, looking around frantically. Not the type to just stand there and do nothing, she runs over to the nearest terminal, even if she has no idea what she could possibly do with it. Just... something, anything. Some memory flashes would sure be helpful right now! Nothing, of course, never when she needs it most. All that leaves her with is the approach of randomly pressing buttons - which does exactly nothing, if nothing else because manual input has been locked out.
Frustrated, Xantia slams her palm down on the terminal, causing some minor damage. It isn't worse damage only because she wasn't actually trying. Then she catches Emeralda's antics at a different terminal. One can see the gears turning in her head, as she's putting together an idea for her own approach.
So Xantia grabs the sides of the nearest screen, giving the smiling face of Megaman Juno displayed on it a defiant look, then rips it out of the wall.
She then turns to the still operational screen next to it. "Hey! Megaman Juno, right? I see you stopped shooting. So there's probably something in here you don't want to be broken. Here's the thing - if I'm trapped somewhere, I tend to keep breaking things until I get out." To illustrate her point, she throws the screen in her hands to the floor.
...She isn't trying to make some kind of deal here or anything. She's just honestly stated her intentions. That's not a problem, is it?
DG: Xantia has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Distraction Urgently Needed.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
It seems that there was something of importance behind these doors after all.
That something seems to be a control center of some sort of the site's administrator. "Ah..." His gaze moves from terminal to terminal, lingering on this or that screen. "So this is a part of his plan... I wonder, can he see us in here...?" He considers what Emeralda is doing, then turns his eyes back to the screens.
A particular scroll of text catches his eye; producing the camera after a moment's consideration of it to see if it returns (it does) he takes a snapshot of it. Resultant photograph in hand, the doctor, without explaining what he's doing to anyone, approaches the terminals.
He watches over Elly's shoulder for a moment as she inputs a string of code. "A good idea," he murmurs. "The system has some similarities to the one we use. However..."
However what?? He doesn't finish his question and instead approaches a different terminal.
This one has a camera. He presents the photograph to it, close enough that only the text can be seen by the camera's eye. Then, after a few moments more and apparent consideration of the best course of action, the doctor's hands fly across the keys.
What it should do is suggest, from the security system, data reporting an immediate catastrophic breach towards the perimeter of the facility. Multiple hostiles sighted. But, of course--
Citan turns his head, glancing over his shoulder as Xantia breaks a screen.
--That depends on if he's right about that optical data processing override flaw being a part of this system as it is in others.
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Strauss Camera toward his party's challenge, Distraction Urgently Needed.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei grins, "Anytime Doc!"
He looks around the large chamber. He squints. "...Zeboim again." He sighs. "...Is it somehow strange to wish that a particular civilization blew up twice instead of just the once?"
Hee looks to Emeralda though and he thinks aloud, "...No. It wasn't all that bad." He tells himself. "It couldn't have been all that bad."
He smiles faintly.
And he takes a paintbrush...
...And he paints a tunnel. And in that tunnel, he paints all his friends runnning through it.
He puts his brush away after and says. "There."
He nods once.
"This plan cannot fail."
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Artist's Toolkit toward his party's challenge, Distraction Urgently Needed.
=======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>======================= =================<* CHALLENGE - Distraction Urgently Needed *>================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Your path through the Gate has taken you to a large chamber lined with viewscreens and terminals. No sooner have you entered than the door slams shut, trapping you inside. Juno's smiling face appears on every screen, looking down at you from a dozen different angles. "This Biomass cluster has been successfully isolated. Now, for the next priority..." The terminals are all active, and those who can read Zeboim can identify a particular highlight on each of them--they're being accessed remotely by the Chief Administrator. Not all of the text is in that language, though--and either way, it's clear Juno's paying attention to what this system is doing. If you're clever, lucky, or well-equipped, it might be possible to feed Juno false information, or otherwise distract him. It might just save your comrades' lives. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Suffer==========================================
==================<* Flight Through the Main Gate - Round 4 *>================== ===================< Results - Distraction Urgently Needed >==================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elhaym van Houten 28 --(30)--> 58 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emeralda Kasim 28 --(30)--> 58 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xantia 28 --(30)--> 58 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 28 --(25)--> 53 Pass Strauss Camera 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fei Fong Wong 28 --(30)--> 58 Fail Artist's Toolkit 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Elhaym van Houten 70 --(10)--> 80 Fail Conditions: Stupify(2)|Suffer(1) Effects: Enlighten(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Elhaym van Houten 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. DG: Elhaym van Houten has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>====================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - What Lies Beneath *>====================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- One of the Main Gate's great secrets lies bare before you--it was built atop something much, much older, something repurposed by whomever constructed the Gate facilities. This chamber is massive, and lined with crystalline circuits that look like they were grown, rather than built. Structures that look like cracked-open geodes sit in front of banks of ancient machinery, which still thrums with power. At the very center of the room is a great gyroscope made of crystal, a gimballed mechanism that presently sits idle. It's slightly different from the ones you've seen before, but this is clearly an Elw teleporter. Activating it is your only chance to escape Juno and his hordes. "The Biomass infection has penetrated the deployment level. Megaman Trigger, I order you to divert there and purge them at once. Additional units are en route to assist." Get it working again, and hurry! =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
Emeralda is here to distract Juno in the most immature way possible. She's allowed to be immature.
It doesn't work very well.
Elly's keystrokes cause one of the terminals to flash a warning that comes up in a language that isn't Zeboim, isn't the common language, and isn't Solarian, which knocks off all the easy guesses. It is unclear if the warning is for her or the computer.
Xantia breaks a screen. This does not cause Juno to react any more than Fei's painting does (even once a camera gets pointed at the painting so he can actually see it. Whether it's because Juno is only paying partial attention to this room (there are a lot of Drifters in here right now) or because he is at least as clever as a Road Runner is hard to tell, especially because he smiles like that ALL THE TIME.
But something Citan does triggers an automatic reaction. Several of the screens near him flash yellow and red warnings - and though the doors don't immediately open, they do unlock with a pair of click-clacks as the magnetic locks disengage. Several of the other screens blare alerts, too.
Perhaps they can get out, because of Citan's country doctor hacking. Doctors can do that, right? Right.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Through the door and into...
Well, at least it makes sense that the control room was near this place.
Elly's face erupts in delight. She hugs Xantia, who by random chance is the nearest person to her. "It's an Elw teleporter!!!! That must be what they were after all this time--!! How many of them must there BE on all of Filgaia!! Fei, Doctor, Emeralda, we - we can get out of here!!"
EXCEPT,
"If it starts working," Elly says.
A heartbeat passes. The Elw teleporter does not obligingly erupt to life and offer them the hope of escape.
Elly's hands come up to clutch at her chin, mouth hidden by her curled-up fingers. "Oh no!"
DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, What Lies Beneath.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Somehow, in all these countless years, certain security flaws never have been fixed, it seems. Or maybe no one even noticed before him...
As the alarms start to go off, Citan exhales a breath, then turns to the others. "We must hurry!"
It's through the door, then, and into--
"Is that--"
'An Elw teleporter!'
"--So it is! That explains why this system was here -- to protect it!"
(and possible a few other things, of which the doctor will not speculate here)
"But.."
There's a pause as he lingers here. "Is it not functioning?" He glances sharply to the side, at the sound of Juno's voice. "--No, we have no time!" He breaks for the mechanism, kneeling downbeside it.
But, hadn't he said before that he...
"...You have really done it this time, Doctor Uzuki," he mutters, frowning at the mechanism. "Here, without even a screwdriver or hammer to your name...!"
Still, there are ways--
He places a hand on the mechanism and holds his breath once again.
--of jumpstarting a recalcitrant machine.
If there's the smell of ozone in here, surely it's just their imagination.
DG: Citan Uzuki has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, What Lies Beneath.
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
Emeralda didn't even realize the door was open. She was busy making faces. Fortunately, once she realizes the others are leaving through it, she follows, hustling through.
"Oh! It's a teleporter?" Emeralda didn't recognize it - she's only seen one before and it didn't look quite like this, but parts of it do, and if Elly and Citan think it is, well, that's good enough for her.
Emeralda looks at it when it fails to do anything. "Is it broken?" she asks, walking towards it. "This is a gyroscope, right? It looks like the one in the Crescens. But it doesn't spin at all." Emeralda reaches out, attempting to jump-start the gimballed gyroscope - by giving it a quick push, trying to spin it like a kid with a globe.
It's big, though, so she uses both hands. It isn't going to move with just one. She's not *that* strong.
DG: Emeralda Kasim has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, What Lies Beneath.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"I don't think Megaman Trigger is listening." Fei says. "But I'm not so sure about whatever else he might be thinking about!"
He isn't sure how a PAINTBRUSH is going to help here...
And to be frank, this is beyond what even the smart past lives of Fei can handle. But he was around when Lucia activated the first one.
"I think... I remember how Lucia did it." He thinks. "No it's a bit different..."
He shakes his head. "But the rules should be the same, about, right? I'll try going off what she did the first time!"
He gets to work sketching out what he remembers on a piece of paper before getting to work.
"Wait is this how Solaris keeps jumping from world to world?" He wonders aloud. "Maybe they're controlling other gates just like this one." He glaances to Citan. "That sounds like it could be right... Right?"
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Artist's Toolkit toward his party's challenge, What Lies Beneath.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
For the record, Xantia totally was going to start breaking more things in the room unless convinced otherwise. Even if it didn't help, it would have made her feel better. And if that didn't open the door, one way or another, she'd just have to try smashing it directly until that ends up working. Violence is always a valid answer eventually!
Thankfully it doesn't have to get to that point. The door opens, and Xantia doesn't know or particularly care to know who or what was ultimately responsible for this. She wastes no time in getting out of there. "Phew, glad that worked!" Whatever 'that' was.
Shortly thereafter she is hugged by Elly out of nowhere, which is not unpleasant but is surprising, causing her to let out a 'wah!' and flail a little. When the reason for this is made clear, her face lights up, and she promptly returns the hug. "You're right, you're right, that is one of those!"
The hug is broken awkwardly as Elly realizes the problem in its activation... and Xantia realizes the consequences of using this. They'll be able to escape, yes... but they'll leave Filgaia again. She's made it pretty clear how she feels about being away from Filgaia. Those feelings are strong enough that part of her is seriously considering staying behind, regardless of the present circumstances. Even partially because of them. After all... what is Megaman Juno going to do to Filgaia while they're not around to stop it?
She doesn't voice her concerns, even if the fact that she's concerned is evident from just looking at her. There's no real choice in the end, anyway. This is her family. She can't leave them behind, or let them go without her. Where they go, she goes. That supercedes everything else.
...She hadn't even considered that it might not work, if her incredulous expression is any indication. "Whaaat?" She steps closer to the machinery, as if to examine it. Not that she knows what to look for, exactly, she has no clue how any of it works. She tries her best to think back to the previous teleporters.
"We just have to... put crystals in place, right? That's how it works! But, it looks all different..."
She hesitates to touch anything, for fear of breaking it. But she can't just... not do anything. She watches Emeralda, and thinks aloud, "Maybe it just needs some energy to work?"
She silently places a hand on a stationary part of the mechanism. She doesn't appear to be doing anything. But her Ether is known to be capable of affecting things on the inside. She might unknowingly be trying something similar to what Citan is attempting.
DG: Xantia has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, What Lies Beneath.
======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>====================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - What Lies Beneath *>====================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- One of the Main Gate's great secrets lies bare before you--it was built atop something much, much older, something repurposed by whomever constructed the Gate facilities. This chamber is massive, and lined with crystalline circuits that look like they were grown, rather than built. Structures that look like cracked-open geodes sit in front of banks of ancient machinery, which still thrums with power. At the very center of the room is a great gyroscope made of crystal, a gimballed mechanism that presently sits idle. It's slightly different from the ones you've seen before, but this is clearly an Elw teleporter. Activating it is your only chance to escape Juno and his hordes. "The Biomass infection has penetrated the deployment level. Megaman Trigger, I order you to divert there and purge them at once. Additional units are en route to assist." Get it working again, and hurry! =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
=================<* Flight Through the Main Gate - Round 5 *>================= =======================< Results - What Lies Beneath >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elhaym van Houten 58 --(101)--> 159 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Emeralda Kasim 58 --(101)--> 159 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Xantia 58 --(101)--> 159 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Citan Uzuki 53 --(101)--> 154 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 58 --(101)--> 159 Pass Artist's Toolkit 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Elhaym van Houten 80 --(10)--> 90 Fail Conditions: Stupify(2) Effects: Enlighten(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: Elhaym van Houten is too exhausted to continue! DG: Emeralda Kasim is too exhausted to continue! DG: Xantia is too exhausted to continue! DG: Citan Uzuki is too exhausted to continue! DG: Fei Fong Wong is too exhausted to continue! DG: The party has failed this challenge! All party members are now Exhausted. This attempt is over. DG: The party led by Elhaym van Houten has been fully Exhausted by Flight Through the Main Gate! DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
======================<* Flight Through the Main Gate *>====================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - A Close Shave *>======================== |Type: Landmark |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Rebooting an ancient Elw system is not an easy task under good conditions, and your present conditions couldn't even be called "acceptable". It takes all your skill, and a little luck, but somehow, you manage to pull it off. Blue ley-light arcs through the crystalline wiring, slowly collecting in the gimballed machine in the room's center. The glow brightens, little by little, as the energy collects. You've done your part--all you need to do is wait for the others to do the same. As you wait, Juno speaks over the intercom. "The Biomass infection has activated the deployment mechanism." Is it just your imagination, or is there a faint hint of anger in his voice? "Megaman Trigger, I order you to purge every last one of them. Whether or not you remember your duty is irrelevant--there is far too much at stake for you to do otherwise. Please, Trigger. I'm sorry for any distress this causes you, but it is misplaced. If Mother becomes aware--" The light erupts in a brilliant flash. Concentric rings of Elw glyphs encircle each of you, and the world around you vanishes. To some, the sensation of long-distance teleportation may be familiar, but to others, it may be strange and frightening--a sense of aimless vertigo, and a lack of other sensory input. Then, another flash, and reality comes pouring back. There's sand beneath your feet, and smoke hangs thick in the air. Screams and gunfire echo in the distance. Where are you, and what the hell is happening? =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly knows how to help people. She does that. In this case by being a pair of trained hands.
She focuses on this ask. This task. "It does look like one, yes," Elly says to Emeralda. "If I had to guess, it's meant to help stabilize the... ... the -Rainbow Webway-," Elly say to Emeralda, which doesn't mean anything because it's a term from a cartoon generated on a computer that she watched when she was an idiot child. But it is the closest thing Elly ever saw to an Elw Teleporter, and secretly, she has always thought of the teleporters in these terms.
"To make it so you can move between planets, since Filgaia and Lunar are both moving around a common point, and also around our star -- to say nothing of the other planets -"
Xantia provides power. Fei draws on his memories with Lucia.
"I... They have to be recent discoveries even for Solaris," Elly says. "The Tzadkiel never heard anything back from the home country. We thought they might send us parts on a rocket or something. They must have realized what was going on - Gebler must have seized some facility we never found, and they've been able to use that one... even if it was in a weird place on Lunar, they could use their flight technology to - ah!"
The light begins to glow abruptly as Fei moves one crystal almost thoughtlessly and a connection between his crystal and Xantia's power pours into it. Emeralda finds that resistance disappears. She gives the thing a spin as it warms up and Elw glyphs begin to form, even as Juno exhorts "Megaman Trigger," and -
then -
- speed, infinite stillness -
- it's longer than you think but far from forever, just a lurking instant but -
Flash!
Something goes bang in the distance. "-- Aveh?" Elly guesses, looking around. "But -- the sand's not the same color..."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"It is... possible," Citan offers to Fei, in those moments before the situation reveals itself to be even more dire than it had already seemed. "This one, however, does not seem to have been in use. Perhaps--"
Then, a craftsman without tools, he'd moved to do what he could, regardless.
"--No good! This blasted thing!" utters the doctor, shaking his head as he scrambles to his feet. "Fei--"
A pause, as the whole mechanism begins to glow. "...What in the world did you--"
And after that there's a sensation of speed, of motion.
Of crossing seven leagues in one step.
Something explodes in the distance, and not far off. "What is... oh," Citan starts to say, his gaze focusing on a distant point. There are screams, not far off. They've landed near enough to a battle, somewhere else!
"'From the frying pan and into the fire'...! Hurry, we must not stand about!"
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
Emeralda relearns something all over again:
She does not like the sensation of long-distance teleporting.
Emeralda has stumbled and has to pick herself up out of the sand. She really, *really* wants a nap now. ...but she still forces herself up to her feet, one more time. "The sand doesn't taste like Aveh's," she says to Elly, which probably raises more questions than it answers. "Let's go!!"
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia closes her eyes as she pours her Ether into the Elw machinery. As she does, she can feel its inner workings, as clearly as if she were touching it directly with her fingers. But she doesn't know what any of it is for, so she leaves it alone, not trying to directly manipulate anything. She does nothing but provide raw energy, it's all she feels comfortable doing. Providing power can't hurt, or so she hopes. It just needs the right push to tap into it. But what could that be?
Her eyes fly open as the machinery abruptly springs to life. Xantia quickly backs away from it, not sure if it was something she did, or if this is a good or bad thing that's happening. She turns when she hears Citan's voice. Was it Fei who--
Before she full well realizes, she experiences a strange sensation. Ah... then they've succeeded somehow. It's working. They're being sent elsewhere, again. She can't help but have mixed feelings... but it's all moot now. They've escaped, at the very least.
The party arrives to the sound of explosions. Xantia seems strangely calm about this. She doesn't know where exactly they ended up, but that's not the important thing to her, nor is whatever is happening here. The aspect that matters most, she realizes to be true, right away.
"...Well, we know how this usually goes," Xantia states, in a resigned tone of voice. "Wherever we are, we're not on Filgaia anymore."