Wait, she is?! What was she even doing in the MITHRA in the first place?!
Well, you see, there's only one thing someone of her comparatively modest intellect and even more comparatively gifted strength would be doing at a place of scholars and researchers like this: Good Ol' Manual Labor!
Because for as intellectually advanced the MIT are, there are always heavy stuff to be moved places. And whoo-wee, did they wrung the snot out of the tigress, so much that she had just barely made her way to the general area before logging out for the day.
As she logged back in, she expected to just make a small scene, maybe startle one researcher or two as she made her way out of the building. Instead, she had barely materialized before a panicked MIT worker ran into her as they tried to escape the carnage. Of course, that was tantamount to running into a brick wall, though Harper wouldn't even have the chance to help them out as they quickly scrambled around the beastkin and continued to flee.
Turning around to face the main direction they were fleeing from, Harper closed her eyes as the feline ears atop her head tried to focus down the source. MIT was a big place, and she was bound to get lost very quickly if she just ran into the mayhem. With what she thought was the focus point of the chaos noted down, she took a deep breath before running deeper into the complex.
--
Screaming. Explosions. Destruction. It was one thing to try and focus on a single thing when she was outside of the eye of the metaphorical storm, but she was quickly getting disorientated, her enhancing hearing being as much of a hinderance as it was an ally at this point. Not like the fleeing scientists were going to be of much help either.
"Gods... This place is a goddamn maze! Most of the paths deeper in aren't usable eith-"
Then, the sound of metal bursting through the air and flesh alike struck her ears like a goddamn firecracker, instantly dampening her attention from everything else.
How could she forget, after all?
She knew Szo was here, and she knew what she just heard was just the start of what she could do. There was no time to even think about how to proceed. She didn't how many people currently inside of MIT could even hope to survive for a few moments against Szofrit besides her, but she knew she, of all people, had to take action.
She remembered her choices that day. Any blood spilt by the Mother of Machines was also spilt by her hands.
--
Whatever path took her deeper into MIT, it was taken. And if there was none left, her bare hands would make more. Whatever structural integrit complaints levied her way after this would be mere scratches compared to what Szofrit could do outside of this place. The realization of her actions wasn't lost on her either: Facing Szofrit without a whole army was tantamount to suicide.
But hey, she did still have her D-Card. No way better to cash it than by making things right.
Eventually she would quite literally crash into the room with the others. Thankfully, she was not the only one here, and quite a few familiar faces to boot. One, in particular, caught her attention for a moment.
"...Fiora."
The elf friend to her magia friend, caught in a clash with one of her comrades from Calculator.
"My b. I'll get working on keeping that promise of ours."
And with no other words spoken, she took to the walls, kicking her way out of them to go above and around @MAI 's matrix before using the very ceiling of the chamber as a launching pad, coming down like a rocket with bad intentions as she swung her leg down towards Szofrit's cranium, coming down with enough force to shatter the solid floor under them like sugar glass on impact.
"Hey blondie, keep that up! I'm borrowing you! "Oowww, what the fu—?!"
Startled apprehension slowly shifted into understanding as she felt the younger girl’s magic mix with her own, enabling the once erratic energy from the egg to flow outwards evenly now… and also solving a problem Lúthien hadn’t even thought about until then. "Y’know, I don’t e-envy your folks…" The need to scratch her scalp drastically increased with every moment that passed, the vibrant sunkissed strands growing at an alarming rate as @Imoogi channeled the excess energy to them and her nails.
Lúthien wasn’t sure if reptilian beastfolk like Imoogi had to shed their skin too, but if they did the elf could only assume it felt even worse than this.
She’d almost forgotten about the two scientists in the room, reminded quickly of Accelerator’s existence when the man moved closer to the egg. Crimson eyes watched him warily, the whistle still heavily undecided of what to think about either man in the room, before they widened in surprise upon seeing his hands phase right through the golden egg shell.
"What are y—hnng!" Her concentration suffered for a moment, causing the elf to wince from the magical backlash her momentary slip produced, before she managed to steady it once more. "W-What are you doing?"
Despite the bark in her words there was little Lúthien could do to stop him if she’d wanted to, not when her own hands were already quite full—and whatever Accelerator was currently up to wasn’t making things easier for the blonde. "I swear on the Alf-father, if you hurt Emm…!" There wasn’t time to finish her threat as another wave of energy pulsed outwards, the ranger gritting her teeth as she forced herself to bear the brunt of it to keep the connection to the egg stable.
He finally began to pull his arms back, the source of the egg’s glow slowly moving with his motions towards the edge of the shell, before a tiny bundle phased through and surprised them all.
A miracle… It was a word she used sparingly even in the real world, but it was the first thought that came to mind as Lúthien gazed towards the small baby now held in Accelerator’s hands. A myriad of questions shone in her eyes as she gazed from the newborn Emmy to the golden umbilical cord still attached to her and then finally, to the blue-haired man that Ordnung had also referred to as a miracle not that long ago.
Just what the hell was he—"!!!"
She felt the mood in the room shift just as the baby let out their first wail, barely catching the movement of figures from the corners of her eyes as some of the MIT and Starcalled present in the room rushed towards Accelerator and the babe in his arms. "Look out—!!!" Her own limbs felt slow and heavy, the fatigue from channeling so much magical energy that wasn’t her own catching up to them quickly, with her voice being the only thing willing to listen to her orders as she cried out towards Accelerator.
Her own cry died in her throat as the nightmarish scene she dreaded did not come to pass, replaced instead by the equally unexpected sight of Ordnung as he shielded both man and baby against the deadly attacks aimed for them both.
The day really was full of miracles…
"The fuck is wrong with all of you?!" She wasn’t sure since when or why, but it was clear a concerning amount of those currently present in the room seemed hellbent on murdering a tiny and frail baby—and Lúthien wasn’t about to let that happen, not while she was around to protect Emmy.
The gloves that usually covered her hands were discarded, relief flooding her as the nails that had grown longer inside of them were no longer forced to fight against the sturdy fabric, before the elf gathered as much of the overflowing magic that still remained within her and willed it for her own. There was little time to focus on the shouting and reverberations coming from to chambers down, whatever was going on in the room with Szofrit was currently not her concern.
She forced her worries over @Yugam, @Lune, @Ronja, and even @Fiora down—aware that there was nothing she could do for them right now, much less when her safety and that of those around Lúthien was at risk. She ignored the throbbing ache that threatened to split her head as she weaved her astral energy into the chaotic excess, a strong gale fluttering into the room before circling tightly around Accelerator, Ordnung, Imoogi, and herself.
It’d be harder for others to target them if they couldn’t get proper visuals on the small group, though it also made it hard to figure out what was going on past the whirlwind even when a stain of crimson splattered through it and stained a side of her clothes. "I have no clue if this is gonna work, so don’t fucking move." Her orders were directed at the head of MIT, direct and earnest as the elf placed her hands against the man’s back and as close as she could to the wounds that threatened his life.
There was no doubt that he was strong, even with her heightened senses Lúthien had been unable to react in time when the assassins had aimed for Emmy and Accelerator. If the elf hoped to get out of here with the baby alive then they’d need all the help they could get—and that included him.
She’d only tried this once before, within a nightmareish dream Lúthien would’ve preferred to never remember, but if it had worked then… perhaps it would work now too. She strained against her limitations, ignoring the nosebleed that began as a hum quietly slipped through her lips—careful as she pushed the energy into Ordnung, seeking to mend his wounds while slowly pushing out the glowing spear tips that skewered the man.
Hopefully this day still had a couple of miracles left in its bag for them.
Using the gathered energy from the egg and manipulating it with Astramancy + Aeromancy to create a magical whirling around Accelerator, Ordnung, the baby, Imoogi, and Lúthien that will hopefully hinder the visibility of any assassin remaining, while hoping to channel some of the leftover magic to heal the most critical wounds in Ordnung.
Explorer's League
En route to S̵̯̙̾͒z̴̨̘̖͍͓̱̥̏͠ơ̶̼̈̑͛̄̉͛f̶̙̟̻̝̔̇͑̍r̵͉̩̫̪̱͉̍͆̏̿i̸̡̼͈̭̯̻̜̎̀̋͠t̶̠͚̳̜̰͂͊̂́
Well, it was safe to consider their efforts an utter failure, Yugam thought as his vision began to flash red, and Levi began to shout for several others to take Szofrit out, Lune and Fio among them. 'What am I? Chopped liver?' the Huntsman grumbled inwardly as he returned his revolvers to their holsters.
There were only moments. Moments to get those foolish scientists out of the way. Moments to shield Luthien and the egg. Moments to reduce Szofrit back down to nuts, bolts and lubricants. A faint smile tilted the corners of Yugam's lips upwards as he lifted his arms, a torrent of blood pooling at his feet, pushing him into the air.
'Hey. Don't be too mad at me when I wake up, huh?' Yugam had no idea if the elf could hear his thoughts the way she could project hers into his, but it was worth the shot given what he was about to do.
The sleeves of Yugam's jacket shredded themselves as blood shot from his forearms in all directions. The droplets froze and pooled in the air as the earth beneath the scientist's feet rumbled, skeletal and decaying hands erupting from beneath them to pull them beneath the ground, to momentary safety as as the others launched their own attacks.
The tide of blood around Yugam expanded, froze and crystallized into a wall stretching from wall to wall. Floor to ceiling impenetrable by kinetic attacks, and designed to reflect energy based attacks. Or at least he hoped it would. It was hard to focus on so many things at once. Defense, pulling the scientists out of the way. The undead crawling from their graves, lending him their sword, spears, axes. Was that their faces in the crimson crystal he saw, floating in the space between himself and Szofrit as he prepared attacks of his own, shards of pointed blood-glass aimed at the Magia's throat.
"Ready for this, Unmei?" Yugam found himself whispering, that devil-may-care grin playing at his lips like always. No answer came, no voice in his head. Just the brush of fingers against his cheek, a phantom touch so gentle, Yugam wasn't sure they'd been real.
The sword materialized in the air before Yugam, the sprays of blood chaining him, hanging him from the crystal discs, spears and walls. Its ebony hilt angled itself, towards the Huntsman, as if to beseech him 'wield me'. The crystalline chains creaked as Yugam reached out and grasped the black hilt.
All her own, Unmei launched herself forward, dragging Yugam behind her, her piecing point aimed right at Szofrit's throat as the crystal spears, rusted swords and axes chased after them, the angels of the Dead.
Miracles... People often misunderstood them, whether they be a person, an object, or a circumstance.
Rael, too, had wielded a miracle once. Watched it imbue her with energy untold, strange whisperings of secret that ultimately led to her outcome of choice.
At her feet lay the mangled corpses of dozens of others. The price sacrificed to manifest her miracle. Assassins, fellow starcalled, landers. It mattered not, and it weighed little on her mind when her own penance had already been paid, as the scarring coiled cleanly around her neck would so often remind.
The Guardian breathed heavily from its place at her side, falling down to one knee as he leaned on his sword. The attacks of others that would've found their way to his Summoner had pierced and slashed through him instead, but he would not bleed.
As the ringing in her ears grew louder to the song of steel and the razor-sharp winds blowing around them, she wondered, as the Storyteller, what would be the sacrifice given for all the miracles invoked that day.
Whether people were ready to pay the price for their wishes or not, mattered little. The ability to see one's resolve through was not for the faint of heart.
Her eyes lowered to the leader of the MIT whose blood pooled underneath him now, even under the blonde's endless stream of magical ministrations. She knew him not, and thus spared for him no more than a hope that death came to him painless and quick. His would be the name of the first sacrifice offered up to an unknown victory.
In the eye of the hurricane brought about by the blonde elf, she turned to the man who held an infant in his hands, flecks of skin gone from his interaction with energies beyond his control. His existence called a miracle. "An unmoving target is a dead one."
Unceremoniously, Rael did away with the only form of restraint yet binding, to her knowledge, Accelerator where he stood. A flicker of magic saw the Seamstress' scissors, an immaculate silver with golden engravings, form in her hands, which she promptly used to cut the umbilical cord yet tying the baby to the golden egg.
Beyond their chamber, the Mother of Machines raged, and their last line of defense waged war against her wordless wrath. Fire and blood lingered in the air, the stench of death pungent. If she could not talk, if she would not talk, she could not be reasoned with in spite of her every hope against the contrary.
To navigate a battlefield with so fragile a creature in hand was not an option.
Here was something they could do something about.
"She does not understand... The facility is collapsing, with us in it." Rael warned as the glint of steel flashed from beyond the rift of the whirling winds, a hand falling upon Accelerator's shoulder as magic washed through him to momentarily alleviate the self-inflicted pain. Along with it, feathery wings that would sprout on his feet as well as her own, to carry them far away.
A glance at Luthien, continuing to channel her magic, keeping them safe. "More people are coming. If we do not move, your magic will give, and this will be for nothing."
Miracles are not for the faint of heart.
You will gain nothing if you are unwilling to sacrifice anything.
Choose - the baby, or the man you are healing.
"We need to go. Keep the defenses up, I'll see we remain on our feet. MOVE!"
Cuts the baby's umbilical cord.
Using supportive magic to boost people's speed so they can escort Accelerator and the baby out to safety. Commanding people to move before there is a total collapse.
Szofrit
+25 HP from Elevator Music
+25 (Flat) to Nature Magic MA
Despite her best attempts it became apparent that Szofrit would not be held: alongside everyone else Mizuki was forced back as the Mother of Machines woke up, pushing through all the restraints they'd placed on her and immediately preparing to unleash an attack which would wipe them all out... especially the researchers who threw themselves at the magia boss in a vain attempt to protect her.
It was rather curious that they'd go that far to try and keep her alive: Mizuki herself had opted to spare her because she thought Szofrit could be useful, but did these researchers have that much confidence in that possibility that they'd stake their lives on it? Or, well, one of their lives: for Starcalled death was still far from pleasant, but at least they could return from it and try to make the best of the scars left on body and soul.
But there was no time to ponder that: Mizuki's treant arms had been ripped apart by Szofrit before, so now the wildling was covering her entire body in a thick layer of tough bark even as she dashed to try and evade Szofrit's attack. She'd done her best to keep the Mother of Machines alive, but by this point it didn't look like it was feasible any longer.
Well, that's what happened when you bet on a long shot. Chances are, you'd have to accept the consequences, and in this case it meant that they had to put Mother of Machines down before she escaped and started another crisis.
At least, that was the idea... until the shards all missed everyone in the room, and @MAI was erecting a barrier to try and keep Szofrit alive. The researchers were one thing, but if the resident magitech expert also was still trying for the impossible...
Mizuki's treant arm formed once more, reaching towards Szofrit even as all the others were preparing to cut the synthetic queen down. Truth be told, she really should be going for a lethal strike here... but the researchers and MAI had made her curious, and a split second decision had her decide to try something else.
Granted, even if it was a split second decision quite a lot of thought had gone into it, memories flashing through her mind as her clawed paws sought purchase on the scarred metal floor while her large wooden fingers wrapped around Szofrit. Even when the Mother of Machines was at her absolute worst she'd refused to attack the golden egg, going so far as to leave anyone who was too close to the egg alone, even if that ended up leading to her own defeat.
If nothing else, that meant that Szofrit was at her most vulnerable when the egg was in play.
Gritting her fangs Mizuki tensed, her grip on Szofrit tightening before she heaved with all her might. Not to harm or incapacitate, but rather to force the Mother of Machines to move... most likely in the exact direction that she wanted to be moved.
Straight at the golden egg, and the child that had recently emerged from it thanks to Accelerator's intervention.
Imoogi's didn't give Accelerator much thought when he approached the egg - at least, not until he proceed to stick his arm into it and pull out a whole baby.
And then came the storm.
Krrk! Krrk!
Imoogi pulled away from @Luthien, but her fangs didn't come with her. She tongued the empty gaps already burning with the fresh growth of a new pair.
"What the fuck???" The energy she'd drawn through Luthien still coursed through her, bleeding slower now that she was no longer actively manipulating it. She was antsy, ready to spend that energy - and the moment the suggestion of assassins and escape was proposed, she latched onto it immediately.
Now this was the sort of excitement she lived for!
Imoogi drew a flask from her pack and uncorked it. The thick liquid inside twisted like a living thing, and it grew more frantic as she spat mixed blood and saliva into the mixture. She chucked it outside of the barrier of wind and magic, where it burst into a growing web of writing slime.
"Alright nerds, let's bail!" She turned towards Accelerator and Ordnung and provided a shoulder to help drag them out of the danger zone.
Time ran out. Fire and blood and steel and raw magic all clashed away in one elemental and deadly storm. Some sought a piece from their mama, and some to keep her in one piece. The chamber itself fell apart, and mama's only thought seemed to be the golden child in their disruptive robo-family. It broke poor Tock's heart twice, as their mama only had eyes for the egg and not their forsaken children.
Not even papa Ash, in all his dog-folk noble self, would dare to give them such a cold shoulder, and yet there it is, the sting of abandonment for a second time.
Yet reprimend the duo couldn't, as they were fairly aware of how the curtain call approaches, for themselves and everyone else. Should they all not find the means to stop her, then big sis Rael would certainly face the ire of Szofrit through and through. Their orders were clear; Boss wanted her dead for a while now, yet their hearts finally matched that command.
They found a better mother to take care of them. One with the cold embrace of a machine, capable of reading bedtime stories and fulfilling promises in a world far beyond their own, one that Szofrit could never reach while stuck here in Terrasphere.
In silence they separate, the blue & red twins aware that they could not strike right now. Despite their wish to snatch the artificial heart of the evil matron, all they would do is harm their allies with fantastical explosions. No, offensive wasn't the problem, but the chambers themselves. Blood had spread into walls to seal them in thanks to Yugam, yet...
They thought it could very well use an addition, something ethereal- And thus they chant as one, gibberish only a magia could understand, and the world would, in the blink of an eye, be veiled by falsehoods, as the illusions would become real and add yet more layers to contain their room away; It had no exits, the roof was left pitch black. A cage of metal hiding the hemomantic walls behind it, should it be breached.
No one would get out, no one would get in, not without challenging this reality with power to match, or until their ex-mother's head rolls.
During the path toward Szofrit, Ronja's eyes couldn't help but flicker toward @Fiora Di Angelo's hand.
Her own hand was shaking, and she wished she could hold Fiora's. But every time she allowed herself to attach to any glimpse of emotion, she felt trying to end it all would be an even harder task— And such suspicion proved to be valid as soon as Ronja finally had her eyes set on Szofrit.
Something prickled her heart. Perhaps the one link tied to the Mother tried to make Ronja stagger, to falter and to turn her back away. Or perhaps it was fear, caused by the trauma dug deep into Ronja's mind, which she still hadn't processed through all these months.
Ronja dared to glance toward @Luthien, for a brief moment. She hoped her friend knew what was her intentions, despite the fact her emotions were delaying her actions.
Her knees trembled, and her chest heaved with one deep breath before she stepped forward.
She had to push it all away. She had to fight that thing in the same way she was forced to fight when she was by her side... And for that, Ronja had to close her eyes and avert them from her feelings...
.
.
.
.
.
As darkness wrapped her sight, her biomagitech heart, that mimicked the heartbeats and warmth of a human ceased. Its sound was replaced by the coldness of steel, gears rotating, and mana pulsating through her body like oil ran fueled a machine. Unnecessary traits were suppressed. Desires? Love? Revenge?
No...
She needed Function over Form.
If Fiora was going to fight with a heart filled with hatred and anger, Ronja was going to fight with a chest devoid of anything.
It was the only way she could make things right, without letting her feelings getting on her way.
-ULTRA·MAGIA-
❰CALL·OF·WARBRINGER❱
When Ronja's eyes opened, the eerie scarlet tone it had reminded the day she was wrecking havoc for the sake of Szofrit. But today, those same eyes had the objective of killing her.
Raising her hand, Ronja immediately called forth her Magitech Summons. Warlings that propelled around, abusing of Ronja's Arcanamancy to blast any obstacle or defender away, giving room for the swarm of Arachnombs crawl their way toward Szofrit, aiming to inject the explosive Alchemicals that were contained in their biomagitech carapace in order to explode and shred Szofrit's body into pieces, leaving nothing behind.
Meanwhile, Ronja herself didn't just sit back and watch, thrusting her arms forward and showering the place with a flurry of Ranged Attacks, piercing arcane bolts and bullets to try and get rid of the Mother, not caring about how much her EN or HP were dropping, as long as she could exorcize that outworldly beast.
Rolls
Ronja Bubblyfoot is engaging with an all-out attack against Szofrit
Feel free to get rid of Ronja's Surge Armor Ability
"Awawawa!!! You folks are seriously freaking crazy, there are regular civilians in the way you know, you're not going to hurt anyone on my watch!!!" Clarissa shouted in a panic as everyone in Szofrit's room split into two factions the moment she opened her eyes.
In her defense, she realized how dangerous Szofrit is, but on the other, the MIT and its folks were basically her family and she doesn't think that far, so the short-term solution in saving researchers is a better alternative to them getting caught in the coordinated attack. Like her, some of these researchers can't be brought back when they die, which spurred the lab tech into action and taking up arms against the security folks who aimed for Szofrit.
With intense concentration, Clarissa batted a flashbang into the fray. The moment it detonated, blinding magic burst forth and turned the vision of anyone that had their eyes open white.
[ Make a Reflex Save (DC50) to see if you close your eyes in time. ]
In that moment of uncertainty and with the coordinated attacks heading directly for Szofrit, the lab muscles dashed like a mad toward to tackle the researchers out of the way.
Though the forming visage of death was heading for Szofrit, the weary Mother of Machines paid it no mind. She instead maintained her gaze in the direction of the crying babe, her barely human voice creaked out painfully from her metallic throat, barely comprehensible words between all the audible Dissonant flicker.
["Ev… BZZ.. Dan… ger… Fzzt"]
Within her palm was the phantasmal traces of the deadly lances that had tasted flesh and blood of those who opposed her in the previous battle.
Cycle 6.5
Rules
This is a megathread so all megathread rules apply.
Up to 2 characters per OOC account may participate in the event.
Max 1 reply per character per cycle.
Max word count is 700 words excluding BBcodes.
If you would like to take a personal moment with others, branch off via a private thread in the regular forum.
Any communication can be done either by making a private comms thread or posting in the event's official comms thread.
To interact with any NPC, tag me in the comms thread.
This half-cycle is only for the characters that had taken action in Szofrit's room.
Intermission OOC
First, make a Reflex Save (DC 50) to avoid being temporarily blinded.
Second, if you would like to change your course of action with new information being available and a visual-only flashbang interuption, make a save corresponding with the mastery you are using to take that action (if it was an Alter, use the mastery it is modifying). DC 50.
Whether you are attacking or taking another action, make a mastery check.
The actions made in Szofrit's room will greatly impact C7.
You may post a short reply or OOCly convey your action for this cycle, which can remain the same or be something different based on the mechanics.
Status Playsheet
Location: Level-V (Szofrit)
The flashbang did little to MAI who's optical protection kicked into gear, quickly shielding her from the blinding light. Seeing just how many people wanted to slaughter Szofrit, there was not much she could do but put up a barrier to protect the mother of machines while she herself would try to shove some of the attackers out of course.
"You wish to MURDER a mother who is trying to protect her child from those who have been slaughtering her kind until now?!"
❰ Actions ❱
Wishing for a miracle
Rolls
Save (DC 50 / Success)
1d100 (13) + 55 = 68 Reflex | MAI | 1943C6
Pure chaos was the best way to describe the situation.
Nearly everyone else was doing their best to get at Szofrit to behead her, incinerate her, or return her to scrap metal. Researchers were trying to get in the way while the MIT's manual labourers tried to get the researchers out of the way. Amidst everything else, Mizuki spotted an object flying through the air which had her screwing her mismatched eyes shut just moments before her eyelids turned a bright red as they blocked out a hideously bright light that would otherwise have left her reeling.
Fortunately, her eyes were irrelevant to her current task. Her blood sense let her know that @Yugam had put up a barrier to keep the people in the egg chamber safe, which would have been admirable if it hadn't gotten in the way of Mizuki's own plan.
Even as she heaved to throw Szofrit she lashed out with her other treant arm, jutting it towards the space created by Szofrit's initial onslaught like a spear, branch-like fingers twisting and merging together into a single tip which shot forward to dig into the barrier... after which the wooden limb began to proliferate at extreme speed.
Given time trees could dig into the smallest cracks and crevices with their roots, and given even more time those roots could force those pathways further open, the sturdiness of rock yielding before the resilience and growth of nature. Mizuki was now applying the same principle, except at a significantly faster pace as she burned through her energy reserves: there was a crackling and groaning as her treant arm-spear grew so quickly that splinters of various sizes burst from it in every direction while she tried to forcefully create a tunnel throughout any barriers between the two chambers, gritting her fangs hard enough for blood to leak from the corner of her mouth as she was quite literally tearing her arm apart to do this. A wooden arm, sure, but such a volatile process wasn't without its backlash.
With her eyes closed she couldn't see how successful her attempt was, but it didn't change the other part of her plan: grab Szofrit with her enlargened treant arm and throw her towards the golden egg with all her might.
Truthfully, Szofrit would probably do a better job of dealing with any barriers between herself and her child than any attempts by the wildling.
Nature Magic
1d100 (84) + 25 = 109 Nature Magic | Ueno Mizuki | 1943C6 Roll Result
1d100 (41) + 25 = 66 (Success!)
Reacting to new information. Will Save | Ueno Mizuki | 1943C6 (Medium Armor Ability) Twice
You may perform 2 actions and 1 BA or 1 action and 2 BAs this cycle. Ueno Mizuki | 1943C6 Roll Result
1d100 (53) + 25 = 78 Nature Magic | Ueno Mizuki | 1943C6 109 Nature Magic for throwing Szofrit into the direction of the golden egg with a treant arm. 78 Nature Magic for breaking open the barriers separating Szofrit from the golden egg with the other treant arm.
In the middle of the chaos, the flashbang forced Ronja to avert her face for a moment, quick enough to avoid the actual consequences of it.
Following up, Ronja's own eyes glowed brighter, charging an eye laser a second before she was tackled by @MAI. The laser erupted from her eyes as she stumbled away, with its beam scorching the barrier and tracing a path all the way up to the ceiling until it faded away.
Ronja's flickering scarlet gaze landed on the fellow Magia's eyes that had just pushed her away.
"She has murdered mothers and children alike, and will do again if she is out of control."
"She must be destroyed."
Ronja thrusted her hand forward, with her arm-gun fueling itself with magic energy, charging up for another flurry of bolts.
The Tigress expected something to get in the way of her attack, it would be far too easy otherwise.
She didn't expect a flashbang, however.
She barely had time to register the foreign object emerging from the corner of her eye before her word turned white. Shit.
Okay Harper, think.
She couldn't understand much of what was happening around her, but she did register that her initial attack missed, so Szofrit had moved from their initial spot. Having enough spatial awareness left to not crash like a sack of potatoes on the ground, the feline ears atop her head twitched and moved as much as they could, trying to paint as much of a coherent picture of the area around her to the beastkin.
It wasn't perfect, especially given the amount of noise going on around her, but it was certainly better than being blind. And with a general idea of where Szofrit had gone, Harper quickly reached with one of her arms and grasped tightly at... Szofrit?
It was rock solid and being moved away from her, so she was pretty sure it was Szofrit.
At least she hoped it was, otherwise she would look pretty stupid while she pulled it back with all her might.
Her perky ears did also allow her to pickup on @MAI 's indignated shout, the tigress rubbing her eyes with her free hand while both her feet planted themselves onto the ground for better grip, while her pulling arm bulged, muscles making their way show through her thick fur.
"Afraid we are way way waaaaaaaaaaay past the point of peaceful resolutions here! We give her the baby, she's using our dying screams as its first lullaby! Call it our fault or deserved or selfish or anything, I like myself and my friends better alive than dead!"
----------
Actions:
Save
1d100 (42) + 0 = 42
Reflex | Harper | 1943C6 | Can one tiger close her eyes fast enough? Save
1d100 (32) + 85 = 117
Fortitude | Harper | 1943C6 | This is basically just a formality
Mastery Check
1d100 (4) + 25 = 29
Crush Weapons | Harper | 1943C6 | Tug of Szofrit!
TLDR:
Failed the flashbang Vibe Check, passed the check to adjust her action, and a 29 total mastery check on preventing Szofrit from being pulled into the baby room.
An on-going war in such a packed room, where some wished to have their way out of the chambers with the matron of machines, and others wished for her extermination; How troublesome, enough that the strain of watching this alone created a strain on Tick's face. For the first time, the puppet frowned. Genuine and utter despise for the circumstances.
Were they still on their first lives..?
Could it be that they do not care for others because of this..? For poor Tock..? Would they make her relive the agony from their final encounter with Szofrit yet again?
'They would. Wouldn't they. They don't care, so long as their loved ones don't die. Even if I have to suffer yet another painful death and pray anyone cares for me to return.'
"Tick... Will make it up to you."
Even a doll such as Tock could feel it behind these remorseful words. The pain unlike the one she feels right now as her core is being drained from it's life, and her own eyes begin to lose their shine. The weakness in her knees; She couldn't get used to the darkness that comes with ceasing to exist, sending chills down a spine that shouldn't be able to feel them.
"Tock understands."
She forced herself to smile, fully aware this might be the last time she gets to do so for her twin, praying that this spiritual prison wouldn't be forever, and most of all: That mama could appear, if only to save Tick from sharing her fate.
The walls begun to crumble as a burst of power escaped from within herself, the purple hue leaking from the gaps on her limbs. Instinct demanded her to close her eyes, a blink that proved enough to shield her eyes away from the blinding light, and then her arms rised, overloaded in the twisted magics brewed deep within her bossom.
And they pierced @Harper's body, a gentle prickle infusing with the very dark essence within Tick's core, merged with Tock's, the practical polar opposite of it. It would surge with power beyond her own, augmenting the very strength behind the tiger's body a hundred-fold. All the benefits of such volatile magic with none of the drawbacks.
Tick's rotting wooden shell was proof of who suffered the consequences to grant the tigress a better fighting chance to keep Szofrit on place. An arm fell off, fingers melted away, and the lustrous colour behind her skin begun to fade. Endure is what she would, as all her faith was cast onto this stranger of a beastfolk.
Interruptions were plenty, and yet again it's proven to her the depths of the starcalled's foolishness. They were all at their limit, and as they chose to turn against their own comrades, Szofrit had begun her own last ditch effort, her hail mary to destroy them all; ghostly spears forming on her hands.
Fiora didn't let this stop herself, colossal step halting her before she could get taken along with @Ronja Bubblyfoot and dodging to the side with one swift dash. It didn't give her the time she needed to properly address the rolling can over the floor, and in a split of a second, Share Emotion triggered itself before blindness took over, the target of it being none other than the mother of machines who could get a feeling now of the wretching, all-consuming hatred Fiora had for her, like an accursed kindling meant to consume the whole compound and not just the magia that fueled it.
In that moment she needed no eye to see, no ear to listen; Szofrit was in her sights,, knowing instinctively how to pinpoint her location through anger alone as they both became a Beacon of it, yet in turn, something that went both ways as it marked herself as a prime target for the mother of machines should her magical spears ever come to leave her grasp, something she came to accept as a better alternative to Ronja being in their path instead.
Her blade twisted, it's course shifting ever so slightly to accomodate to the exterior forces pushing Szofrit. Fiora wouldn't allow herself to miss, not on such a wide swing- It would connect. It had to.
And so it whistles for but a fraction of a moment, as eerie as if a scythe came for one's head, only this is followed by fire and steel as she aims to split the mother in two. It would be the blade and then the flames, one after another, ready to melt away bark, flesh and metal alike with a clean yet relentless horizontal swipe. Mastery Check
1d100 (69) + 25 = 94
Chaos soon brewed in the room, with parties of different goals trying to do their own thing. A shield was raised, clashing with her, to which the juggernaut had no choice but to push through.
"Murder?" The edge of her lips raised upon hearing the question presented by the magia. As if being kept alive as an experiment for MIT was better. Unfortunately, this world isn't kind to these kinds of naivety anymore.
A flashbang, detonated by Clarissa, emitted a blinding light in the room. It was unfortunate for the MIT muscle that every Magical Receptacle sense that Lune had was unhindered by such a thing. Gravity magic fired once more behind her back, giving her more speed to fly and reach Szofrit, tracking her solely. She was pretty confident to attack without causing any collateral damage to any of the researchers.
Her thoughts went back to where it all started; A heroine's memory of a city and its people burnt to ashes, her own memory of a heartbreaking beheading, and the memory of the Mother of Machine herself, unable to fight back the corruption.
To find out it wasn't Szofrit's will at all was a gut punch. Gone, all the hate and anger, her revenge became empty.
All that was left was mercy.
"It's been excruciating for you, isn't it." Dissonance is such a horrifying concept of a curse, that Lune couldn't bear to think how it feels to be afflicted with it.
Feeling the energy of the pure, uncorrupted being of the newborn that was just hatched from the other room, she promised to the red-haired magia as she swung the cleaver horizontally to the neck, hoping to cleanly slay the Mother of Machines with a single sweep. "Don't worry, your child will be safe."
Explorer's League
En route to S̵̯̙̾͒z̴̨̘̖͍͓̱̥̏͠ơ̶̼̈̑͛̄̉͛f̶̙̟̻̝̔̇͑̍r̵͉̩̫̪̱͉̍͆̏̿i̸̡̼͈̭̯̻̜̎̀̋͠t̶̠͚̳̜̰͂͊̂́
Damn them all.
Well, they might as well be damned at least.
What other fate was befitting those crazy or stupid enough to willingly play this death game? To play a part in each other's demise with a smile on their faces, unable to pull away from it like an addict and their drugs. Forget that they couldn't seem to agree on a course of action to save their fucking lives (literally in this case), they were all screwed anyways. It was just a question of when.
Well, if anyone had bothered to ask Yugam, he would've opted for the 'I'll burn that bridge when I get to it' option. The bridge. Not his retinas. Whoever had thrown that flashbang was firstly, an idiot, and secondly, getting a beat down from Yugam later. Or a strongly worded reprimand. The Huntsman snapped his eyes shut at the first click of the grenade's spoon flying free. It wouldn't have made any difference though. Unmei didn't eyes to see, and it was her hand that guided them now, not his.
With all of the ideals and actions converging in the death room that was Szofrit's prison, Clarissa had to take action. Despite the exhaustion that had thoroughly woven itself into her muscle fibers from all of the work she put in from the crack of dawn, she still somehow managed to squeeze out a last-ditch effort to move all the fools draping themselves on the Mother of Machines and the Magia standing in the way of the Starcalled all-out attacks.
Clearing her mind of all thoughts, Clarissa steeled her resolve and rushed into danger with nothing but a pair of gloves and an ounce of optimism. She had finally found a place of belonging and she wasn't going to lose it or the people within it.
"MOOOOOOVE!!!" Clare shouted as her momentum carried her forward. The girl pivoted on her heel, grabbing a researcher by the collar and yanking him out of harm's way. She pushed, pulled, and dragged the remaining researchers and little Mai to safely, gasping for air as the last person cleared the danger zone.
Mizuki's plan to move Szofrit would have succeeded had it only been Harper's planted grip, but with the twins' reinforcement, the Death Machine only moved a few feet out of her imprisoning pod, thick wires still attached to her neck and back like a scene right out of a sci-fi horror movie.
Although Mai's matrixes did lessen the impact of the incoming attacks, they could not negate the impact completely. Fiora burning sweeps incinerated the area where Szofrit stood wearing down her physical defenses, while Ronja's eye beam glanced her after Mai's push and Szofrit's displacement from Mizuki, Harper, Tick, and Tock. Levi's sword barrage pinned Szofrit to the ground, opening her up for a precise cut from Lune. The instinctive hair width dodge by Szofrit's body allowed her to keep her head on, but the strike did manage to rip her lance arm and half of her torso diagonally from the rest of her chest. The coordinated attack might have ended Szofrit had it not been for the distorted squirming and pulsating flesh that kept her frame intact beneath the steely exterior. Within the writhing mass bloomed a vertical eye slit, which pupil rolled upward to glower at the attackers.
[ Instinct: Raging Steel ], the regular version of Szofrit's rolling mower activated in the room, aimed to retaliate against those aiming for the life of its host.
Despite her condition, the pair of dead eyes that remained fixed in the direction of the egg room since they opened glowered with hidden intent, red pupil pulsing erratically. With a Leylance readied in her hand, the female terminator took a step forward and hurled the spear forward, breaking through any semblance of a blockage before she sprinted forward at full speed, ripping her legs from the Knight Commander's pinning swords, marching through desperate retaliation from those who feared the Death Mantle she had donned since their deadly encounter months ago.
She had a singular target in mind and her gesture indicated as much.
Szofrit will reach the egg room in the next cycle.
Contesting Rolls Recap:
Levi's sword storm +93
MAI's matrix shield -45
Mizuki moving Szofrit -109
Ronja's eye laser +35
Harper's stopping Szofrit from being moved +29
Tick Tock's assisting Harper +106
Fiora's attack +94
Lune's attack +104
Yugam's blocking Szofrit's movement +82
Meanwhile in the egg room…
Luthien's reactive wind protection came in handy when more assassins revealed themselves. Sneak attacks that would have pierce her became glancing blows, forcing the assailants to think about their approach more carefully since they had lost their trump card: surprise. She had, however, underestimated how much energy her active shielding required and ended up not being able to heal the keeled Ordnung when she touched his shoulder.
The bespectacled researcher spoke to her without turning back. "Save your energy, we prioritize Accelerator and the child," he said.
A loud pained grunt followed Ordnung as he stood up and withdrew his trusty pistol from his suit jacket. "Scum of ze earth and child killer, Aristocrata, I presume?" Ordnung's sharp eyes glowered behind his thick glasses at the stone-cold killers in front of him.
Before a confrontation with the deadman-walking took place, Imoogi's opportune sliming divided the room in two, buying everyone on the right-side time to escape through the gaping hole leading to the adjacent room.
"Tch," Ordnung clutched his spear wounds, using Imoogi's shorter stature as support to hobble over to Accelerator, purposely covering the path to the two with his body in case the enemies launched any more surprise attacks.
Accelerator meanwhile held the crying baby closer to his chest as he nodded at Rael, confirming their plan to move from the room.
Suddenly, one of the assailants separated on the other side performed a hand seal that released a smoky shadow before fading into the weightless dark mass. Immediately afterward, a dainty feminine form emerged from the billowing smoke, her pink and white hair flowing as if caught in an otherworldly breeze. Despite the sudden intrusion and the ruthless attacks that came before her arrival, she maintains an air of elegance.
With one of her arms propped on the other, she raised a spell-sleeved finger to tap her glossy lips pensively as she surveyed the lab with shimmering golden eyes. As she fully emerged from the smoke, her elaborate outfit came into the limelight—a blend of stark white, deep black, and vibrant red, speaks to both refinement and hidden danger. Though her demeanor is light, there's an unmistakable aura of power surrounding her, conveying a sort of danger not seen, but felt.
With a whisk of her hand, the slime burned away without resistance. With the group coming into full view, she lowered both of her hands to the hem of her dress and curtsied to those watching.
"Greetings, magnanimous hosts, my name is Alexina. We have never formally met, but I have heard of your great discoveries and adventures. It's a pleasure to finally share a conversation with the object of my admiration and envy." The woman smiled warmly.
"Though I wish to exchange words with you under a more peaceful circumstance, this Alexina is tasked with retrieving the child currently in Accelerator's possession, you see. So, as much as it saddens this maiden to cut her admiration short, we are on a very tight timeline. We'll catch up next time, darlings~"
Without missing a beat, the woman raised her spell-sleeved arm, allowing her fingers dance in the air in front of her. The typing gesture lighted up the circuitries on her knuckles, activating some kind of ability.
[ Darling, would you be so kind to protect the child and take her to us? ]
The fleeing Accelerator immediately stopped in his track and let out a pained grunts and half-screams as the previously pulsing green rings around his pupil suddenly turned red. With one arm still clutching onto the baby, the other arm grabbed a nab of hair in front of his face as the Handler's Directive overrode his mind.
"GHR…AA-…" Accelerator's body began thrashing about, pushing Rael out of the way and into the hole leading into the adjacent room before his Magia body dispensed lightning around him, buzzing with dangerously-sparking electro pillars.
"Come along, Accelerator-darling. As the rest of you magnanimous hosts, this Alexina would like to avoid as much bloodshed as possible. One machine man is a fair price for the highly valuable discovery in this tower, no? My darlings and I have insurance planted around the tower's spine, so please don't do anything reckless, okay?" The pink-haired woman flashed group a warm smile.
Accelerator's body, which responded affirmatively to Alexina's words, began marching toward her with the crying baby in hand and the electro pillars around him.
While she watched Accelerator approach her, the woman reacted to something and turned her head subtly. "Vern? Reta? Is the insurance all set up? Hello? Can you hear me? Hello?"
Ordnung who had his hand on Imoogi's shoulder and his back turned to Alexina turned his head and cast a firm gaze at both Rael and Luthien, his pupil subtly moving toward the child as if to establish some kind of signal while Alexina was temporarily distracted.
[ KKZZZT ZZZT ]
A sharp static played behind the silky-soft hair covering the woman's ear.
"Uh-oh, momma-bear is awake now, isn't she?" Alexina lifted her head and formed a surprised 'O' with her mouth just as the sound of a laser lance zipped right through the middle of the egg room.
ZZZOANG! BOOOM!!!
Ordnung was one of the first to react to the leylance, "Ahylios, relinquish your left hemisphere, now!"
Immediately after his callout, assuming the others had picked up on his wordless hail mary, the red ring in Accelerator's right eye turned yellow as he opened his mouth for a scream, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME, YOU FUCKING FOUR-EYED GEEZER???!!!!" he roared.
Branching Fates (1d2):
Accelerator in his confusion throws the baby with the electro field still active around him.
Accelerator keeps a tight clutch on the baby and continues walking toward his controller.
"AAH- HEY!!!" Alexina watched in horror as her blue-haired puppet chucked the crying baby as the sound of the raging mama bear boomed down the rooms between her prison and the egg room. Szofrit was halfway to them, Alexina had best wrapped up her business before the storm came.
With her puppet so carelessly tossing the babe to its electro execution, the woman commandeered a dapper suited gentleman and a female researcher to gun it for the child.
"A, D, don't get the wee babe fried, darlings. Get her." She narrowed her eyes.
Cycle 7
Rules
This is a megathread so all megathread rules apply.
Up to 2 characters per OOC account may participate in the event.
Max 1 reply per character per cycle.
Max word count is 700 words excluding BBcodes.
If you would like to take a personal moment with others, branch off via a private thread in the regular forum.
Any communication can be done either by making a private comms thread or posting in the event's official comms thread.
To interact with any NPC, tag me in the comms thread.
Meta
Damage: Anyone who attacked Szofrit's directly will take 7d20 damage from Raging Steel Retaliation, those who did not attack her directly but was in the same room takes 3d20 damage collaterally.
Unless you have a way to get insane narrative speed, moving between the two rooms takes 1 cycle.
Szofrit will arrive in the egg room in Cycle 8.
All electronic, magical, or telepathic communication is down as of Cycle 7 due to Szofrit's telepathic interference.
All UI-functions are now distorted.
Szofrit is heavily damaged, but with the Dissonant Watcher Guardias active, it will defend the host's body.
The baby will touch the the swirling electro field in C8.
Narrative Placement
Alexina is on the half of the room with her assassin goons and some terrified researchers, blocking the exit out into the circular hallway wrapping around the spine.
Luthien, Rael, Imoogi, Ordnung are on the half of the room that lead into the 2 rooms between Szo and the egg room.
Accelerator is halfway between Alexina and the group of PCs.
Agent A and D and dashing through Accelerator's electro field.
Szo is right in the middle of the two rooms adjacent to the egg room.
Attuned to the magic as she was Lúthien could feel the weapons and attacks bouncing off against the roaring whirlwind that surrounded them, her mind picking up the frustration of their assailants. Her tongue clicked in audible exasperation as Ordnung’s wounds remained fresh, teeth gritted tightly before she nodded to the man in understanding.
"Right, let’s get a move on before more faces show up—!" Speak of the devils and they shall appear. Her instincts warned this was a figure they shouldn’t mess around with, though that seemed impossible to avoid considering they were blocking the exit leading towards the spine. "Any ideas—?!"
Whispered words died out as she caught sight of Accelerator’s eyes, the familiar green ring around his pupils now replaced by a red light that sunk a pit deep into her stomach. "Y-You…!" A glare was sent in Ordnung’s way as she remembered the wounded man referring to Accelerator as a miracle, before the familiar feeling of static crackled through the air.
It’s only due to her own mastery affinity that she was able to step back just enough to dodge one of the electro pillars that erupted around Accelerator, eyes wide as she watched the blue-haired man begin to walk towards the Aristocrata with Emmy in his arms. "Vern? Reta? Is the insurance all set up?"
That fucker...!!! The sound of his name feels like acid against her skin, the elf forced to ignore the urge to settle the score with the trickster as Ordnung’s gaze meets her glare with meaning behind the spectacles he always wore. She shifts ever so slightly, muscles coiled as the magic within her is slowly gathered with purpose, waiting for an opportunity that she hopes will come sooner rather than later.
A lance rips through the wall before embedding itself in the room, a clear signal that some fuckery is a foot in Szofrit’s chamber, but the ranger doesn’t allow it to distract her from what’s truly important. "Ahylios, relinquish your left hemisphere, now!" What followed was an unexpected turn of events, before Accelerator began to scream at the MIT head.
"EMME!!!"
None of it mattered as she saw the small bundle fly high into the air, verdant pairs of wings materializing around her ankles on command as the blonde rushed forwards without a second thought—arms outstretched as she hoped to bring the babe into the safety of her embrace before the redhead’s lackeys could reach them.
RIP Ordnung, we tried—Accelerator did you just throw your child the baby!?!
Using a combination of hyper sense for Lúthien to read into what Ordnung silently wanted to convey, and Aeromancy to boost her speed/movements as she tries to catch/snatch Emmy from the air before any of the Aristocrata can get their hands on her.
Hyper Sense Roll
2d100 adv (16, 92) 25 = 117 #Reading into Ordnung's eyes, DC 60
Pieces of porcelain dropped onto the ground as her own body begun to crumble, the magical shell keeping the outerlayers safe crumbled like glass at Szofrit's wrath, and within revealed the shadow core swirling at her center, covered up with veins and what little flesh it produced.
And yet she pushes on with the rest, a hollow husk that struggled to even see what's ahead of her. The chaos followed wherever Szofrit wished to go, and yet more of it seemed to be within the very chambers were that mysterious egg was being guarded, to her dismay. Exactly where the elves were at, and the rest of the researchers that now seemed to be either gone or reduced to half of what they were before.
Tock haunted her in every step, as the further she ran from her twin's corpse, the more she yearned to see her awaken. Self-preservation, thus, became a priority. The systems which protected Szofrit... Tick was no stranger to the technology and the harm they could do. Perhaps a little similar to EVE's, despite the application being purely reactive rather than proactive, aswell as far less lethal than the former's.
Yet to tap into her dark magic once more... Tick thought twice, and finally settled her mind; Much like with the stranger tigress, the lonesome magia aimed her hand and it's last three fingers to @Yugam, the man proving to be a better option to anyone else right now, if anything because her blurry vision could only afford to find his sillouhette.
Her lips parted, and yet her vocal cords had begun to melt and not a single string of voice escaped her. Nothing completely vital would be the first to be taken by the Dark Magics she wielded, once more on the supporting role for her compatriots.
The gift of tabboo magic blessing Yugam, the empowering and volatile forces granting him a fragment of her magical power to compensate for her lack on the physical. She wanted to encourage, to hint, to advice, say anything that could be of use to him, but she's left to rely on others, something she's grown to detest, as a means to an end.
