Chapter 1: Sortie, Runners!

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Mar 8, 2015 5:43 am
"What in the hell?" Sofőr shakes his head as the images leave his mind as fast as the entered.

With Hei's right hand gone, Sofőr reaches for the controls, "If we can't hit this thing with rights, we'll start working it with the left, Hei!". Hei's left arm reaches back as his hand transforms into a dagger. Ready to strike, Sofőr suddenly notices Soniku's hold on the beast. "What are they trying to accomplish with... Oh no! They're not!?!" Assuming the worst, Sofőr has Hei back away from the beast.
I'm going to take a Wait action here. If there's anything to attack after the big red button is pressed, Hei will dagger it.

Rolls

Dagger Attack (light) - (1d20)

(20) = 20

Mar 8, 2015 9:32 am
Seeing what Soniku is about to do, Sofor leaps backwards as Hei's left hand morphs into a blade, ready to strike. A bright flash of light fills your monitors...

(That's awesome, I'm checking your boot if we meet) Osiris leaps forward, not missing a beat, and Ace slices it's hidden dagger across the last of the thing's neck, letting it's head plop off to the side, leaving a bloody red stalk of flesh. However, little tentacles pop out and are already at work repairing the tendons.

Zast slips off Gion's knee, falling into the hungry arms of the crawlers below.
Suddenly a hand grabs him by the scruff of his plugsuit, and with all his might Spax hauls Zast back up and over his shoulder. Pointing his palm upwards to Gion's chest, the cable fires and the two men whistle upwards and land in a jumble in the cockpit.

The Runners: Darani tries to drag Rozlt away from the slug and Soniku. ***Why-are-you-so-heavy, Rozlt? Help me out, and did everyone hear that? We need to get the hell out of here just by the way, I can believe we're damn weak.*** You can feel her frustration. One of the defensers crawls away from Soniku frantically, but the other two nod and together grab Rozlt's unit under the armpits and help Darani haul him away from the doomed slug.

The Explosion/Blast Pylon Firing

Above you, Soniku sinks her talons into the beast, and with a rising crescendo the pylons fire straight into the fleshy matter of the slug. Gut-wrenchingly the Defenser bucks backwards but manages to stay stuck into the thing as a pillar of flame lances into the slug's core. It's almost beautiful.
The slug melts from the inside out, boiling and bursting, the crawlers exploding in spurts of red matter as they try to crawl back into the shell. Clamped onto it tightly, Soniku's armor melts, falls off, bursts, and grafts itself to the red hot frame underneath. Still, Soniku stays stuck as both machine and monster are engulfed in fire.

Ara: A spike of sound as the pylons fire in a crescendo changes into a deafening roar, and one moment you were braced, and now as if magic are suddenly slammed against the bulkhead (4 Might damage), Your vision goes blurry, and you slide to, the, floor? Through it, you feel it. The massive stress on Soniku as she slowly disintegrates through your fingers, the smell of melting flesh and metal, the high pitched roar and the angry red walls, the unbearable heat of the cockpit.
God, it burns. What a miserable way to go, I-

Spax: as you and Zast tumble in a jumble into the cockpit, something bright flares outside the open hatch door, and you feel a rush of heat coming from the outside. Fire shoots into the cockpit when suddenly something outside slams the hatch shut just in time to avoid the flames. Gion is pushed backward, and you feel the crawlers fly off his legs.

Sofor: Pulling a lever purely on instinct, Hei dives to the ground and you feel wall of heat passes over you. Your monitors fizz and pop, but you know you're unharmed.

Osiris: As the thing's head plops off, you see a bright flash of light to your left. Trusting your feelings, Ace ducks behind the gigantic decapitated slug. A wall of flame passes overhead, and you smell roasted slug meat cooking.

Everyone outside Soniku

The slug and Soniku melt together until the pylons cut off. The slug is charred and hollowed out in the middle, a fixture upon itself. However, at the bottom some of the tiny crawlers are alive, and have started crawling over the hills and valleys of the gigantic carcass to reach a pristine yellow orb that rests on the ground in the very center of the thing's carcass.

Ara's defenser slumps to the ground in pieces, nearly collapsing like bits of coal as it lies upon the amorphous fields. It isn't recognizable as Soniku anymore, as all that remains is a slim, seared black construct that must have been the Defenser's frame.
***Alright-quite the day today.*** Darani says shakily. ***I say we p-pack up and go while there's still light, d-don't want to be s-s-stuck out here at night.*** You can feel her trying to collect herself and push her feelings aside. ***Let's haul Rozlt back and get Ara out of that metal coffin. If she's still even alive, that is.***

A red defenser crosses to the seared black frame, and tries unsuccessfully to open the cockpit with it's hands. It waves Darani over.
***Damn, that's hot, I can feel the heat from inside here. She can't be alive anymore. Let's head back.*** Darani rises sadly, but the red defenser pulls her back down by the wrist, and taps on the frame's chest.
***Damn, damn, It's hand is stuck to it. Melted on.*** Darani grabs a knife from a striped defenser and pries the hand and it's arm off little by little, until the chest is bare.

Inside the cockpit, Ara is bleeding but definitely alive as she rises shakily to check on her sister. Miu, still strapped into the chair, breathes softly, sleeping like a baby.
Alright folks, that's curtains for this encounter, unless anyone has something they want to add. The remainder of the defenser corp returned to Gurrai with Rozlt, and Soniku's scorched frame in tow, relieved that the sisters are miraculously alive and the demon slugs taken care of.
Two days from now, however, scouts will report that both of them seem to be slowly rebuilding themselves around the pristine yellow orbs.

I'd like to apologize for the slightly confusing setup I've got above. I'm just trying to describe dramatically what you do before and after the pylons fire, and also for putting so much attention here on Ara and Soniku, I promise everyone will get their moment.
Just describe stuff vicariously, do hero types of things, and be awesome forever, guys. I'm sleepy now so I'll hand out XPs tomorrow, hope you're happy with the game so far.
Mar 8, 2015 1:15 pm
One last thing before he leaves.

Ace crouches over what's left of that hell-spawn she dueled with. As Osiris pushes forward on the controls, she reaches out and picks up a grimy sword with two blades and straps it to her back. As she bends down, Osiris notices a stange orb on the ground. Ace grabs it, and brings it up to her face for Osiris to examine through the monitors.

If I can take an orb with me for study, I will. I will also study it right now.

Rolls

Perception (Trained) - (1d20)

(7) = 7

Identify Function (Trained) (Effort) - (1d20)

(13) = 13

Mar 8, 2015 2:36 pm
Nothing but fluff right now, but as soon as they are back in town Spax will rush to Ara and stick by her if she's unconcious.

The flame explodes around Gion pulsing and moving the Defenser with amazing power. But all Spax can do is stand in awestruck fear... "Ara?"
Mar 8, 2015 4:49 pm
That was so awesome! Nothing really important here as well.

Looking at Miu looking so serene, I start laughing uncontrollably. "You, you, I'm dying here and you're napping!" I give her a hug and then step out of the cockpit to look at Soniku.
"Oh no, crap. Soniku...no." Soniku is utterly wrecked, burnt up to the core.
I step back into the cockpit, but something puzzles me. If Soniku got so hot, how are we alive? Seeing her cut off melted hand near me, it hits me.
They had to cut something off of the hatch to get to me. It was totally open before with those thingies crawling in, we would've been crisped. Something-no, you Soniku, protected us, didn't you? I never moved the controls after I activated the pylons.
I rest a hand on a part of Soniku that isn't burning hot. "Thank you, Soniku." It's all I can say.

That was pretty fun, I love how Soniku protected us in the cockpit. Spax, these things are more than their pilots! Looking forward to the RP scene in the hangar.
Mar 8, 2015 5:00 pm
If no one else has picked the kid up, Osiris swings Ace over to the wreckage of Soniku and opens the hatch.

"Need a ride kid?"

He smiles with relief as he sees she wasn't barbecued in the explosion. He puts Ace in a kneeling position with her arm out as a ramp. He then runs down to pick up Miu and help Ara up and into Ace's cockpit. After Miu is strapped in, he looks Ara in the eyes with a look of concern.

"Hey, you ok?"
Mar 8, 2015 6:29 pm
I'm going to say what happens, but if you want to add something Sofor please feel free.

Examining the yellow orb, Osiris can see murky things swimming underneath it's surface, pulsating in tandem like a heart. Zooming carefully, it seems that they seem to be blobbing together, building something. You are able to carry it in your hand.
Seeing Soniku, you kneel and help the girls into the hatch. Ara giggles uncontrollably, probably in shock, and then slumps onto your shoulder, unconscious. Miu's face, highlighted by her long purple hair (or whatever you want it to be Sempai), is still asleep peacefully.

With Zast in his cockpit, Spax sighs in relief. They're okay. Looking at Zast sprawled on the floor, you see his arm twisted unnaturally but he's still very much alive. You wipe your brow and then pick up the burnt remains of Soniku with Sofor. Looking at the slim blackened frame, you wish it was examinable. However, the mystery of what lies underneath a Defenser's bulky armor will have to wait for another time.

Ara: Osiris helps you into Ace's cockpit, where you soon blackout.

To those who are conscious

Dragging Rozlt's defenser and the remains of Soniku, you all return to Gurrai as night falls over the fields. Other than Rozlt slipping into a puddle and being hastily pulled out by Darani, the walk back is almost surreal in it's calmness. Who knew the fields could be so peaceful?
You all almost fall through the main gate when you arrive at Gurrai, and amble back to the hangar exhaustedly. Unlike the usual hero's welcome, you notice that the people merely watch you saunter back to the hangar this time, noting the lack of defensers returning.

As you step into the hangar, the black cloth covers your monitors again, and you step out of the cockpit with a collective sigh of relief.


Great first encounter everyone, I'll start up the hangar scene sometime today! Here's some XPs:

*2 XP to everyone for surviving the first encounter with the flesh things.
*1 XP to Spax for his heroic rescue of Zast and keeping a cool head.
*1 XP to Osiris for thinking to grab the orb and helping the cute girls into his robot.
*1 XP to Ara for hitting the big red button and risking herself to save Miu (giving her your seat saved her).
*and 1 XP to Sofor and szemely for killing the first slug with style, and also for admitting they were having trouble keeping up, it helped me out and we all know it's tough to admit when you're not getting something, which takes a sort of bravery of it's own.
Mar 8, 2015 6:45 pm
Ara, take one xp for proving to Osiris that despite the flowery exterior, there is something inside that's capable of some crazy shit. This is the extra xp from the GM intrusion earlier.

Osiris mutters under his breath, "There, there, kid. You did good today." as Ara passes out on his shoulder.

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