Rifts Adventure IC

[Silanon]

This armor - how often has it saved his life, by now? He couldn't recall, even if he tried. It's been a long journey, from a closed city's wall, through his lair, all the way to this place. And most importantly - it's far from over, thanks to the resilient steel. And thanks to his companions. As Eron jumps back to his feet, he raises his flaming sword in Terra's direction, a wordless, thankful greeting. And once the blade is up there - well, it can only go down, right? Again, he moves in with hasty steps, and soon enough the flames paint a fiery arc through the air as it comes down at the beast's nearest leg. The acidic blade follows up with a simple stab, using his momentum; trying to draw blood once more.

If it hits (32 to hit), that's...
23+6=29 from Shining Mirror
18 from Valere's blade
and each 30 acid and fire damage from the crystals.
That's 107 mdc in total.

 

[Sherwood]

Perhaps it is the spirit of the fallen Cyber Knight guiding your hand, or perhaps it was just meant to be. The Aishwarra it hit and hit hard. It lets out another angry pained squeal and some black ichor flows out and splashes down on the ground at Erons' feet. You know that it felt it, but as large as the monster is, it still has plenty of MDC.

In response, the Aishwarra opens up its mouth wide, and a pair of tentacles that might be some kind of tongue stick out, and it makes a rapid lunge down at Eron, the source of so much pain. It is going to try and grab you to pull you into its mouth!

Silanon has a defense to declare or get eaten.

Initiative Order:
23 - Daggon [2]
19 - Snowfall [2]
19 - Eron [3]
15 - Aishwarra [4] serious damage / head hit, minor damage
12 - Terra [1]
----- Automation [1]

 

[Silanon]

He made it angry - that's good, real good. Means he did something right, at least. Slicing and thrusting, who would have thought... well, almost everyone he met, lately, it's what he does for a living, after all. That, and dodging out of the way - means less dents in the armor, keeps him alive, and being alive has been pretty great, thus far... brought him here without the need for necromancy, for a start. And being here is good. Is right. It's where he belongs. Not into that maw, though. That'd be bad, real bad. Just taking a look at the creature tells that much, and that's without knowing what he knows about it...

Eron jumps. Not backwards, or sideways, where a simple turn of the neck might be enough to get him still. No, forward, towards the beast, so that there is less room for the monster to adjust. Less room, because its own body restricts its movements. Just gotta dodge the tentacles, simple as that, right? Simple like last time, only that there won't be a rock, this time. They can't lie around everywhere, can they?

 

[Sherwood]

Eron moves, and this time, you are able to evade the Aishwarra's grasping maw without stumbling over a rock. Lucky for you, since it planned on swallowing you whole!

Psychie is up

Initiative Order:
23 - Daggon [2]
19 - Snowfall [2]
19 - Eron [4]
15 - Aishwarra [4] serious damage / head hit, minor damage
12 - Terra [1] <====
----- Automation [1] <====

 

[Psychie]

The thing was getting hurt, but it still has a lot of fight in it. She leaps up into the air, using her flight tattoo to try and maneuver around behind the Aishwarra to keep it out in the open and keep it from going back into the cave. With a carefully aimed pair of attacks, she has the Infiltrator fire its rifle while she unleashes the Force Cannon on the thing, hoping to keep it distracted from being able to focus on trying to kill her friends.

10 pts of MDC damage from the Nova Rifle, and 60 for the Crit with the Force Cannon

Spoiler

Hit Points: 53
SDC: 165
PPE: 145 +2d4 per level
Power Matrix: 80 PPE / 20
PPE Battery: 50
PPE Battery: 50

Personal MDC: 600
Infiltrator Automation
*Main Body: 220

Bonus Points: 9

Number of Attacks: 7
Strike: +12
Parry: +10
Dodge: +10
Roll: +10
Initiative: +5
Perception: +5, +1 vs Vampires and the Undead
Horror Factor: +5 to Save, +2 vs dragons
Critical Strike on a natural 19-20
Critical Strike from behind
Damage: +3
Death Blow on a natural 19-20

When Piloting Automations
Number of Attacks: 10 / 5 / 1
Strike: +5 (+7 with Sword)
Parry: +6 (+8 with Sword)
Dodge: +2
Roll: +2
Initiative: +6
Damage: +2
Critical Strike on a 19-20
Critical Strike from behind
Death Blow on a natural 19-20

 

[Sherwood]

The Aishwarra lets out another screech of pain as Terra and her Automation hit it with the TW blasters. It is clearly suffering, but it is not out of the fight yet.

Daggon gives his Psy Swords another swing on the monster, but it manages to yank its leg out of the way of the attack, using up another one of its actions in the effort to dodge.

Purr is up with Snowfall

Initiative Order:
23 - Daggon [3]
19 - Snowfall [2] <====
19 - Eron [4]
15 - Aishwarra [5] serious damage / head hit, minor damage
12 - Terra [2]
----- Automation [2]

 

[Purr]

"Nice going, Sir Daggon!" Snowfall relays. "Now it's time for another double-dose of Captain Glitter Fox's guns! Open wide, foul magic-nommer!"

Snowfall fires both of his GB-7 cannons again at the Aishwarra's torso.

 

[Sherwood]

Snowfall's weapons fire and strike the Aishwarra, causing more blood and ichor to spray out. It is starting to look quite bad.

Silanon is up with Eron

Initiative Order:
23 - Daggon [3]
19 - Snowfall [3]
19 - Eron [4] <====
15 - Aishwarra [5] major damage / head hit, minor damage
12 - Terra [2]
----- Automation [2]

 

[Purr]

Snowfall cannot help but yip in glee as his guns strike home yet again. How the Glitter Boy improved his ability to fight at range! The machine was amazing!

"Take that, you farmer-murdering monstrosity!"

 

[Silanon]

"Feeling mortal, slowly but surely? Takes more than one bite to take us down." Again, two blades seek for the monster's flesh. This ain't over until it's over, Eron knows that much, so better get it there as soon as they can manage.

 

[Sherwood]

The monster is now really feeling the effects of the hits against, and decides that this meal is not worth the hassle it is having. With that thought in mind, and the cave behind it blocked by Terra, it turns and bolts away, running across the ground at about 40mph.

Psychie is up with Terra

Initiative Order:
23 - Daggon [3]
19 - Snowfall [3]
19 - Eron [5]
15 - Aishwarra [5] major damage / head hit, minor damage
12 - Terra [2]
----- Automation [2]

 

[Psychie]

Terra snarls out, "Oh, no you don't! Can't get away from us that easy! Everyone, after it!" Still in the air, she heads off after it, matching its speed so she doesn't get too far ahead of the Infiltrator Automation as it runs along the ground. Time to lay down some fire on this asshole. She levels her Force Cannon and fires, all the while directing the Automation to attack with its Nova Rifle.

Assuming that they both hit, that's another 100 MDC to the Aishwarra

Spoiler

Hit Points: 53
SDC: 165
PPE: 145 +2d4 per level
Power Matrix: 80 PPE / 20
PPE Battery: 50
PPE Battery: 50

Personal MDC: 600
Infiltrator Automation
*Main Body: 220

Bonus Points: 9

Number of Attacks: 7
Strike: +12
Parry: +10
Dodge: +10
Roll: +10
Initiative: +5
Perception: +5, +1 vs Vampires and the Undead
Horror Factor: +5 to Save, +2 vs dragons
Critical Strike on a natural 19-20
Critical Strike from behind
Damage: +3
Death Blow on a natural 19-20

When Piloting Automations
Number of Attacks: 10 / 5 / 1
Strike: +5 (+7 with Sword)
Parry: +6 (+8 with Sword)
Dodge: +2
Roll: +2
Initiative: +6
Damage: +2
Critical Strike on a 19-20
Critical Strike from behind
Death Blow on a natural 19-20

 

[Sherwood]

With its retreat cut off from the tunnel it had dug, the Aishwarra is off at a run to try and get away from the annoying creatures that are hurting it so bad. It is now bleeding from multiple spots, and is looking quite beat up. It is running as fast as it can, but it is not able to out distance the group.

OOC I have taken Daggon out of the initiative order since WlfSamurai is MIA for now. Once he has more time and can return, he will be gladly welcomed back into the game.

Purr is up with Snowfall

Initiative Order:
19 - Snowfall [3] <====
19 - Eron [5]
15 - Aishwarra [5] major damage / head hit, minor damage
12 - Terra [3]
----- Automation [3]

 

[Purr]

Terra snarls out, "Oh, no you don't! Can't get away from us that easy! Everyone, after it!" Still in the air, she heads off after it, matching its speed so she doesn't get too far ahead of the Infiltrator Automation as it runs along the ground. Time to lay down some fire on this asshole. She levels her Force Cannon and fires, all the while directing the Automation to attack with its Nova Rifle.

As far as Snowfall is concerned, Miss Terra had signed this thing's death warrant. Western creatures, Atlanteans included, were not as a whole big believers in mercy and the notion of the Aishwarra eating more innocent farmers or whatever it could satiate its hunger with was enough reason to put it down like a rabid animal.

"Begone, devourer! May you bother the people of this world no more! Seek peace in your next life!" Snowfall trains both of the Glitter Boy 7's deadly guns on it and continues to go for the kill.

 

[Sherwood]

When Snowfall shoots, the Aishwarra stumbles and screams out in pain. You must have hit it in a spot that is already damaged for it to react so strongly to the attack. It is bleeding badly from multiple gaping wounds, and is suffering in very bad shape.

Silanon is up

Initiative Order:
19 - Snowfall [4]
19 - Eron [5] <====
15 - Aishwarra [5] critical damage / head hit, minor damage
12 - Terra [3]
----- Automation [3]

 

[Purr]

Even from way up on high, Snowfall hears (or at least can imagine) the howls of pain from the Aishwarra and one thought crosses his mind - is that what the farmers sounded like before the Aishwarra ate them? What about its meals prior to that? No, it seems to the venerable and spritely Megaverse-messenger that Miss Terra is in every way right on this matter.

A phrase from the Japanese code of Bushido enters his mind. "All debts of gratitude and of vengeance shall be repaid." It was part of a code that many a samurai and even ronin had lived and died by. Today, in this hour, the normally-peaceful Kitsune could see more clearly as to the why of it all.

 

[Sherwood]

Silanon With your superior reflexes, you are able to leap up onto the back of the Aishwarra with ease, and you have enough time to be able to perform an attack action if you so choose.

 

[Silanon]

The monstrosity turns away, in pain and fear; but some creatures can't be allowed to limp away. The headstart that the creature got on the Crazy; it serves as space to gather speed for Eron, and little more. A couple of steps is all it takes - then he leaps onto the creature's back with a grace that only cats and crazies can display with such ease. Well, in his mind, anyway. Not that he's up there to be graceful or enjoy the view; instead, he seeks the Aishwarra's spine, somewhere below where his feet meet its skin. If these two bumps are two vertebrae, then there should be a weaker portion in-between, right? That's where both of his blades come down, trying to teach the beast that it feared fire its whole life long for a good goddamn reason.


That's 33 to hit, and it should be critical. Damage-wise, we have:
17+6=23 from Shining Mirror
18 from Valere's blade
15 for Eron's melee damage
-> that's 56, doubled to 112

40 flaming
20 acid

for a total of 172mdc if I didn't mess up.

 

[Sherwood]

From his position on its back, Eron slams the twin blades deep into the wounded back of the Aishwarra, plunging them deep into the tender flesh of the horrid monster. It spasms with another ear-piercing scream, then it stumbles and falls to the ground, twitching uncontrollably as blood guizers out to soak the dry Texas dirt. It is clear that the thing is in its death throws.

Moving out of combat time.

 

[Silanon]

Death.

He feels it underneath his feet, shaking and twisting and screaming. The end of a monster that does not belong. The end of a living nightmare. As the creature falls, Eron jumps - onto the ground, and away from the beast, trying to stay clear of its struggle. How many heroes have died because they celebrated too early? Gotta be a whole army, after all these centuries...

With a sigh and a nod, he turns around, raises his thumb in silent triumph. Well, silent only for the shortest moment, because soon enough, his voice can be heard. "Still got it!" It's only been so long since they had the last real fight - but for one like him who's been on the hunt for years, it sure has felt like an eternity. "Good shooting. And shouting. And all those other things." He cleans his blades from the blood, eyes his mostly ruined armor suit, and shrugs like neither really matters. They don't, right? He didn't come to look fancy, or stay out of danger. He came to stop whatever was up, and well... "Give it a minute or so, might take a bit. Last one clung to his life for way too long."

"Think anyone might still be caught within? Might be good to check, once it's safe to get close."

 

[Psychie]

Terra takes a few deep breaths as she watches the Aishwarra fall and twitch in the dirt, glad to see that it finally has fallen. She slowly lowers herself to the ground, keeping a close watch on the thing to make sure that it is not playing dead just to strike out against them once their guards are down.

She calls out, "Eron! You got tagged pretty hard there. Are you ok? Good teamwork, guys! It looks like we did it, and ended this thing's rampage once and for all." She looks over the monster and speaks to Eron's question. "I don't know. It might be better for anyone inside the thing if they were already dead, but lets try and look for possible survivors." She pulls out her sword to begin cutting into the monster and see if there is anyone or anything alive in there.

 

[Sherwood]

From his previous knowledge in facing off against a Aishwarra, Eron knows that it is possible for a person to be swallowed whole and kept in a sort of stasis as its PPE is slowly drained from the poor victim, keeping the person nearby its many developing egg pouches under the rear thorax of the thing. That is the place to look first for anything still alive.

Directing your attention to the pouches, Terra can see that the Aishwarra was growing a clutch of eggs, but at this point they do not look to be very far along on their development and should not be able to hatch. In most of the prey storage pouches, you find nothing of interest. But in one of the sacks, there is a humanoid figure that is curled up in a fetal position with no way to tell if it is alive or not unless you cut your way into the sack and check. How are you doing this?

Purr
What is Snowfall doing during all of this?

 

[Purr]

At first, Snowfall feels like cheering! They had won! So... he does!

"Yippie! We did it!" There in the sky, he imitates a few of his Tai Chi stances while inside the Glitter Boy. Imitating the cheesy martial art movies so prevalent in the late 20th century on Earth, Snowfall mimes as if speaking bad English to the fallen Aishwarra. "So! You think you know kung fu, ah? We show you, big time! Ha haaa!"

But as he descends to join Terra's Terminators in his GB-7 suit, his humorous feelings of victory slowly give way to something a little less logical, a little more primal, and wholly more serious.

Snowfall eagerly scans the Aishwarra with the robot vehicle's many optical enhancements, especially infrared and thermograph. Part of him shudders at being so very close to such a huge creature that literally devours creatures like Fox Spirits in order to survive and procreate. This was the age-old relationship between creatures like the Aishwarra and creatures like the Kitsune. Each knew their place without question in a system going back literally thousands of years.

There was no Fox Spirit Snowfall knew that was not by nature a prey creature. Wolves were predators; foxes while hunters were prey and they damn well knew it or they died young in their ignorance. And here Snowfall was standing next to the largest land predator he had seen this year, this decade, perhaps this century! Just his being within 100 feet of the gargantuan monster sent shivers into him. Even though his brain knew it to be dead and thus, no longer a threat, the Tai Chi master and Tattooed Voyager was still unnerved by its sheer size. Looking at it in silence, Snowfall then realizes his natural fear of this unearthly predator equaled that of the Vampire Intelligence for they did the same thing, just in different ways.

And to fall prey to either was a horrific and helpless end Snowfall wished on no creature in all the Megaverse.

He continues to scan the creature with the Glitter Boy's optics and also with his own Kitsune senses that were privy to all things that possessed magic. He searched his brain. What did he know of the victims of the Aishwarra? Was it safe to remove those inside if they appeared not to have been yet digested? Or would doing so bring them to even more harm?

Knowledge. Snowfall learned even as a baby Fox Spirit that knowledge was often the vital key between life and death.

 

[Silanon]

His ally's concern - Eron shrugs in response. "It's fine, it's fine. Armor's good as new, I'd say." Well, it really isn't, but what can one do?`Not much, except the right thing, of course. And the right thing - well, it doesn't involve his own well-being at all. No, someone else's health instead - in danger, but maybe not lost quite yet. "Could cut them free - carefully. Worked last time, if I recall correctly. Took a while, but the knight that got caught - was doing mighty fine the next day. Well, being a knight surely helped. Might not go well now - who knows how long it's been - but there's only one way to find out. Could do the cutting, if that's alright. Or you do it, doesn't matter much. Just gotta be careful. Real careful. Thing's gone, is it?" He pokes the beast with his acid blade, just to make sure.

 

[Psychie]

Using a vibro knife, Terra will begin to saw away at the thick pouch holding the figure, making sure to keep the blade away from the figure inside. "Ok, I'm working the guy (or girl, we don't know yet) out of the sack. It might not be friendly, so be alert."