IntSys

December 8, 2019

Wonderful. With a swing, fleshy remains fell from the shotgun and to the floor. "If our honorable hosts would still like to greet us, try not to keep us waiting. We haven't got all day!" Vepr-12 shouted into the newly-revealed path. Then, she began to plunder the camp, opening the barrels one by one by force.

December 7, 2019

And the stage had been set. It was time to humble the monster.

Omega's ability presented a golden opportunity that would allow the cadets to inflict massive damage. In particular... with a Water core, Grass was the way to go.

Crossing gazes, Solosis moved back behind Emmanuel, and Nicaea was sent out.

Only that, lustrous energy wrapped around the stubby creature, catching him off guard. The little Oddish from Nexus #08 had become a Gloom! And of course, she brought with her a pungent stench that made her somehow more intimidating than those 6.5 meters tall Gyarados from a few minutes ago. And she was soon going to match that stench with her newfound power.

Until Emmanuel got used to the smell, battling alongside a Gloom meant an intense trial of endurance. Nicaea, however, didn't seem to care about the receptions of her new smell. She put on a confident smile and waited for the opportune moment to strike.

Emmanuel recalls Solosis and sends out Nicaea.

November 25, 2019

Julianne

Observant as Julianne was, she managed to see an opportunity amidst the unfolding chaos - a loosely-guarded patrol convertible parked next to a diner. It had only been two decades since they began to mass-produce these chunks of metal back in Imera, so the cars in Gaea were either luxury imports or part of the Monoliths' arsenals.

The soldier on the convertible was busy trying to get a better look at the situation from afar by standing on the driver's seat. The car looked to be durable enough to drive through the Nexus' front door, too. But the question was, could she handle the car?

Henrietta

Henrietta's gospel almost seemed to have a divine effect to it, already compelling everyone, heretic or not, to escape from the premises. To punctuate the final sentence, the heretical statue was blasted into pieces, which then flew to shatter windows.

And with that, she was the only one left. One would fully expect bullets to start flying back at her right now, what with the open challenge against the Monolith, but not a shot could be heard amidst the panicking noises coming from outside.

Nemesis & Eleanor

A deafening explosion echoed out of the mess ahead. Fear pulsated from the now "cleansed" grounds, striking deep into the bystanders. What were they even supposed to do about this?

Nemesis and Eleanor could see a few soldiers already trying to approach the Nexus from all angles carefully. Perhaps too carefully with how slow they were going. From the looks of it, it was very likely that Henrietta was the only one left in the building. Not resorting to saturated fire seemed to imply some sort of a strategy here, but what could that be?

Or maybe they really didn't want to jump through flames and was hoping that a hero would swoop in soon and take care of everything for them. Perhaps that was also what everyone else watching was hoping for.

November 13, 2019

With that, there was no need for extra words.

A quick view of Omega's info using the A-Comm, as well as her previous display of force, revealed a few things to watch out for. She used an unknown move, but it seemed to be physical in nature, were Emmanuel to guess.

The plan was already clear. Solosis glowed slightly and raised a veil before the group, gleaming under the night sky. He just had to cover the grounds before he could mount an all-out offensive.

Emmanuel sends out Solosis.

Solosis uses Reflect.

November 9, 2019

"... So that was what you were going for..." Emmanuel carefully glared at Omega. The last time they saw Uno when she was unambiguously herself, she was chasing after Betani, who had gotten mad over her. From Betani's words, it was clear that Uno was going to do something about the Ghost Girl, something that only she could do. And then the next thing they knew, she was walking into the sea with Alpha.

By Rita's words, that may have been an illusion or a projection of some sort, and the body was still on the surface. That must have something to do with what Uno was going to do.

But, where was she going to do it? Some sort of a ritual ground?

In any case... Rita mentioned two Claydol. Emmanuel remembered a very peculiar fact about the Pokemon - aside from the devastating Self-Destruct, they also knew Hyper Beam immediately after evolution. They might be on the move as the so-called Ruin of Tradition patiently bought time here! Once they get a clear shot, it'd all be over.

Immediately, he called Ray, speaking clear enough for everyone else around him to hear as well. "Emmanuel here, I've gotten a tip that two Claydol are summoned and are on the loose here. They're going to destroy shards on the island, likely with Hyper Beam. One of the shards has already been destroyed - a white stone on the top of a ridge. Could you locate the Claydol and send nearby cadets to intercept them? Or at least, send us their locations?"

"A-And one more question, has anyone seen Uno? Er, before we were sent to capture the Ghost Girl. She was chasing after Betani, but we need to know what happened next! I know this may sound crazy, but her body might still be on the surface!"

Then, he turned to Omega and declared, "Our friends down there aren't done fighting yet! This kind of future... Uno has more than just dancing in her life! She, she has so many people looking out for her!"

A decade-old sourness welled up. Only by focusing on Uno was he able to hold his tears.

No one deserves to be so lonely. "T-That's why, I won't let you take all that away from her!"

November 7, 2019

[!] Precision Suppression [!] Welrod pointed a finger towards the party and blinked. [7 vs 13] A surge of unstable interfering signals struck Scarlet's weapons, suppressing her attacks' precision for two turns! [6 vs 8] Jack's weapons were afflicted as well! [16 vs 16] Harold was able to resist the interference!

Welrod then followed it up with a successive series of shots aimed for Scarlet, dealing 9 damage.

[!] Observer's Strike [!] "Heh," CZ75's eyes met with Jack's, her hand gripping her axe confidently. "Then I'll split you in half!" With a sideway swing, the axe was launched forward and up, slicing past Jack's armor and arcing back to her hand, dealing [CRITICAL HIT] 50 damage and opening a nasty cut around the breastplate!

NZ75 fired several shots at Harold, but his armor completely negated the attack. She grunted and took a step back, but she was hardly fazed by the result. "Blackbeard's armored!" She relayed, and the others nodded in response.

Jack launched a Frag Grenade at CZ75!

Scarlet, in spite of the interference, was still able to aim at the ceiling, though a bit too close to the wall than she'd like. Gnarly cracks opened up all over the ceiling, spreading to the walls like a web. It was on the brink of collapse! Scarlet took 5 damage from the recoil.

[!] Inquisitor's Bullet [!] Contender glanced over the ceiling, and took out a special bullet from her waist. "Let's make this count, then..." Taking her stance, she fired the bullet. It made a loud bang and sank into Harold, dealing a piercing 7 damage! It most certainly felt like an AP round, despite it being fired from a measly handgun. The damage he'd take was increased for two turns.

"Perfect." Kar98k loaded that antique of hers, and set her sights on Harold, dealing a piercing 15 damage!

Harold fired his Raygun at CZ75, dealing 14 damage!

The Frag Grenade went off with way less effective frags than usual, but the explosion itself still packed a punch! Welrod, CZ75, and NZ75 all took 12 damage and were knocked backwards! The explosion rocked the place just enough for the ceiling to finally give way!

A deluge of debris came crashing down. The dolls' leader could be heard, declaring a simple "Retreat" amidst the noises. Before long, the passage was entirely sealed in. The last thing you could see between the closing seams of rubble was a smile that did not fit the word that just came out of it.

BATTLE SUCCESS

The party gained 1 Merit.

--

Dove leaned against a wall, clenching his chest. His eyes were as wide as they could be. He was frustrated, yet he couldn't bring himself to vent it. Shuffling through his pockets, he took out a tablet. A holographic projection of the floor maps of the sewers was displayed over it. There was apparently another floor beneath the current one. Exits to the surface were marked and labeled with the names of the streets, and passages to the bottom floor were also marked.

"You were followed. This changes everything..." He shook his head. "The sewer plans are no secret. They'll find us soon if we stay here for too long. We have to move fast." His eyes floated past Jack's terrible wound, and he recoiled back a step.

"B-But, could any of you fix that first?"

TIME ALLOCATION: You have three minutes to allocate between healing and moving.

- Healing: For every minute allocated, Scarlet and Harold can both use their respective healing actions once each.

- Moving: As long as you allocate one minute on moving, you can decide whether to move forward in the current floor, head for an exit to the surface, or escape deeper into the bottom floor (Or other movement strategies you have in mind). The more time you spend on moving, the further you can go.

In either case, Scarlet's passive regeneration (if she doesn't use a healing action) and Jack's shield regeneration will kick in three times.

Status

Spoiler

Jack: 4/36 [Shield: 0/18]

Scarlet: 22/36

Harold: 8/30

???

Spoiler

On the top of a derelict building overlooking Smederevo, two dolls in black drew their guns against one another.

It was three guns against two, yet the odds were completely even. But that was the last thing on their minds. It seemed that this was the only kind of condition that would allow the two to even be willing to withhold their malice for a moment.

A minute passed, and neither side moved even so much as an inch. The noises from below had gradually degraded into white noise, hardly distinguishable from an afternoon rain.

Finally, one of them spoke. "Enough with the act already. This is going nowhere, and I still haven't had breakfast. Have you figured out if you want to stop wasting our time?"

"I am not obligated to tell you anything."

"Well, fine then! I'll just be eating over here." The brown-haired doll lowered the handgun in her left hand and reached for some sort of a pastry wrapped in newspapers, a lousy Proja. Despite it being poverty food dating back to the last century, she somehow seemed to enjoy it. Even then, she still had a gun left to point at the other side.

The other doll, black-haired, with mouth concealed by some sort of a gas mask, remained absolutely still.

"So, as I see it... You've been stalking us for quite awhile. Maybe you thought we had collected better information? Weren't you built for scouting by the way, Scarecrow? Shame that you can't even rely on your own head with your job, huh?"

Scarecrow remained content with her policy. Or perhaps it wasn't even hers.

"You didn't want to engage us directly, but now that I've found you, you're considering beating me up for that info instead. And you're thinking if it's worth the risk. After all, you're the weakest of the ringleaders."

The brown-haired doll finished her Proja and laughed. Her black jacket flowed along the strong winds over the rooftop. "But, you didn't even realize one thing... I have reinforcements!" She suddenly shouted towards the left of Scarecrow. "Contender, now!"

Scarecrow turned in surprise, sidestepping instinctively to avoid the sneak attack and countering with a volley of bullets.

But there was nothing there.

And her foe was no longer there. Only another bag of Proja was left.

Scarecrow picked up the bag. Something was scribbled on it with a marker. She stared into the distance, where her foe had escaped towards, before finally pulling down her mask to taste the food.

November 4, 2019

"... Exactly. You're not Uno. You're a fiend trying to replace her. Using her as an excuse for the destruction... is unforgivable!" Emmanuel stood firmly. The ringing A-Comm, however, cut into his mind. While the monster before them laughed on, he decided to answer the call. It could be an alarm to a sneak attack, but considering the circumstances, how Cathode was getting the same pause between buzzes, the caller might be someone entirely unexpected.

October 26, 2019

Unsettling signs. Could Sena and Radovan have failed down there? What of them, then?

"You don't get to call yourself by her name," Emmanuel said simply to the woman. Solosis moved forward, exchanging batons with Nicaea. She leered at the destruction incarnate before her. They were ready for another battle, however dire and improbable. It was for Uno, for Sena and Radovan, and for all the other inhabitants of the island.

October 21, 2019

Harold took the lead and scaled up an office building's scaffolding. From a vantage point, he got a better look at the city, in all its ugly glory. Aside from the center of the city, close to the riverside, everywhere else was covered by a sprawling slum. The city center was mostly made up of barracks, though it wasn't possible to see what was in there. On a brighter note, Harold was able to tell apart the few large buildings left in the city and determine the mall's location and a shortest path there.

Having decided their approach, the party moved headfirst towards the mall.

A fifteen-minute walk brought the party to a huge building that barely resembled a mall. In fact, in its current state, it might look more like a parking lot. Of course, all that was ignoring the people who took residence in there. Shoddy stalls stood in what used to be wide, clean hallways, and rusty metal sheets walled up the storefronts, giving the residents a meager protection for their privacy.

An electronic Slavic turbofolk tune served as the mall's musical backdrop, performed not by a broadcasting system but rather old war veterans seeking warmth in the nationalist spirit they once fought for.

The party quickly made their way to the basement, through an equally-crowded floor, and arrived at the front of the toilet. The men's toilet seemed to have collapsed upon itself, and stains of dried urine could be seen at its doorsteps. That left the women's, which was only better in the fact that it hadn't cave in just yet. The stench only got worse as the three ventured into the toilet.

Suddenly, a stall in the far end opened up. A feminine figure emerged. Long, black hair, and masked with a surgical mask. Fairly lean.

"I'm your client." A muffled voice came through the mask. Recalling the pitch, it was apparent that Dove had disguised himself. "Let's go." His words were rapid, almost slurring, and his eyes blinked quickly too. An expected attitude from a man who might be in a black site tomorrow if he were to make even just one mistake.

As for that mistake, it was only getting apparent.

A soft ping came from his left pocket, and he yelled. "RUN!"

[Insert Song] MADE IN HEAVEN

Spoiler

Explosives hidden beneath the toilet sent the whole room collapsing down to the sewers below. As the blasts rang in their ears, a pair of bullets flew over them and struck the wall.

"You're going nowhere, scoundrel!" A confident voice came from above. Her red eyes flashed briefly, and four more figures jumped down the collapse floor to give chase. As the toilet's flickering lights blended with the sewer's maintenance lights, it became a bit easier to see their appearance. They were all... girls?

Of the four, the one taking the lead was a girl with short red hair, red tops and black shorts. She had a hand axe with a scope on its back in one hand, and a handgun - CZ75 - in another. "Out of the way, big guy!"

The other three quickly took position. One of them had short blond hair, and wore her blue British jacket like a cape for some reasons. The pistol in her hand was a Welrod MkII. Another had long brown hair, with a long black jacket on the outside and a white shirt and a red tie on the inside. She was carrying one of the many clones of CZ75, the NZ75. The last one had silver hair, and wore a lightweight mix of gray and purple. Her disturbingly large handgun - the Contender - was of note.

The smoke above began to clear, revealing their leader. Graceful white hair, contrasted by the intimidating and dreadful German uniform. She began to adjust her aim again, pointing her rifle downwards.

The chain of events was absolutely baffling. Were the party tailed? How could they have gotten the information that they were heading to meet up with Dove?

It was one mystery that wouldn't matter anymore if they couldn't escape alive.

Win Condition: Defeat Welrod, CZ75, NZ75, and Contender

OR Somehow block them from continuing the chase

Init:

Spoiler

Average Dex: 4

Welrod: 8

CZ75: 7

NZ75: 7

Jack: 6

Scarlet: 5

Contender: 4
Kar98k: 2

Harold: 0

Status:

Spoiler

Jack: 36/36 [Shield: 18/18]

Scarlet: 36/36

Harold: 30/30

Kar98k: Healthy, on a vantage point (negates Melee, -25% damage taken from ranged attacks.).

Welrod: Healthy.

CZ75: Healthy.

NZ75: Healthy.

Contender: Healthy.

???

Spoiler

Earlier...

A short girl clad in brown garbs walked through the alleys. Her red tops and black shorts could be seen through the seams. Her steps were casual yet confident, kicking aside the tiny rubbish and cans in her way.

Two men ahead of her, leaning against the walls and holding a cigarette in their mouths, suddenly got up. Their eyes met, and they stood their positions firmly.

"Oi. Out of the way." The girl spoke, annoyed.

One of the men cracked a smile. "Heh, and they said that money doesn't fall from the sky." Their hands shifted subtly but surely, and all the sudden, they flashed their tasers. The faint smell of ozone drifted towards the girl.

A quick lunge from the right, a taser missed its mark and sank into the garbs. The girl's elbow dropped onto the back of the man's head, and he quickly collapsed with a whimper.

"Wh-What the hell?! You're not supposed to- Urk!" The other man took a punch to the gut and was held against the wall with just one hand. The girl revealed her previously-concealed axe, and held its sharp edge against his neck. "Son of a bitch, you want a piece of me? Huh?" Her words fell on deaf ears as the man was busy comprehending all the confusion and fear binding him. The only response was an incoherent babble.

"Listen up, punk! I know your kind. The worst of the worst. Wherever I go, rats like you always try to sell me off in the black market. Well, TOUGH LUCK." Another slam against the wall, and the man was barely conscious. "Oi! Wake up, idiot. I'm not done with you yet!"

With a sigh, the girl tossed the man aside, piling him on top of the other. She was no longer held back by the limitation that prevented her from attacking humans thanks to the special authorization from above, yet she still couldn't bring herself to use the axe.

"Tch. What a waste of time..." She mumbled, and disappeared into the next turn.

October 20, 2019

Emmanuel

With the last Gyarados neutralized just in time by Cathode, Emmanuel finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's leave the Gyarados to the other cadets. Our Pokemon could use a bit of a break." He said, brushing the dust off his clothes. It just occurred to him that they were still in their casual clothes, making them stick out really unnaturally amidst such a time. But it wasn't anything he could really help with.

Then, he turned to Nicaea, who had just managed to spray down a nasty Gyarados, and gave her a thumbs up. "We couldn't have done it without you. It's time for you to get some rest."

Nicaea answered with a confident smile, and returned to her ball.

Emmanuel looked towards the seas where Uno had disappeared into. Aside from the swarm of hostile Gyarados, there had been hardly any echoes coming from there. "Radovan, Sena... I hope things are looking up for you guys as well," he muttered.

October 18, 2019

Vepr-12 almost giggled as she stabbed her shotgun against the psycho that just sank his puny axe against her. With a clean blast, the imbecile was knocked down to the mat, hanging on to a sliver of life. She swung her way slowly towards the hopeless sack of meat.

It was a familiar feeling, and it felt good. Really good.

"Useless!"

Without any reservation, she grabbed the psycho by the head, shoved the barrels into his mouth, and gave him an ending that rivaled the fate of the poor corpse she had just torn apart.

[Perk] SG - Valkyrie of Belgrade: Counter with ASST-Bound Molot Vepr-12 (2d6+7+1/4 high velocity damage, lower target's damage by 20% for one turn).

Vepr-12 fires her shotgun at Bandit Psycho 2, dealing 2d6+7+1/4 high velocity damage and reducing their damage by 20% for one turn.

Vepr-12 then uses Survival Instincts, giving herself +8 DR for one turn.

Loadout (6 Slots) (Passives in bold)

Spoiler

Survival Instincts: Vepr-12 takes on a defensive stance, protecting herself from incoming damage. +[Con] DR to self for one turn.

Critical Cover: Every turn, Vepr-12 will cover the first ally who has equal or less than half of their maximum HP and is about to take damage from an enemy, redirecting the damage to herself with +4 General DR. She will then cover that ally for the rest of the turn.

- Base: Redirects all damage from the first ally who has <= 50% MHP and is about to take damage from an enemy until the turn ends.

- Level 2: +2 General DR when taking damage for an ally. (No DR boost if the attack goes for Vepr-12 directly)

- Level 3: +4 General DR when taking damage for an ally instead. (No DR boost if the attack goes for Vepr-12 directly)

Anti-Collapse Forcefield: While T-dolls all have basic levels of anti-radiation armor in order to operate outside of the radiation-free Green Zone, they are still prone to erosion from high concentrations of Collapse particles in the Red Zone. In order to mitigate this issue for Vepr-12, a regular patron to the Red Zone in search of ELID infectees, a forcefield module was installed to allow her to brace through high radiation areas temporarily. +9 Energy DR.

Type 3 Armor Plate: The protective grade Type III Kevlar Plate provided by IOP Corporation can resist high-caliber ammunition, massively enhancing T-Dolls' survivability on the battlefield. +9 Piercing DR.

Military-Grade Aegis: The same grade of hand shield used by the armored units "Aegis" ordered by the KCCO. Quite resilient against most cutting weapons. Green in appearance, with some gray lining the indents. +9 Slashing DR.

ASST-Bound Molot Vepr-12 (Perk-backed): A classic multipurpose semiautomatic shotgun produced in the early 21st century by Molot-Oruzhie. Designed as a direct competitor to Saiga-12, it has also seen great use in both hunting and professional shooting. It is essentially integrated into Vepr-12's core using the ASST system, allowing her to wield it with considerable effectiveness. Deals 2d6+[Str]+[Times Vepr-12 has fallen into Frenzy]/4 high velocity damage to one target, and reduces that target's damage by 20% for one turn.

Frenzy (Flaw): Every four damaging attacks Vepr-12 use (including counters) will cause her to get reckless and send her into a momentary Frenzy for two turns, during which attacks against her will have their base damage increased by 20%. Every four damaging attacks made during a Frenzy will further increase the duration by one turn. The count is reset once the status is cured or has run out. (2/4)

October 15, 2019

Tai

Tai was lost in thoughts for a moment, trying to understand what that meant. Eventually, he figured out how he wanted to respond. "You know, you might not be ultra special in that way, but I still think there's something special about you."

He paused briefly, before continuing. "Like how you could change. Really change. You were Silent Requiem, and now you are Astra. You continued with a different mech than the one that got you to the finals. If I were in the audience, I wouldn't be able to believe that the two mechs are really piloted by the same person."

"As for the other competitors... Some have left, while others stayed instead. But even as the events in this tournament impacted our lives, at best we only change as a person - that mech you faced in Envy was exactly the same as when it faced the Revenant in Sloth."

"That's the special thing about you. You're determined to change. Much more than any of us here. And I think that will get you closer and closer to what you really want."

October 10, 2019

Nemesis & Eleanor || Kaagan Hunting Guild

The price was fairly cheap for a weapon. A mere 500 Tis, no more expensive than a decent piece of clothes. The merchant happily gave the axe to Nemesis. It wasn't really built for augmentation, but it could serve its purpose without it anyway.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" He smiled and waved the two customers off. Maybe he was just glad to finally get rid of the outdated weapon.

Julianne || Kaagan Hunting Guild

The blacksmith in question was intrigued by the unique set of demands from the commission, though he seemed to get the right idea. A good weapon needed a matching price, though the money scavenged was still enough for it.

He passed the end result - a threaded cane - to Julianne. And just when she was about to leave...

Henrietta || Kaagan Nexus

A merciless barrage of bullets pinned Fidelis against the wall, and then smashed him through the wooden wall, sending his corpse arcing into the wall of a tavern. The echoes of the gunshots continued to ring. It felt satisfying, somehow.

The door to the Father's room was opened slightly, revealing a seam. That same priest that greeted her was there, peeking into the room to see what was going wrong. The two crossed gazes, intentionally or not, and he ran like his life depended on it.

And so did the townspeople, breaking into a panic as Henrietta slowly swung her way towards the statue of Divus Meracus. At that moment, she was untouchable.

Nemesis, Eleanor, & Julianne

Not too far away, coming from the distance of the Nexus, a familiar string of noises could be heard - Henrietta's minigun, punctuated by a wooden wall crumbling apart. Then there were screams from the same direction, followed by a few soldiers scrambling out to the streets to see what happened.

From their expressions, one could tell that they weren't really raring to confront whatever chaos going down in there.

October 9, 2019

Henrietta || Kaagan Nexus

"H-Hah..." Fidelis squeezed out a laugh as Henrietta revealed a frightening minigun, ready to smash his body into pieces. Although he had proven himself to be a bite-less dog, his limbs did not move so much as an inch in response to the drastic shift in odds. A heretic he may be, but that resolve was undeniably true. "Meracus' influence did not leave this world with Him... You won't get away with this!"

Smashing that trigger again for one more futile shot, the old man was ready to pay back the life that false God gave to him.

October 6, 2019

"Aah~" A light, but perverse sound came out of Vepr's mouth, excited at the fracturing of the corpse. That excitement was echoed by the bandits and psychos coming from the torn-down door. Though, her smile slowly faded away. "Ah... I liked it better when I was the only one laughing. Let's fix that."

Locked and loaded, she leered the marauders with killing intent.

[Perk] SG - Valkyrie of Belgrade: Counter with ASST-Bound Molot Vepr-12 (2d6+7+1/4 high velocity damage, lower target's damage by 20% for one turn).

Vepr-12 fires her shotgun at Bandit Marauder 1, dealing 2d6+7+1/4 high velocity damage and reducing their damage by 20% for one turn.