DragonRage

"I would very much like to know how this works," Danielle chips in, "Because you guys said some pretty fantastical things about what I might be able to do, and I have no idea how to do any of it."

"Danielle Greenwood. Formerly Dan Greenwood," The pony introduces herself, "I'd offer a handshake if I still had those. And this is probably some sort of paramilitary thing. If it is government-sponsored, they'll never admit it. Usual way these things go, anyway. "Can't say I'm that unhappy about my new body. The color might leave a lot to be desired, but at least I've still got most of the parts that matter. Loads better than being a head in a jar. And if the pamphlets are to be believed, this horn thing I've got can move stuff with magnets or something, so the lack of hands might not be that much of a problem. Maybe. Hopefully. I've got no idea how to make it do the thing."

"At least you've got hands. And aren't pink," Danielle points out with much dismay, "If we were valuable, they wouldn't be using us as guinea pigs. Or making us pink."

Daniel attempts to bolt upright. It does not go well. There's flailing, traction is lost on all four points, things bend in ways he's most certainly not accustomed to, and he ends up on the ground in a heap of uncoordinated wiggling. "Ouch! Hey, no damage reports! Voice is higher than usual. Did they.... Yep. Girl again. Not too bad. Quadruped again... Well, they weren't kidding when they said my niece was going to love this. On the positive side... At least I've got a real body again. Was really getting tired of that jar. Guess that makes me Danielle again. At least my name goes both ways well." She attempts to stand again, and manages an unsteady walk. "Balance, balance... There it is. Less like that dog mech than I'd like, but I can deal with it. Just takes a little practice. Let's see, standard checklist. Sight good, hearing better, smell... Oh horseapples, you all smell awful! Definitely a better nose... Horseapples? Ponyfeathers. Did... They stuck a censor chip in me?! Why?" Despite the improbability of it considering her new anatomy, Danielle smacks a forehoof into her face, only to freeze moments before impact. "Am... Am I pink?"

Iowa uses Ahead Full, increasing her initiative by 10 and gaining two stacks of Evasive Maneuvers, which last until her next turn. When Iowa is attacked while she has Evasive Maneuvers left, the damage is reduced by 20% and a stack is lost. Because her initiative increased this round, she can use Gunboat Diplomacy as a free action with a 3 round cooldown, taunting the enemy that acts soonest before and soonest after her for 1 round.

Lexiel casts Lightning Helix, dealing 1d4 + 6 damage to the Yellow Imp, and healing Mitsu 1d4 + 6 HP. Soul Warden: 12/12 HP, deals 5 damage when attacking by whacking the enemy with its staff. Body-blocks attacks made on whoever it is blocking for, and counters all attacks that damage it with its own attack, even if the damage kills it, even if it isn't currently blocking. When the Soul Warden or another ally, foe, or summon enters the encounter, heal Lexiel, her allies, and her summons 5 HP apiece. CURRENTLY BLOCKING FOR LEXIEL.

"Iii want, but..." Moss shakes his head, tearing his eyes off the gold with visible effort, "No diiiamonds. Gemstones don't surviiive around black dragons for long. Gold is best. Our aciiid can't melt it. Other thiiings... Pretty for a whiiiile, but they never last."

Danielle Greenwood You want to see pictures of her niece? She's got lots of pictures of her niece. And she'd love for you to see them. All of them. With the story behind each one. In exhaustive, exacting detail.

"Elevation 20 degrees! Rotate turrets starboard eight degrees!" Iowa shouts, and the largest turrets on her rigging grind to life, swinging towards the Judge with a sort of ponderous finality. "One through four, locked and loaded. Range is danger close," The incarnate battleship raises her right arm to dramatically point her palm in the Judge's general direction, "Main battery, FIRE!" The blast shakes the ground for a dozen meters around, rocking Iowa back on her heels as the sound and pressure wave causes the leafy branches around her to ruffle and shake. A huge cloud of dust and powder smoke seethes around her, and from the cloud four huge shells soar. Two of them are completely off-target, slamming into the ground and trees nowhere near their intended target. One whistles six feet to the left of the Judge. And the fourth slams squarely into the huge mechanical creature's chest. (Iowa fires her 12 inch guns at the Judge, dealing 4d8 + 10 damage. If at least 5 of this damage is prevented, the shell explodes inside the target, dealing an additional 5d8 damage that ignores all damage reducing effects, but not other defensive effects. This applies the Concussion debuff whether or not the bonus damage is applied, reducing the Judge's damage dealt by 10 for 2 rounds.)

"Well. What are these things?" Lexiel steps out of the shrine to investigate the noise, and stops short just to the side of the doorway. "Quite a few of the little guys." The angel raises her mana gauntlet, magical energy flowing through the arcane machines and lighting the Izzet, Boros, and Overwatch signets across her coat and armor from behind. "Soul Warden, come forth! Stand by me and try not to get stabbed by anything." The summoned priest, clad in western-style, white travelling robes, stands in front of Lexiel, ready to block. Soul Warden: 12/12 HP, deals 5 damage when attacking by whacking the enemy with its staff. Body-blocks attacks made on whoever it is blocking for, and counters all attacks that damage it with its own attack, even if the damage kills it, even if it isn't currently blocking. When the Soul Warden or another ally, foe, or summon enters the encounter, heal Lexiel, her allies, and her summons 5 HP apiece. CURRENTLY BLOCKING FOR LEXIEL.

"We know the general area only," Halhi shares, "The Turaga wouldn't share the specifics with anyone, for this exact scenario. And also because they hid the things a thousand years ago. They might not remember the exactly where the stones are anymore."

"Mine! My thiiings!" Moss hisses, clutching his saddlebags with instinctive fear, "No take!"

"...Okay," The dragon agrees, after a few minutes of thought, "Iii gotta grab my stash, fiiiirst." He dives into the swamp, and returns ten minutes later with a set of worn, leather saddlebags bulging and clinking with stuff slung across his back. He follows Lucine back towards the town, a bit warily, like he's still expecting the other sword to drop.

"Well, in general, blue armor means water, green means air, white means ice, red means fire, brown or tan means stone, and black means earth," Halhi shares, "But those are kinda stereotypes, and they don't always hold up. Sometimes there are purple Onu-matoran, aligned with earth, or blue Ta-matoran, aligned with fire. I've also heard tales of Toa wielding completely different elements, like electricity or sound. It's hard to tell for sure." "Other elements to create a way to breathe underwater... With power over water, you could push the fluids away and make a bubble of air! But that's the one that's underwater... Or we could make a diving bell out of ice! Wait, no, ice floats. Make it out of stone? That would be too heavy to carry, though. Make it out of ice and then coat it with stone?" Nuparu theorizes, "Yes! We could tune it for neutral buoyancy, and simply walk out to where the stone is!" "You'd run out of air," Halhi informs him, "The temple where the water stone is hidden is pretty far out, and there isn't a boat on the island that can support that much weight, and even if it would be fine to start with the ice would melt too fast. In case you haven't noticed, we're on a tropical island. The water is pretty warm. "I don't know what kind of defenses the other stones have. If the Makuta knows where they are, he'll have set his Rahi beasts to keep us from getting them. But the Turaga said the stones were hidden before the Makuta arrived at the island, and everyone has been careful not to discuss their locations outside of brightly lit areas. I don't think he knows where they all are."

Iowa walks up to the Judge, puffing on her cigarette. "Hey, ya balmy goop! Give up or regret it. Briefly." Then she takes a deep drag from her cigarette, presses the burning end to the Judge's enormous codpiece, and breathes a choking cloud of coal dust over him. (Iowa uses Bituminous Blast, dealing 1 fire damage to the Judge and reducing the damage of his next attack by 6.)

"Oh for- Did she seriously just go in there?" Iowa immediately turns around and starts hustling toward the battle site. "God-damned idiots trying to get themselves killed. Let the one with actual armor go first, I say. Do they ever listen? Nooo. It's all about kill counts and who got the last shot on who. What's the point of all that if you don't survive?!" As Iowa moves toward the battle, she orders her gunners to load Armor-Piercing Shells.

"Who are these demons? Do you know where we can find them?" Lexiel asks, "Wouldn't be my first demon hunt. I'd say it should be easy enough, but it rarely is with demons. It'll at least probably be simple."

"I don't know where we could get another Great Mask of Water Breathing. I didn't even know this one was here," Halhi shares, "Legend holds that the Makuta stole the Great Masks of Power to keep the Toa from getting them when they arrived, but was unwilling to destroy such useful tools. So he hid them all over the island. Toa of Air can create air from nothing, or so Turaga Matau says, but I don't know exactly how Toa Stones are related to the Toa. The Turaga always said all six stones needed to be united to be used, and even then they'll only respond if the user is destined to become a Toa. Aside from that... If there's any place where we could unlock the power of the stones, the shrine of Kini-Nui would be it. It's the holiest place on the island." "But the person among you who looked most likely to be aligned with air... Kinda... Joined the Makuta," Nuparu points out, "You guys aren't Matoran, so... Maybe it works differently for you? But if any of you could wield the element of air, I'd have bet on it being Dackly."

Gozer is ready to intercept an attack from the magma scorpion to Cicivexa... Jade fires a shot at the scorpion, and blasts the silver mask clean off with a crit! The bullet ricochets off the mask at the perfect angle to strike the head, dealing 157 damage! Cell sets up his Aura of Laceration. Cicivexa launches two firebolts at the magma scorpion, dealing 90 damage! The first one sears its flesh, and the second knocks the rusty mask off its claws! The lava ball on the scorpion's tail cools and reflexively fires, launching a huge rock at the black mage. Gozer eats it. The enormous scorpion immediately turns and burrows into the wall with its claws, swiftly disappearing before collapsing its tunnel behind it. Without their leader, the Kofo-Jaga also decide they've had enough, and flee back down the tunnel en masse. The tunnel somehow feels a bit brighter now, and you can see the faint gleam of a small altar further down the tunnel, upon which a fist-sized stone rests. ITEM ACQUIRED! Toa stone of Earth. This stone is imbued with elemental power, and could be used to help create or strengthen actions or abilities of the associated element. ITEM ACQUIRED! Kanohi Kaukau, the Great Mask of Water Breathing. This silvery, metal mask is reminiscent of a diver’s regulator and face mask. The mask is a single, solid piece of metal, yet the area over the eyes is somehow translucent and does not restrict vision. When worn, the mask color-coordinates with the wearer’s outfit. Wearing the mask allows you to breathe water and air with equal ease when worn. Grants 50% resistance to the effects of atmospheric pressure, water and air alike. It's incompatible with other masks. Like all Kanohi, it can cancel the HP drain effect of a heartlight. With the Toa Stone retrieved, Nuparu leads the group back toward the surface, but not before smashing the infected mask with a big rock until it snapped in half. Now is the time to plan your next course of action, question your local guides, figure out who if anyone should use the Great Mask, and any other business that needs attending to...

Alexandria carefully steps into the room, doing her best to put her weight on the most solid-looking parts of the floor near walls. "I do not like top floors," She mutters uncomfortably, "I do not like them at all."

"You look ridiculous," Iowa informs the Kitsune, "There's far too many things in that outfit for someone to grab if you tried to fight them with your fists. Assuming you didn't trip on the trailing parts. Not to mention that it shows far too much leg. How haven't you been arrested for public indecency yet, prancing around in that thing? "My own abilities? I'm honestly... not sure. I know what I could do before, but... I wasn't human then. I wonder..." She considers the half-track, and then eases herself onto the ground. Somehow, she feels like she can go closer to her former state than she is now... But becoming more like a battleship on a vehicle not designed to support hundreds of tons of steel seems like a good way to total Atton's half-track. So she sets her feet firmly on the ground and concentrates. One step forward, and a flash of red light leaves rudders and propellers mounted on the back of her heeled shoes. A second step, and a steel corset clamps itself around her waist in a shower of white sparks with reassuring weight, bolts tightening it in place with industrial precision. Two white slabs of metal, each shaped like half of a ship's stubby hull, slide into place on either side of her hips, carrying two round, stubby turrets each. Over them, two more turrets extend on heavy, mechanical arms, longer barrels casting an imposing shadow over the rest of the assembly as they rest, not aimed at anything in particular. A third step, and a match finds itself into her hand. She absently strikes it against the side of her face, and a warm, blue flame blazes at the end. She touches it to her omnipresent cigarette, and gritty coal smoke billows up from the funnel rising above her back, joining the tobacco smoke as it rises lazily into the air. The fire seems to breathe life into the machines, as whirring cogs and hissing steam engines bring the turrets into position. Before the funnel, an American flag is raised on a slender mast, to dance lazily in the breeze generated by the infernal heat of her boilers. "All batteries report ready, magazines are almost full. A bit low on coal, but plenty for the next few days. I'll need to refuel soon," Iowa murmurs to herself, taking stock of her condition, "Boilers are hot, and running like they're brand new. God, I haven't felt this good since I was commissioned! Morale is high, supplies are sufficient, negligible damage to all systems... Operating condition: nominal." Iowa turns back toward the group on her heel, a satisfied smile on her face. "The Iowa class battleship USS Iowa is fully operational. There's precious few land-bound foes that can equal my eight inch guns, and none that come close to the long twelves. My foot of belt armor, the finest steel America can produce, should render me immune to all attacks short of gunfire from another battleship. And on the off chance that something does penetrate my belt, it'll have to get through ten feet of coal bunker to have a chance of hitting something important. In short, there ain't a thing on land, and precious few at sea, that will even slow me down." She slams a fist into her chest, producing the CRASH! of steel on steel, before turning back toward the sounds of violence. "Whoever's over there is in for a world of hurt if they attack us. So let's go say hi, and see if they're more inclined to play it smart or to give us some justification."

Lexiel starts to respond, and then thinks better of it. Right. This is the one with a god complex. "... Ah! I see. Cultural dissonance! The place I am from and the place you are from have different standards for what proper decorum is. And as our new acquaintance has not taken offense, your home is likely more similar to this place than mine. I shall have to be careful to prevent future misunderstandings. "In my experience, if a god is inclined toward offense, it will not matter what our actions are. Ones that advance their cause, even ones they personally mandated, will infuriate them as much as ones intended to push the limits. If all courses of action lead to divine wrath, best to invite it while we are fresh and well-rested. If the local god is tolerant, we learn it now, and will not need to worry later. Otherwise, needless stress, poor sleep, and then a big fight anyway, when we are less prepared."

"We have been instructed to avoid collateral damage and fatalities," Alexandria reminds Halley, "Many of Deus' servants are not hardened criminals or devoted terrorists, but teenagers doing something stupid because an anon on the internet talked them into it. If we killed every adolescent who did something stupid, organic life would go extinct in short order. And blaming someone under the effects of a cognitive malfunction for your own mistakes? While taunting Murphy in the next sentence? Really, Halley? I'd expected better of you."

Sister Rachel continues to cover the exit point with her Inferno Pistols, ready to melt the first xenos fool willing to try their luck.

Lexiel steps into the shrine and glances around curiously, listening in on the back-and-forth between Mitsu and Ako, before she decides she should probably step in. "Mitsu, be polite," The angel admonishes mildly stepping up to loom over the pair with a friendly smile, "A more casual attitude should not be reason to treat a woman like something scraped off your boot, I think. Besides, if the gods of this land truly care for the people, something so minor will not offend them. And if they do take vengeance for a minor slight like this... Such a god is not worth worshipping. Better to spend the effort on things of value. "A giant monster you say? Wishing to end the world? I suppose it's about time for one. It's been a week. A bit of a drama queen too, if he wastes energy on displays like that when his name is spoken. ...I wonder how much energy those petty theatrics use? If we got enough people to chant his name for a while, it could drain his powers. This will need testing. Oh! Is the barrier field worded to keep people out or to keep men out? Both can be circumvented, but one is much easier than the other."