Fantasy World Creations

---

Like before it was extremely cold up at the peaks. Though they were all warned about the frigi temperatures, you could tell that there were some in the group who were not expecting the sudden drop in temperature. Karn and Lili seemed fine, possibly due to something about Viridio. However, those on Gust, Dalina and Anja, were shivering from the cold. Dalina had known what to expect, so she was already wrapping her arms around her sister. Captain Ash was fine, partly due to the contract shared with his dragon. Though, Captain Charles, in the basket-like container the dragon was holding up eventually had to pull out his fiery spear in an attempt for some warmth from it. As for Telamon's drone, it was not able to keep up in flight, and had to either be carried or stored away in your inventory.

You yourself had your own robe which proctected against a lot of things, not to mention your own contract with Alyona provided you some resistances whenever you were seated on her.

[info]Those who don't have cold resistance, are not on Viridio, or the 'main seat' of the dragons in flight, will take 1d6 damage.

Also decide if you're storing the drone, or having someone carry it.[/info]

Eventually the group did make it towards the peaks, with Lili quickly jumping down once Viridio waslow enough.

[info]Perception requested[/info]

     As they set down Jean summoned another tentacle chair for Anja and brought Telamon's drone out of his inventory.

[info]Jean will put the drone in his Inventory until they get to the ground, then he will take it back out.  Perception [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+15 : 18 + 15, total 33[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Perception: 33
Even though the harsh cold winds were blowing, muffling out most noises, you were still able to hear the tell-tale sound of something metallic coming from within the lone mountaintop outpost that was designed to look like a simple jutting rock. You heard a whirring noise.[/info]
[info]Knowledge (technology) to identify the noise.[/info]

[info]Knowledge (technology) [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 16 + 10, total 26[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Knowledge (technology): 26
You recognized the sound, if only from all the TV shows and movies back on Earth. It was the wind up sound of a mini-gun, coming from the outpost.[/info]

[info]Surprise round avoided, but roll for initiative![/info]

[info]Immediate Action: Use Weight control to decrease Jean's weight 10 steps

Initiative[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+16 : 7 + 16, total 23[/blockquote][/info]

The door to the outpost suddenly started to open as the whirring grew louder. At that moment was when you decreased your weight.

[info]Jean to take turn[/info]

[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Jean 23, Dalina 22, Alyona 18, Enemy, Gust 17, Charles 14, Viridio 9, Lili 8, Karn 5, Ash 4, Olga 4[/spoiler]

     "Everyone look out!"  Yelled Jean as he also activated his mindlink with Alyona.  Get us to that door Alyona.  As they descended down to the door he brandished his spear over his head.  "Stop!  Lay down your arms or die by my hand!"  He yelled as he neared the door.

[info]Move Action(?): Ride Alyona to the door (Not sure how intelligent mounts work)

Standard Action: Use Intimidate to coerce enemies not to attack (I don't see an equivalence to make request with diplomacy but figure you could add some appropriate modifiers)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 16 + 10, total 26[/blockquote][/info]

[info]I'll treat it as a, Influence Opponent's Attitude. Success forces it to be 'friendly', due to the intimidation. You'll need a diplomacy roll for the actual make request, though it will take into consideration what you said, as well as the current situation.[/info]

[info] Requested Diplomacy[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+11 : 3 + 11, total 14[/blockquote][/info]

---

When you called out the warning, everyone started doing their own preparations, but many of them were confused. Those you were close to, began to draw their own weapons out defensively, Dalina even began casting a spell. But the other ones who you didn't quite really have a relationship with only furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.

Dalina finished her spell, a defensive one, creating a gust of forceful winds to surround you. As for Alyona, she moved towards the outpost, planning to move out of the way from any incoming attacks in a total defense action.

It was then that a voice was heard from beyond the outpost, just when the doors dropped, revealing what looked to be something similar to the mechs you had seen earlier in the dwarven city. However, this one looked quite a bit different. It looked a lot more stream-lined, and clashed with the look and feel of what you remember of the dwarven city. Where the dwarven mechs looked like it was clockwork, with heavy brass and chrome tones, this mech looked like something from a sci-fi. More importantly, it was attached with what was evidently a gattling gun that was already whirring.

"Easy fur ye tae say, bit ah hae th' weapon!" The dwarf in the cockpit of the mech said just when the bullets started firing. You noted immediately, that the dwarf was clothed much like the priest guards that you had sparred with earlier. The metalic orange shine of orichalcum armor seemed to fit right in with the mech's cockpit.

[info]Jean and Alyona to roll reflex to avoid incoming fire. DC 15, or take damage[/info]

The rest of the group, seeing the attack, started their own preparations. Both the dragonknights chanted defensive spells. Lili hopped off of Viridio, brandishing her own axe and moving defensively. As for Karn, he transformed some pieces of the outpost's structure into sharp projectiles, and had them fire off towards the mech. The projectiles hit, though the thing's armor seemed tough, but it at least still made the dwarf flinch.

[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Jean 23, Dalina 22, Alyona 18, Enemy, Gust 17, Charles 14, Viridio 9, Lili 8, Karn 5, Ash 4, Olga 4
Log
Round 1
Jean attempts intimidate/make request
Dalina casts Wind Shield on Jean, raising Jean's Deflection AC.
Alyona move action closer, standard total defense.
Enemy attacks with Twin Thunder Machine Gun at autofire
Gust move action to land, total defense.
Charles move action jumps out of carrier, while drawing out spear, casts a lightning buff spell.
Viridio move action to land, total defense.
Lili hop off Viridio, total defense.
Karn attacks mech, hits and deals damage.
Ash casts a defensive water spell around him.[/spoiler]

[info]Reflex Save[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+24 : 19 + 24, total 43[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Reflex (avoid autofire): 43
Just when the bullets started firing, and Alyona began to dodge out of the way. It felt like the bullets were indeed moving in slow motion. The only problem however, was the fact that the bullets were everywhere. The spread area that the gun was firing covered the immediate area. However, you noted the trajectory of each bullet, and moved out of the way enough to minimize the damage.

You still took some bullets, though, they hit in non-critical areas, and the brief pain associated with it was nothing compared to the torment you had endured in the past.[/info]
Alyona, in her dragon form, fared fine as well, managing to barely avoid the incoming fire, though, getting her own wings clipped by the bullets.

[info]Jean to take turn.[/info]
[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Jean 23, Dalina 22, Alyona 18, Enemy, Gust 17, Charles 14, Viridio 9, Lili 8, Karn 5, Ash 4, Olga 4
Log
Round 1
Jean attempts intimidate/make request
Dalina casts Wind Shield on Jean, raising Jean's Deflection AC.
Alyona move action closer, standard total defense.
Enemy attacks with Twin Thunder Machine Gun at autofire. Jean and Alyona save for half damage.
Gust move action to land, total defense.
Charles move action jumps out of carrier, while drawing out spear, casts a lightning buff spell.
Viridio move action to land, total defense.
Lili hop off Viridio, total defense.
Karn attacks mech, hits and deals damage.
Ash casts a defensive water spell around him.[/spoiler]

     "Yeah?  Well in my world they have a saying: It's not the size of the penis, it's how you use it.  Weigh Control!"  Yelled Jean in reply as he increased the weight of his spear, sweeping it into the side of the mech suit's torso.


[info]Immediate Action: Increase Fire Spear's weight 6 steps

Full Round Action: Full Attack Mech Suit with Spear (2h)
     Attack 1 (+22 Base, +1 Enhancement, +6 Weight)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+29 : 1 + 29, total 30[/blockquote]     Damage (Pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 4, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 2, 3, 6, 2, 2 + 23, total 61[/blockquote]     Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 3, 2, total 5[/blockquote]
     Attack 2 (+17 Base, +1 Enhancement, +6 Weight)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+24 : 9 + 24, total 33[/blockquote]     Damage (Pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 6, 1, 6, 4, 5, 4, 5, 4, 3, 6, 3, 2 + 23, total 72[/blockquote]     Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 1, 2, total 3[/blockquote]
     Attack 1 (+12 Base, +1 Enhancement, +6 Weight)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+19 : 20 + 19, total 39[/blockquote]     Damage (Pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 6, 3, 6, 3, 6, 2, 5, 6, 6, 3, 5, 6 + 23, total 80[/blockquote]     Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 5, 2, total 7[/blockquote][/info]

---

"What! Impos-" The dwarf cried when he noticed the spear piercing into the mech. But it was too late, the dwarf was dead as your weapon not only sliced through the mech, but the dwarf as well. You felt a lot more resistance than usual. Whatever metal that was used what fairly sturdy. You also noted the fact that the dwarf's armor helped soften the blow, but it too was cleanly cleaved.

The battle that was just about to start was ended before it began, and Captain Ash behind you, still on his dragon simply whistled in disbelief. Even Captain Charles and Karn blinked their eyes trying to register what had happened. Captain Charles, who had just brandished out his own spear looked almost ashamed as he simply sheathed his own spear back.

     Jean's lips curled into a grin as the dwarf's blood sizzled and cooked off the spear's tip.  He inhaled a whiff of the smoke, invigorated by the bloodshed.  "Ah!  That wasn't too bad!  Looks clear, everyone come on in!"  He yelled as he stepped into the outpost, pulling up his status as he waited for everyone to get inside.

[info]Checking Status to see HP[/info]

     Once everyone was inside he started to direct everyone into the elevator.  "Hmmm...  I guess we should probably make a battle plan.  Anja should stay in the back, Dalina can stick with her and support from range with her magic.  Charles...  I think you could stay back and defend our casters.  Karn...  I'm not sure where you would fit.  You seem to be pretty versatile with your skills.  would you rather stick in the backfield or get up close and personal?  Also...  It's going to get a bit cramped...  I'm not sure the dragons will have an easy time getting around in the confines of the city.  How good of a combatant are they in their human forms?"

---

You brought up the status page. Honing into the hitpoints section, you realized that the bullets you took, wasn't really all that bad.

[okay]HP: 231/236[/okay]

Heading into the outpost, the dragons in your group, Alyona and Olga turned into their human forms. You hadn't seen Olga yet in her human form, but you immediately realized that she looked much older than Alyona. If you were to guess, she may even be older than Valeriya, Alyona's sister.

Alyona clutched on to the hem of your robe, while it was Olga who responded for both the dragons.

"We have magic... Though, Alyona here probably isn't as strong or powerful as mine. Dragons prefer to fight in our dragon forms after all... However, I will support Captain Ash and the rest of you from the back." The woman said.

"Oh to fight alongside a hero of legend! Stories will be told of this, I assure you." Captain Ash commented as he glanced around the outpost.

As for Karn, he only nodded. "Between the backline and the front is where I will be most useful." He stated. "An uprising to quell dwarves isn't something I've been involved in before, but I doubt we'll have any trouble if all it took was a few seconds to take down that mechanical contraption behind us."








Taking that as a cue, Lili spoke up, having crouched down near the mech that was destroyed earlier.

"We suspected th' clerics hud weapons lik' these, wasn't kent fur sure, bit this confirms it." Lili sighed as she picked herself up.

"Anyways... Where are we goin', Jean? Thare is a bunker in th' palace that th' king is likelie in. Bit Telamon is likelie at th' refineries in th' city itself. She did say a quarter o' th' city belongs tae th' priests, bit how much o' it belongs to th' city guard?" She asked rhetorically.

Everyone was able to fit inside the elevator, though it was indeed a tight fit. It was spacious enough when it was just you, Lili, Telamon, and Dalina. But with the addition of everyone else, it was a lot more cramped.

     "Okay then, Alyona you should stay in back with Anja.  Use your magic and stay safe."  Said Jean as he turned and kneeled, coming down to Alyona's level.  "Anja, watch after her."  He said, raising his gaze back to his apprentice.  And you, watch after her.  He thought, using his link with Alyona. "I guess that leaves the frontline to me and my beautiful fiancee.  Probably appropriate given the circumstances." Jean stood and put an arm around Lili, tilting her head up with a gentle index finger curled under her chin.  "Time to go reclaim our kingdom."  He said before they crammed into the elevator.

     "Now...  where to go first..." Pondered Jean after Lili reported.  He pulled out Telamon's drone. "Telamon, we've arrived at the entrance to the city and are making our way down now.  What's your situation?  How are you holding out?  Do you have any word a far as how the loyalists are faring? And Lili, where would the priests stronghold be? They must have done seat of power that they are trying to run this rebellion from."
     

---

"You can count on me, Jean!"

Mhmm...! Alyona responded through the link.

Lili blushed when her eyes met yours. It was easy to tell that she wasn't quite comfortable with all the attention she was getting, but you did notice her step a bit closer to you when you tilted her head up.

"A-aye... oor kingdom..."










Telamon's voice soon popped in.

"Master, great, you're here. The drone's telemetry is telling me you have a lot of others with you... Which is good. I only have myself and a single- One second." Telamon's voice cut off, but came on again shortly after.

"Had to toast another dwarf." Telamon explained. "They're a persistent bunch, they were built to be hardy, and hundreds of generations after they still take to that... Anyways, we're going to need help. Surprisingly... but perhaps not that surprising, most of the armed forces of the dwarves are commanded by the priests.

I've been defending the refinery we've been setting up with the help of two dwarven lords and their clan but it's not enough. I need to seriously consider abandoning the refinery, they'll get heir hands on what I've built here so far, but we're losing too many, too quickly even with me here. But... I don't want to leave a large amount of our technology here.

As for Ren, she is with the king in their palace. I believe they're safe. Most of the royal guards are there, but they've been surrounded, so I'm not sure how long that will last. They've since retreated to a more fortified location in the palace, but we haven't been able to get any updates. All I know is that the enemy is still trying to make their way into the palace, which tells me they have yet to secure their objective. We can't count on them holding out forever though. They have an easier place to defend than where I am right now, but the enemy have been putting more people into flushing the king out.

Two dwarven lords have pledged their allegiance to you, master. Another two more are remaining neutral. The last dwarven lord have allied themselves with the priests. The most of them have congregated around the clocktower."

It was then that Lili interjected in.

"Aye, the clocktower. That's a pairt o' th' temple. If anythin', th' temple will have where they're commanding th' coup from."

"We need you at three places. The palace. The refinery. And the clocktower-" There was a pause as Telamon's voice grew in alarm. "They've brought their mechs to the Ramparts!"

     Jean weighed his options for a second.  "Cutting the coup off at the head would be ideal but we can't risk the loss of The Ramparts...  We can't be everywhere at once and I don't want to split our forces...  Lili, they wouldn't kill the king if they breach the bunker would they?  But then there's Ren...  She won't go down without a fight and I doubt that even if they spare the king they would be as gentle with her...  We need some way of luring them away from the palace and the Ramparts.  Lili, is there any mass communication system that could be used in emergencies to talk to the whole city?"

"Thay wilnae murdurr th' king. Th' rest o' th' Lords wid turn against thaim. Bit aye, A'm worried fur Ren." Lili confirmed. "Thare be a broadcast system near th' town square, 'twas used more often back in mah grandfather's time whin oor tunnels wur aye dangerous. It shuid still wirk."

     "Then that is where we need to head.  Hopefully it's not too heavily guarded.  The sooner we can get control of it the better."  Said Jean.

---

When you finally reached the bottom of the elevator, it opened up to the next room beyond. The first thing you noticed were a couple of circular metallic devices, each one linked to each other by cable. All in all there were 8 of them altogether strung up in a row, with four on each side of the tunnel.

"Dinnae a'body move. Tremor charges. They'll explode 'n' cause a cave in if tis triggered." Lili said, pointing to the devices.

     "You've got to be kidding me. They mined the entrance?"  Jean took a cursory glance at the charges at a distance.  "What sets them off?  Or more importantly how are we going to bypass them?"

[info]Knowledge: Engineering (If applicable)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+14 : 12 + 14, total 26[/blockquote][/info]

[info]You can roll Knowledge (technology) to identify them.[/info]
[info]Knowledge (engineering): 26
the 8 'tremor charges' that Lili pointed out were positioned in a way that covers a large section of the hallway. If what they did was a tremor, at least 20 ft. of the area in front of you would probably collapse. You noticed there were lights on them that seemed to shine itself in its immediate area, perhaps a 5 ft. radius, and long enough to cover most tunnel. The cable running through them were linked in some way as well, giving you the potential idea that if one went off, the rest probably will.[/info]

"Entrance ye cam in from. It wouldn't sprise me if thay mined th' rest, especially if th' isolationists wanted na connection tae th' surface world." She began to point towards each of the charges.

"Each o' they mines are triggered to explode if ye git within 5 ft o' thaim. Ye see how they're positioned on th' walls? Even if we were to fly near th' ceiling, they'd trigger."

[info]Normal disable device checks will get over it, or any other creative ideas.[/info]

Karn frowned.

"Might I remind everyone, that my daughter, at this very moment, is accomplishing this same task with the hero Rosalie."

     "Well unless they're really booking it I think we will have a decent lead to warn them..."  Replied Jean before Karn's speaking up reminded Jean of the circumstances of their first meeting.  "Hey wait, couldn't you just make a tunnel to go around the charges?"

"That's precisely what I was hinting at. I have little to worry about Amie or her chosen hero." Karn replied as cold as ever, but he moved nearer the exit of the elevator. Before actually hopping out of the elevator car, he tapped on the inside wall of the elevator, then using his finger, seemed to inscribe a simple rune on to it. The glow of mana was visible to yours eyes, and soon enough the wall started to cave in. First the metallic wall, then the hard rock beneath that. Eventually a pathway formed, one that avoided the traps altogether, but seemed to connect back together farther on.

     "Okay then, onward my princess."  Said Jean as the tunnel finished, leading the way at Lilli's direction towards the nearest broadcast site.

---

Surpassing the mines altogether, Lili lead the way, going back to the familiar train cart that you had used before. Lili gave everyone else a brief explanation of how everything was like, similar to the introductions you were first given when you first arrived here. The trains were surprisingly still in working order, though Lili mentioned that at junctions closer to the city, with the battle that was going on, there was potentially blockades for the trains, or even lines that were shutdown altogether.

As everyone shuffled into that next train, and Lili used some controls to make it move, the passengers were all but amazed at the level of technology that they were experiencing.

"Quad-tracked trains... Interesting design." Karn even let out a small compliment as he himself took a spot on the train examining the dwarven work.

---

Eventually, up ahead, one of the first junctions towards the city was visible. It was the same viewpoint you had seen the entire view of the city, where those dwarven work-mechs were being shipped off into further reaches of the underground network of caverns. However, instead of the regular bustle that you had once seen, the sounds of battle were heard from up ahead.

There was the unmistakable sound of gunfire, much like the machine-gun you had taken down earlier, along with the shouts of dwarves.

"Train incoming!" One of the dwarves called out when they noticed the sound of your train car making its way along the tracks. The dwarves up ahead were disciplined however, and even though they were being pressed from one side, they seemed to shift their attention quickly.

Up ahead you see 6 dwarves pointed guns at your group. Though one of them eventually called out.

"Hold yer fire, that's Princess Lili!" The dwarf who called out looked familiar, and it took you a moment to realize that it was one of the dwarves you had drunk with back in the hall.

[info]Roll Knowledge (nobility) to see what you remember of him[/info]

     Jean racked his brain as he tried to remember the dwarf. He dug through the booze marinated memories to gain some recollection.

[info] Knowledge (Nobility) (untrained)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20 : 3, total 3[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Knowledge (nobility, untrained): 13
You vaguely recall the dwarf, though much of the memories was fuzzy. He was one of the lords that were invited to the feast, though you don't recall his name or his clan. You at least recall out drinking him, and was one of those who thought they could easily win in a drinking contest.[/info]

     "Finally a friendly face... I assume. At least they aren't shooting on sight." Remarked Jean as their train pulled up to the stop. He disembarked and walked up to the leader. "Good to see some loyalists at last." Said Jean as he got closer. "We need to get to one of the old announcement systems so we can let everyone know the sheriff is back in town. How're you holding up? What kind of forces have mustered to the king's side?"

---

"There isn't much. Mah group juist git 'ere, in th' hopes tae control these stations, we wur trying tae clear a wey to th' mountain peak entrance ye foremaist cam in. Had to fight every step o' th' wey. Th' rest o' mah clan are trying to hold other points, though we've all stairted bein' pushed back.

One ither laird is over at th' refiniries yer lassie is at. Alang wi' some o' his men helping oot th' royal guards. Tis not looking good."

As he was talking, an exploding shell triggered just 15 ft. away, as his own dwarves retaliated, firing their own weapons. The dwarf you were talking to didn't seem to flinch though.

     "Okay, stick with us for now. We're trying to secure the announcement system. I have an idea but I don't know if it'll totally work. As disheartening as this rebellion is, I'm staking it all on your people's sense of honor. How far is it to the nearest announcement system and how thick is the fighting?"

---

"In th' city? tis a fankle. Th' priests hae warmechs we've ne'er seen afore. Th' fightin' is th' thickest at th' palace 'n' th' refinery. A lot o' th' priests are at th' clocktower tae, whilk means if we head tae th' broadcasting station, the forces might git redirected tae us." As he spoke he began to bark a few orders to his men, and though they kept firing their weapons at the enemies at a distance shooting towards them, they began to slowly get in a better formation.

"Dinnae ye worry, we'll follow yer leid. Weel o' coorse, th' Princess Lili's tae. A jimmy that kin beat me in a drinking contest ain't tae bad in me eyes." He said flashing a grin.

"Th' fightin' wull be heavy. Bit foremaist, lets git rid o' they ower thare." He pointed towards dwarven mechs at a distance - the ones who had been firing upon the group. You noticed there were multiple kinds of these mechs, some bigger than the others. You also realized that the mech you had encountered at the mountain peak outpost were the smaller models, which made sense given the fact of how little actual room the outpost had.

[info]Perception requested.[/info]

[info] Perception[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+15 : 19 + 15, total 34[/blockquote][/info]

---

There were about 100 new dwarven allies under the command of the dwarf you were talking to, each of them had what looked like early firearms, however, you did notice that some of the weapons spewed forth blasts of fire or lightning rather than the typical bullets. On the enemy side, there were about 25 mechs altogether, ranging from smaller models that you saw at the outpost, to a larger model standing about 25 ft. high.

[info]If you plan to engage them, I'll make a grid map, otherwise, I'll do mass battle rules for them over the course of an hour if you leave the area.[/info]

     Jean gauged the strength of the enemy before him before turning to the loyalist leader. "Conserve your men and come with me. I'll hold them off. I made a mistake when I engaged with the priests before. I did not show them my true power. They took me for weak because I let then live. I will not make that mistake again... Summon Tentacle!" He said, raising a clenched fist to the cavern ceiling.

[info] Summoning a 200 ft tentacle for 20 mp to engage the enemy forces in mass combat.[/info]
     As the tentacle surged forth from its portal Jean turned to the loyalists behind him. "Follow me." He said as he turned to head for the  announcement system and leaving the chaos of the battle to unfold behind them.

---

Summoning the tentacle left you only slightly tired. Just a bit over a week ago, doing something of that magnitude would have made you faint in a state called mana blank, but with all the levels you have since acquired, it didn't really drain you that much at all. The dwarven lord's eyes bulged out of its sockets, and for a brief moment, the fighting ceased completely as neither guns or explosive shells were fired - at least until the giant tentacle began slapping into the largest enemy mech.

"That's a lairge tentacle. Very weel then." The dwarf said as he blew out some whistles, then began ordering his men to follow. They were organized and disciplined, it would take perhaps another few more seconds for his men to be ranked up in formation.

"The broadcast system? Weel, let's heid tae th' town square!"

[info]If you have any specific formation you want, or actions you want to do prior, let me know, otherwise roll Perception, and I'll move to the next scene.[/info]

[info] Good to move on

Perception[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+15 : 11 + 15, total 26[/blockquote][/info]

---

The group continued to march on a short distance, hopping into one of the trains to take the group the rest of the way to the actual city. Each of the platform-like cars of the train at this part of the train system were used for actual loading and unloading, so there was more than enough space for the main group. It took three platforms altogether, but soon enough, the train was loaded.

As the train was speeding along, sounds of fighting was still occuring in the city, along with explosions above the city, or against the inner walls of the gigantic cavern. The dwarven lord, who soon introduced himself as Goldroic Tulach told you that there were skirmishes taking place on the outskirts of the city. Particular zones that were captured along the cavern walls, were then setup as launch points for missile-like weapons that worked primarily by fire and air magic. Goldroic soon explained that the priests had these kinds of weapons as well, though with their rapid fire guns from their mechs, were able to easily shoot down the ones the king's side were firing.

[info]Perception: 26
You saw the launch of four of these missiles coming from the city, presumably from the priests, heading straight to your location on the train.[/info]

     "Shit, Incomming!" Yelled Jean as he swiped the gun out of the nearest dwarf's hands and fired at the incoming missiles.

[info]Not sure the missiles are close enough or not or if there is time to try and shoot them all.  Jean won't bother to reload in between shots, instead he will just take the next dwarf's gun. Let me know if that would allow enough time to shoot more than once.

Attack (+27 base, -4 non-proficient)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+23 : 2 + 23, total 25[/blockquote]    Damage (unknown)[/info]

[info]Non priest dwarven guns are Pathfinder firearms, while the priests are using more advanced d20 modern/future gear.

For either, you would need a feat for rapidly reloading, however, Goldroic is using a type of rifle that has a capacity of 4.

Go ahead and roll more attacks according to your BAB progression (if you're able to do up to 4 attacks, then roll 3 more times).

For damage, it's: 1d10 x4 B and P +2d6 fire[/info]

[info]2 more attacks from bab

Attack 2[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+18 : 11 + 18, total 29[/blockquote]  Damage (pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 1d10 : 9, total 9[/blockquote]
  Damage (fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 1, 2, total 3[/blockquote]

Attack 3[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 1 + 13, total 14[/blockquote]  Damage (pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 1d10 : 7, total 7[/blockquote]
  Damage (fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 2, 2, total 4[/blockquote][/info]

[info][blockquote]piercing 1d10 : 7, total 7[/blockquote]
[blockquote]fire 2d6 : 5, 3, total 8[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Initiative requested, to get the order of each of the NPC groups, along with when the missile lands.

Doing some perception checks as well for the rest of the groups to determine who could act in the surprise round.[/info]

[info]Initiative[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+16 : 20 + 16, total 36[/blockquote][/info]

You managed to hit 2 of the 4 missiles. One of them was critically damaged, the other was badly damaged.

A couple others began their own preparations, noticing the missiles at the same time you did. There were a couple who saw the missiles, but really had no way to defend themselves against it. Both the knights in your group cast a defensive spell of some sort. Karn's skin turned into a slightly different hue. From Lili, you felt your ki sensitivity react, as  Lili prepared herself.

[info]Jean to take turn. Gun has 1 loaded bullet remaining.[/info]

     "Shit that didn't work. Everyone duck! Summon Tentacle!" Shouted Jean as he summoned a wall of tentacles in the path of the missiles.

[info] Expend 25 mp to summon 10 50ft long tentacles to form a 50ft by 50ft wall in the path of the missiles.[/info]

[info]Getting a different cost for MP. And what do you think of using In Harm's Way (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/in-harm-s-way-combat) feat to make it continue using PF rules?

Required Feat: Combat Reflexes -> Bodyguard -> In Harm's Way (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/in-harm-s-way-combat)
Base Tentacle Cost: 2 MP every 10 ft. +1 MP every extra feature, for 50 ft. tentacles, 13 MP base cost.
With Efficiency: Divide cost by 2, round up. For your use case, 7 MP per tentacle.

7 MP x 10 = 70 MP

You may also get away with less tentacles. Don't forget your tentacles have a morphing quality. And by the rules of In Harm's Way, it just needs to be adjacent or within reach. A 50 ft. tentacle covers a 3 by 3 area, with a reach of 25 ft. So it should cover 8+ people each.[/info]

[info]Good with suggested feats and corrected MP cost[/info]

---

The missiles exploded then, but your tentacles expanded themselves, making themselves into a makeshift shield. The resulting explosion from the four missiles was devastating. Rather than attempting to avoid the missiles, the tentacles, being shields, did what they can to stop it. The fact the tentacles were metallic softened the damage they took, 3 of the first tentacle shields were completely annihilated, with the last one badly wounded.

Considering how tough the tentacles were, that amount of damage would have been fatal to anyone else, save perhaps you, in the group.

---

---

The train made it the rest of the way without any more missiles being fired upon them. There were more explosions and fighting ahead, so you could only assume that the priests didn't have time to fire off another volley before being set upon by friendly forces. Reaching the city however, there was no one to greet you.

The dwarven lord soon got his men in order and formation, meaning to flank sections around you. He had even sent some out as scouts ahead.

Throughout the trip from the first station, to exploding the missiles, notifications appeared in your vision. The random leveling up came seemingly randomly as well through the trip. Though it was likely the giant tentacle you had summoned earlier.

[okay]You leveled up.
You leveled up.
You leveled up.
You have gained a new title 『Transporter』
You have gained +4 INT
You have gained +4 MAG
You leveled up.
You are now level 61. Spend your unallocated points.[/okay]

     "Status." Said Jean to check his advancement before taking stock of the avenue they had arrived at. "How far to the announcement system?" He asked as he tried to see if there were enemies hidden somewhere along the seemingly empty street.

[info]Perception[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+16 : 8 + 16, total 24[/blockquote][/info]

[okay]Jean Valois
Herald of the Old Ones
Level 61

Condition: Slightly Injured, Tired

HP: 248/253
MP: 107/197
STR: 32 +
DEX: 22 +
CON: 38 +
INT: 31+
WIS: 18 +
CHA: 10 +
MAG: 33 +

Blessings: Quick Learner, Mana Sensitivity, Translate All, Personal Status, Weight Control, Summon Tentacle, Inventory, Analysis, Portal

You have 1 unspent ability point.[/okay]
You noticed some new changes. Specifically, there was a new blessing listed called 'Portal', and you were given another unspent ability point.

[info]Perception: 24
You were not able to pick out anyone specifically outside of your group.[/info]

Goldroic Tulach, the dwarven lord, replied.

"Tis nae tae far from 'ere." Goldroic said as he pointed towards the direction of the clocktower nearer the center of the city. "Juist a bit-"

He was cut off short however, as shots were fired from the buildings. There were 6 resounding sniper shots fired off at the same time, 2 of them hitting the dwarven lord, while 4 of them aiming towards you. All the bullets hit their mark. It took you a moment to realize the shots came from the buildings flanking the station. They were coordinated in their shooting, though you narrowed 3 down coming from the building to your right, and the other 3 from the left. Both sets of firing were on the 8th floor of the building, perhaps around 80 ft. up.

[info]Roll initiative![/info]

[include u=2]Goldroic: -21
Jean: -34[/include]

[info] Initiative[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+16 : 18 + 16, total 34[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Jean to take turn.

If you need a map for exact movements, let me know, and I'll make something. For now, each building is ~25 ft. either to your left or right.[/info]

     "Dammit! Troops fire on the enemies to the right!" Yelled Jean as he looked up at the enemies firing down on them. He needed to get up there somehow. "Well no time to try like the present. Portal!"

[info] (?) Action: try to summon a portal right behind the enemies in the building on the left. Ideally choose enough that at least one is in threatened squares via the portal.

Will see about using other actions (if any are left) after results of portal are resolved[/info]

The moment you said 《Portal》 with the building in mind, you felt a slight pull of mana, but a notification appeared.

[okay]Portal can only be used to known locations.[/okay]

At the same time however, the portal still triggered. Though, the exit portal was not behind the enemies that you expected, instead it was a location that you were able to visibly see that was near the window that the enemy snipers fired from. Through that portal, you can visibly see the dwarven snipers who had fired towards you, their eyes wide in surprise. As you expected, these dwarves wore priestly-looking robes.

Your own dwarves attempted to fire back at the enemy snipers on the right, though with the cover, it was hard for their bullets to reach their mark. A couple of your dwarves rifles did manage to hit their mark however, but that only caused the enemy snipers to retreat. Some other dwarves began storming into the building itself, in their own attempt to catch the snipers above.

The dwarves that you were staring through the portal, realizing you were on to them, retreated further back, then shot their guns at you. Two of the dwarves missed their shot, though one of them managed to hit you with another sniper round.

Spells were cast then, coming from your own companions, and soon enough you found yourself surrounded by a shield of wind, and your skin turning into a metallic hue, though, was still moveable and hardly noticeable.

The dragons with your group transformed into their full sizes as well, either unleashing fire or lightning towards the dwarves firing at you.

[info]Enemy dwarves are about 35 ft. away altogether (through the portal and into the room)[/info]

[include u=2]Goldroic: -21
Jean: -49[/include]

     Jean dashed through the portal, hopping to small gap of open air from the edge of the portal to get into the building and closing range with the priests. His spear ready to skewer the first priest to try and shoot him,

[info]Move Action: move 35 ft to move next to the priests. Trying to get as many of them as possible into threatened range.[/info]

[info]3 are in range.

Jean to take standard action.[/info]

     Jean thrust his spear, hoping to lance the nearest dwarf through the chest.
[info]Standard action: Melee attack with Flaming Spear
    Attack[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+29 : 9 + 29, total 38[/blockquote]    Damage (Pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 2, 6, 2, 3, 5, 4, 6, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3 + 23, total 60[/blockquote]    Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 1, 3, total 4[/blockquote][/info]

---

You left the dwarven priest near death. But he gritted his teeth.

From the portal behind you, projectiles were fired, either arrows from the knights or spells flung from your companions. A blast of wind took down that dwarven sniper. Likely a spell from Dalina. The dwarf was now dying.

After that, a bolt of lightning struck another one of the dwarves, though it was only injured.

Lili appeared beside you as well, charging towards another one of the snipers, and flanking with you. She brought down her large axe, and you sensed both her gauntlets and axe seem to charge with mana at the strike. This left the dwarf injured as well.

"Murdurr th' hero!" One of the priests yelled, ignoring the others completely as they targetted you. With all your defenses, however, both the winds that encircled you and the fact your skin was now of a metallic hue, only a single bullet managed to wound you further. The rest were either deflected from the winds or completely negated by your now-hardened skin.

At that moment, you heard an explosion coming from through the portal you had been in. Anja, Ash, Karn, Viridio, Olga, Gust, and Charles were caught up in it.

Jean! Lady Anja...!

"Anja!"

Behind you, you heard the flap of dragon wings as Ash took off towards the opposite building.

"Children!" Karn said almost beratingly as the ground in a 20 ft. radius around him began to shield everyone. It resulted in a dome. "It won't last long if they keep attacking. Take care of the child!"

Viridio dashed into the portal to arrive at the building along with you. Roaring green flames then engulfed two dwarves who were trying to escape. They attempted to avoid it, but only one managed to roll out of the way, avoiding it enough to not take the full brunt of the attack.

Gust hurried over to Anja, and though they were covered by a dome, the large bird still stayed defensively around the girl.

Charles knelt down next to Anja, pulling out what looked to be a kit. The captain worked quickly, pulling out bandages and tying them around the girl.

[spoiler=combat]Initiative: Jean, Alyona 20, Dalina 19, Dwarven army, Lili 14, Enemy dwarves, Anja 11, Ash 8, Karn 7, Olga 7, Viridio 6,  Gust 4, Charles 3

Dmg Taken
Sniper 1: Dying
Sniper 2: -21
Sniper 3: -20
Sniper 4: Farther away, -33
Sniper 5: Farther away, -16
Sniper 6: Farther away,
Goldroic: -21
Jean: -67
Anja: -16, dying
Ash: -8
Karn: -8
Viridio: -16
Olga: -8
Gust: -8[/spoiler]

[info]1 dead dwarf. 2 dwarves near. 3 other dwarves 20 ft. away.

Allies are 35. ft back. Ash on Olga are in flight. The rest are in the dome.

Lili is nearby. Dalina and Alyona are through the portal with you about 10 ft behind.[/info]

     Jean slid for a better angle on the priests, taking advantage of Lili's flanking and unleashing a hail of thrusts at the two priests.

[info]Full-round action: Full attack with 2 attacks into the dwarf struck by lightning and 1 into the one Lili attacked
    Attack 1 vs Lightning target (+24 base, +6 weight)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+30 : 15 + 30, total 45[/blockquote]    Damage (Pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 6, 2, 3, 1, 4, 4, 5, 4, 3, 5, 4, 1 + 23, total 65[/blockquote]    Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 4, 5, total 9[/blockquote]
    Attack 2 vs Lightning target (+19 base, +6 weight)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+25 : 1 + 25, total 26[/blockquote]    Damage (Pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 1, 3, 2, 2, 2, 4, 4, 2, 5, 2, 6, 1 + 23, total 57[/blockquote]    Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 3, 1, total 4[/blockquote]
    Attack 3 vs Lili's target (+14 base, +6 weight, +2 flanking)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+22 : 16 + 22, total 38[/blockquote]    Damage (Pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 3, 1, 6, 4, 2, 4, 6, 4, 3, 1, 5, 3 + 23, total 65[/blockquote]    Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 6, 5, total 11[/blockquote][/info]

---

Two more dwarves were killed, though no levels were earned.

Alyona charged forward towards one of the other snipers that were farther away, attempted to bite it, but the dwarf's armor got in the way.

A spell was fired from Dalina, but the razor-sharp winds missed the dwarf.

Lili charged towards one of the dwarves hit by Viridio's flame attack, but her attack only glanced on the dwarf, dealing no damage.

Seeing most of their companions dead, rather than fleeing, the dwarves only grit their teeth, stepped back, and fired upon you, rather than your companions who were near them. One of them hit critically, one missed, while the last hit.

There was another explosion behind you, but the dome managed to stay in-tact.

Viridio unleashed another storm of fire, as two separate locations began raining down in fire again. Both of them managed to roll away successfully. However, the one who failed last time, continued to stay alight with fire.

[spoiler=combat]Initiative: Jean, Alyona 20, Dalina 19, Dwarven army, Lili 14, Enemy dwarves, Anja 11, Ash 8, Karn 7, Olga 7, Viridio 6,  Gust 4, Charles 3

Dmg Taken
Sniper 1: Dying, hit by Jean, Dalina
Sniper 2: Dead, hit by Jean, Alyona
Sniper 3: Dead, hit by Jean, Lili
Sniper 4: Farther away, -64, burning, hit by Viridio
Sniper 5: Farther away, -34, hit by Viridio
Sniper 6: Farther away, adjacent with Alyona
Goldroic: -21
Jean: -67
Anja: -16, stabilized
Ash: -8
Karn: -8
Viridio: -16
Olga: -8
Gust: -8

Log
Jean kills Sniper 2, and Sniper 3.[/spoiler]

[info]3 other dwarves 25 ft. away, separate directions.

Jean to take turn.[/info]

     "Finish those two off, I'll end the other.  And where are those explosions comming from?"  Commanded Jean as he charged after the unwounded dwarf.

[info]Full-round Action: Charge Sniper 6
    Attack[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+32 : 11 + 32, total 43[/blockquote]    Damage (Pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 5, 3, 1, 5, 2, 5, 1, 2, 3, 2, 5, 3 + 23, total 60[/blockquote]    Damage(Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 3, 6, total 9[/blockquote][/info]

---

It was Captain Charles who responded through the portal.

"Something shot at us from farther away!" The captain said. "The earthen shield was up before I could see. If I were to guess, perhaps 500 or 600 ft. ahead in the streets."

Alyona in her dragon form followed up your spear attack with a fullest of claws and teeth. Only three of her attacks hit however. But it was still enough to down it.

Lili, Dalina, along with Viridio pelted the remaining two more dwarves, and combined with Lili's axe, Dalina's spell, and another round of fire from Viridio, the remaining two dwarves were downed.

You noticed that when Viridio killed the final dwarf, it counted for your own experience, as you gained a level the moment you saw Viridio's fire engulf the priest.

[okay]You levelled up.
You are now level 62. Spend your unallocated points.[/okay]

The snipers in the other building shot off some rounds as well, but those were already being pushed back from a combined effort from Captain Ash, along with Lord Goldroic and some of his dwarves.

Another explosion occurred, and this time, the earthen dome fully collapsed.

[spoiler=combat]Initiative: Jean, Alyona 20, Dalina 19, Dwarven army, Lili 14, Enemy dwarves, Anja 11, Ash 8, Karn 7, Olga 7, Viridio 6,  Gust 4, Charles 3

Dmg Taken
Sniper 1: Dying, hit by Jean, Dalina
Sniper 2: Dead, hit by Jean, Alyona
Sniper 3: Dead, hit by Jean, Lili
Sniper 4: Dead, hit by Viridio
Sniper 5: Dead, hit by Viridio, Dalina, Lili
Sniper 6: Dead, hit by Jean, Alyona
Goldroic: -21
Jean: -67
Anja: -16, stabilized
Ash: -31
Karn: -8
Viridio: -16
Olga: -16
Gust: -8
[/spoiler]

[info]Jean to take turn.[/info]

     Jean retreated back through the portal and summoned another tentacle to defend everyone while he tried to get a look at the source of the explosions.

[info] Move action: go back through portal.

Standard action: Summon 200 ft tentacle with Combat Reflexes, Bodyguard, and In Harm's Way for 22 mp

Perception check to identify the source of the explosions. [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+16 : 8 + 16, total 24[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Perception: 24
Since they were actively firing, you managed to see who the perpetrator was once the dome fully collapsed. You saw two dwarves 600 ft. away in front, on top of a building. They had a long weapon with them, and you also noticed that the second dwarf had another in his hand just like it, though looked like he was about to hand it off to the first dwarf, rather than firing it himself.

Knowledge (technology) to identify it.[/info]

Once you spotted it, Viridio seemed to take note as well, as if he had seen it himself. The green-flamed bored made a dash towards you as well back through the portal. Her eyes looking straight at you as the phoenix-like bird dipped its head lower.

Mmm... Viridio has a contract with you, too? Alyona's voice popped in your head, as she too followed quickly right after Viridio. Umm... I can see through your eyes. Like... Viridio?

The others in the building were still looking around the current area, but after seeing you dash back through the portal, Dalina cast a defensive wind spell on herself, while Lili seemed to thicken the pressure she was exuding. Charles was still tending to Anja, and seemed to make it a point to guard her along with Gust. Karn looked to be in the middle of preparing another wall of earth when he noticed the tentacle you summoned and stopped. Instead, Karn used his movement spell to traverse towards the building, heading to the 8th floor of the opposite building you had entered. Presumably to help out both Ash and his dragon Olga who were currently engaged with the dwarves on that side.

As for Goldroic and his crew, they continued to storm into the building as well. You heard mentions of the elevator not being functioning, so you assumed that some of the dwarves took it upon themselves to climb up the 8 floors.

[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Jean, Alyona 20, Dalina 19, Dwarven army, Lili 14, Enemy dwarves, Anja 11, Ash 8, Karn 7, Olga 7, Viridio 6,  Gust 4, Charles 3

Dmg Taken
Goldroic: -21
Jean: -67
Anja: -16, stabilized
Ash: -40
Karn: -8
Viridio: -16
Olga: -36
Gust: -8
[/spoiler]

[info]Knowledge (Technology)[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+14 : 9 + 14, total 23[/blockquote][/info]

     Jean looked at the enemies at the end of the street.  His new ability seemed to be limited by his line of sight at least.  "I hope this reaches...  Portal!"  He said, hoping they were in range.

[info]Use Portal to create a portal from Jean's current location to the dwarves with the explosive weapon.[/info]

---

The portal was created. You clearly were able to see what the dwarves were doing. One of them was aiming a large launcher-like weapon, while the second dwarf seemed to be in charge of re-arming the weapon. Another split second, and you know they'll realize your presence.

[info]Move action remaining.[/info]

     "Weight Control!"  Shouted Jean as he stepped through the portal into melee range of the two dwarves.

[info]Move Action: Move into melee range of the two dwarves.

Immediate Action: Increase weight of the Launcher armed dwarf by 10 steps, denying any bonuses.[/info]

---

The dwarf immediately flattened to the ground. His face was in complete shock when he found out that he couldn't move at all.

When you took off, Viridio followed closely behind you. There was something strange as well, as you seemed to see a double vision. Overlayed on top of your own vision was a sight of your own back, as if you were looking at yourself. It took you a moment to realize that was what Viridio was seeing, with the giant green phoenix behind you. With our newfound comprehension since becoming a hero, separating the images was easy, though you imagined it may have been confusing to some.

At that same moment, you felt Alyona's dissatisfaction. When the dwarf you targetted fell to the ground from the weight of gravity, you began seeing a third set of images. This time it looked at both Viridio and yourself through the portal. You realized too that this was what Alyona was seeing.

[info]Sight and perception, can be shared between you and the other two.[/info]

A bolt of lightning struck the loader-dwarf, coming from Alyona. Followed by blades of wind from Dalina behind her. Lili jumped through the portal when those two projectiles of energy were flying, and managed to strike the dwarf as well. A second after Lili's axe connected, a column of green flames appeared where the loader-dwarf was standing, engulfing the dwarf completely. Though the dwarf was relatively sturdy, all of those attacks connecting and hitting were enough to take down the dwarf.

The last remaining dwarf glared at you, though he couldn't move at all.

     Jean looked down at the helpless dwarf, a malicious grin on his lips.  The dwarf's helplessness was invigorating as he slowly turned his spear on the priest's lackey before thrusting it into the dwarf's throat.

[info]Full-round action: Coup Des Grace on Launcher Dwarf
   Damage (Pierce)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 4, 5, 5, 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, 1 + 23, total 57[/blockquote]    Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 4, 3, total 7[/blockquote][/info]

---

You killed the dwarf. The other building was in the process of being cleaned up as well. Ash, Olga, Karn, along with the rest of the dwarves under Golroic's command managed to clear out the other building with no casualties. Though, Ash and Olga looked like they took a couple of direct shots from the snipers.

     Jean skipped back through the portal to regroup with everyone. With a grin he swept Lili off her feet, hooking his arm around her thighs to bring her head up to his own height. He licked her on the neck, running his tongue from her collar bone up to just below her jawline before kissing her "Ah! Nothing like a civil war! Right my dear fiance?"  He said as he looked into Lili's eyes. He pulled one of her legs around so she was straddling around his waist while he supported her rump with his hand. "If only we could get started on that baby making like your father asked... but alas, I guess we need to save him first now don't we?"  He said as his free hand slid along her thigh. "Casualties?" He asked a he enjoyed the soft smoothness of his bride-to-be's skin and the smell of her hair.

---

Lili stiffened up completely as you licked her neck, only to kiss her at the end. That in itself was enough to get the princess blushing fiercely, while her eyes in a daze.

"Ah-" Her dreamy gaze, however, was interrupted, and she ended up making a small but cute sound when you wrapped one of her legs around your waist. The action caught her by complete surprise, but she still let herself press against your body. Her lithe frame was snug against yours, the armor she wore for boots, and the gauntlet she had on her right hand only served to accentuate the warmth of her abdomen and thighs. When you mentioned making babies, it was just about the limit of what she could manage, and her gaze towards you turned a bit softer, though she was still blushing.

"Jean..." Lili finally said as she shivered slightly from your touch. Her breathing had taken on a slight raspiness to it "Jean!" She said a bit more forcefully again as if trying to wake herself up from a stupor. Eventually, she managed to collect herself enough to answer a bit more coherently.

"We save mah faither foremaist!" She announced as if trying to convince herself of that very goal. "After that... after that... we can..." But it was just too much for the princess to handle again, and her eyes seemed to become a daze yet again.

Still holding on to the princess, a voice came into your head.

Umm... Is she sick? Alyona asked through the mind-link you had with her. What are you going to do after? She asked a moment later. Through the link, you could 'feel' Alyona's thoughts, and indeed there was nothing but a mix of innocent curiosity and worry for the seemingly dazed Lili.

     Oh just uh...  something fun! A special game that you will eventually learn how to play...  I bet Telamon could give you a properly academic explanation of the birds and the bees...  He thought to Alyona as his hand crept up Lili's skirt before he stopped himself, realizing that he really should figure out how to limit his connection to her before indulging in adult activities.  Oh how he wanted to keep going though, maybe get Ren and Telamon to join.  "Oh right! The war."  He said as he set his fiance down and have her a quick squeeze on the butt. "Guess We better get a move on. How far do we have to go and can I  get a casualty report?" He asked.

---

I know all about birds and bees already though... Alyona responded, still as confused as ever. Luckily she didn't press any further though. Birds and bees makes Lili sick... You heard her think out-loud.

Lili who was able to finally get a hold of herself managed to shake off the floaty feelings.

"Tis not to far. Bit th' explosions likelie have alerted thaim we're 'ere." At the ask for a casualty report, Lili glanced over to Lord Goldroic.

The dwarven lord himself had received the reports from those under him and related the information.

"Six o' mah men" Goldroic said. "Some injured, bit they'd be a'right."

"Ye'll be a lord yerself once ye' marry princess Lili. Yer orders?"

With the combat taken cared of, you notice that Ash and Olga were more injured than the rest. Dalina was with the unconscious Anja, though the younger girl's wounds were already taken cared of by Captain Charles' efforts.

[okay]You leveled up.
You are now level 63. Spend your unallocated points.[/okay]
You gained another random level as well, though it was likely that your earlier tentacle you had summoned was still cleaning up its own targets.

[info]Goldroic Dwarves: 94/100

Dmg Taken
Goldroic: -21
Jean: -67
Anja: -16, stabilized, unconscious
Ash: -40
Karn: -8
Viridio: -16
Olga: -36
Gust: -8[/info]

     "What about Anja?"  Asked Jean as he came up to Dalina.  "We need to figure out some place to keep her safe..."  He looked down at his crippled apprentice.  He needed someplace he could keep her, someplace nothing could get to her.  "Oh, the core!  Status!"  He said as he took out the dungeon core.  "Come one, help me Dalina."  He said as he tried to send the three of them into the core, investing 10 more MP into the core to keep it powered.

[info]Checking status, if there isn't enough MP to invest 10 MP, will put in the maximum amount I can without passing out.[/info]

---

[info]Color change for Dungeon Core 31, also for Dalina.[/info]
"Helloooooooo maaaaaster...!" Dungeon Core 31 said cheerily as you started to push you hand into the core. The Dungeon Core must have realized what you were doing, as you suddenly found yourself falling into the orb, with Dalina and the unconscious Anja behind you.

"A-ah!" Dalina make a yelping sound as she suddenly went in with you, not expecting to be sucked into it.

When you finally landed in the room, it was just like what you expected and remembered from the first time. You found yourselves in the wall-less darkroom once again. Dungeon Core 31 was standing there her face in a bright smile.

"Hello you two. I don't recognize the little one. Are you here to give me DP?" Dungeon Core 31 asked curiously as she stared at the unconscious body of Anja. "My status monitors tell me she's not dead yet, but I can absorb her corpse for points if she does die."

"That's my sister!" Dalina yelled in shock at what she just heard while pulling her sister closer to herself defensively.

"Oh... I'm sorry." The core said meekly.



[okay]Jean Valois
Herald of the Old Ones
Level 63

Condition: Injured, Drowsy

HP: 169/272
MP: 71/203
STR: 32 +
DEX: 22 +
CON: 38 +
INT: 31+
WIS: 18 +
CHA: 10 +
MAG: 33 +

Blessings: Quick Learner, Mana Sensitivity, Translate All, Personal Status, Weight Control, Summon Tentacle, Inventory, Analysis, Portal

You have 1 unspent ability point.[/okay]
[info]For every 5 MP spent, is 1 hour of run-time for the Dungeon Core, unless the Dungeon Core itself is settled somewhere to maintain its own function and becomes self-sufficient. Let me know how much MP you spend so we can track that. You also gain 10 MP per hour. So it's not too bad upkeep.[/info]

[info] Increase MAG by 1 point. [/info]

     "DP... Oh I never thought of that. Maybe I could use a tentacle for the second? Though we never really discussed your anatomy I assume it's pretty close to human. Or maybe Dalina could find a toy? You'd be down for a threesome right Dalina?" He said as he looked to Dalina. "Oh wait, DP, you meant your energy source. Sorry, back in my world it was an acronym for something... else... Still working on that. First I need to crush a rebellion though. I don't suppose you could keep an eye on my apprentice here? She's injured but I think she's stable and we can't really just keep dragging her along through a war zone. So try to keep her alive.  I'll see about getting you some corpses in the meantime. There's a couple outside. I'll dump them in if that'll work but for now we got to get going. Come on Dalina war to win and all that. Then after we should get back to that threesome discussion."  Said Jean as he took Dalina by the hand and began to leave the core.  "Remember Core 31: no killing and eating my apprentice!"  He shouted back as he returned to the outside.


[info] Will invest an additional 10 MP into the core.  And if possible will continue to invest 5 MP into it every hour to keep it running.[/info]

     Upon getting out of the core Jean surveyed the aftermath of the fight.  Golroich, are all these enemies from the priesthood or are any of them soldiers from one of the opposed clans?

---

"Jean, you're not making any sense..." Dalina said confused not really understanding. "What's a toy have to do with anything? And a t-threesome..?" She was blushing and wasn't able to keep a straight face, at least until DC 31 replied back to you.

"Yes, corpses will do! Just dump them all in! The more the better!" Dungeon Core 31 said, skipping to the things in the conversation she did understand.

At this proclamation, Dalina seemed to hang on to her sister longer and looked almost suspiciously at the other green-haired woman, though Dungeon Core 31 quickly noticed.

"Oh, I'm sorry..! Bad tendencies... I'm still a dungeon at heart, and it's really only Marina who chooses to socialize with her people I'm sure..." She cleared her throat. "But I promise not to consume your apprentice!" Dungeon Core 31 called out just when the two of you exited the Dungeon Master room.

[info]20 MP stored into DC 31. Going to make a note of that in your Notes section, but I'll have a TODO for myself to create a new Dungeon Core tab at some point.[/info]

---

---

"Tis hard tae tell. Th' priests in oor city hae control ower th' ancient technologies we hae dug up. However, not all o' thaim are trained fighters. It wouldn't surprise me if th' snipers we fought simply hae priest robes oan thaim but were actually from ither lords." Goldroic Tulach admitted.

After this, he began to describe each of the lords in the city.

[info]Lord Goldroic Tulach, loyalist, descendent of a mining clan before the Shifting. Not a true 'noble', but he and his clan were brought up to nobility by decree of the current king due to their loyalty and work in excavating the tunnels. Has his troops separated out through the city trying to hold points.

Lord Eilig Catach, loyalist, had ties to nobility from the old Kingdom, stationed troops mainly at the refineries, and helping the royal guards at the palace. Is an old dwarf, but is no friends of current king's father.

Lord Gowan Puidreach, loyalist, head of a craftsman clan that had ties to nobility from the Old Kingdom, they were a lesser noble house until the Shifting but had moved up in position due to the events. His troops are stationed at the refineries, along with helping other groups from lord Goldroic Tulach retake the city.

Lord Cambeul Peucag, separatist, head of a merchant clan, controls most buying and selling in the city.

Lord Cruim Loudain, separatist, apart from the Seadhg clan, his clan is next in line as the most noble clan in the city.

Lord Gilleabart Druimeanach, separatist, a warrior clan who typically leads the explorations deep in the tunnels. They're known to support the clergy of the city.[/info]

There were other clans as well, though Lord Goldroic mentioned they were keeping neutral in the conflict, and had been telling their people to stay indoors and out of the fighting. A few of them had sent out some guards and men to help protect the current King, but are not willing to commit more.

"Even if we haven't fought thaim yit, th' enemy lords are fightin' us." Goldroic finished.

     "Well if they wear the priest's robes, they get the priestly treatment.  Open wide!"  Said Jean as he proceeded to send the enemy corpses and their gear, including the heavy weaponry, into the core.  That task done, Jean put away the core.  "Okay, that's enough dallying I think. Everyone good to move on? The sooner we get to that announcement system the better." He said as he hefted his spear.

[info]Good to continue on to the announcement system[/info]

---

"Oh! Treats!" Dungeon Core 31's voiice echoed from the orb as it 'ate' the items.

Inside the Dungeon Master Room, Dungeon Core 31 looked greedily at both the corpses and random weaponry presented to her. Starting with the corpses, and then the items, one by one, each seemed to melt into the floor until nothing was left.

[info]Spending some time today to finish that Dungeon Core tab, to keep track of these.[/info]

---

---

The rest of the journey didn't take too long. There were still explosions through the city and the wallscape of the caverns that surrounded the city, but your group didn't run into anymore enemy dwarves, at least, not openly hostile ones. Your sharp perception managed to catch sight of a couple of younger dwarves watching through half-closed window shutters at your group. None in your group noticed them however.

     Jean waved at the younger dwarves with a grin as they passed by but otherwise payed them no mind.

[info] Will continue to head for announcement system.[/info]

---

---

When you finally arrived at the broadcast station, there was only a handful of mechas stationed there, though one of them was much larger than the rest.

[info]Distance: 180 ft away.

5 medium sized mechas
2 large sized mechas
1 huge sized mecha[/info]

"We best hurry." Goldroic said. "They probably know we're here with a sizable force. It won't be long until we run into a larger set of reinforcements."

As he said this, the mechas 180 ft. away began to start firing at the group of a hundred dwarves, and your people.

[info]Roll for initiative![/info]

[info]Initiative[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+16 : 17 + 16, total 33[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Jean to take his turn.[/info]

     "Concentrate your attacks on the largest one! Portal!" Ordered Jean as he summoned a portal behind the largest of the mechs. He ran though, entering on the other side with a yell of "Weight control!" aiming his power at the controller of one of the midsized mechs as he closed his distance with the huge one.

[info] Standard Action: Use Portal to create a portal to 5 ft behind Huge Mech

Move Action: move into melee range of Huge Mech.

Immediate Action: Use Weight Control to increase weight of Large Mech's controller by 10 steps[/info]

You teleport behind the huge-sized mech, after unleashing your Weight Control, the 30-ft. towering mech suddenly creaked as all of its limbs drooped down at a resting position, and shortly after that, the joints of the huge mechanical contraption were compressed down as if under a large weight.

Dalina cast a wind shielding spell around you.

Alyona unleashed a lightning blast towards the huge mech, the mech couldn't get out of the way due to the weight and was blasted with the ability directly. With that, the mech was only slightly injured. Gust maintained his position, being in a total defense.

"Blast it, it ain't workin'!" The dwarf inside the cockpit said as he endured both the lightning and his mecha suddenly not being able to move.

Charles, with his flaming spear leading the way, jumped into the portal as well, and stabbed the mech with it, the mech was still only slightly injured.

The two large-sized mechas, aimed their weapons directly towards you. The chainguns attached to each of their arms began firing a spray of bullets. Both mechas hit.

Viridio unleashed the pillars of green fire, one engulfing the huge mecha, while the other engulfed one of the large ones. The huge mecha took the full brunt of the damage, but the large mecha was surprisingly able to fire off thrusters at the last moment to dodge most of the damage. The huge mecha was now injured, while the large mecha was only slightly injured.

The medium mechas all targetted towards you as well, even though most of your comrades were starting to pour in, they seemed to specifically target you. Three of them hit, while the other two missed. Sprays of bullets came careening towards you. You were now badly wounded.

Captain Ash cast a spell, as his weapon began to glow red with elemental fire. Olga, moved through the portal with Captain Ash on her back.

Lili moved forward, and attacked the huge and disabled mech. She hit her target, her weapon cleaving through the metallic mecha.

Karn seeing you were being targetted, cast a spell, and your skin started to take a stone-like hue.

[info]Jean to take turn.[/info]

[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Jean, Dalina 20, Alyona 17, Huge Mech, Charles 12, Large Mech, Viridio 7, Medium Mech, Ash 6, Olga 6, Lili 5, Karn 5

Log
Round 1:
Jean moves in, uses weight control on Huge Mech
Dalina casts Wind Shield on Jean
Alyona uses lightning on Huge Mech deals damage.
Huge Mech can't do anything (0 DEX)
Gust Total Defense and stays near Dalina
Charles moves into portal, attacks mecha
Large mechs fire chain guns at Jean and hit.
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechas attack Jean.
Captain Ash casts weapon fire enchantment spell.
Lili attacks.
Karn casts defensive spell on Jean.

Damage Taken
Huge Mech: 98
Jean: 75
Large Mecha 1: 21
Large Mecha 2: 0[/spoiler]

     The onslaught of bullets while managing to only deal minor flesh wounds and not perforate any vital organs or arteries was still painful and was making it harder for Jean to keep fighting. Hoping that they were near the end, he pushed through. "Summon Tentacle! Weight Control!" Jean summoned a tentacle for each medium mecha to keep them engaged before using his powers to disable the undamaged large mecha as he closed in on the other mecha that Viridio had damaged, aiming to catch it in a moment of vulnerability when they next tried to fire on him.

[info] Standard Action: Summon 5 tentacles that are 100 ft long each next to a medium mecha.

Immediate Action: Use Weight Control on undamaged large mecha to increase weight 5 steps

Move action: move to within melee range of damaged large mecha[/info]

You summoned the five gargantuan tentacles, and they immediately began attacking the mechs. You felt the drain of mana from the summoning, and were now sleepy. The mecha you targetted had it's movements slowed, though surprisingly it wasn't completely disabled. However, you could tell that the dwarven pilot was having a lot of trouble moving it, aiming its weapon, and were fairly certain that it wouldn't do very well with dodging anything.

Towering 100 ft. tall each of your tentacles struck out towards their target. They each attacked twice. Among the 10 attempted strikes, only 4 managed to hit. The rest weren't able to damage the hard plating of the mechs.

Dalina cast her Air Strike spell but missed.

Alyona attempted to attack the huge-sized mecha. Out of 6 attacks, only 2 of hers hit. One of her claws and one of her wings. The mecha was still only damaged.

The dwarf in the huge mech began to press buttons in his cockpit, and you saw steam coming from the cockpit window, however, nothing else happened. "Durn it!"

Charles followed up with another two strikes of his fiery spear. However, even though the huge mecha wasn't moving and didn't dodge the strikes, Charles' attacks couldn't penetrate through its naturally thick hull.

The two large mechas fired at you again. However, you the one you applied the weight control to was having trouble aiming, and it was easy to avoid its attacks. The other mecha would have hit you if not for both the combined spells from Dalina and Karn which increased your defenses.

Viridio repeated her flame pillars. One aiming for the huge mecha, while the other, the large one. The huge mecha wasn't not able to get away at all being completely disabled by the extreme weight on its hull, while the large one, while putting an effort, wasn't able to avoid in time. The huge one was now badly damaged, while the large one was damaged.

The medium mechs, with the tentacles on them, switched into melee, brandishing large hammers. When the dwarves struck at the tentacles, you could tell that their mecha, much like Lili's gauntlet, helped increase the overall strength of the individual.

Ash, still riding Olga, swung near the huge mecha's cockpit area and attacked with his now flaming sword. He attacked twice, both attacks hit, though his second one managed to actually critically slip into the cockpit area, damaging the dwarf inside. The huge mecha was still badly damaged.

Lili attacked twice, you noted that her gauntlet seemed to slightly glow, and her attacks seemed more ferocious. Due to the fact the mecha was still disabled, both of her power attacks hit. Combined with the technomagic of her gauntlet, she managed to leave it critically damaged.

Karn moved up to the mecha, placed his gloved hand on it, and a moment later, metallic spikes pierced into the cockpit. Although the magic still triggered, piercing the dwarf inside, Karn frowned. "Their metal is a bit harder to work with."

[info]Jean to take turn.[/info]

[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Jean, Tentacles, Dalina 20, Alyona 17, Huge Mech, Charles 12, Large Mech, Viridio 7, Medium Mech, Ash 6, Olga 6, Lili 5, Karn 5

Log
Round 1:
Jean moves in, uses weight control on Huge Mech
Dalina casts Wind Shield on Jean
Alyona uses lightning on Huge Mech deals damage.
Huge Mech can't do anything (0 DEX)
Gust Total Defense and stays near Dalina
Charles moves into portal, attacks mecha
Large mechs fire chain guns at Jean and hit.
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechas attack Jean.
Captain Ash casts weapon fire enchantment spell.
Lili attacks.
Karn casts defensive spell on Jean.
Round 2:
Jean summons tentacles, weight control on large mech (5 steps).
Tentacles attack Medium Mechs
Alyona attacks Huge Mech, hits and deals damage.
Huge Mech can't do anything (0 DEX)
Charles attacks and misses.
Large mechas attack Jean and miss.
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechs attack tentacles
Olga moves closer
Ash attacks huge mecha
Lili attacks huge mecha.
Karn attacks huge mecha. Mecha saves vs. his spell for half damage.

Damage Taken
Huge Mech: 244, weight control heavy 10 steps
Jean: 75
Large Mecha 1: 58
Large Mecha 2: 0, weight control heavy 5 steps
Medium Mecha 1: 16
Medium Mecha 2: 10
Medium Mecha 3: 7
Medium Mecha 4: 12
Medium Mecha 5: 0
Tentacle 1: 18
Tentacle 2: 13
Tentacle 3: 19
Tentacle 4: 16
Tentacle 5: 0[/spoiler]

     The most threatening enemies now hindered, Jean took the chance to unleash a flurry of spear thrusts at the mech next to him.

[info]Full Round Action: Full Attack Large Mecha 1
Attack 1[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+29 : 13 + 29, total 42[/blockquote]     Damage (Piercing)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 3, 3, 6, 4, 4, 2, 3, 1, 5, 3, 3, 6 + 23, total 66[/blockquote]     Damage (Fire) [blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 5, 3, total 8[/blockquote]
Attack 2[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+24 : 17 + 24, total 41[/blockquote]     Damage (Piercing)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 2, 6, 5, 2, 1, 2, 1, 6, 1, 5, 5, 1 + 23, total 60[/blockquote]     Damage (Fire) [blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 5, 3, total 8[/blockquote]
Attack 3[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+19 : 6 + 19, total 25[/blockquote]     Damage (Piercing)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 5, 2, 1, 4, 5, 1, 4, 6, 3, 3, 1, 5 + 23, total 63[/blockquote]     Damage (Fire) [blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 4, 3, total 7[/blockquote]
[/info]

---

---

The mechas were quite durable. It took two of your strikes to leave the dwarf in the large mecha dying, cutting huge swathes into the mecha. But it was your third strike that left him dead.

Your gargantuan tentacles continued attacking the medium-sized mechas. Out of the 10 strikes, 6 of them hit.

Dalina cast air strike again at the huge mecha but her attack bounced off the huge mecha's armor.

Alyona unleashed a fury of attacks, but none of her natural weapons were able to further damage the mecha.

Charles struck out, both of his strikes were critical hits. His spear pierced into the openings being created from everyone, stabbing into the dwarf inside. The dwarf in the huge mecha was now dying.

The last large mecha who was still under the effects of the weight control, attempted to aim at you, but missed due to the heavier weight.

Viridio who had been blasting both the huge mecha and one of the large mechas with her green pillars of flame, switched targets, and was now blasting the remaining mecha, and one of the medium mechas. Both the mechas weren't able to dodge in time, and took the full brunt of the damage.

"Dingy th' tentacles, murdurr th' blasted hero!" One of the dwarves called out, and from that, the 5 medium mechas instead started to shoot towards you again. Each of your tentacles took the opportunity to attack, though the dwarves stoically took the damage if they were hit. Out of 5 strikes, 2 of the tentacles hit. However, the distraction proved too much, and the dwarves all missed.

Ash with his flaming sword attacks the remaining large mecha, and hit. Olga unleashed a full round of attacks herself. Out of 6 attacks, 4 of hers connected. The large mecha was now badly damaged.

Lili emboldened by Charles, Ash, and Olga's offensive strikes, continued to slam her axe, powered up through technomagic and her own techniques. Although Ash and Olga's attacks were impressive, Lili managed to critically hit with her first strike, then his again with her second strike. Apart from your own attacks, that was probably the most damage you've seen any of your companions deal out. Surprisingly the dwarf managed to still be alive, even though Lili's attack sliced into the cockpit, leaving deep wounds on the dwarf.

Finally, it was Karn, who, casting another spell, drove a metallic spike into the poor dwarf's head, killing him instantly.

[info]Jean to take turn.[/info]

[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Jean, Tentacles, Dalina 20, Alyona 17, Huge Mech, Charles 12, Large Mech, Viridio 7, Medium Mech, Ash 6, Olga 6, Lili 5, Karn 5

Log
[spoiler]Round 1:
Jean moves in, uses weight control on Huge Mech
Dalina casts Wind Shield on Jean
Alyona uses lightning on Huge Mech deals damage.
Huge Mech can't do anything (0 DEX)
Gust Total Defense and stays near Dalina
Charles moves into portal, attacks mecha
Large mechs fire chain guns at Jean and hit.
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechas attack Jean.
Captain Ash casts weapon fire enchantment spell.
Lili attacks.
Karn casts defensive spell on Jean.
Round 2:
Jean summons tentacles, weight control on large mech (5 steps).
Tentacles attack Medium Mechs
Dalina cast air strike and misses.
Alyona attacks Huge Mech, hits and deals damage.
Huge Mech can't do anything (0 DEX)
Charles attacks and misses.
Large mechas attack Jean and miss.
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechs attack tentacles
Olga moves closer
Ash attacks huge mecha
Lili attacks huge mecha.
Karn attacks huge mecha. Mecha saves vs. his spell for half damage.
Round 3
Jean attacks and kills large mecha 1
Tentacles attack medium mechas
Dalina casts airstrike and misses.
Alyona full round attacks but misses all.
Charles attacks and critically hits twice.
Large mecha attacks Jean and misses
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechs take AoO, attack Jean but all miss.
Ash attacks and hits.
Lili critically hits.
Karn kills huge mecha.
Round 4
Jean to take turn
[/spoiler]


Damage Taken
Huge Mech: 276, weight control heavy 10 steps, dying
Jean: 75
Large Mecha 1: Dead
Large Mecha 2: Dead
Medium Mecha 1: 59, damaged
Medium Mecha 2: 31, damaged
Medium Mecha 3: 36, damaged
Medium Mecha 4: 37, damaged
Medium Mecha 5: 24, slightly damaged
Tentacle 1: 18
Tentacle 2: 13
Tentacle 3: 19
Tentacle 4: 16
Tentacle 5: 0[/spoiler]

     The tide clearly starting to turn in their favor, Jean smiled with glee as he was spayed with arterial blood from the mecha's pilot. "It's too late now!" He roared as he dodged the hall of bullets. "Your fate is to die here!" He said as he charged the nearest medium mecha and thrust his spear.
[info] Full Round Action: Charge Medium Mecha 1[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+31 : 17 + 31, total 48[/blockquote]    Damage (Piercing)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 2, 5, 6, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 6, 2, 6, 1 + 23, total 60[/blockquote]
   Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 1, 3, total 4[/blockquote] [/info]

---

Your spear thudded into the mecha. Piercing straight into the cockpit. The dwarf managed to stay conscious, but was critically damaged. That soon changed however, when your tentacles decided to finish the job, attacking and soon enough killing the dwarf.

[okay]You leveled up.
You are now level 64.[/okay]
The rest of the tentacles attacked their own targets as well. Out of 8 attacks, 3 of them hit.

Dalina cast air strike against one of the mechs. However, her spell wasn't able to get through the mechs armor.

Alyona moved closer up as well, then unleashed her lightning breath. She managed to aim her breath to hit 3 of them. The dwarves attempted to move out of the way, though they all took the full brunt of the damage.

Charles charged as well with his fiery spear. He managed to score a hit.

Viridio unleashed another set of swirling green fire pillars. The mechs were able to dodge enough out of the way to avoid full damage.

The mechas stepped back, some triggering an attack of opportunity from your companions, though they continued to fire on you. Out of 4 attacks, 3 hit you. You were now critically wounded. Alyona managed to successfully hit with an attack of opportunity, damaging one of the dwarves as he fired upon you.

Ash, following Charles charge, attacked his same target, and flanking with the other captain. However, his attack missed.

Lili charged as well, scoring a hit of her own.

Lastly, Karn placed his hand on the asphalt-like road, and soon enough the ground itself turned into spear-like weapons, shooting towards one of the dwarves. His attack scored a hit.

[info]Jean to take turn.[/info]

[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Jean, Tentacles, Dalina 20, Alyona 17, Huge Mech, Charles 12, Large Mech, Viridio 7, Medium Mech, Ash 6, Olga 6, Lili 5, Karn 5

Log
[spoiler]Round 1:
Jean moves in, uses weight control on Huge Mech
Dalina casts Wind Shield on Jean
Alyona uses lightning on Huge Mech deals damage.
Huge Mech can't do anything (0 DEX)
Gust Total Defense and stays near Dalina
Charles moves into portal, attacks mecha
Large mechs fire chain guns at Jean and hit.
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechas attack Jean.
Captain Ash casts weapon fire enchantment spell.
Lili attacks.
Karn casts defensive spell on Jean.
Round 2:
Jean summons tentacles, weight control on large mech (5 steps).
Tentacles attack Medium Mechs
Dalina cast air strike and misses.
Alyona attacks Huge Mech, hits and deals damage.
Huge Mech can't do anything (0 DEX)
Charles attacks and misses.
Large mechas attack Jean and miss.
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechs attack tentacles
Olga moves closer
Ash attacks huge mecha
Lili attacks huge mecha.
Karn attacks huge mecha. Mecha saves vs. his spell for half damage.
Round 3
Jean attacks and kills large mecha 1
Tentacles attack medium mechas
Dalina casts airstrike and misses.
Alyona full round attacks but misses all.
Charles attacks and critically hits twice.
Large mecha attacks Jean and misses
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechs take AoO, attack Jean but all miss.
Ash attacks and hits.
Lili critically hits.
Karn kills huge mecha.
Round 4
Jean attacks medium mecha 1.
Tentacles attack.
Alyona attacks medium mecha 2, 3, and 4.
Charles attacks medium mecha 2.
Viridio attacks medium mecha 4, and 5.
Ash attacks medium mecha 2. Misses.
Lili attacks medium mecha 3. Hits.
Karn attacks and his medium mecha 4.
Round 5
[/spoiler]


Damage Taken
Huge Mech: 276, weight control heavy 10 steps, dying
Jean: 125
Large Mecha 1: Dead
Large Mecha 2: Dead
Medium Mecha 1: Dead
Medium Mecha 2: 86, badly damaged
Medium Mecha 3: 93, badly damaged
Medium Mecha 4: 105, critically damaged
Medium Mecha 5: 77, badly damaged
Tentacle 1: 18
Tentacle 2: 13
Tentacle 3: 19
Tentacle 4: 16
Tentacle 5: 0[/spoiler]

     Jean took the brunt of the hail of the bullets and looked at the growing number of wounds weeping trails of blood down his flesh. He knew he was close, so close to the end of this conflict. He needed only to make it just a little further.

"Come back safe..."

     Words that were years ago echoed through his mind. He had failed once. He will not fail here. "RAHHHHHHHH!" He howled as he looked to the cavern ceiling. He reached out to that power source, the one he knew was not his, the one he knew only drew him closer and closer to enslavement and he let it flow through his body like ice cold water.

[info]Spending 1 Hero Points to partially refresh HP[/info]
     His wounds shrank and healed before his eyes but rather than marvel at the miracle happening to his body, Jean dashed to the next medium mecha to thrust his spear.

[info]Full-round Action: Charge Medium Mecha 2[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+31 : 1 + 31, total 32[/blockquote]    Damage (Piercing)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 3, 2, 3, 2, 6, 1, 6, 4, 6, 5, 4, 1 + 23, total 66[/blockquote]    Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 4, 4, total 8[/blockquote][/info]

---

[okay]Your wish is granted.[/okay]

The notification lingered for a moment as your wounds visibly closed. You struck out with your spear, but from either sheer luck or skill, the dwarf just narrowly managed to maneuver his mech out of the way from your spear strike.

Your tentacles attacked, however, only one of them managed to get through the mechs armor.

Dalina cast her spell again, but was not able damage the mecha.

Alyona, focusing on a single target, unleashed a fury of attacks. Only one of her attacks got through.

Captain Charles managed to hit with his first strike, taking down the medium mecha. With his second jab, he pierced into the dying dwarf, killing the dwarf.

Viridio fired off another set of flaming green pillars. The dwarves attempted to get out of the way but failed. One dwarf was now dying, while the other was critically damaged.

The mechas continued to fire on you, even while being surrounded by your allies. One of your allies took the opportunity to attack and another mecha was now dying. You were hit by a bullet, though the other had missed. The last two dwarves, realizing that they weren't going to take you down, attempted to retreat in different directions.

Ash, still on Olga, took chase on one of the dwarves, he attempted an attack, but missed completely. Olga had rushed in to bite the escaping dwarf but she missed as well.

Lili chased after the other more damaged mecha. Her axe hit, dealing a devastating blow. The dwarf was now dying.

Karn, seeing one of the dwarves attempt an escape, called upon his alchemy again, as grasping earth began to enrwrap itself around the mech's legs as it attempted to escape. The mech wasn't able to free itself.

[info]Jean to take turn.[/info]

[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Jean, Tentacles, Dalina 20, Alyona 17, Huge Mech, Charles 12, Large Mech, Viridio 7, Medium Mech, Ash 6, Olga 6, Lili 5, Karn 5

Log
[spoiler]Round 1:
Jean moves in, uses weight control on Huge Mech
Dalina casts Wind Shield on Jean
Alyona uses lightning on Huge Mech deals damage.
Huge Mech can't do anything (0 DEX)
Gust Total Defense and stays near Dalina
Charles moves into portal, attacks mecha
Large mechs fire chain guns at Jean and hit.
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechas attack Jean.
Captain Ash casts weapon fire enchantment spell.
Lili attacks.
Karn casts defensive spell on Jean.
Round 2:
Jean summons tentacles, weight control on large mech (5 steps).
Tentacles attack Medium Mechs
Dalina cast air strike and misses.
Alyona attacks Huge Mech, hits and deals damage.
Huge Mech can't do anything (0 DEX)
Charles attacks and misses.
Large mechas attack Jean and miss.
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechs attack tentacles
Olga moves closer
Ash attacks huge mecha
Lili attacks huge mecha.
Karn attacks huge mecha. Mecha saves vs. his spell for half damage.
Round 3
Jean attacks and kills large mecha 1
Tentacles attack medium mechas
Dalina casts airstrike and misses.
Alyona full round attacks but misses all.
Charles attacks and critically hits twice.
Large mecha attacks Jean and misses
Viridio uses flame pillars.
Medium mechs take AoO, attack Jean but all miss.
Ash attacks and hits.
Lili critically hits.
Karn kills huge mecha.
Round 4
Jean attacks medium mecha 1.
Tentacles attack.
Dalina casts airstrike and misses
Alyona attacks medium mecha 2, 3, and 4.
Charles attacks medium mecha 2.
Viridio attacks medium mecha 4, and 5.
Ash attacks medium mecha 2. Misses.
Lili attacks medium mecha 3. Hits.
Karn attacks and his medium mecha 4.
Round 5
Jean uses hero point, attacks medium mecha 2
Tentacles attack, one hits medium mecha 2
Dalina casts airstrike and misses
Alyona attacks medium mecha 2 and hits once out of 5.
Charles attacks and kills mecha 2.
Viridio attacks medium mecha 4, and 5.
[/spoiler]


Damage Taken
Huge Mech: 276, weight control heavy 10 steps, dying
Jean: Injured
Large Mecha 1: Dead
Large Mecha 2: Dead
Medium Mecha 1: Dead
Medium Mecha 2: 136, dying
Medium Mecha 3: 93, badly damaged, chased by Ash, held in place by Karn
Medium Mecha 4: 143, dying
Medium Mecha 5: 137, dying, chased by Lili
Tentacle 1: 18
Tentacle 2: 13
Tentacle 3: 19
Tentacle 4: 16
Tentacle 5: 0[/spoiler]

     Jean chased after the dwarf bound by Karn and thrust his spear into the back of the cockpit, hoping to finally end the fight.

[info]Full-round Action: Charge Medium Mecha 3[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+31 : 10 + 31, total 41[/blockquote]    Damage (Piercing)[blockquote]Rolled 12d6+23 : 1, 1, 3, 5, 2, 5, 3, 2, 5, 5, 1, 1 + 23, total 57[/blockquote]    Damage (Fire)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 2, 1, total 3[/blockquote][/info]

---

With the last dwarf going down, the broadcast station was now unguarded. Your summoned tentacles went ahead and brutally finished off the dying dwarves. With the actual death of the dwarves, a level up notification appeared.

[info]You leveled up.
You are now level 65. Spend your unallocated points.
You have gained a new title『Efficient Porter』
You have gained +2 MAG[/info]

     Jean breathed deeply at the vanquishing of the remaining dwarves. He grinned at the hot wet tang of blood wafting through the air. He held up the dungeon core. "Well 31 I hope you can open up reeeeal wide because I have some special gifts for you. I hope you can accommodate this massive load." He said as he went about sending the slain dwarves and their mechs into the core. That business done he turned to the broadcast station and headed up to the front door. He stopped before it and knocked, waiting a second before kicking in the door as hard as he could.

[info]STR check to burst the door[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+11 : 12 + 11, total 23[/blockquote][/info]

---

"Ooooohhh!" Dungeon Core 31's voice echoed from the orb, lighting up everytime she spoke. "Thank you for this food!" The dungeon core had said once you had finished feeding all the dwarves, their mechs, and their gear to it.

You bust down the door. Inside, you were greeted by a room that looked akin to a reception desk, with a set of stairs further back that lead upwards.

"Mah men 'ave this block guarded. Shuid be safe." Goldroic called from behind.

"Th' system shuid be oan th' top floor." Lili said as she moved towards the stairs.

Dalina tagged along behind you, while Alyona reverted back into her human form to follow you through. Gust shrunk down to hover around Dalina, while Viridio shrunk down to a flaming green bird. The rest of the group remained either in the first floor, or kept a watch outside the building.

[info]Perception requested[/info]

[info]Perception[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+17 : 5 + 17, total 22[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Perception: 22
Though there was an attempt to conceal it, but you saw some bits of wires exposed at various intervals on the staircases that lead upwards. It wasn't a very thorough job, and given how orderly everything else looked in the room, the wires were obviously out of place. There was a small device attached further upwards the stairs, and you immediately recognized it as a similar device to the proximity mines you had first encountered on your way back into the dwarven city.

The wires more than likely signified another explosive trap; Lili was headed straight for it.[/info]

     "Wait." Commanded Jean as he put a hand on Lili's shoulder. "More traps by the looks of it." He said pointing to the tripwires. "So many booby traps and heavy artillery. This civil war got really ugly really fast. What are the priests and their followers thinking? Even if they won the city would probably be nothing but a smoldering pile of bricks by the time they're finished. They might as well have just let the demons demolish the city themselves to save the effort... Karn, I don't suppose you can do something to get us past these mines too? Maybe a newer, less deadly staircase?"

---

Karn nodded silently, placing his hands on the floor, he began to warp the worked stone into a makeshift set of stairs going up at a relatively steep angle. Soon enough, the original staircase was bypassed altogether, with a newly formed stone structure leading up to the next room. Karn, being the one who raised the stone was the first to look through, and it was at that moment he decided to raise up the stonework again another level.

"Fascinating. The technology they use here is fascinating. Akin to my own world, though heavily skewed to using materials made of brass and copper. Anyways. Looks like the stairs go up another level. Judging from how the building looked from the outside, I assume the top to be a few floors higher."

Lili nodded towards Karn, but then looked towards you.

"Ah didnae notice th' mines, thank you Jean..." Lili smiled, but moved forward to climb the stairs shortly.

Dalina followed closely behind you, keeping her eyes alert, with Gust on her shoulder. As for Viridio, the green phoenix, in her small form, sat on your shoulder.

---

The rest of the trip upwards didn't take too much work. It seemed that in the rush of things, the traps were only set at the stairs. With Karn's help, bypassing each floor was relatively simple. Either stone, brass, or iron was shaped through Karn's alchemy.

At the top of the building was indeed the broadcasting room. Compared to the floors below, this room had a high ceiling.


There were various tubes opened up at a large station. From the number of various tubes, and now-empty chairs, it looked like this particular place could have an entire team of dwarves man the stations.

"Each o' the tubes connect tae a section o' th' city." Lili explained. "But if you gimme a minute, I kin likely hook thaim all up to the same receiver."

     "Of course my queen... Landmines... back in my old world such devices were typically deemed illegal in their use. They were a weapon of last resort that would continue to cause casualties long after the wars were ended."  He said in response to Lili.

---

     "Do it. I'll need to reach as many people as possible if this is going to work." He said before taking a seat at one of the consoles. He was getting tired, exhausted even. Even with the refreshment from before he knew he could not fight for much longer. He checked his status to confirm his increasingly depleted resources. He hoped that what he did next would at least stall for desperately needed time.

[info] Will wait on confirmation that nothing of note transpires while waiting for Lili.[/info]

---

Lili began working the various
controls of the station. She took a moment to examine everything, then began either flipping switches, or turning various dials. She seemed to punch in a specific sequence of buttons as well. As switches were flipped, lights turned on little by little. Eventually, she pushed over a cone-like tube, along with what looked to be a button with a trailing cable coming out of it, plugging itself into the station.

"Its done. Press and hold this button 'n' it shuid broadcast throo'oot th' city 'n' outposts." Lili explained.

     Jean snapped back to the present, as he had begun to feel his fatigue setting in. Now though it was time to try and do what he could to save the city. He walked up to the speaking tube and stared at it. He knew that Ren and Telamon were counting on him what he did here could save them... or he might lose them. He looked within himself to that font of power. He has used it so much recently, every time he felt like he was losing control to something else, something that he was becoming more and more dependent on. He had no choice, but he knew that if there was any hope he could leave nothing to chance. He took in a deep breath and accessed that power before speaking with as much conviction as he could muster.
     "People of Kherngolarr this is Jean, hero, and future husband to princess Lili. I know my presence here has caused turmoil, chaos even, but I ask you lay down your arms. Your people should not be fighting down here. There are forces greater than you might imagine that seek to destroy you, yet you fight your own kin in a civil war that might end your people before you even see the true enemy. I beg you, put a stop to this war, if not for good, at least lay down your arms in a truce. I  know that now that blood has spilled that it might be too much to simply stop but please, consider an alternative. As I am the one who is the source of this conflict, I will offer myself as the end. You are a people of strength, honor, ingenuity, and tenacity but you have not seen the horrors arrayed against you. To know what you must face, what you must overcome in the future, I propose a challenge. Each clan opposed to my marriage and the priesthood may each elect a champion clad in their finest armor and equipped with their mightiest weapons to face me in single combat. In a week, we shall do battle and if your greatest fighters can best me in combat, I will renounce my engagement and leave the city, never to return. To further discuss terms, I request we meet upon the steps to the palace. I will not take any hostile actions unless first attacked and I request that any forces loyal to the current king do so as well. I look forward to our meeting"


[info]Expending 2 Hero Points to guarantee a roll of 20 for the associated Diplomacy check for Jean's plea[/info]

     Jean stepped away from the speaking tube, not sure what to expect. He looked somewhat apprehensively at the others and pulled out Telamon's drone. "Telamon, can you hear me? Did you hear my announcement? Is the ceasefire happening?"
     

---

A notification appeared in your vision, only to fade a few moments later.

[okay]Your wish is granted.[/okay]
The companions around you seemed to pause a moment. When you had spoken, they each listened intently, though now that you had finished, they all resumed their normal positions, some glancing and looking around, while others yet looked towards you, listening to your conversation with Telamon.

"Master! I heard you loud and clear, everyone did. Fascinating. Did you just cast a city-wide spell?" Telamon asked through the drone, there was clear awe in her voice. "Most of the dwarves fighting us were quite fanatic, and now they're shouting for a ceasefire, rather than shouting for their revolution. Literally a second after you finished your speech. From vocal cues, they appear to be genuine. Actually, it's probably better to just show you."

A moment later, the drone you had pulled out began to project a scene in the open space in front of you and the others. It was like a projector, though instead of a flat image, it displayed a 3-dimensional view of what Telamon was seeing.

---

The scene beyond was at first gruesome. There were fires throughout the complex Telamon was in. Numerous burn marks from the various bombs and missiles that had been fired relentlessly. There were piles of dwarven corpses strewn around as well, both enemies and allies alike, most of them unrecognizable from the burning and mutilations the bodies had suffered. Most of the corpses were surrounding Telamon however, which verified the fact that the gynoid was in the thickest part of the battle.

"Stoap shooting at ilk ither! Ceasefire!" Dwarves on both sides called out. The dwarves who were locked in combat had begun to peek out of their fortifications, though neither side made a move as bold as stepping out, there were no more gunshots or explosions.

---

"Master Jean, you might want to check in on the strange species that is Ren though. If they were able to throw this much force towards the refineries, they probably had thrown much more against the palace. Looks like the two dwarven lords want to talk to me. Likely it's about the speech you had just given. We'll see you at the palace?" Telamon asked.

     At the sight of the ceasefire taking effect Jean took a breath of relief. At least it sounded like most of the fighters were going to comply. "You're right Telamon, they probably committed most of their forces to storming the palace. We have no time to lose." Jean checked his status. "Hopefully I have enough MP to do this, everyone might want to stay back, I don't know if there is fighting going on if this thing will let stray bullets through... Portal!"

[info]Using Portal to create a portal back to the palace.

Next part assumes the portal works[/info]

     The portal formed, Jean headed straight through, preparing himself for the worst.

     

---

You created a portal back to the palace. You made it right at the throne room, judging that would likely be defensible enough considering only one entrance went into the chamber. You worried most about the glass dome that covered the throne room, but as you stepped through, you were surprised to see that a thick set of brass and copper covered the glass dome. With the metallic protections, it was more akin to a metal dome.

But more than that, you smelled the distinct aroma of burned flesh. Dwarven bodies dressed in the livery of royal guard, orichalcum, much like the few priests you had met before, were scattered about, blast marks on their armors, some with their heads blown off and missing. Around you as well, were many mechanized parts of the mechs that the enemy forces used. With your hero-enhanced passive perception, you immediately got a sense that both the remainder of the royal guards hiding behind a bulwark of stone behind the three thrones, and the enemy priests and separatists storming from the entrance all had a strange but dazed look in their eyes. There was no shooting or firing however, and at the very least, Lili, followed right after, concern evident on her features.

You caught sight of Ren immediately. Her entire form was a metallic silver hue, and you immediately noticed that a couple of her tentacles were missing. She was lying on the ground, not too far from the bulwark of stone the rest of the guards were. When you had popped in, it looked like two royal guards were in the middle of dragging her body to the safety of the stone bulwarks.

She didn't seem to be moving, but you noticed a blue-colored liquid ooze out between one of her cupped tentacles, one of only 3 remaining tentacles. It took you just a moment to recognize it as the slimeling, which promptly waved towards you.

"Faither? Where's faither?" Lili called out. A voice called out in response.

"Lili?" You recognized the king's voice. And soon enough, he limped forward from the stone bulwark, propped up by another dwarf you recognized; Dorgan, who worked as the king's record keeper. On the king's arm was a large weapon strapped to it. To your eyes familiar with technology from your own world, it looked like a machine gun. It was similar in design as the one's strapped to the priest's mechs, however, the one the king used looked bigger and grander. Mechanical supports that seemed to be integrated with the king's armor helped hold the weapon up. His armor too looked just as grand, though there was plenty of blood and ash staining his gear. He was heavily limped as well, and seemed to be in pain, but he had a huge grin on his face looking towards you and your group.

At that moment you heard a sound behind you.

"Don't ye think yer' mind-washing spell has any effect on me!" You turned around just in time to see the high priest of the dwarves, the one you thoroughly humiliated when you exited the Ramparts the first time around. He was equipped with a fascinating weapon. Though similar in design to the missile launchers you had seen earlier, this one seemed to be made out of both crystals, tech that looked similar to the Ramparts, and orichalcum components. Through your greater mana sensitivity, it seemed to be draining mana from everything and everyone around it as a ball of energy started to coalesce at its front.

"Ye' fool! Ye'll disintegrate everyone!"

[info]Roll for initiative![/info]

     Seeing Ren so horribly injured caused rage well up within Jean and he focused his gaze upon the rogue priest. "Weight Control!" He screamed as he started towards the priest.

[info]Weight Control (Immediate Action): expend 30 MP to increase priest's weight by 15 steps

Initiative[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+16 : 5 + 16, total 21[/blockquote][/info]

---

The high priest immediately crumpled on the sudden weight, his charging weapon dropped unceremoniously on the ground. The dwarf had made an attempt to keep it locked towards you, but the extreme weight on his body made it difficult to even aim it as he fell. The weapon was still in one of the dwarf's hands, but was pointed away from your group, targeting towards the dwarf's right, and your left.

The dwarven high priest was 30 ft. away from your position, with the king, the royal guards, and Ren 30 ft. behind you. The portal you had created was directly centered in the 60 ft. by 40 ft. throne room.

[info]Jean to take turn.

Initiative: High Priest: -8, Dorgan: 5, Royal Guards: 13, Lili: 16, King: 20, Jean: 21[/info]

     With the weapon now aiming away from Ren and the surrounding dwarves, Jean ran up to the priest and pounced on the disabled dwarf lying on the floor. He grabbed the dwarf by the throat and hissed into his face. "You rat bastard! I let you live and this is how you repay my generosity? I try to broker a peace and you still fight! Tell me why I shouldn't just strangle you to death right here!" He said as he threw the priest back down and took up the weapon, trying to figure out how to disarm it.

[info]Move action: move to dwarf priest

Free action: knowledge (technology) to assess the weapon[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+14 : 19 + 14, total 33[/blockquote]

Will hold rest of turn for knowledge check results[/info]

[info]Knowledge (technology): 33
The weapon looks to be an amalgamation of dwarven technology, and technology similar to that of the Ramparts. It made heavy use of mana-absorbing crystals. From what you had read in The Ramparts' manual given to you by Telamon, that single glance of looking at the weapon, and your sensitivity to the flow of mana and magic coursing through the missile launcher-like weapon, you were able to figure some key things out.

Dwarven Disintegrator Cannon
Damage: 32d8 Energy
Burst Radius: 40 ft.
Range Increment: 80 ft.
Size: Large
Weight: 45 lb.
Rate of Fire: Single
Magazine: Special

Resembling a cannon, the dwarven disintegrator cannon fires a micro-singularity produced by both science and magic that obliterates the target's molecular structure on impact. Firing the weapon begins a charge sequence lasting a few seconds that gathers 170 MP from the user. The weapon does not drain a user's MP below 1, and the remainder of the MP is taken from the surrounding area within 30-feet of the weapon, starting from the closest source of mana. If the mana requirements are not met, the dwarven disintegrator does not fire. While the weapon is charging, a successful Spellcraft (DC 25) allows the user interrupt the weapon's flow of mana, and also specify a different source of mana within 30 feet. An unwilling target for mana may attempt a Spellcraft contested by the user's.

When the singularity fired from the cannon impacts a surface, all creatures in a 40-foot burst radius at the point of impact takes 32d8 damage. A successful Agility save (DC 25) halves the damage. Any creature reduced to -20 hit points by the weapon completely disintegrates. Objects and nonliving creatures (including robots) reduced to 0 hitpoints by the weapon are likewise disintegrated.[/info]

     "You would kill everyone here and yourself for what?" Asked Jean as he attempted to disarm the weapon. "For your god? They care nothing for you! You dance to their tune as if they give a single shit whether you live or die!"

[info]Spellcraft to disrupt the charge process and dissipate the charged mana[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+29 : 1 + 29, total 30[/blockquote][/info]

[info]Requested d100[blockquote]Rolled 1d100 : 24, total 24[/blockquote][/info]

---

The high priest made a sound as if he was gathering spit or saliva, but with the extreme weight on his body, all that ended up was a long glob of drool sputtering from his mouth as the high priest glared as much as he could towards you.

Though this was probably one of your worst attempts at manipulating the mana, you were still skilled enough to interrupt the weapon's normal charging and discharging procedure. The excess energy still stored wasn't all dissipated however, and a blast of energy still shot forth from the weapon, though only affecting those close to the weapon, and the weapon firing only at a fraction of its disintegrating power.

[info]Jean and High Priest to roll Agility[/info]

[info]Agility[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+25 : 13 + 25, total 38[/blockquote][/info]

---

"Jean!" Lili's voice echoed behind you just when the weapon was going off.

You manage to get out of the way of the blast, positioning the weapon just slightly to avoid most of the damage. The energy blast still stung, but it was far from lethal for someone like you. From being injured, you were now badly wounded.

The high priest however, who couldn't dodge at all had the energies wash right over him. Once the flash of light dissipated, you could easily tell he was unconscious. The high priest was still alive, but barely; he was dying. The priest's face disfigured, his skin sagging and burned, looking as if it had been melted.

Everyone was silent at what occurred, the first one to break it was Lili, who immediately rushed to your side. Her alarmed look quickly softened realizing you were still standing, even as the blast of energy left the floor immediately surrounding you red-hot.

Lili, with her metallic boots sighed in relief as she stepped closer, ignoring the scalding floor that was probably cooking the high priest still lying on the ground. "Ye hud me worried, bit a'm glad ye'r nae... disintegrated, Jean." The dwarven princess said as she began looking you over worriedly.

     Jean ignored Lili as he looked down at the priest. "You blind moron..." He said as a grin slithered across his face. "Let's see just how much your god cares for you now." He bent down to the priest's face and inhaled the smell of his charred and melted flesh. "If you survive and dare oppose me ever again, I will make sure that the pain you experience now feels like a mere tickle of your ballsack. I've met the gods and they have shown me ways of inflicting suffering you would be glad to know have never even been glimpsed in the darkest shadows of your nightmares." He took in one more deep inhalation of the ragged breath of a life teetering on the precipice of oblivion and stood up, invigorated and with the rage he felt before quenched.
     He turned to Lili and yet again swept her off her feet.  "My dear soon to be first wife! We can't have you burning your feet here! What if I develop a foot fetish? We have to keep those puppies pristine in case I can't get hard without a toe in my mouth and a heel crushing my foot or... other things." He said as he pranced across the hot floor and made his way to the loyalists. "Moving on! Damage report! How fares my consort and what's the status of the king and the ceasefire? Also all the burning flesh is making me think of barbecue. Is there anything to eat around here? Maybe a sandwich?"

---

"A toe...? Heel crushing...?" Lili echoed your words. It only took her a moment to picture what you were saying and began to immediately blush as you swept her off her feet.

When you made it to the loyalists, the dwarven survivors were still processing what had just happened. They were in shock that you weren't completely blasted away from the cannon the high priest had fired. It was actually the king who first broke the silence.

"Ye' deserve mair than a sandwhich wi' a' ye'd done." The king replied while his retainers were still in shock. The king did beckon to two of the dwarves, and you noticed that it was the same two dwarves who had dragged Ren's body back to behind the bunker. With the attention on the dwarves, they stepped to the side revealing Ren's unconscious form. She looked completely metallic, and a few of her appendages were already missing. She was still breathing, but she seemed unconscious. Her wounds looked pretty severe. There were various sections of her body that seemed missing altogether apart from the tentacles. A part of her side, a chunk of her leg, and half of her head squid flaps were missing. If not for the fact that her body looked metallic, you imagine that she would have been much more a grotesque mess. Her metallic form did not bleed, however, so at the very least it didn't seem as if her condition was getting any worse; she was stable.

"A dinnae ken whit manner o' creature she is, bit she pat up a fight protectin' me and me guards. Ah'm hopin' the fightin' is dyin' doon... We'll get oor best healers to help patch her up."

"Faither..." Lili said, still in your arms. "Ye'r nae saying that confidently."

The king shook his head. "She toorned pairts o' her body ta metal when she was wounded enough. It stopped the bleedin', but even if she were ta undo thait noo, th' wounds she has on her body are pretty serious. We doon have th' magic of old ta close wounds magically, but we can do oor best with th' tools we 'ave."

     "Hmmm...." Hummed Jean as he looked at Ren. He pulled and poked at her metallic flesh a few times before giving her butt a good squeeze and frowned before giving Lili's rump a squeeze as well for comparison. "Some kind of stasis? I don't think she's dead, I'm pretty sure I would know. For now I think we can only wait to see how she recovers on her own until we can get some proper magical healing. In the meantime we have an appointment to keep."   He took out the dungeon core. "Another casualty to keep an eye on. Same deal as before." He said as he sent Ren into the core. "Well then you're highness, I belive we have a truce to negotiate on the palace steps. Shall we?" He asked a he put away the dungeon core and gestured towards the front of the palace.

---

The king blinked his eyes in surprise as the metallic Ren disappeared into the core. The core itself then disappearing into your Inventory. To his credit, he took it in stride though.

"Aye, th' truce... Wi' howfur tense things wur, A'm surprised they agreed tae it. It felt as if something wis compelling us fur peace. We heard yer voice ring oot, 'n' my men stopped fightin'. Either wey, we'll git mah guard tae secure th' steps, 'n' we'll wait fur th' lords then."

[info]State any preparations you may want to do before the lords appear, feel free to split the post with [hr] tags for each piece so we can tackle things in parallel. If there are things you want your companions to do, feel free to mention it. As reference, the lords you remember Goldroic Tulach telling you about.

Lord Goldroic Tulach, loyalist, descendent of a mining clan before the Shifting. Not a true 'noble', but he and his clan were brought up to nobility by decree of the current king due to their loyalty and work in excavating the tunnels. Has his troops separated out through the city trying to hold points.

Lord Eilig Catach, loyalist, had ties to nobility from the old Kingdom, stationed troops mainly at the refineries, and helping the royal guards at the palace. Is an old dwarf, but is no friends of current king's father.

Lord Gowan Puidreach, loyalist, head of a craftsman clan that had ties to nobility from the Old Kingdom, they were a lesser noble house until the Shifting but had moved up in position due to the events. His troops are stationed at the refineries, along with helping other groups from lord Goldroic Tulach retake the city.

Lord Cambeul Peucag, separatist, head of a merchant clan, controls most buying and selling in the city.

Lord Cruim Loudain, separatist, apart from the Seadhg clan, his clan is next in line as the most noble clan in the city.

Lord Gilleabart Druimeanach, separatist, a warrior clan who typically leads the explorations deep in the tunnels. They're known to support the clergy of the city.[/info]

     "One of many powers I have acquired in my tenure as a mighty hero."
Not what i would consider a sporting trick but it was either that or I slaughter the insurrection to a man. By the way, Karn, if you could look to the palace architecture? Repair what you can to the exterior. I would like to project the appearance that the insurrectionist assault was unable to do much damage. I'll see to the bodies." Replied Jean as they left the throne room. "Tell me, are there any particular formalities to hostile negotiations among your people that I should know about?" He asked the king as they started down the corridors, putting any bodies they came across into Dungeon Core.