The passage of time in this place is not easily tracked, not without a clock of some sort, anyway. The days may even begin to blend together, only occasionally interrupted by confrontations with the robot spiders or discussion with whoever is on the other end of that terminal.
It seems like things won't change any time soon. But something is off today, and some of you may notice it sooner than others.
The mind-numbing drone of the nearby builder going about its work has been with you from the very start. Located behind the terminal and far down below, it was the first sound you heard upon arriving here. It has been arranging walkways in increasingly complicated and baffling designs, extending them ever outwards into space. This much has not changed at all during your time here; the drone of the machinery moving and metal being slotted into place may even have become somewhat comforting background noise.
It is completely silent today.
The skittering of spider robots through the vents or patrolling the area is not heard either, and though the atmosphere remains as gloomy as ever, the lack of sound will undoubtedly be noticeable to some of you. Thankfully, you can still hear; it's simply that the machines have stopped their usual tasks, for whatever reason.
[The builder closest to your usual haunt is the one below you, behind the terminal and down far below. You'll have to take the stairs and/or ramps.
You make your way further down; watch your step, as the stairs and ramps leading downward here are particularly weathered and damaged. The handrails aren't faring much better, and are likely to break off should you grip them too hard.
Working your way downwards, you'll notice that the builder has indeed stopped its work - thus the silence. Its arms are resting on the ground level, where it is built into the walls and floor, with no indication that it is still active at all. Then again, there was no indicators present anywhere on it even while it was active, just that the arms kept moving, ceaselessly building.
The walkways before it lead out into space, but don't seem to go anywhere in particular. They twist and turn and loop around themselves in paths that one could follow, leading back up to the higher levels.
While usually the building is fairly well-lit, this particular section has seen far better days. The dust is thicker, the lighting on the fritz and flickering in and out (and dimmer than anywhere else). The silence is oppressive.
The only thing of interest down here seems to be the builder itself - and the fact that it is ominously still for the first time since you arrived. The builder is about what you'd expect; massively tall, spanning up into the darkness of the floors above, with two metal arms currently resting on the floor. The joints of the arms are sturdy, and as some of you may have come to realize over the past week, its weak points. Not that it's much of a threat right now, what with it being inactive and all.
In one hand it holds a massive steel beam - specifically the base of one of those walkways out in space, as if it were in the midst of constructing more of those pathways. Its other hand is empty, lying palm up on the ground. At first glance, there really isn't anything remarkable about it, aside from the fact that it's no longer moving.
But if you look closely, you'll see a flashing light coming from the base of its body, behind one of its arms. The flashes seemingly pulse at random - a soft flicker of white light that's barely bright enough to illuminate the gloom for a moment.]
[Dorothy is just doing her usual round of supply checking today when she notices the lack of noise in the air. It's...well, on one hand it's welcome, but on the other hand, Dorothy's hackles are definitely raised. She does not like it when the relative noise is disrupted.
It usually means there's an even bigger threat out there, which means...
...Well, of course Dorothy's going to go out and investigate. If she happens to see anyone else, she'll look to them--]
[ Oh, there's Dorothy. He feels much better with her being the one he's closest to, so he nods and starts to stretch his hands, his wrists, in case they're going to be launched into some kind of battle. This is not good. ]
[The sudden silence is worrying actually, and he can't help but think of water receding before a tidal wave.
So whatever's happening... he heads toward where he recalls the closest builder is. Despite his better judgment, he needs tl investigate for the greater good of the group.]
[The arms of the builder suddenly move, elbows coming backward towards you.
Roll a 1d20 to avoid being caught between the builder and the wall. 1-10 means you'll be caught and unable to act and will take mild damage. 11-20 means you're free and can react as you'd like. You only need to roll if you were near or approaching the strange light.]
[Vakama and Shizuka are (barely) able to pull one of the builder's arms back to give enough wiggle room for Oscar, Ed, and Bailey to escape. Lucifer's shield protects Percy and Michael this round, blocking all damage.
Void's attack bounces harmlessly off the builder; it doesn't react at all. Viktor's on the other hand (pun intended) gets the builder's arm to jolt a bit. It's not quite enough to let anyone else free, but it does temporarily halt it.
Too bad that ultimately doesn't do much, as the builder brings its elbows backwards to crush the still-trapped characters for more damage. Roll a 1d20 for your freedom, same rules as last round.]
[Once again, Shizuka, Vakama, and Oscar are successful in freeing more people! This time, Yugi, Dorothy, and Percy are free.
Viktor's second attack at the joint of the right arm damages it enough to loosen its hold on Gyles and Wolfwood. Those two can roll with advantage to escape! The arm is not completely destroyed yet, however. And Void Archives' attack once again does nothing. RIP.
Once again, those arms move back to crush those still trapped. If Gyles and Wolfwood manage to roll high, then no one will be hurt! Otherwise, uh. Good luck, guys.
Because of Ashley's vision and Bailey's thought to look around, both of them are very aware that something is coming. That something is an incredibly speedy flash of silver that darts from somewhere in the dimly-lit back of the group - two sets of long, sharp claws diving at Ashley and Jasper. Since you were prepared, roll a 1d20 to see if you can dodge or not!
The silver forms will try to dart away as soon as their attacks land (or don't), but there's enough time for you to see that they're vaguely humanoid, though with long, sharp claws and legs, as well as three glowing cores on their shoulders and faces. They're hard to track, but not impossible; looks like you've now got three enemies on the field to contend with.]
[With the last of you free, the builder's arms crash back against the wall without anyone being hurt. On the heels of this, the coordinated attacks on its right arm's joint cause it to break, shattering the heavy metal and bringing that arm to a standstill. And since you all went the extra mile, you even managed to bend it backwards, out of shape and completely inoperable. Congrats!
Unfortunately, the left arm's joint is on the opposite side of where you are, and it is still very capable of movement. Without anyone to crush behind it, the builder extends its left hand toward you all, aiming to flatten you beneath its open palm. Ashley, Void Archives, Vakama, and Viktor roll to see if you get crushed beneath that hand. Thanks to Ed's paint, it won't hurt as badly as it could have, regardless of your roll! (Unless you get a 1, lmao.)
As for the silver speedsters - who I am calling sentinel A and sentinel B - they definitely haven't fled the battlefield entirely. They zip in and out of the light, making it hard to pinpoint their locations and land hits, but they're hardly invincible.
Raven's swing against sentinel A misses, but Percy's against B hits! Unfortunately for him, he only catches the sentinel in the leg, which... doesn't really do anything... Michael's strike on A hits, Basilio's strike on A misses, and Oscar's on B likewise doesn't connect - though he's getting smacked in retaliation by B. Sorry, bud.
This time, both sentinels strike out in tandem, both of them launching themselves at Raven - roll 2d20s for dodging!]
[The attacks aimed at the builder's left arm are definitely hitting; you can see it jolt every time one of them connects, but it isn't out of commission just yet. The hand swipes out again, but instead of going to smack you all, it goes to grab Gyles, Wolfwood, and Void Archives. If they don't roll an 11 or higher, they will be picked up and carried into the air, where the builder holds them like its going for a spike into the ground. You all might want to figure out a way to prevent that or help them get down! (Assuming you all don't just dodge it and ruin my fun smh.)
Jasper manages to bludgeon sentinel A - it's a hard hit, but it glances off those claws. Raven's kick to A likewise does nothing to its leg as it vanishes again, so Michael's and Basilio's attacks go wide.
Sentinel B, on the other hand... well B is for "bludgeon" and that's what this bot is getting. Percy and Oscar both smack it in the face(?) and the lights on its core flicker wildly for a moment. It tries to jump backwards and zip away, but its movements are erratic, making it easier to track.
Watch your sides - Michael is A's target, zipping in and aiming those claws at him. Basilio is B's, and though it is moving a little more slowly than its partner, it's still fast enough to be a threat.]
[Dorothy and Vakama's attempts to restrain the hand work - it's going to take a lot of effort from Dorothy since she isn't as practiced with using her skill to restrain like this, but together they will be able to successfully stall the hand. It shakes and jolts against their combined efforts while its joint suffers extensive damage from the others. The joint breaks under the pressure, leaving the hand barely suspended by your powers. Vakama and Dorothy roll a 1d20 to determine if you will be able to successfully lower it. Both of you must get an 11 or above or the hand will fall next round.
Wolfwood is caught by the hand (because mods DO deserve a little fun, as a treat). He takes minimal damage, but he is also suspended in the air by their power. Roll a 1d20 to determine how bad your landing's going to hurt (if no one can find a way to protect you/save you).
Basilio manages to grab sentinel A's arm and hold it in place. Though it struggles vainly to escape and go back to being a jerk speedster, it is stuck. Thanks to Lark's power, Basilio will not take damage from it this round. Michael's swing connects, causing the lights on its cores to flicker and Wednesday generates wax in its joints, further slowing the robot down. Roll with advantage against A this round.
Percy's blow to B's head misses, but Raven's hits it in the center, briefly stunning it. The lights on its cores flash again but when they settle this time, they're red. Percy is going to be hit by a massive laser blast coming from this thing's cores if he doesn't dodge - and that thing's going to hurt.]
[Dorothy and Vakama are able to successfully lower the hand down, carefully resting it beside the broken arm. Wolfwood's also safe, thanks Yves!
The builder is defeated.
Jasper's attacks on A's face coupled with Michael's are enough to completely smash the core. The other two flicker wildly before settling on red: both of you need to dodge lasers this time. Unlike the one aimed at Percy last round, these are smaller lasers, but they'll still hurt if they hit! It also manages to free itself from Basilio's grip - but not without another slash at his chest (which still won't hurt, thanks Lark)! Also Void Archives' kick does... not much since it didn't hit a core...
B manages to dodge both Raven's and Oscar's attacks, though it isn't getting far with how messed up it is. Not that it really needs to, as its charging up another one of those core laser blasts - this time aimed at Oscar. Might not want to get hit by that, as it'll hurt a lot!]
[Vakama yanks one of sentinel A's legs out from under it. They float and never actually use their legs, so you'd think this wouldn't do much, but it does throw the thing off-balance and it struggles to free itself. It twists out of the way of Void's light attack, but Basilio's fist connects with the left core and Lucifer's attack glances off of its body. Still, that alone was enough damage to break the core - leaving only one remaining.
A finally frees itself, blasting that laser at Lucifer.
Sentinel B meanwhile... dodges everything. Damn, you'd think a robot that's moving this erratically would be easier to hit? But nope. Laughs in Avrae. Instead of firing off one large laser this time, B instead focuses three smaller shots - look out, Ashley, Lark, and Raven!
But thankfully Lark is here to save us all, smashing B's left shoulder core completely! B still has its head and right shoulder remaining.]
[Wednesday's improvised weapon smashes into A's last core, followed by Void's punch, Jasper's blow, and the debris from Vakama. While Michael's punch may not have connected, the rest of them are more than enough to destroy that core and abruptly, A stops moving, collapsing to the ground in a heap.
Sentinel A is defeated.
Dorothy successfully grabs B's attention and then successfully grabs its head, smashing it into a wall and breaking the core. Thanks to Yves managing to snare B's shoulder, it isn't able to get away. Oscar and Percy both smash the final core.
So uh. About Ashley's vision.
Turns out that maybe melee attacks weren't the way to go on ending this thing?
[...he's very much not a healer. he shouldn't be there. he wants to ask npc-chan if they knew about this shit. okay. he's just going to run upstairs and see if he can check in on stuff and maybe report back to everyone who's fucked up.]
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[Let's take a little walk towards where the builder closest to the base was.]
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I... do hope you don't mind me joining you.
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Was startin' to wonder when things were gonna go south.
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You make your way further down; watch your step, as the stairs and ramps leading downward here are particularly weathered and damaged. The handrails aren't faring much better, and are likely to break off should you grip them too hard.
Working your way downwards, you'll notice that the builder has indeed stopped its work - thus the silence. Its arms are resting on the ground level, where it is built into the walls and floor, with no indication that it is still active at all. Then again, there was no indicators present anywhere on it even while it was active, just that the arms kept moving, ceaselessly building.
The walkways before it lead out into space, but don't seem to go anywhere in particular. They twist and turn and loop around themselves in paths that one could follow, leading back up to the higher levels.
While usually the building is fairly well-lit, this particular section has seen far better days. The dust is thicker, the lighting on the fritz and flickering in and out (and dimmer than anywhere else). The silence is oppressive.
The only thing of interest down here seems to be the builder itself - and the fact that it is ominously still for the first time since you arrived. The builder is about what you'd expect; massively tall, spanning up into the darkness of the floors above, with two metal arms currently resting on the floor. The joints of the arms are sturdy, and as some of you may have come to realize over the past week, its weak points. Not that it's much of a threat right now, what with it being inactive and all.
In one hand it holds a massive steel beam - specifically the base of one of those walkways out in space, as if it were in the midst of constructing more of those pathways. Its other hand is empty, lying palm up on the ground. At first glance, there really isn't anything remarkable about it, aside from the fact that it's no longer moving.
But if you look closely, you'll see a flashing light coming from the base of its body, behind one of its arms. The flashes seemingly pulse at random - a soft flicker of white light that's barely bright enough to illuminate the gloom for a moment.]
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[Dorothy is just doing her usual round of supply checking today when she notices the lack of noise in the air. It's...well, on one hand it's welcome, but on the other hand, Dorothy's hackles are definitely raised. She does not like it when the relative noise is disrupted.
It usually means there's an even bigger threat out there, which means...
...Well, of course Dorothy's going to go out and investigate. If she happens to see anyone else, she'll look to them--]
Something's not right. Be on your guard.
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Don't have to tell me twice.
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[Yeah, he'll team up with Dorothy, he quite likes her.]
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[In which case we're screwed, aren't we]
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Sweet, peace. Does this mean job done, world saved, we can all go home?
[Probably not.]
Orrrrr…do we count down until the big bad appears?
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[ And frankly, it had kind of gotten maddeningly boring and disorienting. But also. Hm. This is not good. ]
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So whatever's happening... he heads toward where he recalls the closest builder is. Despite his better judgment, he needs tl investigate for the greater good of the group.]
I have a bad feeling about this.
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BOSS BATTLE: BUILDER
ROUND 1
Roll a 1d20 to avoid being caught between the builder and the wall. 1-10 means you'll be caught and unable to act and will take mild damage. 11-20 means you're free and can react as you'd like. You only need to roll if you were near or approaching the strange light.]
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He unfortunately can't actually do much on the offense part, so he'll be trying to help the one who got knocked over back onto their feet. ]
Are you alright?
ROUND 2
Void's attack bounces harmlessly off the builder; it doesn't react at all. Viktor's on the other hand (pun intended) gets the builder's arm to jolt a bit. It's not quite enough to let anyone else free, but it does temporarily halt it.
Too bad that ultimately doesn't do much, as the builder brings its elbows backwards to crush the still-trapped characters for more damage. Roll a 1d20 for your freedom, same rules as last round.]
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ROUND 3
Viktor's second attack at the joint of the right arm damages it enough to loosen its hold on Gyles and Wolfwood. Those two can roll with advantage to escape! The arm is not completely destroyed yet, however. And Void Archives' attack once again does nothing. RIP.
Once again, those arms move back to crush those still trapped. If Gyles and Wolfwood manage to roll high, then no one will be hurt! Otherwise, uh. Good luck, guys.
Because of Ashley's vision and Bailey's thought to look around, both of them are very aware that something is coming. That something is an incredibly speedy flash of silver that darts from somewhere in the dimly-lit back of the group - two sets of long, sharp claws diving at Ashley and Jasper. Since you were prepared, roll a 1d20 to see if you can dodge or not!
The silver forms will try to dart away as soon as their attacks land (or don't), but there's enough time for you to see that they're vaguely humanoid, though with long, sharp claws and legs, as well as three glowing cores on their shoulders and faces. They're hard to track, but not impossible; looks like you've now got three enemies on the field to contend with.]
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ROUND 4
Unfortunately, the left arm's joint is on the opposite side of where you are, and it is still very capable of movement. Without anyone to crush behind it, the builder extends its left hand toward you all, aiming to flatten you beneath its open palm. Ashley, Void Archives, Vakama, and Viktor roll to see if you get crushed beneath that hand. Thanks to Ed's paint, it won't hurt as badly as it could have, regardless of your roll! (Unless you get a 1, lmao.)
As for the silver speedsters - who I am calling sentinel A and sentinel B - they definitely haven't fled the battlefield entirely. They zip in and out of the light, making it hard to pinpoint their locations and land hits, but they're hardly invincible.
Raven's swing against sentinel A misses, but Percy's against B hits! Unfortunately for him, he only catches the sentinel in the leg, which... doesn't really do anything... Michael's strike on A hits, Basilio's strike on A misses, and Oscar's on B likewise doesn't connect - though he's getting smacked in retaliation by B. Sorry, bud.
This time, both sentinels strike out in tandem, both of them launching themselves at Raven - roll 2d20s for dodging!]
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ROUND 5
Jasper manages to bludgeon sentinel A - it's a hard hit, but it glances off those claws. Raven's kick to A likewise does nothing to its leg as it vanishes again, so Michael's and Basilio's attacks go wide.
Sentinel B, on the other hand... well B is for "bludgeon" and that's what this bot is getting. Percy and Oscar both smack it in the face(?) and the lights on its core flicker wildly for a moment. It tries to jump backwards and zip away, but its movements are erratic, making it easier to track.
Watch your sides - Michael is A's target, zipping in and aiming those claws at him. Basilio is B's, and though it is moving a little more slowly than its partner, it's still fast enough to be a threat.]
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ROUND 6
Wolfwood is caught by the hand (because mods DO deserve a little fun, as a treat). He takes minimal damage, but he is also suspended in the air by their power. Roll a 1d20 to determine how bad your landing's going to hurt (if no one can find a way to protect you/save you).
Basilio manages to grab sentinel A's arm and hold it in place. Though it struggles vainly to escape and go back to being a jerk speedster, it is stuck. Thanks to Lark's power, Basilio will not take damage from it this round. Michael's swing connects, causing the lights on its cores to flicker and Wednesday generates wax in its joints, further slowing the robot down. Roll with advantage against A this round.
Percy's blow to B's head misses, but Raven's hits it in the center, briefly stunning it. The lights on its cores flash again but when they settle this time, they're red. Percy is going to be hit by a massive laser blast coming from this thing's cores if he doesn't dodge - and that thing's going to hurt.]
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ROUND 7
The builder is defeated.
Jasper's attacks on A's face coupled with Michael's are enough to completely smash the core. The other two flicker wildly before settling on red: both of you need to dodge lasers this time. Unlike the one aimed at Percy last round, these are smaller lasers, but they'll still hurt if they hit! It also manages to free itself from Basilio's grip - but not without another slash at his chest (which still won't hurt, thanks Lark)! Also Void Archives' kick does... not much since it didn't hit a core...
B manages to dodge both Raven's and Oscar's attacks, though it isn't getting far with how messed up it is. Not that it really needs to, as its charging up another one of those core laser blasts - this time aimed at Oscar. Might not want to get hit by that, as it'll hurt a lot!]
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ROUND 8
A finally frees itself, blasting that laser at Lucifer.
Sentinel B meanwhile... dodges everything. Damn, you'd think a robot that's moving this erratically would be easier to hit? But nope. Laughs in Avrae. Instead of firing off one large laser this time, B instead focuses three smaller shots - look out, Ashley, Lark, and Raven!
But thankfully Lark is here to save us all, smashing B's left shoulder core completely! B still has its head and right shoulder remaining.]
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ROUND 9
Sentinel A is defeated.
Dorothy successfully grabs B's attention and then successfully grabs its head, smashing it into a wall and breaking the core. Thanks to Yves managing to snare B's shoulder, it isn't able to get away. Oscar and Percy both smash the final core.
So uh. About Ashley's vision.
Turns out that maybe melee attacks weren't the way to go on ending this thing?
Everyone near B roll a 1d20.]
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Re: ROUND 9
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Though it comes from quite a ways above you, the familiar ping! of the terminal you've been using to communicate echoes in the stillness. Hmm!]
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