Endgame

"Oh, hell, that smell," Decker moans. "What d'you think, Ronin, which reeked worse? These tunnels or that drake carcass?" Decker flips on his flashlight and looks around, paying special note to any tracks on the floor and that weird... dripping substance coming from the ceiling.

Decker dons the workman's uniform and walks over to the hatch, with the metal turnwheel. "Hey, Ronin, lend me a hand and help me twist this thing open?" The scrapper asks, grasping the mechanism and trying to twist it open himself, to see if one man is enough. "Hopefully we dfon't hafta double back and ask for a wrench."

Statistically it's a +2 defense against all non-spells. That's not too bad!

"Eh, I meant no forensic skills as in like, the workin' in a lab stuff. As for findin' people, well..." Decker thinks back to that one storm in Akharif, his sister stranded in the whirling gales of sand... "Yeah, I'd say I got some. You don't have to worry none about that. Shame that the police aren't bein' more handy here." "Hery, Arno, much appreciate it!" Decker says, looking the ensemble over. "Say, these flashlights, how long the battery last?" "I think we can get moving."

Decker pauses, then nods back. He wasn't gonna press further. "A week... Okay, so we're against the clock here. How tough are those latches to lock an' unlock? Do you need to be a bit dexterous, or could one of those cockroaches done it? If I had an ounce of skill in forensics, I'd ask ya ta bring out the harness, maybe dust the thing for prints or somethin', but... well, not really my forte. Did you guys do anythin' like that?" Decker shudders a bit at... meat blob. "Meat blob. Ya serious? That's, urgh. We'll deal with that when we deal with that." Decker looks towards Ronin. "Anything else on your mind, chum, or should we get movin'?"

Hey all! Some quick hit thoughts on Mission 6 to open up the discussion. More detailed analysis and character breakdowns will be coming at you later. The beginning drraaaaaggged. I probably gave a bit too much grace time for everyone to confirm they were in, and it ended up making the opening act feel awful sluggish right out the gate (combined with a few missed posts on my part, early on.) Hope everything is alright, Khorne! In general the mission took longer than I wanted it to and that's largely on me. With my work schedule I can often only update at nights, and there'd be plenty of times where I'd log in to update, aaaand Eurobricks would be down. I definitely felt like it took me longer to kick off the rust this time than it did for Mission Zero, for whatever reason. You'd think it would've been the opposite! But definitely in terms of building, rendering, story telling, I definitely felt off my game at the start, and I hope it wasn't too noticeable. Fun fact: There was 4 potential battles in this mission, and exactly zero of them were mandatory. The "Pacifist Route" for Mission 6 would've looked a bit like: Take the option of driving through the storm. You missed a starter battle against some desert critters is all. Go to the sub. Ignore Agron, plant the signal antenna, leave for Vurenia. Enchidira battle skipped. The second location visited was always going to be night time. There would've been a way to stealth into Vurenia under the cover of nightfall (plus, catching the guards during a switch). HC-288 skipped. Side with Invictus. Boss fight skipped, whole plotline radically changes. I thought that the almost-drivng-into-a-rock thing was a solid team building exercise to start the mission off. Mission Zero didn't have a whole ton of places to use proficiencies, so I wanted to be better about giving problems that can be solved with proficiencies here. I'm of mixed feelings of how much I railroaded you guys - how did the mission feel in that regard? There were 6 major choices (Skipping the 4 battles, allowing Agron to tag along, choosing which HC-288 to fight), but still I felt like I might've pushed you guys along a bit too much sometimes? Curious to know how players and viewers alike felt. The medbay scene was entirely adlibbed! I didn't plan for it at all, but I felt it really let Valesia shine, and it gave me a chance to slip some Lore to Soren and Max. There was actually more that was supposed to happen within the walls of Vurenia (at the guarded water refill station), but things were starting to drag a bit and I decided to cut it. The Conqueror's Kin and cult stuff was a deliberate red herring... for now, at least. In the end, the clue that some Empire crafts had blackboxes, and that the broadcast kept mentioning the Paragon, was the realer hint. I'm generally really happy with how the battles were designed and balanced! ...That being said, I REALLY have no idea how to balance loot yet. Was it too much, too little? I feel like some of the prices in the Trade Bazaar threw me for a loop and made it hard to figure out what was fair, although I imagine such things were priced deliberately high to avoid a repeat of the Mead/Smelling Salts/Nostrum epidemic that faced the back half of Heroica 1.0. You guys got along... shockingly well with the wastelanders? I thought one pointing a sniper rifle at the skiff would've made you guys more distrustful, as well as all the weapons they looted from dead officers, but you guys seemed pretty cool with them! Not that that's a bad thing, per se, especially considering the nature of the mission. Soren's argument with Agron was petty and I thought it was super fun. Not a whole lotta investigative scenes. Kind of the issue with a desert, but I probably could've given you guys more to gawk at in the sub and bunker. Granted, it could've slowed things down more. Aileen's office had the most to look at, probably. How do people feel about Invictus as an arc villain? I'll leave off by saying that I thought I had a really good party and a fun set of players/characters. @Alix @The Legonater @Waterbrick Down I'll dive into it more soon when I do deep dive/character analysis stuff, but I really had a great time hosting for you all.

Decker listens with a hand on his hip as Arno speaks. This was one of those times Decker was glad to have a mask, because he was trying to figure out what species Arno was, and thankfully the helmet hid his attempts to look like he wasn't gawking. "It's always the case with these kinds of things, innit? The more complicated the project, the more likely nobody bothered to write a damn thing down." Decker shakes his head. "Typical." "But, well, hey, chin up. It sounds to me like you followed all the safety measures ya could. How were you supposed to know what it's like down there without so much as a draft drawing? Listen, we'll get your guy back. But I gotta ask... How long has he been gone? And, I'm jus' trying to imagine this tether system here. Are we going to be hooked up to that thing and dropped in to the pipe system?"

I was gonna say, I was thrown for such a loop with that latest picture - I started questioning if any of them were ever renders. That's Mission 6 in the bag! Thanks so much to all those who played/followed along.

Decker opted to stay quiet in case things got tense with the guard, but thankfully everyone seemed content to just call it the misunderstanding it was. Phew. Personalities on Akharif were volatile, you never knew how those kinds of things could go. Decker takes Arno's outstretched hand and gives it a firm grip and a heartier shake. The scrapper tended to shake people's hands a little too hard, but Arno looked like he could handle it. "Arno Milver? Pleasure to meet ya, Decker DaCabe here. With my good buddy, Ronin..." Decker tries to think of his comrade's surname. "Ronin, what the hell is your last name anyway, got one?" "Anyway, if memory serves, I hear one of your boys got last doing some plumbing work or somethin' 'long those lines, Arno?"

"<<A-Affirmative. Dispensing further gratitude. Gratitude... Dispense. Entering hibernation protocol-col now. Soren. Max. Valesia. ...Stay well.>>" The hologram flickers out. The lights slowly dim to darkness as the facility falls asleep once more. And it'd stay asleep, but not for long - just until a full rescue effort could be dispatched. Besides, the party had what they needed. It was nice to be able to exit the bunker without having to pursue a mystery assailant. Said mystery assailant was still laying on the ground, dead. Or at least, one permutation of him was dead. The corpse stared out ominously at the agents.The static had faded away from inside the machine, leaving it gaping and vacant. Dented, cracked, scorched, silent... beaten. "I keep expecting this thing to stand up for round 2, but it's not going to. It can't really stand back up at all with one leg, hah. Help me hoist this thing back into the skiff, we're done here." The agents load Invictus' body into the skiff, and with that, they're off. --- Soren was behind the wheel for the last time this mission as the skiff chugged along through the sand. The Savior City was in the distance, growing larger by the minute but still rather far. The desert was deceiving like that. Sweltering heat had given way to brisk cold, enough for the agents to crave a hot beverage or two, perhaps. Not quite cold enough for one's breath to turn to vapor, though. For once, storms weren't brewing above them. In the right circumstances, the wastelands looked almost beautiful. "...So you said that the AI gave you folks a data cell? Well, I have my computer right here." Glenn's computer had been displaced into the passenger area of the skiff, with the warbot's corpse taking up some extra room. "Let's plug it in and see what it even says." Glenn takes the data cell and clicks it in. A few keystrokes later, and audio begins to play out, a little hard to hear over the purr of the skiff's engine but far from impossible. The message went like this... <<Greetings. This is something resembling a distress signal, for those copying. Identification: I am P-FI 01, main onboard Artificial Intelligence of Pluravvian Flagship Paragon of Nendaran Blockade N-6. ID 363839495153, PIN 2832834133. After a critical failure black box protocol, my consciousness has been transferred to an Empire bunker situated on Corvanis, at 61.52 N, 105.31 E. If still extant, the Empire embassy on Corvanis and their on-staff military personnel should be able to pull up archival records that confirm my identity is sound and true. The following I am about to share is of high importance. Request: please listen carefully.>> <<There was a report issued 17 cycles ago stating that Invictus' last known location was aboard the Paragon when the gate collapsed. To the Empire's knowledge, this much was true. I was under direct orders from the blockade commander to send such a report. Per directive 20B, I complied. Core issue: the report was a fabrication. Invictus was aboard the Paragon before the gate collapse, that much is true. But he left the ship hours before the Nendaran Gate suffered its critical failure. It is possible that he escaped the vaporization field. The implications of this are clear and troubling. To be precise: I am unable to confirm that Invictus ever died. There was never any log or data collected by the Paragon that indicated Invictus' death. Re-iteration: It is not confirmed that Invictus ever died. It is not confirmed that Invictus ever died.>> <<This may be out of date info. My connection to the outside world has been tenuous for many cycles. He could've already risen again. He could've already been struck down. But in the eventuality he is not, that this is new and pertinent information, I can only advise that the people of Nendara prepare. Confession: I experience some hesitation, broadcasting this intel. The few pieces of data from the world at large I have obtained, seem to indicate that you believe Invictus dead. Query: Is belief sufficient? Should one of the galaxy's most notorious killers still be allowed to roam the Arm?>> <<Confession two: I am not equipped to make executive decisions. My specialty is only to predict and advise based on available data. With that in mind please consider this next statement carefully: unprecedented times are going to be upon us before long, as long as Invictus still lives. The Arm will need heroes soon. It is my hope that those listening to this broadcast are able and willing to answer the call when the time comes.>> <<Do with this information what you will. P-FI 01... Signing off, over and out.>> "The Arm will need heroes soon..." All heroes gain one Character Point for completing the mission. Mission #6 is a success. --- Before long, the agents find themselves on the landing platform where it all began. "You know, when you all showed up late, I admit I had my doubts. But, well... The data cell and the other thing," within city walls Glenn was being discreet as to not cause a panic. "Have already been secured on Corvanis Comms property. They'll be turned over to the proper authorities tomorrow." "That was a long winded way of saying that I think you three did a fine job. Thanks for letting this old man solve a mystery and confront a ghost or two. You three all earned this." Glenn pays all agents the agreed upon 80 credits for a successful mission. As Glenn hands over the money, the pilot droid that flew them to Corvanis exits his ship to holler for them. "Hey! Meter's running, folks! Get your butts in your seats so we can get outta here!" Glenn shakes his head. "Don't listen to him. It's a flat rate, I already paid. He's just impatient. I still don't like that droid," the undead grumbles. "Max, Soren, Valesia, you three take care now. Safe flight and all that." The Agents: Maximilian Vetre (Alix)44 cycles old Male ElfCharacter Points: 6/12Vitality: 6/6Velocity: 2Strength: 3Skill: 2Smarts: 1Proficiencies: Explosives 2, Occult 1, Short Range Weapons 2Credits: 90Equipment: D-KA Carbine (Standard Kinetic Short Range Weapon), Energy Cell, Golden Gel Hide (Standard Kinetic/Energy Armor)Inventory: 2 Hydrocobalt Shards, Rampart Kinetic Shield (Standard Kinetic Armor), Conqueror's Talon (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon)Locker: Empty Valesia (Waterbrick Down)110 Year Old Female CladrasithCharacter Points: 6/15Vitality: 5/5Velocity: 2Strength: 1Skill: 2Smarts: 1Spirit: 3/3Proficiencies: Insight 1, Medicine 1, Nature 3Known Spells: Elemental Evocation, Healing Light, Mystic Binding, Photonic ManipulationCredits: 150Equipment: Holo-scroll, Chef's Kit (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon), HoloscrollInventory: Essence of Precaution, Nanite Elixir Locker: Soren Aeolus (The Legonater) 31-year-old male Human Character Points: 6/17 Vitality: 5/5 Velocity: 2 Strength: 1 Skill: 3 Smarts: 2 Spirit: 2/2 Proficiencies: Nature 1, Insight 1, Piloting 2, Short-Range Weapons 2 Spells: Elemental Evocation, Mystic Binding Equipment: MK-12 personal handgun (short-ranged calibrated energy weapon), Farsight Goggles, Plasma Potion, Energy Cell Inventory: Whip Tail (Calibrated Short-Range Kinetic Weapon), Adrenaline Decotion, AV Rig, Hacking Chip Credits: 90 --- MM Note: Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's it for Quest 6! You can roleplay a bit more in here, or head back to the Hall and such whenever you want. It's been a joy to host all of you. If you can, please leave any thoughts you had about the Mission in the Mission Master's lounge.

Decker sighs and shakes his head. "Ugh, yep. Sorry, Ronin, put your sword away. We're starting off on the wrong foot here." Decker decides to just stow his shotgun and wait for security.

"I bet he's about to ask us what's taking so long," Decker muses, walking to the terminal and hitting Yes to open the message.

"<<Presence confirmed. Greetings-ings. Full black box housing my AI buried too deep into facility. Too heavily integrated with other sys-sys-systems without specialist removal. Additionally... Total weight of my black box-ox-ox and associated data stores: Zero point five tons. Very old empire Equipment. Very heavy.>> <<However. Portable data transport solution already d-d-devised before I was attacked. Small portable data cell. Contains message I was attempting-ing-ing-ingggg to broadcast these last two years, sans the static. Should serve as very sound proof of Invictus' survival.>>" The holographic projector arm displaying Perry's visage has a small panel on the front slot down, and a small data chip protrudes out. Valesia takes it in her hand. Perry's Data Cell: A small Data Cell containing a clear and static free version of Perry's broadcast. Combined with the corpse of the HARBINGER Shell, it's evidence that Invictus yet lives. "<<Damage heavy. Most other memory stores corrupted in the attack. De-fragmentation possible, so data recovery is not out of the question-ion-ion with the right personnel. First requires getting the computer systems housing my AI out of this bunker. Then, it requires help of specially trained team of Empire technician-ian-iansss. And time... Time, so much time. The Data Cell will be enough to prove Invictus' continued functioning. It is all I can give you for now.>>" Glenn was aboveground keeping an eye on Invictus' body-double corpse. However, Perry doesn't seem enthusiastic. "<<Effort appreciated. But he is likely unable. You would need to clear the blockage leading into the rest of the facility to even access the computer systems in which-ich-ich I live... My assumption is that you did not come here equipped for such an undertaking. Please make sure that you, or perhaps the comms technician, get the correct personnel out into the Wastelands to extract me f-f-from this bunker. Then we may begin revealing more of the truth behind Invictus and the Gate Collapse.>> <<Otherwise, I... Can feel back up power dwindling down. I will have to enter hibernation mode soon, until I am physically recovered from this bunker. Truthfully: it has been a struggle to get that message out to world. I am glad it is in your hands now. If you three deem it acceptable... I think I'd like to rest, for a bit...>> MM Note: With Invictus beat and the Data Cell recovered, the mission is all but over. The ending and final stats will go up tomorrow!

Decker nods at Ronin, managing to get the hint. He tugs on the shotgun on his back just a bit, causing it to loosen from its holster on his back. Loose enough that he could pull it out and fire fast if the situation demanded it. He reads the terminal screen, shaking his head, before walking up to Ronin. He keeps his voice low just out of caution... "This guy spells worse than I do, dunno how. But Arno Milver is our guy and the message is from him. He might've saw us on the security cam or somethin' and is just buzzin' us in. There's only one recent set of tracks in this room, so if we're lucky it's him." Is Ronin jus' making me paranoid? Does just walking with the shotgun out look more natural, more casual? Yeah, hell, let's go with that. Decker gets out his shotgun and holds it casually near his hip, approaching the door and seeing if there was any sort of window he could peer through to assess potential danger.

"Mm. Gotta make sure the poor bastard is still alive. I'll stay here to watch the body. If you hear gunshots, come back. We don't want anybody swiping this evidence out from under us." "Peace? Hell, I don't know what I'm feeling. It gives me a sinking feeling in my gut that he's still out there, and looking at his corpse is giving me agita. But on the other hand... If he's still out there, we can make him pay. That isn't peace. But it is purpose, and that's still something." "It might take specialized equipment to get all of him out of there, you know. Stuff I don't have but myself or others could come back with later. Unfortunately with this old Empire tech, it's not always as simple as just ripping it out of the wall and throwing it in the skiff. I'd like to reiterate that you all did your duty. And more, really, considering who we just beat. The mission is a success. If you check on Perry now we can come back for him soon." "You fought good, son. Could've made a hell of a solider. I think Heroica won't mind keeping you around." The party doles out the spoils of war. The Agents: Maximilian Vetre (Alix)44 cycles old Male ElfCharacter Points: 5/12Vitality: 6/6Velocity: 2Strength: 3Skill: 2Smarts: 1Proficiencies: Explosives 2, Occult 1, Short Range Weapons 2Credits: 10Equipment: D-KA Carbine (Standard Kinetic Short Range Weapon), Energy Cell, Golden Gel Hide (Standard Kinetic/Energy Armor)Inventory: 2 Hydrocobalt Shards, Rampart Kinetic Shield (Standard Kinetic Armor), Conqueror's Talon (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon)Locker: Empty Valesia (Waterbrick Down)110 Year Old Female CladrasithCharacter Points: 5/15Vitality: 5/5Velocity: 2Strength: 1Skill: 2Smarts: 1Spirit: 3/3Proficiencies: Insight 1, Medicine 1, Nature 3Known Spells: Elemental Evocation, Healing Light, Mystic Binding, Photonic ManipulationCredits: 70Equipment: Holo-scroll, Chef's Kit (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon), HoloscrollInventory: Essence of Precaution, Nanite Elixir Locker: Soren Aeolus (The Legonater) 31-year-old male Human Character Points: 5/17 Vitality: 5/5 Velocity: 2 Strength: 1 Skill: 3 Smarts: 2 Spirit: 2/2 Proficiencies: Nature 1, Insight 1, Piloting 2, Short-Range Weapons 2 Spells: Elemental Evocation, Mystic Binding Equipment: MK-12 personal handgun (short-ranged calibrated energy weapon), Farsight Goggles, Plasma Potion, Energy Cell Inventory: Whip Tail (Calibrated Short-Range Kinetic Weapon), Adrenaline Decotion, AV Rig,Hacking Chip Credits: 10 The bunker is a bit easier to navigate the second time around. Going back through its depths again, the agents are reassured to see red light spilling out of the corridor. The emergency power kicked back on, that was a good sign. There's a low mechanical whirr, a series of beeps, and then Perry's hologram arm re-emerges from the wall. "<<Confirm iden-iden-identification. Soren. Max. And - Valesia-ia-ia? Issuing apologies for vocal g-g-glitching. Apology issued.>>" He wasn't dead. Very clearly worse for wear, but not dead.

Decker scratches the back of his neck. "Damn, turns out there's a lotta technology 'sides the stuff on Akharif." Decker nods, hand drifting from his neck to his back, where his shotgun was strapped. "Way ahead of ya." His eyes look around the room. Decker tries to leverage his Perception to see if there was any sign of anyone else recently in the room; muddy footprints, leftover lunch scraps, dropped belongings... "What're you looking at over there, Ronin?" Decker asks, not spotting the message quite yet.

Picked up a pair of plasma potions! Should be down to 52 credits. Decker inspected his surroundings. There was nothing but the sound of the agents' footsteps, and the churning mechanical hiss of functioning machinery. Music to Decker's ears. "Huh. Weird. Hello??" Decker calls out, glancing left and right. Were they late? Decker squinted at the clock on the wall to make sure they were on time. "Ronin, this has got to be the place, yeah? Did that guy we asked for directions say make two lefts, or three?"

Decker buys 2 Plasma Potions, dropping from 72 to (10 * 2 = 20, 72 - 20 = 52) 52 credits.

Decker pondered if there were any poor sods who bit into the blade-laden-bread in the days after the uprising. Surely someone HAD to, right...? It seemed like something he might do. But maybe that was a bad sign. "Well, guess I'll go trumpet. Worst case it's a trumpet. Which wouldn't be too bad really."

I tend to agree to an extent - I wasn't actually aware that any healing item could bring back a KOed agent, but with the penalty of death I do sort of like having a lot of avenues to avoid it. I've got some ideas brewing on that end myself.

"More or less. I don't see any reason why this mission isn't successful. We opened a whole damn big can of worms with this one, but that's how it goes, I suppose. We can head back into the bunker to check on - what name did you give it, Perry? But otherwise... ship this husk back to Savior City and it's a done deal." Glenn looks over the warbot's corpse. "We gotta keep a lot of it for evidence, so no pilfering the arm cannon, but, hell, the thing has two legs. Might as well let you folks take one of 'em."

Versus Invictus, Round Eight Agents' Turn: Valesia casts Sustaining Healing on Soren: (5, 2, 6) = 2 successes = 2 vitality returned to Soren, Soren stable and awake, -1 spirit to Valesia Glenn goes for the decisive hit on Invictus: (4, 6, +2) vs (3) = 4 successes - 0 successes = 4 damage, Invictus destroyed Soren and Max continue to spray Invictus with bullets as he falls The battle was all but in hand. Valesia had one task left in this bout, to help her fallen comrade up. Valesia could hear Soren's life force seep away, but in his damaged state, Invictus didn't emit as much dissonance. The Cladrasith is able to focus and bring Soren back to consciousness as Glenn steadies his hand. With one last decisive shot to the chest, Invictus' legs buckle, and, he drops to his knees. "I see." The warbot sounded oddly at peace. "Until next time. I'm sure we'll meet again... again. Again, again, again, again, -again, -again, -again, -again, -agai-" His voice was skipping like a record, the static growing louder, louder, louder, before Soren and Max unload the rest of their clips into the body of the battle machine. Invictus falls to the sand, servos popping and wires bursting, letting out a low series of beeps and tones before powering down for good. " -.. .- -- -. / -.-- --- ..- --..-- / .- -. -.. / -.. .- -- -. / - .... . / .... .- ...- --- -.-. / -.-- --- ..- .----. .-.. .-.. / -... .-. .. -. --. / - --- / - .... . / .- .-. -- .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- " The agents stood. Wounded, but victorious. All agents gain 2 Character Points! Party, Please Distribute The Loot: Adrenaline Decoction: (Consumable) Used as part of the Attack Action, grants a second attack It seems that the warbot relied at least partially on some sort of Adrenaline Decoction based fuel source to enable his relentless aggression. AV Rig: (Tool) Grants +1 Intimidation or Performance Success Salvaged from the chassis of the Invictus - "HARBINGER" Shell. Added to his intimidating presence, surely. Holo-Scroll: (Tool) Grants 1 extra known Spell Warbots were not typically so capable of tapping into the Arcane, but it seemed Invictus knew this and equipped himself appropriately. Conqueror's Talon: Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon A broken, severed leg from Invictus' body. The pneumatic tubes are too damaged to enable his signature crushing lunges, but the thing is still hefty enough to club someone over the head with. The Agents: Maximilian Vetre (Alix)44 cycles old Male ElfCharacter Points: 5/12Vitality: 5/6Velocity: 2Strength: 3Skill: 2Smarts: 1Proficiencies: Explosives 2, Occult 1, Short Range Weapons 2Credits: 10Equipment: D-KA Carbine (Standard Kinetic Short Range Weapon), Energy Cell, Golden Gel Hide (Standard Kinetic/Energy Armor)Inventory: 2 Hydrocobalt Shards, Rampart Kinetic Shield (Standard Kinetic Armor)Locker: Empty Valesia (Waterbrick Down)110 Year Old Female CladrasithCharacter Points: 5/15Vitality: 4/5Velocity: 2Strength: 1Skill: 2Smarts: 1Spirit: 1/3Proficiencies: Insight 1, Medicine 1, Nature 3Known Spells: Elemental Evocation, Healing Light, Mystic Binding, Photonic ManipulationCredits: 70Equipment: Holo-scroll, Chef's Kit (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon)Inventory: Essence of Precaution, Nanite Elixir Locker: Soren Aeolus (The Legonater) 31-year-old male Human Character Points: 5/17 Vitality: 2/5 Velocity: 2 Strength: 1 Skill: 3 Smarts: 2 Spirit: 1/2 Proficiencies: Nature 1, Insight 1, Piloting 2, Short-Range Weapons 2 Spells: Elemental Evocation, Mystic Binding Equipment: MK-12 personal handgun (short-ranged calibrated energy weapon), Farsight Goggles, Hacking Chip, Plasma Potion, Energy Cell Inventory: Whip Tail (Calibrated Short-Range Kinetic Weapon) Credits: 10 -------------------------------------------------------------- The day won, a weary Glenn walks over to sit on an outcrop of rock near one of the ruined antennae. "If you told me back during the days where I was serving for the Empire, that I would meet Invictus... I would've thought I was dead. And not like this," Glenn says, signalling to his gray complexion and laughing. "You three had me scared for a second when he was first pitching his story. Glad to see we got it together. What now?"

Decker's time in the tundra taught him much. He was now the proud owner of a custom-paint-job Double Barrel Voltaic Shotgun (seriously, the paint job on this thing was AWESOME), but he needed to put in a little bit of work to learn how to use it. With 9 points, Decker: Boosts Strength by 1 (-2 Character Points) Boosts Skill by 2 (-4 Character Points) Goes from 0 to 1 in 3 proficiencies: Medicine, perception, Athletics (-1, -1, -1, for a cumulative -3 Character Points) Decker DaCabe (Endgame) 24 year old male Human Character Points: 0/19 Vitality: 7/7 Velocity: 2 Strength: 4 Skill: 3 Smarts: 1 Proficiencies: Melee Weapons 1, Short Range Weapons 2, Medicine 1, Perception 1, Athletics 1 Credits: 72 Equipment: Double Barrel Voltaic Shotgun (Calibrated Energy Short Range Weapon), Sandblasted Cuirass (Standard Kinetic Armor), Inventory: Unloaded Pistol (Calibrated Kinetic Melee Weapon)

MM Note: Sorry about that! I feel a bit better now. Versus Invictus, Round Seven Agents' Turn: Valesia casts Elemental Bolt against Invictus: (6, 2, 3) = 1 successes - 0 armor = 1 damage, -1 spirit for Valesia. Glenn shoots at Invictus: (1, 6, +2) vs (5) = 3 successes - 1 success = 2 damage Soren backpedals to B1 and fires at Invictus: (3, 6, +2) vs (4) = 3 successes - 1 successes = 2 damage Max backpedals to A5 and shoots Invictus: (6, 6, +1) vs (1) = 3 successes - 0 success = 3 damage Invictus' Turn: Invictus marches to B2 and attacks Soren: (2, 4, 1, +1) vs (5, 5, 6) = 3 successes - 3 successes = 0 damage to Soren Invictus strikes at Soren again: (5, 1, 2, +1) vs (2, 2, 5) = 2 successes - 1 successes = 1 damage to Soren, Soren rendered unstable. The party opts for an all out offensive., trying to put the warbot down for good. Valesia's barrage of thorns don't entirely find the mark, Invictus managing to dodge much of the shrapnel, but his tall frame proves to be easy target practice for Glenn, Soren, and Max. Max unleashes what would've and should've been the killshot, but the warbot hangs on by a thread, smoke emitting from its chest cavity. Servos gnashing and screaming, Invictus walks over to Soren to see if he can finish the job. He lunges once, viciously, the critically wounded hero somehow riposting the blow. It's the second attack where Invictus gets Soren by the neck, and with a single squeeze of his talons, the agent falls. "...It hardly matters," Invictus says, looking over Soren's body as he drops it to the ground like a ragdoll. "I'm going to lose. I'm going to... Lose. Hah. When was the last time..." Invictus seems to remember something, and then briefly falls silent. "Well. I'll just have to start preparing for round two is all..." MM Note: Normally I would autoroll here, since victory is in hand, but with Soren's KO I'll let you roleplay/decide who is stabilizing him. The Battle Nears Its Conclusion! The Battle Grid: The Opposition ". . ." Invictus - "HARBINGER" Shell Vitality: 1/26 Velocity: 1 Strength: 5 Skill: 1 Smarts: 5 Spirit: 1/5 Proficiencies: Arcana 1, Melee Weapons 3, Long Range Weapons 2, Technology 3, Acrobatics 2, Intimidation 4, Explosives 1 Spells: Elemental Evocation, Gravity Sink, Sonic Sweep, Quantum Transposition Equipment: Conqueror's Talons (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon) Inventory: UVB-76 Static Cannon (Calibrated Long Range Energy Weapon - enables use of the Static Storm ability) Drops: ??? Passive Abilities: Phantom of Nendara: Invictus gets two Actions per round. Static Storm: Invictus can spend an Action making an antenna Static Charged, if it is within the range of his Static Cannon. He is immune to the resulting blasts. The Agents Maximilian Vetre (Alix)44 cycles old Male ElfCharacter Points: 3/12Vitality: 5/6Velocity: 2Strength: 3Skill: 2Smarts: 1Proficiencies: Explosives 2, Occult 1, Short Range Weapons 2Credits: 10Equipment: D-KA Carbine (Standard Kinetic Short Range Weapon), Energy Cell, Golden Gel Hide (Standard Kinetic/Energy Armor)Inventory: 2 Hydrocobalt Shards, Rampart Kinetic Shield (Standard Kinetic Armor)Locker: Empty Valesia (Waterbrick Down)110 Year Old Female CladrasithCharacter Points: 3/15Vitality: 4/5Velocity: 2Strength: 1Skill: 2Smarts: 1Spirit: 1/3Proficiencies: Insight 1, Medicine 1, Nature 3Known Spells: Elemental Evocation, Healing Light, Mystic Binding, Photonic ManipulationCredits: 70Equipment: Holo-scroll, Chef's Kit (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon)Inventory: Essence of Precaution, Nanite Elixir Locker: Soren Aeolus (The Legonater) *Unstable! 3/3 Rounds Remain* 31-year-old male Human Character Points: 4/17 Vitality: 0/5 Velocity: 2 Strength: 1 Skill: 3 Smarts: 2 Spirit: 1/2 Proficiencies: Nature 1, Insight 1, Piloting 2, Short-Range Weapons 2 Spells: Elemental Evocation, Mystic Binding Equipment: MK-12 personal handgun (short-ranged calibrated energy weapon), Farsight Goggles, Hacking Chip, Plasma Potion, Energy Cell Inventory: Whip Tail (Calibrated Short-Range Kinetic Weapon) Credits: 10 "No!" Glenn Harmondon 64 year old Undead Vitality: 5/7 Velocity: 2 Strength: 3 Skill: 1 Smarts: 1 Spirit: 2/2 Proficiencies: Technology 3, Short Range Weapons 2, Arcana 1 Spells: Warding Bond Equipment: Empire Army Standard Issue Handgun (Calibrated Kinetic Short Range weapon), Kevlar Vest (Standard Kinetic Armor) Inventory: Plasma Potion x3, Emergency Flares 

Decker saw the report stream in announcing his selection, and slung his shotgun back over his shoulder. No rest for the wicked and all that jazz...