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[Stirk]

*StompStompStompStompStompStomp.....*

The sound of Mechs moving had filled the air for the last several hours. All in all, the trip could be summed up in a single word: Tedious. Those of you without a Mech of your own didn't even have changing scenery, stuck in the incredibly long bus-like Millipede transport Mech with its dull bronze walls and bench-like seats. It wasn't like the Mech pilots had any more excitement -snow dominated the landscape since the first hour, with only the occasional tree or rock poking up to break the blanket of white. The footprints they left behind are perhaps the most interesting thing about the trip, and even those where swiftly removed from view by the hard falling snow.

At the very least, you had conversation to fill the air. Those aboard the Millipede certainly where not lacking options, Officers and their men sat next to Purified and Alchemists in no particular order. Those aboard their own vehicles where a bit more alone in that regard, left with only their Homunculus for company. The Crystal Fortress of Habakkuk is quickly approaching, but there is nothing of particular interest between here and there...

((Note: Short post . This is too allow you to describe your character/vehicle/etc. Its also meant so you can establish your character, and your character's allies. If you have an Alreona or high-functioning Homunculus, this is your opportunity to establish how they behave as well [As I am going to have to take minimal control over them, having some guidelines for how they behave is optimal]. Soldiers should have a generally more-broad description of behavior.))

[Stirk]

OOC Link

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Lucius Blackburn

Inventory:
- Alchemech Pilot Armor
- Mauser PDW Pistol (+folding stock)

Pilot Stats:
- Alchemechal Aiming: 40
- Alchemechal Maneuvering: 30
- Alchemechal Synchronization: 20
- Alchemechal Mechanics: 10
- Combat Skill: 0

Alchemech Skills:
- Size: 30
- Armor: 10
- Weaponry:
   - Railgun (60)
   - Anti-Infantry Automatic Grenade Launcher (20)
- Homunculus: 20
- Maneuvering: 40

Special:
- Jet Thrusters (20) - for dodging and movement

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Purified:
Name: Alexandre
Inventory: Assualt Rifle (modeled after m16a3)

General Skills:
Guns:  25
Melee: 0
Dodge: 75
Strength: 25
Agility: 75

Purified Abilities:

Armor: 0
Weapon Specialty: Assualt rifles 25
Action Specialty: 0
Enhanced Skill: 0
Special: Telekinesis 75.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Purified:

Name: Fish Stabber
Inventory: Two stilettos, camoflage cloak

General Skills:

Guns: 0
Melee: 50
Dodge: 50
Strength: 30
Agility: 70

Purified Abilities:

Armor: 0
Weapon Specialty: Daggers (Stiletto) 30
Action Specialty: Dual wielding 10
Enhanced Skill: Quickness 10
Special: Invisibility 50

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Class: Alchemist
Name: Alphonse
Equipment: Ruger Caster Revolver and Alchemist Robes

General Skills
Guns: 10
Melee:
Dodge: 30
Strength: 30
Agility: 30

Alchemical Skills
Alchemical Reserves: 50
Alchemical Duration: 25
Alchemical Weapons: 25 (Chain Lightning AI)
Alchemical Armor: 50
Alchemical Transmutation: 25
Alchemical Medical: 25

Spoiler: Application (click to show/hide)

Name: Lieutenant Maxine Revero
Inventory: Officer uniform, M1911 Pistol, AM Sniper Rifle

General Skills:
Guns: 50
Melee: 5
Dodge: 15
Strength: 15
Agility: 15

Squad:
Size: 50
Experience: 30
Weaponry - AM Sniper Rifle*: 10
*An expensive state of the art heavy duty infantry weapon able to fire bullets with extreme force. Specialized training is required to use it without risking severe injury to yourself. The ammunition used by this weapon has an armor piercing point able to break through even the toughest metal alloys and one second after impact a potent alchemical brew will trigger an explosion.
Leadership: 50
Alreona - Issac Revero*: 30
*Formerly a soldier of the highest caliber, Issac Revero has lost one of his arms protecting Maxine from an assassin which seriously impacts his ability on the battlefield.
Additional - Experimental Weapons Testing*: 30
*Maxine Revero has a deal with a large corporation specializing in military technology, and her squad will receive a number of random prototype weapons and devices to help test in actual combat situations in each of their missions.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Adam
Inventory:
- Mauser PDW
- Alchemech Pilot Armor (Referred to as Eve after its AI)

Pilot Stats:
- Alchemechal Aiming: 20
- Alchemechal Maneuvering: 30
- Alchemechal Synchronization: 30
- Alchemechal Mechanics: 10
- Combat Skill: 10

Alchemech Skills:

Size: 40
Armor: 30
Weaponry:
- Anti-Mech Beam Sword 30 - A special blade able to melt through most metals with ease.
- Anti-Infantry MMM 20 - Eve detects all hostile infantry units and guides dozens of tiny personalized missiles at them. Their volume makes up for their low kill potential.
Homunculus: 40 - A highly advanced AI named Eve.
Maneuvering: 30 - Reinforced joints around the legs grant the Alchemech above average speed, and allow it to jump higher.
Special: AI override 10 - Eve is able to make adjustments to the mech without assistance from Adam, and occasionally assist in the control of more advanced actions (such as the use of MMM).

Spoiler: Officer Mercurius "Marc" Aurelius (click to show/hide)

Name: Mercurius "Marc" Aurelius
Age: 52
Inventory:
-Officer uniform
-M1911 Pistol
-M16 assault rifle

General Skills:
Guns: 30
Melee: 10
Dodge: 20
Strength: 10
Agility: 30

Squad: The Derelicts

Size: 5
Experience: 25
Weaponry:
-Alchemical Heavy Arbalest "Caeruleus Ignis" (Cerulean Flame) 20 [Anti-Mech]
Leadership: 50
Alreona: Sophia Lapis - 80
An Alreona with the appearance of a young woman in her mid-twenties. At the request of Mercurius, she was made to start at the toddler stage and age like a normal human being.
They have a strong bond of father-daughter.

Additional:
-Failed Alreona/Purified Corps - 20
"The Derelicts only comprise of Alreona and Purified deemed as failed products. They are stronger than regular humans but weaker than "true" Alchemical Beings. Their true strength lies in the bonds between them and their leader : as all of them were given a new chance by Mercurius, they feel deeply indebted to him.
Mercurius knows all of them personally, and he sees them as his children."

Backstory:
Mercurius has been serving the Hermes Trismegistus Army since he was 16. War-orphaned like many, he was adopted and raised by an officer. Once he could join the army, he enlisted as a foot soldier and eventually ramped in the army ranks until he became an officer himself.

Far before being given his Alreona, Mercurius discovered he was sterile. This affliction always tormented him, as he always wished to have an offspring and raise it as best as his adoptive father did. Then as an officer he received his Alreona award notice and chose to have a female Alreona. One day, he was urgently called by the Alchemists responsible of his Alreona as a problem was detected early in the development of his Alreona : she would grow as a normal human and come out of the vat as a toddler. No other functions were impaired.

The standard procedure for an early detected error would have been to dispose of the alchemical being and create another one, to save resources. But an old flame rekindled in the heart of Marc, and he saw there a sign, the miracle he awaited all his life. He made the very specific request to keep the Alreona as it, and decided from now on that he would raise her as his own daughter. When his daughter, Sophia Lapis was born, Marc himself was reborn. True to his word he raised her like a normal human, like his daughter. Teaching her everything he knew, and learning with her things he didn't knew, he realized the joy of being a father. For this reason, the bond between them is stronger than the innate Alreona-Progenitor link, as they see each other as father and daughter.

Furthermore this choice changed his vision over failed alchemical beings, he came to believe everyone deserved a chance. His will strengthened by his past as an orphan and the change Sophia wrought in his life, he took the decision to form a squad comprised only of failed alchemical beings. He named this squad the Derelicts, and together, they form a family.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Class: Alchemist
Name: Ankov
Inventory:
Ruger Caster Revolver
Alchemist Robes

General Skills:
Guns: 0
Melee: 0
Dodge: 0
Strength: 25
Agility: 75

Alchemical Skills:
Alchemical Reserves: 25
Alchemical Duration: 50
Alchemical Weapons:
AI (0): Hail (as in, normal, falls from the sky, almost never kills anyone, hail)
AM (0): Softening (reduces the defense of a (normal) mech by an almost-imperceptible amount; useful to help mold less-resilient materials, though)
Alchemical Armor: 0
Alchemical Transmutation: 100
Alchemical Medical: 25

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Purified:
Name: Wozzy
Inventory: Sling (Alchemy Stones)
Tomahawks (x2)

General Skills:

Tattoo of Eagle Sight (Guns): 50
Tattoo of Inner Strength (Melee): 20
Tattoo of the Wandering Way (Dodge): 50
Tattoo of Strength (Strength): 30
Tattoo of Equilibrium (Agility): 50

Purified Abilities:

Tattoo of Adaption (Armor): 30
- While not providing initial defense, this particular tattoo glows when exposed to an attack, granting increased resistance
Tattoo of Sorcery (Weapon Specialty: Alchemical Attack): 10
- Provides somewhat of an alchemical reserve, allow the use of Alchemy Stones
Tattoo of Leaguestep (Action Specialty: Battlefield Maneuverability): 15
- Increases travel speed, allowing Wozzy to appear in the nick of time.
Tattoo of Resistance (Enhanced Skill: Armor): 25
- An additional layer of armor under Tattoo of Adaption. This one toughens the skin, granting a small level of protection against most mundane attacks.
Tattoo of Spell Projection (Special): 20
- Through mastery of the elements, Wozzy is able to channel their power within his Alchemy Stones, attacking in a wide variety of ways.
* Fire: The stone becomes a fireball, engulfing the area around the impact zone with an inferno.
* Water: The stone rapidly absorbs heat, freezing the moisture around it, including the water within people.
* Wind: The stone becomes electrified, shorting out electronics
* Earth: The stone fluctuates in mass by changing its chemical composition, hitting with enough force to rival a bullet

Backstory: Wozzy spent his early years studying as an Alchemist, attempting to create a tool that could fuel alchemical attacks without affecting the users alchemy reserves. He successfully created Alchemy Stones, little metallic colored spheres that could be used as a conduit to access alchemy attacks. What he didn't realize was that contact with them have disastrous effects.



Rather than attempt to fix his new alien appearance, he went all the way, physically altering himself and tattooing alchemical runes of strength. His alchemist skills may be gone, but the stones are more than enough to make up for them.

[Supernerd]

Maxine paced across the aisle of the millipede, looking upon her troops with a judgemental glare. Usually they are quite well behaved, but Maxine knew that they would be slightly less so if they were allowed to think she wasn't nearby. Any misconduct among them would reflect poorly on Maxine as a leader, so she wanted to go the extra mile to make sure nothing goes wrong before she even reached the battlefield. Even if she weren't in command of this mission, she certainly acted like she was.

Following close behind her was her faithful Alreona Issac, keeping his hand near his pistol, and a vigilant eye even among his own companions. Maxine had expressly forbidden him to travel more than twenty feet away from her at any time unless ordered to do so. He was always the favorite victim of Maxine's nagging, either because of her high expectations from him or out of genuine adoration for her half-child. Issac never once complained about this behavior, out of loyalty or possibly masochism.

Maxine would also periodically inspect a pile of armored crates near the back of the Millipede. These crates contained a number of prototype military devices; her literal secret weapon.

[Yourmaster]

Alexandre sat slightly distanced from the other soldiers. He was silent, pushing a bit of his perfectly white hair away from his face. He would levitate two knives, quickly scissoring the excess hair off. The vat-grown Purified would seem distant from them all, a pariah in the group.

He would stare at his rifle, looking over the deep blue painted weapon. A light smile would cross his face, before returning to a serious look. His brown eyes would move slowly. He was constantly staring through the details of what was around him, prepared to move in an instant.

[somemildmanneredidiot]

Alphonse was seated with a mixed group, all trying to keep entertained on the trip over through a traditional game of cards, nothing on the line, just good old fashioned fun. Of course, with no stakes on the line, the game didn't have the intensity it normally would, so Alphonse wasn't entirely kept from boredom.

*Yaaaaawn* "Go fish mate. Rufus, got any Eights?"

[Nakéen]

In a side of the millipede sat a surprisingly small unit numbering only 7 members. One could immediately identify the officer and his Alreona on a glance, first sat a tall man in officer uniform clearly characterized by his gray hair and beard which gave him an air of veteran. His keen marble eyes were sharp and analyzed its surrounding in details. Next to him sat a young woman with features too symmetric and perfect typical of an Alreona with an uniform slightly different from the other members. She had blond hair tied in a single medium length braid and pale blue eyes.

Mercurius was carefully looking at the members of his squad whom he saw as his own children. He knew all of them by name.
Copper, Ferine and Etain were all failed Alreona.
Copper was a stern and upright man who didn't speak much with acquaintances or strangers. Unsurprisingly, his long hairs tied in a ponytail were copper colored, like his eyes. He appeared like a young man in his twenties.
Ferina was a cold yet caring woman who looked older than everyone bar Mercurius, despite actually being the youngest of them all. She had black short straight hairs and heterochromatic eyes, one chestnut and the other slate. She was slim and seemed to be in her mid thirties.
Etain was a bulky and muscular tanned man with white hair cut in a brush cup. He was the liveliest of the group, and also a great cook.

Mani and Isaac, they were failed Purified.
Mani had many scars on her face due to the failed Purification, her body was in the same state. She had hair short like a men's, and she was so brash and tumultuous one could think she actually was an Amazon woman.
Finally there was Isaac who had brown hair slightly longer than Mani's. He was the youngest looking and was not even twenty year old. He was the most obedient and curious, always looking to learn new knowledge and combat skills.

Ferina, Etain, Isaac and Mani were currently playing with a set of cards. They were having a having a good time, discussing of unimportant or personal topics. Copper was checking and maintaining the weapons, from the standard guns to the more complex weapons.

A lax atmosphere floated around them all. Mercurius felt relaxed among them and it was the same for everyone belonging to the squad. Sophia broke his silent reverie with a smile :
"This is truly a shame, we were fielded once again right before the day of the opera."

Mercurius laughed lightly.
"Let's just postpone it, like every time. A strange curse we have don't you think ?"
"And I was so looking forward to it." she sighed.

"Well I wasn't ! And everyone was getting kinda rusty don't you think ?" said Etain heartily.
Ferina cut him short. "Speak for yourself. Weren't you the one who skipped the most training sessions to hang around town ? It's your turn by the way, stop trying to stall your loss."

Etain grumbled and everyone chuckled, even Copper who was busy with an assault rifle. Sophia scolded them a bit for their lax attitude.
"Look at all of you, this isn't some holiday trip... Seriously captain, you should have been more strict with their training like you were with me."
"Well Sophia, we can't even compare to you. You surpass us in every fields. And seriously, even the training we are doing now is at the level of what you breezed through when you were young !" added Mani.

The squad of the Derelicts kept bickering and laughing among themselves, spending the wait in this fashion.

[vishdafish]

Fish Stabber sits silently, away from the others, twirling his two stilettos in a hypnotic pattern. After a while, he sighs and sheaths the stilletos, pushing back a lock of his black hair. His dark eyes dart inquisitively across the group, but he does not break his silence.

[Wozzy]

Against the bronze background, a man with steel blue skin stands out like a sore thumb. Sure, most most purified have some oddities, but this one just seemed alien. His tattooed body was devoid of any hair, his facial features were unnaturally sharp, and his eyes were completely white, despite being able to see. He seemed to absorb any warmth around him (another reason he seems to be so unpopular on this bus) though he obviously didn't mind the cold itself, seeing as how he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Wozzy looks to his right, towards the front of the bus, to see a few soldiers playing cards. Despite his interest, he gets back to work. With a small stone in hand, he seems to be tracing the lines of his numerous tattoos, leaving a small sizzle as he goes. The places he touches glows red, before settling into a much more vivid blue than before. You might guess he is touching up some tattoos that seem to be faded, but you really can't tell for sure with this one.

[Hawk132]

Outside the Millipede, a bipedal, digitigrade Alchemech with a crest depicting a black flame on a red background on its torso was following the convoy with rather jerky and irregular movements. It was actually falling slightly behind. A black-haired man clad in standard-issue pilot armor, apart from the same crest that adorned the Mecha on his shoulder, was inside the cockpit. He didn't mind that his only company was his Homunculus. In fact, he liked the solitude.

And he slept through the entire march, anyway.

His homunculus, Knight, was trying its damnedest best to keep pace with the rest, but seeing as how its original purpose is to assist, not control, it wasn't doing that great.

"The Crystal Fortress of Habakkuk is in sight. Young master, as you ordered, it is time for you to wake up."

Lucius stirred in his seat and quickly woke up, taking over the controls.

"Finally. And stop calling me that."

The black painted Mecha's movements suddenly became much more fluid and caught up to the convoy within seconds.

((I forgot to specify that the Railgun is twin-linked, but that's not particularly important. Also, Stirk, if you'd like I'll send you (or post it in the OOC) Lucius' background, since I managed to figure one out.))

[Elvish Miner]

Adam sits in the cockpit of his Alchemech, Eve, occasionally checking the scanners. He seems deep in thought, almost like he is trying to work out a puzzle in his head.

"Bishop to F7."

An old CRT monitor blips up, revealing a chessboard.

"Still on about this game?" A computerized voice says. "I told you already, you can't win. I've analyzed all-"

"I know, but I have a plan." Adam says, as he pulls out his notepad, beginning to write in it. The sound of pencil on paper is obvious.

After a pause, a dot on the screen moves. "King to C6. You know I hate when you write in that notebook. I wouldn't use that information against you if you wrote your thoughts on the terminal."

Adam looks up from his notebook at the speaker Eve talks from, feeling a little guilty.

"It just feels different... pencil strokes seem to have more meaning, a more natural feel."

He already regretted what he said before he even finished the sentence. The Alchemech suddenly ground to a halt.

"Whoa, hey, Eve, we have to keep up with the others." He calls out as he tries to shift the mech to manual controls. Throught the cockpit window, he can see other mechs and their pilots showing vulgar signs for breaking formation. The speaker just stays silent.

"Look, I'll scan the documents so you can see it later. I promise."

After processing what he said, the mech boots up and starts walking again.

"I appreciate the idea, but you know it doesn't work that way."

Adam sits there ashamed. After a brief moment of silence she pipes up again.

"It's still your turn, you know. It might help you pass the time, even though I already know all the outcomes."

He smiles, as the alchemy based engine revs up. Despite being an AI, the mech still responds to Eve's emotions.

"King to A2. We'll see about that."

[Stirk]

((Alright, I think you all waited long enough. ATH will just have to post later. If he wants/ever shows up, he could have been stationed at the fortress before the rest of the group was.))

Finally, the scenery changes in a big way as the Crystal Fortress comes into view on the horizon, at least for those who can see outside. Even at this distance it appears impressive, if simple. Someone who didn't recognize it for what it was might mistake it for a particularly clear glacier. The mechs trudge forward at a steady pace, several nearly slipping as the ground below turns to ice as slippery as an oil slick. Fortunately for the infantrymen, the countless legs of the Millipede where specifically designed for this terrain, providing a smooth ride while the other Mechs struggled for footing.

As the fortress draws closer, it becomes more and more clear it was created by the hand of man. The main building is a colossal pyramid of clear ice blocks, not unlike the pyramids of Giza, if in the opposite climate. Once even closer, the most massive of the symbols and runes etched into each block becomes visible, decorating the side as one would write their name in a tree. Its also clear that no snow has fallen on the fortress in some time, despite the torrent still falling down upon you, which is probably what allows you to see it at all. A wall, of the same material and adornment as the pyramid it protects, surrounds the facility at about the size of an average mech, though a massive trench is dug around the fortress itself (likely to prevent the readily available snow from being piled against it for easy scaling, if the material simply hadn't been removed during construction.) A drawbridge, of a material I am sure you can guess, was fully extended and waiting for its guests. It was incredibly wide, all available mechs could walk arm-in-arm with room to spare, with "bumpers" on the sides (likely as a safety measure). Fortunately, everyone makes it onto the bridge without tumbling into the trench. The bridge itself was, fortunately, easily to navigate. Gravel was built into this side around the runes, giving it the same traction as any dirt road.

The second you are through the gate, it is like you had stepped into a portal to a different world. No snow falls-in fact, the place is practically a park or garden with lush green fruit-bearing trees next to trimmed hedges above green grass, with decorative fountains (again, of ice) throughout. Gravel paths-some human size while others clearly meant for mechs-cris-cross across in an ascetically pleasing fashion, with the fortress-pyramid dominating the background. The gate closes silently as the last hint at your current location vanishes from sight.

The Millipede takes a few steps forward, before its legs bend inwards as its main body lowers to the ground. The back falls open into a ramp, as the pilot urges his cargo to exit the vehicle. Once everyone is safely off, it closes once again and raises back up into the sky, stomping off down one of the wide gravel paths.

From behind a tree, a quite voice peeps up. "You are the new arrivals.....The Commander wishes to meet you personally." A figure walks out from its hiding spot, a young woman in a military uniform with light black hair cut down to her ears, and stands in the middle of a wide road at attention. She then solutes swiftly, bringing her hand up and down without much ceremony or a change of expression on her face. "If you have any unimportant questions....please ask them now....so not to bother the Commander with trivialities..."

[Yourmaster]

Alexandre would remain silent.

[somemildmanneredidiot]

"Hmmmmm. How about the scuttlebutt? Anything of interest you think we should know about, whether or not it's important? Come to think of it, The Commander's name would be useful, seems I missed that bit of the briefing. Other than those two bits, I'll guess that you or someone else will give us the tour later, let us know where to bunk and grab a meal 'n such?"

[Nakéen]

Before leaving the Millipede, Mercurius reminded his squad that they were still on mission.
"Attention Derelicts. As we are going to reach the Crystal Fortress in no time our assignment is going to begin. Leisure time is over, I expect exemplary discipline from all of you. Understood ?"

They all stopped what they were doing and stood to attention in perfect unison, answering "Yes sir !".

(...)

Mercurius sat foot outside of the Millipede. Upon seeing the interior of the fortress, he couldn't help but keep being fascinated at the incredible powers of alchemy. He wordlessly answered the salute in irreproachable manner, nothing trivial coming to his mind. Sophia Lapis stood at his side while the other Derelicts stood right behind in an orderly fashion. They followed the motion of their squad leader, saluting altogether.

[Wozzy]

Wozzy stands in solidarity with his fellow purified.