[
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[3 vs. 18][8] You twist in the air, then swoop down like the bird of prey you are, fire curling in your hand. The Colossus twists, watching you. At the last second, it shifts, bringing up a tentacle that hits you like a steel beam, its muscled tentacles crushing into your pelvis. The ricochet sends you hurtling into one of the buildings, breaking through a wall.
[6][12] You panic, unable to feel your legs -- the armor there is cracked, shards hanging together by thin tendrils. In less than heartbeat, Lucille activates your healing factor-- bones knit themselves together, and the armor mends at the same time. Words cannot describe the pain of hundreds of shattered bone shards being forced back into place and melded back together. You growl, dragging yourself to your feet with the brickwork you smashed into.
[20][13 vs. 9] A tentacle rips apart the facade of the building. The Colossus stands face to face with you, its multitudes of mouths opening to begin its horrifying scream of disrupting static. You give it no chance -- you reach your willpower into the ground below. With arithmetic that strains your mind, you rip the earth asunder, devouring half the city and the Colossus with the chasm.
[19][17 vs. 2] You slam the chasm shut with the same force of will you used to sunder it. The creature screams as it's trapped beneath dirt and the hardened silicon of the walls. Its lower body is crushed to a pulp.
[
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[19][16 vs. 13] Its tentacles continue to lash at the building, breaking it apart brick by brick, chunk by chunk. You breath out, focusing your willpower. It starts with a small blue flicker swirling around you, a [ten meter] radius of pale, faint heat. You condense it with your fear, with your rage, with your anger. The firestorm grows, and with a flick of your finger, you wreathe the plasma around the Collusus. Dark grey flesh blackens -- its armor begins to melt.
[
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[15 vs. 16][9] So focused on burning the beast -- you don't notice the tentacle that lashes through the air-- you flinch away, expecting to be struck, but the blades pass right through your flaming arm, doing no damage.
[14 vs 4] You dodge once more, rising up into the air with your wings while burning the creature alive, gathering more and more hydrogen to the great flame that rises in the center of the square. Infected flesh sloughs off in the flame, sizzling and smoke with blueish-green smoke.
[
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[15 vs 20] Shots rip through the air on your location-- they whistle harmlessly over your shoulder, near your helmeted head-- you crack your wrist guard when you lift an arm to shield yourself-- and the flesh ruptures there in flashing steam of red blood.
Lets try this again![20][14][20 vs 1] You draw hydrogen into your claw as you dodge and dip pass flailing tentacles, you push yourself until blood begins to drip from your eyes, your ears, your nose, until your helmet's inner display is splattered in it. You fill it with your anger, your humiliation, your fear -- the fear of losing your own personal war with the Infection within -- you let it fill your claw. The hydrogen bubbles its casing of willpower, straining against your energy manipulation. For a second, you fear you cannot contain it.
But you do. You fly up close, pass the writhing tentacles and slam your claw of fire directly into the beast's remaining torso -- tentacles move to intercept you, but a moment too late. The beam turns the bricks to glass, controlled by your willpower, and with a wrench of your will, you bisect the Colossus.
It goes very still, peeling to either side of your claw, its two sides neatly cauterized by the blow.
The Infected lose their cohesion with the death of the Colossus -- las-gun fire would have torn you apart by now. Instead, you note, the remaining plague beasts seek out the nearby corpses of the city's previous inhabitants. Like feral animals, concerned only with feeding -- and nesting. You watch as groups of them begin to huddle together, tentacles twisting into one another until you can no longer tell a difference.
[15 vs 2-5] One approaches -- grabbing at you with a fleshy appendage from its torso -- you take hold of it easily within your gauntleted hand, ripping it off while impaling the abomination through what remains of its face with your own claw.
You examine your shattered wrist. A neat hole penetrates all the way through, your shattered black bone visible. The flow of blood has stopped. You flex your fingers, watching the second delay as the nerves that are still intact are tugged by thin black muscles that flow from your marrow. There's a connection between the fragments of bone and nerves, thin as spider silk. It evaporates into the air.
[11] You activate your healing surge, clenching your teeth in pain -- but you watch as fragments are pulled back together, as the black of your essence turns to the white of bone. Muscle seals over it, then veins, capillaries, skin. Finally, your armor knits itself back together.
I have a town full of feral test subjects. How should your descendent play with them, old ones?[18] -- another of the abominations approach. With the knowledge you've gleaned from the battle, you give a stylish pose for the benefit of your ancestors sundering open the earth below. Then, you give a snap of your fingers. The sound of crushing bone and flesh fills the air, and a spray of ichor splatters over your boots.
You are Pheobe Gainer and Pheonix
Local Time: [1415] 11/22/2011
Personal Time: 5 months
Empyreal Time: NO NETWORK CONNECTION.
You are comfortable in your second skin.
Anger and bloodlust boils in your veins
You have an awful, painful headache.
Cohesion: 70%
You are peckish.
On Body: Mark 15 Battle Armor (Active, Incompatible:Override)
Over Empty Shoulder: A water-resistant, heat-resistant capelet[/acronym
On Body, Beneath Armor:A black and gold armored gambeson.
In Holster: A Crusader Cutter Hilt (250/250)
In Dufflebag: Thirty-eight nutrient cube meals, seven red flares
Max Willpower Linear Distance: [20 meters]
Max Willpower Diameter: [20 meters]Overload: Trained
Bird of Sol's Reign: Great
Conquerer's Aura: Initiated
Inferno : Great
-
Slayer's Blade : Initiated
Healing Factor: Initiated
-
Endurance Boost: Amateur.
-
Strength Boost: Amateur.
Matter Manipulation: Silicon:: Adept
-
Silicon Sunder: Novice
Skill:
Charisma: Apprentice
Skill:
Attrition Warfare: Apprentice
Skill:
Marksmanship: Proficient
Cephie Lavoisier's Verbal Oath Grandmother(adopted), Handler: Mother Nicole Gainer
--Contactable in person.
--High Influence with Scholars, Crusaders, the Thornton Family
--Current lawful ruler of Steelworks 9 Region (Crusader Supported)
Ruled Nation: Pheonix's Holy Fortress-State
A dominant power on McCreary's Planet, despite its recent foundation. Currently pursuing a policy of aggressive reclamation.
-Ruled by a council, headed by yourself.
-Theocratic Dictatorship
-The citizens revere you as their new God.
Organization: The Children of SEED
Ten individuals, with the minds of automata and the bodies of men and women. Their very presence grates on your nerves.
--Contactable in person, or by radio.
Organization: The Thornton Family
--Contactable through Emma, radio.
--High Influence within Steelworks 9 Region
--Allied with Nicole Gainer, you
*Researching: Radio towers*
Organization: Thornton Mercenaries
--A complement of hulking Thornton soldiers turned into cybernetically augmented heavy-duty infantry. Equipped with fusion reactor based las-gun assault rifles, Inferno Shotguns, super thick armor, and technicians standing by. They are also equipped with inter and intra-squad radio communicators.
--Lead by William Thornton
Servant, ? ? ?: Cephie Laviosier.
--An ascended under contract to you for the next twelve years. She manipulates carbon and carbon based structures.
--Contactable in person, or by radio.
Ally, Subservient: William Thornton
Leader of the Thornton Family of Businessmen.
--Contactable in person, or by radio.
--High influence within the Thornton Mercenaries
--High influence within The Thornton Family
--Feared within Steelworks 9 Region
*Coordinating Thornton Family Evacuation*
Personal Scientist, Ally: Silas Thornton
--High influence within The Thornton Family
Lover, Consort: Emma Thornton
--Contactable in person, or by radio.
--High influence within The Thornton Family
*Coordinating Thornton Family Evacuation*
Pet, Threat: Mitch, the Barker
A bristly furred, stubby faced hellion of a canine that will possibly mutate in the future.
-9/50 Obedience
-?/50 Affection
-1/50 Respect
Pheonix's Fortress-State (McCreary's Planet)
Theocractic Dictactorship
Capital: Fortress City of Stormmont
Population: 0.5*10^6
Military: One (1) Corps of Active Duty Hover Craft Deployed Crusaders (Baseline, Mark 1, Hardened){Stationed in Stormmont, Fortified}
One (1) Corps of Active Duty Hover Craft Deployed Crusaders (Baseline, Mark 1, Hardened){Invading Steelworks Region 4-5}
One (1) Corps Reserve Crusaders (Baseline, Mark 1, Underequipped){Stationed in Stormmont, Fortified}
One (1) Company of Thornton Warmachines (Baseline, Mark ~1, Hardened Veterans){Stationed in Stormmont, Fortified}
Commodities of Note: Nutrient Bar Rations [Food Stuffs] (equilibrium), Hydrogen Fuel Supplies (deficit), Medical Supplies (deficit), Consumer Goods (deficit), Electronics (deficit), Steel (deficit), Bioplastics (deficit), Chemicals (deficit), Luxury goods (deficit)
Standards of living: Food, clean water, lighting, sanitation, universal literacy, universal healthcare, universal higher education, lack of culture, lack of luxury, religious restrictions, lack of universal rights
Population Morale: Medium
Government Legitimacy: High.
Economy: Non-existant, survival focus
Ethnic Groups of Note: Thornton Family Group (Unified, Loyal, Criminal), Western Outlanders (Remnants, ? ? ?), Eastern Outlanders (Four Clans, ? ? ?)