The first showed up nearly twenty years ago, after the DC Meteorite in two thousand. It was...
هذه النهاية Thread Two: To Allah We Belong and To Him We Return (Giant Robot Quest)
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Witness! Qarin! (Part Two)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Witness! Qarin! (Part Two)
Everything went to hell the moment you started Sieging Qarin. You threw your souls against it, exactly like in the simulator, slamming into it like hammers. It's defenses broke, crumbled, but it didn't seem to care. Instead its Soul read hungry, happy, and you didn't have a moment's warning before it began to spew lava at you.
Marauder Valiant gets hit first, a stream of Lava ripping right through its shields and coating much of its torso. You wince as Tang Ying screams in pain, then stark terror, over the comms. His tight stream of gatling cannon rounds becomes a wild spray, ripping apart the countryside and not much else.
Then it turns to you. Rifle rounds ping off of its scales as its chest inflates with lava, then it exhales, bathing you in a stream of molten rock. It rips through your soul, boiling against your armor. It hurts, it hurts like nothing you've felt before, a dozen times worse than the simulator. You scream, joining Tang Ying, and feel the thing's soul trying to ride on the pain, get into your mind and do...something to you. You resist, fighting through the pain to stand and keep firing on it. It rains more fire on you, more molten rock and hate, but your soul holds. Rock and fire splatters away from you, kept from burning the landscape to a crisp by the raw might of your soul, and as the burning subsides you stand.
Shockwave Cascade's out in front, near the resupply trucks. She's holding a pilebunker spear in her hands but is looking back towards you and Tang Ying. Kim's saying something on the comms, but your ears are ringing and you can't quite hear her. Marauder Valiant is off to your right. The lava's fallen from his frame but whatever Qarin did to Tang Ying is still working since he's still screaming and firing wildly. Baibars and the Bridge Crew are saying something but you can't hear them either.
Qarin...Qarin is lumbering towards you, massive limbs shredding the ground where it walks. It leaves a trail of burning blood behind it, scorching the earth as it approaches. Its eyes are fixed on you, it knows that you're stopping it from setting the land ablaze, it just knows, and if you give it the slightest chance it is going to kill you, followed shortly by everyone in Outpost Wamala.
Be Tang Ying
[ ] Panic
Be Johnathan
[ ] Into melee, where it can't shoot you
[ ] Keep firing
[ ] Attack with Wrath
[ ] Wait until you can hear the Bridge Crew and follow their orders.
[ ] Fall back to lead it away from Outpost Wamala.
[ ] Write-In
Be Kim
[ ] Charge
[ ] Obey Bridge Crew
[ ] Write-In
Be Command Staff
[ ] Write-In the actual plan that your group of teenagers is probably mostly ignoring.
Supercomputer Analysis:
Qarin is an opportunist. It attacks automatically if either of two conditions are met at any point
First: A Ma'Jooj scale enemy doesn't use Soul Points for a noticeable length of time (One full turn).
Second: An enemy Sieges Qarin.
In addition, Qarin's attacks of opportunity are supernaturally accurate.
Status and Turn Summary:
Every character tripped Qarin's 'I get free ranged attacks' condition, resulting in free hits for everyone! Kim dodged, Tang Ying got plastered and failed his fear roll, Johnathan got plastered but succeeded on his fear roll. Qarin started closing and bombarded John, but Al-Haram negated it entirely. Before everything went to shit, Tang Ying managed a pretty decent hit with his gattling, Qarin's natural armor negated the worst of it buuuut it's still a solid chunk of pain. Your assault rifle fire was largely ineffective, though.
This is the last fight we'll be using Adeptus Eva for, as I don't want to switch systems mid-combat. Mechanically, no-one's taking particularly heavy damage (Soft Damage to Qarin, Johnathan, and Tang Ying) but Tang Ying's useless next turn and Johnathan's at a penalty to attacking Qarin.
Fight Summary:
Allied Forces:
Kim Hyun-Soon: Shockwave Cascade, acting Initiative: 12. Stamina: 3/3. Armament: Inbuilt Pilebunkers, Pilebunker Spear. Refit: Hyper-Exothermic Gauntlets
Johnathan Alvarez: Righteous Penitent, acting Initiative: 9. Stamina: 3/3 Armament: 240 CM Mark 3 Assault Rifle. Refit: Tesla Sword and 300 CM Handcannon.
Tang Ying: Marauder Valiant, acting Initiative: 11. Stamina: 0/3 Armament: 300 CM Gatling Cannon. Refit: 440 CM Mark 1 Railgun
3 Supply Trucks, act on any initiative count. Stamina: 2/2 (Each supply truck has someone's Refit.)
Outpost Wamala: Initiative 1. Stamina: 1/1
Enemy Forces:
Qarin. Stamina: 4/4
Relational Ranges:
Qarin is at Long Range to Outpost Wamala
Qarin is at Tactical Range to all Marauder Valiant and Shockwave Cascade and Close Range to Righteous Penitent.
Qarin is at Tactical Range to Supply Truck 1 and Long Range to Supply Trucks 2 and 3
Objective:
Ensure that Outpost Wamala is not destroyed until VIPs are evacuated (6 turns for VIPs to evacuate)
Survive until reinforcements arrive (3 turns until Sandstorm Sultan enters the battlefield by aerial insertion.)
Bonus Objectives:
Secure the survival of Outpost Wamala.
Immobilize Qarin for the cavalry to deal with.
JANNAH Resources for this battle: 2
Base 9, -3 for Supply Copters, -2 for Training Run, -2 for Secondary Supercomputer Analysis
Resource Options:
Orbital Bombardment (Costs 3. Causes Mild Collateral in unsettled areas, Moderate Collateral within a settlement. Only available from the beginning of Turn 3.)
Secondary Supercomputer Analysis (Costs 2, comes in at the end of the turn you use it on)
Remote Care (Costs 2, remotely treats Fatigue or Injury in pilots)
Force Eject (Costs 2, forcibly ejects a pilot from their Marida)
Everything went to hell the moment you started Sieging Qarin. You threw your souls against it, exactly like in the simulator, slamming into it like hammers. It's defenses broke, crumbled, but it didn't seem to care. Instead its Soul read hungry, happy, and you didn't have a moment's warning before it began to spew lava at you.
Marauder Valiant gets hit first, a stream of Lava ripping right through its shields and coating much of its torso. You wince as Tang Ying screams in pain, then stark terror, over the comms. His tight stream of gatling cannon rounds becomes a wild spray, ripping apart the countryside and not much else.
Then it turns to you. Rifle rounds ping off of its scales as its chest inflates with lava, then it exhales, bathing you in a stream of molten rock. It rips through your soul, boiling against your armor. It hurts, it hurts like nothing you've felt before, a dozen times worse than the simulator. You scream, joining Tang Ying, and feel the thing's soul trying to ride on the pain, get into your mind and do...something to you. You resist, fighting through the pain to stand and keep firing on it. It rains more fire on you, more molten rock and hate, but your soul holds. Rock and fire splatters away from you, kept from burning the landscape to a crisp by the raw might of your soul, and as the burning subsides you stand.
Shockwave Cascade's out in front, near the resupply trucks. She's holding a pilebunker spear in her hands but is looking back towards you and Tang Ying. Kim's saying something on the comms, but your ears are ringing and you can't quite hear her. Marauder Valiant is off to your right. The lava's fallen from his frame but whatever Qarin did to Tang Ying is still working since he's still screaming and firing wildly. Baibars and the Bridge Crew are saying something but you can't hear them either.
Qarin...Qarin is lumbering towards you, massive limbs shredding the ground where it walks. It leaves a trail of burning blood behind it, scorching the earth as it approaches. Its eyes are fixed on you, it knows that you're stopping it from setting the land ablaze, it just knows, and if you give it the slightest chance it is going to kill you, followed shortly by everyone in Outpost Wamala.
Be Tang Ying
[ ] Panic
Be Johnathan
[ ] Into melee, where it can't shoot you
[ ] Keep firing
[ ] Attack with Wrath
[ ] Wait until you can hear the Bridge Crew and follow their orders.
[ ] Fall back to lead it away from Outpost Wamala.
[ ] Write-In
Be Kim
[ ] Charge
[ ] Obey Bridge Crew
[ ] Write-In
Be Command Staff
[ ] Write-In the actual plan that your group of teenagers is probably mostly ignoring.
Supercomputer Analysis:
Qarin is an opportunist. It attacks automatically if either of two conditions are met at any point
First: A Ma'Jooj scale enemy doesn't use Soul Points for a noticeable length of time (One full turn).
Second: An enemy Sieges Qarin.
In addition, Qarin's attacks of opportunity are supernaturally accurate.
Status and Turn Summary:
Every character tripped Qarin's 'I get free ranged attacks' condition, resulting in free hits for everyone! Kim dodged, Tang Ying got plastered and failed his fear roll, Johnathan got plastered but succeeded on his fear roll. Qarin started closing and bombarded John, but Al-Haram negated it entirely. Before everything went to shit, Tang Ying managed a pretty decent hit with his gattling, Qarin's natural armor negated the worst of it buuuut it's still a solid chunk of pain. Your assault rifle fire was largely ineffective, though.
This is the last fight we'll be using Adeptus Eva for, as I don't want to switch systems mid-combat. Mechanically, no-one's taking particularly heavy damage (Soft Damage to Qarin, Johnathan, and Tang Ying) but Tang Ying's useless next turn and Johnathan's at a penalty to attacking Qarin.
Fight Summary:
Allied Forces:
Kim Hyun-Soon: Shockwave Cascade, acting Initiative: 12. Stamina: 3/3. Armament: Inbuilt Pilebunkers, Pilebunker Spear. Refit: Hyper-Exothermic Gauntlets
Johnathan Alvarez: Righteous Penitent, acting Initiative: 9. Stamina: 3/3 Armament: 240 CM Mark 3 Assault Rifle. Refit: Tesla Sword and 300 CM Handcannon.
Tang Ying: Marauder Valiant, acting Initiative: 11. Stamina: 0/3 Armament: 300 CM Gatling Cannon. Refit: 440 CM Mark 1 Railgun
3 Supply Trucks, act on any initiative count. Stamina: 2/2 (Each supply truck has someone's Refit.)
Outpost Wamala: Initiative 1. Stamina: 1/1
Enemy Forces:
Qarin. Stamina: 4/4
Relational Ranges:
Qarin is at Long Range to Outpost Wamala
Qarin is at Tactical Range to all Marauder Valiant and Shockwave Cascade and Close Range to Righteous Penitent.
Qarin is at Tactical Range to Supply Truck 1 and Long Range to Supply Trucks 2 and 3
Objective:
Ensure that Outpost Wamala is not destroyed until VIPs are evacuated (6 turns for VIPs to evacuate)
Survive until reinforcements arrive (3 turns until Sandstorm Sultan enters the battlefield by aerial insertion.)
Bonus Objectives:
Secure the survival of Outpost Wamala.
Immobilize Qarin for the cavalry to deal with.
JANNAH Resources for this battle: 2
Base 9, -3 for Supply Copters, -2 for Training Run, -2 for Secondary Supercomputer Analysis
Resource Options:
Orbital Bombardment (Costs 3. Causes Mild Collateral in unsettled areas, Moderate Collateral within a settlement. Only available from the beginning of Turn 3.)
Secondary Supercomputer Analysis (Costs 2, comes in at the end of the turn you use it on)
Remote Care (Costs 2, remotely treats Fatigue or Injury in pilots)
Force Eject (Costs 2, forcibly ejects a pilot from their Marida)
Last edited:
Witness! Qarin! (Part Three)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Witness! Qarin! Part 3
Qarin drops into a gallop, blitzing towards you. The ground shakes due to its sheer mass, buckles and breaks and burns from its passage. It roars at you, burning spittle flying from its mouth, and you nearly freeze up from terror at its charge. Then Shockwave rams into its flank.
The impact craters the ground around the behemoths, a visible shockwave rolling across the grass and over the lake itself. Kim stabs at Qarin, pilebunker spear firing with titanic booms each with each blow, but the Ma'Jooj brings up its massive arm, parrying blows again and again. It waits for an opening, then retaliates, a glob of lava to the face followed by a shovellike forearm slamming into Shockwave's chest. Armored plating boils and buckles under the blow, the Marida catches fire and you can see Kim sweating inside her cockpit. There's no screaming, her readouts say she's fine, you're on the verge of panicking.
You focus. Breathe deeply, banish the panic, gather your soul and preparing to lash out with it-Baibars interrupts. "No," he says, "Don't attack, prepare to deploy a barrier."
"It's going to kill them!"
As if to prove your point Qarin's head swivels towards Tang Ying and spits a steam of lava towards him. It splashes off of Marauder's armor but something in the massive Marida catches light and suddenly flames are spurting from between it's armored plating. Status readouts on your display show that...something inside of Valiant has caught fire. Then Qarin starts galloping for you again.
"They'll be alright, I promise," says Baibars, "But I need you to deploy a barrier now or it is going to hurt you."
You hesitate a moment, then follow orders. You have more conscious control over the process now. Making a barrier isn't the...gut instinct process it was in your first sim, there's more intentionality, more force. You will a shield, a barrier, and it's there. Qarin smashes into it. It almost looks puzzled for a moment, then simply begins hurling itself against the barrier over and over again. "Please tell me that there's a part two to this plan," you say.
Baibars merely smiles before Tang Ying's voice, pained but defiant, cuts through the comms. "Get...the hell away from my friends," he bellows. Marauder Valiant stands, a scant kilometer from the fighting. Flames lick at its skin in a half-dozen places, but Tang Ying seems to be ignoring them entirely. Its missile bays, all of them, are wide open and it's firing occasional bursts at Qarin to distract it.
Tang Ying
[ ] VALIANT MISSILE, FIRE!
[ ] Write-In
Baibars
[ ] Let Amina deploy (Usman will be incredibly pissed, increases the cost of the operation)
[ ] Umar can do this (Amina does not deploy)
Kim
[ ] Wig Out
[ ] Put yourself out, you're on fire.
[ ] Write-In
Jon
[ ]Write-In
Turn Summary:
Kim charges Qarin and Sieges, her blow hits but gets Evaded on the reaction. She's hit with an attack of opportunity, Shockwave Cascade catches fire, but she makes her fear save.
Qarin hits Kim for Max Damage with a melee attack, pushing her to Critical Momentum +1 and getting a 3 on the Energy Hit Effect table for the Body. Kim gins 1 Strain. Qarin moves into Engagement Range with Johnathan
Tang Ying panic-fires, accomplishing nothing but driving Collateral Damage to Mild. He is also hit by an attack of opportunity and catches fire, but miraculously makes his fear save.
Qarin shoots Tang Ying. Glancing Hit, 2 Energy Effect to the Body. Marauder Valiant loses 2 Armor and Tang Ying gains 1 Strain.
Johnathan sets up Insha'Allah.
Qarin swings at the Barrier and cannot penetrate.
Fight Summary:
Allied Forces:
Kim Hyun-Soon: Shockwave Cascade, acting Initiative: 12. Stamina: 3/3. Armament: Inbuilt Pilebunkers, Pilebunker Spear. Refit: Hyper-Exothermic Gauntlets. Strain: 1, Critical Momentum: +1. Is On Fire.
Johnathan Alvarez: Righteous Penitent, acting Initiative: 9. Stamina: 3/3 Armament: 240 CM Mark 3 Assault Rifle. Refit: Tesla Sword and 300 CM Handcannon.
Tang Ying: Marauder Valiant, acting Initiative: 11. Stamina: 0/3 Armament: 300 CM Gatling Cannon. Refit: 440 CM Mark 1 Railgun. Strain: 1 Is On Fire.
3 Supply Trucks, act on any initiative count. Stamina: 2/2 (Each supply truck has someone's Refit.)
Outpost Wamala: Initiative 1. Stamina: 1/1
Enemy Forces:
Qarin. Stamina: 1/4
Relational Ranges:
Qarin is at Long Range to Outpost Wamala
Qarin is at Tactical Range to Marauder Valiant and Engagement Range to Righteous Penitent and Shockwave Cascade.
Qarin is Long Range to Supply Trucks 1, 2 and 3
Objective:
Ensure that Outpost Wamala is not destroyed until VIPs are evacuated (4 turns for VIPs to evacuate)
Survive until reinforcements arrive (1 turn until Sandstorm Sultan enters the battlefield by aerial insertion.)
Bonus Objectives:
Secure the survival of Outpost Wamala.
Immobilize Qarin for the cavalry to deal with.
JANNAH Resources for this battle: 2
Base 9, -3 for Supply Copters, -2 for Training Run, -2 for Secondary Supercomputer Analysis
Resource Options:
Orbital Bombardment (Costs 3. Causes Mild Collateral in unsettled areas, Moderate Collateral within a settlement. Only available from the beginning of Turn 3.)
Secondary Supercomputer Analysis (Costs 2, comes in at the end of the turn you use it on)
Remote Care (Costs 2, remotely treats Fatigue or Injury in pilots)
Force Eject (Costs 2, forcibly ejects a pilot from their Marida)
Qarin drops into a gallop, blitzing towards you. The ground shakes due to its sheer mass, buckles and breaks and burns from its passage. It roars at you, burning spittle flying from its mouth, and you nearly freeze up from terror at its charge. Then Shockwave rams into its flank.
The impact craters the ground around the behemoths, a visible shockwave rolling across the grass and over the lake itself. Kim stabs at Qarin, pilebunker spear firing with titanic booms each with each blow, but the Ma'Jooj brings up its massive arm, parrying blows again and again. It waits for an opening, then retaliates, a glob of lava to the face followed by a shovellike forearm slamming into Shockwave's chest. Armored plating boils and buckles under the blow, the Marida catches fire and you can see Kim sweating inside her cockpit. There's no screaming, her readouts say she's fine, you're on the verge of panicking.
You focus. Breathe deeply, banish the panic, gather your soul and preparing to lash out with it-Baibars interrupts. "No," he says, "Don't attack, prepare to deploy a barrier."
"It's going to kill them!"
As if to prove your point Qarin's head swivels towards Tang Ying and spits a steam of lava towards him. It splashes off of Marauder's armor but something in the massive Marida catches light and suddenly flames are spurting from between it's armored plating. Status readouts on your display show that...something inside of Valiant has caught fire. Then Qarin starts galloping for you again.
"They'll be alright, I promise," says Baibars, "But I need you to deploy a barrier now or it is going to hurt you."
You hesitate a moment, then follow orders. You have more conscious control over the process now. Making a barrier isn't the...gut instinct process it was in your first sim, there's more intentionality, more force. You will a shield, a barrier, and it's there. Qarin smashes into it. It almost looks puzzled for a moment, then simply begins hurling itself against the barrier over and over again. "Please tell me that there's a part two to this plan," you say.
Baibars merely smiles before Tang Ying's voice, pained but defiant, cuts through the comms. "Get...the hell away from my friends," he bellows. Marauder Valiant stands, a scant kilometer from the fighting. Flames lick at its skin in a half-dozen places, but Tang Ying seems to be ignoring them entirely. Its missile bays, all of them, are wide open and it's firing occasional bursts at Qarin to distract it.
Tang Ying
[ ] VALIANT MISSILE, FIRE!
[ ] Write-In
Baibars
[ ] Let Amina deploy (Usman will be incredibly pissed, increases the cost of the operation)
[ ] Umar can do this (Amina does not deploy)
Kim
[ ] Wig Out
[ ] Put yourself out, you're on fire.
[ ] Write-In
Jon
[ ]Write-In
Turn Summary:
Kim charges Qarin and Sieges, her blow hits but gets Evaded on the reaction. She's hit with an attack of opportunity, Shockwave Cascade catches fire, but she makes her fear save.
Qarin hits Kim for Max Damage with a melee attack, pushing her to Critical Momentum +1 and getting a 3 on the Energy Hit Effect table for the Body. Kim gins 1 Strain. Qarin moves into Engagement Range with Johnathan
Tang Ying panic-fires, accomplishing nothing but driving Collateral Damage to Mild. He is also hit by an attack of opportunity and catches fire, but miraculously makes his fear save.
Qarin shoots Tang Ying. Glancing Hit, 2 Energy Effect to the Body. Marauder Valiant loses 2 Armor and Tang Ying gains 1 Strain.
Johnathan sets up Insha'Allah.
Qarin swings at the Barrier and cannot penetrate.
Fight Summary:
Allied Forces:
Kim Hyun-Soon: Shockwave Cascade, acting Initiative: 12. Stamina: 3/3. Armament: Inbuilt Pilebunkers, Pilebunker Spear. Refit: Hyper-Exothermic Gauntlets. Strain: 1, Critical Momentum: +1. Is On Fire.
Johnathan Alvarez: Righteous Penitent, acting Initiative: 9. Stamina: 3/3 Armament: 240 CM Mark 3 Assault Rifle. Refit: Tesla Sword and 300 CM Handcannon.
Tang Ying: Marauder Valiant, acting Initiative: 11. Stamina: 0/3 Armament: 300 CM Gatling Cannon. Refit: 440 CM Mark 1 Railgun. Strain: 1 Is On Fire.
3 Supply Trucks, act on any initiative count. Stamina: 2/2 (Each supply truck has someone's Refit.)
Outpost Wamala: Initiative 1. Stamina: 1/1
Enemy Forces:
Qarin. Stamina: 1/4
Relational Ranges:
Qarin is at Long Range to Outpost Wamala
Qarin is at Tactical Range to Marauder Valiant and Engagement Range to Righteous Penitent and Shockwave Cascade.
Qarin is Long Range to Supply Trucks 1, 2 and 3
Objective:
Ensure that Outpost Wamala is not destroyed until VIPs are evacuated (4 turns for VIPs to evacuate)
Survive until reinforcements arrive (1 turn until Sandstorm Sultan enters the battlefield by aerial insertion.)
Bonus Objectives:
Secure the survival of Outpost Wamala.
Immobilize Qarin for the cavalry to deal with.
JANNAH Resources for this battle: 2
Base 9, -3 for Supply Copters, -2 for Training Run, -2 for Secondary Supercomputer Analysis
Resource Options:
Orbital Bombardment (Costs 3. Causes Mild Collateral in unsettled areas, Moderate Collateral within a settlement. Only available from the beginning of Turn 3.)
Secondary Supercomputer Analysis (Costs 2, comes in at the end of the turn you use it on)
Remote Care (Costs 2, remotely treats Fatigue or Injury in pilots)
Force Eject (Costs 2, forcibly ejects a pilot from their Marida)
Last edited:
Witness! Qarin! (Part Four)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Witness! Qarin! (Part Four)
Qarin gives Marauder Valiant a long-suffering glance then turns back to the barrier. It pulls one massive arm back, winding up for a massive haymaker in a movement so rapid and violent that it creates a sonic boom. It punches, your barrier cracks, but holds as the force of impact craters the ground and sends debris flying on Qarin's side of the barrier.
"VALIANT MISSILE, FIRE!" bellows Tang Ying. Dozens of rockets erupt from Marauder Valiant's burning frame, trailing flame and smoke as they home in on Qarin in their dozens. The massive Ma'Jooj swats a wave out of the way, then two more crash into it. It's enveloped in smoke and debris. You can't see anything, feel anything, for a moment. Then a stream of lava, thick and phlegmy, like spit, impacts Marauder Valiant. The flames intensify, ammunition cooks off inside of its super structure and you see Tang Ying nearly collapse as a section of armored plating explodes outwards.
The smoke clears and Qarin's still standing, though several wounds in its side openly weep molten blood. Kim's moved Shockwave Cascade between you two. Steam and smoke runs off Shockwave, some sort of fire suppressant system. Qarin throws another supersonic haymaker, Shockwave lunges with its spear. The spear shatters on impact and Shockwave takes the blow full on the chest. Kim screams, clutching her chest in pain as she's flung backwards. Shockwave bounces off your barrier, only for another haymaker to throw it back. A third blow follows, then a fourth. Shockwave's chest armor collapses inwards, metamaterial plating crumpling like tissue paper in the face of the onslaught.
The Marida collapses to one knee, its right arm limp at its side. Kim is ashen-faced, breathing heavily and holding her right arm. Qarin cocks its arm for another blow and you have to stop yourself from rushing through the barrier to help.
"Wong, prepare remote ejection system," says Baibars, "Raheem, vitals. Can she extract herself?"
"Minor cockpit damage. Vitals are stable, but I think she's broken-" says Abdul Raheem. He stops, staring at the display, "Sir, Shockwave Cascade is attempting Reversion. She's entered Mujahid mode!"
Kim screams- no, roars over the comms. Shockwave stands, tendrils of flesh knitting its chest back together. It swings its right arm experimentally, you can see how much the movement hurts Kim but she doesn't seem to care.
Baibars' brow furrows. "That shouldn't be possible. Shockwave's lobotomized." He catches himself before he speaks further, aware of you watching, "Full readout to my station. Wong, I want to be ready to force-eject at a moment's notice."
Qarin swings. Kim brings up her right arm, catching the blow in one hand. She slides back into the barrier from the force of the blow, driving a furrow into the ground that swiftly fills with lava, then brings her other arm up in a vicious uppercut. The pilebunker fires and there's an audible snap of bone as the arm breaks.
Qarin screams, a bonerattling, unsettlingly human thing, then batters its way past Kim. She charges forwards but Qarin looks at her and starts spitting streams of viscuous lava that give it the opening it needs. It closes with your barrier and simply batters away at it with its good arm until it shatters violently.
Then you muster your will and simply project another.
Qarin glares at you. You manage a weak smile until the Ma'Jooj picks up, weaves past a charging Kim, and sprints around the barrier.
"Sir I could use a plan B."
The Cavalry is about to arrive! What's the plan?
[ ] Write-In
Turn Summary:
Kim successfully puts herself out.
Qarin hits Kim for a hilarious amount of damage, Kim is instantly defeated, gains 9 Stress and one Injury, catches fire (again). Tang uses VALIANT MISSILE to fire missiles at Qarin as a reaction shot, dealing a glancing blow, Qarin is Slowed for two intervals. Kim tests for Berserk and succeeds, Shockwave Cascade enters Berserk and now acts on Initiative 10. Qarin's reaction shot fails to do damage.
Tang Ying fires all the goddamn missiles. He deals a penetrating blow, Qarin can't use defensive reactions for three intervals. Tang Ying then gets hit with an AoO for sieging and eats a Glancing hit to the head. Gets a 4 on the Energy Hit Effect Table and fails fear save. Tang gains 1 Strain, Synch Disrupts for +5, and is Immobilized with fear for one round. Strain 2 causes Tang Ying to gain a level of Fatigue. Catching fire again moves his critical momentum to +2.
Qarin attacks Johnathan's barrier but is unable to break it.
Kim drops her spear and begins pummeling Qarin with her pilebunker fists! Qarin's critical momentum raises to +2 and deals a Penetrating blow, she rolls a 4 for an Impact Hit Effect to the arms and reduces Qarin's strength by two for three rounds. She dodges Qarin's Attack of Opportunity.
Qarin swings and destroys John's barrier
John creates another barrier
Qarin moves around the barrier and is super pissed off.
Fight Summary:
Tang Ying: Marauder Valiant, acting Initiative: 11. Stamina: 0/3 Armament: 300 CM Gatling Cannon. Refit: 440 CM Mark 1 Railgun. Critical Momentum: +2, Fatigue: 1, Immobilized for 1 Turn, EGS is now 4.7, Is On Fire. Is out of missiles.
Kim Hyun-Soon: Shockwave Cascade, acting Initiative: 10. Stamina: 3/3. Armament: Inbuilt Pilebunkers. Refit: Hyper-Exothermic Gauntlets. Destroyed: Pilebunker Spear Strain: 1, Critical Momentum: +1. 9/25 Stress. 1 Injury. Is On Fire. Is Berserk.
Johnathan Alvarez: Righteous Penitent, acting Initiative: 9. Stamina: 3/3 Armament: 240 CM Mark 3 Assault Rifle. Refit: Tesla Sword and 300 CM Handcannon.
Umar Ahmed: Sandstorm Sultan, Acting Initiative: 10. Stamina: 3/3. Armament: Payload Hammer. Refit: None.
Enemy Forces:
Qarin. Stamina: 2/4. Suffering from -2 Strength.
Cost: 11 (Second Tier, Within Acceptable Parameters)
Relational Ranges:
Qarin is at Long Range to Outpost Wamala
Qarin is at Tactical Range to Marauder Valiant and Engagement Range to Righteous Penitent and Shockwave Cascade.
Qarin is Long Range to Supply Trucks 1, 2 and 3
Objective:
Ensure that Outpost Wamala is not destroyed until VIPs are evacuated (3 turns for VIPs to evacuate)
Survive Until Reinforcements Arrive (Sandstorm Sultan will act this turn)
Bonus Objectives:
Secure the survival of Outpost Wamala.
Immobilize Qarin for the cavalry to deal with.
JANNAH Resources for this battle: 2
Base 9, -3 for Supply Copters, -2 for Training Run, -2 for Secondary Supercomputer Analysis
Resource Options:
Orbital Bombardment (Costs 3. Causes Mild Collateral in unsettled areas, Moderate Collateral within a settlement. Only available from the beginning of Turn 3.)
Secondary Supercomputer Analysis (Costs 2, comes in at the end of the turn you use it on)
Remote Care (Costs 2, remotely treats Fatigue or Injury in pilots)
Force Eject (Costs 2, forcibly ejects a pilot from their Marida)
New Pilot Abilities
Tang Ying
Valiant Missile: Tang Ying can make an Attack of Opportunity with his rocket racks whenever an ally is attacked.
Fragile Morale: Tang Ying gets +20 on all Bravery checks until he fails a bravery check, at which point he gets -20 on all Will Checks (Including Bravery Checks) until combat ends.
Kim Hyun-Soon
I Can't Run Away: When testing to Berserk, add two to your Effective Ghazali Score
New Robot Abilities
Shockwave Cascade:
Kinslayer: Shockwave Cascade never activates the normal berserk rules when berserking. Instead it repairs all hit effects it is currently suffering from, loses all non-inbuilt weapons, rolls for initiative again, adds 2 damage and penetration to its melee attacks, ignores fatigue and nonfatal injury while in combat, and may treat all standard attacks as if they were blitz attacks. You cannot make ranged attacks while Berserk, but your attacks all gain breach equal to EGS.
Qarin gives Marauder Valiant a long-suffering glance then turns back to the barrier. It pulls one massive arm back, winding up for a massive haymaker in a movement so rapid and violent that it creates a sonic boom. It punches, your barrier cracks, but holds as the force of impact craters the ground and sends debris flying on Qarin's side of the barrier.
"VALIANT MISSILE, FIRE!" bellows Tang Ying. Dozens of rockets erupt from Marauder Valiant's burning frame, trailing flame and smoke as they home in on Qarin in their dozens. The massive Ma'Jooj swats a wave out of the way, then two more crash into it. It's enveloped in smoke and debris. You can't see anything, feel anything, for a moment. Then a stream of lava, thick and phlegmy, like spit, impacts Marauder Valiant. The flames intensify, ammunition cooks off inside of its super structure and you see Tang Ying nearly collapse as a section of armored plating explodes outwards.
The smoke clears and Qarin's still standing, though several wounds in its side openly weep molten blood. Kim's moved Shockwave Cascade between you two. Steam and smoke runs off Shockwave, some sort of fire suppressant system. Qarin throws another supersonic haymaker, Shockwave lunges with its spear. The spear shatters on impact and Shockwave takes the blow full on the chest. Kim screams, clutching her chest in pain as she's flung backwards. Shockwave bounces off your barrier, only for another haymaker to throw it back. A third blow follows, then a fourth. Shockwave's chest armor collapses inwards, metamaterial plating crumpling like tissue paper in the face of the onslaught.
The Marida collapses to one knee, its right arm limp at its side. Kim is ashen-faced, breathing heavily and holding her right arm. Qarin cocks its arm for another blow and you have to stop yourself from rushing through the barrier to help.
"Wong, prepare remote ejection system," says Baibars, "Raheem, vitals. Can she extract herself?"
"Minor cockpit damage. Vitals are stable, but I think she's broken-" says Abdul Raheem. He stops, staring at the display, "Sir, Shockwave Cascade is attempting Reversion. She's entered Mujahid mode!"
Kim screams- no, roars over the comms. Shockwave stands, tendrils of flesh knitting its chest back together. It swings its right arm experimentally, you can see how much the movement hurts Kim but she doesn't seem to care.
Baibars' brow furrows. "That shouldn't be possible. Shockwave's lobotomized." He catches himself before he speaks further, aware of you watching, "Full readout to my station. Wong, I want to be ready to force-eject at a moment's notice."
Qarin swings. Kim brings up her right arm, catching the blow in one hand. She slides back into the barrier from the force of the blow, driving a furrow into the ground that swiftly fills with lava, then brings her other arm up in a vicious uppercut. The pilebunker fires and there's an audible snap of bone as the arm breaks.
Qarin screams, a bonerattling, unsettlingly human thing, then batters its way past Kim. She charges forwards but Qarin looks at her and starts spitting streams of viscuous lava that give it the opening it needs. It closes with your barrier and simply batters away at it with its good arm until it shatters violently.
Then you muster your will and simply project another.
Qarin glares at you. You manage a weak smile until the Ma'Jooj picks up, weaves past a charging Kim, and sprints around the barrier.
"Sir I could use a plan B."
The Cavalry is about to arrive! What's the plan?
[ ] Write-In
Turn Summary:
Kim successfully puts herself out.
Qarin hits Kim for a hilarious amount of damage, Kim is instantly defeated, gains 9 Stress and one Injury, catches fire (again). Tang uses VALIANT MISSILE to fire missiles at Qarin as a reaction shot, dealing a glancing blow, Qarin is Slowed for two intervals. Kim tests for Berserk and succeeds, Shockwave Cascade enters Berserk and now acts on Initiative 10. Qarin's reaction shot fails to do damage.
Tang Ying fires all the goddamn missiles. He deals a penetrating blow, Qarin can't use defensive reactions for three intervals. Tang Ying then gets hit with an AoO for sieging and eats a Glancing hit to the head. Gets a 4 on the Energy Hit Effect Table and fails fear save. Tang gains 1 Strain, Synch Disrupts for +5, and is Immobilized with fear for one round. Strain 2 causes Tang Ying to gain a level of Fatigue. Catching fire again moves his critical momentum to +2.
Qarin attacks Johnathan's barrier but is unable to break it.
Kim drops her spear and begins pummeling Qarin with her pilebunker fists! Qarin's critical momentum raises to +2 and deals a Penetrating blow, she rolls a 4 for an Impact Hit Effect to the arms and reduces Qarin's strength by two for three rounds. She dodges Qarin's Attack of Opportunity.
Qarin swings and destroys John's barrier
John creates another barrier
Qarin moves around the barrier and is super pissed off.
Fight Summary:
Tang Ying: Marauder Valiant, acting Initiative: 11. Stamina: 0/3 Armament: 300 CM Gatling Cannon. Refit: 440 CM Mark 1 Railgun. Critical Momentum: +2, Fatigue: 1, Immobilized for 1 Turn, EGS is now 4.7, Is On Fire. Is out of missiles.
Kim Hyun-Soon: Shockwave Cascade, acting Initiative: 10. Stamina: 3/3. Armament: Inbuilt Pilebunkers. Refit: Hyper-Exothermic Gauntlets. Destroyed: Pilebunker Spear Strain: 1, Critical Momentum: +1. 9/25 Stress. 1 Injury. Is On Fire. Is Berserk.
Johnathan Alvarez: Righteous Penitent, acting Initiative: 9. Stamina: 3/3 Armament: 240 CM Mark 3 Assault Rifle. Refit: Tesla Sword and 300 CM Handcannon.
Umar Ahmed: Sandstorm Sultan, Acting Initiative: 10. Stamina: 3/3. Armament: Payload Hammer. Refit: None.
Enemy Forces:
Qarin. Stamina: 2/4. Suffering from -2 Strength.
Cost: 11 (Second Tier, Within Acceptable Parameters)
Relational Ranges:
Qarin is at Long Range to Outpost Wamala
Qarin is at Tactical Range to Marauder Valiant and Engagement Range to Righteous Penitent and Shockwave Cascade.
Qarin is Long Range to Supply Trucks 1, 2 and 3
Objective:
Ensure that Outpost Wamala is not destroyed until VIPs are evacuated (3 turns for VIPs to evacuate)
Survive Until Reinforcements Arrive (Sandstorm Sultan will act this turn)
Bonus Objectives:
Secure the survival of Outpost Wamala.
Immobilize Qarin for the cavalry to deal with.
JANNAH Resources for this battle: 2
Base 9, -3 for Supply Copters, -2 for Training Run, -2 for Secondary Supercomputer Analysis
Resource Options:
Orbital Bombardment (Costs 3. Causes Mild Collateral in unsettled areas, Moderate Collateral within a settlement. Only available from the beginning of Turn 3.)
Secondary Supercomputer Analysis (Costs 2, comes in at the end of the turn you use it on)
Remote Care (Costs 2, remotely treats Fatigue or Injury in pilots)
Force Eject (Costs 2, forcibly ejects a pilot from their Marida)
New Pilot Abilities
Tang Ying
Valiant Missile: Tang Ying can make an Attack of Opportunity with his rocket racks whenever an ally is attacked.
Fragile Morale: Tang Ying gets +20 on all Bravery checks until he fails a bravery check, at which point he gets -20 on all Will Checks (Including Bravery Checks) until combat ends.
Kim Hyun-Soon
I Can't Run Away: When testing to Berserk, add two to your Effective Ghazali Score
New Robot Abilities
Shockwave Cascade:
Kinslayer: Shockwave Cascade never activates the normal berserk rules when berserking. Instead it repairs all hit effects it is currently suffering from, loses all non-inbuilt weapons, rolls for initiative again, adds 2 damage and penetration to its melee attacks, ignores fatigue and nonfatal injury while in combat, and may treat all standard attacks as if they were blitz attacks. You cannot make ranged attacks while Berserk, but your attacks all gain breach equal to EGS.
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Witness! Qarin! (Part Five)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Witness! Qarin! (Part Five)
"Hit it as hard as you can, you only need to hold for a little longer."
"I'm not sure how well that's going to work-"
"Thirty seconds, Pilot Alvarez. Insha'allah you can do it."
A stream of lava hits Marauder Valiant's left arm, turning it to slag that runs freely down the mech's side. The fires wracking Valiant's body intensify, Tang Ying's face goes sheet white, but he grits his teeth and raises his gatling cannon with his good arm in an attempt to draw a bead. Kim gives a bestial yell, mimicked at ground-shaking volumes by Shockwave Cascade, and charges in again. Qarin's soul changes in reaction. Solidifes. Becomes visible even to the naked eye, and Shockwave's blows simply slide off. Qarin's head swivels towards her and you yell a warning as it spits. She doesn't seem to hear you or register your voice but she hops backwards, dodging the blast but leaving nothing between you and Qarin.
Qarin bulls forwards, throwing its supersonic haymakers. You pull backwards, evading one blow, then another as you refocus and weaponize your soul. The mindset is difficult, nothing like the sims. Repurposing everything that makes you who you are into a killing tool isn't something to be done lightly, and as you desperately dodge you're increasingly unsure that you're capable of it outside of the sims.
Then Qarin punches you in the legs. It feels like someone took a baseball bat to your knees for a few rounds. One of your shins bruises instantly, and you suppress a scream as your legs begin to burn. You nearly fall, but years of freerunning and the like with Sam kick in, you turn the tumble into a roll and come back up swinging. Your barrier, useless in its current position, dissipates and fear and pain are replaced by simple, single-minded Wrath. Anger at what it did to Kim, anger at what it did to you, anger at what it did to Tang, anger at what it is trying to do, for ruining your day, for the existence of Ma'Jooj in general. You are, suddenly, angrier than you've ever been in your life
You step forwards, molten armor dripping from your legs, and slam a fist into Qarin's solidified soul, pitting your very beings against each other. It buckles. His buckles, then flickers as it absorbs the blow. You can feel his surprise, then anger as he throws another punch your way. You pull backwards, too slow, only for Shockwave to leap forwards and punch it away from you.
"Success," says Baibars, "Here comes the cavalry."
There's a flash of black and gold, trailed by red, in the sky above. An audio channel opens, Umar's voice broadcasting loud and clear. "Umar Ahmed, Sandstorm Sultan, striking Fi Sabilillah!" yells Umar, then Qarin's engulfed in an explosion. You see Shockwave drop to all fours and brace itself as the shockwave rolls over it, then you're forced back a step and a half as you're engulfed by the shockwave and dust cloud. There's a massive shattering sound, you feel Qarin's soul break, then shrink in recoil from the injury.
When the dust clears a massive Marida, easily a head-and-a-half taller than Penitent, stands in a deep crater with Qarin. It's black with splashes of white, blue light glows past cracks in its armor, a golden crest adorns its forehead, and a massive red scarf trails behind it. It wields a titanic hammer in both hands, striking Qarin with vicious efficiency as streams of Lava splash off of its soul. A huge section of Qarin's torso explodes away from it in a shower of gore, you get a glimpse of something deep in its body, a small, black organ scarcely larger than your cockpit, before it regenerates the wound with impossible speed and starts limping away from Outpost Wamala.
Sandstorm Sultan turns back towards you. Umar gains a video-screen to accompany the audio. He looks worried, incredibly so, and brightens up immediately when he sees that you're all alive. "I wasn't too late. You're all alright," he says, "Alhamdulillah. Please, try to stay behind me here on out, and yell if you need help. Ya Akhi, what's our plan from here?"
Right, next update is going to be the last in this fight, and in the name of my sanity we're moving to a much looser system for plans and shit here on out. Give a rough outline of your plan and what you're trying to accomplish, I'll do my best to carry it out over multiple turns, we'll have fewer updates and hopefully they'll flow more smoothly. Also Imma go back to cutting out the Turn Summaries and just stick with fight summaries.
Qarin is Legging it, give me a plan for the rest of the fight:
[ ] This is a clusterfuck, let it run. You need to recoup. (Try to calm down Shockwave and Kim and call this a victory)
[ ] Yes, letRei Umar do it. (Umar goes for a solo takedown, John tries to bring Shockwave and Kim out of Berserk)
[ ] Stick to ranged combat and try to bring it down before it escapes. (Read the fucking option you nitwit.)
[ ] Write-In
Turn Summary
Tang Ying fails to douse himself. Attack of Opportunity hits his left arm. Catches fire again. Critical Momentum rises to +3, Arm is Vaporized, Tang Ying gains stress, strain, Ghazali Score. EGS is now 5.5.
Qarin swings and misses at Johnathan
Kim Hyun-Soon swings but Qarin activates its Absolute Defense (Resilient Barrier), which negates the barrage without issue. Shockwave Cascade burns a little. Qarin hits with an AoO but Kim evades.
Qarin Punches Johnathan. Critical Hit, Penitents Legs are Smouldering, John Synch-Disrupts for +5 and gains 2 Strain. Johnathan is On Fire. His EGS is now 9.3.
Umar delays his Orbital Drop in the hope that the Absolute Defense will drop soon.
Johnathan uses Wrath, the Absolute Defense absorbs it, losing 1 Power.
Qarin punches Johnathan, but Johnathan successfully evades!
Umar drops and uses Gravity Kick on Qarin, destroying his Absolute Defense! Qarin's Defense is shattered and he now only gains 1 ATP per round. Umar's status as an Ace allows him to make an Attack of Opportunity whenever an opponents Absolute Defense is broken! He deals a Critical Hit for 11 Explosive Damage to Qarin's body, destroying it. Qarin uses his only Intercession to negate the hit! Qarin's critical momentum raises to +3.
Qarin decides that this probably isn't finishing in his favor, begins attempting to retreat. He moves into Close Range.
Fight Summary:
Tang Ying: Marauder Valiant, acting Initiative: 11. Stamina: ⅓ Armament: 300 CM Gatling Cannon. Refit: 440 CM Mark 1 Railgun. 1 Fatigue, 2 Strain, 2/35 Stress Critical Momentum: +3. Is on fire.
Kim Hyun-Soon: Shockwave Cascade, acting Initiative: 10. Stamina: 0/3. Armament: Inbuilt Pilebunkers. Refit: Hyper-Exothermic Gauntlets. Destroyed: Pilebunker Spear. Strain: 1 Critical Momentum: +2. 9/25 Stress. 1 Injury. Is On Fire. Is Berserk.
Johnathan Alvarez: Righteous Penitent. Acting Initiative: 9. Stamina: 1/3 Armament: 240 CM Mark 3 Assault Rifle. Refit: Tesla Sword and 300 CM Handcannon. Fatigue: 1, EGS 9.3. Critical Momentum: +1. Is on fire.
Umar Ahmed: Sandstorm Sultan. Acting Initiative: 10. Stamina: 0/3Armament: Payload Hammer. Refit: None.
Enemy Forces:
Qarin. Stamina: 1/4 -2 Strength. Absolute Defense: Resilient Barrier (Absorbs all attacks until de-activated. Attacks that do more than four damage reduce Power by 1. Resilient Barrier de-activates when Power reaches 0) . Absolute Defense Broken. 0/1 Intercessions remaining. Critical Momentum: +3.
Cost: 12
Relational Ranges:
Qarin is at Long Range to Outpost Wamala
Qarin is at Tactical range to Marauder Valiant, Close Range to Righteous Penitent, Sandstorm Sultan, and Shockwave Cascade
Objectives:
Ensure that Outpost Wamala is not destroyed until VIPs are Evacuated (2 Turns Left)
Repulse or Slay Qarin
Bonus Objectives:
Ensure the survival of Outpost Wamala
Immobilize Qarin (Failure)
New Pilot Abilities:
Umar Ahmed:
Fi Sabilillah!: As a 2 Stamina Action, Umar may roll against his Ghazali Score, opposed by his targets Logic. If successful, the target must target Umar with their next action. This suffers a -20 penalty if the target is in Engagement range with something hostile to them.
Burnout: Umar overloads his Marida's soul-amplifier, resulting in an unfocused release of energy. Everything within Close range of him takes 2*EGS damage. Afterwards his Soul-Field collapses as the Soul-Amplifier recovers from the damage. His EGS is set to 0 for one turn.
This results in Heavy Cost in Developed Areas and Moderate Cost in Undeveloped Areas.
Gravity Kick: When above an opponent, you may take a 3 Stamina Action to drop onto the enemy and use the falling damage you would normally have taken as the damage for an attack. You not take any falling damage from this attack, but for every kilometer you fall you take a -10 penalty to the to-hit roll. If you miss the target, you fall prone. If you have some means of maneuvering while airborne you may ignore this penalty and make the attack at a +10 bonus.
Aegis: Umar may spend EGS to increase his Armor against a single attack. Every Ghazali Point he spends increases his armor by 2.
Ace Mubarizun (Two Handed Melee): Umar Ahmed is capable of a variety of maneuvers while wielding a two-handed melee weapon, including forcing enemies to move, knocking them prone, piercing armor, battering through Soul-based defenses, striking with impossible precision to great effect, and unleashing devastating flurries of blows.
To Smile is Charity: Allies in Engagement range use Umar's bravery skill instead of theirs if Umar's is better, in addition they are better at assisting one another in combat.
More will be revealed when it comes up.
New Robot Abilities:
Sandstorm Sultan:
Sultan's Wing: Sandstorm Sultan has true flight at supersonic speeds. In addition, it can augment a fall, hitting the ground from any height (Including 'Orbital') in a single turn. Moving between normal range bands only ever costs 1 Step. Sandstorm Sultan can reach Orbit under its own power for 6 steps over two turns, but this incurs a Moderate cost and reduces Sandstorm Sultans Ghazali Efficiency by 15% for the rest of the fight.
Soul-Reactor Frame: Melee attacks made by Sandstorm Sultan have +3 Breach
"Hit it as hard as you can, you only need to hold for a little longer."
"I'm not sure how well that's going to work-"
"Thirty seconds, Pilot Alvarez. Insha'allah you can do it."
A stream of lava hits Marauder Valiant's left arm, turning it to slag that runs freely down the mech's side. The fires wracking Valiant's body intensify, Tang Ying's face goes sheet white, but he grits his teeth and raises his gatling cannon with his good arm in an attempt to draw a bead. Kim gives a bestial yell, mimicked at ground-shaking volumes by Shockwave Cascade, and charges in again. Qarin's soul changes in reaction. Solidifes. Becomes visible even to the naked eye, and Shockwave's blows simply slide off. Qarin's head swivels towards her and you yell a warning as it spits. She doesn't seem to hear you or register your voice but she hops backwards, dodging the blast but leaving nothing between you and Qarin.
Qarin bulls forwards, throwing its supersonic haymakers. You pull backwards, evading one blow, then another as you refocus and weaponize your soul. The mindset is difficult, nothing like the sims. Repurposing everything that makes you who you are into a killing tool isn't something to be done lightly, and as you desperately dodge you're increasingly unsure that you're capable of it outside of the sims.
Then Qarin punches you in the legs. It feels like someone took a baseball bat to your knees for a few rounds. One of your shins bruises instantly, and you suppress a scream as your legs begin to burn. You nearly fall, but years of freerunning and the like with Sam kick in, you turn the tumble into a roll and come back up swinging. Your barrier, useless in its current position, dissipates and fear and pain are replaced by simple, single-minded Wrath. Anger at what it did to Kim, anger at what it did to you, anger at what it did to Tang, anger at what it is trying to do, for ruining your day, for the existence of Ma'Jooj in general. You are, suddenly, angrier than you've ever been in your life
You step forwards, molten armor dripping from your legs, and slam a fist into Qarin's solidified soul, pitting your very beings against each other. It buckles. His buckles, then flickers as it absorbs the blow. You can feel his surprise, then anger as he throws another punch your way. You pull backwards, too slow, only for Shockwave to leap forwards and punch it away from you.
"Success," says Baibars, "Here comes the cavalry."
There's a flash of black and gold, trailed by red, in the sky above. An audio channel opens, Umar's voice broadcasting loud and clear. "Umar Ahmed, Sandstorm Sultan, striking Fi Sabilillah!" yells Umar, then Qarin's engulfed in an explosion. You see Shockwave drop to all fours and brace itself as the shockwave rolls over it, then you're forced back a step and a half as you're engulfed by the shockwave and dust cloud. There's a massive shattering sound, you feel Qarin's soul break, then shrink in recoil from the injury.
When the dust clears a massive Marida, easily a head-and-a-half taller than Penitent, stands in a deep crater with Qarin. It's black with splashes of white, blue light glows past cracks in its armor, a golden crest adorns its forehead, and a massive red scarf trails behind it. It wields a titanic hammer in both hands, striking Qarin with vicious efficiency as streams of Lava splash off of its soul. A huge section of Qarin's torso explodes away from it in a shower of gore, you get a glimpse of something deep in its body, a small, black organ scarcely larger than your cockpit, before it regenerates the wound with impossible speed and starts limping away from Outpost Wamala.
Sandstorm Sultan turns back towards you. Umar gains a video-screen to accompany the audio. He looks worried, incredibly so, and brightens up immediately when he sees that you're all alive. "I wasn't too late. You're all alright," he says, "Alhamdulillah. Please, try to stay behind me here on out, and yell if you need help. Ya Akhi, what's our plan from here?"
Right, next update is going to be the last in this fight, and in the name of my sanity we're moving to a much looser system for plans and shit here on out. Give a rough outline of your plan and what you're trying to accomplish, I'll do my best to carry it out over multiple turns, we'll have fewer updates and hopefully they'll flow more smoothly. Also Imma go back to cutting out the Turn Summaries and just stick with fight summaries.
Qarin is Legging it, give me a plan for the rest of the fight:
[ ] This is a clusterfuck, let it run. You need to recoup. (Try to calm down Shockwave and Kim and call this a victory)
[ ] Yes, let
[ ] Stick to ranged combat and try to bring it down before it escapes. (Read the fucking option you nitwit.)
[ ] Write-In
Turn Summary
Tang Ying fails to douse himself. Attack of Opportunity hits his left arm. Catches fire again. Critical Momentum rises to +3, Arm is Vaporized, Tang Ying gains stress, strain, Ghazali Score. EGS is now 5.5.
Qarin swings and misses at Johnathan
Kim Hyun-Soon swings but Qarin activates its Absolute Defense (Resilient Barrier), which negates the barrage without issue. Shockwave Cascade burns a little. Qarin hits with an AoO but Kim evades.
Qarin Punches Johnathan. Critical Hit, Penitents Legs are Smouldering, John Synch-Disrupts for +5 and gains 2 Strain. Johnathan is On Fire. His EGS is now 9.3.
Umar delays his Orbital Drop in the hope that the Absolute Defense will drop soon.
Johnathan uses Wrath, the Absolute Defense absorbs it, losing 1 Power.
Qarin punches Johnathan, but Johnathan successfully evades!
Umar drops and uses Gravity Kick on Qarin, destroying his Absolute Defense! Qarin's Defense is shattered and he now only gains 1 ATP per round. Umar's status as an Ace allows him to make an Attack of Opportunity whenever an opponents Absolute Defense is broken! He deals a Critical Hit for 11 Explosive Damage to Qarin's body, destroying it. Qarin uses his only Intercession to negate the hit! Qarin's critical momentum raises to +3.
Qarin decides that this probably isn't finishing in his favor, begins attempting to retreat. He moves into Close Range.
Fight Summary:
Tang Ying: Marauder Valiant, acting Initiative: 11. Stamina: ⅓ Armament: 300 CM Gatling Cannon. Refit: 440 CM Mark 1 Railgun. 1 Fatigue, 2 Strain, 2/35 Stress Critical Momentum: +3. Is on fire.
Kim Hyun-Soon: Shockwave Cascade, acting Initiative: 10. Stamina: 0/3. Armament: Inbuilt Pilebunkers. Refit: Hyper-Exothermic Gauntlets. Destroyed: Pilebunker Spear. Strain: 1 Critical Momentum: +2. 9/25 Stress. 1 Injury. Is On Fire. Is Berserk.
Johnathan Alvarez: Righteous Penitent. Acting Initiative: 9. Stamina: 1/3 Armament: 240 CM Mark 3 Assault Rifle. Refit: Tesla Sword and 300 CM Handcannon. Fatigue: 1, EGS 9.3. Critical Momentum: +1. Is on fire.
Umar Ahmed: Sandstorm Sultan. Acting Initiative: 10. Stamina: 0/3Armament: Payload Hammer. Refit: None.
Enemy Forces:
Qarin. Stamina: 1/4 -2 Strength. Absolute Defense: Resilient Barrier (Absorbs all attacks until de-activated. Attacks that do more than four damage reduce Power by 1. Resilient Barrier de-activates when Power reaches 0) . Absolute Defense Broken. 0/1 Intercessions remaining. Critical Momentum: +3.
Cost: 12
Relational Ranges:
Qarin is at Long Range to Outpost Wamala
Qarin is at Tactical range to Marauder Valiant, Close Range to Righteous Penitent, Sandstorm Sultan, and Shockwave Cascade
Objectives:
Ensure that Outpost Wamala is not destroyed until VIPs are Evacuated (2 Turns Left)
Repulse or Slay Qarin
Bonus Objectives:
Ensure the survival of Outpost Wamala
New Pilot Abilities:
Umar Ahmed:
Fi Sabilillah!: As a 2 Stamina Action, Umar may roll against his Ghazali Score, opposed by his targets Logic. If successful, the target must target Umar with their next action. This suffers a -20 penalty if the target is in Engagement range with something hostile to them.
Burnout: Umar overloads his Marida's soul-amplifier, resulting in an unfocused release of energy. Everything within Close range of him takes 2*EGS damage. Afterwards his Soul-Field collapses as the Soul-Amplifier recovers from the damage. His EGS is set to 0 for one turn.
This results in Heavy Cost in Developed Areas and Moderate Cost in Undeveloped Areas.
Gravity Kick: When above an opponent, you may take a 3 Stamina Action to drop onto the enemy and use the falling damage you would normally have taken as the damage for an attack. You not take any falling damage from this attack, but for every kilometer you fall you take a -10 penalty to the to-hit roll. If you miss the target, you fall prone. If you have some means of maneuvering while airborne you may ignore this penalty and make the attack at a +10 bonus.
Aegis: Umar may spend EGS to increase his Armor against a single attack. Every Ghazali Point he spends increases his armor by 2.
Ace Mubarizun (Two Handed Melee): Umar Ahmed is capable of a variety of maneuvers while wielding a two-handed melee weapon, including forcing enemies to move, knocking them prone, piercing armor, battering through Soul-based defenses, striking with impossible precision to great effect, and unleashing devastating flurries of blows.
To Smile is Charity: Allies in Engagement range use Umar's bravery skill instead of theirs if Umar's is better, in addition they are better at assisting one another in combat.
More will be revealed when it comes up.
New Robot Abilities:
Sandstorm Sultan:
Sultan's Wing: Sandstorm Sultan has true flight at supersonic speeds. In addition, it can augment a fall, hitting the ground from any height (Including 'Orbital') in a single turn. Moving between normal range bands only ever costs 1 Step. Sandstorm Sultan can reach Orbit under its own power for 6 steps over two turns, but this incurs a Moderate cost and reduces Sandstorm Sultans Ghazali Efficiency by 15% for the rest of the fight.
Soul-Reactor Frame: Melee attacks made by Sandstorm Sultan have +3 Breach
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