[Open]

[genpcs]

Who: Open!
Where: Aster Tech Facility
When: April 10th-16th
What: Rampaging Mech-Animals in Aster Tech facility.
Warnings: Rage Violence against machines and people as well.

As the elevator takes you down into the Aster Tech underground facility, you can see just how expansive it is. The forest is lush, expanding for miles and there are lakes and rivers and hills that can be made out easily from your position. A lot of work and care went into crafting this underground facility. It was almost like a second world. But Nova City was just a huge place, and Aster Technologies extremely rich. Crafting a place like this while expensive, was well within their reach.

The place felt entirely real. Even the simulated sky with the sun can easily pass for the real thing. The moon and stars could as well, if you entered this place at night. The place looks picture perfect, it was, or would be if not for the raging Mech-Animals. While they couldn't be seen from here, when you get close enough to be picked up by them, don't be surprised when they attack.


The following is a list of Mech-Animals that can be encountered. Land Based Mech-Animals durable. Some more so than others, some are quicker than others as well. Close ranged attacked are used by them. They can either overwhelm with strength or speed. Some have claws, that make them deadly. All are equipped with some form of rapid fire energy weapon. The snakes are also equipped with a neurotoxin that paralyzes within minutes.

Land Mech-Animals - Goat, Dragon, Wolf, Snake, Elephant, Scorpion, Bear, Boar, Cheetah, Wild Dog, Ox, Rhino, Lion and Lioness, Frilled Lizard


Flying Mech-Animals favor long ranged attacks. They have high maneuverability in the air and long ranged energy weapons equipped to them that make them particularly tough.

Flying Mech-Animals - Wasp, Owl


Aquatic Mech-Animals favor close range if you are foolish enough to get into the water. They will overwhelm you with speed and attempt to drag you to the bottom so that you drown. Or inject their own neurotoxin via bites into you for a similar effect.

Aquatic Mech-Animals - Octopus, Shark, Viperfish, Sea Creature

[ooc: This is an open log for everyone to log out their Aster Tech Facility adventures if they want. Note in the subject line of your tag if it is open to all characters or closed to certain ones. Be sure to check the Newspaper before posting here.]

Comments

OTA

[redcinemareel]

Working for Aster Tech wasn't anything new, so of course she took this bounty. The employees weren't in the know of what was going on with the recent scientist deaths, and maybe this was connected to it. Either way, Grell was curious. What she didn't expect upon the elevator doors opening was a vast new world that definitely wasn't on the tour. She didn't think such a place could exist, and made her wonder about what other hidden places this new world held.

Grell walked into the lush forest, seeing the sun pouring through the eyelets of leaves. If she was here for any other purpose besides taking down some warped mecha-beasts, Grell would have found this all very serene. The only sound that could be heard was the jangling of her chainwhip, held at her side by a single leather strap to her belt, and her boots stepping on the forest floor.

"What came first, the forest, or the creatures?" Either could be a true possibility. Playing around with robotics and animals would have taken just as long as making all of this.

[lunarlegionnaire]

It had taken all he had not to betray any recognition at the sight of Grell Sutcliffe. He should have known she'd be here; after all, she worked for Aster and was a sellsword by her own admission. So the man Genessia would soon know as Moon Knight had shared the ride down with her in utter silence. A warrior in jet and silver slightly out of his element, but armed and ready for the hunt.

Whatever he'd been about to say to her musing was interrupted by a mechanical hoot from above them. He looked up... and felt compelled to answer her with a question of his own.

"Who shoots first: the hunters, or the prey?"

The canopies above them began to light up with dozens of glowing red eyes, irises not so much dilating as closing upon themselves like shutters on a camera. Every single one of them were trained on the ground, on the red-maned woman and the warrior in white who'd come here to shut them down.

And joining those eyes came just as many cannon barrels, glinting chrome in the dim artificial sunlight. They had milliseconds to spare before the laser rain began. Moon Knight used them to dive to the right, taking cover behind a particularly thick tree as he unslung the compound bow he'd brought with him.

[redcinemareel]

Guess that answered his question. Who dressed in such bright colors, anyway?

All there was to her reply was a grin before she zipped out of the way on foot, darting between the foliage with lasers at her heels. After a moments disappearance, Grell leaped up between a flock of those owls, intentionally surrounding herself before flickering out of sight again right before they shot their lasers. The move took out a small number of them, while Grell landed gracefully on the ground below them.

There wasn't much time to wait for a grace period as more lasers came her way, yet instead of leaping away from the birds, she charged right at a flock of three, chain whip in hand. She dodged each beam as the distance closed, while a few grazed her arms. They were barely felt, though, not until later. With a few jumps upon branches to reach the trio, Grell swung the whip in a wide arch, not only cutting through the birds, but most of the bark and trunk as well.

While the birds fell to pieces, Grell took a moment to hide on another branch. She wondered what her silent partner was up to, and how long they would be pinned down like this.

[lunarlegionnaire]

There was a primal grace to her swiftness and ferocity that Moon Knight could appreciate in any fighter. She loved battle, that much he'd known from the start, but it was clear to him now that that love was more than a little unhealthy. It had everything to do with the manic shark-toothed grin on her face as she tore into the Mech-Animals. Over the videophone, it had merely unnerved him. In person, it worried him. It wasn't hard to imagine her tearing into human beings instead of robots... and loving every second of it.

As if conjured from her thoughts, the crescent crusader popped up from the foliage and loosed an arrow. It lanced right into the middle of a small flock, piercing the biggest one right in the head. As it plummeted, the arrow crackled and sent thousands of volts of electricity into its immediate surroundings, filling the air with the scent of ozone.

And then there were five owls falling to the ground like so much scrap metal. It gave Grell the opening she would need to strike anew, and himself the chance to get to higher ground before the lasers found him. He used his grappling hook for this, though not before a bolt nicked his shoulder and gave him a burn he'd feel for a few days.

[redcinemareel]

Now that was the sort of backup she could appreciate. With the new opening, Grell ave a quick glance around and saw a few birds above her shooting at the other. Swinging her chain whip upwards so she could get to that higher branch with one swing and land behind the bird.

She grabbed it with one arm, crushing its body with a squeeze and aimed its lasers at the others that started shooting at her. It was a bit hard to maneuver on such a thin branch, especially in a crouching position, but she manages to clear the area of branches she was at. Maybe five at the least. Not unscathed, but as long as her face was unblemished, she could deal with that.

"We're wasting time!" Grell called out, snapping the head of the bird to shut it down completely. These birds were meant to slow them down, which means the bigger threat may be waiting at the facility.

[lunarlegionnaire]

She was right. The same virus ran through all their systems. Who's to say they wouldn't know how to coordinate and wear down any potential hunters? They had to keep moving or they'd be joining those scientists very soon.

"Get clear!"

Breathe, aim, release. The next arrow passed over Grell's shoulder and discharged its shocking payload amid owls in hot pursuit. It was far enough from his partner that she wouldn't feel any ill effects, other than her hair standing up for a few minutes.

Then he was running from branch to branch, lasers turning his footing into charred and twisted ruins. One bolt went a little farther than the others and destroyed the branch Moon Knight had just stepped on. Luckily, he was able to spread his glider cape and land a few 'stories' below Grell.

"Water! I can hear it up ahead!" From the sound of things, however, it was going to be quite a drop. They needed to be ready for that.

[redcinemareel]

She jumped down just in time to avoid the shot, but that static of electricity was still felt on her skin. It was just a tingle, though. Upon landing, and throwing the useless bird at another flock, Grell ran quickly towards where he said the sound of water could be heard, wrapping up her chain whip on the run.

A good thing she invested in waterproof makeup.

Not all the birds followed them, but there were a brave few that did so. They rained down beams of light from above whenever they spotted the intruders from below. She could hear the water, as well, now. It definitely didn't sound like a lake.

"We should have gotten a map..." She was certain that they wouldn't have been able to avoid whatever was coming either way.

[lunarlegionnaire]

"Not that it'd be much help right now." They'd cleared the treeline to find themselves at a river bank. Said bank curved to their right for several more meters before terminating in a sheer drop, transforming the river into a roaring waterfall. The lunar avenger whipped his head back the way they came, then down the misty maw below them. Where others would've seen an impasse, he saw only an opportunity. If a perilous one that left quite a bit to chance.

"I've got a plan to lose these buzzards and get us down there," he said as he put his bow away and drew his truncheon. "But you're gonna have to trust me."

One look and she'll know he means jumping. There was no time to find out if she could survive a fall from this height or even fly. The screeching of their pursuers was growing louder, and if their lasers didn't send them off to the happy hunting ground, their talons certainly would.

[redcinemareel]

As if there was any other option but to jump.

"It would be ludicrous to not work together now!" He has her trust for this mission, because getting killed by a pack of mecha-owls wasn't on her to do list. The waterfall she could survive.

Glancing back at the sound of their approaching enemies, Grell looked back to the man cloaked in white. "What do we do?"

OTA

[nofortunateone]

[Toby doesn't have a job and so he sticks to the bounties that he can find in the paper. Nova City isn't a place he knows well and so his curiosity is peeked. Robotic animals going out of control sounds like something he could do and he wouldn't have to hold back unlike many of the other bounties. His expression and solemn and his arms are crossed over his chest as he rides down to the strange forest beneath the ground. It doesn't smell right but he should be able to find the mechanical smells in the dense forest anyway. He'd stay within the trees, he's used to moving through forests, and he has little to no defense against flying mechanisms unless they fly below the tree line.

He doesn't shift, preferring to remain human in case coming across someone else. His stormy gray eyes flick around and as the lift stops he takes off. His feet move quickly along the brush as he comes along his first prey. A snarl vibrates in his chest as he catches a mechanical snake around it's neck. His muscles tense and he pulls it apart leaving it on the forest floor. He pauses only to pick up the glittering chip that had been described in his directions. Pocketing it he moves forward, occasionally his hands turn to claws however it's only as he fights the beasts larger than him.]

OTA

[evenglass]

[Ivina didn't care for any reward when she took this task, but rather for the part where she gets to explore more of Nova City. This place fascinates her so much. At the same time it's very similar and different to her home. The trip to this location and the location itself was so stunning that she can be found with a grin on her face, leisurely walking in her more "human" clothes. She wore a purple longcoat with a black scarf with glowing amber etchings loosely spun around her collar. Her knee-high boots make soft thuds against the grassy ground.

She walks towards a large clearing, where the shuffling of the shrubs and branches grow louder and faster. Ivina made sure she was at the very center, turning to look over her shoulder as a mechanical boar lead the charge. She conjures up a giant mace in her hands, swinging it with one arm to slap the mechanical beast away. The swing made a sound of loud ringing and vibrating metal, and the collision of the weapon head against the boar's side struck like a loud bell.]

My, these creations are stronger than I thought. Aster Technologies, your craftmanship deserves praise.

[Ivina praised the durability of the robotic animal, despite it being destroyed by her mace in one blow. Normally it would have been pulverized, and yet it's still there on the ground as a heap of metal, wiring, and smoke. The unified roars of the land animals grow louder, signing their charge at the intruder]

Ivo! Sangail!

[Out of thin air, a small company of spectral soldiers appeared around Ivina and forming a shield wall around her in a circle. Spear points are protruding through the creases of the wall, meeting the angry horde in one loud crash of metal against metal. Ivina's ghostly protectors push back once they took the brunt of the assault, forming a looser square formation. It is then Ivina's attention got caught by something amiss. Someone else is coming]

[orlokbutterfly]

[The rustling of foliage and the rapid gallops of metal hitting the ground would be loud and clear nearby. In fact, it was actually getting closer.

An ox would burst from the trees while a likely familiar humanoid figure would be backflipping out of its attack range- while even having a small pack of wolves biting and lunging at him at the same time. Orlok would be twisting his body, turning and flipping around to avoid the creatures with ease. He practically looked like he was dancing, and toying with the mechanical beasts.

Beneath the mask, his eye catches quite the familiar woman. His grin widens, giving a wolf a kick while he backflips and springs up onto a treebranch, making sure to behead a nearby snake with his wrist's beam katar.]

Well well, look who we have here. Didn't expect to see a lovely woman in this place.

[evenglass]

[It took some time before Gale reached her location, and within that brief time period, Ivina's ghost soldiers have dealt with the threat. Some of the creatures backed off into the shadows once the initial charge was halted and the presence of another party is nearing them. They will wait to attack when Ivina's guard is down...

In the meantime, once the soldiers heard Gale's voice, they encircled Gale in the blink of an eye, spears pointing toward him in unison. Ivina simply raised her hand with a command in her native language to get them to stand down and vanish into fog.]

Ah, you're late. Forgive me if I got started having fun without you.

[Ivina's lips curled into a flirty grin as she casually rests her mace over her shoulder like it wasn't as heavy as it is. Despite her words she isn't expecting to see Gale, although she is aware of his bounty hunting and relationship with Aster Technologies.]

[orlokbutterfly]

To think you came here to my back yard without even calling and started enjoying yourself without me. I'm wounded! Truly!

[He hadn't even paid any mind to her guards or when they vanished. Given who she was, he wasn't really phased by what she did or what she had control of. If anything, it made her all the more interesting to hang out with.

He hooked his legs around the branch and swung backwards, hanging upside down from the branch by his legs. As usual, he looked way too casual and almost like he wasn't taking anything seriously. Standard Gale fare. But he does know to ease off it a bit, he's got his hot boss to impress. That's also going to amp up his show off levels though.]

I'm always a little surprised to see you out here in Nova City. I figured Fayren was your kinda scene. I'm sure not complainin' though.

[evenglass]

[Ivina responds with a sarcastic "Aww" reaction at Gale's prentendy hurt feelings. It was adorable and Gale's antics like hanging upside down from a tree just made this trip a bit more interesting. She's in a good mood today, so she's not yelling at him to come down from there]

Fayren's state of affairs are currently amuck. Though that city has always been filthy in more ways than one.

[Because poor people. Eww]

I find myself becoming more at home in this city.

[orlokbutterfly]

[He's certainly noticed her good mood, so he's gonna get mileage out of it for sure.]

Yeah, Fayren's been kind of a mess lately. Can't really judge it any other time, myself. I've only gone there a handful of times. I'm too much of a whore for technology.

[Probably because he runs on it, but y'know. He still calmly hangs from the tree despite a flickering icon that was fast approaching on his mask's HUD.

A cheetah leapt out from the grass and Gale threw his arm out, the marks on his neck briefly glowing as a blast of electricity sent the cheetah reeling back.]

Excuse you, we're talking here.

[He looks back to Ivina.]

Well, I've always got a spare room in my apartment if you ever wanna drop by when you're in the city. Got two other roommates but one sleeps on the couch all the time. Despite, y'know, having multiple bedrooms in the place.

[evenglass]

[Ivina watches Gale dispatch of the mechanical cat, only shifting her eye slightly and not moving an inch from where she stands. Her gaze returned to her conversation partner once that brief distraction is over with]

That is quite a party you house within your walls.

[Ivina closes her eyes, turning halfway to move on her quest]

You offer something quite generous. But I have plans to bring my city into this world.

[orlokbutterfly]

[Aww, not getting to spend time with the hot boss at home. Lame. Ah well, what she said is still pretty interesting. He swings himself from the branch and lands perfectly beside her, placing a hand on his hip.]

Lookin' into a subarchway, huh? Fair enough.

[As much as he wanted an alterna frame again, he sure wouldn't consider a subarchway himself. She's definitely one up on him on that.]

What kinda place is it, anyway?

[azaleafae]

[For Azalea, the Aster Technology Facility was reminiscent of the Golem Workshop in Sornieth. And the mechanical creatures who have conquered the place were a challenge even for the strongest dragons.

Unfortunately, for the Aster Facility, Azalea had to take size into account as well when choosing her companions. Of all the physical fighting dragons who had successfully completed the Passage back home, her mate Coco was the smallest of them. While Coco is much larger than Azalea, at least he was small enough to fit through the entrance to the facility.]

[Coco rushes at the mechanical beasts, tearing through them with his claws. Any beasts that attacked from behind, he'd kick with his hind legs. Azalea keeps to the air, flapping her wings to hover in place, watching Coco fight. After clearing out another wave, Coco stops for a breather.]

This is not the quality time I had in mind...

[Azalea lands on Coco's head, patting him softly.]

Don't worry, I'll make it up to you. I promise.

[Coco begins to walk again, eventually spotting someone...not mechanical. It looked like a Serthis, but without the snake body.] What is that?

[Azalea looks ahead, spotting Ivina.] It's not one of these mechanical animals. ...Hello?

[evenglass]

[Ivina dismissed her phantom troops, making them vanish in fog. Out of the smoke, she steps out with her mace placed over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes at the newcomers, seeing the familiar Azalea]

Ah. It's the fairy.

[She remembers Azalea, finding her curious the first time]

Come to have fun, I see.

[A mechanical bear that's been speared through many times tried to crawl from where it stayed, wanting to escape into the woods again before Ivina just smashes it's head with her mace, unflinchingly. Her attention never once moved from Azalea and Coco]

[azaleafae]

[Azalea and Coco also bat their eyes at the bear as Ivina smashed it. Then they look at her again.]

I'm a Fae dragon, actually.

[Not quite the same as a fairy. Coco addresses Ivina himself.] And what are you, may I ask?

[Azalea decides to answer herself.] She's a...human. ...Right?

[She has met some people here who appear human, but are actually something else. Coco nods at the answer, never taking his eyes off Ivina.]

Ah, so that's one of the "humans" you were telling us about...

[evenglass]

[Ivina only frowns briefly at Coco while he speaks to Azalea, rolling her eyes as they talk about her]

More than human, I assure you.

[azaleafae]

[Coco nods, unimpressed by the arrogance.] What you are matters little in the end. I was simply curious is all.

[Azalea gives him another pat on the head, and then attempts to steer the conversation in a more friendly direction.]

I think I remember seeing you at the carnival. I don't think we've introduced, though. I'm Azalea, and this is my mate, Coco.

[evenglass]

[Ivina turned her back on the two. She feels like her time is being wasted by stopping here when she can just explore this curious place more. But when Azalea speaks up, Ivina slows her pace and turns her head to look at her through the corner of her eyes]

Azalea... Hm. Then I shall remember that name, Fae dragon.

[She turns her head to look forward once more. But it's only good manners to say her name in return, even if she has her back facing them. As she was about to, more mechanical animals gather in the darkness. Even more this time]

... Hm. Our introductions would have to be cut short. More of our hosts are gathering in the dark.

[The same company of ghost soldiers appeared in a cloud of smoke and dark flame, surrounding Ivina in a loose circle with their shields raised and pikes pointed outward.]

Unless you seek blood like I, it will be wise to leave this rabble to me.

[azaleafae]

[This human is powerful, both Coco and Azalea would give her that. However, Coco especially isn't going to let her hog all the glory. He steps forward, standing beside Ivina outside her circled army, facing where the Mech-Animals were coming from.]

No, we came here to battle. Even the strongest dragons need to sharpen their claws every now and then. Qubine wouldn't forgive us if we let our skills wither.

[As the animals came into view, Azalea leaps off Coco's head, hovering over him again.]