One word rattled through Ashria's mind. "Person? Did you communicate with it? Why did you use the word person? " Ashria burns time he knows he doesn't have, but he must know the answers to formulate an effective plan. "If there is no load bearing support there I will use my artillery laser to make the opening it made wider and go through, I would like the rest of you to head through the door together, keep each other safe." Ashria laid down his plan of action, ready for battle.
"Why are we trying to damage it more Ashria? Also, may not be supports, but could be other stuff inside that we don't want lasered." Cayden replied, skidding to a stop and groaning softly as Estelle sloshed inside of him.
“We’ve wasted enough time.” Estelle said promptly, uneasy about waiting any longer and risking further collapse.
“Head on inside and I’ll follow your lead, big boy.” She winked at Ashria, pressing her caustoject up to his arm and injecting him with something presumably beneficial. “Cayden and Leda, go in through the access hatch on the other side.”
In the absence of anyone asserting direct orders she was happy to fill that role. Her experience treating patients in the ER meant she knew when quick decisions were needed. Her tail swished behind her as she prepared to follow the angelic man inside.
Injected Ashria with a basic booster, giving him +2 enhancement on all skill checks.
"If you are sure, doctor. I would feel more comfortable if you stayed with the others, the energy I expel harms everything in my vicinity, but I am duty bound to the protection of everyone here, I will adapt to the situation as needed."Ashria shifted uncomfortably under his armor, once again glad his helmet disguised his facial expressions. He readied his laser, as he spoke once more. "We are heading into a battle with an unknown number of creatures with an unknown level of intelligence. For all we know they could be lying in wait for us. I am breaching the wall with the laser to hopefully catch their attention, with any luck they will be too busy fighting me to notice the rest of you." Ashria explained as he steeled himself for the breeching to come.
With little more to add to the conversation in terms of planning, Leda would nod at Estelle's words.
"Sounds like a good enough plan to me." The android would then check on her gear once more before she heads in, ready for what may be a fight. This would give time to let Cayden get into the lead, since it seemed he was more suited to taking point, what with his unique fighting style.
Cayden and Leda entered through the access hatch while Ashria and Estelle entered through the breach in the wall. They were all greeted with a mess. The machinery that would be responsible for the purification of grain and other foodstuff, had been severely damaged, though at the moment the severity of the damage was hard to assertain.
Cayden and Leda saw a strange bug, feeding on some of the broken crates of food.
It looked like a large louse or some other vermin. However it's size was nothing like any louse any of them had seen before. It was about four feet from head to tail. It seemed like wherever it had moved in the storage, it had corroded and destroyed the area.
Where Ashria and Estelle entered, they saw the same mess, but they also noticed a strange little creature sitting atop some of the railing in the silo. The creature were about 2½ foot tall, and nearly as wide. It had a large forehead and long talons. It gave off a small screeching sound as they entered.
Estelle gasped slightly seeing the two creatures seemingly having made themselves at home here. Her inclination was to start out slow and peaceful, but with their food being consumed and the pest eroding the structure as it moved, they didn’t exactly have time for that approach.
“Try to subdue them, don’t just go killing everything.” she said loud enough for Cayden and Leda to hear but trying to keep it a calm tone. She got low and slowly moved to grab a sample of whatever substance was corroding the silo’s structure in the beetle’s wake. If she could find a chemical to neutralize the destructive reaction, that’d be a start. Her hands moved deftly and her tail slowly swished behind her, wings pressed to her back to try and remain as small as possible.
Physical science skill check. Life science uses the same modifier either way.
d20+9 = Natural 20 for 29 total.
Walking into the room, the rather large creature that had made the food stores its residence was easily notice. Leda check around for where it might have gotten it, but as she sees it's corroding metal, it had probably made its own entrance, rather than finding one. As Estelle calls out to not kill the creatures, the android looks to her rather analog semi-auto pistol and sighs. "I guess I'll try not to hit any vitals then, but this seems like it's mostly gonna fall to you, Cayden. I'm ready on your mark."
She tenses up as she raises her pistol, ready for Cayden to start things off since he'll be up front. She eyes up what might be the battlefield, and finds plenty of ways to break line of sight with cover she can swiftly aim out from.
Should a fight break out, Leda will try and use Trick Attack with Stealth on the louse, using some of the boxes to facilitate such actions.
"I'm not really any better at not killing things. My whole fighting style is to help Dr. Estelle or others shoot things better while I'm a distraction." He said with a shrug, twirling his infinity lash. "Besides, I doubt your adoring public want to just see us hide, right?" Cayden added, the singer looking around for the android's cameras that would help bring him further exposure, and hopefully fortune and fame later on.
He moved gracefully within reach of the thing, and attempted to attack it with his lash, leaving a good opening for his partner to shoot into.
Attack roll: 25 (nat 20)
Damage: 5
Cayden gives Leda +1 attack on her ranged attack against the foe he's threatening.
Ashria sighs audibly. "As you wish doctor." The golden warrior's wings turn black as he gathers gravitons in his body. Opening his mind to the dark power of gravity shifts his metal state, crushing his inhibitions the manners and restraints drilled into his head by years of training. He tosses his weapon aside and begins to laugh as he launches himself at the creature sitting on the railing. His wings propel him through the air at the unknown creature. He swings a metal shod first at the beast as he roars out. "Time to misplace some aggression!"
Stellar mode: One point of graviton gained. Graviton mode entered.
Unarmed attack: 15
Nonlethal damage: 4
"Be that as it may, I'm pretty sure it should be easier to not inflict lethal damage with a whip. I ain't so confident in my shootin' skill to really incapacitate it, but I sure can try..." Leda begins to move almost in tandem with Cayden, but splitting off to make it to the boxes she had chosen beforehand. As she's running, she does manage to break line of sight, but normally this maneuver is done when there's more atmospheric noise, so even as she easily does the movements, the louse basically following her by her footsteps on metal kills the whole 'take it by surprise' thing she was seeking.
Nevertheless, this would not stop the android from shooting as she quickly ducks in and out from behind the box, taking a shot at the thing more towards the back and upper end. She has no idea where this alien might keep it's vitals, but away from the head and higher up seems like a good option.
Full Round Action:
Trick Attack attempt was a failure with a check of 17.
Accompanying attack with nonlethal penalty and Cayden bonus is 11.
Nonlethal Damage if that hits is 1.
The fight broke out almost simultaneously on either side of the building. The couple entering through the breach in the wall, encountering the strange creature saw it for the potential danger it was and attacked it, before it had a chance to react.
Estelle tried to assertain the situation. The creature was a very rare specimen of the Gremlin genus, called a Drikluz gremlin. Unlike most gremlin they weren't associated with causing mayhem for mechanical systems. Rather, they had psionic abilities to attract vermin of all sorts. While possessing little more than animal intelligence, they were extremely mean spirited and downright evil creatures.
Ashira soared up and forward and hit the gremlin with a solid punch, causing it to scream in a high pitched voice.
The creature tried to bite back at Ashira but missed. Ashira noticed that it seemed to have a multitude minute bugs and vermins in its fur.
On the other side of the room Leda and Cayden engaged the large louse. Cayden tried to hit it with his whip and landed a solid blow that shocked the creature, all while he tried to assist his companion. However Leda's attempt to trick the mindless creature seemed to fail and her shot went wild.
The louse tried to close the distance to get to the femboy, biting him in the leg. The bite hits Cayden and the mandibles go deep into his leg, drawing blood.
The average initiative allows the PCs to act first
Estelle knew enough to ascertain that a gremlin, especially a Drikluz, was nothing to engage in conversation with. Bringing insects could expose colonists to disease as well… and it’s kinda gross. Not that the tiefling was squeamish given her profession, but still, it’s gross. And to make matters worse there was nothing she had on-hand that could neutralize the acid being excreted from the louse.
“I stand corrected… killing is fine, there’s no other option.” Estelle sighed, loading another serum into her pistol and firing it at Cayden, the strange energy weapon directly inserting her biohack into his bloodstream without the need for needles.
Injected Cayden with a basic booster, granting him +1 AC.
Leda frowns as her shot goes wide. Her tactics not working didn't help, and going for them, as well as a non-lethal shot worked against her a bit. However, both problems are soon rectified as the android steps out of cover to face down the louse with Cayden, and Estelle calls for everyone to go for broke. Leda takes a deep breath as she lines her aim up once more, aiming closer to center mass as she takes advantage of Cayden's distracting method of fighting.
Standard Action: Fire Semi-Auto Pistol, +1 from Cayden.
Results: 18 to hit for 6 piercing damage.
Cayden yelps on pain as he gets chomped on, a fairly vicious bite. He feels one of Estelle's drugs making his muscles feel looser and more agile, though it unfortunately doesn't do anything to dull the pain.
He grunts and carefully steps back a little before attacking with his whip again.
With no more reason to hold back, Ashria Ingnites his sacred solar blade now tinged black with the gravatons gathering in his body. "Time to die." The warrior growls as he brings the blade down to slay the gremlin and move on to his allies that need aid.
Graviton mode: One point gained, two total.
Solar sword attack: 18
Damage: 7
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