2023-06-15: Electric City - Neu Iarlles y Ffynon
- Cast: C.C., Kallen Kozuki, Kaworu Nagisa, Roger Smith, Sayoko Shinozaki, Liam 7-020
- Where: Paradigm City
- Date: U.C. 0097 06 15
- Summary: The Black Book of Carmarthen, Act 1: The Lady of the Fountain. Paradigm's future begins its collision with the past.
<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
A city of dreams is illuminated by the past.
(BGM - The Big O: Evolution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_WRDZaydrQ)
�
And of course, when the past is forgotten, would the lifeblood of that city not flicker and falter? Ever since the subtle slip of intrusion into the perfect idyllic memory that is Paradigm City, rolling blackouts have begun to dim the myriad lights that make Paradigm burn so brightly amidst its dim surroundings - as though the gray hills and valleys around the city's perimeter creep inwards. Without electricity, how will Paradigm's citizens fend off the bitter cold?
-no, of course it isn't the middle of June. Don't be ridiculous.
To an assortment of interested parties - a Casey Jenkins from Paradigm Group's Power Management has arrived to each. A well dressed woman in a pink suit, sunglasses tight to her face. With a cordial little smile, she offers to each her card, and a simple proposal.
Investigate the Electric City power plant, and resolve its shuttering at the hands of its locals.
It may look foreign and strange to outside observers, accustomed to the Earth's power source of solar batteries and nuclear generation, but to Paradigm, this vast hydroelectric dam is monumental and inspiring - even as it's as cold and gray as the mountains surrounding it. Lantern-carrying villagers arraign all intruders one by one - it seems the Paradigm Group didn't want to settle for just one negotiating party. Isn't it strange, though? To explicitly search for 'outsiders' to resolve what's clearly a dispute pertinent to their own interests? To gather so many of them that their own show of arms would obviously suffice?
At the outskirts of the turbine generation facility, villagers leering at all who arrive, a single robed man rises to the forefront. The town 'leader' of the so-called Electric City, now dark and shunning the ways of the outside world.
"-It is clear to me for what reason you all have come. But it is all fruitless. The bounty of this reservoir cannot be allowed to go towards your ambitions. The reason is clear and simple..."
He raises his arms, almost prophetically. "Those who disturb this land will be struck down by the thunder of God. Turn away, and He shall spare you his anger. We guard this place not just for our sake, but for yours as well."
--To allude to God in a place like Paradigm is almost paradoxical. The god spoken of is one whose power is rooted in antiquity, in existing since time immemorial. For these people to call to one in a land that is shrouded in mists from a mere 40 years prior...
KTS: Kaiju Navi has deployed in Power Type Kaiju. KTS: Kaiju Navi has deployed in Speed Type Kaiju. [O-BLK] Cascade Vermilion> I may have missed something at one point - what's BK doing here in general? Do we have a group goal? [O-BLK] C.C.> = -ah heck I probably didn't make that clear enough aaa. CC and Lelouch have brought them here as part of a play to secure the city as a BK hideout and they're playing it sneaky and securing influence and kind of acting as negotiators in their own right.
KTS: Kaiju Navi's Speed Type Kaiju has left Kaiju Navi teleports out. Kaiju Navi teleports in.
KTS: Kaiju Navi has deployed in Power Type Kaiju. KTS: Kaiju Navi has changed loadout. [O-BLK] Cascade Vermilion> OK! I just didn't know why we were in Paradigm, ha ha
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
Heading out to the Britannian mainland was a tall order on short notice. But not too much for the Queen of the Black Knights. As a matter of fact, she's even dressed for the occasion, having procured a perfectly fit and tailored red suit instead of the Black Knights uniform. Her hair is combed and gelled back to look professional. And she has a stylish pair of sunglasses to hide her eyes. Negotiators, as she understands it, should always look their best for the job.
It seems tonight, even the heat of the Guren can't do a single thing to ruin her carefully styled presentation. What does give her some pause however, it the thunder of God. The idea of a singular god is... nonsense for her. But Many Gods... that's another story. After all, the shrines she still maintains, each honors a separate figure. So perhaps this is a position she can use for leverage. "Good man, could you perhaps tell us more of your God? A protecting, caring deity should be one open to reason..." Certainly, it's possible this is merely a wrathful figure. But in a case such as that, why revere it so? Worship always spawns from one of a few sources. Pinpointing this one's origin should tell her a great deal.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Not so long ago, at twilight, a witch and an angel conversed about the nature of this strange, broken city. Although the details are yet to be excavated, the general shape of it is something familiar to both of them--and of interest to several mutual... acquaintances is the wrong word, but it's the closest one, so it will do. She had mentioned a 'date'; he had mentioned 'orders.' Both of them take them to the border between water and earth.
C.C. of course has her own intentions. Kaworu, however, is content to watch from above as the proceedings unfold. From atop a towering steel statue of a misshapen winged creature beyond the outskirts of the facility, the young man stands, hands in the pockets of his black administrator suit. The occasional breeze sets his silver hair and violet scarf-tie adrift as he watches people gather several blocks away at the bidding of Paradigm Group's Power Management.
Any normal human would be far too far away to hear the villagers' threats. Kaworu's smile continues unabated as negotiators of all stripes try to reason with apparent zealots.
"And so, the denizens of another forsaken land raise their hands to a hidden divinity once more," he remarks conversationally.
The light that shines over him takes on a curious cast, perhaps thanks to the local weather. As if refracted from fog, it forms a subtle shimmer around his pale hair, like a moonlight corona. Or like...
"Show me, then." His eyes burn scarlet holes in this gray world. "This being that you call 'God'..."
<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.
I would usually never take a job for Paradigm... it's not as if they care whether those outside the domes receive power.
But Paradigm City's Negotiator was here nonetheless. So why?
Perhaps he was just the sort of man who couldn't turn down a beautiful woman. Maybe the long drive just sounded appealing after a stressful morning. (Dorothy had been trying to teach her new Haros her piano routine. It was no more appealing in triplicate.) It could have been curiosity about Electric City itself...
Was this place called that before the power plant was built? Wouldn't that be ironic.
Fortunately, simply driving the curious investigators from the barred gates of the plant seemed to be enough to satisfy the residents - but it was an awful framework for negotiating. Not that a confrontation was particularly concerning - the young man he'd borrowed from NERV was more than capable of handling himself, but it'd be unpleasant and very poor form.
"So, they want to avoid God's wrath? I'm not exactly an atheist... But it's hard to imagine a god that can call down lightning living in a place like this."
He casts a forlorn gaze back at Liam, only for his eyes to track slowly sideways - towards a glimmer of light in a forbidden tower. And then slowly, calculatingly, along the trail of a concrete tunnel into the hills surrounding the city, up through winding trees. A slim little smile sneaks out under his heavy shades.
"Well. It looks like we might still see for ourselves."
<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.
There is... Something. Out there. Probably. Further into the facility. It's not initially clear specifically what it is...
The occasional glimpse of movement.
The brief registering of a heat signature which then quickly blips out.
A quiet echo registering on external mics.
It could just be wildlife. Or sensor ghosts from interference. Or real ghosts...
Whatever it is though, it's doing a good job of hiding.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam is here because a colleague asked him to be. All he knows of Roger Smith is that he is a very sharp dresser, and a negotiator; the mission profile, however, sent chills of familiarity down his spine. An escalating situation in... some sort of otherworld spun off of New Yark. He closed his eyes for the flight through the ruins, and did not open them again until they were on the other side.
He is Roger's backup. This is more effective on foot than it is when they're in robots; the Neo Helios, impressive as it is, is a fraction of the size of the aptly-named Megadeus. Liam has not stopped staring at the scale of the machine, observing it and its sensor profile with the same intense but wary curiosity he showed around the Evas, at first.
"A God," Liam says, and he thinks back to a young woman with lilac hair and bright red eyes. He hopes, desperately, that this isn't going to be a repeat of Tsustujidai.
KTS: Liam 7-020 has deployed in NRV-00 Neo Helios. KTS: Liam 7-020 has changed loadout. <Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
Along Roger and Liam's path, a humble cabin in the woods, clearly built by hand- a firmamental rejection of the need for electricity in the first place. It's clearly on the site where one would expect the maintenance tunnels to converge...and for the moment, the dwelling is empty and unlocked. It seems ordinary and furnished plainly...but a hollow clanking beneath a rug points to a secret. A trapdoor obscured...
And an enigmatic 'workshop', long abandoned and derelict. Glass shards splinter the room - research papers and surgical equipment linger nearby to a long-broken aquarium. Coils and generating equipment line the walls...
And in the blink of an eye, without any seeming activation of traps, they all alight with electricity.
A rugged old man barges into the room not long after, panting and gasping, pointing an accusing finger at Liam and Roger. "...Damned Paradigm Group, luring me out with that shady stalker lurking around in the bushes-" It seems he had assumed the enigmatic maid in the shadows was his nascent intruder... "No surprise that they sent a whole group out just to make it harder. It's my responsibility to watch over this place, and maybe they knew that...the lot of you...you'll have to get everyone out of here, the 'god' those lunatics talk about...!"
Rumbling and roiling from the Electric City villagers outside, as a group of them starts to swarm Kallen's Guren, angrily accusing her of having already brought God's wrath, roaring and raising their lanterns like they mean to set the KMF on fire. Two curious sights immediately cross Kallen's vision...The first, a bright pink sports car flooring it from the turbine facility, zooming past Kallen at ripping speeds...a perhaps slightly familiar blonde woman at the wheel, hair let down. The second, and far more obvious...
The rise of the divine from the lake below. A long, serpentine form with myriad eyes, dark and shadowy, undulates and writhes. Its mouth opens wide...and from the now-active generators, it 'sucks' in power, illuminating the lake in a brilliant but dangerous blue glow...
And that thirst extends to the mysterious woman's car, skidding to a halt not far from Kallen, pushing and kicking at the controls to get it to start...but no dice.
And when the titanic eel lurks over the KMF, her attempts to exit the car are in vain as well. The folly of electric doors on unreliable automobiles...!
KTS: Kaiju_Navi has deployed as a Boss for 3 opponents. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has deployed in RK-92 Savage. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has changed loadout.
<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.
Roger's quick to scoop a folder up in one hand... and equally quick to bring those hands up as the old man storms into his laboratory, turning to address him - and casually scuffing the folder open with his fancy dress shoes.
"Hey now. We're not Paradigm. What's the matter?"
He slowly scans the room, taking in his environment in clear buzzing lamplight, nodding especially at the large aquarium.
"I see... You found some kind of Memory out here, didn't you, old man? And you couldn't let sleeping 'gods' lie."
He nods towards Liam, tilting his head out the door. "Well, you heard the guy. I think our Miss Jenkins decided to take matters into her own hands. It's so difficult to work with clients who don't trust you to get the job done... They just end up making messes we have to clean up. Sorry, Liam, but being a Negotiator isn't nearly as glamorous as it looks."
Taking the stairs two at a time, his arm snaps up, Roger dialing away at his wristwatch.
"Everything's ready, Norman?"
"Of course sir, just as you asked."
"Then... Big O! It's showtime!"
The Megadeus draws itself up from a bay secreted in the cliffside itself, the resevoir splashing down around it as it wades out to confront this tremendous lizard. Closed in its hand, leaping smoothly into the cockpit, Roger Smith clutches the controls of the towering black behemoth.
"Action!"
It responds in kind, as it always does...
CAST IN THE NAME OF GOD, YE NOT GUILTY
The beast roars, lightning arcing across the turbines to feed its hunger, electric light shimmering between the 'God' and the Megadeus.
"Well, now I understand... how this little dam was providing so much power. Your almighty power is man-made after all."
Tremendous black fists come up, jabbing at the ravenous eel.
"Well, it's time for you to rest in peace!"
KTS: Roger Smith has deployed in The Big O. KTS: EN Barrier activated! KTS: Roger Smith targets Kaiju Navi with Strike Pile Jab! KTS: Roger Smith has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to evade Roger Smith's Strike Pile Jab, taking 3750 damage! KTS: Roger Smith has engaged Kaiju Navi! KTS: Roger Smith begins a Formation attack! <Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
A pink car roars past Kallen, and soon, a certain steel statue. Angel and Angel may well lock eyes for a single instant; at the very least, Kaworu watches the blonde woman as she exeunts at speed... just before the power is sucked from her vehicle. He shuts his eyes and hums an ancient song, just before the serpentine 'god' rises from the watery depths. But as his chin rises, it's not the water that has his attention.
It's the earth--jutting all the way into heaven--and the behemoth that strides forward into the lake from it.
Without missing a note in his tune, Kaworu steps off the statue and, several meters down, lands as light as a photon on his feet. He strolls over to the stalled car, and never mind the Knightmare Frame or the townsfolk on the verge of rioting nearby or especially the massive eel-like entity, and leans down to smile at the woman inside even as she attempts to escape said vehicle in van.
"How curious," he comments, pleasant and conversational. "Did you have an inkling that this would happen?"
<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.
As the giant creature rises from depths of the lake, the movements of the enigmatic shadow lurking within the facility become more pronounced.
Heavy footsteps. The sounds of a running mobile weapon.
A crunching as a somewhat rounded humanoid shape appears on top of one of the power facility's buildings.
The shape leaps forward, flying through the air with a grace that belies its chubby form. The flash of steel as a physical blade slices towards the flesh of the titanic eel.
The shape then lands on two mechanical feet, skidding to a stop and spinning around. Now in clear view, it's obvious what it is: An old RK-92 Savage. Painted black. Though there is a conspicuous orange, cloth scarf wrapped around its shoulders and the bottom of its bulbous head. Its only obvious armament is a pair of straight blades, one of which are in its hand after launching a rushing strike at the monstrous 'god'. It's not giving of an IFF, though it seems friendly enough.
KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki targets Kaiju Navi with Dual Ninjato Rushing Strike! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has completed their actions for the round.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam stands by the door as Roger searches the cabin, eyes alert. A knife rests in the sheath built into the thigh of his armored trace suit--all black, bronze, and gold, complementing the colors of his machine. "A lab," he says, dread surfacing in his voice. His fingers twitch. Twitch. Twitch.
The lights come on. In an instant, the knife is in Liam's hand, and he's staring down the old man, ready to start a takedown if he tries anything. It's a good thing Roger is there. It takes until the end of the conversation for him to deescalate; he sheathes the knife, but his eyes are still bright with worry. "A 'Memory', Mr. Smith--?"
The waters of the lake churn. The moment the eel starts rising from the depths, Liam breaks into a sprint, and he does not stop until he's secure in the Neo Helios' cockpit. "<Kaiju,>" he announces to Roger, eyes wide. "<Deploying to assist, Big O.>" The Neo Helios does not make nearly as dramatic an entrance as its ally; Liam left it near the cabin, and it goes into a sprint as it rushes down to the lake. Plasma cannons on its torso iris open, peppering the eel-kaiju with white-hot flame. "<Detecting unknown suits on visuals,>" he adds a moment later, as Sayoko's Arm Slave leaps into the fray. "<Arm Slave, RK-92. No IFF.>"
KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with FACULA Mk. 2 - Plasma Shot! KTS: Liam 7-020 has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kallen Kozuki has deployed in Type-02 Guren Mk. II. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki rattles Kaiju Navi, making its next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to parry Sayoko Shinozaki's Dual Ninjato Rushing Strike, taking 3975 damage! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has engaged Kaiju Navi! KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to charge. KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Liam 7-020's FACULA Mk. 2 - Plasma Shot, taking 1440 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
She really wanted to do this the nonviolent way. Really she did. Unfortunately somebody must have had other plans from the start. "All of you, please step back. It isn't safe here, and you should seek shelter." She'd really like them to not crowd her Guren. Both for their own health, and the sake of her ability to, apparently, fight back against their 'God'. She can't really do anything to help the lady who both offered this job, and escalated the situation. At least, not without turning her car into a convertible.
"Ma'am, would you like a hand getting free?" Truthfully... she's just lucky Sakuradite isn't an electric power source. If KMFs ran on electricity, which she can clearly see this eel slurping up, they'd all be in so much trouble. Still... the Guren DOES seem a little sluggish. It's struggling to get properly moving. But what it can do, is raise an arm to send a single grenade flying out toward the beast. A far cry from the swift acrobatics it normally displays. "Really, please everyone take cover." Hopefully they're listening.
And equally hopefully, they'll find a way to deal with... this power-guzzling sea titan. It really has been quite a while since she fought a kaiju, hasn't it?
KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Kaiju Navi with Arm Cannon Grenade Shot! KTS: Kallen Kozuki has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Kallen Kozuki's Arm Cannon Grenade Shot, taking 4655 damage!
<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
Forget anger, blame, or discontent - the god of Electric City has amassed its residents in sheer awe, getting far, far too close to an actively electrified body of water for their own safety. But then, when this is the being that's lurked in your waters and inspired your legends, a monster beyond human understanding - is safety even a concern? Perhaps some of them desire to be purified by its doubtless holy light.
At the least, it makes it easy for Kallen to break away from them as she pleases. In her ear, the familiar voice of a distant witch muses out, "Hm. It's bigger than the rumors made me think. Frankly, whatever societies call 'gods' usually fails to impress. History is rife with completely mediocre men being proclaimed as gods, but honestly, you can probably safely think of this one as the real deal. But that's why I like you, Kallen. You'd fight an honest-to-god god like it was any other punk. Stay safe and have fun.~"
C.C. herself, is of course, lurking at the edge of the dam, apathetic to the turbulence and chaos, the splash of lime green all that makes her stand out from the night sky in that black dress of hers. A glance is cast to Kaworu and Angel's way. "...well well, I suppose you're a more naturally impatient person than I. It's convenient when someone makes it clear that they're a key actor. Maybe I'm too checked out until there's blood on the stage. I knew keeping you on the same page was for the best, though."
Within the car, the slightly shaky woman keeps herself silent despite her dire predicament, right up until she can regain her composure. Eyes gently lidded, she puts on a little smile up to Kaworu, and concedes, "Of course I did. Why else would I guide so many people this way? I hoped you all would just think I was going for quantity over quality as a cover. ...Please. Do just call me Angel - sticking with fake names is really unfashionable once you're caught with your hands up."
A faint little cant of Angel's head, then a sly wink to Kaworu and Kallen. "...I very much would like to get a hand, since we're in a sticky situation. could you be a dear and open the door for me? I'll make it worth your while. You can keep the car outright and sell it for what it's worth, if you can get it out of here in one piece.~" The smile's a bit...persistent. She's hiding how she's in over her head alright.
-----------------------------
Four combatants - one of nearly equal stature, three utterly dwarfed by the colossal serpent of the lake. Its twisting, flexible body tries to maneuver around the Megadeus's punch, but the 'sting' from the dual-sworded Savage and the Guren's grenade alike makes it writhe and arc in pain. The 'god' glows vividly - a sign of the enormous amount of electrical power stored in its body - and at the Neo Helios's plasma shot, the monster aptly attempts to move towards Liam, its maw opening wider and wider - it sees merely a source of energy, and yearns to consume.
Though its body is seared in pain, the fact remains that the thing only opens its mouth wider - a massive 'tongue' extending to try and capture the Neo Helios, marking it as a prime source of power.
To the Megadeus, though, the winding tail wrapping around those gigantic arms arcs with electricity on a scale that surges through even the heavy armor of the black giant - and the Savage and Guren are marked as smaller 'fish' to attack, the serrated tail of the monster flashing out and trying to swat them away.
...In the midst of all this...a most curious sight. The old man from that cabin has taken to an act of utter madness. In a tiny rubber dinghy, wrapped in an insulating rubber suit...he's rowing his way out to the generators, despite the crashing waves...!
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Roger Smith with Electrical Surge Burst! KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Liam 7-020 with Electrical Surge Barrage! KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Kallen Kozuki with Blade Tail Slash! KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Sayoko Shinozaki with Blade Tail Slash! KTS: Kaiju Navi has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Roger Smith partially guards Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Burst, taking 4185 damage! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki parries Kaiju Navi's Blade Tail Slash, taking 1080 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Ace Attacker activates, causing Insight L1! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle! KTS: Kaiju Navi has engaged Sayoko Shinozaki! KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 fails to Evade Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Barrage, taking 4730 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Ace Attacker activates, causing Insight L1! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle! KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Kallen Kozuki parries Kaiju Navi's Blade Tail Slash, taking 540 damage! KTS: Kaiju Navi has engaged Kallen Kozuki!
<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.
"You're a professional, too, aren't you Liam? Thanks for the heads up. I think it's safe to assume we're all here for the same thi-- ngh!"
Entangled in the monster's grasp, the Megadeus struggles to bring its immense power to bear. Electricity sparks through its thick, dark armor, cast in stark relief by the glow of the beast.
"I can't use the Chrome Buster like this... Help me draw it away from the crowd!"
The pistons driving its massive fists spring back, forcing the coils of the serpent apart enough for it to throw the kaiju aside. With a tilt of its head, bright beams lance from the Megadeus's eyes, twisting over each other as they drill down on the beast's scales - and as Roger peers out of his cockpit into the lake below.
"Old man? What does he think he's doing?! ...he's trying to reach the turbines!"
Massive spiked fists reach out once more, hoping to hamper the beast's thrashing while Paradigm's negotiator lines up his shot...
KTS: Roger Smith targets Kaiju Navi with Arc Line Helix Fire! KTS: Roger Smith has completed their actions for the round.
<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.
The Savage is definitely inferior in size to the divine eel and yet still attempts to meet the large tail sweeping towards it with something other than getting the hell out of the way. The Savage brings its blade up into the path of the tail and the two collide-
-And the Savage is immediately sent skidding back a couple dozen meters on its feet from the force of the impact, its arm clearly struggling to hold back against the tail.
But then with a swift movement the blade is angled and the machine ducks, the tail finally rushing over the chubby machine's head.
Straightening again, the Savage reaches it free hand around behind its back. Then brings it forward again, now clutching two mecha-appropriately sized kunai. A Savage using kunai isn't exactly a common sight, and probably one familiar to a couple of people here.
The Savage sends the kunai flying with an arm wave and wrist flick while it repositions to try and keep the eel distracted and not noticing the poor, brave fool who has chosen to set out upon the lake in nothing but a dinghy.
KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki targets Kaiju Navi with Kunai Throw! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to evade Roger Smith's Arc Line Helix Fire, taking 3780 damage! KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Sayoko Shinozaki's Kunai Throw, taking 2565 damage! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki completes the Formation attack! <Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
It's been a long time since Kaworu and the Guren have encountered each other--not since Jophiel--and back then, Kaworu had been inside an Evangelion, and the Guren fighting a different foe. By all rights, they should be enemies. However, Kaworu trusts it and its pilot to do their job right. Kallen might have a concern or two if she notices just who that silver-haired young man is, though...
For his part, Kaworu smiles over his shoulder at C.C., no matter how far away she might be lurking. He'll turn that smile next to Kallen within the Guren, should she turn her cameras his and Angel's way at any point. Beyond that, he doesn't respond; after all, there's someone else he's conversing with right in front of him.
"One named for a messenger of God... It seems we already have something in common. I, too, am an 'Angel'--but you can call me Kaworu," he replies, smile enigmatic with his impenetrable brand of humor. (And at the same time, humor that would be quite blatant with the correct context.) "I have no need for a car, but I don't mind helping you here."
With that, he reaches out and pulls on the car door. For all the trouble Angel had just a moment before, for some reason it now opens with ease. He'll pull it out for her, too, even, stepping to one side to give her room.
"So what was your intent in instigating this incident?" he wonders while she's extricating herself from the car. "Were you, too, in search of God?"
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
Angel's permission for help is met with a simple gesture. The Guren's claw-arm reaches out to drag a nail across the roof, gently cutting open a hole for her to exit from. KMFs are, by mech standards, pretty small. So precision isn't too difficult. This is all a moot point however, as Kaworu frees her first. To which, she offers a "Thank you." with the audio distorted to mask her voice slightly.
And she finishes with the extraction not a second too late, as the beast's tail lashes out at her. The Guren's little knife is raised. Brought up with barely an instant to spare, to catch its massive limb and twist. She can't twist it away, but she CAN twist WITH the tail, to flip upward onto its body. The kaiju could of course, just try to flip her into the water. But for the moment she's banking on using its body as ideal terrain for acrobatic maneuvers, beginning with her landing in fact, as landing on the silver claw will let her dig into the kaiju's hide.
C.C.'s voice, for all her teasing and frustrating way of being mysterious, is exceedingly welcome right now. So she's happy to chatter back to her. "I can't very well leave you out here on your own. Why, you'd die of boredom if I went and got hospitalized again. But you know? You're right, I would fight a real god if I had to. Still... that Island-Angel a while back makes this thing look like a koi!"
KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Kaiju Navi with Iron Nail Strike! KTS: Kallen Kozuki has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to parry Kallen Kozuki's Iron Nail Strike, taking 4080 damage! KTS: Kallen Kozuki has engaged Kaiju Navi!
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
'A professional'. When was the last time someone called him that? Liam isn't sure. 'A soldier', absolutely, but...
He shakes his head, putting the thought out of mind. Roger needs backup. The Neo Helios' jets ignite beneath it, scorching streaks across the earth as it takes off. Liam is careful to give the crowd of civilians--what are they DOING?!, he thinks--a wide berth as he passes over the beach, then the water.
Below him, the kaiju's mouth gapes wide, and its tongue lashes out to grab him. Liam jukes to the right, but the kaiju is far faster than it looks, and the momentary contact between its own electrical field and the Neo Helios' magnetosphere sends static through Liam's displays, and spikes of pain through the Mobile Trace system. Liam lets out a yelp of pain, and it takes him a moment to realize he wasn't actually electrocuted. Something worse is happening.
The Neo Helios' surface is currently hot enough to burn flesh with prolonged exposure, but the magnetosphere around it--the roiling electronic field that lets it shape the plasma it extrudes--is right there, and full of energy. The kaiju's tongue wraps around the Neo Helios' waist, and drags it towards it maw. In his mind's eye, Liam sees Jophiel.
<"Target's got me,"> he says. The Mobile Fighter's hands reach down, grabbing the kaiju's tongue. Plasma pours out of them, even as Liam grits his teeth and hits the jets.-
'Help me draw it away from the crowd!'
"<Understood,>" Liam says. The Neo Helios' jets burn brighter as Liam reroutes more power. It's still heating up.
KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with Starshard Knife! KTS: Liam 7-020 has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to rush. KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Liam 7-020's Starshard Knife, taking 2146 damage! KTS: Liam 7-020 has engaged Kaiju Navi!
<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
Despite her affable and elegant demeanor, when Angel exits from the car, she's shockingly limber and quick, pivoting on one heel, reaching in to secure a little handbag across her shoulder. "That's an interesting way to put it. A woman's religious journey is just about the most prying a question you could ask, you know.~"
She cranes her head to take a better look at the eel now that it's wreaking havoc a little further away from everyone else - the Megadeus is, naturally, the one that catches the most attention. "...So that thing arrived too. I knew it would. Inelegant and stuffy at the same time. Here I was hoping scouting out every stray in this city with a half-decent mobile weapon would make it more obviously present at my doorstep - but just like every other time, it appears exactly on cue. In that way, at least, I kind of admire it."
-For her part, C.C. is yawning gently, perilously un-mindful of the winds that could easily send her hurtling backwards over the dam. "So it really is a literal 'deus ex machina', and the stage is littered with trapdoors. Even this far away from the domes is still part of the stage. Kallen, be careful not to trip around the Megadeus - you could fall into the unfinished guts of this place, and even a rope this massive might not be sufficient to pull you out.~"
-------------------
The Neo-Helios is is certainly effective 'bait' against this monster - it's drawn incessantly towards that heat. Whatever this 'god' is made of though, it understands its limits better than most wild animals. At the searing heat that Liam exudes against its tongue, the serpent emits a bizarre barrier from its jaw, in an attempt to push away, to eat a little bit slower. (The way it does so, the iridescent hue of that boundary...it wouldn't be -that-, surely? No, it's nowhere near as strong, but the resemblance...)
The bright beam from the Big O's gaze sears a little canyon along the god's back - deep enough to carve a channel for Sayoko to stand upon a little bit easier. Its tail tries to chase Kallen down, to thwap away the persistent little bugs that so easily maneuver along its rolling, undulating spine, like a reverse ouroboros. But in moments like these, the desperation of a cornered animal rears its head. It doesn't act like a composed, consistent god - it thrashes harder, spines raising from its neck, the voltage rapidly increasing, and illuminating the entire lake in an awe-inspiring glow. Clouds gather around it - the sheer intensity of this thing's energy is enough to catalyze a thunderstorm...
...With increasing haste, the old man in the boat leaps into the access passageways up to the control room, climbing upon the rain-slick ladder, huffing and struggling as he clearly pushes his limits to put a stop to all this. After all, the monster is still drawing all its power from the turbines of this reservoir...
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Roger Smith with Electrical Surge Spray! KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Kallen Kozuki with Electrical Surge Spray! KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Sayoko Shinozaki with Electrical Surge Spray! KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Liam 7-020 with Electrical Surge Spray! KTS: Kaiju Navi has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Roger Smith has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Roger Smith has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Roger Smith has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Roger Smith blocks Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Spray, taking 4836 damage! KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 successfully Evades Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Spray KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki fails to evade Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Spray, taking 4836 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Ace Attacker activates, causing Insight L1! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle! KTS: Kallen Kozuki successfully Evades Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Spray
� <Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.
It seems that the Savage is not especially insulated against electrical attacks as the energy builds around the giant eel. Perhaps this should have been expected given, you know, Giant Electricity Sucking Eel.
Regardless though, the Savage is showing signs of some serious damage as electricity courses over and through its frame. It's still moving though, though no where near as well as it had been before. It struggles to move the blade in its hand onto its back and then raise both arms towards the the eel.
Compartments in the arms open up and wires are fired out. Not quite Slash Harkens, their function is essentially the same as the Savage attempts to wrap both wires around the creature and then start to pull, tightening the grip of the thin but sturdy cables.
Perhaps not the smartest idea given the power this Eel is sucking up and releasing. But perhaps the Savage pilot has something in mind?
KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki targets Kaiju Navi with Shock Wire Critical Hit! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to rush. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki rattles Kaiju Navi, making its next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Sayoko Shinozaki's Shock Wire Critical Hit, taking 4950 damage! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has engaged Kaiju Navi!
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
When Kallen transmits her distorted thanks, Kaworu smiles up at her. "Thank you," he replies. He leaves it up to Kallen to determine what he means by that. She's about to be very busy, after all.
"Is it?" he wonders to Angel in genuine curiosity. Regardless of how she responds, he adds, "Does that mean you have no intentions of answering?"
Still, thanks to the efforts of Roger, Liam, Sayoko, and Kallen, the eel-like kaiju isn't so close to their area as to put them in imminent danger. (Not that Kaworu has acted even for a split-second like he felt like either he or Angel were in danger.) He follows Angel's gaze and listens as she remarks upon it--and on the Megadeus.
"Hmmm... Does that mean that one is your true goal? At the very least, you seem to share a bond," he remarks. With faint humor in the back of his throat, he adds, "You've attracted significantly fewer mobile weapons than you may have desired... but after this, you'll probably see quite a few more grasping for God."
Especially with that barrier the eel kaiju presents. Kaworu knows that will get quite a bit of attention back at headquarters... but that's something he won't remark on. At least, not until someone asks for his input as a kaiju expert specializing in Angels. Until then, though, he'll keep his thoughts to himself.
<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.
The Megadeus sparks and alights, simply too massive to meaningfully evade a thunderstorm. Its massive arms go up defensively, lightning arcing around them as Roger grunts within the cockpit.
"This thing's really something... but it's no god. Just a monster that outgrew its maker."
The Megadeus's arms snap out, a gleam shining on its bold crown, as Roger flicks at the panel of switches governing its many weapon systems.
"I'll tie it down and we'll finish it off. Just hang on a little bit longer, Liam - I think I know what that old man has in mind. It'll run out of tricks soon enough."
As light shimmers atop the Big O, the anchors on its hips blasting out to entwine around the beast - a very dangerous strategy for a prolonged engagement, but of course, he's betting on getting a nice clear shot past that barrier in just a minute...
KTS: Roger Smith has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Roger Smith targets Kaiju Navi with Mobydick Anchor! KTS: Roger Smith has completed their actions for the round. <Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
In some way, this behavior, like a wild creature backed against a wall, is all the more godly. Gods are rarely so perfect and composed as people believe. The stories about gods behaving in such ways are as numerous as the number of gods themselves. Also? While it seems chaotic and unpredictable, this behavior is actually quite readable when one knows what to look for.
Though NERV would know better. They're the ones with dedicated kaiju experts.
That being the case, Kallen's answer to the thrashing and sparking is to grip one of its spines, spinning on it like a gymnastics pole. But these spines aren't meant to support weight, even a KMF, so she snaps it off during an upswing, propelling the Guren into the air as it begins charging up. Spinning up its big weapon is dangerous of course. Risks drawing attention. But they DO have to prep it a bit in advance, if she wants to use it at all. Things to consider with Rakshata later for future revisions of the tech.
For now, while the Surger is being readied, a Slash Harken is sent flying down, to whip around and bash at the eel's eyes and keep it from focusing on trying to make a snack out of... well, ANYBODY. "What's everyone's status?" Maybe playing field command for a mixed group that aren't all her usual friends is risky... but she sees no reason to be unfriendly here. Coordination only benefits them all right now.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Kaiju Navi with Slash Harken Bludgeon! KTS: Kallen Kozuki has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Roger Smith anchors Kaiju Navi, forcing it into close range. KTS: Kaiju Navi parries Roger Smith's Mobydick Anchor, taking 855 damage! KTS: Roger Smith has engaged Kaiju Navi! KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to evade Kallen Kozuki's Slash Harken Bludgeon, taking 4320 damage! BBSYS: Post 987, 'Hero or Menace?' has been published to Cutscenes & Logs by Gemini Sunrise. <Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
The kaiju's tongue sears beneath the Neo Helios' hands. Its grip slackens, ever-so-slightly. This is all Liam needs to slip upwards, and ignite the lower spinal jets--plumes of plasma and exhaust trail in the Mobile Fighter's wake as it finally escapes the monster's jaws. "Its maker?" Liam asks, as the Neo Helios jets back, towards the far end of the reservoir. It's further away from the dam, and well away from the crowds of civilians.
Its maker. Liam thinks back to Tsutsujidai. If there's another Alexis here, battening themselves on suffering and misery--
As the creature chases him, Liam spots something on its back. His eyes widen in recognition. That's the Black Knights' ace down there. "Watch your power," Liam says over the open comm, his tone level.
And the skies. The flight computer screams alarms at him as the monster pulls a full-on thunderstorm out of nowhere. The Megadeus is the biggest chunk of metal on the field, but Liam has the bulk of the monster's attention, and--
And a magnetosphere. Liam crosses his arms in a guard, and the Neo Helios does the same. The magnetic field around it shifts and wobbles--and the lightning slams into it, full-on. There's a blinding flash, and the stink of ozone fills the air. When the light fades, the Neo Helios is still there.
And for a moment, as the storm fades, Liam watches Roger work. The Megadeus feels... analog. Like a statue animated by baroque and ancient machinery. A grounding anchor is a simple piece of technology, but here it looks so effortless. "Assisting with lockdown," Liam says, and the Neo Helios' right palm emitter irises open. A long streamer of plasma unspools from within, and he lashes it at one of the thing's fins. It's less substantial than the solid metal of the anchors, but... it'll at least help. Hopefully.
KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with ASTRA - Prominence! KTS: Liam 7-020 has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to retreat. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to react to Liam 7-020's ASTRA - Prominence, taking 3000 damage! KTS: Liam 7-020 has engaged Kaiju Navi! <Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
"Hmph, you're not even one of the negotiators I hired," Angel purses her lips at Kaworu's line of questioning, "Some sort of private investigator tagging along with them? Casting a wide net gets you more than just the fish you want, as the saying goes. Besides, seeing that thing is a bonus, but I wouldn't drag people out here just for a bonus. It is true that this is an area that Paradigm wanted to re-develop, and it is true that it's in the way. Why, just look at the thing."
--while the serpent is attracting attention with its rage and fury, though...the moment it holds even a bit of Kaworu's attention, Angel's seemingly vanished...though it isn't hard to tell that she's just been looking for an out and is running off into the hills.
---------------------------
Undulating and squirming when Kallen snaps off the voltage-shearing horn from its back, the next best way the eel can think to handle the interlopers crawling all over it is to dunk them into the intensely electrified water - if Kallen and Sayoko are planning on fighting by latching on, they'll have to face the surging storm beneath the waves, especially as the sheer depths of the reservoir give the monster an advantage.
Even the Megadeus has to be careful given the local topography - though the monster may be giving Roger and Liam a bigger struggle yet. A burst of lightning descends from the clouds, amplifying the serpent's voltage, the elongated body raising as high as it can to soak up as much as possible, as though traveling upwards through the path of least resistance. Thunderbolts crackle in every direction - it's one thing for some big monster to have bioelectrical organs, another to be able to so particularly weaponize it, as the beast finally recognizes Liam and Roger as true things that need urgent vanquishing, not just obstacles to scare off...
"...I...I'm too late..." The old scientist, Sven Maurisky, watches this display and bites his thumb as he shuts down every switch that Angel just turned back on, heaving and struggling with the massive creaky levers, breathless and sweating profusely. "...You four kids better not die...all because of a Memory of mine...!!"
...right when Sven finally cuts the power supply though...the crackling thunder all dies down, if just for a moment, the eel drooping and sagging in its posture...
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Roger Smith with Electrical Surge Special Trick! KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Liam 7-020 with Electrical Surge Focused Shot! KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Kallen Kozuki with Electrical Surge Burst! KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Sayoko Shinozaki with Electrical Surge Spray! KTS: Kaiju Navi has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Roger Smith has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Roger Smith blocks Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Special Trick, taking 5025 damage! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki successfully evades Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Spray KTS: Kallen Kozuki fails to Evade Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Burst, taking 4185 damage! KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 blocks Kaiju Navi's Electrical Surge Focused Shot, taking 4200 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.
Lightning crackles, splashing over the Megadeus's impassive form once more, even as the beast rears and closes in on it, intent on destroying Paradigm's mysterious titan - only for its crown to glint with energy, just as the lull in the beast's power strikes, turbines slowly crawling back down.
"Now! Get clear!"
Those two steel fists clash together, and a tremendous beam lances forward, shimmering white, simply tearing through all in its path - all the more reason it needed to be directed away from the dam itself and the innocents staring in reverence of this clash of titans.
"And with this... we can conclude negotiatons. Miss Jenkins was considerate enough to pay in advance, after all."
KTS: Roger Smith has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Roger Smith has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Roger Smith targets Kaiju Navi with Chrome Buster! KTS: Roger Smith has completed their actions for the round. <Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Does that matter? You already admitted you wanted to draw out as many people as possible. Doesn't it only benefit you if you also draw out those you needn't compensate?" Kaworu points out to Angel. And just as she avoids his questions, so too he avoids specifying his own interest in Paradigm City--and who exactly he is. She even seems to agree with him, speaking of wide nets and Paradigm's interests--but then she bids him take a look at the eel kaiju.
Obligingly, Kaworu looks. He has no reason not to. The eel kaiju is putting up a spectacular fight, discharging that electricity through sky and lake, crackling outwards towards the mobile suits small and large that assail it. It's putting up a fight... but so are its opponents.
But that wasn't Angel's point. Indeed, the scuff and clatter of heels on asphalt at his back tells him what Angel herself does not. With faint humor creasing his lips, Kaworu remarks to the air, "It would have been easier to say 'yes.' For one who bears the name of a being of Heaven, your mannerisms are far closer to one of Earth."
Now he looks back, instantly zeroing in on her fleeing back. He makes no attempt to follow her, much less stop her. "We will meet again, Angel."
The pulse of lightning dies, all around them.
KTS: Kaiju Navi retreats from the attack! KTS: Roger Smith enervates Kaiju Navi, reducing its Morale significantly. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to evade Roger Smith's Chrome Buster, taking 7700 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Roger Smith's Negotiator activates, causing Deject! <Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
Hanging on or trying to bail... either option poses its own problems. But at the end of the day, the Guren's strengths lie in close range. So in the end, she takes a conservative estimate on her dodging, and the Guren takes a dunk into the electrified water. Not looking great for the little red KMF.
But the water begins to boil and bubble, stream rolling up across the surface of the lake. Timed with the blast from the Black Megadeus, Guren's Wave Surger has finished its charge. The silver claw presses into the hide of the kaiju, unleashing its burning force through the lightning-hungry beast. Cooking it from below, while Negotiator attacks from on high. But the small machine does not stay overlong to risk being caught in the destruction. Indeed, as soon as the weapon is unleashed, she's already using the Harkens to escape under the cover of 'fog'. It wouldn't do for a vital Black Knights operative to be grabbed by the present members of NERV. She won't be too far away for now... but disappearing from the sight of her two temporary allies can only help.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Kaiju Navi with Wave Surger Eruption! KTS: Kallen Kozuki has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has activated the Trick Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.
<"]I'm afraid this unit may have suffered moderate electrical damage. Some secondary systems are offline. But I believe I can continue the battle, Miss Kallen."> That tone of voice and those mannerisms are probably very familiar to Kallen! But surely it couldn't be?
The Savage is still attached via its wires as the creature briefly dives. And as such the Savage is dragged into the water with it. Electrified water, which should be short out the machine's systems in moments.
And yet it isn't!
Instead the electricity is harmlessly flooding into the shock cables and down them back to the creature, leaving the Savage itself undamaged. So that was the plan?
Nope! There's still more to come!
The thrashing of the God Eel once more brings the Savage up out of the water and into the air. It flies upwards for a few moments before it reaches the end of its wires, which go tight, before snapping the machine back down towards the monster. Accelerating as it falls out of the sky, the Savage reaches up to draw both straight blades on its back. It spins them around to aim both point forward as it dives and attempts to drive both weapons into the creature's head. Thus, completing the circuit through the still attached wires and hopefully delivering a jolt that that the creature's sensitive brain is probably not supposed to receive.
KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki targets Kaiju Navi with Dual Ninjato Combo! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to react to Kallen Kozuki's Wave Surger Eruption, taking 6903 damage! KTS: Kaiju Navi has been defeated! KTS: Kallen Kozuki has engaged Kaiju Navi! KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to parry Sayoko Shinozaki's Dual Ninjato Combo, taking 5400 damage! KTS: Kaiju Navi has been defeated! KTS: Sayoko Shinozaki has engaged Kaiju Navi! <Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
The Neo Helios' magnetosphere is visible now, a brilliant, shimmering heat-haze punctuated by shimmering threads of ionized oxygen--the same phenomenon as an aurora, but in miniature. Wreathed in green, it bobs back and forth, now lashing the streamer of plasma as though it were a cat wand, and the kaiju a very large cat. He's almost to the other shore, and hopefully he's given Roger and the Black Knights plenty of room to work with.
But the kaiju, scalded and battered, is wising up. As it thrashes, a bolt of lightning leaps for the Mobile Fighter--
There's a sharp hiss from its frame. Vent covers detach from its body, rushing forwards to the center of its magnetic field, and sticking together to form a shield. The lightning SURGES through it, and into the Neo Helios, and in the cockpit Liam grits his teeth in pain. It takes effort to keep from twitching, because even though he's not being electrocuted, it sure feels like it.
'Now! Get clear!'
The plasma streamer winks out. The Neo Helios jets upwards, away from the Megadeus and kaiju. "Coming in from above," Liam says. He waits for the surge, for the tremendous force of the Chrome Buster to fade just a little. Then the Mobile Fighter falls on the eel like a stooping falcon, plasma twisting into a long, sun-bright spear.
Liam drives the weapon for the kaiju's head. The magnetic field expands, channeling the plasma further, and hopefully deeper into the thing's body.
KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with Sunbright Spear! KTS: Liam 7-020 has completed their actions for the round. KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to rush. KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Liam 7-020's Sunbright Spear, taking 4176 damage! KTS: Kaiju Navi has been defeated! KTS: Liam 7-020 has engaged Kaiju Navi!
<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
Perhaps a 'god' is defined by its death throes.
Miracles are only miracles once they've taken place, after all - until then, they are latent potential, magma boiling within the earth. Though the potential of the volcano is immense, unfathomable and violent, its mere eruptions are what bring humans to their knees.
Three pillars of radiant light overwhelm this beast that was meant to devour and deliver energy as the people needed - and the twin blades of the shadows sever its fate, the exhausted serpent bubbling and boiling until its remains collapse into the lake. Sizzling and surging.
But it does not leave this world quietly.
The energy still contained in its body is immense by any means - and that vestige arcs skyward, lighting up the entire sky. Lighting up the dead city behind it, turning the horizon gold.
The awe-struck inhabitants of Electric City - who have long lived in this skyline's shadow - gaze in admiration, the light reflecting in their eyes. "...So...it truly was divine...showing us the 'truth' of this city..."
Sven collapses to his knees, gripping a tabletop for support, as the fruits of his past life - the proof of his memories - dissolves into ash. "...If the 'truth' of what we're capable of can manifest as a god to these people...then perhaps that's why the past of this whole place was sealed. Perhaps I'm one of many that went too far. Hah. Not like this memory-less life I've lived has been all for nothing..."
"...but I can't let getting over the past detach me from the future. I'll need to make sure this never happens anymore...This didn't all happen out of the blue, I know. Someone wanted something, whoever reactivated the dam was after a piece of my memory..."
...indeed - a small capsule jingles in Angel's handbag as she zips through the streets back to Paradigm on a commandeered motorcycle. A little sample of genetic material from the workshops that once grew this monster. The titans that rule Paradigm are all echoes of memories - the past always manifests in great and turbulent destruction.
And there's quite the payday in being able to bring back the past...