[center][h2]Dredge III[/h2] [color=BC8DBF]Edward[/color], [color=BC8DBF]Therion[/color], [color=ec008c][b]Juri[/b][/color] [b]Word Count:[/b] 3390 (+4)[/center] In between the monster's ambushes, the alien hollow was unnervingly quiet. There was the occasional ambiance of foliage shifting, copper golems clomping through brush, and the repaired generators chugging, but otherwise there were hardly any other sounds at all. It was clear that besides the Seekers, and the Dredge, there were no other living beings around. If one could even call that thing alive in the first place. After separating from the others, beast-Therion slunk through the jungle-like area and took note of any of the machines he passed. Even through the trees it was easy enough to see the gate they were trying to power up, so there was no real concern about getting lost. So long as he didn't need to bail anyone out again, he was fairly confident that he could avoid the monster playing hide and seek with them. [i]So far so good,[/i] he thought, as he slowly circled his way back around to where Juri had been when she fixed one of the generators. After making sure the coast was clear he padded over to the machine so that he could get a closer look at what an operational one should look like. His feline eyes flickered over the bulbs, the wires, and various other doodads. Assuming that all of the generators were more or less the same, if Therion just copied Juri's work then he wouldn't have any problems fixing a couple on his own. Therion's ears twitched and he felt his hackles begin to rise. Trusting his instincts he leapt back into the underbrush, concealed enough that when the mutilated mess of a monster drifted by a moment later it didn't spot him. The Dredge hovered by the generator, slowly turning its head to search for any signs of its prey. Then, it raised its knotted appendage high before slamming it down onto the machine. The generator sparked and smoked as its lights powered down, making Therion narrow his eyes. Maybe it had been too much to hope for that this thing was some kind of mindless killer. Clearly it knew what they were trying to do and was going to deny their escape however it could. Therion waited until the Dredge had moved on in its search, then waited a little longer, before he emerged once more. He shifted back into his human form, kneeling in front of the generator. Since he'd just seen how it should look, fixing it from this state had to be possible. Otherwise the monster would have just broken them all beyond repair before they'd even got here. Carefully he reattached wires where they'd been pulled from, shifted plugs into their correct places, and hit the plunger that would start the thing back up. There was a drawn out moment where nothing seemed to happen, and Therion's tail flicked back and forth in agitation. [color=BC8DBF]"Come on,"[/color] he hissed at the generator, smacking the side of it. It came to life then, rumbling as its lights all blinked on. After confirming it would stay on (unless the Dredge turned back around to sabotage it again), Therion left it to head to one of the other non-functional ones he'd spotted in order to get them working again as well. It had been a little while since he'd heard any cries for help, so he could only assume that the others were avoiding the thing on another side of the hollow. Edward for one was indeed out there somewhere, as was Juri, the pair making for a rather effective team despite all the thornyness involved in their cooperation. Stress left the already brittle working relationship full of fractures, but with their unkillable foe lurking out there they more or less had to trust the other to watch their back. Especially when it was left turned and exposed while focused on fixing a generator as Edward was now. With various tools, from pliers to move wires without risk of shock to a soldering iron to more securely fix them back in place, the job was certainly quicker, but it still left ample time for the killer to come across him, and the increase in heart rate its mere presence caused was too late a warning sign. It was a good thing then, that he had a look out, no matter how abrasive she was. Juri silently scuttled back and forth across the floor of the ‘house’ they were in, though it was mostly just a selection of half-broken walls at this point. She was on a patrol, moving from window to window to check all the angles. Even the little red wooden locker a short distance away from the house. Besides making a few quiet noises that implied annoyance at how long Edward was taking, she was keeping her voice down. The man was certainly making enough noise for both of them, clinking and clanking away, till all of a sudden there was a rumble as the generator flared to life, its flickering lights stabilizing and flooding the room. Unlike the times before, however, this wasn’t the only place that the lights came on as, through the ‘eyes’ of his cannon still parked by the gate, Edward saw that the gatehouse own had also stabilized, which to him indicated that [color=ea590c]”I think that's enough power to open the gates”[/color] As if to confirm this, only a short while later, the cannon’s existence came to an end, informing Edward that [color=ea590c]”It seems our ‘friend’ agrees with my assessment, and will be rolling out the welcome wagon, which is… inconvenient”[/color] [b][color=ec008c]”Gee wiz, talk slower. So the monster will be waiting for us. Big whoop, he can’t stop us.”[/color][/b] Juri said. [b][color=ec008c]”Let’s go already.”[/color][/b] She dropped any pretense of stealth and began sprinting to where she remembered the gate was, coming short to survey the situation. Edward followed her there in an even less stealthy approach given the flames wrapping around him as he ran, but as Juri had expected, stealth really did not matter right now. The Dredge knew exactly where they needed to go, and had brazenly parked itself exactly there: namely right in front of the switch they needed to pull to open up the exit to its hunting ground. Even the man’s flaming arrival did not prompt it to break off and come on at them, leaving mortals and monster staring rather awkwardly at each other before the former ducked into cover to try and work out what in the world to do about this. Juri stood out in the open, hands on her hips. [b][color=ec008c]”There’s medkits and toolboxes all over for this stupid game. There’s probably somethin’ we could find to get it to budge.”[/color][/b] Juri said, moving her hands to behind her head. [b][color=ec008c]”Stupid ugly freakshow thinks he’s real smart. I could just pull the damn lever anyway, I don’t care.”[/color][/b] [color=ea590c]”Only other thing I have found is this”[/color] Edward replied, retrieving the flashlight he’d found and then stored in the toolbox, and offering it to her, while saying [color=ea590c]”which I am unsure how much help it would be. So far all that has managed to inconvenience it is it blinding itself after all”[/color] Juri took it and looked it over. It felt useful, even if it was just a normal flashlight. [color=BC8DBF]"Go pull it then so we can get out of here,"[/color] came a familiar voice following Juri's comment. Therion poked his head out from some nearby plants suddenly afterward, having seen the gate's power activate and coming to the same conclusion as Juri and Edward. He then looked from the former to the later, noting the other man's words. [color=BC8DBF]"So at least one thing works against it. We can throw off its senses while someone hits the switch."[/color] Unfortunately while he was off on his own the only thing of note he'd been able to find was a brass key. Intriguing but unhelpful at the moment. [color=ea590c]”I blinded it by reflecting a curse that it tried to cast on me when I healed myself nearby it, and unfortunately I think it will be smart enough to not repeat the incident”[/color] Edward informed him, getting over the important detail of said curse’s existence in the process. Therion narrowed his eyes at the Dreadnought. He should have said that when he mentioned the blinding in the first place. [color=BC8DBF]"Unless you two have any other ideas, it still might be our best shot."[/color] [color=ea590c]”She was already aware”[/color] Edward replied to the expression of irritation, now two for two on annoying people with how he delivered this information, though in this case he did not consider this his fault. Juri chuckled. [color=ea590c]”As for ideas, given it seems content to wait us out, I could always put that time to use to make some more expendable bodies to throw at the problem”[/color] he suggested, gesturing to the conveniently timed arrival of one of the only remaining copper golem squads to their impromptu meeting. [b][color=ec008c]”So you just pull these guys outta thin air, or what? Break your toys if you want, it’d be funny to give this creep the runaround.”[/color][/b] Juri said, letting the flashlight hang from her palm. [color=ea590c]”A touch more complex than that I assure you, but practically speaking”[/color] Edward replied, before initiating what was, ultimately, a mildly time consuming process of charging back up his mana fuel cells and then reforging his army. Given he was entirely committed to making copper golems, that resulted in them having twelve whole squads at their disposal. Thus, when they commanded operations, seventy two golems came marching out of the treeline, spears down, metal hearts hardened with unwavering will to fulfill their directive. All the while the Dredge stared unnervingly, standing guard over the switch. It had all the time in the world to prevent its prey from getting out of there after all, while they would have to go for the exit sooner or later. The monster seemed intent on catching and presumably slaughtering all four of the intruders into its domain. [b][color=ec008c]”Seventy two. That’s hilarious. Go forth!”[/color][/b] She pointed to the dredge, commanding the robots onward with her own authority. Whether it be through good timing or Edward unintentionally responding to the command, the legions did indeed match forward at her order, copper feet stepping in perfect rhythm as they did so. As they moved, Edward cautiously advanced after them, the way his wings were slightly spread out in preparation to retreat the only sign that the steely gazed man was not quite as unwavering as his creations. For his part Therion was more than content to let the copper constructs get torn in pieces in place of them, and he waited, crouched with his tail swishing, for a better moment to move. The golems closed in, threatening to form a wall of animated metal around the Dredge. Spears were angled forwards not to try and stab it, for that would be pointless, but to try and sneak past the foe and flick the switch. The only question the was this: how close would it let them get before reacting? The answer was not that close. As they'd already established, Dredge was not a mindless monster. A calculating killer laid, somewhere, beneath its sagging flesh. It slowly looked between the first line, its head twitching, before it raised its hooked limb and moved in swiftly to destroy the first of many. As the golems made to slip around it, blackness descended on the area. Suddenly it was as if night had fallen, making it hard for the Seekers and the golems to see more than a dozen feet in front of them. No such issue was present for the Dredge, and in darkness it began tearing into the small army, intent not to let any close to their only means of escape. What Juri lacked in vision, the Dredge more than made up for in racket. She dropped down from above and blasted the things face with light. Their intuition paid off and the Dredge reeled back, now even more blind than its attempted curse. [b][color=ec008c][i]”Kyahaha![/i] Sucker!”[/color][/b] She jeered as the copper army now easily overwhelmed the beast and reached the lever. There was a shower of sparks and the gate lifted. Juri sprinted over and slid underneath it as it was lifting. That was also the cue Therion was looking for. Without any fanfare he went along the outside edge of the golem pack and moved towards the exit. The Dredge was still taking golems apart piece by piece but driven almost to frenzy by the fact it couldn't see and thus its prey were probably mid-escape the monstrosity turned and lashed out with a wide slice in the direction of the opening. It was easier to dodge than its regular swings; the thief skated beneath the swipe and crossed the threshold a moment after. [color=ea590c]”Why in the worlds did that-”[/color] Edward began to ask, questioning the logic of why the device had managed to harm the Dredge when nothing else had, but it really was [color=ea590c]”No matter”[/color] at that moment. With his many many copper eyes the man had been far less impacted by the darkness than the others, and so was more than able to make a beeline for the exit. With a flap of his wings he rose up over his remaining creation’s ranks, using one of their heads as a stepping stone to get the height he needed and then swooped towards the exit as the remaining troops moved to bodyblock the binded horror while they got away. As soon as its sight was back, the Dredge ceased its destruction and looked at the open gate. There it could clearly see the Seekers behind it, but strangely enough it did not give chase. It stared after them with an eerie blank look on its mangled face. A few moments later the gate's power shorted out again and the door began to close itself up once more. [b][color=ec008c]”Yeah, see! Chump! Coward!”[/color][/b] Juri jeered as the door began to close. [b][color=ec008c]”Know you’d get your ass kicked if you faced me out here! Haha!”[/color][/b] That fact raised one sudden question from Edward, who began to ask [color=ea590c]”Wait a moment- did anyone ever see-”[/color] only for the man in question to suddenly silently step into view, taking everyone by surprise, including the Dredge itself. The hunter got its first and only view of the master infiltrator who had been repairing generators right under its nose for a mere moment, and then the gate was fully shut and they were left out in the small room found beyond it. He gave them a curt nod, before turning, gesturing for them to follow and striding towards one of the vines in the wall, slashing it with a knife and entering the bloodstream. [b][color=ec008c]”Tch,”[/color][/b] Juri said, kicking the ground and approaching the open bloodstream. [b][color=ec008c]”We should carpet bomb this place after we’re done.”[/color][/b] [color=BC8DBF]"No objections here,"[/color] Therion said, though with only a vague idea of what she really meant by it he understood it was something destructive. He glanced at the mercenary who'd quietly joined them, briefly thinking [i]he's good[/i] before continuing forward. When they were well and truly away from Dredge, and only a short distance away from the Qliphoth's veins they'd have to take to ascend, the world darkened once more. This time it was a much more complete darkness, one that offered a choice of rewards for the victorious Seekers. [hider=For Edward] [b]Hot Pot[/b] - you are 7% more evasive, and this bonus is doubled against burning enemies [b]Emotional Decluttering[/b] - enemies you inflict with DoTs take 4% more damage from all sources, stacking up to 5 times [b]Flameblade Charm[/b] - Searing Weapons now converts 100% of attack damage to blue flame. Such attacks still inflict Burn, but rather than deal damage they build up Overburn. When Overburn equals the target’s health, the target explodes, damaging other enemies based on its own remaining health [/hider] It was a somewhat selfish selection, but in the end Edward decided that he could only be of value if he were alive, and the goddess Hestia quite clearly wanted to keep him that way, though very much in her own way. “You’ll find it easier to see what your foes are doing when they're lit up, eh? Now keep on climbing so you can burn this place down already” [hider=For Juri] [b]Shameless Attitude[/b] (Hades/Aphrodite) - you deal 10% extra damage, and if you have over 80% health, this bonus is doubled [b]Slaughterhouse No. 4: Rest in Peace[/b] (HSR/Aha the Elation) - non-basic follow-up attacks deal an extra hit of Aftertaste damage of a random elemental type at 80% damage [b]Tearing Whirlwind[/b] (Wizard of Legend/Air) - when performing a spin attack, nearby enemies are sucked in [/hider] [hider=For Therion][b]Side Hustle[/b] - whenever you begin an encounter in enemy territory, you get a little gold for free [b]Scythe Limbs[/b] - after using your divine skill, your next BP usage behaves as if an extra BP was spent. Spending BP increases your critical damage by 40% up to 2 times for your next attack [b]Predator[/b] - killing an enemy with a melee strike makes you invisible for 1 second[/hider] Therion's choice was fairly quick. Although getting some free money every fight was amusingly tempting, as always if he wanted something he only had to take it. And while becoming invisible was also a tempting choice, one that could definitely be useful in battle, there could really only be one choice. The middle card was almost tailor made for him, so he didn't hesitate to take it. When he did the same creature he'd had a vision of in the last hollow appeared to him again. It loomed large, and the sounds it produced were even louder, but ultimately like before nothing else happened. Therion touched a hand to his forehead as the world came back into view. [color=BC8DBF]"More of the same..."[/color] It seemed the others were finished picking as well. The thief nodded towards the huge blood vessel in front of them. Juri made her choice as well and looked to the others. To prove some kind of point, she got out her big chainsaw weapon and cleaved a huge hole in the wall, revealing another bloodstream. [b][color=ec008c]”I can make an exit anywhere I damn well please with this puppy. Catch ya later, losers!”[/color][/b] She exclaimed cheerfully, and dove into the bloodstream. With her new chainsaw weapon she was confident in her safety and her ability to literally carve out her own path in this fleshy tree gauntlet. Edward merely signed at this continued irreverence, while being quietly relieved she had not followed up on her promise to (attempt to) ‘kick his ass later’ now that they were free of the Dredge’s domain. Then he drew his machete, gave a small flick of a salute and a farewell of [color=ea590c]”I’ll see you on the other side”[/color] before hacking his way into the vain and diving in. Therion rolled his eyes as they left. What a group. And they were all going the same way so what was with the theatrics? He followed after them by just simply slipping into one of the openings they'd made, and shortly after him the mercenary followed, though where the blood stream would take them after this they wouldn't know until they got there.