[Center]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200425/12aedc10afb0415009c007e9d88847c2.png[/img]
[Sub].:⋮Legion⋮:.[/Sub]

[hider=Summary]
(23)[color=green][b](32)[/b][/color] | (23)[color=green][b](36)[/b][/color] | (23)[color=green][b](31)[/b][/color] | (13) | (4)

(Metal & Lightning & Gravity) | (Regen & Prime)

(Bile) | (Tooth and Claw) | (Elemental) | (Enhanced Uniform) | (Imortality)
(Monstrous Metamorph) | (Legacy) | (Enhanced Weapon) | (Dual Weapon) | (Gifted)

(ManaFont)|Solo

(Redirected Magic) | (Second spec) | (Transport)
(Broken reincarnation) | (Nonstandard limbs) | (Debt)
[/hider]
[/center]

The damage to her shoulder was extensive, but also overall irrelevant. Its status as a primary limb meant that at this threshold of injury it had yet to lose more than twenty percent functionality, though the loss of the outer casing was a problem. As it left her internal mechanisms exposed to further damage.

Her best course of action was to set her auto-repair function to fix the issue from the external side inwards.

That done her attention flit towards the limited damage delt by the hails storm of bullets she had ran though. Her shields were restored with a flex of thought sealing up those gaps, the damage itself was assessed and then ignored.

The guns fired magically charged projectiles. The Engine knew this, she had torn more then one apart already and knew just about everything about the capabilities of the guns. This was actually to the Engine’s benefit at the moment, covered in nanites as she was, the bullets that dug into her had to pass though those nanites. Damage was inflicted yes, but more nanites were created as well. Cost ratio was not in her favor, but the limited damage was still worth the increased nanites for the moment.

Overall, all parameters were within tolerances.

Then she crested the hill and was overcome by a wall of static. Her awareness was constricted down to such a limited bandwidth of information as audio, radar, and other senses ran into a fast amount of interference. Even her sight was compromised.

It was to the point that she came to a halt. Part of it was shock, few entries could simply ignore their senses becoming this distorted. But the larger part of it was that this was a brand-new sensation. Something that she had never experienced, nor had any record of. And for all of her advancements, and evolutions she was still a machine. Machines do not react well to things they have no information on.

So, she stalled out, her systems poking and prodding at this strange disruption, cataloguing and pulling apart the cause and effects of it.

It was possible that the Engine would have stayed stalled out for the rest of the conflict, even with her inhuman ability to analyze, this chaff had been tailor made to disrupt her after all. But that was not to be the case. Because she was a machine and one of her highest priorities, hard coded into her very being, was combat.

And when she registered the Lion’s blade pierce her back, her system reprioritized, she reacted, and the stall was gone.

The Lion’s blade only got about half an inch in before the Engine’s torso came alive, it bucked and writhed around the blade diverting its momentum off to the side. This left a large gash on the Engine, but nothing more than surface damage. It was her luck that the beast aimed high, after all, she still needed the casing she cradled. In all that the flare along her spine that left a strip of bluish chrome in its wake was almost unseen.

That stirp of blue chrome, was vital however, just as it was an extensive drain on her mana. Caging her main systems in cold iron had two immediate effects. The disrupting effects of the chaff couldn’t affect her anymore but by that same metric, nearly all of her magical senses were rendered unusable as well. It was a quick and dirty fix, but would hold for now.

In near the same instant the Engine rotated its upper half to face the Lion, her left elbow leading said turn as she drove it into the beast’s jaw with as much of her considerable might she could bring to bear. Giving no real room to mount a proper response to this, the Engines unoccupied limbs lashed out at the Lion seeking to rip and tear into it for the insult of attacking her.

In the midst of the onslaught, she let out another roar. And like before her element’s responded, but this time it wasn’t electricity she was calling. Each bit of metal in the vicinity would feel a harsh jerk in her direction. Not strong enough to tear the guns from the hands of the soldiers, but impossible to miss as well.

This did lead to her suffering from another half dozen bullet wounds, but that was acceptable, because her primary target also answered her call. A wave of gray sludge came rushing from behind the Lion. But it wasn’t targeting the beast. It slipped around, over and under, all seeking to reach the Engine. Until she was subsumed in it.

The remnants of the APC, now melted into more nanites, covered the Engine. And unseen by all, a jagged, broken, grin torn open on the Engine’s face as the nanites swarmed over her. The gray sludge quickly took on a glossy black color, and red electricity could be seen arcing under the squirming mass as it shifted. 

There was a central point coated in hardened crystal shapes with light arcing between them, where the engine presumably resided, but from that central point was several large tendrils that acted as limbs. One of these tendrils spooled out, lashing at the Lion, as it skittered away.

It was large, but only about half the total size of the APC that had been destroyed earlier. That didn’t stop it from being fast however, nor erratic, as it didn’t stick to a straight line. It jittered back and forth as it raced towards the nearest vehicle it could.

And neither was it passive, smaller tendrils would tear away from the larger mass and strike out at anything that it came near, the flowing nature of the nanites allowing the tendrils to carve though what they hit like blades.

And anything metal struck by those whips became more sludge that was called into the greater mass feeding it further.

[hr]

[center]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/180715/d80bb0fbb433935c1613207a0d09ae3f.png[/img]
[Sub] -=Ǝ Fast travel E=- [/Sub]

[hider=Summary]
(4) | (6) | (5) | (11) | (11)

(Empathy & Illusion) | (Duplication)

(Enhanced weapon) | (Dual weapon) | (Masculinity) | (Gifted) | (Eternal style)
(Awareness) | (Enhanced transformation) 

(Enhanced transformation) | (ShineSpark) | (Transportation)

(Excommunication)  | (Vow: Kindness) | (Fighting Style)
[/hider]
[/center]

Aurelio would nod his understanding at Alicia’s orders. Made sense to him as well, if for a different reason perhaps. Gabriel didn’t seem like she was interested in working along side the local branch, which if this was going to be anything like normal for Penrose responders that would be trouble. 

[color=fff79a]“We’ll let you know what you missed.”[/color] The magician would say as he waved a goodbye to the Ascendency agent.

[color=fff79a]”And now that we’ve settled. How about I make the next leg a bit quicker?”[/color] He would ask rhetorically as he raised a hand dramatically, held the pose for a moment and then snapped. With that snap the party they had would find themselves enveloped in the teleportation that was prime for their next stop.

It was time like this he enjoyed the benefits of being a showman. So much easier to have dramatic timing when one could control the timing. Plus, it gave him time to link up with the teleportation network to let them know he was taking over their primed jump.

Honestly, being approved as one of their living teleportation nodes was always worth it for times like this if he was being honest.

[color=fff79a]”How long is the drive going to be you think?”[/color] He would ask once they all touched down. [color=fff79a]“Because if this is anything like normal, things are likely pretty hectic over there already.”[/color] He would continue on to say as he started packing up the mobile gate. After all, he was given the official training for dealing with this tech due to his status as living node.

[hr]

Seeing as there was only two more houses left to evacuate Tina and Ellen had decided to leave that to those more capable of such and regroup. Just in time to see Annabell take off and Lily still trying to catch her breath. 
“You okay?” Tina would ask as she stepped closer to the girl in case she fell over. Having seen the magical network spread over the town she wouldn’t think it uncalled for.

Ellen on the other hand answered the question that was posed, even if it was too late to also tell Annabell. “The Queen said she was going to be able to get us out of here. I would assume that would also include the evacuees. We just need to clear the last of the houses and hold the line until she gets back. Then we should be able to simply leave.” 

[hr]

Dina’s sharp gaze would snap to Sakura the moment she started speaking. “Simple paint won’t solve this issue.” The now vampiric girl would say as she turned her gaze towards the walls once more. Stray streaks of black had begun fade in and out of the gray walls.

“Her Majesty is the source of this I believe.” She would say after a moment. As of all the girls now in the Sanctuary, only Dina had ever pushed Penny far enough to feel the edges of the machine girl’s ire. Recently too, as it was back at the dexterous charismas party. And this felt much like that, even if it wasn’t directed at anyone here.

“Something is happening over in Bolorton. But that is not our concern for the moment.” Dina would go on to say, her voice projected out so that everyone could hear her. The magic inherent in her making it impossible to miss when she chose to speak like this.

“Ashlyn, Beatrice” Dina would call out “I am aware that the Scouts are currently abroad with Her Majesty. I need you two to set up a perimeter. I want to know if anything starts coming towards our home. I don’t know if this” she would gesture at the building at large “Has been noted by anyone else yet, but unless it stops soon it will become a problem.”

“Goblina I need you to start digging into those maps. We might need to abandon the Sanctuary earlier then expected. With her Majesty absent for the moment we will need to head elsewhere, but fret not I do know of a few locations we can stay at until she returns.”
Dina would continue to issue order. But outside those named few most of it was for people to prepare to leave.

Eventually however “Sakura. We are likely to be moving though the sewers I’ll be placing you on the vanguard. In the mean time if you wish to test your idea there should be some cans of paint in the storage room. If I’m correct however, you’ll want to start from the outside. As I’m sure our home is quite apparent at the moment.”

“If anyone attacks, taken them down. If they live, bring them to me.”