DUNGEON ♛ HAVE A BALL (NOT LIKE THAT)

[boardmaster]

HAVE A BALL (NOT LIKE THAT)
17 FEBRUARY (VIOLA) 2016

To quell the rumors and (one-sided) bad blood between the Heroes and the regular army, the Prime Minister has decided to settle the matter once and for all with a snowball fight at the Colosseum. Located on top of a mountain at the edge of Caissa, winter seems to have transformed the Colosseum into a fortress of frost, complete with stairs of ice along the mountainside that lead up to the arena gates. It’s a full house—the seats are jam-packed with people from all over Blanc who’ve come to see our Heroes in action!

Once the Heroes step inside the arena proper, they’ll find that this fight isn’t just any children’s game. The arena has been converted into a huge mirror maze made of ice so polished, you can see yourself. Inside, the best of Blanc’s soldiers lie in wait. What gives? Maybe if you reach the center of the maze, you’ll find your answer…

But first, the rules!

1. Participants are divided into two teams: Heroes and the Blanc National Army. Only Heroes, Blanc soldiers, beasts and mechanical units in the arena are regarded as players. Just what else could be in here with you? Well...
   
   
2. Once a player gets hit by a snowball, they’re out! They will automatically be removed from the arena via trap door into the arena’s underground (please note that this will be a different level from the hypogeum in Option 2 and will lead directly to the outside). This rule does not apply to mechanical units.
   
   
3. Once a mechanical unit can no longer function, it’s out! It will NOT be removed from the arena until the game is over.
   
   
4. Hitting players with snowballs and disabling mechanical units are the only valid ways to earn points. Each player hit or disabled mechanical unit nets the attacking team one point.
   
   
5. Excessive destruction of Blanc property and intentional injury of other living players is not allowed. Violation of this rule will result in disqualification and automatically remove the player from the arena via trap door.
   
   
6. The use of non-magical weapons is not allowed. Violation of this rule will result in disqualification and automatically remove the player from the arena via trap door.
   
   
7. When the boss at the center of the maze can no longer function, the game will end.

Now get out there and have fun! Your reputation is on the line!

All OOC questions about the event may be directed to the thread below.

"Haha, wow, a full house! Our Heroes are quite lively today, aren't they? Hey, you! Gooood luuuuck!" "Don't waste your breath, Prime Minister. They'll need more than luck to best our own." “If anyone needs snowball making tips, I’ll be hereeee!” “Prime Minister…”

ONE ♙

Braving the ice mirror labyrinth is a test of both the body and the mind. The walls are 15 feet high and strangely impervious to fire magic. In fact, the entire maze is like a freezer, literally chilling everyone to the bone. If you ever get lost, we hope you brought something warm to keep you from freezing to the floor or the walls! It’s a very likely scenario, too; reflections in the ice do their best to both confuse your enemies and reveal their location. Unfortunately, the mirrors do their job so well, Heroes, soldiers, mechs and beasts alike are bumping into walls and walking (or sliding) in circles.

Yep, you read it: beasts. Scattered around the labyrinth are magical snow wolves, prowling around the labyrinth. They are most likely found in the outer rings, sniffing for our Heroes or chasing their own reflections. Don’t be fooled—taking them down is no walk in the park!

ENEMY ♟ Snow Wolf
Weak against Fire	Strong against Ice, Water	Immune to None
“Grrr…” These canine creatures are trained to chase off Heroes with their incredible SPEED. They are also capable of throwing SNOWBALLS with their tails and firing FREEZING ICE BLASTS from their mouths. One hit can turn anyone into a popsicle! In an attempt to one-up the yetis of Shatranj, Blanc has also trained these wolves to STAND ON THEIR HIND LEGS. Commander Lisbrand herself is said to have complained about the canine unit having too much time on their hands. Don’t fret! Although trained to attack, the wolves would never kill a Hero—especially if they bring RAW TREATS and BELLY RUBS!

TWO ♙

Everything is easy peasy, right? The good old dodge and throw that every child learns sooner or later. Except that whoever taught our Heroes didn’t include the possibility of enemies getting the jump on them. When Heroes least expect it, the trap doors bring reinforcements of soldiers and mechanical monsters into the fight from the underground. Better get ready to take them down!

Entering one of the trap doors—on purpose or accidentally—will lead to the hypogeum, another underground maze below the ice. Although made of stone, it’s filled with enough snow to supply both teams with ammo. Those who tried to memorize the labyrinth above in order to get around faster will have to redo their precious work: this maze’s layout is entirely different. If you thought Blanc’s budget wouldn’t allow for more ways to make you suffer, you’re wrong.

Traditionally used as the arena’s “backstage”, the hypogeum contains a huge network of tunnels and rooms used to hold both fighters and monsters. Wandering around the hypogeum will lead to the discovery of even more soldiers and mechanical monsters than in the ice maze above, so pay attention to who is coming up behind you and keep a steady supply of snowballs at hand.

ENEMY ♟ Blanc Soldier
Weak against None	Strong against None	Immune to None
“I thought what we had was special!” Fueled by envy, spite and suspicion, this soldier won’t go easy on you. Wearing LIGHT ARMOR to allow for FASTER MOVEMENT, this guy has absolute ZERO CHILL. He seems especially good at firing snowballs at A FAST RATE but his AIM seems to suffer every so often due to his GLASSES fogging up—a perfect opportunity to strike. Knocking off his glasses seems like a good strategy to win this, if you want to cheat a little. You might have to be careful, though. He is a trained soldier after all... If you manage to back him into a corner, you might just be at a range close enough for him to whip out his small but trusty SNOW BLASTER for a lucky shot. Even a guy with bad eyesight can get you from two feet away!

ENEMY ♟ Mechamon
Weak against Water	Strong against Lightning	Immune to Status Effects
“…vrrr…” Mechanical monsters proudly decorated with ‘MADE IN FISCHER’ logos. They come in a VARIETY OF SHAPES, from majestic bears to the exotic one-eyed ahriman. They move in a slightly CLUMSY manner and are prone to SLIPPING on the ice and snow. They shovel large amounts of snow into their oral cavities, which process them into (slightly lopsided and possibly with a dangerous spring sticking out) snowballs that reappear in their hands or mouths. Strike when they’re out of ammo! Be careful, since Mechamon limbs can still flail and leave bruises. They’re also fond of ATTACKING IN GROUPS, so Heroes might suddenly find themselves surrounded by packs, herds or flocks of these mechanical critters. Make sure to bring backup! If someone happens to get the bright idea to FRY the mech’s CIRCUITS, they’ll be bitterly disappointed. Rather than bringing the Mechamon to a halt, it will MOVE and ATTACK even FASTER than before. Hope you’re prepared for a barrage of snowballs!

THREE ♙

This is it. The final battle. Despite the utterly frosty weather, the very atmosphere seems to heat with anticipation. Muffled cheers from the crowd above are drifting down and the ground shakes as something begins to approach. This soldier must have had a Monday Mystery meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner to help them grow because no regular human could possibly be as tall or as heavy as whatever seems to be looming just around the corner. Cracks begin to appear on the ground and the sound of booming footsteps grows until…

An oversized robot shambles into the arena. Wait, what? Wasn’t this supposed to be between the Heroes and soldiers? There isn’t much time to fume and complain as the robot moves closer. Hoping it’s intelligent and can be reasoned with? Any attempt at talking to it will be met with loud, mechanical screeching and angry whirring noises. Diplomacy is out. Good thing the robot is very slow and won’t be able to cover a lot of distance very quickly—oh. Judging by the ridiculous leap our robot of the hour just made, distance could be a problem after all.

ENEMY ♟ CR-E MARK VII
Weak against Water	Strong against Lightning	Immune to Status Effects
“ENEMY DETECTED.” The CR-E MARK VII doesn’t waste time and springs right into action. Don’t let its entrance have fool you: this robot is FAST. Anyone hoping to get some distance from this thing will find themselves cursing the disadvantage of having shorter legs. Heavy, quick steps leave cracked and deep imprints in the ground and inattentive Heroes may trip and fall. Whoever is able to catch a glimpse of the robot’s palms will see the FLEUR DE LIS logo branded into them. “ANNIHILATION MODE.” Heroes who have come to a halt are being targeted, especially Pawns that are CASTING MAGIC. Those who know how to be bothersome pests should try and draw attention away from the casters unless they want to face a rampaging robot with fewer people to back them up. But watch out! Rather than bring snowballs to the fight like a good kid, this robot is here to prove its superiority to the human element; its long, spindly arms somehow manage to haul HEAPING HELPINGS OF SNOW, whirling the whole mess like a miniature, mobile avalanche to target Heroes! Occasionally, it JUMPS to create QUAKES and TREMORS, effectively causing Heroes to lose their balance, cancel their spells, or throw off their aim. The unlucky ones might even FALL INTO A TRAP DOOR jarred loose by all the commotion. “INITIATING BETA PROGRAM: EXECU-U-U-TI--vrrr.” The robot becomes HOT to the touch and those who specialize in hand to hand combat should take heed! Steam begins to rise from the hot metal, making the large ICE CRYSTALS on the ceiling slowly MELT and drip onto the participants below. Whenever a DROP hits the CR-E MARK VII, it will begin to thrash and its movements will become unsteady and rigid. The green lights in its face turn red, as loud and eerie mechanical whimpers fill the air. More observant Heroes may notice that the longer the battle goes on, the more HAPHAZARD and IRREGULAR its ATTACKS become. It will begin to flail more and act with much less coordination than before, partially due to the water but also because of circuits frying. “ERROR ERROR ERROR.” Once enough damage has been dealt, the robot goes into TOTAL SYSTEM OVERLOAD and starts indiscriminately hurling rocks, debris, ice, snow, and fellow mechanical creations in all directions without rest. Stay clear or end up with injuries Heroes never thought they’d get from a snowball match. Although it’s hard to dodge, the lack of openings makes it even harder to land a hit. Just when it seems as though all is lost (or about to be buried in a completely unprogrammed avalanche), COMMANDER LISBRAND suddenly jumps in out of nowhere, hurling the massive REMOTE CONTROL she’s been carrying towards the robot and then drawing her GUNS to fire upon CR-E MARK VII. “How many times have I told them I don’t need these buckets of junk to help me do my job?! How many times? You should all stop standing there catching flies and get moving! I want two on each flank right now! Did you hear me? I don’t want to see a hair in my line of fire!”

You thought one robot was bad enough? How about the fact that mechanical lackeys begin to show up halfway into the battle, throwing snowballs at everything and everyone?

ENEMY ♟ CR-E MARK VII-MINI
Weak against Water	Strong against Lightning	Immune to Status Effects
“Vrrr!” Meet the CR-E MARK VII-MINI units. You may think of them as CR-E MARK VII’s children. Actually, they’re support units originally intended to function as an auxiliary arsenal for CR-E MARK VII... But development was halted when the division ran out of funds. They’re now just a smaller-scaled version of their parent design--the result of desperate salvaging and a terrible naming sense. By itself, a single mini unit isn’t threatening. But when they get together, these little robots are a true menace, sneaking small rocks into their snowballs that can give unfortunate Heroes a brief STUN STATUS. Wow, did they all just multiply by two? Better shake off that dizziness before more of them hit you! What else do they do? Absolutely nothing! But don’t let your guard down; they’re smarter than they look! These mini units may often wait for an opportune moment to execute a COMBO with their parent unit. After all, defending the parent is the basis of their programming.

FOUR ♙

Despite having been in charge of the Heroes for less than a month, Lisbrand manages to seamlessly blend her attacks into their attempts to disable the CR-E MARK VII and its tiny lackeys. It’s almost as though she’s been watching you. She does seem to be at the Hall of Glory a lot, even if she hasn’t given a lot of orders so far…

Her attacks are measured and pinpoint-precise, crashing through the robot’s joints and hidden mechanisms with an efficiency almost as devastating as the force of the literal avalanches it was unleashing earlier. Finally, the MARK VII yawls backwards, arms pinwheeling comically, and one of its legs folds the wrong way… sending it to a crashing halt. The battle is done, the day is won!

“It’s a miracle this is only the MARK VII… But this is what you get for skimping on your tests.”

Blanc’s soldiers, despite knowing they’ve lost, immediately burst into a thunderous round of cheering. Some of them have even thrown their dignified guard hats into the air. Yells of, “Go Heroes!” and somewhat less appropriate hollers of, “I’m sorry, please marry me!” ring out from the crowd. The snowball match (if it could still be called one at all) is over and the bad blood is miraculously gone in a cloud of burnt circuitry and adoring gazes not quite directed towards our Heroes. It’s time to return home victoriously to Wednesday’s dinner of mutton stew and meat dumplings. Your loving floor nannies will approach shortly, carrying first aid and other necessities. Even they begin showering you with affection!

The Prime Minister appears to be ready to give the Heroes a congratulatory speech, but Lisbrand quickly interrupts to remind him about some business he needs to attend to. In the middle of speaking to the Prime Minister, she raises a hand to excuse herself, takes out her revolver and shoots at a screeching stray bat in one fluid motion. Although the bat falls, its body is nowhere to be found. What’s a bat doing in the arena, anyway?

After blowing the smoke from the barrel of her gun and returning it to its holster with a flourish that looks oddly deliberate considering her usual reserve, Lisbrand turns to the Heroes.

“I suppose some congratulations are in order. Nothing ever goes as planned on the battlefield—and that’s something you should be taking with you into the dungeons if you want to come out again. Prime Minister, if you would please, keep it short.”

“Congratulations! It was a victory hard fought and well won. I hope it was as fun for you as it was for the audience. Let’s do this again next year!”

Comments

three!

[sunderings]

Tieria—!

[ Sion had taken up the vanguard alongside another—Bernard—their marriage of halberd and sword threat enough to keep the enemy's attention upon them, and them alone until...! Until Tieria momentarily came to a halt, calling for mana, and in that instant the machine shifted gears, changed targets, honing in upon the lack of motion with every intent to capitalize upon it.

Within its great, spindly arms the CR-E MARK VII amasses an unimaginable amount of snow, and unleashes it in a barrage which could have stood to bury all those in its path, if not for Guiding Light's «Nova»:

A crescent of light cuts through the snow, dispersing it into an icy powder as surely as it flings it back, a shockwave of frigid wind which...!

Sends the colossus sliding backward, and though the distance is not great—they've gained but a yard of ground!—Sion has successfully placed himself between the machine and his comrades, holding the place where he intends to stand as a bulwark. ]

Your true opponent is I, and no other! [ —Sion's voice is a clap of thunder, commanding of attention, giving the others room enough to strike. For rather than one, the automaton's opponent is eight, and for now, the Hero King's purpose is to be a distraction; to buy time so that someone might be able to come to Tieria's aid. ]

Let us have another round, fiend.

[ Snow crystals clinging to his hair and face, Sion chances a glance over the shoulder, catching the eyes of all those behind him with a smile, before surging forward again.

No, they will not be defeated on this day...! ]

[quaria]

[ For a while now, Setsuna has been taking advantage of the icy environment. Having learned from his disastrous training experiences previously, he doesn't use much speed this time around. (Tieria is hopefully proud.) More often, he uses the slippery surfaces for propulsion, and only occasionally uses the motorbike's engine for added velocity. As a result, he flows through much less dangerously, although it's still rather difficult to control... He hasn't mastered it after all, so time to time he would ram against a wall due to unresponsive brakes or similar problems. He had the thought of using its magical ability (blade wheels) to help him brake, but it consumes too much mana... He didn't want to risk himself running out during an inconvenient moment, so he opts it as a last resort.

Setsuna has been doing his best to maximize the utility of his motorcycle since earlier on; running over robots, gliding the wheels against snow to hurl towards soldiers, taking advantage of the speed to dodge... And now, he's performing bike-type parkour moves to be able to score significant hits against the colossal robot. Thanks to the combined distraction efforts of Sion and Bernard, Setsuna could concentrate on his footing to be able land these calculated blows. He uses the walls and the shaped craters that their opponents leave on the ground as a means to gain trajectory and launch his blade wheels to cut through CR-E MARK VII's armor bit by bit.

Setsuna didn't want to waste the opportunity that Sion opened up for them, so before running to Tieria's aid, he glides through the air one more time. Like a throwing knife, the young pilot hurls his blade wheels against the giant's knee area as an attempt to make it kneel down. With that, he rides through to stop by Tieria's side. It's then that anyone near him will notice that he's also low on mana. He's on the paler side as well.

Truthfully, Setsuna is completely unused to winter. He's been through harsh environments for sure, but he's really unused to its freezing temperatures. He's known and felt winter before, but never for long due to the nature of his job back home. He is someone from the desert, so something like this is beginning to take its toll on him... Slowly, he offers his hand out to his brother-in-arms; even those pale fingers of his are riddled with so much white snow. ]

[sunderings]

[ Sion finds it invigorating, the cold. He, too, is unused to winter—his kingdom lies in the south, worlds away from here, and he had known nothing of snow, of ice until he awoke in Caissa—but the chill which has sunk well and deep into his bones reminds him only that he can feel. Where he had once carried a curse (and perhaps it is still written into the lines of his body, though it is negated by the mana of this realm), and had been numb to everything but pain because of it, the cold is different, a wondrous sensation unto itself. Keenly, he is aware of a shiver which courses down his spine (but is it truly the cold, or is it simple thrill?), the frost-bitten state of his fingers, and when Setsuna seizes the opportunity presented, taking the bladed wheels of his weapon against the jointed plating of the giant's knee, he feels the breeze as Setsuna rides past him, the wind tousling his hair, and he is—

(Alive.)

—bursting forward with Guiding Light, poised to strike at the CR-E MARK VII's knee in order to finish what had been started. ]

Bernard, with me! [ Golden eyes locking with the other man's, it is clear that Sion means for them to strike in tandem—a sword to the front of the knee, and a halberd, to its back—and if they are swift upon the ice (Sion, he uses the absence of traction to increase his speed!), perhaps both blows will meet with their intended mark, and the giant will topple, be slowed at least in part, and their companions will be able to continue on with the siege against the machine. ]

[myfairlily]

[And here's the third of the Trio vs. Bosses Winter and War Machines; Bernard has spent the majority of this adventure in the winter wonderland rueing the his lack of additional fur or more substantial cover, and studiously ignoring both the chill that seems to have taken up residence in his core somewhere and the longing for the fire that once lived in his bones.

You really never realize how good something is until it's gone; especially if you've never been without it.

It's certainly cold -- considerably colder than he's experienced so far even in his too-lengthy time in this city, mountain-climbing is another activity on his shit list right now -- but it hasn't slowed him overmuch. There are advantages to being near-manic with one's dedication to training, even (especially) in below-zero temperatures. The reliance on mana and the mana of others still hasn't settled into his habits; he's used to rest replenishing both body and mind, magic and muscle. Luckily, there are others to respond to Tieria's request, even if Bernard isn't making much use of the desired resource so far -- and doesn't that smart, that for all his skill and single-mindedness he's reduced to rear guard, and occasionally banging his blade against the nearest conveniently exposed bit of robot to make some distracting noise or denting. At least his companions seem to have some combat experience, even in the face of something he's only heard talk of in tavern tales; it's a nagging worry that has crouched at the back of his mind since he laid eyes on those sharing his room.

More than anything, it helps to have the weight of an almost-familiar halberd in his hands, a sword at his back (singular, almost enough); occasionally, there's a flicker of something bright and warm and hopeful at the corner of his vision, but he doesn't have the leisure to check things over more closely just now.]

... You've got more mobility. [--is what he admits in response to Sion's continued ringing declarations, despite what it costs him in pride. No matter how much he didn't ask for this, he'll finish what's been started for him.] I can hold it for now. Go.

[That said, he plants his feet, tail straight and teeth bared, halberd pointed at his enemy -- he's taken the time while Sion and Setsuna had been providing cover to make sure no enemies are lying in wait to ambush those they guard, so all he needs to do is hold the line until Sion is in position and needs backup.

So he raises his blade and slams it against the frosted ground below with enough force to send rippling cracks through the ice. If that still doesn't get the giant's attention, he'll find the nearest chunk they've managed to carve out either of ice or metal, and... swing his axe kind of like a hockey stick to send it pinging off the robot's helmet. Totes legit.]

[buildyourworld]

[ Despite almost down to a critical level of mana exhaustion, Tieria still keeps his guard up while he moves to a less dangerous corner of the battlefield, near where they've left their earlier stash of snowballs pilling. Despite all the effort they spend into making them, the arrival of CR-E MARK VII has rendered the pile useless.

He watches the ongoing battle with trepidation, annoyed that he could do so little in it. Tieria has always been the one that deal massive amount of damages but all he could manage now is provide random support for the rest. To say that he feels useless in an understatement. Just then, he catches on to what Sion ( how could he moves like that on heels?! ) and Bernard plans to do and immediately notices the flaw in that plan. ]

Bernard! Strike the side! [ Because the front of the knee is protected by the metal kneecap that Tieria doubts a halberd could pierce. The side however, is different. It's where the joint is exposed and therefore could easily be taken advantage of if Bernard aims it right. For their sake, he hopes Bernard's halberd finds it target.

By then Setsuna has arrives by his side to offer his hand, which Tieria takes without hesitation. It's then that he feels the chill from the icy cold hand. He looks up and grits his teeth once he realizes that Setsuna is in no better condition than himself. ]

Why are you this low too? [ He tugs at the smaller Meister, wanting to keep him closer so they could guard each other better but also for the sake of sharing some much needed body warmth. Having spend a good majority of their time onboard Ptolemy, neither of them are used to winter. ]

[remotecontrols]

[ Without a more usable weapon, Regene has no choice but to take on a supportive role along with Tieria. Or rather the option to join the front line is there but it would be far too foolish to consider. If nothing else, the gloves will keep his hands somewhat warmer. Yet this isn't disappointing for him. This is familiar territory. His mana reserves are still mostly untapped, having been more conservative with its usage. When he's not assisting Tieria, he watches. He's close enough that he can observe the battle and study how their foe responds to each strike. His focus is intense as he compares it to every other robot he can think of. It's more of a task than it would be normally when he cannot simply access the data. He considers its power source and the way it's been built as Setsuna cuts through it. When he sees him rushing to Tieria's side, he pulls back to join them. ]

Here, allow me.

[ He's not going to be able to use his weapon effectively without plenty of mana and it looks like he was low to begin with. This is just such a time Regene had been saving for. He approaches, removing his gloves to place his hands on either side of his head. He gives his hair a couple strokes as the mana transfers. ]

All of you up front, find some electrical parts to expose, and we might stand a chance.

[quaria]

[ As Sion and Bernard try to continue where Setsuna left off, he observes the proceeding events alongside Tieria and Regene. As pointed out, he needs time to recover some mana too, so he needs to stay put even for a mere minute. Thankfully, he will be able to recover more than he expected with the combined contact of the twin Innovades. He should be able to return to the frontlines soon enough.

At Tieria's question, Setsuna's eyes look elsewhere. He's frustrated about it too, but it is what it is. He only recently learned how to finally activate his weapon's magical ability, so he's easily overwhelmed with its intense mana consumption. He's been limiting its usage, though in a fight like this he would need to go all out. He's already been using it in situational events prior to this battle, so he didn't have full mana to begin with. That's the reason why he's already nearly drained right now... His eyes gently widen when Regene joins in the mana circulation and feels the unexpected head pats too. This is something Aeolia likely would've smiled about, the sight of an Innovator being assisted by Innovades.

Setsuna's surely grateful for their assistance. Once he's gained enough mana, he carefully moves away to properly straighten up on his bike again. ]

Sorry... And, thank you.

[ After excusing himself from the two, Setsuna starts up the engine once more. The sight of mana particle emissions follow his trail as he blazes on, intending to follow Regene's advice while Sion and Bernard continues to disable the knee. The young Meister drops himself in another crater to gain more momentum and to prepare for another launch, driving through its circular shape and shortly angling his bike in the air.

This time, Setsuna uses both wheels to slam against the gigantic robot's upper leg. It's then that he releases impact of his holy blade wheels, grinding against the leg with a force like of a chainsaw. Circuits and cords are then slowly exposed: ready for water to be aimed at. ]

[sunderings]

[ Go, Bernard asserts, and though Sion gives pause, assessing the man in brief, he assents, agrees with a nod of his head, and in the breadth of a heartbeat he flies ahead, every bit as light on his feet as he's been perceived—true, his (newly acquired!) armored heels are a spectacle as they glint and gleam, but they do nothing to detract from his speed, for Sion (the perfect monster that he is!) had scored their outsoles upon making the purchase, taking to frozen-over canals of the capital city for acclimatization and practice. Practice, which manifests, now, as grace and ease, as he sails over the ice, the patterned grooves beneath his feet serving as a counterpoint upon which to turn, his blade no longer seeking to pierce through the jointed plate at the front of the giant's knee, but to cut through the side under Tieria's judgement and in Bernard's stead.

There is the shriek of iron against steel, a crack! of sound as the knee is fractured, a plate ripped loose, and if Sion is smiling upon his withdraw, it is not on account of his own success, but that of Setsuna's, newly returned to the front. It is the sight of Bernard, standing tall and stalwart, teeth fiercely bared in a manner which reminds Sion of a red-haired lion (his Field Marshal, his friend) who surely fought his own battles now, upon a plane which is no longer within the Hero King's grasp.

And...

It is the welfare of the company which makes his heart most glad—Tieria and Setsuna, they are well again because of Regene's efforts, and with their spirit renewed, they, along with the rest of the party, will see this colossus defeated. With one leg damaged by the blades of Setsuna's bike, and the other soon to be cleaved free of its metallic hide by Guiding Light, the time to launch an onslaught of snowballs is surely nigh...!

Falling back no sooner than he laid a significant portion of the CR-E MARK VII's circuitry bare, Sion risks the repercussions of standing still to cast what small magic is with him still, summoning water, enough to coat Guiding Light's blade, and certainly enough to cause a spark, crackle, and damaging current of electricity when plunged into the exposed mass of wires, the cords twisted and already frayed.

He accomplishes as much with a drive from behind, Guiding Light speared through the frailty in the machine's design, and the results are immediate: a series of circuits shorts out, frying, producing a rapid buildup of heat which has the giant buckling (at long last!), and sees Sion stunned (so that is the force of an electric current, and oh, how it had coursed through his body), unable to react in time to doge the CR-E MARK VII's hand, the simple swing of it enough to see him flung high into a wall of ice.

Somehow yet, even the moment of folly manages to be graceful, and Sion is inexplicably elegant as he slides down the ice wall, crumpling to the ground, Guiding Light still very much skewered through the giant's leg. It is his hope, that someone might see fit to use it as one might a chisel, smashing it clean and through the knee to see the machine crashing to the ground.

But ah, he is unable to voice as much now. ]

[myfairlily]

[There's a few of his companions huddled at the back, close enough that he suspects from that (and prior conversations, and their very movements around each other) that they know each other well. He's not sure how he feels about joining up with this mismatched, hastily patched group; it's purely luck that some of them seem better-acquainted with the mechanical monstrosities.

It was a little like this, when they set out traveling, but at the very least the adventurer's agency would vet their candidates. To some extent. (He's not actually sure to what extent, which is a bit troubling in a distant sort of way now.)

At the very least, he could be sure that those he defended understood to leave him room to swing in such tight quarters, and to make a bit less noise when they didn't want the monsters to come for them -- the hollering is helpful, certainly, but it swings the robot's head back around from where he'd painstakingly guided it and he's forced to advance on it to force it to try and keep him in its higher line of sight. It doesn't much like having anything near its feet, which is just too bad, because there's about to be both a literal and figurative party on its ankles.

... He also rather misses the days when weapons made some measure of sense: Setsuna's motorbike is easy to hear coming, but harder to see coming with the speed it builds and it makes all of Bernard's fur stand on end to have it at his back -- he keeps instinctively ducking whenever it flies past, which isn't very helpful to fending off the robot's wide-ranging swings. And of course, it was nice when he had some idea which of the foolhardy warriors he was set to work with was liable to go haring off into the wild blue yonder and get themselves very elegantly electrocuted.]

--That is not what I meant. [It's a complaint through gritted teeth into the wind even as Bernard moves immediately to put himself between the enemy and the heap of Sion by the wall. They could all use more room to maneuver (he's missed Setsuna's bike by a hair's breadth once or twice, and actually banged into it once), but just now he's almost grateful for the confines of the labyrinth; it means he isn't leaving the rest of the group too exposed with his movement.] ... You! Move the idiot over there!

[The latter at Setsuna, of course, the bulkiest but now the most agile of them.

Bernard would love to give Sion a kick or two awake himself, but he recognizes an opportunity when he sees one: the enemy off-balance, a convenient stake driven through its remaining support, and spitting menacing sparks even as it babbles strange robot nonsense and swings its arms in an attempt to keep his balance.

It's the work of a moment to dodge those arms and slip inside the thing's guard, wind up, and slam his blade against the pommel of Guiding Light with a ringing impact that nearly deafens him in turn. Sometimes having sensitive ears isn't the best... He grits his teeth when the remaining sparks from the short-circuiting burn his hands, but he'd long ago learned to wrap them in this weather; it'll have to be enough. It's not even magical lightning.

The giant is still not down, unfortunately, Guiding Light's slender blade not quite enough to stricken the massive kneecap. What Bernard does next, then, is to swing with the momentum of his turn to go for the other side of the knee -- he also meets an incidental swipe of the giant's arm, which pushes him back several steps.

Someone else could possibly take advantage of the current opening created by the brief stalemate, but it also means Bernard might be taking a good metric fuckton of giant leg to the face. Well, he's probably had worse.]

[quaria]

[ Once enough damage has been done on the metallic leg, Setsuna drops himself back on the ground and prepares to brace himself with the upcoming water or snow attacks. He has to move away from here or risk himself in danger of electrical shock.

But before he could, he realizes that neither Sion nor Bernard are moving away at all. In fact, Sion seems to be trying to pull a move that should never be done on electric haywire. Come to think of it, none of these two might even realize it as they appear to be from worlds that aren't as technologically advanced as his. Setsuna's eyes widen, immediately yelling out: ]

No! Move away!

[ Unfortunately, it's too late. Setsuna could only watch as Sion is painfully flinged to the nearest wall. He grits his teeth, gripping the motorbike's handles more tightly. It didn't need to be said that he has to step in for both tanks for now, although Bernard's yell only serves to motivate him further. In order for him to catch the giant's attention he has to anger it. He needs to turn the robot to make it face the opposite direction where Sion and Bernard is, allowing the two to respectively be aided and to gather footing.

With the smooth yet loud whirling of an engine, the mana particles in the air seem to increase as Setsuna intends to speed even more than before. Yes, it's incredibly risky. But there's no other option. He gathers further velocity as he runs at least one full lap underneath the giant, cutting through the ground with the mana blades. When he's broken enough of the white floor, he accelerates with considerable and alarming speed that causes a tidal wave of ice and snow. It's thick enough to pour all over the exposed circuitry further, causing an intense artificial scream to screech through the air.

Setsuna successfully angered it, and now its attention is fully on him. With flailing limbs, the half-destroyed robot start attempting to crush the young Meister with intense ground punches. Though it's not impossible to dodge, as after their contributions against the legs, the colossal threat is now on the verge of collapsing. ]

[harassing]

[ The journey into the winter maze has been eventful, to say the least. Like many of the other Heroes, Shinya has also faced a fair bit of difficulty dodging snowballs and the wrath of beasts alike, limited by both the rules and his stunted abilities. The cold also makes it difficult to keep his spirits high, but it's nothing he hasn't had to endure before. He's tired, though seemingly uninjured, and drawn towards the scene by the sounds of metal clashing and the shouts of others. He rushes towards those sounds, rifle already drawn and tight against his chest, prepared for whatever stood around the corner.

And what a sight it is.

It's a... well, it's a hot mess, to be quite frank, but at least it doesn't take more than a split second to decide which side he should take. There are a few familiar faces caught in the middle of the strife, and some not familiar at all, but that didn't matter. When it came to Heroes vs. giant robot, it wasn't exactly a difficult decision.

Before he can take aim, however, his gaze falls to the body on the ground, slumped along the wall. That was worrying-- whatever this thing was, it was powerful enough to take one of them out. Thankfully, it looks like Sion isn't permanently down for the count. He takes position next to him, as low to the ground as he can get. The edge of his ankle rests lightly along Sion's, just in case this was a mana issue, too. Thankfully, and unless everything suddenly turned incredibly disastrous (a distinct possibility), he didn't have much need for mana himself. ]

Uh oh. This is a really inconvenient time to take a nap. Your teammates are going to think you're slacking, mister. [ It's easy to make quips at unconscious people, smh. ]

Still, it looks like you deserve a little rest.

[ He rests his elbows on the snowy ground and takes aim, focusing the center of his scope for the center of its head. Honestly, he doubts that normal bullets will do much of anything for a mechanical beast of this caliber, but perhaps he can help disorient it a bit. ]

I hope you don't mind me joining in the festivities, everyone. [ He says, though he doubts anyone can hear him, and that's just fine. The last thing he wants is to draw attention from that thing. So long as he doesn't accidentally shoot one of his comrades, he's good.

BANG, BANG, BANG goes the first, second, and third shots, in the same spot on the robot's forehead, far enough to not obstruct the other's efforts. ]

[buildyourworld]

[ Being removed from the battlefield or rather far away enough from the gigantic robot's attacking range means Tieria gets to witness everything in better clarity and the first immediate respond he has is facepalm at Sion's idiocy ( he totally miss the graceful fall but it's probably for the better ). Still it doesn't stop him from aiming another snowball at the boss's exposed wiring even if he panicking mentally now that Setsuna has taken up the tank mantle from Sion. We're going to die! Setsuna whose only forte is melee battle, now on a barely controllable mana-sapping bike is tanking them. In Tieria's mind, there's no disaster bigger than this.

Despite all that, Tieria's priority is clear. Some King needs rescuing. That same King is going to get shoved into a broom cupboard first thing when they get out of here alive.

He thanks Regene's for the mana supply before speeding off with his activated glass slippers ( which will drain the mana he just recovered ) to get to Sion and Shinya's side as quickly as possible. Hopefully, if he doesn't miss the distance. These glass slippers are hard to control... Well not this time, thankfully. Carefully picking a route out of boss's reach, he breaks right beside Sion with a very irritated frown on his face. If anyone need more water, the fire trails he left behind will provide some. ]

Aim at the snowballs. [ Those words are directed to Shinya, obviously since Sion is out of it, as Tieria hauls Sion up. ] I'm taking you with me, hold on tight to your rifle.

[ Without more warning, he grabs Shinya by the collar and Sion by whatever he could grab, probably his hair ( most likely those hair ) and swiftly jettisons them away. Tieria drops Shinya off behind one convenient pillar along the way ( or is it? because the position is probably a little too suitable for a sniper to aim from ) before he hurries back to loser mana corner with Sion. Safely away from the boss, Tieria dumps Sion on the icy floor and gives him a good slap to both wake and punishes him for almost throwing his life away so recklessly. ]

Snap out of it, Sion Astral!

[ Mercy for the injured? There's none available here. Especially when he's in a hurry to get to Setsuna's rescue. ]

[sunderings]

[ What a slap! The impact is solid, Tieria's palm mating with his jaw, the man's fingers curved neatly over the slender rise of his cheek, and in an instant, Sion is acutely awake, even before the follow-through of the strike is complete. Aah, aah, isn't his ward scary? Shouting snap out of it, Sion Astal! with such a fearsome face and a terrifically imposing expression, that it is almost as if the man might have been worried on his behalf (though Sion knows far better than that).

Not interested in mercy in the slightest (there never has and never will be room for it upon the battlefield, after all!), Sion shifts, blanketing the offending hand (a slap, a slap...! the only one to ever strike him in such a way had been none other than a Lady of House Eris, appointed to be his guard) with the warmth of his own before Tieria can withdraw.

And so: it is in this manner that one (1) Hero King, Sion Astal, cups Tieria Erde's hand to his face, eyes lidding to half-mast with a flutter of silvered lashes as mana passes between the link. If he were to be honest, Sion would admit to possessing middling mana reserves even before he'd entered the maze (this King, who doesn't sleep, who neglects to care for himself...), and between his prior battles—the footsteps which had lead him here, to this moment where he looks to Tieria with no measure of regret in his eyes—and combating the CR-E MARK VII, he is... Worn, perhaps more than even he can admit to himself. ]

Do not be so fretful, Tieria. [ He rises, then, the motion so fluid, so seamless that, for all the world, it seems as though he hadn't been shocked by an electric current or slammed back, into a wall! ] I'll return to them.

[ Turning his gaze toward the fray, he sees: their opponent, intent upon pummeling Setsuna into the shattered ice of the ground; a new companion, stationed now behind a pillar (dimly, Sion remembers the jolt of the man's mana, the sound of a rifle, the recollection inspiring him to wave, catching Shinya's eyes!); and Guiding Light, woefully out of reach.

His hand falling away from Tieria's, his intent is clear: he means to reclaim his blade, and moves to, until his attention is diverted, captured by something (or rather, somethings) which emerge from a trap door jarred loose by the CR-E MARK VII's tremors and quakes. A squadron of miniature mechanical menaces enters the scene, and without a word, Sion darts forward, gaining momentum and speed, thoroughly unconcerned with his lack of a weapon because the unit at the forefront can be done away with a kick, powered by an axel jump with perfect rotation, its joints wholly crushed beneath Sion's propulsion and weight. ]

...though perhaps after we've finished here.

[ Setsuna and Bernard, they're strong, they'll be all right for now. ]

[dualized]

[For Marie, the trek through the maze had been a difficult and tiring one; but it had given her an opportunity to become better acquainted with Sparkling Bonds- a weapon type unlike anything she was personally familiar with using. Although she'd tested it prior to this there was nothing quite as helpful as the hands on training she'd received in the battle. Being able to swat away snowballs had come in handy when dodging was too difficult. She'd been able to conserve mana, seeing as the snow was easy to strike and snow was all she really needed to take down her enemies.

However as she got further, she began hearing sounds- some familiar and some worrying- that made her pick up her pace. That's when she saw it. The CR-E Mark VII was being assaulted by a small group; a number of them familiar faces. Although she has her doubts as to just how useful she can be against an enemy of this caliber it wasn't a question of going or not going. Of course she was going to support them in any way she was able.

Taking a quick look around the field to judge their position, she took note of a few things. It was already facing significant damage to it's leg and the smoking was starting to melt some of the ice which in turn was only damaging it's circuits further. Large as it was, it was still a machine and it still worked on those principles. The external armor would be difficult to take out, but once that was done any spot could be considered a weak spot. With her weapon's ability she'd be able to strike it harder the more she let it absorb light. Doing so, she began to tap into her mana stores for the first time while she steadily approached the electric-powered monstrosity.]

Let me lend a hand or two.

[Fighting up close and personal with it was no small bit intimidating, however she wasn't alone in this endeavor. Even those she didn't know she was willing to trust for the sake of this fight. After all these were people who were helping friends of hers. That was enough for now.

But more importantly-- the task at hand. It looks like most of the work here has been done. Thankfully, her weapon's skill may allow it to be as strong as steel but it's still wood. It won't conduct electricity. For that reason she feels it's an ideal weapon to use against the boss' exposed knee; swinging it the whole way around her body to use the momentum to deliver the strongest attacks she's capable of. It jerks unsteadily and to add to it's distress while it's weak, she pulls the weapon currently lodged there out before delivering one last hard strike to the back of the knee, hoping to unbalance it before jumping back, away from it's flailing arms.

A quick glance down at the weapon in her hand tells her she doesn't know who this belongs to. But a scan of the immediate area tells her there's only one person who currently doesn't seem to have one.]

Here!

[Especially considering the new arrivals, it's a bad time to be weaponless. She tosses the blade into the snow a few feet away from Sion. It's the best she can do at the moment without letting her guard down too much. Hopefully it's enough.]

[quaria]

[ Three loud gunshots. Where did that come from? It nearly threw Setsuna off, but does his best to maintain his professional stature. He can't let anything distract him in the middle of battle, much more when he's in a tight bind or when he has friends to protect. He isn't new to tanking actually, he had to take and hold aggression of enemy Gundams before; one prominent example being the Memento Mori mission where he acted as decoy to ensure the safety of CBS-74 Ptolemaios 2.

But tanking something this colossal with a mobile weapon that he has yet to master... Now this is a new experience. If Setsuna's concentration suffers, he won't be getting away with a mere vehicle crash... He won't let it happen, not when he's so intent on keeping the robot's attention away from everyone. Those gunshots from Shinya however did a wonderful job of ruining the opponent's rhythm. It allows Setsuna put more protective distance between himself and CR-E MARK VII.

It's that instance that Setsuna gains a moment to turn his head, reaffirming the new situation after new Heroes seemed to have come in. Tieria running, carrying Sion to the earlier corner with Regene. Ah... It seems one of the new Heroes is with Tieria, too. In fact, it's a familiar face. Setsuna is just in time to see Shinya take position behind a convenient pillar, just in time to process and put together who exactly aided him to gain this advantageous distance. You're... kidding, right? Disbelief immediately takes over, his heart skipping an intense beat as a memory runs through him. This is just like the feeling when... the Dynames assisted his Exia. He wanted to stare at the sniper longer, but he can't afford to do so.

Setsuna shakes his head once to tell himself to get a grip, especially when the CR-E MARK VII-MINI units start running in. He spares another quick glance as the cold winds brush against him, noticing that Marie is the other new Hero. She successfully manages to finish off the first knee, which leaves one left. It's the leg which he secondly attacked and exposed its wiring... He looks towards his distant allies, lifting one arm as if to signal them. ]

I'm turning it again!

[ He means CR-E MARK VII's direction. If he's turning it again, it means he's going to give them a chance to start concentrating attacks on the remaining knee. Get ready! ]

[harassing]

I'm going to assume there's a good reason for why I should do that, and trust you. Don't let me down.

[ This is said right before he sets his gun down for a moment to Tieria, not at all happy about being ordered around and moved without explanation by a near stranger, but he's been on the scene for far longer, it seems. He hopes his new glass-slippered friend is competent.

As for being dragged by the collar? It's crude, but apparently he's got it easy, cause it's still worlds better than being dragged by the hair. He keeps shooting as they're moving, the motion only hindering his aim a bit, because he didn't want to miss a moment. The hits are proving effective at at least disorienting the machine, making its attacks less accurate and easier to dodge. A few moments after being set down, he spares a moment to look at Sion, who's now conscious again. Good morning, sunshine.

Taking the new advice to heed, he focuses his efforts on the landed snowballs within the framework-- specifically, any that seem to have landed in frayed circuit spots. He tries to be one step ahead of where Setsuna, Marie, and Bernard hit, so as to try and wear the area down and brace it for further impact. This also means that he catches the very brief moment of Setsuna looking focus, and while he hopes the other man has enough combat experience not to let a few bullets disrupt his plans, it's worrying. ]

Pay attention, Setsuna. [ He pauses the firing, lifting his head up from the barrel and mouthing the words. But oh, good, he's back in business already. Atta boy.

Shinya also takes a moment to re-load while Setsuna shouts for a shift in focus, finding it an opportune time to make sure he wouldn't run out of bullets while it was vulnerable. ]

[remotecontrols]

[ Regene glances toward the source of the gunshots. The last time he heard that sound was when he watched Tieria die. He won't let that happen again. This group is working surprisingly well together. He takes note of all those he doesn't recognize, their apparent experience and unique skills. With his allies he knows what to expect, but this makes things interesting.

It's more action than he would prefer, but he is capable of fending off small robots. He targets those about to attack his comrades. They can do without the distraction of being pelted with snowballs while they deal with the big one. That looks like an ordeal as it is. It's turning into a full time job just to keep up with all of these things, but he still manages to toss a snowball in the robot's direction when he can spare a moment. ]

[myfairlily]

[Well, if there is one thing he can predict, it's that he can't predict exactly how this party will react, whether it's to his attempts to help them help themselves or to unexpected circumstances; it doesn't make Bernard feel any better about being a part of it, but since nobody else got electrocuted and Setsuna's bike hasn't beaned anybody over the head at this point, it doesn't make him feel any worse, either.

He hears Shinya and Marie's arrival before he ever lays eyes on them, his ears swiveled back towards those he's covering to check on them when he can't spare any other senses. The gunshots and sudden addition of another wooden weapon is a bit startling, but just like lightning magic, he can at least wrangle them into his battle strategy.

Thus, luckily, he isn't too distracted by the arrival of reinforcements both on their side and to the aid of the robot -- and can it be anything else, even out of the corner of his eye, when he can hear every menacing mechanic click and whirr... but also the sound of Sion, revived, smashing through them like so much matchstick. This is possibly one of the most bizarre battles he's been a part of to date, but he's too busy being relieved that they have more (alive) bodies on the battlefield. The timing is almost suspicious, and perhaps someone finally got their Carrier off its butt in this cold. Lira isn't especially prone to leaving her warm nest somewhere between his collar and his neck in this weather, particularly when she can't see the sky.

But the timing is good, no matter what the source is: Bernard could use a little breather from taking the brunt of the robot's upper half. It's a wonder he hasn't tired more quickly -- he's certainly taken enough heavier blows from the arms at this point that his own are numb more often than not, but there's some warmth and vigor to be had from the mana trails and the trails of fire left from earlier.]

... Don't let its arms touch the ground. [He's mostly abandoned his attempts to strike at its knees, his companions with less bulky or more agile weapons more suited to that task and the now-damp wood on his weapon less safe to use around the exposed circuitry; he'll do his best to keep Setsuna and Marie from having to deal with any of the robot's limbs besides the ones they're after, but meat shielding with shorter reach in terrain that's been mostly destroyed by Setsuna and Tieria both is definitely a challenge. Shinya's bullets give all of them a little leeway to play robotic-arm-limbo, but there are still some close calls.] And don't stay too close to--

[Well, he tried: the robot, having had enough of it knees being pounded on and the inability to reach the ants scurrying around below, raises both arms and grabs some of the icicles on the ceiling to keep its balance. It's not actually a move you'd expect of something this crude-looking, but there's no longer any time left to ponder that.]

--Back! Back!

[This to the Setsuna and Marie, the only ones within range of the tremor that's coming. It's going to be a doozy, and Bernard will probably try to grab and drag whoever doesn't move fast enough -- yes, even the Gundam with his entire bike.]

[dualized]

[She's not as quick as Bernard would have liked, and finds herself pulled back away from the fight. Too late had she realized what that shaky motion meant but soon she's running with him as fast as her cold legs will carry her. The icicles steam in the robot's grip and quickly start deteriorating from the point of contact. The smaller of the two dislodges and drops through it's fingers, hitting it's shoulder before it begins to crumple onto it's knees with a heavy smashing noise. Wires and metal crunch and tear under the weight and the ground rumbles.

Although they'd made it a fair distance, the sudden shift of the ground under her sends Marie falling forward; although she's quick to sit back up. Sparing a look back, she sees the CR-E Mark VII is hunched over and shaking. But it's not done yet. The arms are still functioning; although there's occasionally an erratic twitch that looks unnatural, but could also be dangerous.

Picking herself and her weapon up, she looked around to make sure everyone else was alright.] Careful... it's closer to the ground now. It's going to be harder to attack it up close now... [At least without putting themselves in very real danger. Still, this was a good sign. The snow under it is melting and dealing it's own damage.] We need to come up with a way to disable the arms.

[They do have a decent mixture of abilities among them. Formulating a new plan using those strengths shouldn't be too difficult.]

[buildyourworld]

[ This whole trial dungeon run is getting more and more under his skin by the seconds, especially this sorry excuse of a Sion Astal. Tieria almost jumps at the abruptness of Sion's consciousness and the mana exchange link forming between them in less than a second the slap connected. While he's glad that Sion is seemingly fine ( even if Tieria wonders just how strong he really is ), he could do with less physical contact between them. ]

I will when you stop being recklessly stupid in the middle of a battle!

[ Although angry, he doesn't pull away until Sion releases his hand. Despite how he feels about Sion in his personal capacity, Tieria is not one who would allow it to cloud his judgement. On the battlefield, an ally's safety is paramount. As someone who has to shoulder the safety of Celestial Being's Gundam Miesters and their transport ship, Tieria knows his responsibility better than anyone. Even if Sion isn't a member of Celestial Being, them being teammates is enough. That's not to say he wouldn't kick Sion later.

By then, their battle has suddenly escalates into a matter of reckless danger, mostly thanks to CR-E MARK VII. He heard Bernard and Marie's warning before he notices Setsuna approach, a control panic rising in his gut at the possible disaster awaiting them. ]

Get out of there! [ He barely avoided a snowball aimed at him from one the new mini-robots Sion's dealing with and quickly steps behind Sion. That's when he notices there's more to the snowball as it hits a dent into the snow barrier they have been using for protection. ] Don't get hit, there's rock in them.

[ Unable to focus on the bigger field for now, he aids Sion with the mini-robots, easily catching one midway through it punch, Tieria breaks the arms by snapping it against it's joint. ]

[quaria]

[ It's almost amazing to see CR-E MARK VII so desperate to keep standing. The fact that it's now holding on to the ceiling is a spectacle... Though having the colossal robot do this means that Setsuna could finally halt blazing around in dangerous speed. He's getting tired at this point, lightly panting as he makes it to a safe side alongside Bernard and Marie after being beckoned to back up. He observes how the robot will react from now on, noticing that it seems to be acting more and more erratically hazardous. It didn't take a genius to know that it is the result of broken circuits and wiring, it's now undergoing a system overload.

But wait, is... is it steaming? Is that on purpose, or is that the result of their combined damage? Setsuna couldn't tell, though he didn't have much time to ponder. Once the icicles above start breaking from its weight and the hot steam, CR-E MARK VII falls against the ground and causes a huge tremor; this results in more icicles from above to arbitrarily drop through the surrounding area. Alarmed by this new peril, Setsuna immediately grips his motorbike's handlebars in preparation to start dashing through again. Without its legs supporting the robot, it's likely going to begin using its arms chaotically, no less with that system overload. Icicles dropping, a gigantic robot on a rampage, and small robots throwing rocks everywhere... Could this get any worse?

Half the party is still busy with the smaller robots. Although they're weak and easily defeated, their numbers are overwhelming. Setsuna takes it upon himself to continue tanking then, at least until more of the others can join them in destroying the arms. He has to do it without coming close at all, so he gives himself a small motivational sigh before staring up with sharp eyes. ]

... I am going!

[ He has no idea where to tank now, but he can't just stand by idly. So he rides through, taking the aggression one more time as the legless giant starts attempting to grab at the young Meister. His eyes constantly roam from above him to watch for icicles, below him to watch the remaining ground, and his sides to avoid any swinging robotic arms. It's actually quite open to attack whenever it does a heavy, wild swing if anyone is able to jump in with proper timing. ]

[sunderings]

[ They are rather tedious, tiresome things, the mechanical miniatures which are keen to swarm—where the Hero King's heel pierces the central motor of one unit, another swiftly rises to take its place, and even with the combined might of three (Tieria, he dismantles the menaces with ease, and Regene intercepts all those who seek to return to their parent machine, suppressing the would-be reunion!) the flood is difficult to quell. And while he is grateful (and so indebted to the woman who'd entered the scene, turning the tide!) for the return of Guiding Light, he is only able to call you've my thanks, my Lady! for he is otherwise occupied: the snowballs flung by the diminutive models carry quite the nasty surprise, and there is no room for Sion to slow, or to truly reclaim the blade without paying a significant price.

Somewhere, though, amidst the metallic groan of their foes collapsing, the area surrounding strewn with their pieces and parts, Sion becomes aware of ...warmth. Steam rises in great billows from the CR-E MARK VII, and even from a distance, Sion sees and feels its effects. Above, the cavernous ceiling begins to melt, its large crystalline ice formations sloughing away from their roots, producing runoff which frazzles the remaining miniatures, the water as damaging to them as it is to their parent machine.

With the onslaught of snowballs diminished (the small units responsible for the barrage no longer able to throw with accuracy!), Sion seizes the opportunity to dive for Guiding Light, pulling the sword from the snow with a flurry of motion before...! Icicles begin to fall, adding yet another element of chaos to the fray—one by one, they loosen and drop, crashing to the ground below to splinter into shards. One, however, and this icicle is no icicle at all, but rather a monstrous, tapering mass reminiscent of the tip of an iceberg, doesn't seem likely to descend on its own, which is a pity on account of its location: poised directly above the trapdoor which the miniature machines continue to spew from.

But then...! ]

Hey, Mr. Sharpshooter! [ A pause—Guiding Light is swung in a merciless arc which could have taken the head of any man, but severs a robot unit neatly into two, instead. ] Or would you prefer Mr. Handsome, instead?

[ With a too-regal flourish, he raises his blade to mark it, the aforementioned mass of ice! ]

Would you lend me your aid?

[ With bringing that iceberg down, is implicitly said. ]

[harassing]

[ With each passing second, and every element of chaos hindering not only CR-E MARK VII's movements, but their own as well, it becomes considerably more difficult to see his intended target areas. The shots come less frequent-- the intensity of each attack sacrificed to maintain the integrity of his aim. It isn't a favorable position to be in, but Shinya didn't relish the thought of accidentally shooting one of his comrades.

He also has to move. Gone are the moments where the pillar provided the shielding he needed, because as the numbers of the smaller units grow, they also begin to wander into his area, too close for comfort. So Shinya is on the move, remaining as far back as his range would allow him, pausing frequently to continue his assists. This time, he waits for their cue, the fighters who are concentrating their efforts on the arms, before continuing.

And he would have continued in this manner, even if the snowballs and pockets of ice are more and more fleeting before melting into water, were it not for the voice that interrupts his focus. It doesn't take long for him to understand Sion's intent, given the now-obvious effect of water on the machinery. It's a decent plan. ]

I'm not picky, but I don't usually get such flattering names. It's good to see you back on your feet, Sleeping Beauty. [ With a grin, he crouches down again, low to the ground, at a vantage point hopefully far enough that he can fire in relative peace again. ]

You got it. [ After a quick and rough scan of where the ice seemed the weakest, he fires, first the weak point, then at the surrounding areas, with the aim to bring down the massive structure. ]

[remotecontrols]

[ For lack of another suitable weapon, Regene finds that using a piece of one of the robots he's destroyed will work. He summons up the aggression he usually keeps tempered. This is their time to prove themselves. But it's hard to keep fighting when he must also dodge falling icicles. One such frozen spear comes crashing down too close for comfort. He takes a tumble in the snow to avoid it, losing track of his glasses in the process. But he knows he can't stay in one spot and quickly returns to his feet, brushing himself off to swing at robots once more. Rather than taking the brunt of it he's merely cut by some shards. All the while he keeps track of progress they're making on the big one. He sees what they're doing with the ice mass above, so why not do that with the small ones as well. Save them some effort. ]

Of course. We'll lure these things where they can be hit by falling ice.

[myfairlily]

Hmph. At least it's finally starting to get serious.

[Is that what it's doing?!

Well, with the number of tiny and incredibly annoying robot helpers that have come out of the woodwork at this point, the sudden and painful rain of icicles, and the fact that the parent robot has started making some truly alarming noises -- maybe that's one way to put it.

Bernard may not know very much about robots, but he's relatively well-acquainted with this one's movements by now; and the way its patterns are starting to shift, to slide into chaos, may be a result of the water, or maybe it's just becoming alarmed that its 'children' are in peril. There's no way of knowing. He's pretty sure throwing the robot off-balance both literally and figuratively is a good thing, but a cornered animal or creature or... whatever this is can become more dangerous before it's placated.

At least he has his second wind now, pausing for a moment in his retreat to turn a more attentive eye to how the back of their line has been doing; he can't really stay still due to the stray snowball still coming from the back, but he can also easily lift his halberd above his head and swing it into a good, solid spin to give himself a little cover from the icicles. He can wield it single-handed, but it's not ideal for lengthy battles like this one, especially when they're fighting on two fronts.

Ideally, they would have someone capable of taking care of the icicles or following Regene's suggestion of baiting the smaller robots into them, but their only real range fighter is a bit busy, just now.]

We should get back to the front line, but it looks like that one might need some sorting out, first. [He nods to the scrambling Regene, tilting his head towards Marie at his side. (What is names?? Someone really should have made callsigns for everyone; it's made worse by the fact that he can't tell the two dark-haired ones in the back apart in the fray.) A brief sigh, even as he's already moving to rejoin Setsuna again, before he calls over his shoulder--] You, the closest one with dark hair! You're about to step on your spectacles.

[Regene will have to do the rest himself, or collar someone else farther in the back, because Bernard's taken off running full tilt towards the robot. It's still following Setsuna wheeling about like a particularly off-kilter merry-go-round; its head is even starting to whirl a little in place. Perhaps it's actually getting dizzy, which would work in his favor.

Because once Bernard gets close enough that he can time the thrashing of those pesky arms, he jumps -- a pretty impressive leap for a guy carrying a good few pounds of wood and metal and himself, lands for a split-second on the robot's elbow at the end of a swing, and then goes straight for the shoulder.]

Heads-up!

[The yell is more for their sniper's benefit than anything else -- he doesn't really relish getting shot in the tail whenever Shinya is finished introducing his iceberg friend to the robotic compatriots. There's very little time now, so Bernard does a simple, quick swing: CLANG goes his blade in a resounding smack against the robot's helm, to a screech of either mechanical distress or metal against metal.

The principle is simple: it's easier to take out one head than two arms, and if something like this comes packaged with a head-like implement, there must be some value in taking it out.

Those close by may notice that even as he moves to take a second swing before jumping clear, the blade of his halberd -- perhaps from the friction of impact, perhaps from something else entirely -- has at some point gathered an ethereal glow. By the time he's done, it's almost like a miniature star in the gloomy confines of the labyrinth, though it's already fading.

Also, the robot's head -- knocked a bit sideways but not off -- has also started smoking pretty heavily. That's a good thing, too, right?]