[cynda1]

Krystal & Sally

Upon the boys all reaching the main level, the two girls were left to their own devices to investigate the bottom level. Luckily, the two of them were able to get their bearings, and both of them managed to come across a couple of interesting details. Once Sally put on her night vision goggles, she may have noticed there wasn’t any immediate sight of the generator, but she would’ve already known that. The generator itself was further toward the other side of the ship, so making their way in was the only way.

However, while heading forward, Krystal took notice of a desk with writing utensils and blueprints on it. Perhaps the blueprints were for the generator? But then why would they be left out for Krystal to find, no matter how dark the room was? Even though the fox’s eyes adjusted, it was still far too dark for her to read precisely what the papers were saying. That being said, whatever these blueprints were for may’ve been important. Might be best to bring those with her.

(Krystal received mysterious blueprints!)

Right next to the blueprints was a pair of pliers. They seemed like quite a big and bulky pair, probably not the best tool for the most generic of projects, but were good for jobs no tools smaller could do. Might turn out useful too.

(Krystal also received huge pliers.)

Sally on the other hand, would’ve come across something rather familiar almost instantly. It was crate covered under a cloth of some sort. When the cloth was lifted up, a rather dim green light seeped out of it, though not nearly bright enough to get any sort of attention from anyone who might’ve been there. Upon closer expectation, however, she would’ve seen that all but one green shard were shattered and lacked the same light this green one had. If brought out to a light, Sally would’ve been able to see what colors they used to be based on the glass, but she wouldn’t be able to tell here (not that it mattered).

Chaos Shards were historically used for more than raising Chao, but why were they on this ship? Perhaps it would be a good idea for Sally to keep a hold of them.

(Sally received a case of Chaos Shards!)

Upon moving ahead, Sally would’ve come across a door of some kind. The door seemed to need a key code to get through, or they could simply bash their way through. What situation couldn’t be brute forced in cases like this? Still, it would be quite the effort needed to budge the door.

(Krystal and Sally, you’ve got some options again! Either continue looking for clues to find the code, or try brute forcing your way into the room. You must continue rolling a CON to find clues or find one instantly with a source of light with the risk of someone walking in on you and noticing. You must still roll an 8 to remain unseen, but you must also roll past 12 to find a clue. Alternatively, you can try and break the door down with an STR roll of 16 to break the door down, or 18 to break it down without being noticed.)

Shadow, Sonic, Claus, & Grey

Meanwhile, Claus’s attempt to climb the rope as it seemed to be the only way to get to the upper deck, didn’t go too well. Luckily for him, there were two rather speedy hedgehogs that were ready to catch him, though Shadow seemed to notice Claus was falling just a hair sooner than Sonic did. The black hedgehog managed to prevent the boy from landing on metal by skidding and just barely catching him…

…Though it wasn’t exactly the cleanest catch, so while Claus didn’t get hurt, Shadow wasn’t as lucky.

He didn’t necessarily get injured per say, but that might’ve been only because of Sonic’s equally quick reaction, as the two hedgehogs helped the kid up on his feet. However, Shadow was practically forced to bring his attention to his inhibitor rings.

…

…

…Eh, that probably wasn’t a problem, right?

In any case, Grey managed to get his way to the top floor, but not nearly well enough for the rope not to break. This meant that Claus had no choice but to use his Chimera Wings to get to the top floor, which he most definitely could. There was a risk to it, though.

(Claus, you must use your Chimera Wings to get to the top floor now, or you can try and find another way to the top. You can find an alternative route if you roll a 12 in INT, but if you wish to use the Chimera Wings, you must roll a 10 in CON or risk getting yourself, and Grey, spotted.)

(Shadow and Sonic, you can also help Claus find an alternative route if you roll a 12 in INT, but it’s ultimately Claus’s decision on what he should do. You can begin your investigation now. You must roll a CON of 8 to remain out of enemy sight since the main deck is the most populated. The conditions will increase as the main deck grows in population. If you roll a CON roll of 12 or higher, you will find a clue.)

(Grey, you can begin your investigation. Unlike the other floors, there doesn’t seem to be any risk of being spotted so long as Claus isn’t spotted, so for now, all you have to do is CON roll a 12 or higher to find a clue.)

---

Shadow's Post

The black hedgehog didn’t quite smile, but he did try to give Krystal a reassuring smirk before making his way to the main deck. There was a lot ahead of them, and he wasn’t certain when he’d see her again, so it was probably for the best that he tried to show he was in good spirits before they went their separate ways.

…Well, as “good spirits” as Shadow the Hedgehog could have.

Shadow simply looked in Claus’s direction for a few moments before… actually allowing a genuine grin to slip on his face, forgetting that Sonic was still there. Really, Shadow couldn’t help it. How could he? He couldn’t help but be proud of Claus making decisions for himself outside of Porky’s command, and while he would’ve rather the boy stay home and what not… it’s not like Shadow would do anything different anyway, so it was probably his own fault that Claus refused to leave.

In any case, Shadow didn’t have any more objections to Claus coming along. Shadow soon recalled that Sonic was still there, and gave a bit of a huff to try and indicate he wasn’t bothered. It was in vain, they both knew the truth, but Shadow just couldn't help himself.

Regardless, Claus made an attempt to climb up the rope before just barely getting a fourth way up and then slipping. “Claus!” Shadow bristled but was so quick to react it was scary, even for him, especially with how sloppy of a rescue attempt it was thanks to Shadow’s anxiety about it. Claus ended up landing on Shadow, who grunted due to the sheer weight of the equipment in comparison to the tiny hedgehog himself.

Luckily, Sonic managed to help Shadow get the boy on his feet. “You okay?” As Claus most likely explained that his condition was alright, Shadow caught a glimpse of his right inhibitor ring. The ring must have been crushed under the equipment to the point where it looked like it was going to shatter at any moment. Shadow slowly glanced up at the other two before bringing his attention elsewhere. It was probably fine, right?

By the time Shadow brought his attention to the rope, Grey had already broken it. “Hey, yeah, don’t worry about it! We’ll find another way.” Shadow answered Grey’s apology. “Well, you still have to get up there.” Shadow pointed out before looking at Claus’s back and frowning a little. That might’ve been the only obvious way up there, but that could give Claus and Grey away, so it was probably best to keep an eye out for a possible alternative.

|lEBnrexp_1d20 (Shadow's INT roll to help Claus find an alternate route... fail.)

Shadow squinted, just as an idea was in its beginning stages of forming, it vanished. No, Shadow couldn’t see anything of use here. “...Sonic, what do you think he should… do...?” Just as he barely managed to get that out, Shadow instantly squeezed his eyes shut and covered his own mouth with his right hand as he was being plagued by an absolutely skull splitting headache. He wanted so badly to yell out it hurt so bad, but now clearly wasn’t the time for yet another problem to be added onto his seemingly endless pile of issues right now.

p_1d20 (Shadow's CON roll... Success, but Shadow doesn't find a clue.)

Shadow was just able to keep his voice down, but he had to back up against a wall and sit down for a spell and try to get this aching to go away. He had started getting dizzy from the pain, and it seemed like his head was going to explode at any second, but still, Shadow simply bit down on his lips and refused to make a sound.

What in Chaos’s name was happening to him?1d20·1d20

[heirtothemonado]

Krystal wandered through the dark room, still holding her hands out in front of her to guide her along. She might be able to see enough to figure out there was no one here with them, but that didn't mean she could see very well in general. Feeling her way to a table, Krystal felt....some kind of paper? Maybe blueprints...or something similar. She couldn't see nearly enough for her to tell what was on this thing. Even so, it did feel pretty important. Perhaps she should take it with her regardless. I think I found some blueprints, Sally. Once we get somewhere brighter, we can figure out what's on them. she messaged Sally. Hopefully she was getting somewhere with her search as well

As she was rolling up the blueprints, the clatter of some sort of tool falling to the table rang in her ears. Feeling around for a bit, Krystal found what made the noise. Some kind of pliers? Well, might as well keep these too. Might come in handy.

With her new finds in hand, Krystal made her way to the door to the next room. Even with what little she could see, it looked fairly sturdy. Perhaps they could knock it down? Though that might attract a lot of unwanted attention...maybe the key code was around here?

gPejKnJ4p_1d20 (Krystal's CON check! She stays hidden but doesn't find anything)

Krystal was quiet, but the darkness was really starting to get to her. She could barely see her nose in front of her face! Any clues that might have been around were completely missed by her. Sally. You think you can find the key code to this door? It's probably somewhere around here but I can't see a thing!

---

Krystal
Health: 145/145
Shield: 45/45
Status: In the dark

1d20

[TheSpatialWeeg]

2Jjaqd|2p_1d20 (Sonic's INT check. New route discovered!)

As soon as both rope climbers were confirmed safe, Sonic had let Claus go and looked at the rope that was now in tatters. "Well, guess we'll have to find another way further in." Sonic commented, before catching Shadow having his brief headache. "--Shadow?" The blue blur had a worried expression in his face as Shadow took a moment to simmer down. He had no idea what it was, but if this was tied to his powers somehow, they needed to act fast.

The blue blur began taking a look around for any other path they could take...which didn't take too long, considering he turned to the others with a grin some odd seconds. "Yo, check this out! I found a way to get going!" he announced...
p_1d20-2 (Sonic's CON check. Remains undetected, but no clue found.)

...at a respectable volume, of course. He was aware they were still trying to be stealthy, so he was avoiding alerting enemies to them. Didn't seem he was gonna notice anything more than the path he just found, though. "We can use this to get across. What do you two think?" Sonic asked, looking at Claus and Shadow.1d20·1d20-2

[AnT]

Thanks to her night-vision goggles, Sally was able to navigate the dark trashed halls with ease. She thought about grabbing Krystal's arm and helping her through the darkness...that is until she spotted some familiar items...Chaos Drives...well, shards now. These were, while commonly known to help raise Chao, created by GUN and used as batteries for their robots, thanks to their years' worth of studying the Chaos Emeralds. She'll take them over to Rotor. He really wanted to get his hands on these for his inventions.

Then they came across a security doorway that was still intact. None of them had the power to bust it down, and boy, does she wish Bunnie was here. If only she can get that ring warp working, then...

Well, no use crying over that. She'll just have to do what she does best; hacking. So she took out her phone, trying to adjust its lighting, so it won't attract attention. I'll give it a solid try.

ehHlh9h2p_1d20-2 (CON check success! Sally also finds a clue.)

Typing on her phone, carefully locking onto the wireless signal without being detected, she searched over the door's system. I think I found something.

---

Sally HP: 130 Rings: 40 Status: Hacks the door. Royal Leadership: 2/3 cooldown

<>

Nicole HP: 140 Rings: 45 Status: Standby

1d20-2

[Claus]

Claus's failure had caused the rope to snap under the immense weight of the Chimera-enhanced boy, Causing Claus'e eyes to open in shock as he fell, letting out a short "Gah--!" In surprise before landing-- Not into the hard awaiting steel of the gunship, But instead the arms of Shadow! Claus paused for a moment, Before sighing and standing up. "...It's hard to get used to the extra weight." He said with a sorry look in his eyes, Before looking around, "I'm fine. Ive had worse." Claus would utter. Both a reassurance that Claus was fine, But also definitely true considering Shadow has seen Claus get stringed apart atom by atom in the Devil's machine before. Claus glared back up to the top...At this point, Claus was now determined, As Claus's wings spread out, the engines on both wings flaring up just enough to give Claus a boosted jump up there!


PisZdmPAp_1d20+2 (jUST THERE)

And he Lands onto the Elevated Platform, Crouching down onto his mechanical knee to brace the fall a bit and quickly folding his wings back, Moving around to hide behind a metal crate encase anyone had seen the silhouette of the winged boy fly up. He then looks over the edge, down to Grey and Shadow, and gives a thumbs up in showing he's okay. "What's next?" Claus asked to Shadow. He quietly wondered if he had something to help bring them up, and decided to glance around for a Rope or anything similar...



p_1d20+1

...Though, at the failure to find anything to toss down for Shadow's Sake, Claus would instead sigh and offer his Chimeric hand for them to grab on and let him pull them up with, should they choose to follow him.1d20+2·1d20+1

[KashKey]

Grey gave an awkward nod at Shadow's reassurance. He honestly felt pretty stupid for breaking that rope... Hopefully Claus made his way up here soon... He was getting pretty tired of being the local screwup- Oh. Cool. He gave a somewhat nervous smile to Clause, giving him a sheepish grin.

"Looks like you didn't get spotted... Good job."

It was his fault Clause had to make it up here without getting spotted in a different way to begin with, but that was a different matter. Shaking his head, he decided to take a look around... At the very least, he could make sure there weren't any guards they were going to have to deal with yet.

ue|5elzkp_1d20+3

Oh that was not pleasant He could swear his vision spontaneously crackled in front of him, static his vision as he hissed and tried to blink it away... He'd need to ask Ciel to look at that when he got home. Weird short circuit.1d20+3

[cynda1]

91BDqmcap_1d20 (Shadow's CON roll... miserable failure!)

p_1d20 (Shadow's INT roll... still nothing...)

p_1d20 (Shadow's INT roll to reason with the "Absolutionists"... success!)

Krystal & Sally

Krystal managed to keep herself hidden, but outside of that there really isn’t much of an update on her end… until we see what Sally found.

Taking the approach directly to the door seemed like the wise decision to make as she managed to hack her way into getting the password of the door! Assuming this password was used, the duo would find themselves in a dimly lit room. It wasn’t an ideal amount of light, but it was certainly bright enough to get some relief from that near complete darkness before.

There was an additional pro to this, though it also came with a con: Krystal and Sally could easily see two guards scanning the room. The bad news was that if the two girls weren’t fast enough to dive into the shadows, they would certainly be spotted, even in these dim lights.

(Krystal and Sally! Roll a 12 in DEX or risk getting spotted by one of the two guards! Should this succeed, you will not have to do a CON roll this round, but you will next round.)

The good knews for Krystal, though, was that now that there were more lights, should she and Sally succeed, maybe they could get a better look at the blueprints now. It probably wouldn’t be that great of a look, but maybe they could get something.

(Krystal and Sally! If your previous DEX roll is successful, you may then attempt to make an INT roll or 10 to see if you can try and decipher what’s on the blueprints. If you roll an 8, you will be able to recognize something written on it, but can’t quite make out what it is. You’ll at least know where to look for it when you find a more brightly lit room.)

Shadow&Sonic,

Meanwhile, Sonic and Shadow continued to struggle to find any alternative routes for Claus to use, but that didn’t really matter since Claus successfully used his wings to make it to the top floor without getting noticed anyway. So with that, the two hedgehogs could move their attention elsewhere.

Sonic had managed to find a path forward, but fresh out of his migraine, and perhaps a wee too eager because of that, Shadow managed to get himself spotted by an Absolutionist, as well as three others behind the first. None of them seemed to have much experience, but their de facto leader seemed very eager to try to take them down.

Though, maybe fighting wasn’t really necessary here…

(Sonic and Shadow. None of the Absolutionists seem all that eager to make the first move, so you both get the chance to fight first, if you choose. Alternatively, you could try and negotiate simply by conversing. If you roll an INT of 10 or higher, then you might just be able to calm them down a little bit.)

Grey & Claus

Meanwhile, having finally made his way to the top floor, Claus could finally get to work helping Grey. Unfortunately, neither of the boys had managed to find any sort of clues, but at the very least they managed to get a good look around the place. It seemed like the top of the ship was the brightest of the three, though there wasn’t anything immediately obvious at first.

However, once they got going, they could tell there was definitely something to this area. Writing on the wall, packages and what not, and the further they would go, the more technology they might have spotted. It just so happened that nothing really stood out to the two boys as anything worth noting. Before Claus got there, Grey may have started hearing some voices.

It was quite lucky that the boys united because no one wanted to fight here alone.

(Grey, you must now begin rolling your CON rolls of 8 to remain undetected. The minimum to find a clue is now 8 due to how clear it is at the top..)
- - -
Shadow’s Post

Just as Shadow thought his head was going to crack open, the headache finally, and he did mean finally, subsided. The thumping in his head came to a stop, and he leaned against the metal wall to relax himself a bit before letting out a deep sigh.

…This turned out to be a mistake.

Sonic informed Shadow that he found a path for them to go, and Shadow turned to Claus, giving him a thumbs up as the boy departed for the top floor of the ship. Sonic and Shadow got it from here.

Just as Shadow was ready to take a look at the path Sonic had pointed out for them, the striped hedgehog heard the click of a weapon of some kind, causing his ears to perk up a little bit. “Hm?” Shadow didn’t seem too bothered by it, even though there was the barrel of a friggin’ laser being pointed at the back of his head, and he merely glanced back at the masked Absolutionist, shaking from head to toe as they tried to hold the weapon straight… to no avail.

There were three other Absolutionists, not shaking quite as much but still clearly in over their heads, holding their fists up, and one pointing their weapon directly at Sonic.

Their leader finally spoke up. “D-d-d-don’t… move! If you know what’s good for you… y-y-y-you’ll come quietly, trespassers!” Shadow casually turned around, looking at the soldier directly as if there wasn’t a weapon pointing at his face now, and simply looked at them, causing the lot to flinch. “I’m not joking, y’know!” The leader shouted, Shadow noting that the voice sounded female, shaking even more violently than before. “D-don’t test me! I-I’ll do it!”

Shadow tilted his head a little bit, an unimpressed expression clear on his face. “Who are you trying to fool precisely?” The leader stiffened a little at the hedgehog’s rather direct statement. “You look like you’re gonna pass out. Or throw up. Which I wouldn’t recommend considering you’re wearing a mask. That just doesn’t sound like a time that won’t violently visit your dreams often-”

“Okay, wow, I thought you weren’t much of a talker.” The leader said, lowering her weapon a little.

“I’m not. Not often.”

“Yeah, I can see why, I didn’t want to hear… any of that.”

“You’re pointing a laser at my face… and I’m annoying you.”

“...Y’know what? Fair point.”

“Hey, boss,” one of the comrades called out to the leader. “Didn’t Mephiles say he had a way of getting into people’s heads?”

“Ha!” Okay, Shadow had to chuckle at least a little from that one. “That’s rich coming from him, considering he stole his face,” Shadow pointed in Sonic’s direction. “And then mine.”

Then another one from the leader’s other side spoke up. “Yeah, y’know, I never really understood the clones of Shadow. I know he’s trying to defeat him and all, but… that always seemed rather obsessive, and not in the endearing kind of way.”

“Guys,” the one still holding a laser at Sonic finally spoke up. “Mephiles told us to take these guys in, don’t you think we oughta not get into the details of everything.”

The leader of the group looked Shadow in the face and tilted her head a little bit before speaking up. “I dunno,” she said. “There’s just… something really familiar about you.”
1d20·1d20·1d20

[AnT]

Got it! Typing in the password that she found, the door opened up, leaking out some light. Sally stepped inside first, scouting ahead for Krystal as she removed her goggles. Though there was some light, it wasn't enough for her to see what kind of room this was. Perhaps some sort of storage room. Or maybe-

g8DR8ELzp_1d20 (DEX success!)

Crud baskets! Sally leaped behind some sort of crate before the guards could see her. Of course, something like this would slow them down. Taking them out is too risky, even if they were to knock them out from behind. Other guards might check up on them. Perhaps there's another way around them. Those blueprints Krystal found might help. Nicole scanned them before the fox put them away.

p_1d20+1 (INT Success!)

Looking at the picture on her phone, these are indeed schematics to some sort of...

---

Sally HP: 130 Rings: 40 Status: Hiding and comprehending Royal Leadership: 3/3 cooldown

<>

Nicole HP: 140 Rings: 45 Status: Standby

1d20·1d20+1

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Sonic seemed about raring to go as Shadow seemed to get better, buuuuuut unfortunately they were stopped by a group of Absolutionists. The blue blur tapped his foot impatiently as rather than getting to brass tacks, Shadow decided to convince them to lay down their arms. ...They did look rather afraid of fighting them.

Deciding to play along with the other hedgehog's gambit, he listened well to the conversation at hand. When the conversation took a mild pause, Sonic decided to pitch in. "Okay, I got a fun idea for you guys! Personally, I'd rather get this done before dinnertime, so how about you let us get inside the ship without a fight, and we're gonna beat up your boss so hard, he won't get the chance to reprimand you!" Sonic offered.

"--'Course, I can do this the hard way too, but full disclaimer? ...I'm not really in the mood to go easy on anyone." Sonic continues, his last statement abandoning his cocky and easygoing way into something with a bit more...dangerous edge. His body even seemed to spark a little as he said that.

kqfhHQr2p_1d20(Sonic's attempt of getting the Absolutionists to back off)1d20

[cynda1]

Krystal & Sally

Sally had successfully avoided being detected by the two guards in the room. Unfortunately, Krystal wasn’t so lucky. Her lack of an immediate reaction immediately caused one of the eerily silent guards to look in her direction. Eerie green eyes glistened before the light in the room suddenly opened up. Sally still remained hidden, but the light in the room not only revealed Krystal to the guards, but the identity of them to Krystal.

They were strange water creatures shaped like a large sphere, initially circling around the room, but after looking at Krystal for a few moments, they aggressively made a beeline right for her! Who knew such large water creatures could move so quickly? If Krystal managed a peak, or felt the need to give Krystal a helping hand, she might’ve immediately recognized them as Artificial Chaos. They were quite aggressive things, unlike Chaos itself ironically enough, and were incredibly eager to rid themselves of the intruders.

Still, as quick as they were to get there, the movement seemed to have taken a lot of energy. Perhaps they weren’t naturally inclined for speed, so as eager as they were, they probably wouldn’t be fast enough to make the first move, so Krystal can most definitely try her luck first.

Artificial Chaos 1
Health: 300/300

Artificial Chaos 2
Health: 300/300

Meanwhile, Sally figured out Krystal’s blueprints might not have been what she had expected, but this might also have been something she recognized. The blueprints described a life support system and… Shadow’s inhibitor rings of all things. But that wasn’t all: if Sally brought her attention closer to the life support system for a moment, she might’ve recognized it to be the very one worn by Shadow’s very large prototype, the Biolizard.

There was a well-made sketch of the life support system, and whoever made this seemed to have a very strong understanding of what this was, what it was for, and precisely how it worked.

The same thing couldn’t be said about Shadow’s inhibitor rings. There were a lot of questions surrounding it. “Infinite energy? Inhibits holder from full potential? How could something so compact and small inhibit infinite power? Energy waves are strange… what precisely are these really?” While ideas on what it did were written out, like preventing Shadow from overusing his energy, were easy to understand, the how and why they worked wasn’t. Whoever wrote these blueprints weren’t even sure if they could have even been created by science, as they seemed far too complicated for any person to comprehend.

At least, the core components. On the outside, they were just two rings.

With all the chaos that was happening at the moment, perhaps it was hard for Sally to dwell on this information, but it might do some good for her to keep it in mind.

Grey & Claus

With both at an impasse, both Claus and Grey have been spotted! At first, they would see someone who looked akin to Shadow, but upon closer inspection, there might’ve been something… a bit artificial about it. Once it leapt out of the shadows, so too did three other Shadow copies of sorts. Were these Mephiles clones? Had they been caught by Mephiles himself already?

Well, as it turned out, not quite. Each one of these “Shadows” had different colored stripes, one yellow, one orange, one blue, one pink, and unlike Mephiles, who often tried to mimic Shadow’s mannerisms and way of talking, there was something… robotic about these guys. For good reason, too. As it would turn out, these were units called Shadow Androids, created by Dr. Eggman himself!

Though the fact that they somehow made their way here without the doctor is… confusing.

Regardless, aggressive might not have been the best way to describe them, but they still seemed ready to attack at any moment. Naturally, being clones of Shadow, they were definitely speedy creatures, but they seemed more interested in letting their opponents make the first move. Could it be because they retained some of Shadow’s arrogance? Or maybe it was because they wanted to analyze their movements?

Who knew, really? Whatever the case, Claus and Grey get the first move!

Shadow Android 1
Health: 150/150

Shadow Android 2
Health: 150/150

Shadow Android 3
Health: 150/150

Shadow Android 4
Health: 150/150

Sonic & Shadow

The leader of this group of ambushers lowered their weapon and glanced around at their group, taking particular notice at the one still pointing their weapon at Sonic. The threat clearly put the soldier pointing the gun at him on edge, but the leader managed to convince them to lower their weapon before finally removing their helmets and properly introducing themselves. As it would turn out, these guys weren’t really enemies at all, but they were given the impression this might’ve been an illusion from Mephiles to test their loyalty.

They were a group of kids, led by a pilot’s kid named Molly, who infiltrated the base under the guise of wishing to join their ranks. However, this was their first ever operation, and it’s not very likely that Mephiles had completely fallen for it. So they were constantly being tested by Mephiles to see if they could be of any use to him, and so they were able to stick around.

Upon realizing they had already been staying there for a week or so, and making certain they were being honest, Shadow had the idea of sending them to the other two groups as back up. Of course, they wouldn’t have immediately gotten to them, but seeing as he felt more than confident that he and Sonic could handle things, it only seemed natural that they got help.

The one that was attempting to hold Sonic at gunpoint (with little result) named Leon, along with another teammate who refused to make his name known, made his way to the upper level with Grey and Claus, and the other one, also leaving his identity anonymous, went to give Krystal and Sally a hand.

(Krystal, Sally, Grey, and Claus! It will take one turn before your new allies will be able to reach you and you and help you battle your foes. These guys can also help you navigate better along your journeys, but keep your eyes peeled because you still might be able to notice things that they can’t.)

For whatever reason, Molly decided to stick with Sonic and Shadow, having already built quite a fascination with Shadow. While he wasn’t immediately appreciative of it, he might’ve been a bit more grateful for the help when three Absolutionists blocked the path just as they were finally making their way down it. Turns out, Molly’s group wasn’t the only one to notice them. Two of them were unarmed, and one had a giant weapon of some kind.

Acknowledging that Molly only had the three other friends, it seemed as though they had no choice but to fight now.


Absolutionist 1

Health: 400/400

Absolutionist 2

Health: 300/300

Absolutionist 3

Health: 300/300


Shadow’s Post

The group surrounding the hedgehogs, and even Shadow himself, were all quite surprised at how serious Sonic suddenly became. Shadow knew his rival to be impatient, but being this fierce was quite unusual for him. Before he could question if anything was wrong, though, the soldier holding the weapon at the blue hedgehog seemed to flinch at the threat. “Uh…” He was now the one shaking like a leaf. “I-I’m… I’m serious! I-if you don’t cooperate-!”

“Leon,” the leader spoke up, catching “Leon’s” attention. “Lower your weapon. This isn’t a test from Mephiles.”

“...” Leon gulped a little. “Y-you mean...?”

“Yes, Leon, that’s the real Sonic and Shadow.”

“Phew…” Leon lowered his weapon and eagerly let out a sigh of relief as if he had been ready to pass out any second. “Thank goodness… I don’t know how much more of this I can take…”

“Hold on, hold on, hold on…” Shadow tilted his head, clearly confused. “So, you’re… not trying to kill us?”

“Oh, excuse us, we’re so sorry,” the ring leader apologized before removing her helmet and revealing the face behind it. “We’re not actually… Oh my gosh, you’re so short.” Shadow stiffened a little. He… didn’t like the way she said that.

“...Oh boy, here we go…” Leon gave out a sigh. Wait, what did he mean? Was this some kind of, aaaand now Molly suddenly picked Shadow up and was hugging him. His question was answered. He didn’t like this at all.

“Guys, he’s soooo cute!” Molly started gushing, causing Leon and the other two to groan out in utter annoyance. Molly objected to it by trying to hold Shadow up to them. “No, no, look at him! He’s like Carl Fredrickson if he wasn’t old, and was actually Grumpy cat, with a starfish Goku hairstyle and the size of Olaf!” She gave him a big ol’ squeeze, causing the black hedgehog to try and squirm his way out her arms with very little success.

“This is all… very fascinating…” Shadow grunted. “But can you… please put me down, and stop hugging me!”

“...But you’re so huggable.” Molly whined, earning an annoyed groan from him, prompting her to relent. “Alright alright…” Molly reluctantly lets Shadow down, causing him to step away from the girl before glaring at Sonic.

“Say one word, and I’ll rip your tongue out.” Now, Shadow being serious like this was normal, and Sonic was rarely scared by any of Shadow’s threats anyway, so there was only so much he could do to stop Sonic, unfortunately. “Anyway, you’re not a part of the Absolutionists? Then why are you here?”

“Oh, right!” Molly remembered, getting her attention right back at the matter of hand. “You see, we’ve been living in the Life Sphere for most of our lives, and me and my friends here all got sick of just sitting around and watching the world burn. So, we all decided to do something about it. We saw a group of Absolutionists roughing up a sad boy, and while that made us really mad, we knew we had to join their ranks somehow. So, we convinced them that we were interested in joining the cause of destroying the planet, and they said they would help us join the ranks for a steep price.

“Of course,” Molly continued quite reluctantly. “We never did see those specific Absolutionists again. I wonder what happened to them?” Shadow squinted a little before allowing his eyes to widen a little as he avoided eye contact. Did he know something? Eh, whatever. “Anyway, we managed to get in touch with other Absolutionists, they let us join their ranks, and… here we are!”

“...So let me get this straight,” Shadow started. “You thought it was a good idea to infiltrate the Absolution with no prior experience of infiltrating, fighting, or any sort of self-defense training whatsoever?”

“Pretty much.”

“You’re all idiots!” The bluntness of Shadow’s statement caught all the kids off guard. “Do you know how dangerous this is? You could’ve gotten yourselves all killed, and for what? Because you felt bad?”

“Hey,” Molly argued back, quite offended by Shadow’s statement. “I’ll have you know we’ve been here for well over a week! I think we did quite well for ourselves!”

“Well, clearly, you were incredibly lucky. But imagine what could happen if Mephiles found out you were trying to trick him! You should all get out of here while you can!”

“What? There’s no way we’re gonna leave now!” Leon came to Molly’s side alongside another of their teammates.

“Yeah, we already came too far to quit now! Everyone back home is counting on us!”

“Besides,” Molly retorted with a bit of a smirk on her face. “You want to come in, infiltrate this base, knowing full well that Mephiles knows your every move, and you want to go blind despite the fact that we know every inch of this place and you don’t? And we’re the idiots here?”

“I… you… that’s…” While Shadow could say that he had more experience than they did, he couldn’t help but feel that… Well, she had a solid point. So, he simply shrugged in defeat. “That’s uh… actually a good point.” It wasn’t like he was all up for a big ol’ argument anyway. It was a good enough point, anyway, to help Shadow realize something. “Maybe you can help us. We have two other groups on the upper and lower floors that could really use your help. Do you think you can help them out? Sonic and I have got everything handled here.”

Leon flashed a smile and nodded. “Sure thing,” Leon turned over to his red headed teammate. “You’re coming with me.” With a nod, the two of them used jet packs of their own to get to the upper floor. Of course, there wasn’t a huge deal if they were caught since they were believed to be allies… they just hoped they didn’t notice they weren’t wearing their helmets anymore.

Molly glanced over at the final teammate and nodded for him to go on ahead. “I think I’ll be sticking with these guys,” she said, causing Shadow’s eyebrow to twitch upward. “You say you aren’t going to need any help, but Mephiles could send just about anything at you. You’re gonna need all the help you can get whether you like it or not.”

Shadow could only let out a groan. Something about everything she said all seemed like an excuse, but it wasn’t like he had a good rebuttal to that, so he just had to deal with it. “Fine, whatever. Let’s just get going already.”

Shadow, Sonic, and Molly were all making their way down the corridor, when three soldiers seemed to block their path, one of them firmly pointing a laser at them. Shadow gritted his teeth a little. “...This one of your friends?”

“‘Fraid not,” Molly somberly admitted. “It was just the four of us, I’m afraid.”

…If they all got out of this, Shadow was going to find these kids’ parents, and he was going to have words.

[Claus]

Claus looked up at the Shadow eying him down, And Promptly got ready for combat, Claus would grab his own Glove, and draw it out, summoning a Rapier made of Electricity, Aiming it at the Shadow Android to call it down to fight. Claus kept his pointed at the Shadow with the Yellow stripes. "...I have no words for you monsters." Claus would say, Angrily calling out before swapping off stance, and firing off a Cannon shot with his PSI Thunder Cannon at the Shadow!


w1y48HaUp_1d20+1=16 (PSI Thunder Cannon! 26% Damage!

Following this, Claus would rush down that shadow, Then raising his finger and calling down a PK Thunder on the Shadow Android's open wound, to electrocute and overload the Android from within!

p_1d20+1=21 (Critical PK Thunder! 18% Damage, Paralysis Afflicted!)

p_1d20+1=7 (Crit Confirm for an extra 18% Damage.)

And then, To Top it off, Claus would jet himself into the Shadow with Orange Stripes, and deliver Three Saber Strikes against them!

p_1d20+2=6 (8% Damage!)

p_1d20+2=15 (Ditto!)

p_1d20+2=9 (Ditto!)

Copies of Shadow? Claus pondered this fact silently as he flung himself and slashed after slash at these Androids. Was...Shadow himself an android creation? Claus was never actually privy to how Shadow himself was made, But seeing how much he related to him, He couldn't help but imagine this was somehow the case. Things were clicking in Claus's Head, As he Opened his wings and jumped back to make distance from the Androids.

---

Claus!

HP: 170/170
Shield: 60/60
Cooldowns: PSI Thunder Cannon [ 2 turns]
PK Thunder Alpha [1 Turn]



1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20

[TheSpatialWeeg]

"..." Sonic kept himself stone-faced and put up his dukes against the Absolutionist that was threatening to shoot him. ...actually, Shadow might notice he's hiding a little chuckle from the reaction. But before anything else could happen, another one stopped them, mentioning how this wasn't a test from Mephiles and...

"Heeeey, hang on a minute. You guys are spies?"

Well, he wasn't gonna get his answer anytime soon. The leader of the supposed squad, Molly, suddenly went up and scooped Shadow into her arms. And Sonic's chuckle came back in full force, the hedgehog trying and failing it to keep it in check. "Pffft---hehehe, sorry, sorry, I'm just--pfffthahaha!" he laughed after Molly described Shadow to her friends. He hadn't the faintest idea what she was talking about, but they described Shadow to a T, he was sure.

Well, eventually Shadow was given mercy and was let go, to which he almost instantly turned to Sonic and threatened him. "You'll miss my prime-quality quips, Shades. I know it." Sonic rebutted with the smuggest smile known to hedgehogkind, but still, he respects Shadow's wish. "OK, now that party time's over, how 'bout you explain what's going on?"

OK, now they get the story. Molly and her friends were apparently here because they wanted to help, and so they pretended to be Absolutionists for a whole week. "Honestly, I would commend you for being brave, but Shades is right. If you guys aren't trained to defend yourselves, you're gonna not only hurt yourselves, but the people you love." he argued, however, by this point, the kids had made up their mind and wanted to tag along. And whatever argument Shadow had got shot down pretty quickly.

"Welp. Guess there's no stopping ya. Just try not to slow us down, 'kay? And keep outta trouble." Sonic asked Molly with that smarmy smirk of his before turning around and beginning to move further into the ship.

...well, at least until an actual group of Absolutionists showed up. After Molly confirmed they weren't friends, Sonic smirked. "Alright, Molls, take cover, will ya? Things are about to get a bit intense." he said, before rushing towards the Absolutionist and sending some fists at one of them.

RBi5QAoWp_1d20+5 (Rapid Fisticuffs > Absolutionist 1. 5 damage combo)
p_1d20+5 (Combo 2)
p_1d20+5 (Combo 3)

Quickly afterward, Sonic leaped away from one Absolutionst and move to the other, landing on the ground with one hand and doing a grand sweeping kick at them!

p_1d20+5 (Crit Sonic Flare > Absolutionist 2. 20 damage)
p_1d20+5 (Crit confirm for extra 20 damage)

"And now, here's one more!" Sonic stated as he jumped into the air and curled into a ball, before shooting himself at the remaining Absolutionist.

p_1d20+5 (Homing Attack > Absolutionist 3. 17 damage)

---

Sonic 135 HP 40 Shield Status: Action time, les gooo!

1d20+5·1d20+5·1d20+5·1d20+5·1d20+5·1d20+5

[heirtothemonado]

"Gah!" Krystal cried as one of the strange guards turned toward her. She hardly had time to even hide herself before the room flooded with light once again. It took a moment for Krystal's eyes to adjust to the now brighter room, but she had just enough of her bearings to notice the blobs of...water? Probably water, jettisoning themselves toward her at alarmingly quick speeds. The blue vixen braced herself for impact, only for them to stop just short of her and plop on the ground. They must have run out of energy!

Krystal breathed a sigh of relief, before brandishing her staff and looking around. It didn't seem like they'd seen Sally yet, so she better not blow her cover. "Heh. Try me, blobbos!" she taunted them, trying to get their attention focused on her, before leaping forward to assault them with her staff!


RbDPipOzp_1d20+2 (Krystal's Staff Combat! @ Artifact Chaos 1! DMG 5%)
p_1d20+2 (Again)
p_1d20+2 (And again!)

A couple of those hits seemed to hit a weak spot, but Krystal wasn't quite finished yet. Launching herself away from the first blob, she spun her staff in front of her, generating blades of wind that she'd launch at the other of the blobs!

p_1d20+4 (Krystal's CRIT Razorblade Typhoon @ Artifact Chaos 2! DMG 16%!)
p_1d20+4 (Crit Confirm! Deals an extra 16% if it succeeds!)

Blasting open the weak spot on the second Chaos, Krystal followed through with a burst of icy cold wind to freeze the blob in place!


p_1d20+2 (Krystal's Ice Blast! DMG 20%, adds a Freeze chance to Krystal's staff moves!)

---

Krystal
Health: 145/145
Shield: 45/45
Status: The center of attention, hopefully

1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+4·1d20+4·1d20+2

[AnT]

"Krystal!" No, she didn't react in time! She probably doesn't have experience doing recon and sneaking around fortresses like she does, or used to do back in Robotropolis.

But wait. Are those...Artificial Chaos?! Those things were designed by Professor Gerald Robotnik probably as a means to study the God of Destruction...but no doubt as weapons for GUN. Then again, that organization never used them because they have far too many glitches; attacking people. So they were left behind in the ARK. How in the world did these people get their hands on them? More importantly, how did they get plans to creations ONLY GUN should have?!

This became pretty ominous.

Attaching a Power Ring on her phone/computer, she aimed it at the battle...

...digitally summoning Nicole. The holo-lynx wasted no time flying toward the cyborgs, as her fingers blazed in electricity. She jammed her fingers on the heads of one of the Chaos 1.

Stun Hack: [Light INT DMG 10%] Nicole creates a spark that explodes on her enemy. But against an enemy that is a robot or uses a high-tech suit is a different story, for it has a 50% chance of paralysis on such a foe.

AxZRUoF0p_1d20+5
p_1d100 (Paralysis chance: Success!!)

While that happened, Sally pressed her earpiece. "Shadow. I hope this isn't a bad time, but...we ran into some roadblocks, but no worries there. However, we found schematics of the Bio-Hazard's life support systems and your inhibitor rings, as well as some Artificial Chaos giving us the roadblocks!"

---

Sally HP: 130 Rings: 40 Status: Calling Shadow

<>

Nicole HP: 140 Rings: 45 Status: Attacking Artificial Chaos 1

1d20+5·1d100

[cynda1]

Krystal & Sally

Krystal began her assault on the creature, missing her first two jabs of her staff on the first Artificial Chaos, but landing her mark everywhere else. The first water ball was sent back away before the other Chaos started taking its punishment. The second blob was clearly dented up on its head, but the first one was in relatively good condition all things considered. The first one began his assault by attempting to strike at Krystal with water vines of some kind, getting ready to whip at her…

Or at least that would’ve happened if it weren’t for Nicole.

A giant surge of electricity enveloped the creature, causing its attack to become delayed and sluggish. As a result, it didn’t have quite the sting it would’ve had otherwise. Nonetheless, the first of the two Chaos launched the whip at Krystal in an attempt to cause damage.

(Krystal! Roll an 11 to dodge the Water Whip! If you fail, you’ll receive 15 damage! This attack would’ve been a lot stronger if the creature had the speed, so keep this in mind!)

The second Artificial Chaos, intent on revenge for the damage Krystal caused, began its assault in quite the different way.

Instead of trying to whip at Krystal, it shot lasers at the vixen twice from what looked like eyes. He would’ve lunged at Krystal after the fact, but it appeared as though the Chaos could both only do so much at once. While their attacks were aggressive, quick, and precise, they appeared to need time to recharge for another attack. This clearly displeased the second of the two Chaoses, who seemed out for blood at this point.

(Krystal! Roll a 12 to avoid the lasers! If you fail, you will receive 30 in damage!)

Though Sally herself wasn’t able to get into the fray, her actions greatly assisted Krystal, and she managed to get a hold of Shadow. More on that later.

(Sally, you must roll a CON of 12 to remain undetected by the Artificial Chaos! If you roll a fifteen or higher during this time, you will also find a clue! You may also join in the fight regardless of whether you roll well or not, but once you’re in the fight, you can no longer search for clues until the battle is over. If you fail the minimum of 12, you must join the fight.)

Just as the Artificial Chaos finished shooting his laser, the ally from earlier started shooting at the first Artificial Chaos, providing some back up for Krystal. “You girls the allies Shadow was talking about?” The young man asked matter of fact. Seeing as his group was led by a girl, he didn’t at all come across as surprised or the like seeing a couple of women trying to thwart off giant water monsters. It just felt normal to him at this point. “Don’t worry, I’m an ally here. Let me provide you with back up!”

qhMhZ2yIp_1d20 (The new ally for Krystal and Sally tried to shoot the first Artificial Chaos for 12 damage. Unfortunately, he missed.)

The ally attempted to shoot at the first Artificial Chaos, but unfortunately it didn’t seem like it even needed to do anything to dodge it. His aim was clearly off.


Artificial Chaos 1

Health: 285/300 (Not accounting for ally attacks)
Status: Paralyzed

Artificial Chaos 2

Health: 248/300 (Not accounting for ally attacks)
Status: Angry!

Information required! You must roll a 12 or higher in this fight to hit enemies. You may need to roll higher for future enemies.

Claus & Grey

Claus boldly challenged the yellow striped Shadow to a fight, who in turn, jumped forward to take on the challenge, followed by the other four. Claus began his assault, and boy did the Shadow Android take a beating! The PSI Thunder Canon made its mark, causing a huge gash to appear on the robot’s head. The Android then received even more damage from Claus’s PK Thunder, instantly becoming paralyzed as a result.

Claus then brought his attention to the orange android, who didn’t get quite the punishment that the yellow one did. Only one of the three Saber Strikes made its mark, but that didn’t stop the android from becoming aggressive. The Orange and Yellow Shadow androids both ran at Claus together to get their revenge. Unfortunately, the paralysis for that yellow android really brought the attack down, even with the team effort.

The two androids jumped and curled into a ball, both trying to jump at the boy from different directions!

(Claus! The yellow and orange Shadow Androids are teaming up to use an Atomic Strike! Roll a 13 to dodge! If you fail, you will receive 30% damage. If the Yellow Android wasn’t paralyzed, this attack would’ve been stronger and more likely to hit.)

Meanwhile, the pink and blue Shadows brought their attention to Grey, who hadn’t yet attempted to attack. They, too, decided to team up, but instead of using any Homing Attacks, these androids decided to aim missiles at Grey. Two little balls of fire made their way toward the boy’s location at a quick pace.

(Grey! The Pink and Blue Shadow androids are aiming missiles at you! Roll a 15 to dodge. If you fail, you’ll receive 35 damage!)

Just as the missiles finished their launch, two other figures made their way to assist the boys, Leon taking Claus’s side, and the red headed ally helping Grey. “Hey fellas! You’re friends with Sonic and Shadow, right? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Leon, watch your back, okay?”

Leon nodded back at the red headed ally before taking aim at the yellow and orange androids.

p_1d20 (One ally with Claus, Grey, and Leon made a shot for 10 damage at the yellow Shadow Android. Unfortunately, he missed.)

p_1d20+2 (Leon aimed for the pink striped Shadow android for 15 damage. It hit!)

Both Leon and the ally shot at the Shadow Androids, but the yellow one jumped out of the way of the first laser, and the pink one tried to kick Leon’s laser away but it was no use. The laser made its mark on the Android’s side, causing it to teeter back a little, glaring at Leon. It seemed like these enemies were prone to holding grudges.



Shadow Android 1 (Yellow)

Health: 106/150 (Not accounting for ally attacks)
Status: Paralyzed

Shadow Android 2 (Orange)

Health: 137/150 (Not accounting for ally attacks
Status: Aggressive!

Shadow Android 3 (Blue)

Health: 150/150 (Not accounting for ally attack)
Status: Focused!

Shadow Android 4 (Pink)

Health: 135/150
Status: Cocky!

Information required! You must roll a 12 or higher in this fight to hit enemies. You may need to roll higher for future enemies.

Sonic, Shadow, & Molly

Sonic’s first and third Fisticuffs made its mark on the first of the three Absolutionists. He attempted to catch the fists, but Sonic’s punches were so fast that wasn’t really a reasonable expectation. So, it made sense that the only punch he avoided was when he just blindly ducked away from Sonic’s clumsiest attack before getting punched in the jaw by Sonic.

All of Sonic’s other attacks make their mark as well, the complete power of Sonic’s Sonic Flare on the second Absolutionist, and Homing Attack on the third one. Both attacks were too fast for the two to even hope to avoid them.

p_1d20+2 (Molly tries to shoot at the first Absolutionist... Well... that wasn't even close.)

Molly, despite Sonic’s warning, and Shadow’s attempt to object, started shooting at the Absolutionist, but her aim was just so bad it didn’t seem like they even noticed her.

p_1d20+4 (Shadow used his Omochao Gun for 26% damage on the first Absolutionist. Critical hit! This attack gets a 3-turn cooldown!)
p_1d20+4 (Shadow's Crit Check for Omochao Gun. Missed.)

p_1d20+4 (Shadow used his Spin Dash Attack for 7% damage on the second Absolutionist. Missed!)
p_1d20+4 (Again, hit!)
p_1d20+4 (Again, hit!)

p_1d20+4 (Shadow used Homing Attack for 12% damage, and an increase on his next damage roll by +1. He aimed for the third Absolutionist... hit!)

Before the group of Absolutionists could begin their counter attack, Shadow shot the first Absolutionist at the back of his head, causing him to tumble forward. Shadow then used three Spin Dashes at the second Absolutionist, only missing the first one, and then finished his combo by launching himself into a Homing Attack at the third Absolutionist. For obvious reasons, the first Absolutionist didn’t take too kindly to Shadow’s attack, so he decided he’d go after Shadow while the other two focused their anger on Sonic. This Absolutionist threw a bomb at Shadow, with abandon.

(Shadow must roll a 15 to dodge damage from the bomb. If he fails to do so, he will receive 30 damage.)

p_1d20+4 (Shadow's attempt to dodge the bomb attack... fail.)

Shadow did manage to avoid the bomb’s initial impact, but unfortunately didn’t avoid damage by a long shot, getting hit by the brunt of the explosion.

Meanwhile, the two Absolutionists attempted to surround Sonic and make an attempt to swipe blades at him. One came at him from above, and the other below.

(Sonic! You must roll one 12 per sword to avoid them. If you fail once, you’ll receive 12 damage. If you fail twice, you’ll receive 24 damage. For each fail you have a 10% chance to be inflicted by the Mortal Wound status.)

Absolutionist 1

Health: 364/400
Status: Angry.

Absolutionist 2

Health: 246/300
Status: Angry

Absolutionist 3

Health: 271/300
Status: Angry

Information required! You must roll a 12 or higher in this fight to hit enemies. You may need to roll higher for future enemies.

Shadow’s Post

As Sonic began his assault, Shadow heard a bit of a noise from his ear piece as Sally choppily tried to get the hedgehog’s attention. “I can hear you… though the connection’s a bit choppy. What’s going on?” As Sally spoke, the connection improved significantly allowing the hedgehog to hear everything Sally needed to explain. The Final Hazard? Did she mean his prototype? Why would blueprints of that thing’s life support system be there of all places?

And what was more, it had information on his own inhibitor rings? He understood they were both created by the same guy, but Shadow was created after the lizard. Those blueprints couldn’t have been made by Gerald, could they?

And even if they were, what were they doing in a place like this?

The more Shadow thought about it, the less he liked what was happening. What could Mephiles possibly be up to, he wondered. But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Shadow had gone silent, and that might’ve concerned Sally. “Just sit tight, okay? You guys have some help that’s on the way. He’ll help you with the Artificial Chaos, I'm sure.” Oh yeah, that’s right! Artificial Chaos too? What in the world was going on down there?

“Anyway,” Shadow said, brushing the issue aside. “We’ll worry about that blueprint later. Just do whatever you can to get to that generator.”

---

Shadow

Health: 130/160
Shield: 50/50
Status: Fine
Cooldowns: Omochao Gun (3 turns starting next turn)

1d20·1d20·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+4·1d20+4·1d20+4·1d20+4·1d20+4·1d20+4·1d20+4