Battle 7: vs Dreadnought of Bertilia Lv 17

Where there's smoke, there's fire. As Bran exited the castle along with the rest of Regiment 1-31, this was the first thing on his mind. Sure enough, they were attacked the moment they got ready to land.

Bran was in a relatively safe position, as he could hover down, but he was still in danger. He didn't have much time to think. He recalled the reconnaissance they had received. If the engineering areas were on the lower deck, then what was there could be vulnerable. Making a split-second decision, he began to hover towards the lower deck. As he did so, he drew in mana from the surrounding environment.

Bran: Charge your magic circuits as you float down to the lower deck.

Vision of the Historian: Target the Dreadnought. What weak points are there on the deck you land on?

As Arthur dropped through the sky, he focused on three things: first, the ground was much farther below than his body would expect; he'd have to make sure not to default to trying to break his landing the usual way. Second, they were under attack... so he had to keep vigilant, even in his vulnerable state.

Third, he'd only gotten about two hours of sleep that morning-- and he was still about a half hour to sobering up completely from the drink he had with his breakfast.

Of course, however, their company would be none the wiser. Of course. Among the pack of soldiers dropping from Castle High, the Gold Squadron might have seen a faint streak, like a shooting star... and--if they looked closely--a man within that light twisting around in the air to ready his sword.

"Bran, my boy," he called out, flashing a wink at the scholar as he passed, "I might not be able to watch your back for a minute, so jussht- aah, stay viligant, eh? I'll be back soon."

>Arthur: Try to land on the Lower Deck. As Watcher, while in midair, use Brawler's Challenge on G1 "Far Sights". Prepare to use Focused Defender (Ranged) on self. However, instead of reducing damage by a percentage using the surface of the blade, attempt to use the blade's Power to reduce the Power of incoming attacks! [Signature Mission: 1/4]

Arthur's stance was different, this time--rather than setting his blade flat in front of him in the typical defensive position, he took his Diving Heron stance: one Bran might have observed in their light spars together. The back of his sword braced over one shoulder, blade poised downward, eyes narrowed at the enemy... this was the precursor to an attack. Yet the blade was angled slightly, as if ready to dig forward and twist...

Signature Technique:
##t###r#
1/4

"Never liked the idea of guns," he roared, voice rising over the wind and engines. "Imagine, priding yourself in a weapon that takes all the skill out of killing--enough that you'd think to wear gold! Tch... if you're so sure of yoursshelf, come strike me down!"

Bran focuses his magic as he descends through the air, gaining Charged Magic Circuits!

Severa's magical potential taps into the churning whirlwinds she's flying by! With deft movements, she creates a spinning aura of wind! Severa gains Shield of Wind! She gains +20% resistance to Ranged attacks, +35% resistance to Fire, Earth, and Lightning damage, and is no longer suffering from the adverse effects of Falling!

Arthur activates Watcher before using Brawler's Challenge on G1 "Far Sights"!

The squadron leader's eyes scan over the falling enemies, falling upon...
"What kind of cocky bastard--"
"Far Sights, sir? Everything alright?"
The golden armor suit veers off course from the rest of its group. "I'm going in solo. Hot Stuff, you take point!"
"Copy that!"

The challenge succeeds! G1 "Far Sights" is locked onto Arthur! The swordsman feels a rush of adrenaline as the enemy approaches, giving him +10 Power and +1 Physical Defense!

He then uses Focused Defender upon himself, though modifying the stance, ready to meet the fighter with his blade...!

Erika shreds a wicked tune on her guitar, filling the air with powerful energy! All around her, musical notes and waves of sound form a barrier, shielding her from harm! Erika gains Barrier of Music! She may defend from all Physical attacks with Charisma instead of Agility or Strength!

Yam and Vince perform basic magic attacks, dealing 552 damage to G2 Smoke Stacks.

Zaffre spins his celestial gears, strings of magical power surrounding Severa! She gains Ascending, increasing her Power by 10% at the end of each turn!

The star mage then targets Arthur and G2 "Smoke Streaks" with Embrace The Infinite!

Stars flicker into the mid-afteroon sky, sending down their light on those below... and both Arthur and Smoke Streaks become Ensnared, reducing their Agility to 0!

"Oh shit, fucking hell!" Smoke Streaks curses, trying in vain to retain control as her flying thrusters are disabled, causing he to tumble out of the sky!
"Smoke Streaks!!" Sky Splitter yells, beginning to peel off after her.
"Keep going!" She responds, steering her armor toward the lower deck. "I'll join ground forces 'til I can get airborne again!"

A few moments later, Smoke Streaks smashes into the Lower Deck, taking 443 damage! She barely manages to pull her armor back into a standing position, trying to pull at the astral coords blocking her joints.

Rosemary turns to him, frowning. "What sort of Technique is that!? You hit Arthur too! Why would you--"

Zaffre sighs, giving her an impatient look, "what you see as random is part of my grand machinations. So please, have but a shred of faith."

Rosemary charges up magic in her ring, gaining Charged Magic Circuits! Her Ring of Cherished Hearts grants her an additional Advantage!

"Contact!" G1 "Far Sights" says as he moves in on Arthur! The chest of his armor opens up, revealing a battery of bomb artillery! He fires a Bomb Volley at Arthur, several dozen small explosives wizzing toward and past him!

Arthur, instead of using his blade to block the blows, readies his sword at his side! Catching the wind around him and with a mighty roar, he cleaves through the bombs! The slash detonates many of the explosives before they can make contact, but some still collide with the swordsman, dealing 275 damage!

Several explosives also fly past the swordsman, detonating against Castle High and dealing 1121 damage!

"Nice one, Sights!" Hot Stuff commends.
"Thanks," he replies. "Now the rest of you, form up! Take out that mage that grounded Smoke Streaks!"
"Roger!"
"You got it!"

G3 and G4 enter a tight formation, flying nearly wing-to-wing as they ready their guns!

They each open fire on Zaffre, gaining +1 EA and +10 Power!

"No! Grrr... I'll teach you all the true pain o-"

A hailstorm of bullets tear the mage apart!! Although able to float through the air, he's struck for 470 and 484 damage, totalling 954 damage all together!

Without further incident, the members of Regiment 1-31 reach the top of the deck!

Severa, Yam, Zaffre, and Erika land on the upper deck... and immediately feel a painful jolt rush through their legs! All but Zaffre are Paralyzed by electricity running through the metal of the floor, halving their Strength and only allowing them to take one action per turn!

"Sorry about all this," a young voice calls out -- a moment later, a boy rides out on a carpet of electric current. Despite not looking much older than a teenager, he seems fully in control of the area's electric power! "But this is our people's only shot at movin' up in the world! Which means we gotta crack a few eggs. Name's Telsee, by the way!"
A second later, the metal hull nearly buckles as a massive, metallic form pulls itself onto the upper deck. While not featuring any guns, its arms seem to be steam-powered pistons, made for high-speed punches!!
"Grett," the voice inside echoes mono-syllabically, bashing its piston fists together!

Meanwhile, Bran, Arthur, Rosemary, and Vince land on the lower deck. They barely have a moment to catch their breath, however, before the entire lower deck begins to pull itself open like hatch doors! As the metal slides away, a burst of heat rises from below -- this deck is directly above the Dreadnought's refinery! Molten metal bubbles below, contained in a massive, open-top cistern! By the end of the turn, there might not be any ground left to stand on, and now that you're down here, you see there are no doors or catwalks off the deck!

"Well well, looks like company's arrived!" A shrill voice crows. A figure clad in slick armor rises from the refinery, hovering in a steam-powered jetpack! Two large hoses snake out behind them, one connected to the cistern, and the other a giant boiler beside it! "We knew this fume hood would look like a prime landing spot for you invaders! Time to show you what Valvis can do!"
"Hey hey, leave some for Tea!" Says another, as a woman cloaked in icy mist hops down from above, creating a frozen platform beneath herself!

"Uh, could one of you get me out of here!?" Smoke Streaks asks, pulling her suit away from the opening pit.
"I'll catch you. Hehe, probably," Tea winks.
"Oh boy..." Smoke Streaks sighs, raising her weapons.

Several other attackers rise on both decks, but the forces of Castle High begin to collide with them, keeping them in check!

"All of you, keep up the fight!" You hear Russel say as he and another Regiment storm toward the command bridge. He blocks a blast of darkness with his sword as he calls down, "Giada and I are pushing for the command bridge! She thinks she might be able to do something! Just try to hold on and take out the threats!"

"All forces, keep a steady eye out for what these enemies are capable of," a deep voice speaks over an intercom from the command bridge, near the upper deck. "Any among them with healing abilities should be top priority for elimination. Gold Squadron, focus fire on the enemy castle, along with occasional ground harrassment."

Bran's Visions of the Historian give him some guidance: although the refinery's cistern is dangerous, it's certainly a clear weakness. If someone could just puncture or even cut a hose or tube, the molten metal would spill throughout the whole Dreadnought.
...Weren't these people supposed to be tactical masterminds? Why expose such a crucial, vulnerable weakness? Do they not care, for some reason? Is there some counter-measure in place? For some reason, he feels the most obvious solution likely isn't the best. But perhaps abusing the weakness in some other way...

Castle High fires off its Arcane Artillery, its magical batteries striking the Dreadnought! Despite a good hit, the hard steel of the fortress reduces the damage to 656 damage!

I look around as the painful jolts scare their way up my legs, slowing my muscles and limiting my movements. When the youngling arrives before me, clearly in charge of the electricity, I laugh and toss my hair back.

"I see...I should have expected this, honestly."

Steadying myself and focusing on the inflections, I attempt to dredge up a power I've long let sleep, forgotten until now...

"You" - this was aimed at Grett - "are not okay. Your pistons are jamming..."

With all the suggestive, subtle force I can muster, I send the words out, flowing like silken magma over the battlefield.

Severa: Attempt Signature Mission [1/4]. Jam Grett's pistons with the power of Voice Alter, at immediate threat of being pummeled otherwise.

Bran thinks fast:

"Arthur, keep Tea busy! Vince, draw in some of the heat the refinery is giving off!" Bran shouted with the volume of a general. He had a plan, and he would put it in action. Their enemies didn't know it yet, but this was unusual for Bran. If his allies heard him, they could sense that Bran was doing something big. So soft-spoken Bran barked out orders.
Bran: Attempt to freeze the refinery, cutting off power to the Dreadnought. [Signature Mission 1/4]
Vision of the Historian: Target Zaffre. Could he betray Castle High? If so, how?

Grrgh...:

Arthur acknowledged Bran's request with a curt nod. With the ground opening up beneath their feet, there wasn't much he could do except allow the young scholar's intuition to light the way forward--but he did get the feeling that they were all headed down, no matter what...

>Arthur: As Warrior, stand ready near Rosemary with Focused Defender (Ranged). Before the floor finishes opening, leap after Tea with an overhead sword swing--aiming to knock her off of her ice platform and force her to make a new one farther below the deck. Prepare to redirect incoming fire from G1 towards the Dreadnought.

To Bran without facing him, "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Free fuel for the flames." Vince grinned, staring at Tea. "Ice is your deal huh? Then get a load of me."

>Vince: Veins of Fire x 2 (Power) Drain the heat from the refinery and blast Tea with the heat wave.

Attack Valvis and G2 "Smoke Streaks" with Infernal Edge lashes.

Erika takes a wide stance, attempting to draw in the electrical energy surging beneath her! With a yell and her hair standing on end, her allies feel their bodies relax as she absorbs the electricity into herself! Unfortunately, her control isn't effective enough to avoid the lightning damaging her, recieving 210 damage from the crackling energy and remaining Paralyzed herself.

"Woah! Are you an electromancer too?" Telsee blinks, a bit amazed. "Gotta say, that was pretty wicked."

Severa's voice causes the very world around her to ripple and shudder. As she expends her Charged Magic Circuits, Telsee looks nervously at his ally -- who, despite the strange effect, seems unimpressed. "Think you sound all high n' mighty? Hmph."

As they raise their piston fists to attack, however, they notice that somehow, the cleric's words have held true: Piston Punches has been weakened! With their pistons constantly jamming, Grett will only get a single half-Power follow-up attack, instead of up to four! They say nothing, simply turning their armored helmet toward Severa, presumably enraged.

Bran, with unusual poise and leadership, swings his mighty staff down at the refinery! At the same time, Vince spends 200 HP to increase his Power and channel the burning heat of the molten steel!

"What the-- Tea, stop them!" Valvis squawks.

"Pssh, come on boys, do you really think-- woah!" she yelps as Arthur leaps at her, now in Warrior stance and readying his sword high overhead to strike down the diminuitive priestess--!

"Whoop, byeeee~!" she waves as she takes a single step to her left, avoiding the strike as Arthur's ensnared form lands on the ice off-balance! He struggles for a moment to regain control and manages to elbow Tea for 95 damage, but then slips and begins tumbling down toward the molten metal below!

"PFFFTTTTHAHAHA, that was the funniest thing I've seen all week," Tea tears up, clutching her stomach as she belts out laughter.

"Tea, focus! The refinery!" Valvis tells her again, obvious impatience growing.

"H-huh? Oh, y-yeah, I'll--pffttt-- I'll get right on that, j-just... no, I'm good," she assures him, trying her best to stifle her laughs (without much success). Finally, however, she raises her hands toward Bran, a massive icicle forming...

When Vince throws a giant wave of heat from the refinery right at her! The heat's so intense it warps the air! The ravenous flames descend upon Tea--!

...Who takes no damage from them, due to her immunity to fire!

"PFFFFFFFFFFTTTTT YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME," she says, literally falling onto her back in hysterics as her laughter returns, twice as strong!

The commanding voice on the intercom speaks out, "Tea Verigrace, pull yourself together this instant."

The ice priestess shows no reaction to the order, however, kicking her feet in the air as she immitates Vince's voice to herself. "'Then get a l'--ppffhahahaha-- 'g-get a load of me!'"

Tea is Rolling On The Floor Laughing! She's unable to perform an action this turn!

"I--bbfffttt, I-I'm sorry, it's just, th-they're supposed to be the b-best in the country, and one of them, and the other one, and--" is all Tea can say before the ice platform beneath her collapses! Although she's immune to the fire damage, her ice is not, and she too begins falling toward the refinery, still laughing hysterically!

With the combined efforts of Bran, Vince, and Tea (who is unconsciously cooling the refinery as well in self-defense), the molten metal of the refinery is turned solid and downright cold!

Both Arthur and Tea hit the solid metal with some force, suffering 228 and 306 damage, respectively!

"Oowww..." the priestess groans, rubbing her head.

"See, now that is funny!" Valvis snickers.

"Valvis," the voice on the intercom warns.

"A-ahem, yes commander, apologies. I'll attempt to see to repairs."

The Dreadnought of Bertila begins to slow, its primary heat source now disabled! Its Overdrive All Engine Technique is now disabled, and Unflinching Construct of Steel now only reduces damage by 25% instead of half!

TRAINING MISSION COMPLETE! Bran has become so experienced adapting his magic in so many different ways, he's learned how to make the most of every spell he casts! He gains the Technique Arcane Expertise: whenever he performs his first spell for the turn, he may perform an additional free action at half Power, so long as that action is a different type (Offense, Buff, etc.) and uses the same element! Now able to accomplish two different goals with the same spell, Bran has truly become a veteran magus!

Arthur prepares to use Focused Defender (Ranged) on Rosemary!

Vince also gives his Infernal Edge a crack before swinging it at both Valvis and G2 "Smoke Streaks", conducting an Efficient Offensive!

Wrapped up and unable to dodge the assault, G2 "Smoke Streaks" is lashed by the flamming whip, shredding away much of her armor and setting her ablaze! She takes 642 damage and is Burning and Silenced!

Valvis attempts to blast away Vince's burning whip with his boiler cannons, but the pyromancer ducks and weaves between the blasts before getting a clean hit straight to his chest! He recieves 552 damage and is Burning and Silenced as well!

Vince is fatigued from the effort... (-1 Adv)

Yam attacks Telsee, but only partially succeeds, dealing 122 damage.

Zaffre slowly raises his hands, his Gears of Astral Machination spinning faster and faster as they launch off bolts of arcane power...!

"My creation... shall be your agony!" he curses, as his gears suddenly freeze!

"...What the-- mayday, mayday, mayday!" G4 "Hot Stuff" yells. His repeater weapon turns toward G1 "Far Sights" and begins opening fire on its own! Far Sights manages to weave out of the way of the attack, but begins calling to his fellow in a frantic tone.

"'Hot Stuff', report your status!"
"I-I'm sorry sir, it's-- my controls, they've totally locked up on me! The firing systems are acting on their own!"
"Shit, just... keep trying! We'll get you out of there!"

G4 "Hot Stuff" has been Charmed! They've lost control of their own actions, and attacked their own ally this turn!

"Hmmm..." Zaffre observes. "These people see their cause as just, and harm to innocents as unfortunate but inevitable for their goal. And us, they see as... heh, 'tyrants.' As if they could recognize such a thing."

Rosemary holds her ring for a moment before unleashing strands of healing magic! One flies upward, wrapping itself around Zaffre, while another calmly touches the chest of Vince -- they're both healed for 450 HP and gain Aura of Life, healing them for 100 HP at the end of every turn!

"Vince, I know you're a fire mage and all, but... isn't, constantly being on fire a bit..." she tries her best to choose a kinder word than she wishes to use, "...extreme?"

Then, taking a breath, Rosemary leaps off the side of the platform, down toward the frozen refinery! She manages to tuck into a roll on impact, proceeding to roll a few paces before colliding with the refinery's side, recieving 315 damage!

Rosemary is fatigued from her efforts... (-1 Adv)

"Taste this, you!" G1 "Far Sights" barks, focusing his sights on Arthur! Going into a tight circle in the air, he opens his bomb-bay doors once more and activates Bomb Volley, unleashing a torrent of bombs at both Arthur and Castle High! The swordsman braces himself for the impact, batting a few of the explosives away at the Dreadnought itself! In the end, Arthur takes 225 damage, Castle High takes 881 damage, and the Dreadnought of Bertila recieves 660 damage!

Arthur's Second Wind activates, restoring him to 675 HP!

"All available forces,," the commanding voice on the intercom speaks, "focus your fire on that support mage. See her eliminated."

"W-what!?" Rosemary gulps, rubbing at her bruised shoulder.

"Roger," calls out G3 "Sky Splitter", tucking into a spiralling dive, opening fire on her--!

Which Arthur intercepts with Focused Defender! Still unable to move, he bears the brunt of the assualt, recieving 303 damage!

"I've got no other choice... for Bertila!" G2 "Smoke Streaks" calls out, leaping down into the pit! As she descends in her nearly-destroyed armor, she fires several rounds into her Flying Thrusters, which quickly ignite as she descends toward Rosemary!

Despite her attempt to flee, she's sent flying through the air as the heavy armor suit collides with hard metal of the refinery and explodes! Rosemary suffers 389 damage!

Her body broken and unmoving among the remains of her armor, G2 "Smoke Streaks" is defeated! Having gone out on her own terms, no one recieves Advantage for having finished her!

"Penelia!! No!!" G3 'Sky Splitter' rages over their comms.

"No worries, I got her!" Telsee calls up to him -- rubbing his hands together, the young electromage generates a powerful current, befeore sending it down to his ally! With a jolt, G2 "Smoke Streaks" is revived!

She pulls herself to her feet, ripping her repeater from the remains of her armor. "Ugh... couldn't you just let me stay down?" she calls up.

"Hehe, sorry, just stick in there a bit longer!"

"Telsee. The healer."

"Oh uh, yes commander! Sorry about this pretty lady!" the youth calls, charging up a bolt in his hands! With a quick hand motion, a lightning bolt arcs off the side of the Upper Deck, along the wall, and down toward Rosemary! The healer quickly clutches her ring, creating a divine barrier to block the attack -- it's somewhat successful, but she still recieves 194 damage!

Rosemary's Fleeting Boots activate, granting her Fleeting Steps! All damage she recieves is halved for the remainder of the turn.

Meanwhile, Grett towers over Severa, pounding their jammed piston fists together. "You," they spit, "will not be okay."

They make a high swing as a feint before socking the cleric in the stomach with their other fist, dealing a painful 357 damage! Their Piston Punches effect activates, allowing them a second strike at half power! This time, however, Severa manages to lean with the punch to her sternum, getting away with only 122 damage.

Valvis points his weaponry down Rosemary. He opens his mouth as if to speak, remembers he's Silenced, and instead gives her a furious glare.

"Please, I-I'm just a doctor!" Rosemary begins to shake, realizing just how many foes want her dead. "I'm just here to ensure everyone is alright--!"

"Valvis, focus on re-activating the refinery. Be prepared to stop any further interference."

He rolls his eyes before flying down below the cistern. There, he begins working a series of valves -- and the flame beneath the refinery grows in size! It's beginning to slowly melt the steel once more: at the end of the next turn, the refinery will be back to normal!

"Arthur..." Rosemary says between labored breaths as she helps him out of the last of his astral bindings. "Stay with me. Don't worry, just, gimmie a second and, I'll get you good as new..."

"All forces, prepare for manuever A-Forward-L-X. On my order-- what!? How did you--"

A brief moment later, the familiar voice of Giada can be distantly heard over the intercom,"They're going to suddenly stop! Tie yourself down or--" the engineer yells, before abruptly cutting off.

"Hmph. Sounds as if the others have reached the enemy commander," Zaffre nods. "Perhaps this will give us a chance to breathe, at least for the moment."

Giada warns that the fortress will suddenly stop at the end of the next turn!

Vision of Historian activates as Bran examines Zaffre. Betraying Castle High... it wasn't exactly hard to imagine. Something about the guy just oozes malice and contempt. Come to think of it, he's not very secretive about those feelings. That said, he is down here with the rest of you, taking hits and fighting back. Plus, that warning about betrayal came from him -- if it applied to him, you doubt he would tell you all... unless that was part of his plan? There's something about him you just can't place... but for now, you don't think he's going to cause you any more trouble than the enemies. Maybe that vision of betrayal applied to someone else? Even perhaps, an enemy?

"Oof...Augh, that's gonna leave a mark in the morning."

I wince as I tenderly tap where the mecha-fists struck.

"It seems I need to illustrate to you the difference between us, Grett. You...were built to serve. To attack. To destroy, yes? You have a singular purpose."

Reel them in.

"It may be pointless, telling a machine this, but I was given purposes multiple times throughout my life. Save one...I have always completed them."

And sink them wholesale.

"You'll be rendered pointless without your master, won't you, Grett?"

And with that, I turn on my heel and charge Telsee, slashing wildly. In the process of running, use Guidance on myself to protect from whatever attack comes my way first. Thirdly, attempt Signature Mission [2/4], targeting Telsee...

"You...you are helpless. You are drowning in despair. This fight is pointless...and nothing is worthwhile."

Severa: Use Guidance on myself; Attempt to multislash Telsee; and use Voice Alter [2/4] to try and convince Telsee to give up the fight in face of my assault.

Vince took a deep breath. He didn't like listening to criticisms for his style, but would swallow his pride for one second.

>Vince: Breath of Fire on Self to remove the flames for this turn.

After all, it's hard to look out for your friends if you're burning your candle at both ends. He ran for the healer and wrapped his arm around her "we're kinda in an extreme situation here, ain't we? I gotta keep the torch lit."

>Aerial Evasion after grabbing hold of Rosemary, then use VoF to burn 300 HP for 1 Advantage.

He turned his head to face his enemies.

>Breath of Fire on Valvis.

shameful really:

Vince had arrived to carry Rosemary away--good. There wasn't anything the swordsman could do to protect their medic from the whims of gravity... but he could at least keep their enemies on their toes.

Anticipating an assault which would exceed the durability of his body, he knew he had to cut the incoming attack down to zero...

>Arthur: As Warrior, prepare a Counter Swing against Valvis' next attack! Watch over Bran with Focused Defender (Magic). However, instead of reducing incoming damage by a percentage, alter stance to "attack" incoming attacks as an act of "defense"--striking incoming fire at just the right moment to negate the Weapon Power of incoming attacks using own Weapon Power.

He could easily step straight in to finish off Bertila's engineer while he had the momentum... but it wasn't about cutting people down, anymore. This time, he would make sure the man would have no reason to stand back up.

>Conflict begins and ends in the mind...

Signature Technique:
#lt#m#re
2/4

"More or less..." Erika had to wince, that was not the best plan she had ever had. "But do you know what else I am?" With all the strength she could muster, she stood tall. "My name is Erika Klagelied and I am the greatest rockstar who has ever lived."

Since Severa is attacking Telsee, use Rock Armada Laser (1/4) on Grett.

Severa begins by provoking Grett -- which she finds no difficulty in accomplishing.

Grett immediately goes for an attack, "Stop talking! Die!" One of their fists is poised to slam into Severa's jaw... but at the last possible second, the cleric moves her head just slightly, and the fist swings straight by her as Severa is given divine Guidance!! Grett slams their fists together, enraged!

As Grett resets for a another swing, however, they see their opponent running right by them, headed for Telsee!

Severa's words reach the lightning mage first, who seems confused and worried. "W-what? N-no I'm not! I'm..." the youth falters, feeling something cold grip them. "W-we... we can still win. I--"

Severa reaches the mage, slashing her blades-- but is intercepted by Grett, using Guardian Shield! Her blades bounce off their heavy armor at first, but then find purchase between two plates, cutting into them for 282 damage! Despite the injury, Grett holds their stance. "I'm no machine, bastard. And my 'purpose' right now is to make you piss blood."

"Grett, d-don't do things like that! If you lose a-and die--"

"What? Why're you talking about that now?"

"I-I don't know! B-but, if something happened to you, Ben would--"

The mechanical fighter turns to look at their ally for a moment, which silences him. They then turn back to Severa, "Fix what you did, now."

"No," the voice over the intercom instructs. "Kill her and the effect will diminish. Quickly."

Telsee is inflicted with Despair! They can only take 1 action, and that action will have reduced effectiveness if it involves any other character!

Severa gains Charged Magic Circuits for using her Blades of Unending Mana! She's also starting to get a hold on her Alter Voice, but might need to put more power into it...

Severa feels exhausted from her efforts... (-2 Adv)

Bran whips up a gentle stream of wind magic before redirecting it to Rosemary! Magical energy envelops the healer, breathing life back into her and healing her wounds. Rosemary recovers 388 HP!

He then uses Arcane Expertise to simultaneously surround all allies with wind magic!

As he does so, Zaffre senses the impending danger the group faces, and sees the correct timing to utilize Astromancer of the First! Bran gains Fate Bound, making his action much more effective!

All allies gain Floating for two turns, allowing them to avoid obstacles and hazards!

Bran then uses Elemental Conduit, drawing energy from the boiler to gain Charged Magic Circuits - Water! Then, whirling his weapon around, he unleashes a literal Arcane Storm, massive swarms of water droplets assailing all enemies!

Grett's armor protects them from much of the downpour, only receiving 63 damage, while all other enemies are unable to defend themselves! All other enemies receive 230 damage!

Bran is fatigued from his efforts... (-1 Adv)

Vince burns 300 HP using Veins of Fire, allowing him to gain 1 Advantage! He then grabs hold of Rosemary and uses Aerial Evasion thanks to their Floating statuses! They will each receive less damage from all sources, and be immune to melee!

He then uses Breath of Fire to remove flames from both himself and Valvis, regaining 200 HP!

Arthur, holding himself as steady as he can, prepares to Counter Swing Valvis, preparing to use his new technique...!

Erika follows up soon after -- she strikes up a wicked guitar solo, ending with one last triumphant crescendo! The vibrations along her strings accelerate and infuse with mana, before firing an intensely powerful laser! Spending three Tempo Counters, she unleashes a massive swarm of beams, infused with rock armada energy! The purple, pulsating attacks fly through the air to a triumphant score of rock power, striking every enemy! Having no sufficient Charisma resistance, they are each blasted by the potent rock power, taking 190 damage!

"Ugh... damn it, just... when..." G2 "Smoke Streaks" manages before collapsing! She's Incapacitated! (Erika: +1 Adv)

Zaffre casts Creation's Ire on... someone? For some reason, you can't see whom he targeted. Despite this, he seems pleased, "yes, I see all too well... the skies are never misled."

Rosemary blinks, now hovering in the air in Vince's arm. "Well, that was a lot. Thank you and Bran both. Now it's time to do my part..."

Rosemary clutches her ring closely, a chartreuse light gleaming as a wave of mana sweeps toward Arthur! The green-yellow magic carefully weaves together injuries and restores his stamina, healing him for 395 HP and granting him Aura of Life!

She then charges her mana, gaining Charged Magic Circuits!

G1 "Far Sights", G3 "Sky Splitter" and G4 "Hot Stuff" enter formation! Far Sights calls out, "alright everyone, you heard the commander: focus your fire on that healer!"

The three flying foes spiral down on Rosemary and Vince in a combination attack! G1 "Far Sights" unleashes a massive volley of bombs, which his two allies open fire on, creating a massive field of explosions all around the two! Vince weaves the two of them through and around the explosions as best he can, but they both receive 366 damage!

The squadron then raises up and turns their assault on Castle High! They open fire on it, dealing a total of 1952 damage to the castle! Various bricks and pieces of stone fall away!

All three foes are fatigued from their efforts...

Between having negative Advantage and feeling strong Despair, Telsee takes this turn to think and try to recover. He regains 90 HP.

Tea takes aim at Rosemary with her finger, squinting an eye. "Hooold still now..."

She activates Disciple of the Frozen God, blasting a stream of cold blue magic, aiming to freeze Rosemary!

...But Rosemary deflects the icy attack with a swift shield of green-yellow energy! The attack deflects away, create a stream of icicles on a nearby catwalk!

"Oooo, nice reactions there hun!"
"Errgh, leave me alone!"
"C'mon now, no need to get upset!"

Valvis finishes their work on the pipes beneath the refinery -- with one last burst of steam, the refinery churns to life once more! Thankfully, all party members are Floating, avoiding any damage.

Tea suffers 212 damage from being near the refinery! "Ooowww Valvis, what the hell!? Couldn't you have given me a warning!?"
The engineer blasts out over the refinery once more, giving their ally an aggravated look as they point to their mouth.
"Uuugh, I don't care if your hungry, I expect better!"
Rolling their eyes, they scoop up Tea, granting her the Floating status as well.

Valvis then aims their sights on Rosemary! Placing their blasters together, they send out a surge of molten steel and boiling water--!

But is intercepted by Arthur! The swordsman raises his blade to utilize a Counter Swing! He bides his time for just a moment, letting the attack reach him... and then slashes with all his might! The power of his attack shatters the streams, reflecting the assault back at Valvis! Arthur then floats forward, sword held high -- Valvis raises their blasters to block, but Arthur cleaves straight through them and the engineer, dealing a massive 762 damage! In an instant, Valvis is sent flying, smashing through a metal wall, completely Incapacitated! (Arthur: +1 Adv)

Tea suffers an additional 158 damage as she falls, barely managing to balance on the side of the refinery!

Arthur is gaining a mastery of this technique -- he just needs one last piece to complete it. Tapping into his Warrior side, utilizing the Advantage he's managed to collect...

Valvis is fatigued from their efforts... (-1 Adv)

Suddenly, the command deck of the Dreadnought erupts in flames of green and ivory! As fighters from both sides look on, they see two huge figures slam into the Upper Deck...

"Gergghh... you're making this very difficult," says a deep male voice from one of the figures. Their armored suit is similar to others of the Bertilian forces, but scaled up in every way -- massive sheets of armored steel protecting them, ivory green rocket boosters, and an imposing helmet in the shape of an imposing tower. Perhaps most notable of all, however, is the blade in their left hand: though it almost seems too small for the massive armored foe, it seems to "catch" on reality as it moves, blurring and warping the space it passes through.

"You invade us while we're dealing with a crisis, and you call us difficult?" Giada spits back, raising her repeater cannons. The two seemed to have been in combat.

"If you refuse to see reason, then fine. My orders were to take Castle Low at any cost."

Giada raises her weapon an inch higher, "there's no way those memories are real. There's no way I ever respected someone like you."

The figure sighs, their shoulders falling a fraction, "...I'm sorry. If the circumstances were different-- ergh, but they're not!" He raises his sword, head pivoting as he scans every other combatant! "I hold loyalty to my own, but to my country above all else! I don't care what your goals are -- I'll see you ended here!"

Vision of the Historian activates, giving Bran insight into this new combatant. He realizes this isn't just the commander of the Dreadnought, but the commander of all of Bertila's military: Commander-in-Chief Selvenade! And there's no mistaking it: that weapon in his hand is a Star Arms, one beyond any you've encountered before. Between that, his heavy armor, experience, and tactical prowess... he's going to be a very challenging foe. That said, you sense a connection between he and Giada. Not a direct relation, but... perhaps a meaningful friendship, or professional bond? You wonder if that could be used to your advantage, but given his position, you doubt it would be enough to get a surrender. Finally, you note that his armor seems to directly tap into the Dreadnought itself -- perhaps disabling it or him will open up a weakness?

"...Wait," Rosemary suddenly adds. "Why didn't the fortress stop?"

"Since Giada told you all how to prepare, I saw no need," Selvenade responds dryly. "Better to keep the assault on schedule."

Castle High's Arcane Arsenal opens fire on the Dreadnought, dealing 412 damage!