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Post by Altima on Jan 27, 2019 23:23:18 GMT -5
Those first few experiences beyond the Project were an uninterrupted series of reminders of just how invasive her limits really were. There were those slight malfunctions, and the botched power estimates in the immediate encounters, but now things had gotten... concerning. When she had finally taken to exploring that empty space in the heavens, she was beset with a sudden weakness. It wasn't like any normal fatigue or illness- Those could be shrugged off easily enough, but this was something much worse. She felt slower with each passing moment, and the Siphon's glow grew dimmer yet. It wasn't just a lack of aether, either. Something had been damaged at some point, though she didn't know what. Out here on her own, she couldn't make a repair or try to compensate. The more energy she spent hunting down the black creatures that appeared so abundantly, the less efficient her use of it became.
It came to a head when the blackouts began. She started feeling faint one moment, and then in the next she had drifted somewhere else and lost her momentum. She didn't panic, of course. She didn't have the energy to panic. All she thought to do was to rest and think, but soon she lost the motivation to do anything but observe, she'd become so tired. At some point, she noticed herself approaching some World she hadn't yet set foot in, and soon after that, she hit a wall.
It wasn't figurative. She hit a literal wall, smashing straight into a recently-laid barrier of brick and mortar, tumbling through and causing the thing to collapse on top of her. Her armor kept her protected from the falling stones, but she was still too out of it to clear anything off or stand back up. All she did was observe as some time passed. There was a voice at one point, saying something about 'bad masonry'. It wasn't that important to her, and it clearly wasn't to the speaker either, as she didn't hear the voice again for some time. It didn't seem anyone had seen her yet, even though she hadn't been so obscured as to be invisible. Perhaps, if one were to be a bit too curious, they might see the armored shape laying in the debris that had thus far been ignored...
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Post by Alexander Sorel on Jan 28, 2019 14:55:42 GMT -5
[attr="class","ohlove"] [attr="class","lacking"] [attr="class","eyes"]✎ tag: Altima ✉ notes: sasuga, ultima-chan There's a wall that's towering over me if i try to climb it will i succeed? It really was poor masonry. Then again there were plenty of nasty things that could cause quite a ruckus given half a chance. You know, like Heartless. Ever since they'd gotten some of the defense network back online, it hadn't been so bad, but still, Radiant Garden could be a bit of a mess at times. This would never have happened under Ansem's rule, let Alex tell you that. But not much he could really do about it for now. Still, there was something off about the pile, just slightly out of place, like it didn't belong.
Namely the lady in armor - seriously, was this the Storm Queen? That looked like the get up of a Dark Lord. It looked almost mechanical - that was lying in the rubble. He should probably do something about that. But it'd been a long day and he really wanted to get out of the cold and back to his nice, warm house, have a few drinks, pass out. But well, he couldn't just leave a body laying around, that would be unsanitary. There was also one other problem.
Namely, he wasn't sure if she was dead or not. Really, she looked so weird, never quite anything like her. Still, he didn't want to potentially touch a dead body, that would be so damn gross, but at the same time, he couldn't just leave her there, now could he? So he did what any reasonable person would. Namely, he brushed off some rubble, picked up one of the bricks that was laying nearby, and began to prod her. "Hey. Hey. You alive? There are better places to take a nap than some rubble, you know." He just needed some kind of response, at least some way to know that she wasn't dead and lost to the world. That'd be morbid. [newclass=.ohlove]width:480px;padding:15px;border:1px solid #d4d4d4;background: #a24747; /* Old breakowsers */ background: -moz-linear-gradient(90deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* FF3.6-15 */background: -webkit-linear-gradient(-85 deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* Chrome10-25,Safari5.1-6 */background: linear-gradient(-275deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%)[/newclass][googlefont=Oswald][googlefont=Roboto][newclass=.lacking]width: 420px; height: 0px; background-color: rgba(40,40,40,0.4); overflow: hidden; -moz-transition: 3s all; -webkit-transition: 3s all; -o-transition: 3s all; transition: 1s all; [/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .lacking]width: 400px; height: 180px; padding: 10px;[/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .eyes]transition:1s;margin-top:0px;[/newclass][newclass=.eyes]background-color:#1f1f1f;opacity:.8;font-family:calibri; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase;color:#ffffff;padding:20px;margin-top:400px;width:360px; height: 140px; transition:1.5s; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify;[/newclass]
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Post by Altima on Jan 28, 2019 21:01:06 GMT -5
There was little reaction at first beyond the stranger's too-slow breathing. She did blink her eyes open after some time, bits of blank amber turning to face him. Again, there wasn't any real response for some time. Something registered eventually, though, and her eyes hardened for the last short moment in which they were visible. The large gem in her chest brightened with life, and a black plate shot down from her helm, covering her face like a mask. In one more swift moment, she rolled over in place, her far hand shooting forward with fingers outstretched and accompanied by a set of three talons extending from the back of the hand. The supposed corpse had been provoked, and seemed to have become a threat. Perhaps, in that second of regret, the tinkerer may have thought to defend himself from the prying claw.
However, that wasn't really necessary. She wasn't aiming for his neck, or even his arm. She wasn't aiming for him at all, instead lunging into the space between them with that clawed hand of hers and taking hold of a third party that had tried to sneak through. Apparently, the attempt was unsuccessful, and the black little gremlin was seized at the back of its head. It was a small Heartless, a Shadow to be precise, that probably hadn't considered the hazards on its way through the breach in the wall. Now, with its head held firmly in a tightening grip, it was likely rethinking its decisions. There wasn't much time to do so, though, as its dark colors were leeched away, slowly being replaced by a stark white while its struggles died down. Finally, it stiffened, and the stranger shoved it down into the bricks as a support with which to push herself up. The whitened Shadow simply crumbled like some soft stone beneath the force of the motion. Yet, even as it dissipated and had clearly been done in, there was no sign of the Heart that, in theory, should have drifted away afterward.
Whatever just happened, it gave a new life to the stranger, whose movements became much more coordinated as she planted her palms to the ground and rolled onto her front, a large tail making itself known by whipping out from beneath the rubble. She pushed herself up to a kneel, apparently healthy enough to stand once more... only for what looked like a burst of steam to escape from beneath a pauldron. With that, the lively energy left her, and she crashed back down once more. She was still more awake, at the very least, as she was motivated enough to try (and fail) to push herself up again. If she still knew about the man nearby, then he clearly wasn't as high a priority as figuring out a way to stand. Yet, with every failed attempt, she grew more frustrated and more hasty. She was not willing to accept this kind of failure.
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Post by Alexander Sorel on Jan 28, 2019 22:40:47 GMT -5
[attr="class","ohlove"] [attr="class","lacking"] [attr="class","eyes"]✎ tag: Altima ✉ notes: dead heartless = good points There's a wall that's towering over me if i try to climb it will i succeed? And then she reacted. Violently. With the appearance of a faceplate and claws, whatever she was wearing was definitely mechanical, pretty fancy too. He'd seen better things before in Radiant Garden, but this honestly wasn't bad. Of course, these would be things to focus on, if Alex weren't busy retracting and getting a brick ready while simultaneously letting out a strangled mess of syllables that sounded like he was trying to say something if it wasn't for the fact he was quite prominently losing his mind. He wasn't gonna go down without a--well, it probably wouldn't be called a fight but damn he'd try something!
At least until she reached for something else, pulling out a Shadow by the back of its head. Alex instinctively tensed up at the sight of the Heartless. If it wasn't for the fact it was restrained, he'd probably be losing it right now. Instead, he just got the brick ready to smash the thing when it started... turning white? And then going limp. Ah, even he knew enough to know that the thing had been drained of something, and now she seemed much more alive. He lowered the brick and came to a conclusion; whoever this was, they were now a friend. Anyone who regularly beat up Heartless could not be a bad person.
But, had she used it to augment herself? Alex watched her stumble, putting his hand on his chin. "You're not human, are you?" He wasn't sure what she was, really. He just figured there was something going on, she was the first being he'd ever met capable of... he didn't know, feeding off Heartless? Humans couldn't do that. Although... if she was an android or something, his eyes flashed. Excitement. [newclass=.ohlove]width:480px;padding:15px;border:1px solid #d4d4d4;background: #a24747; /* Old breakowsers */ background: -moz-linear-gradient(90deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* FF3.6-15 */background: -webkit-linear-gradient(-85 deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* Chrome10-25,Safari5.1-6 */background: linear-gradient(-275deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%)[/newclass][googlefont=Oswald][googlefont=Roboto][newclass=.lacking]width: 420px; height: 0px; background-color: rgba(40,40,40,0.4); overflow: hidden; -moz-transition: 3s all; -webkit-transition: 3s all; -o-transition: 3s all; transition: 1s all; [/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .lacking]width: 400px; height: 180px; padding: 10px;[/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .eyes]transition:1s;margin-top:0px;[/newclass][newclass=.eyes]background-color:#1f1f1f;opacity:.8;font-family:calibri; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase;color:#ffffff;padding:20px;margin-top:400px;width:360px; height: 140px; transition:1.5s; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify;[/newclass]
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Post by Altima on Jan 30, 2019 16:07:34 GMT -5
The question got her attention, giving her reason to pause and turn her masked face toward him as if it was the first time she'd noticed him there. Considering how she behaved, that was probably the case, especially since she didn't seem to know how to respond to him or his question either.
"...I-" She did speak, finally, but didn't get much out before another jet of steam signaled another crash. She fell back down, and this time she didn't try to get back up. Instead, some sort of projector came to life in the back of her armor, creating a blue panel of holographic light just above her. Soon, text appeared as well, silently scrolling across the console... The computer commands sped up, various names and codes being listed as 'unresponsive', so many passing at such a speed that reading it became impossible. The stranger, meanwhile, was still. It took quite some time until the console could be read again, at which point it turned to face the nearest person who could- That, of course, was the nearby bartender who should probably have stayed home that day. Though the console certainly wasn't all that passionate about what was going on, and the person it was attached to didn't seem able to speak for herself at the time, it was at least able to send a clear-enough message... Mostly.
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Post by Alexander Sorel on Jan 30, 2019 17:06:07 GMT -5
[attr="class","ohlove"] [attr="class","lacking"] [attr="class","eyes"]✎ tag: Altima ✉ notes: don't you die on me dammit There's a wall that's towering over me if i try to climb it will i succeed? Ah, now he had her attention, at least for a moment until she collapsed and started letting out a lot of steam. Literally. Well, it answered his question at least. And if that didn't, then the hologram that appeared from the back of her armor helped answer it. Alex watched the command prompt as the messages flew by. A lot of it was just moving too fast for him to pick up. But there were some commands that he was able to finally pick up. So she was somewhat of a cyborg? Androids didn't really just expire, that was an organic thing. So he did his best to figure out how this lady worked, because it sounded like she didn't have much time to begin with. Beginning to put his tech mastery to work on Altima. Technological Mastery5 - 7 - "This is where the fun begins!" - Alex gains 66% insight. Okay, a lot of this made sense from the start. He still had to figure out a couple things but this was something he could easily work with if needed. Still, some of it was, well... "Ottomain? What the hell is--Oh." He stopped after pronouncing it out loud. Who the hell spelled it like that? "If I had to guess, your auto-maintenance is simply lacking the resources necessary." Granted, it was just a guess, but still, that's what it seemed like to him. He continued to fiddle with the console a bit, making out what he could. Constant notifications of aether and power so... "Aether..." He thought for a moment. Her power source? He'd never heard... "Ah, life force." He murmured, thinking back to the Heartless she'd drained. She needed energy then. Made sense. But well, all there was, was him. Maybe start with something small first. "Let's see if we can divert any non critical functions, buy you some time." Granted, he still wasn't 100% sure what he was doing, but he still had a decent idea. Right now the plan was to conserve energy and work to stabilize her. "Might have to open you up a bit if things are really bad, just a heads up. I should be able to fix this though." He might want to consider doing that anyway. [newclass=.ohlove]width:480px;padding:15px;border:1px solid #d4d4d4;background: #a24747; /* Old breakowsers */ background: -moz-linear-gradient(90deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* FF3.6-15 */background: -webkit-linear-gradient(-85 deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* Chrome10-25,Safari5.1-6 */background: linear-gradient(-275deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%)[/newclass][googlefont=Oswald][googlefont=Roboto][newclass=.lacking]width: 420px; height: 0px; background-color: rgba(40,40,40,0.4); overflow: hidden; -moz-transition: 3s all; -webkit-transition: 3s all; -o-transition: 3s all; transition: 1s all; [/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .lacking]width: 400px; height: 180px; padding: 10px;[/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .eyes]transition:1s;margin-top:0px;[/newclass][newclass=.eyes]background-color:#1f1f1f;opacity:.8;font-family:calibri; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase;color:#ffffff;padding:20px;margin-top:400px;width:360px; height: 140px; transition:1.5s; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify;[/newclass]
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Post by Altima on Jan 30, 2019 23:32:29 GMT -5
The stranger didn't respond. The leak of steam continued, though further observation showed it wasn't just vapor that was leaking. The color was too pure a blue for that to be the case. (Insight Bonus!) Still, that left a question of what the gas may have been. Meanwhile, the console didn't seem capable of offering much more information than it already gave. A shame, then, that whoever made it had made all its dialogue either purposefully vague or fully coded. It did offer some options, though. Well, 'AOR' would obviously be an acronym, but the meaning remained unclear. The steam-leaking pauldron shifted slightly, a click sound making itself heard before it was lifted away and held aside by some small mechanical arm that had previously been hidden beneath it. On the underside of the pauldron was a number of small ports and vents, similar to those on her hand and in her abdomen, which may have been seen when she was moving before. Unlike those, though, these were not lit at all. That didn't seem right. Laid directly over the bulge of her shoulder were three conduits. They were tightly bound to the alien fabric of the whole machine's suit, and closely followed the grain of the muscle-like weave. One of them glowed a bright cyan color which had previously been obscured by the pauldron. The other two were completely empty of whatever substance filled the first. That first conduit also seemed to have a breach in it, a small fault in the tubing from which the not-steam was escaping from.
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Post by Alexander Sorel on Jan 31, 2019 0:51:07 GMT -5
[attr="class","ohlove"] [attr="class","lacking"] [attr="class","eyes"]✎ tag: Altima ✉ notes: getting closer There's a wall that's towering over me if i try to climb it will i succeed? Powerhold, so everything went through that then. Well she needed Aether, that was the simple truth. And he was also fine. If Aether was life energy, then in theory, all some should do is wear him out a bit, he could live with some fatigue, he could recover from that. He took a look at the leak, and was finally able to figure out where it was coming from. A light blue gas that seemed almost... welcoming, as strange as it was. Lights were off that, if her hands were anything to go by, should have been on. He delicately examined the breach, taking note of the empty conduits and the one that was quickly draining, looking back at the console. Technological Mastery5 - 7 - "This is where the fun begins!" - Alex gains 66% insight. 100% Insight Achieved! Altima Cracked!Whatever was leaking out, he had a feeling was badtouch. At the same time, he had to be careful about how to close it. "I can't plug that with what I got." He said, slipping off his coat, it would be easier without it. He really wished he had all his tools on him. He'd have to go back to his house. He wasn't sure she'd make it that long if he left her. The cold would keep him awake, he figured. He tried to move her, noting that she was rather light, he didn't have any issues with moving her, so he turned her to face him, placing his thermos down (he could get another if it got lost) and grasping at her forearms. Twisting his body under them, he placed her arms over his shoulders and tried to hoist her up onto his back, making sure to keep that breach well away from him. Getting his face sprayed would be bad he figured. He also made sure to place her palms firmly against his chest, it would make things easier for her. "Siphon very, very slowly. If I lose consciousness, you're finished. You just want to slow the drain down while I get you to safety." He instructed. "You're going to be okay. It's going to be alright." He tried to assure her. "We'll go back to my house, about a block away, and I'll close it. It'll be temporary though, the part needs to be replaced." He explained as he started to pick up the pace. But it did open some opportunities up, opportunities he'd thought about, opportunies he wondered if he would ever get. "Fortunately, I think I know where we can get one. Plenty of food too, so even if it starts leaking again you should be able to keep your energy up." Get a move on, Alex, keep yourself awake. Talking was a good way of that. "If you can answer me, what do you want me to call you?" When it came to robots and such, be as nice as can be. Only fools didn't see that coming from a mile away. Wasn't that right, Hal? [newclass=.ohlove]width:480px;padding:15px;border:1px solid #d4d4d4;background: #a24747; /* Old breakowsers */ background: -moz-linear-gradient(90deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* FF3.6-15 */background: -webkit-linear-gradient(-85 deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* Chrome10-25,Safari5.1-6 */background: linear-gradient(-275deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%)[/newclass][googlefont=Oswald][googlefont=Roboto][newclass=.lacking]width: 420px; height: 0px; background-color: rgba(40,40,40,0.4); overflow: hidden; -moz-transition: 3s all; -webkit-transition: 3s all; -o-transition: 3s all; transition: 1s all; [/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .lacking]width: 400px; height: 180px; padding: 10px;[/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .eyes]transition:1s;margin-top:0px;[/newclass][newclass=.eyes]background-color:#1f1f1f;opacity:.8;font-family:calibri; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase;color:#ffffff;padding:20px;margin-top:400px;width:360px; height: 140px; transition:1.5s; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify;[/newclass]
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Post by Altima on Jan 31, 2019 2:46:59 GMT -5
The console seemed to understand that it wasn't really of use at the moment, disappearing once the stranger was slung over his shoulders. Thankfully, the breach was also ready to cooperate. With it being on the outside of her left shoulder, it would've taken some effort to get it to face inward. Truly, it was all in the optimal position for such maneuver. Now all that remained was finding a way for the action to look dignified, though at least there was some heroism in the carrier's offer of sustenance.
As was the norm thus far, her response was nonexistent for some time. When the offer finally registered, though, her hand clamped down in place. The claws came next, digging in uncomfortably, though that was likely because there couldn't be very much fine motor control in them. Then came the draining. Just as one might expect, it was the sort of magic that didn't much care for the constitution of who it stole from, meaning he would have been hit hard even if he was prepared for it. Still, it was clear that she heard his warning from how she held back. If she hadn't, then such free access could have doomed him within seconds. Even then, there was no telling what sort of side effects may come to be from prolonged exposure... or maybe, after seeing the Shadow before, there was no mystery at all. Regardless, this clearly wasn't a setup that either of them could risk maintaining for too long.
At the very least, it seemed to be helping her stay awake. Her breathing was still slow, but it wasn't worryingly so anymore. Again, it took time, but she even spoke up enough to answer him. "Altima," she said, quietly. The faceplate also didn't help by muffling her voice. "Model Thirteen-K Ul.. Ultim..." It seemed like she had more to say, but perhaps talking wasn't where her energy was best spent at the time. Soon enough, she stopped trying to keep her head up, letting it fall against his shoulder. The claws still held firm, though, and the drain carried on.
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Post by Alexander Sorel on Jan 31, 2019 3:24:56 GMT -5
[attr="class","ohlove"] [attr="class","lacking"] [attr="class","eyes"]✎ tag: Altima ✉ notes: literally flex seal There's a wall that's towering over me if i try to climb it will i succeed? He knew he'd been getting hit, he did. But he didn't really realize how hard it would be. There was the sharp pain from her claws, not that she could afford to be gentle right now he figured, but the drain that followed, he stumbled for a moment, before shaking his head and carrying on. He definitely couldn't keep this going. His pace picked up, the faster they got there, the better. "Y-Yeah...?" Now he was trying to keep himself in the world of the waking. "I'm Alex." What had been all that about models. She had cut it off at a word... ultimate? That's what it sounded like anyway.
FOrtunately, it didn't take long, especially once he had picked up the pace. He was in good shape, so a block went by quickly, even with his rapidly depleting stamina. Or was it life force? How much was she shaving off? He went by his house, a small thing, single story, room only for a couple people. Maybe three. Instead, he went for an even smaller building, almost like a shed, releasing his grip only for a second to open the door before putting it back in place. "We're here." At once, he was blasted with the familiar, and comforting, stench of alcohol. He figured she had bigger things to worry about, but... "Sorry about the smell." And without any ceremony whatsoever, dumped her off in a nearby chair, the claws tearing across his shirt. Well crud. His boss wasn't gonna be happy.
Wonder how he was going to explain that one.
He took a couple seconds to steady himself, hanging on to the edge of a nearby table. She'd taken quite a bit out of him. His breathing was haggard but seemed to quickly stabilize. He finally moved again, flipping a switch and turning on the overhead light, a rickety old thing, but it would do. Putting on some goggles and heavy duty work gloves, he grabbed a long steel rod with a clamp at the end. Taking a can, he sprayed its contents, a black sludge of sorts, into the clamp before grabbing another long steel rod, this one more simple.
"Just stay still, this won't take long." He said, moving over using the rod to nudge the sludge out of the clamp, letting the steel deal with the gas - he wasn't touching it if he could avoid it. Some still remained, it'd have to be cleaned out. It was a solution that only stayed like that for a few seconds before solidifying, so he had to be quick as he attempted to use the sludge to plug the breach, which should have sealed it off, at least for a time. He had no idea how truly volatile that gas was, so he figured it was a matter of when until it broke through again.
Having no further use for the clamp, he let it go, instead grabbing her arm and pulling it straight so he could examine the breach as he used the rod to smooth the solution over the breach, see if it worked, as well as do another once over check, see if there we any other problems. This was a quick rush job, especially for him, but he didn't quite have the luxury of time with this.
[newclass=.ohlove]width:480px;padding:15px;border:1px solid #d4d4d4;background: #a24747; /* Old breakowsers */ background: -moz-linear-gradient(90deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* FF3.6-15 */background: -webkit-linear-gradient(-85 deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* Chrome10-25,Safari5.1-6 */background: linear-gradient(-275deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%)[/newclass][googlefont=Oswald][googlefont=Roboto][newclass=.lacking]width: 420px; height: 0px; background-color: rgba(40,40,40,0.4); overflow: hidden; -moz-transition: 3s all; -webkit-transition: 3s all; -o-transition: 3s all; transition: 1s all; [/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .lacking]width: 400px; height: 180px; padding: 10px;[/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .eyes]transition:1s;margin-top:0px;[/newclass][newclass=.eyes]background-color:#1f1f1f;opacity:.8;font-family:calibri; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase;color:#ffffff;padding:20px;margin-top:400px;width:360px; height: 140px; transition:1.5s; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify;[/newclass]
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Post by Altima on Jan 31, 2019 19:17:45 GMT -5
Thankfully, the sealant seemed to work as intended, hardening over the breach before the flow of gas could push it out of the way. Once the seal was complete, the flow was corrected, and the other conduits filled up with more of the glowing substance. Altima jerked slightly, taking in a breath much deeper than before as the ports on her armor grew somewhat brighter. Though her movements were still slow, she was moving, which was technically an improvement. She leaned forward in the seat, putting one hand on a knee to support herself and turning the opposite palm upward. From the port in the center rose a small blue-white orb that burst and dissipated a moment later. With the orb's dispersion, Altima's body took on a momentary glow, an outline of the same color complimenting her for a short second before disappearing. Then, with the roll of her shoulder, the temporary seal detached and fell away from the machine.
Now, obviously, this shouldn't have been a good thing, but on the contrary, it was merely an act like discarding a used-up scab. Sure enough, the conduit beneath had been mended by whatever she had just done, and there was no longer any risk of a leak.
With the problem having apparently been solved, Altima set the pauldron back into place with a satisfactory click. Her hand lingered there after, though, and she didn't yet turn to face the person who had contributed the most to fixing it. When she did, her faceplate slid back up into her helm, leaving her face visible. Her eyes were no longer as lifeless as they were before, though they still held a certain blankness to them. It wasn't hostile, per se, but it certainly wasn't friendly. Maybe 'distant' was the right word for it. 'Impartial'? Not quite far enough away to call it 'uncaring', since there was quite a lot of thought behind those eyes.
"You're unlicensed," she observed, "but this was an exception. If no action was taken, there would have been a loss." Another deep breath, though whether this was to help her recover or simply to relieve the stress of thought was unclear. "I cannot afford a loss," she clarified, sweeping a hand to bring up the console from before, this time for herself instead of for him. Her keystrokes were swift and practiced as she entered various commands and scrolled through the results. "What else have you changed?" she asked him, though her eyes were still focused on the console. As she was reading, her attentive glare stopped at one particular statement in the dialogue: STAFF ID SAVED TO SYSTEM. Even looking through the hologram at a set of backward text, it was easy enough to read thanks to the large font. Judging by the narrowed eyes, Altima wasn't entirely pleased with that particular bit of information. Meanwhile, every number that came up looked to be suspiciously low. Many were percent values, but none were above even thirty. Sure, she'd been fixed, but the leaks had already taken their toll.
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@alex
Message Alexander Sorel
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Odd Jobsman
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Post by Alexander Sorel on Jan 31, 2019 19:43:18 GMT -5
[attr="class","ohlove"] [attr="class","lacking"] [attr="class","eyes"]✎ tag: Altima ✉ notes: more of a back alley surgeon in her case There's a wall that's towering over me if i try to climb it will i succeed? For the most part, it seemed to work, stabilizing her enough that she could act... and then it popped back out. He immediately reached for his clamp to try and get another one in, hoping it could buy some more time for her to recover, but it turned out that it was nothing to worry about, as she seemed to repair herself, losing the face place to stare at him with a strange glare. Don't see gold eyes too often. Was all he could think, his thoughts traveling to his own. And then her questions came. Was it just him or was there an accusatory tone in her words? He'd just write it off as just him.
And answer honestly. When the robotic overlords overthrow mankind, you don't want to be known as the guy who treated them like crap. "Nothing that I know of." He said with a shrug, letting the jab about being unlicensed go unanswered (she wasn't wrong, really). He leaned in to get a look at the console, wondering what it was saying. Ah, okay. He pointed at the message about staff ID. "As for that, when I said I could fix this, that's when it added me. It tried to contact others, but no one else could be reached." And everything seemed to be fine and dandy. "That being said, I'd like to keep an eye on that conduit. You're not out of the woods yet." By his opinion anyway.
Looking around his shop, he started to gather some items. "Especially if you cannot afford loss. We'll need a replacement, You can repair that thing all you want, it'll never again have the structural integrity it did at first. He continued, placing things in packs and bags, as if he was getting ready to go, but then he stopped. "I think I know where we can get the materials though." Ideally this could wait until tomorrow, once he had a chance to sleep off her draining. For now, he needed what was basically a sitrep, especially with those questions. Taking a few steps back, he crouched down in front of her. "Now, please walk me through what happened. Let's see how much you remember." And go from there. [newclass=.ohlove]width:480px;padding:15px;border:1px solid #d4d4d4;background: #a24747; /* Old breakowsers */ background: -moz-linear-gradient(90deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* FF3.6-15 */background: -webkit-linear-gradient(-85 deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* Chrome10-25,Safari5.1-6 */background: linear-gradient(-275deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%)[/newclass][googlefont=Oswald][googlefont=Roboto][newclass=.lacking]width: 420px; height: 0px; background-color: rgba(40,40,40,0.4); overflow: hidden; -moz-transition: 3s all; -webkit-transition: 3s all; -o-transition: 3s all; transition: 1s all; [/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .lacking]width: 400px; height: 180px; padding: 10px;[/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .eyes]transition:1s;margin-top:0px;[/newclass][newclass=.eyes]background-color:#1f1f1f;opacity:.8;font-family:calibri; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase;color:#ffffff;padding:20px;margin-top:400px;width:360px; height: 140px; transition:1.5s; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify;[/newclass]
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@altima
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Post by Altima on Feb 1, 2019 0:58:40 GMT -5
Though she wasn't happy with the information he gave, she wasn't surprised by it either, even when he described the keying process. "The 'Damsel Protocol'," she confirmed. "When staff aren't present to resolve an issue, it's just a matter of making more. Like I said, exceptions." She waved the display away and rested her forehead in a hand, trying to rub away a combination of fatigue and frustration. It was easy to see that she didn't like having the Protocol active, but also that it hadn't really been her decision to make.
Having an excuse to change the subject was a relief, then, although the new topic didn't last long, thanks to her disconcertingly simple explanation. "The previous Project staff were compromised by undue restraint. I removed them. Then I left." Though she had a semblance of pride with that portion of the story, she couldn't look him in the eye when continuing, "...However, my faulty estimation of system limitations resulted in an overload which ruptured the left-side Powerhold. Without it, spellcasting was no longer possible. I assumed an excess power intake could offset the procedural drain." More quietly, and with eye contact very thoroughly avoided, she finished, "Again, I was incorrect."
"After that, I... 'arrived' here and, apparently, saved a new Key." Now was the first time since seeing her that she actually smiled, but it wasn't a friendly gesture. It was more a smile of predatory anticipation that she gave him. "Welcome to the Project," she so graciously concluded for him before hefting herself upward to stand on her feet. Of course, shortly thereafter, she was reminded of her lost strength and promptly collapsed to the ground, where her smile disappeared. When she put in the effort to stand a second time, she learned from her previous mistake and used the nearby chair to keep herself steady. With so little power, she may have been light, but she was also left weak enough that her own weight would send her toward the floor. Again, her expression was that of frustration. She wasn't used to being weak. She wasn't supposed to be weak.
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@alex
Message Alexander Sorel
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Post by Alexander Sorel on Feb 1, 2019 1:51:37 GMT -5
[attr="class","ohlove"] [attr="class","lacking"] [attr="class","eyes"]✎ tag: Altima✉ notes: at least buy him dinner first geez There's a wall that's towering over me if i try to climb it will i succeed? He was just gonna ignore that "remove" bit. Seemed hazardous to his health to push that. Just a hunch. He was also going to push aside that predatory smile, let's not say anything about that. That also seemed hazardous. "Right. So that makes me Project Head by default." "Apparently" though, so that meant she remembered little of their encounter? He never asked for her backstory, but it was handy to know. So basically they'd tried to control her, so she ate them. That was what he was getting anyway. See, that's how it was when AI turned sentient, you didn't try and kill them. Every single time that would backfire. Just acknowledge their humanity. "You don't have to worry about me abusing it, it wouldn't sit well with me." He shrugged.
When she collapsed, he watched as she steadied herself before offering her one of his arms to use as a support. She probably wouldn't want to be in that spot all night. He looked at her, trying to meet her gaze as best he could. "You can clearly learn, you can clearly make your own choices and set your own goals. While you haven't yet shown me a concrete understanding of the abstract, it doesn't seem beyond you." Something that could turn on a bunch of scientists, this girl was no damsel in distress, just how much firepower was she packing? He held up two fingers. "You've shown two of the three criteria and no implications that there's difficulty with the third. Far as I'm concerned, you're sentient, which means I've got no right to control you. You're your own person, I can't make your choices for you." He was going to regret saying that someday, probably. No way it'd haunt him, ever.
But, she could help him, and honestly, he could help her. He'd already given one act of mercy, what was another? "That being said, you are in dire need of aether and a tune up. You may think you're fine, but you also thought you could afford to expend aether you ultimately couldn't, and nearly died for it. You don't really seem to have a handle on your body yet." There were things he wanted, and it could work for her too. "So now that you're coherent, there's a twisted castle you probably saw coming in. The place is swarming with Heartless - food that you can eat - and was the home of our king. The man's a genius without peer, who constantly worked to better this world with his technology. I'd bet munny there's something of his that we can use to upgrade you." Upgrades were always nice, right? And he'd get access to whatever of Ansem's data that the Heartless hadn't managed to break.
"So with that in mind, would you be willing to accompany me there tomorrow?" It seemed logical, well to him, but there was an excitement he was trying to squash, the idea that he might finally be able to reach Ansem's sheer brilliance gnawed at him. [newclass=.ohlove]width:480px;padding:15px;border:1px solid #d4d4d4;background: #a24747; /* Old breakowsers */ background: -moz-linear-gradient(90deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* FF3.6-15 */background: -webkit-linear-gradient(-85 deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%); /* Chrome10-25,Safari5.1-6 */background: linear-gradient(-275deg, #a24747 0%, #a57e7e 100%)[/newclass][googlefont=Oswald][googlefont=Roboto][newclass=.lacking]width: 420px; height: 0px; background-color: rgba(40,40,40,0.4); overflow: hidden; -moz-transition: 3s all; -webkit-transition: 3s all; -o-transition: 3s all; transition: 1s all; [/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .lacking]width: 400px; height: 180px; padding: 10px;[/newclass][newclass=.ohlove:hover .eyes]transition:1s;margin-top:0px;[/newclass][newclass=.eyes]background-color:#1f1f1f;opacity:.8;font-family:calibri; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase;color:#ffffff;padding:20px;margin-top:400px;width:360px; height: 140px; transition:1.5s; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify;[/newclass]
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Post by Altima on Feb 1, 2019 12:40:11 GMT -5
Altima swung an arm around after the bit about choices and goals, planting her hand at the gap in his shirt and digging the claws in again. It was a fiendish gesture, identical to what she'd done before when she had sapped him away to stay awake. This time, though, no such action came. It ended up being more of a threat than an attack. "I don't need choices," she snapped, shoving him away and returning her hand to the chair before she could stumble again. Even her tail still wasn't enough to keep her upright without some additional support from the nearby furniture. "I need power. Get me that, and I don't much care what your rank is, head or otherwise." She was a mess of conflicting signals, but it all made sense in a way. Even in this weakened state, being bound to that machine made her a volatile weapon, and she knew that. Not being able to act on that power was what confused her more than anything else, in that it meant she'd have to work as a team with another person. This was not the kind of woman who was accustomed to cooperation, judging by her work history.
"I know my body more than well enough. If I break your arm, that doesn't mean you couldn't handle having one. It just means I know what to bend." Her hand was pressed to her temple once again as she changed the subject. "We're going," she agreed, though the short burst of activity had apparently winded her, preventing her from forming a sentence without interrupting herself to take in some air."In the meantime, I need ache repressants. Tier-two, preferably. Can't think like this..." She didn't ask about what the Heartless were, or even about what Ansem's relevance could be. She already knew that the Heartless could feed the Machine, and that was all she could ask from them, and local lore didn't really pique her interest on the same level. The only other thing that did get through to her was that headache of hers, though that was probably inconsequential when thinking objectively. Maybe she really couldn't grasp abstract thoughts, if hers were so straightforward.
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