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The Great City: Opening [PLOT] [5/5]
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on Jul 26, 2018 16:56:24 GMT
The hole went deeper and deeper, it seems. "...Guys I know I don't really know any of you all too well but I have the feeling that this Great City might kill us if we aren't careful, if it's as menacing as it thinks or knows it is..." Gotta admit, Toki's question and the answer it provoked were pretty indicative of...something.
And truth be told? That was scary. But there was also a logical sort of set of steps to follow from here and they included following Alice (and Dorothy.) Anzu let out a yaaaaawn. And yes, the grass was indeed...well, something was happening. "No, the grass is starting to lessen entirely so we're probably getting to the actual city." "Man, I hope whatever test it is goes by fast. Then again...No way of telling what it is. Who knows if it's actually just a gun dragon with a lot of guns with a side of guns?" The fact she said this when they had hit the wall was what concerned Akemi. "...Why guns?"
"Yes."
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Post by Cion on Jul 26, 2018 20:30:35 GMT
Weaponry and devices? To be fair, the large plain within and beneath the mountain chain did not appear to contain such objects, but if the welcoming artificial intelligence described the area this way then there was no base for Cion to not believe it. What reason would it have to deceive them, especially when comprehending the information received?
Still, the rest was difficult to accept. That this location was merely a fraction of what was in front of them, and that it even served to test their will, seemed bizarre for there was no evident explanation for its purpose. Determining worthiness perhaps? That could explain why the entity talking to them voiced a lack of knowledge over the hidden city's history, and why there was an impetus to either keep this site concealed or open it to the public. Barely something concrete, but decent indications and it made the restrained Arniomon wonder what the supposedly great town had in store.
Turning to Toki, she nodded firmly yet with a gentle smile, hoping that the lad and its spirit would find what they were after in due time. However, that was a story for another day and the silver fennec had to attend the current one which involved what she and the others currently interacted with. Halfheartedly accepting the temporary role as a leader the girl with the green hair assumed, the consensus of 'sitting around accomplishing nothing' eternized itself - a notion the vulpine sentinel agreed with.
A kilometer later and the grass under their feet got quickly replaced by metal and other synthetic components. With that they had reached the entrance to the enigmatic challenge their host had provided for them. An assessment of savvy, power or finesse - maybe all three combined or entirely different aspects? Whatever the truth was, her allies were clearly ready, or naive, enough to face the endeavor head-on. Thankfully, the tiny apex digimon had gotten used to living without shedding her pinnacle form every now and then, though she naturally withheld its true self unless its might was required.
"Don't be afraid. I'll protect us." She assured Akemi with a kind, confident tone to her voice. Clearing her throat, the ancient soul calmly placed her left palm above her tail's root, the fingers of her right paw slowly swaying back and forth as she held it close to her chest's voluminous, white pelt. "I'm curious, H-4-G. Did people before us face this trial? If yes, what happened to them?" She asked, believing it was a reasonable set of understanding to request.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Jul 27, 2018 5:48:31 GMT
The AI's answer to Toki's last question only made him more tense than anything else. This sort of behavior and boastful attitude it had about the city was extremely worrying to him. Once more he hoped he was just being too cautious about it, but the idea that whatever occupied this city wasn't an entirely benevolent force sent chills down his spine.
It seemed everyone was set on moving forward and looked ready to handle whatever might get in their way. Adrian and his newly digivolved partner, SuperShoutmon, looked especially determined to face what lied ahead. "Looks like I should get ready in case something happens, too." he said, taking out his own Digivice and spirit evolving into his beast spirit, Lagosmon once more. The rabbit Digimon stretched a bit "Still have to get used to this form..." he muttered. He looked over at Adrian "So...Adrian, was it? Have you dealt with anything like this before in the Digital World? Personally this sort of encounter is a first for me. Strange city of unknown origins...AIs being mysterious. To be honest it'd make a good story."
Akemi had similar worries to Toki. This city was dangerous one way or another and simply leaving it to its own devices without proper investigation could have disastrous consequences later. "I really hope whoever runs this place isn't a threat. If there even is anyone left running it. Maybe the AIs are the only ones remaining. Doesn't make it any less worrying though, depending on what they're capable of." he said. He tilted his head quizzically at Anzu's ramblings, finding them funny and a good break from the super serious talk. He wondered if they were referencing something or just being silly.
Cion was definitely the strongest among them by virtue of being Super Mega and he felt comforted by her declaration to protect them. He listened to what she asked the AI and kept quiet as he stared at it, awaiting an answer he probably wouldn't like. Though if others were here before, how long ago could that have been? How long was it since the Great City last appeared? Chances are these questions were not something this AI would be able to answer, so he kept them to himself for the time being.
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Post by Alice Alexandria on Jul 29, 2018 16:46:16 GMT
The transition from strangely off-putting grassy field to the sleek, flat and sterile world more expected of an "armory" makes the witch far more uneasy than Alice, gazing up at the heavy, undoubtedly tall wall, unwilling to fly over it. "Dork queen, you think this is some kinda trap? Feels like one."
The thoughts of the others eventually make Alice speak her mind after scribbling something down in her notebook quickly. "You're right. This is probably the most mysterious the Digital World has ever been... For you guys, and for me." She looks down, her eyes closed as she takes a deep breath, trying to focus and not express just how many red flags this sets off. "And I've seen some crazy things... Listen. Whatever is in there, don't panic."
"...Easy for us to say that now." Dorothy glares at her own Tamer. "Soon we'll all have spikes in our insides or somethin'." She darkly laughs a bit, perhaps a hint that her Tamer is getting on her nerves, the witch soon saying something a bit less macabre, and much more joking. "Or maybe it'll be sunshine 'n rainbows."
"It doesn't matter. Whatever is in there might be hostile, or it might not be... I simply don't know. And we won't until we see it. Let's head in when we can, and hope for the best..." Alice runs her hands through her hair anxiously, looking at the rest of the group before trying to seem more confident than she really is once more. "I guess we're all as ready as we can be..." She puts a hand up against the wall briefly, the smooth surface making her question just how this would open up to reveal anything at all. All these mysteries without answers... It frustrates her.
It isn't long before Dorothy drifts over to the Tsukaimon again, the witch glancing at their Tamer with a slight grin. "Gyahaha, your lil' bean's got a weird sense of humor. It's adorable 'n a lil' dorky." She soon heads back to Alice's side, grumbling something about keeping her safe.
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Amelie
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Post by Amelie on Jul 30, 2018 15:28:40 GMT
One last question, huh? Well, that was something the AI was already taking care off; it wasn't a particularly hard query, anyway.
"Lone digimon; unworthy subjects were denied admission and removed from The City's confines safely; most of them had positive life signals by that time."
Without further ado, an opening big enough for everyone to fit in opened right next to them; what was inside finally made a good deal to explain why this place was called "The Armory".
Rows upon rows of different vehicles of every conceivable form, shape, and size could be seen far into the distance; most took after the usual hoverboard-light-medium-heavy vehicle foursome that was so famous in Terminus' (and other place's) stores, yet with one simple caveat; all of them were way more heavily armed than their "friendlier" counterparts, sporting enough firepower to make a Gundramon jealous.
Regarding the place itself? It was a gigantic, square Courtyard subdivided into seven sections, on each corner, a gigantic monolith shone with red, blue, green and yellow light respectively, the far section where the war vehicles were stored with a massive door behind them, where the group currently was and the center, fashioned not unlike a large arena.
What about the place where everyone was at the moment? Small in comparison to the rest of the divisions, the only thing of note was a simple keyboard (which, surprisingly, was fashioned after a Human World keyboard) with an equally unassuming screen connected to it. The otherwise black and unresponsive monitor sprang to life as soon as everyone was inside, slowly illuminating with green letters.
1. INSTRUCTIONS.
1.1. TEST.
1.2. TOWER.
1.3. VEHICLE.
1.4. STARTUP.
INPUT COMMAND
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Jul 30, 2018 18:56:24 GMT
Unworthy subjects? Adrian asked, not saying it out loud as he didn't want to set off this AI again, Then... what makes US worthy, huh?
Adrian then heard someone begin to talk to him; he turned around to the now Lagosmon, Toki, to respond. "I don't think Shoutmon and I have ever explored anything like this before... although we've certainly gotten ambushed before. Twice."
As the group walked, Adrian kept looking back at the Super Mega in the group, mainly because of her name...
Cion... where did I hear that name before?
His thoughts were completely erased after seeing the main attraction to the Armory. Neither he nor SuperShoutmon could possibly believe how many different types of vehicles were present here! Hovercrafts, motorcycles, cars, trucks... hell, Adrian thought he saw a tank somewhere here!
The only thing more impressive than this lineup was the area the group was in. It was gigantic, unlike any place Adrian had seen before... in both the human world and the digital one.
"What's with all these vehicles?" SuperShoutmon asked as he observed a couple of them. "And what's stopping us from, say, taking one of them?"
"Don't touch anything, SuperShoutmon," Adrian warns him. "If this great city has AI like that, I'm betting about thirty different types of guns will come out of the walls and delete you if you try taking anything." This statement caused SuperShoutmon to stay as far away from the cars as possible.
The weird part was the computer that the group was now facing. Both tamer and Digimon watched the screen spring to life, just viewing at the options now present on it.
"Let me handle this, I'm pretty good with computers," Adrian says. "...although I don't trust this place so you guys might want to stand back." He then proceeded to hit the instructions command.
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Post by Alice Alexandria on Aug 1, 2018 16:40:12 GMT
The thought of Dorothy being deemed "Unworthy" makes Alice shiver a bit as she heads in with her, going so far as to grab her arm as the two walk inside, the emerald haired woman's anxiety only growing. Spotting all the vehicles makes her puzzled, to say in the least, especially considering their extremely weaponized nature. "...Don't touch anything yet." She says to her own partner and to anyone else as she glances at the vehicles, her attention soon turned to the computer that Adrian and his Digimon have found. "...So we're going to be assigned a task, and then we'll have to do it... I guess."
"Yeah. By a bucket of bolts." The witch Digimon grumbles, irritated at first until she notices the multitude of vehicles as well, chuckling at them a bit. Her own broom is probably better, anyways. "What next, am I gonna have a lesson on manners or somethin'?" Both her and Alice head over to the same computer SuperShoutmon and Adrian are near, just as curious and potentially more nervous.
"As tempting as the vehicles are, we probably need them for something... Or they're automated drones. Either way, we need to figure out as much as we can before we touch something we shouldn't." Alice looks to the rest of the group with a slightly intimidating glare, perhaps hoping they listen to her. Glancing at the options there, the green haired woman's speculation gets a bit strange. "...Is this some sort of competition or game? Multiple goals, vehicles, an almost arena like setup... Seems to me like we're going to do some sort of bloodsport. What do you think, guys?"
Dorothy seems to cheer up at that thought. "...That would be interestin'."
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on Aug 1, 2018 16:43:04 GMT
"Hmmm...Maybe you should look behind your back more then? That helps with the ambush thing." Anzu did as close to a shrug as she could. Akemi nodded at Cion. "My thanks, Cion." She looked more than a little reassured at the Super Mega's words. Though...once again, the city basically vomited more knowledge at them. Or, rather, the AI. So what would set them apart from those who have attempted these trials before? Anzu peered towards Dorothy. "My humor ain't weird, it's QUALITY."
With all the vehicles and the like, it was hard not to wonder if it actually was a trap or not. Akemi brought Anzu over to the computer and looked to see what instructions would be provided. "...Well, that'd be one way to go out..."
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Amelie
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Also, the person who tends to grade things.
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Post by Amelie on Aug 3, 2018 20:47:52 GMT
Of course, choosing instructions was probably the smart and safe choice when facing a situation like this. Briefly, the console's screen went black, only to be replaced promptly by the a small instructive that detailed what each command actually did.
INSTRUCTIONS SELECTED.
1.1. TEST: SECTION EXPLAINS THE TEST AHEAD OF YOU, INCLUIDING THE MAIN POINTS OF IT AND HOW TO PASS IT OR NOT.
1.2. TOWER: SECTION EXPLAINS THE INFLUENCE EACH TOWER HAS IN THE AFOREMENTIONED TEST, AND THE POSSIBLE, ADDITIONAL REWARDS THAT MIGHT BE EARNED WHEN ENABLING THEIR FUNCTIONS DURING IT.
1.3. VEHICLE: SECTION EXPLAINS THE VEHICLES YOU WILL HAVE AT YOUR DISPOSAL AND A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THEIR CAPABILITIES.
1.4. STARTUP: ONCE THE APPROPRIATE SETTING HAVE BEEN SELECTED, STARTUP INITIATES THE TEST AND SHUTS DOWN THIS CONSOLE UNTIL COMPLETED.
INPUT COMMAND
It seemed simple enough, right? The steps they'd take next would decide the specifics of the battle ahead. And how complex it would be.
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Aug 4, 2018 0:55:44 GMT
"Well, that is both super helpful and incredibly creepy," Adrian comments as he sees the descriptions for each option appear on the screen. Naturally, he goes through them in order: first examining Test, then Tower, next Vehicle, and finally... wait, before he hits Startup, he waits for the others to react to the first three options.
"How advanced WERE these Digimon?" SuperShoutmon asks.
"I don't even know if they were Digimon at all... in fact, I'm not sure about ANYTHING in this place anymore."
"That makes two of us. If I'm being honest, I'm surprised we weren't attacked yet. Should I revert back to rookie?"
"No. We might need a Champion's power, something might still jump out at us... or this test thing is going to involve combat."
Nothing added up for Adrian. This city must've been here for the Digital World's version of many years, yet this stuff seemed even more advanced than anything he had seen in both his word and this one. "Anyone else feel like something sinister is behind all this?"
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Post by Cion on Aug 4, 2018 8:57:54 GMT
So... at least most of the previous guinea pigs had positive life signals after failing the challenge posed by the artificial intelligence that awaited them as well. This meant she truly had to protect the others in case of danger, just as she had vowed to Akemi. This was of course no problem to Cion. Far from it - it was an honor to her to serve the prosperity and vitality of those she considered decent people, which they were. Some had a rompish attitude to them, but that was no reason to neglect their physical well-being. Keeping her eyes and ears peaked, she carefully observed the environment.
An armory of vehicles. Technology that was utilized by humans, only seldom by digimons. What were many rows of them doing here, a place likely forged by digital monsters and not entities from Earth. The concept of an actual military was rather unknown in this world, hence seeing this left the Arniomon quite surprised. What had happened that this location was so different from Terminus, Whitewater and the other cities? Why was it underground to begin with? Thousands of questions accumulating at once, yet their guide was incapable of answering them. How unfortunate.
The information and setup terminal was of no great assistance either. Perhaps reading the instructions would give everyone an idea of the endeavor that anticipated their participation. Looking at Adrian who shared her confusion, she agreed with his plan to go through the text in the proper order. "Hopefully no exposition dump." She tried to alleviate the stress her allies possibly felt with a tiny joke.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Aug 5, 2018 6:46:15 GMT
"I need practice getting through situations as an Ultimate. Whatever comes our way I'm sure we can handle it if we work together." he said with a smile. He looked at the instructions quizzically "Well let's look through those in order, shall we? I say we look at the test instructions first since that's what we're here for, then go down the list before we actually start whatever it is we're doing." he frowned "Vehicles? I've never driven one...and I just spirit evolved again." he said, almost pouting at the situation.
He nodded at Adrian's worry "While I hope we're just being paranoid, this place just seems...off, for some reason. Their intentions don't seem malevolent at all considering they let people leave after these tests, so perhaps we're worried about nothing. But we'll just have to wait and see at this point."
Everyone seemed to be on the same page. Learn more about everything the test had to offer, then initiate it. Just going straight into it would be a bad idea. How would they know what the objective was otherwise? He couldn't help but grin at Dorothy's attitude towards the possibility of this being combat-related, though again, with what the AI said, a blood sport probably wasn't the idea here. "I think blood sport implies that there's a risk of death, which our guide here implied isn't the case. Either way, it's sure to be interesting whatever it is."
Anzu and Dorothy bickered...or it was just friendly conversation with a few verbal jabs here or there. He still couldn't tell the difference, but at least everyone here was more or less amicable with one another. That alone would help a lot.
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Post by Alice Alexandria on Aug 6, 2018 21:17:29 GMT
"...I suspect the people here were humans. Researchers, even... Perhaps even a cult or something, given how this is some sort of initiation trial..." The green haired woman states to the group with a bit of a sigh, sounding a little defeated. With no idea as to what this is, she can only go with the flow, and assume things. Either way, she's got her eyes on one of the more lightweight vehicles, perhaps already having a plan of sorts in her head. "But yes, we need the instructions... I don't want to fail this."
To take her mind off of such a stressful scenario, she turns her attention to Toki, the green haired woman leaning against the computer gently with her arms crossed. "It could very well be simulated combat against robots... But that might be a little too advanced, even for this." She sighs, her expression cloudy with uncertainty and even a little bit of impatience. "You're right, this place is unsettling, but that's part of what makes it so intriguing. Also, frustrating."
"...And I'm gettin' pretty bored of waiting around." Dorothy hops back onto her broom, slumping down as she sits on it, a clear frown on her face. "This place may be weird, but it ain't anythin' as weird as some of the stuff I've seen in the Human World. Like those things where you sit down and machines just move ya in a circle right back where you started or spin you 'round..." The witch shakes her head, seeming even less patient than Alice herself, a slight hint of nervous eagerness in her eyes. "And ya guys call us weird sometimes..."
"As much as I want to get started, we need to know more." Alice's response is met with a slight grumble, and she decides to just leave Dorothy be for now. "Whatever is up ahead, we can't just go into it blindly... At least I've got experience with lightweight fliers, if one of us needs to use such a vehicle..."
This comment causes her Digimon partner to laugh a bit. "Yeah, what with you 'n my broom. You're good... For a human."
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on Aug 7, 2018 0:43:14 GMT
Akemi found herself in agreement with the course of action that appeared to be going around. Examine the results of hitting everything except startup before coming up with a rudimentary plan to get through this. "We're...in for a time, aren't we..." She mumbled, giving Anzu some reassuring ear scritches as she watched.
Anzu herself shrugged (well, she made the motion of shrugging,) and sighed. "Well, it's just something we gotta get through no matter what gets tossed at us! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Plus we got Cion and everyone else to protect us in case we screw the pooch, so...Yeah!"
In other words they were kind of more or less ready for this.
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Amelie
Better Mod
2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on Aug 7, 2018 2:46:17 GMT
Hopefully no exposition dump? Cion was definitely asking for a tall order, if anything! Especially since Adrian had chosen to type three commands at the same time. Speaking of which, as those were written in the console, the screen changed from showing the previous instructions to the next ones.
TEST: IN ORDER TO TO TRAVERSE THE GREAT CITY'S ARMORY, IS IT NECESSARY TO PUT YOUR WITS TO TEST IN COMBAT AGAINST THE JUGGERNAUT. MODEL JUGGERNAUT IS AN EXAMPLE OF A MID-TIER COMBAT VEHICLE DEVELOPED IN THE ARMORY, EMPLOYED BY HUNDREDS IN THE DEFENSE OF THE GREAT CITY'S OUTER RING.
THE JUGGERNAUT IS IMPERVIOUS TO MOST FORMS OF DIGIMON ATTACKS, AND YOU WILL HAVE TO RELY UPON THE ABILITIES OF THE VEHICLES PROVIDED TO YOU IN ORDER TO DAMAGE OR HAMPER IT SUCCESSFULLY. THIS WILL TEST YOUR ABILITY TO ADAPT TO FOREIGN SITUATIONS AND YOUR LEVEL OF INVENTIVENESS.
CONDITIONS TO PASS THE TEST: SUCCESSFULLY DEACTIVATING THE JUGGERNAUT BEFORE THE VEHICLES CORRESPONDING TO YOUR TEAM HAVE BEEN DESTROYED. AS LONG AS ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS WISHING TO ENTER THE CITY HAVE NOT BEEN DEFEATED BY THE TIME THE JUGGERNAUT IS DEACTIVATED, IT IS CONSIDERED THAT THE WHOLE TEAM HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
CONDITIONS TO FAIL THE TEST: IF EVERY VEHICLE CORRESPONDING TO YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN DESTROYED WHILE THE JUGGERNAUT IS STILL OPERATIONAL, THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE TEST HAVE FAILED AND WILL BE ESCORTED TO THE GREAT CITY'S EXIT.
IN ORDER TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE GREAT CITY'S MAIN HALL, THE TEST MUST BE PASSED WHILE THE FOUR TOWERS CORRESPONDING TO THIS TEST ARE DEACTIVATED. IN THE CASE OF ASSOCIATIONS, LIKE A HUMAN AND ONE OR MORE DIGIMON, ONLY ONE MEMBER OF THAT ASSOCIATION CAN PARTICIPATE IN THIS TEST.
TOWER: THE FOUR TOWERS CURRENTLY ACTIVE ON EVERY CORNER OF THE ARENA HAMPER THE JUGGERNAUT'S CAPABILITIES OR IMPROVE YOUR VEHICLES' ABILITIES TO AN EXTENT.
RED TOWER: REDUCES THE DAMAGE THE JUGGERNAUT DEALS TO VEHICLES.
YELLOW TOWER: PERIODICALLY REFUELS AND RECHARGES YOUR VEHICLES' AMMUNITION AND SYSTEMS.
GREEN TOWER: PERIODICALLY RECHECKS AND CORRECTS YOUR VEHICLES' STABILITY.
BLUE TOWER: REDUCES THE JUGGERNAUT'S SPEED.
THE REWARDS FOR CLEARING THIS TEST WILL BE BASED ON HOW MANY TOWERS ARE NOT ACTIVE WHEN VICTORIOUS. A HIGHER NUMBER OF INACTIVE TOWERS YIELDS MORE REWARDS AND PASSING THIS TEST WHILE THE FOUR TOWERS ARE INACTIVE GRANTS ACCESS TO THE NEXT AREA OF THE GREAT CITY.
THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE/INACTIVE TOWERS MUST BE SET BEFORE THE JUGGERNAUT IS ENGAGED, AND CAN'T BE CHANGED UNTIL THE TEST IS OVER.
VEHICLE: FOR THIS TEST YOU WILL BE PROVIDED WITH FOUR VEHICLES; TWO VELOCIPEDES, AN ONAGER, AND A SIEGE ENGINE. THIS FOUR VEHICLES ONLY NEED ONE DRIVER TO BE OPERATED, BUT THE ONLY WAY TO UNLOCK THEIR FULL POTENTIAL IS FOR A SECOND BEING TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE'S SECONDARY SYSTEM.
VELOCIPEDE: SMALL, LIGHTWEIGHT VEHICLE. THEIR PRIMARY FUNCTION IS TO HAMPER THE JUGGERNAUT'S ADVANCES. THEIR SECONDARY FUNCTION IS SUPPORTING OTHER VEHICLES ON THEIR ROLES.
ONAGER: MID-SIZED, YET SLOW VEHICLE. ITS MAIN FUNCTION IS TO DEAL DAMAGE TO THE JUGGERNAUT.
SIEGE ENGINE: THE BIGGEST VEHICLE AVAILABLE. ITS MAIN FUNCTION IS TO WEATHER THE JUGGERNAUT'S ATTACKS INSTEAD OF THE OTHER, MORE FRAGILE VEHICLES. ITS SECONDARY FUNCTION IS TO DEAL DAMAGE TO THE JUGGERNAUT.
That would probably take care of most of the questions the participants had. Now, there was only one thing to set before starting. Or not? Who knew. |
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