3.3.19.7. The Juggernaut - Part Two

 

A similar, yet bigger Sylvanian Giant Scorpion -like Juggernaut from Paizo.com

The airship immediately turns twenty degree to the left in top speed, and BLAAAMMM!! The three crystal beam cannons blast! Three streaks of red, gold and green shoot straight at the target – Aurora.

CRACK! CRAACKLECRACKK!! The leftmost red blast grazes the portside hull. A few unfortunate souls got shot or thrown overboard. The blast hits the tip of the left wing. The airship tilts a bit, yet it still flies and maintains balance.

The gold and green beams miss the target completely, and the green one blasts into a dracolich instead, breaking it into pieces!

Eidos is thrown and bumps into the wall. He egts up with his hand on his hurting back. Suddenly, he hears a very loud, mechanical, yet familiar voice,

‘WELL, let’s see who’s coming to the party! Seems the welcome drink didn’t give you much of a kick, eh? Anyway, shall we proceed to the main course?’

Eidos’ face turns pale. That voice, I recognize it! And that’s a talk of a man who’s fond of parties... The once dignified and powerful benefactor of Project Aurora...

‘Nikanomikos Paliades,’ says the curly-bearded centaur, clenching his fist and baring his teeth. His hind horselegs step excitedly. ‘Either he survived the explosion in Enia’s Sanctum, or he has been reanimated with necromancy and implanted in that thing.’

‘Either way, that former master of ours wants to destroy us once and for all. The question is, how can we destroy him?’

Quazar and Eidos are thinking hard to find a sure-fire method to destroy a gigantic scorpion two times larger than a behemoth when Paliades’ voice reverberates again.

‘Feeling nostalgic, eh, Eidos, Quazar? After you betrayed me, you still care about me so you didn’t return fire?’

‘Amplisonor!’

3.3.19.7. The Juggernaut - Part One

 

Example of Juggernaut Giant Machina on Final Fantasy XIII

3.3.19.7. The Juggernaut

The Airship Aurora picks up the Paladins one by one from ever side of the wall. Some of them, including Adler demand explanations first, so the process takes a long time and the airship becomes a target for enemy flyers and archers.

‘... And that’s the Grand Marshal’s orders, Lord Adler. So, just climb up and let’s get going!’ shouts Eidos as he tries to convince the proud Borgian to join the infiltration.

‘NO! This is a suicide mission! That elf is out of his mind, I say! And you, I forbid you to put the Aurora on risk!’

‘With all due respect, this airship is already on risk! Anyway, the Grand Marshal is Rael’charon, not you. Besides, there’s no turning back now. The enemies know about our move now because of you stalling. And you’ll be punished with the martial law for sure unless you climb up and join us now.’

Hearing this, Adler frowns, grunts and snaps, ‘Grr... all right! You got some nerve to talk to me like that, old man. You’ve changed much since you got that Ring of Courage. When this war is over, you and I have lots of things to discuss.’

That’s the last Paladin to pick up, and now the airship is good to go. Cristophe, of course becomes an escort on griffinback, along with the griffin riders and pegasus riders. The dragon riders and the gyropters opt to stay behind to assist the ground units in Crypton. The Ancient White Dragon Hazmat and the Behemoth King Barudan also stay and fight, of course.

Just before heading out, all Paladins on board the airship salute solemnly towards Crypton. Iris says, ‘Friends in Crypton: Ney, Rael’charon, Ivor, Dar’gum, Genilda, Sir Vincent, Sir Mallard, Lady Irene and all brave Knights and fellow Crusaders, please hold out until we take out the Dark Heir.’

BUMMM! The airship rocks a bit, and this alerts Quazar the centaur, Captain of the Aurora. His curly, long black hair and beard and brownish dark skin are as though emitting a radiant glow.

‘Paladins! Spread out and defend the airship! We’re under heavy attack!’

The ten heroes immediately go to the port and starboard, repelling the incoming monsters. Soon, the enemy comes in swarms, great and small.

With the Ring of Courage re-activated, Eidos Crydias snarls, ‘Bring it on, foul beasts. Megalon Zathr!’

FWOOM! FWOOM! The Meteor Shower is raining upon the incoming monsters, killing about thirty of them in one blow. The rest of them immediately spread out and the winged demons attack frontally.

‘Fire the grand cannon at the demons!’ Quazar shouts his horder in the bridge. ‘Target, twelve o’clock, about three hundred meters ahead!’

The weapons officer responds, ‘Aiming... Target locked!’

‘FIRE!’ Quazar shouts. A big light glows inside the main cannon below the dragon head figurehead, and BLLAAAMMM!!! A big rayblast shoots forward and hits the group of demons, killing four out of five.

The last one, the blue-furred demon with its head resembling a goat with big horns got his left foot disintegrated by the rayblast. ‘GRRHOOAAA!’ It growls furiously and is about to shoot a Hollow Blast at the airship – until a streak of light goes through its back and stomach!

‘Don’t ever think about it,’ says Chris with his helmet on. Chris has administered the Singular Voice of Truth to that minion of hell and wipes away impure demon blood on him with his holy aura.

A squadron of giant bats does an acrobatic maneuver and attacks the airship towards the port, aiming at the left wing.

‘Oh no you don’t.’ Seeing that, Iris casts Wind Shear, and CRASH-CRASH! The razor-sharp wind severs several bats on the group. The other five bats escape the wind and instinctively attack the one who broke their formation!

Iris quickly draws her bow, shoots three arrows at once and kills two bats. The other three dart like arrows, and Iris evades them without much effort. An archer cannot avoid the bats! Just when a bat is about to bite his head off, a sword thrusts into its ear. ‘KRIII!!!’ and the bat falls dead on the floor.