River Anthology

SOME SET US UP THE BOMB APPROVED.
Chapter 6: Euthenia's Freedom - Overview

Navis: Anyis.exe, Euthenia.exe
Operators: Mill Alidine, Lilia Alidine, Gregor Dolvechki, Viktor Kruzchev
SPs: Magna.SP, Ratatoskr.SP
Setting: ElecTown, Sharo, Sharo Net

After a week or so off, Mill decides to go back to the parts shop one more time to see if he can find any more clues as to where the heck his boss, Bilst Kaullel disappeared to. Last time he went, Mill ended up finding a what seemed to be a cluttered bomb shelter and Euthenia.exe, the sister Navi of Anyis, and currently in possession of his own sister, Lilia. Needless to say, Mill was a bit too overwhelmed to really search much further after that episode.

Not more than a minute after unlocking the shop door and going in, two men in black suits and sunglasses follow in and approach Mill. After getting over the initial surprise, Mill remembered these two as the guys who showed up last time he was here, also looking for Bilst. Figuring out that they're not customers by this point, Mill cautiously asks, seeing how he is very, very physically outclassed by them, for the identities of the men. The pair look at each other, whisper to themselves for a moment, nod, then turn back to Mill. One of them flashes a badge, and announces that they're agents of the Sharoan national government, with a very believable accent to credit his claim.

... Err, what? Believable accent or not, Mill's in a bit of disbelieve over such a claim. The two men, Gregor and Viktor, takes turn explaining the situation. First, they weren't going to get anywhere further unless they filled Mill in, thus why they'd reveal their identities to this wimpy civilian. Second, they're searching for Bilst because he's AWOL Sharoan military. First lieutenant, even. Mill happens to be sipping from a bottle of water here and spit-takes for comedic effect. Third, Bilst stole a Navi the science branch was researching: Euthenia. Mill, still reeling from the spit-take, breaks down in a cough as this whole explanation just gets too ridiculous. Anyis, who had stayed quiet up to this point in the explanation, could only bury her face in her hands as she knew oh so well that this story just took a turn for the idiotic.

One of the branch scientists accidentally stumbled upon the then-unoperated Euthenia about two years ago, gave her shelter, and soon discovered her strange ability to process junk data. With her cooperation, Euthenia was submitted to the science branch for study. A year of ethically-sound research followed, but after that, for reasons unknown, (former) First Lieutenant Kaullel kidnapped Euthenia and fled the country. Euthenia consented to the kidnapping as well, of course. It was discovered about a month ago that Kaullel had set up a small shop in Electopia, so Gregor and Viktor came looking, and they ended up here, just with Mill instead of Bilst.

Mill just sits silently for a few moments as he processes the story, before ultimately letting out a sad laugh. Feeling the need to be a good person and go ahead and get this out of the way, Mill goes on to explain the root of Euthenia's techniques, and how the past two years have gone into a Navi with really obsolete coding. Generally, it's a very depressing story for Gregor, Viktor, the Sharoan military science branch, Sharo's budget allotment to the research, and that country as a whole. After the story, Mill wonders aloud why Euthenia never told any of the researchers this. This causes himself, Gregor, and Viktor all to lapse into memories of how freaking impossible it is to pull any information out of that girl. The three of them sigh in unison, and a fog of depression falls unto the small parts shop tucked away in the corners of ElecTown.

After some amount of time of self-pity, Mill goes ahead and invites Gregor and Viktor back to his apartment, figuring to let them talk to Euthenia when Lilia gets home from school. The sooner this was done the better, was Mill's thought. Naturally, a new round of shock, surprise, and suspense starts when Lilia does get home, with two large, suit-clad men in the apartment. One scream and several explanations later, everyone's in the living room, and the two agents finally have their chance to talk to Euthenia. Of course, any attempt to fill in the dark spots in this chain of events fails, as the men were trying to get information from Euthenia. That never works.

Then, a convenient plot twist happens. Viktor gets an urgent call from the agency, and he learns that the research project built around Euthenia has gone berserk. Guess no one remembered to tell the scientists to stop. After a few rounds of Sharoan explicatives over the phone, the Sharoan military comes to a unified decision that the only one capable of shutting down the project is, of course, Euthenia. Free travel!

So then Lilia, Gregor, and Viktor are in Sharo. Yes, Mill comes too, being a big brother and doing big brother things. Upon arrival at the military base, everyone learns that the base's network is completely overrun with trees. Yeeep, that's Euthenia for sure. Naturally, her eyes glow with excitement at the news of arborgeddon. Though in no way obligated to do so, Anyis joins Euthenia in the network, more worried because of her sister than for her sister.

It takes no time at all for the two Undertaker sisters to find a tree once online, and thus they engage a Yggdrasil Tree.

(Battle 1 Start)

Anyis, being the gung-ho girl she is, immediately bombards the tree with fire. That... doesn't work. Becoming slightly irritated, Anyis tries drowning the tree in water and freezing it. That... doesn't work either. Now being really irritated, Anyis tries to flat-out electrocute the tree. That... really doesn't work, and Anyis realizes quickly that trying to electrocute a tree was really dumb. Magna then takes a turn, opting for the medieval route of just ripping the tree out from its roots. While he puts up a good effort, that also does not work, as this tree is some 5 times larger than the golem. With all those options exhausted, Euthenia reminds everyone why she is supposed to be here by planting some flowers at the tree's roots. The Yggdrasil Tree immediately starts creaking in agony as the new plants steal away its source of nutrients. The tree then starts retaliating, and the battle starts proper, with Anyis and Magna hacking away at all the foliage the tree spawns while Euthenia kills it, one flower at a time.

(Battle 1 End)

Congratulations, the Yggdrasil Tree has been felled! One down... No idea how many to go. Euthenia, Anyis, and Magna engage a second Yggdrasil Tree.

(Battle 2 Start)

All the remaining Yggdrasil Trees are on high alert with the defeat of their brethren, so this time the Undertaker sisters plus SP are met head-on by more attacking plant-life. Once this Yggdrasil Tree is dropped to half health, it suddenly... dies?

(Battle 2 End)

Anyis grins at the expediency of this kill, but Euthenia just scratches her head. She... didn't do that. As she looks around in confusion, Euthenia notices a cute little plant bud in the ground. Being the tree-hugger she is, Euthenia fawns over it, and while she does that it erupts into a new, full-sized Yggdrasil Tree.

... ****. They're not supposed to be re-growing! While Anyis growls and grumbles from ground level, Euthenia is met with quite an interesting site from atop the tree. She finds herself staring eye-to-eye with a large red squirrel. Highly suspicious. Euthenia starts conversing with the squirrel. Highly suspicious.

Lilia, who seems to quickly be learning how to interpret her Navi's nonsense, figures that the squirrel is the research project, and it is the one planting all the Yggdrasil Trees in the network. A sheepish research hanging around confirms, and the chase is on for the red squirrel, Ratatoskr. Well, once Anyis is thrown up to the top of the tree by Magna and starts harassing Ratatoskr until it leaps to the next tree.

(Battle 3 Start)

*chase scene*
*optional Benny Hill music*

When Ratatoskr is dropped to 50 HP or less, Euthenia suddenly turns on sister, despite having helped drop the first 450 HP of this fight already. Anyis is annoyed, but not particularly offended, as she stopped expecting rational thought from her sister years and years ago. Everyone watching has no words for what they see, as Euthenia proceeds to have a meaningful one-sided conversation with Ratatoskr, brokering a deal to have the squirrel reformatted as an SP in line with her systems.

(Battle 3 End)

The researchers get roped in, the deed is done, Gregor and Viktor thank the Alidine siblings, and send them back on their way home. Since Ratatoskr was built with Euthenia's data as a base, putting the two together as SP and Navi neutralizes the wild, giant tree-spawning elements of the squirrel, and everyone is happy.

... And a bit confused. Once home, Lilia starts playing around with her new SP, but gets worried when Euthenia seems even more "off" than normal. The Navi just can't put her finger on it... Oh! The River is gone. The colossal airborne mass of junk and ghost data that reminded the Undertakers of their pointless bindings was up and gone in Euthenia's eyes.

Anyis is very, very alarmed by what should be a ridiculous claim, and immediately joins Euthenia and Ratatoskr on the Net... Nope, still there. Anyis yells at her sister, but Euthenia maintains that it's really gone. After some back and forth, Euthenia realizes that she is unsure if she can still create her flowers when she can't see the River. She gets down on her knees, and to her surprise, a single rose pops out of the ground. Anyis is taken aback as well, as she, still fully aware of the River and all its garbage data, could see none of it funnel down into the flower Euthenia created. That was... impossible. Neither she, nor Anyis, nor their brothers could create anything out of nothing. They were bound down to their core data to use junk data for anything and everything they did. Did this mean that Euthenia... was free? That the Undertakers had just lost one from their ranks?

For as much of an airhead as she is, even Euthenia can understand the gravity of this change. Tears well up in her eyes, and all she can do to express her joy is hug Ratatoskr, who reciprocates as best as he can with his stubby little arms. Anyis too, gives a rare show of emotion as she joins the embrace, for no event in any of their lives could be any more important than this.

Euthenia.exe, prototype junk data management unit, under supervision of the supercomputer Aristotle, is free of its watch, free of the rank of Undertaker, and is free of the River and all its blasted junk data. Neither she nor Anyis can comprehend quite yet how this occurred, but one thing is clear: after decades and decades of this pointless slavery to Aristotle, something had finally changed. They have a way out.
Chapter 6: Euthenia's Freedom - Key Details

    [li]Mill returns to Circuit Relay, searching for Bilst Kaullel
    [li]Sharoan agents return, also searching for Bilst Kaullel
    [li]Mill explains that Sharo is wasting its time with the Euthenia research
    [li]Agents get notice that Euthenia's research project has gone berserk
    [li]At request of agents, Lilia and Euthenia are escorted to facility (Mill tags along)
    [li]Euthenia, Anyis, and Magna begin felling Yggdrasil Trees
    [li]Ratatosk, the research project, appears
    [li]Euthenia tames Ratatoskr as her SP
    [li]Euthenia is freed from being an Undertaker by Ratatoskr
    [li]Anyis and Euthenia begin to understand how to escape their collective fate
  • Rewards: see enemy tables
Chapter 6: Euthenia's Freedom - Character Profiles

Operator
Name: Lilia Alidine
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Appearance: Like her brother, Lilia isn't always on top of fashion trends, but being a 9th grade girl, she does at least have a wider assortment of clothes than Mill does. For just everyday wear, though, Lilia favors a pair of calf-length denim pants, faint, yet pink, slip-on shoes, and whatever shirt or top she opts to wear at the time. She has the same green eyes Mill does, but her hair, while brown still, is a lighter hue and is much easier to control. If left alone, Lilia's hair gets about halfway to shoulder-length, which gives her just enough material to do whatever she may please with it. Lilia is basically caught up with her growth, with just maybe another inch ahead of her, but as of the moment she stands at 5' 5" and shares the scrawny frame that she and Mill got from their mother, although it's not quite as much of an issue for the female sibling.

Personality: If almost to compensate for her brother's inconsistent luck, Lilia is the picture of stability in the Alidine household (apartment). Nothing excessively stupid ever happens to her, which is probably the best gift possible considering her danger-prone Navi. Lilia takes pride in her sense of responsibility, and can generally be counted on when she's needed, which is more often than Mill would like to admit. She has developed a good amount of independence with just her and her brother around, but that self-confidence can occasionally be an issue as Lilia often finds herself reluctant to ask others for help.

PET Modifications: Lilia's PET is has a vibrant green casing with yellow accents. The PET was given her as is, and while she wouldn't have chosen those colors herself, they don't bother her enough to warrant a change.

NetNavi
Name: Euthenia.exe
Gender: Female
Element: Wood
Subtype: Recovery

Physical Description: Much like her sister, Euthenia has seen a lot of design changes over the years. Her original model, in both name and appearance, was that of a goddess of ancient lore, and true to it Euthenia had the image befitting a divine being. Over the years and across a few Operators, though, Euthenia found herself with a much more humble, human-like appearance. Unlike all her siblings, Euthenia has abandoned her default bodysuit entirely, and now sports a very pale green summer dress. It's not very remarkable, with one of the few worthwhile notes being that it hugs Euthenia just underneath her chest instead of at the waist. The shoulder straps aren't particularly large or small, and the edges of the skirt are trimmed with a petal-like pattern. Her shoes are a pair of cheap-looking leather slip-ons. Like Anyis, Euthenia has a black belt around her waist, buckled with her emblem depicting an emerald.

A few things about Euthenia's appearance have stayed fairly constant over the years, though. Glossy brown hair stretchs about a quarter of the way down her back, and it's held in place on her head by a laurel ring of various flowers. Her eyes are the same emerald color of her emblem, and, for whatever reason, Euthenia still has the old ear covers used by most Navi several decades ago, which are also branded with her emblem. She's naturally 5'4" tall and has a very nice figure, to the point where it irritates Anyis when the comparison between them is made. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Euthenia wears a pair of leather gardener's gloves, each with an emerald embedded in the back of the hands.

Personality: Pure and simple, Euthenia is an airhead. A ditz. A space cadet. Whatever you want to call it, she certainly lives at her own pace. Ask her a question, and she'll probably start going on about some flower or something. In fact, the best way to get a clear statement out of her is to let her converse with flowers. It just... works better that way. She is a very nice and sweet person, though, to the point where she has no enemies (rather, she doesn't think she has any).

Background: Like her sister Anyis, Euthenia has been around for a long time, and has gone through quite a few Operators. There are plenty of stories about the odd situations she's found herself in, but a recent stint with the Sharo military science branch seems to be hanging around her with a few unanswered questions. Being Euthenia, of course, she has no ill will towards any person or organization involved in that situation.

Custom Weapon: River Tools
The source of her weapons is her emerald-embedded gloves, but what Euthenia actually wields in battle is a variety of gardening tools. Aside from the obvious application of slapping someone with a spade, Euthenia's gloves and tools allow her to mold the junk and ghost data of the Net into all sorts of floral life.

Level: 20

HP: 270
Actions: 5
Buster: 1/1/1

NC: 60/60
----------
HP +50
Undershirt
Air Shoes

Folder: 30/30
----------
CornShot1 x3
Bubbler x3
NeedleCannon1 x1
Rope1 x3
LilCloud1 x2
TreeBomb1 x3
Boomerang1 x3
Spice1 x1
AquaTower1 x1
WhiteWeb x2
BambooKnife x3
Twister x1
WoodPowder x1
GrassSeed x3
Recov50 x3
LeafShield x1

Sig Pool: (860/860)
----------
Fertile Fields (Grass Stage Change, 3TCD; 100 points)
Euthenia seeds the battlefield with ghost data, producing a large plain of grass.

Watering (60 HP Heal, 2TCD; 80 points)
Euthenia sprinkles her target with fresh and nutrient-rich water from her watering can, and somehow this serves to heal them even if they're not a plant.

Yggdrasil (120 HP Wood Object, 5TCD; 120 points)
Euthenia plants a tiny seed in the ground, which quickly erupts into a colossal tree.

Planting Roses (5 HP Wood Object, 10 passive Wood damage/turn, Passive; 35/140 points)
Euthenia's green thumb is apparently a bit twitchy, as she'll find herself planting roses by pure habit every so often. As long as they're still around, the roses will launch their thorns out at enemies.

Planting Tulips (5 HP Wood Object, 10 passive Wood damage/turn, Passive; 35/140 points)
Euthenia's green thumb is apparently a bit twitchy, as she'll find herself planting tulips by pure habit every so often. As long as they're still around, the tulips will fire pollen bullets from their barrel-like bulbs.

Planting Lilies (15 HP Wood Object, 15 Heal, Passive; 35/140 points)
Euthenia's green thumb is apparently a bit twitchy, as she'll find herself planting lilies by pure habit every so often. The lilies emit a soothing fragrance that will relax and heal someone who smells it.

Planting Dandelions (5 HP Wood Object, 5 passive Wood Drain/turn, Passive; 35/140 points)
Euthenia's green thumb is apparently a bit twitchy, as she'll find herself planting dandelions by pure habit every so often. Since they're actually weeds, they will drain the life from anything they can get their roots and seeds on.


Combat (Botany style):
Euthenia follows a simple code, be it for recreation or war: plant flowers. Her ghost-born flowers in particular have some pretty surprising effects, so Euthenia's primary goal is to spread as many of these things across the battlefield as possible.
Chapter 6: Euthenia's Freedom - Side Characters and Enemies

Side Characters
Names: Gregor Dolvechki, Viktor Kruzchev
Genders: Male/Male
Ages: Unknown
Affiliation: Sharo Government
Appearances: Gregor and Viktor are both large men, somewhere in the mid 6-foot range, that sport jet black suits and shades at all times. As secret agents of Sharo's government, they need to appear imposing to everyone. Gregor has slicked-back dark brown hair, and Viktor has dirty blonde loose hair that's parted in the middle.

Personalities: Both men maintain an aura of pure business as representatives of Sharo's hidden arm of law. Despite that, neither of them are really bad people when you just get talking with them. They won't show you their guns, however.

Navis: Both Gregor and Viktor are currently using standard-issue GuardNavis from the Sharo military.

Enemies
Yggdrasil Tree
HP: 100
Element: Wood
Actions: 5
Appearance:
A truly massive tree, well over 50 feet tall, with many branches and thick, full leaves.

Attacks:
Block Fire (Passive) — The Yggdrasil Tree covers itself in resin to snuff out any attempt to burn it down.
Block Water (Passive) — The Yggdrasil Tree easily absorbs any water thrown at it.
Block Electricity (Passive) — The Yggdrasil Tree sends electrical attacks into the ground through its deep roots.
Strong Wood (Passive) — The Yggdrasil Tree takes only 1 damage from chip-based Wood and Normal attacks.
Grow Sapling — The Yggdrasil Tree sows the seed of a tree sapling, which will attack with leaves and needles (20 HP Wood Object, 10 Passive damage).
Grow Vine — The Yggdrasil Tree sows the seed of a long vine, which will move to bind a target as it grows (20 HP Wood Object, Hold).
Grow Herb — The Yggdrasil Tree sows the seed of an herb, which will work to heal its master as long as it can (20 HP Wood Object, 5 Passive Heal)

Rewards:
Sapling/Vine/Herb: 10z, 1 Bugfrag per kill per Navi
Yggdrasil Tree: 1000z, 10 Bugfrags per kill per Navi


Yggdrasil Bud
HP: 20
Element: Wood
Actions: 0
Appearance:
The tiny green seedling of a Yggdrasil Tree.

Attacks:
Block Fire (Passive) — The Yggdrasil Bud covers itself in resin to snuff out any attempt to burn it down.
Block Water (Passive) — The Yggdrasil Bud easily absorbs any water thrown at it.
Block Electricity (Passive) — The Yggdrasil Bud sends electrical attacks into the ground through its deep roots.
Strong Wood (Passive) — The Yggdrasil Bud takes only 1 damage from chip-based Wood and Normal attacks.
Growth (Passive) — The Yggdrasil Bud grows into a Tree after 1 turn.

Rewards:
Yggdrasil Bud: 200z, 2 Bugfrags per kill per Navi

Ratatoskr
HP: 500
Element: Wood
Actions: 5
Appearance:
Ratatoskr takes the form of a large squirrel with bright red fur. Two black stripes run down from his head all the way to his curled, bushy tail. His belly fur is still red, but the color is much more faded than on the rest of his body. The only contrast from all the red and black are Ratatoskr's eyes, which are a very sharp green color.

Attacks:
Germinate — Ratatoskr summons a Yggdrasil Bud.
Tree Travel — Ratatoskr leaps from one Yggdrasil Tree to another. Counts as both a Movement and a Dodge.
Gnaw — Ratatoskr takes a bite from a Yggdrasil Tree, dealing 25 unblocked damage to it, and self-healing for 100 HP.

Rewards:
Ratatoskr: DropDown (a.k.a. Did Lots of Climbing Badge)
Everything seems to be in order now, as silly as the tree still is. But if you suddenly register a 100 wood damage sig I swear I'm going to punch you.

Approved.
Chapter 5: Anyis's Dearly Departed

Navis: Anyis.exe, Euthenia.exe, Grants.exe, MeleeMan.exe, Djinni.exe, Eidolon.exe
Operators: Mill Alidine, Lilia Alidine, Rania Firebrand, Na'im bin Asad, Andrew Vang
SPs: Magna.SP, Ratatoskr.SP, Damascus.SP, Oasis.SP, Szand.SP, Icaro.SP
Others: Titan.???
Setting: ACDC Town, ACDC Net

The events involving Euthenia and Ratatoskr were just starting to fade from memory, but finally it comes that there is a cost to be paid for Euthenia's freedom. The supercomputer Aristotle, the managing unit of the defunct Undertaker system, renders its judgment for one of its charges escaping. Due to her immediate presence at the time, Anyis is found at primary fault, and she is not let off with a mere warning. Mill is just hanging around the apartment in the early morning, Lilia having yet to leave for school, and Anyis and Magna are just relaxing in the PET, when a soul-splitting pain enters Anyis's head and knocks Magna out on the spot. Having experienced varying degrees of it over the years, Anyis knew right away this was Aristotle's doing. While she twists in anguish, her thoughts are just as pained, having realized this was the one she hadn't experienced before. This was terminal punishment: Aristotle was purging Anyis's AI to reboot her as an automated program. She'll die. This was the same judgment that missed once before and sent Magna on a self-destructing rampage, so its finality was not in doubt. Anyis's screams of pain get the attention of the two siblings rather quickly, and Mill tries in vain to try and shut off his PET while his Navi struggles to explain as much as she can. With the software completely locked up, Mill goes manual on his PET, ripping the battery out by force and sending the thing offline.

After a while, Mill puts the battery back in, and with a great deal of hesitation, restarts his PET. To his relief, Anyis is well, though still a bit dazed as a headache remains with her. The reality that this is far from over quickly sinks in, as they realize that Aristotle's purge has only been slowed, not severed. Despite the head pains and the knowledge of her impending death looming, Anyis remains relatively calm, though the manner in which she kicks Magna back awake shows her feelings of urgency. Ever since Euthenia broke free of Aristotle, they had been thinking about how they could replicate the process for Anyis. Looking back at that, Mill deduces they need a new source of data for Anyis to merge with. Magna adds that an extremely high degree of compatibility is required for her to safely modify her core data, else she could just die even faster than by Aristotle's hand. Anyis thinks through her headache, but her memories seem to be decaying fairly quickly. With Lilia obviously reluctant to leave under such circumstances, Euthenia remains to watch her older sister struggle to remember something from her own past that could help. Failing that, Euthenia fills in the gaps for Anyis, reminding her of presumably the most compatible data core in the world for her: her husband.

After Mill takes some time to be baffled at the thought of Navis marrying and the shock of Anyis being one of them, he starts calling around for help. With Anyis's headache and state of mind sure to only get worse as they proceeded, she is in dire need of some support should the delayed AI purge become too strong. To his relief, Rania, Na'im, and Andrew all answer Mill, and between MeleeMan, Djinni, and Eidolon, he figures that Anyis couldn't have a better chance to get through this. Anyis's memory fails again, leading to Euthenia forwarding the jack-in coordinates to Mill's impromptu entourage.

Euthenia escorts Anyis online just long enough to meet with the others, before Mill shoos her and her Operator off to school. With the group assembled and everyone online, they begin digging around the immediate area for the data core of Anyis's deceased husband. Magna is particularly aggressive in the search, yet while his intentions are good, he's really no better off than Anyis himself, since his entire being is hosted by Anyis's decaying core. Finding the fix-all core is no small task, as debris, rubble, and chucks of hard data litter the area, showing signs of a battle not so long ago. Anyis is at least able to explain that she was one of the fighters here, along with her husband against a giant, ghostly monster. On that note, Mill notices that this is about where he first found Anyis, beaten and badly damaged, which more or less tells the result of that battle, along with the prior note of the dead husband and the leftover chunks of monster sitting around. Anyis admits that she was only even alive enough to be found because her husband, Grants, sacrificed himself to bring down the monster they were fighting. As for the monster's identity, everyone present is likely aware of it already. Perhaps a bit recklessly, Anyis had been using the chunks of its remains that decayed enough to ascend to the River as her most powerful personal attack for quite some time now. Yeah, the Titan Anyis has been crushing viruses with was one and the same as the monster that had crushed her some months before.

Magna is ultimately the one who finds the core, probably thanks in no small part to the fact that he can turn into a giant drill. Anyis is very unresponsive at this point, and has to be physically dragged over to touch the core. It's clear even at a glance that the core is too fragmented to properly patch her own core as-is, but it is still a step forward regardless. Anyis, with some encouragement, half-mindedly kindles the core to life, producing the ghost of her husband Grants.

While his color is somewhat drained and he is somewhat distorted from the fragmentation, the ghost of the white knight Grants arises, in tangible form thanks to the presence of his core. Just when everyone thought this issue was good and settled, a new round of shock and surprise starts up, because not only did Anyis have a husband, she had a fine one. Grants takes just a moment to gather his bearings, as he's given not much more than that, as Anyis falls limply into his arms after evoking his ghost. He's unaware of the cause, but it's immediately clear to Grants that Anyis is suffering somehow, so he applies his own powers to place a laurel of white flame around Anyis's head, which after a few seconds seems to snap her back to reality and her usual self. It is merely symptom relief, rather than a cure for her core, but it helps. Despite... well, everything in her character suggesting that she'd want nothing of a hug, Anyis isn't quick to extract herself from Grants' arms, and even seems relieved. She... really wasn't joking about the marriage thing.

Even with the happy reunion, the fact remains that Grants' core alone is not enough to patch out Aristotle's grip on Anyis's core. Grants is quick to offer, having come to terms with death while... well, being dead, but it's just not a viable option. What they need is more data to fill the gaps in Grants' core with, but given Anyis's extremely limited amount of time left to live, the only spare data around is the chunks of the Titan around... Yeah, unfortunately, it has to go down like that. It doesn't take long to decide that the only solution is to repair Grants' by merging it with the Titan's own, effectively reviving the monster Anyis and Grants could only manage a loss-heavy draw against, forcing the new team of Anyis, MeleeMan, Djinni, and Eidolon to defeat it all over again in order to save Anyis's life. The only hitch left is finding the Titan's core, but that takes all of one minute, as Magna finds it under a giant pile of rubble very easily... since the monster's core is as big as Magna is. Oh dear.

Once the group is ready to fight, Anyis triggers her max-level GrantsCross, and Grants, as best he can, his max-level AnyisCross... wait, what? Okay, it probably makes sense that husband and wife have good Crosses with each other, but Mill didn't even know about this? Anyis tells him it was personal, and to enjoy it while he can. With Grants as fragmented as he is, and Mill as the only involved Operator, he was going to have to force-boot their joint attack and burn out the Cross permanently at risk of damage to Anyis... though anything is better than her current outlook, really. What a tease... With that all cleared up and set, Anyis and Grants trigger their resurrection ability, fusing the latter's core with that of the Titan, and bring unto the Net the monster. Whoo boy, here comes a fight.

(Battle 1 Start)

The Titan wastes no time in bursting from the ground, creating such force that the terrain around him twists upwards into series of paths and cliffs rising up towards the monster's torso. With his legs still bound underground, the Titan is largely immobile, so the thing stomping around isn't a worry at least. The team only needs to deal with the upper half of a fully powered phantom giant, capable of crushing any one of them on a whim. Joy.

(Battle 1 End)

The hard-fought battle ends with Anyis's group victorious, thanks in no small part to Grants wresting control away from the Titan on occasion to grant various means of restoration to the team. But now, Grants is dead (again), the Titan is dead (again), and there is only one core on the ground in front of Anyis. Therein lies her salvation. With the group looking on, Anyis presses the fused core to her chest, absorbing it into her own core. Nothing seems to happen at first... Just to be sure, Anyis undoes the pain relief Grant had bestowed on her earlier, and that was... gone? Yes! Wait... Okay, there was pain again. Different pain, though. Anyis clutches her body as she drops to her knees and ultimately to the ground, moaning in pain. A fear of failure looms over everyone, but after about 15 seconds or so, the pain... passes. Anyis looks at her hands, only to see her trusted gauntlets crack and shatter, leaving only her bare hands to look at. She looks up, and the River is gone to her. It had worked. Little did she know that her massive influx of new data forced upon her... a growth spurt, of sorts.
Chapter 5: Anyis's Dearly Departed - Key Details

    [li]Aristotle reacts to Euthenia breaking off from its network
    [li]AI purge (what destroyed Magna) is initiated on Anyis; Anyis resists until Mill severs the power to his PET
    [li]Mill fixes the PET, sees that the disconnection from the Net bought them some time
    [li]Anyis needs to reformat her core before the AI purge is complete
    [li]Anyis can only think of her dead husband as a compatible core to merge with
    [li]Mill calls Rania, Na'im, and Andrew for help
    [li]Anyis, MeleeMan, Djinni, and Eidolon arrive at the old battlefield (where Anyis was damaged just before being found by Mill)
    [li]Anyis evokes the ghost of her deceased husband, Grants
    [li]Anyis uses her last instance of GrantsCross to resurrect Grants and the Titan as one being
    [li]Group fights Fused Titan
    [li]Upon victory, Anyis absorbs the combined core, breaks free from Aristotle's network, upgrades
  • Rewards: see Titan profile, Full GMO Reset (Anyis & Magna), Full Sig Edit (Anyis & Magna)
Chapter 5: Anyis's Dearly Departed - Character Profiles

NetNavi
Name: Grants.exe
Gender: Male
Element: Fire
Subtype: Sword

==Physical Description==
Grants is made in the image of a true white knight. In certain places, mostly joints, suggestions of a deep red bodysuit can be made out, but otherwise Grants is clad in a full set of white plate armor. That means boots, greaves, leggings, breastplate, shoulder guards, arm guards, and gauntlets. The only piece that Grants does not favor is a helmet, and he is probably better off that way since he's basically every woman's fantasy. One unique feature exists with his armor, in that the back of the breastplate has vents on the shoulder blades that spew red flames in such a way that it forms a cape of pure, burning fire. His skin is tanned neither too lightly nor to an extreme, and his messy-cut hair is a pale blond that seems to be the perfect harmony between his skin tone and his white armor. Grants's smile is even whiter than said armor, and his eyes are a gorgeous ruby red to match his bodysuit. As if that wasn't enough, Grants has a body structure that's pretty strong, which he actually needs to effectively wear his heavy armor. From top to bottom, Grants stands in right around the 6-foot mark, if not hairs under. Really, though, if there somehow exists a balance between "pretty boy" and "real man", Grants stands at the very peak of that.

==Personality==
It's almost unfair for how much of a good soul Grants is. He does maintain the "white knight's chivalry" thing, albeit loosely, but really, he is that rare type of person that you will feel better for meeting. He listens. He speaks. He understands. Grants bleeds charisma, so much so that he inspires jealousy just as much as admiration. His desire to help others knows few bounds. If there actually is a problem with Grants, it's most likely that he'll help someone without consideration for how it might inconvenience those already around him. This is especially true for his wife Anyis, who he'd go so far as to die for, regardless of her opinion. Actually... Wait, he did die for her. Nevermind.

==Background==
Grants doesn't have any special circumstances surrounding his creation, and his first contact with Anyis was just another case of him helping. Anyis was actually just then looking for a new Operator, having parted ways with the previous one, and without hesitation Grants offered her shelter in his Operator's computer. Said Operator was, and still is, a fairly popular author that works under a penname, and because of a job like that wasn't too overly involved in Netbattling other than when necessary, though she did end up helping Anyis with her erasure quotas for Aristotle when it became clear that the female Navi wasn't leaving any time soon. Such a casual approach was pretty... comfortable, actually, so it wasn't much of a surprise when Anyis's stay turns from days to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years. Anyis and Grants, having shared a limited dataspace for such a long time, eventually developed a relationship, and that went step by step until there was really nothing either of them could call it except marriage.

The two of them developed a superb fighting synergy, so when Anyis one day detected the Titan lurking in the deep outskirts of ACDC Net, it was naturally that she and Grants go challenge it. The fight was not one-sided in anyone's favor, and it wasn't until all 3 were worn down that the first fell. Anyis got caught one too many times by the Titan's attacks, causing severe damage to her that Grants could not address so easily. Worn down himself, he came to the conclusion that both fending the Titan off from Anyis and striking it down himself was impossible, so he made the choice that was natural to him. Grants overloaded, creating a massive flare of white fire that purified much of the Titan, and for the first and only time, burned something: himself.

==Custom Weapon: Sword and White Fire==
As far as a classic "weapon" goes, Grants wields a completely standard longsword, with the sheath strapped to his back. What makes him unique is his control over white fire. In battle he often ignites his sword with it, but... it's not hot. Just a comforting warm feeling. Grants's white fire is defined by its property to purify corrupt data, which is particularly useful in the matter of repairing damage. Surprisingly, the white fire even purifies ghosts, as Grants found out not long after meeting Anyis.

==Battle Stats==
N/A





Boss Enemy
Name: Fused Titan.???
Element: Normal

==Physical Description==
The Titan, true to his name, is akin to a Cybeast in size. Standing in his palm is no difficult task, other than the matter of actually being there without the Titan attempting to crush you. Unlike the Cybeasts, though, the Titan is not in the design of an animal; rather, he is very humanoid-looking. The clearest description of what the Titan really is would probably be that he is a phantom monster. He is entirely composed of solidified junk data, though there's really no answer to the "why" and "how" this amalgam of the dead came to be. The junk data isn't very skin-like, instead being akin to rough scales, with the packets of junk data condensing into uneven chunks rather than a smooth coating. The Titan's head lacks most common features, having only 2 black, pit-like eyes and a jagged, uneven mouth that only seems like a tear in his ghost data-comprised body. While he is generally humanoid, the Titan's body build is utterly massive, so much so that anyone without the Titan's great size to match would be torn apart by their own strength.

Fusing with Grants has given the Titan some of the knight's armor, though it is incomplete and largely non-functional. A white chestplate adorns the Titan's body, but is broken on most of the left side, leaving not much in way of protection. White gauntlets on each arm suffer under similar circumstances, with a few fingers missing and cracks running through the composing metal. An open-faced helmet rests on the Titan's head, with two large holes in the sides for his two large, bull-like horns to protrude outwards. It's unknown what kind of armor the Titan's lower body has, as he is trapped from the waist down for the duration of the battle. One other effects the fusion of the Titan and Grants has produced is giving the monster a loose control of the knight Navi's white fire. By and large the Titan uses it as a raw, non-elemental destructive force, but occasionally Grants can wrest control from the monster to apply the white fire to its original, curative purpose.

When exposed, the Titan's Core, fused from both the Titan and Grants, appears as what looks like a spherical Navi core... except it's the size of a Navi. Its color is very off, being a pattern-less mix of Grants' white core and the Titan's core made of chunks of translucent ghost data.

==Personality==
The Titan is less of a sentient personality as he is a force. Why it happened and why it all took this form will forever be a mystery, but the Titan is the embodiment of the broken, the damaged, the fragmented, and the dead. Every piece of junk data that builds him shares the same will to be restored, taking in new data in hope to piece back together a previous existence. The Titan moves and works by that mindset, and is why he is such a plague on the Net, as he would have to destroy a sizable amount of the Net before such a task could possibly be accomplished for all his junk data. Speech, thought, and things of the like are beyond the Titan. The only noises it makes are the moans and groans of the dead that reside within him.

Due to the core fusion with Grants, the Titan is, while the dominant soul in the body, not in full control. While he is unable to speak, Grants can fight for temporarily control of the Titan's body, at which point he will assist the fighting team by using healing abilities drawn from his own white fire and the Titan's own raw power.

==Battle Stats==

Titan: 3000 HP
Titan's Left Arm: 1000 HP
Titan's Right Arm: 1000 HP
*Titan's Core: 500 HP (OmniShoes)

Actions: 6

Abilities:

Titan's Left (50 damage [b ], Phasing, Break)
The Titan swings his giant left fist at an enemy, with the ability to phase it through one to get to another.

Titan's Right (50 damage [b ], Phasing, Impact)
The Titan swings his giant right fist at an enemy, with the ability to phase it through one to get to another.

Haunting (10 damage x 5 hits [A])
The Titan releases some of the ghosts that comprise his body, which swarm to the target and cause damage.

Sustained White Flame (5 Fire damage/action [A], 1 Turn Duration)
The Titan shoots a small white flame from his hand at an enemy, catching them ablaze for an extended period of time.

White Flame Grip (Continuous Hold [b ], 10 Fire damage/action [s ])
The Titan snatches up one of his enemies in his left hand and sets it ablaze with destructive white fire. The damage will continue until the enemy breaks free.

White Flame Raze (30 Fire damage [c], Ground Attack, To-All)
The Titan presses his right hand against the ground and releases a large amount of white flames in a wave.

Ghost Bits (1 HP Object x 10, 1 Turn Duration)
The Titan expels some of his ghost data in solidified form, having the spectral servants intercept incoming attacks before disappearing into nothing.

Giant Blocking (Dodge)
The Titan actively blocks an attack with his massive body, resisting the damage and effects entirely. Mechanically equivalent to a Dodge.

Fragmented Armor (Passive 100 HP Casing)
The Titan imparts some of his ghost data to reinforce what's left of Grants' armor. Separate Casings can be worn simultaneously on the Titan's body, left arm, and right arm.

Undead Regeneration (Resurrection, 3 Action Charge)
The Titan can restore one of his arms at full HP should it get destroyed. No HP is added back to the main body, and this ability can be disrupted if 500 or more damage is dealt to the main body during the charge.

White Flame Cure (30 Heal [s ], Ground Attack, To-All)
Grants seizes control of the Titan's Right Arm and uses White Flame Raze, but instead of damaging the team, the wave of white fire heals everyone slightly. The Titan can't use ability on himself.

White Flame Recoil (100 Fire damage [s ])
Grants seizes control of the Titan's Left Arm and sets it ablaze with the Titan's own damaging fire. The Titan can't use this ability to target an enemy.

White Flame Recharge (3 Chip Reload [s ])
Grants seizes control of the Titan's main body and casts a single white pyre onto a team member, allowing them to restore 3 Battlechips already used in the fight. The Titan can't use this ability on himself.

Phantom Blast (50 damage [A])
The Titan's Core fires a shot of ghost data from itself. Usable only by the Titan's Core.

Notes:
--Because the Titan is trapped from the waist down, he is incapable of using Movement, Dodge, Burrow, or Submerge actions. Giant Blocking can be used in lieu of dodging.
--The Titan is defeated when his main body's HP runs out. Damage dealt to an arm will also damage the body. Multi-target attacks will only count as one hit towards the body, regardless of how much is hit.
--Destroying the Titan's Left Arm reduces the damage of Titan's Left by 30, renders White Flame Grip unusable, and prevents Fragmented Armor from being used on the arm for the rest of the battle. Visually, all of the Titan's ghost data vacates the arm, leaving only a bony frame.
--Destroying the Titan's Right Arm reduces the damage of Titan's Right by 30, renders White Flame Raze unusable, and prevents Fragmented Armor from being used on the arm for the rest of the battle. Visually, all of the Titan's ghost data vacates the arm, leaving only a bony frame.
--Destroying both arms renders Sustained White Flame and Giant Blocking unusable.
--Starting on turn 2, Grants takes control of one of the Titan's actions every turn to use White Flame Cure, White Flame Recoil, or White Flame Recharge.
--The Titan's Core appears only after the Titan's main body has been defeated. It has OmniShoes and can fly, and its only abilities are to dodge and use Phantom Blast.


Rewards: MeteorKnuckle1 (All), 2500z (All), 40 Bugfrags (All), 15 FXP (All)

(Subject to change at moderator's discretion)[/b]
Looks good. GROUP ASSISTED PLOT AHOY. Approval.