Cult of Zeus Homepage

The "Cult of Zeus" of which the homepage title speaks is little more than a front by the operator of PantheonMan, a high ranking member of the Netmafia Bloodhound family, to keep his navi's mafia meeting location concealed. Beneath what is ostensibly a lazy club homepage for an equally lazy fraternity lies a hidden element accessible to few. Deep within sits a nearly perfect replica of the Temple of Zeus which once stood in Netopia. It is here that PantheonMan makes his constant "offerings" to Zeus in various forms, including bloody rituals, intense orgies, and other even further unspeakable methods. The sky is constantly lit with lightning strikes and the dark clouds above lend an eternally ominous setting to this ordinarily honorable Netopian architecture...

Another mafia member from outside the Bloodhounds approaches slowly but with conviction. Kismet is a member of the Head family, which organizes all other families. Today she has come to express a concern of hers to the unexpecting Bloodhound family...


Kismet's midnight blue cape fluttered in the constant storm that surrounded PantheonMan's temple, her face hidden by the large crystal-ball helmet that encompassed her entire head. Her dark, latex skin-suit shone with every lightning flash and her orb remained a constant beacon of light on the dark, foreboding landscape. Kismet's face was always locked into an unpleasant grimace beneath her helmet, but now even more so than usual. As a member of the Head family, she realized a duty to make sure that all of the Mafia's organizations were keeping up with their own work and avoiding competing with each other. As such, she deemed that a house call to the violent Bloodhounds was an absolute necessity given their strained relations with the Vivarte.

As she approached the temple, Kismet's brow furrowed and her nose wrinkled. The stench of sweat and sex was evident upon the air. Worse was the scent of blood... Not exactly blood, but of that substance which she as a navi recognized as the life-blood of navis and all data forms. Arming herself against the odor, she continued further, sweating beneath her hood. It didn't take her long to come upon her target in the center of the temple floor. As she came closer, however, she drew back in repulsion, understanding the circumstances of her visit. PantheonMan's taut, brown-skinned body was currently huddled into a very compromising position with another equally muscular dark-skinned woman. Her horns made her immediately recognizable as Bullrun, the Bloodhound Assistant Leader. Seeing their bodies conjoined in such a way, Kismet could not help but let out a small grunt of displeasure, knocking into a pillar as she stumbled backwards.

Breaking free from the lewd position in an amazingly graceful manner, PantheonMan rose to his impress full height, sweat still dripping from his muscles. Bullrun sat up and smiled at Kismet in a belittling way, but otherwise remained right where she was. Showing at least a little courtesy, PantheonMan slipped back on the black leather wrestling briefs that he normally wore under his toga for decency's sake. "Am I acting too hastily here, Kismet? You weren't interested in joining the two of us, were you? If so we can get right back at it,"
[font=andalus] he laughed, the dim torchlight giving his golden brown eyes a strange, fiery look. Kismet saw in them the charisma of a savage, primal warrior that had brought so many to the cause of the Bloodhounds recently.

Charisma or no charisma, Kismet wasn't about to forget the beef she had with PantheonMan and his Bloodhounds. She was thankful for the crystal ball hiding her flushed face as she spoke back up, her voice masked by the helmet she wore. <span style='font-family:DokChampa'>"I have absolutely no interest in whatever you and Assistant Leader Bullrun are doing here on the temple floor. What I do care about, however is the activities you've been organizing against the Vivarte family housed in the Starsign Cafe lately,"[/font] she answered, staring into the powerful navi's handsome face with her shifty, eternally grim eyes still hidden by her mask.

PantheonMan gave another laugh of false modesty, scratching the back of his bushy dark hair fretfully. "You think I had something to do with that? I heard that it was Boss Oni, a Teksqp member, who decided to harass them," he replied, his thick lips curling into a wry smile.

"It doesn't take a genius to see that the Bloodhounds are behind it," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her small breasts. "Boss Oni actually mentioned you guys, the Bloodhounds, to one of the Vivarte operatives stationed there. If you really are scheming something here, I really don't see why you'd choose to ally yourself with the Teksqp. They seem rather counterproductive to any kind of formal plan." Kismet was beginning to feel hostility emanating through the air as she broached upon the subject more closely. PantheonMan's smile stayed, but his eyebrows took on a more feral arch.

"Say maybe I have been moving to get the Teksqp to ally with the Bloodhounds against the Vivarte. Is that so wrong? The Vivarte assistant leader OrbitMan has, after all, openly advocated the doing away of the Bloodhounds group. I know a lot about you Kismet, including the reasons for your joining the Mafia. If you want the Mafia to succeed, why would you act against me on this?" he laughed, sitting down to rest on one broken pedestal and adopting a Thinker position with his head situated atop his fist. "By coming here and complaining about this situation to me, you're advocating the mafia keeping the Vivarte family at the expense of both the Bloodhounds AND the Teksqp. Is that really the sensible option?" he asked her again, showing a gleam of white teeth.

Kismet felt slightly disarmed. Despite her original thinking, she was beginning to see a bit of sense in what PantheonMan was saying. It was obvious that the Bloodhounds were the more violent of the instigators between the dispute, but could she really say that she would trade both the Bloodhounds and the Teksqp for the Vivarte? "No, I can't let him trick me. He's warped my thinking on this subject. The ultimate goal is not to keep one faction or the other, but rather to end the dispute altogether and ensure that we get through this with all families intact," she thought to herself, clearing her head. "Very well, I suppose you have a bit of a point there. There's no need to rush on this, for either of us. I'll go talk to the Vivarte about dropping this anti-Bloodhounds initiative, but in the mean time, you need to slow down and cease instigation. If need be I'll also visit the Teksqp to get things sorted out there," she resolved.

"Ha ha ha, my, little girl, you sure do stay busy," PantheonMan laughed, closing his eyes and rising up from the pedestal. "I suppose we can resolve this without violence if you like. Just make sure those Vivarte have learned to mind their own business, alright? We'll stick to coordinating the battles and they can stick to coordinating the... what is it that they do again?" he asked in a mocking tone, raising one eyebrow. Refusing to honor him with a response, Kismet flourished her cape and turned to leave.

"You're going to learn that it's not worth it, worrying about what you have no control over. Those with power will do what they want! That's the rules, Kissie,"[font=rockwell][/font] Bullrun laughed from her spot on the floor, brushing her bushy dark hair away from her eyes briefly to show one gleaming, hostile red eye. Her horns and fangs both glinted ominously in the torchlight.

A shiver ran down Kismet's spine as she stepped out of the temple, pulling her cape around herself to shield her body from the wind.</span>
Bullrun strolled easily back into PantheonMan's homepage, stretching her arms above her head as she walked. Throwing her cape carelessly onto the marble floor, she then joined it, sprawling her body out carelessly. "So those Vivarte finally backed down, huh? I guess intimidation really is the way to go. Not like that's anything we didn't already know,"[font=rockwell][/font] she laughed, pulling off her helmet and tossing it aside with a thunk. Her burning eyes showed that she'd just been in a battle and had probably come to PantheonMan for more of the usual.

PantheonMan had been busy reviewing the GNA situation, a job that probably was more suited to Bullrun herself, as she was the assistant leader of the Bloodhound family. Ordinarily someone would be very put off by a large, sweaty figure coming in to his home and throwing their stuff all around the polished marble floor. PantheonMan simply chuckled, going to lie down beside his superior with an amused smile spread across his thick lips. "Yes well, that's in the past. That was quite some stunt you pulled, Bull. Do you realize the identity of that target you picked a number of nights ago? The young Netpolice fellow?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He'd intended to remain serious with her, but he found that he'd become just as aroused as she had early into the conversation.

"Bwahaha! What, you mean the little horsie? I'm sorry I broke him, Pantheon, but he just wasn't built strong enough,"[font=rockwell][/font] she smiled, her eyes shining as she recalled ripping the navi's legs from his dying body. "What, are you afraid I'm going to piss off Azrael?"[font=rockwell][/font]

"Trust me, he's not a guy you want to piss off. All I'm saying is this: we already go the extra mile when it comes to getting our fill of combat. Why not pick targets that are slightly lower profile?" he suggested, carressing her thigh as she flung off her torso armor. "This guy you killed was on some special team I hear. There are those in the Netpolice who are very upset. Now, you and I know that that means more violence and more fun for the two of us, but there are others who would like things not to be quite so excited."

Bullrun made a rude and dismissive grunt. "Screw you! That syrupy way you talk some times pisses me off. It makes me want to break your arms, Sweetie,"[font=rockwell][/font] she giggled, regaining her toothy grin. To her what would be death-threats to most seemed like ordinary sweet-talk. "So anyways, you keeping up on the buzz? Seems like the Bloodhounds might get some fresh meat soon. I just have to make sure we get our hooks in them before the softies butter them up,"[font=rockwell][/font] she smiled, standing to finish the rest of her wardrobe.

PantheonMan smiled in agreement, nodding to show that he was indeed up on "the buzz." In reality, were it not for the difference in their levels of combat experience, he would be far more suited for the Assistant Leader role than she. He kept up with current events and she did not; he was also a lot better at talking to people that he ought not to piss off. "Well, besides Kissie. But she's just one of those people you can't help it with," he chuckled to himself. Finishing his own disrobing, he gave a yawn and closed out his research. "Too long have we Bloodhounds been unable to share our lifestyle with others. Soon, warriors around the net will finally know the glory, the brilliance, the sheer fulfillment! The kind of fulfillment that can only come from destroying your opponent a in real battle for blood, not from this watered down child's sport that we call netbattling nowadays. Soon, a good many lucky navis are going to learn what it means... to be a Bloodhound!" he stated with vigor, throwing off his toga and descending upon Bullrun in a flurry of passion.
((Read description well above for a general description of the place, post here and wait if you'd like to get an early start, or wait for me to write a new introduction later))
A large portal opened at the base of the stairs to the temple, complete with a set of chains and a lock over the front face of the portal. The chains and locked opened and slid off the portal when Trent entered the temporary pass code to grant him access to the page. The large fighter and his dog stepped forwards from the entrance and were greet by a large stone structure and a lighting bolt flashing across the darkened sky. The imposing building loomed before the pair, with bright lights exiting from the gaps in the columns. With a deep breath he started his accession up the stair case. Each step brought him closer to the lights within, and as he got nearer to the top the large statue of Zeus came more and more into view.

Mark was greatly admiring the level of detail and scale of the homepages design as Trent made his way around. Every small detail which he could remember from the descriptions of the temple were as close to it as one could get. Mark wasn't remembering everything, but all seemed in order. "The sheer size of this place is rather impressive," He spurted. Trent would normally be just as curious and impressed by the environment, but he was still mental readjusting to the correct mind set for the upcoming events. Trent really hoped he would get his childish level of curiosity back after adjusting, seeing as this mind set would be here to stay.

Mark started to wonder and guess at the other navis which would be present and at what PantheonMan would be like. His excited was showing in his constant movement and muttering to himself as Trent made the final step on the floor of the temple. Trent stopped at the top to observe his surroundings before walking towards the large statue at the back of the temple.
"Another visitor! You must be here for the Bloodhound recruitment mission I posted, correct?" a voice called out from near the back of the temple. "That's excellent. I'm finishing up with one of the other recruits right now!"

What was more intriguing than PantheonMan's noticing him arrive was the sound of battle already coming from further within: sounds of metal hitting metal, as well as the smash of lightning bolts, too close to be those in the sky, could be heard. The action was punctuated by a beam of light drifting into the sky. "You're just in time, actually! It looks like the other recruit just finished. Come on, let's get you prepped..."

As Trent and his dog finally reached the back of the structure, they found the dark, muscular figure of PantheonMan heaving, as if he'd been involved in a fight. The state of the architecture nearby suggested something similar; much of it had been cleaved in half, burned, or even blown to pieces. With a snap of his fingers, he refreshed everything around him. "That was a good fight! To tell you the truth, the first recruit had no potential, but that second one had some fire! You'll have something to look forward to if you end up working with her," he informed Trent.

The navi's brown hair waved in the wind that swept constantly through the net as he approached and offered his hand for a shake. "My name is PantheonMan; I'm ranked #1 in the Bloodhounds, just beneath our assistant leader, Bullrun, and our leader, Azrael. Out of the three of us, I may not be the strongest, but I am the most personable. Dealing with Bull requires some tact and dealing with Azrael is impossible as far as I can tell. But with power like theirs, who needs to talk?" he shrugged. "Just so you know, the navi...s hiding in the shadows over there is-slash-are CloneMan. He's helping me conduct the test of his new invention. He's not one of us, you understand, but he's putting his mind to good use! I have to say, this new technology of his is fascinating..."

A few sets of purple-gloved hands waved from out of the shadows, accompanied by no voice.

"That's a fine pet you have! What's its name? For that matter, what's your name?" the big man laughed, turning his eyes downward to inspect Trent's dog.
As Trent made his way to the back of the temple, the sounds of battle caught the ears and attention of Mark and Sasha far more than it interested Trent. Sasha's triangular ears were perked up a good bit, the floppy white tips bouncing happily with each stride. Mark was moving his own view of the area around more and more to try to see as much of the battle as he could, but was unable to get any form of an insight to it other than the clear crack of thunderbolts. Trent was the only one who remained on point with his level of focus, each knife reflecting the bright lights with a bright sheen.

Once PantheonMan had fully turned his attention to Trent, the signs of the battle were clear on him, although he overall didn't look that phased by it. As he snapped his fingers Mark gave a audible comment of, "Well that's high convenient."

Trent's first impressions of the high ranking bloodhound were not at all what he expected from him. Trent had only been in contact with the low ranking thugs that inhabited the bottom of this house, and never seen the leadership. PantheonMan was, admittedly, different than the rest. Trent returned the hand gesture slightly thrown off by his rather light attitude. He pulled his hand back and let him speak, within the first few words Trent could tell he was a talker. He listened well and hard to his words, keeping a comforting hand on Sasha, who was starting to grow more and more on edge from PantheonMan's presence.

Once the other Navi's were mentioned Trent looked around at all the grasping hands coming from the shadows. Whatever it was that was being spoken of was very curious to Trent. Normally in this state of mind he would have repressed his curiosity but this time it was too much. "What do the purple handed navi's have that is useful?"

Mark cut in before Pantheonman could respond and quickly answered the other questions that were laid out by the high ranking navi. "Their names are Trent and Sasha; Sasha being the dog. I am the operator Mark and also I am a bit of the face of the group. Trent is far more down to business than I. It is good to finally be trying out for the bloodhounds. We were approached a while ago about possibly joining." Mark let his voice trail for a moment before picking his volume back up, "You aren't what I thought you would be. You're rather charismatic for this group. I guess every organization needs a voice and a face though."

Trent looked away from the shadow navi's and Sasha was much more at easy with PantheonMan after his compliments and attention that was being given to him. Trent had nothing more to say that hadn't already been filled in by Mark, and simply waited to listen some more.
"Hello there! I'd introduce you to Anthony, but he's off tending his Cult of Zeus. It might sound rather spectacular, but it's honestly just a fraternity," PantheonMan chuckled. "Yes, I love a fight as much as Azrael, but fortunately, I am not some tank-bred attack dog like he is. My distinct pleasure as of late is the honor of communicating with many of the fresh Bloodhounds recruits. That and lots of fighting. Times are good... but they'll be getting even better," he smirked, just in time for a flash of lightning to illuminate his ever-so-slightly modified, ominous grin.

"As for CloneMan over there, he's just not at home without lots of people around. That's why he won't come out and say hi... well, that and perhaps a fear of lightning. That part's unconfirmed," the Bloodhound murmured in a quieter tone. "At least he can overcome his fears long enough to bring us this wonderful technology. Now, this might sound a little redundant, but what the good doctor has devised is a new type of simulation equipment. That is, it simulates battles based off of collected data by breeding 'clones' with a short life span. For right now it only works in a very small bubble and we haven't figured out how to force it on an unwilling participant, so it doesn't have much application towards the war. What it does give us, however, is a unique preemptive opportunity..."

He took the time to walk over to the base of the statue, where a small device had been set up. Trent had not even noticed it earlier, so inconspicuous was the tiny rod embedded in the ground. "Our opportunities here are threefold," PantheonMan explained as he fiddled with the device. "First off, I get to evaluate your skills as you battle with the simulated opponents. Second, this is valuable combat training. Thirdly... it allows me to run an evaluative simulation without actually wasting the men on it," he laughed, flashing the eerie grin again. "We Bloodhounds like our jackout barriers, but it's always a risk. Signing up with the Bloodhounds is a contract to take lives and bet your own. But, you know that already, I'm sure. Don't worry, we won't be using a jackout barrier just now. I'd be a little bit mad to throw recruits under a bus against timed simulations, wouldn't I?"

As the man continued to speak, several figures began to materialize around them. "You know those Neo-Shogun girls? Now, you're just a recruit, so I'm not saying we have plans to attack them. But... well, I certainly wouldn't mind getting the chance some time!" he murmured, moving to just about a foot away from Trent and crossing his arms. The recruit could hear a kind of subdued, growling breath beneath his voice, as if he had another emotion there he wasn't revealing. "They've gotten us good, lately! Honestly, I think that we're at a disadvantage, because the net's become a place where they can operate with public approval. Hit and run, that's how they do it... and not with violence, but with silly, silly schemes and propaganda. Ah, how I'd like a shot at them, though. Luckily, CloneMan here has provided us just that! We'll start with something simple..."

Male soldiers clad in yellow tunics began to materialize in a ring around Sasha and the two navis, enclosing them by locking their spears forward. "They say you should warm up even before you exercise, isn't that right?"

Neo-Shogun Soldier A: 100 HP ((Ring starts here in front of Trent))
Neo-Shogun Soldier B: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier C: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier D: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier E: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier F: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier G: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier H: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier I: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier J: 100 HP ((Ring ends here, running clockwise))

Trent: 190 HP
Sasha: 50 HP
PantheonMan: 800 HP

CloneMan: 100 HP
Clone Generator Device: 200 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal
Trent listened to PantheonMan talk on and on, something he seemed to love to do a great bit. This was similar to Mark, and he treated it the same way, blank stare and a quiet listening to his instructions and stories. Mark would have normally joined in and conversed with the talkative navi, but he was far too excited about the entire situation that he couldn't keep his voice from shaking. This was the moment Mark had been waiting for a while now. He too was eagerly listening. He did however say to Trent over a private connection, "I am going to switch you over to manual mode for these tests. I want you to be on the top of your game with the best reaction times for PantheonMan. I will slot in when I feel you need to use something, other than that this is on you."

As PantheonMan mentioned the jackout barriers Trent froze for a second. It wasn't at all clear in his unchanging body language, but mentally he did and his heart seemed to skip a beat. Soon that fear was overridden once more, only to be further repressed by the increasing strength of his fighting mental state. This new state of mind was here to stay now. Trent would be fighting for a while. At least he was good at it.

PantheonMan finally queued CloneMan to start the simulation, triggering the formation of several yellow clad figures, each one pointing a spear at them, encircling the three. It seems that, at least for now, PantheonMan and Trent would not be opponents. Trent knew that could change whenever it pleased PantheonMan though. Once all ten of the simulated opponents was accounted for Trent drew his blades and Sasha lowered his chest closer the ground, setting his ears back on his head. "You won't be disappointed," Trent said as he started to think of a plan. The tips of the spears encasing him wasn't at all comforting. He started by whistling to Sasha in a quick pattern, one that the intelligent dog knew well causing him to reach a paw up to his collar and scratch at it releasing the cube, which was promptly crushed. The dog's body glew blue for a moment, creating the barrier.

Without giving any hint or word to PantheonMan, Trent was off. His first goal was to get out of this circle, which he did by moving in on the first target before him. He gave Sasha no command as of yet, leaving the dog on the defense. The clone would worry less about him when Trent was in their face anyways. Trent raised a knife as he approached the first clone, only to use it as a feint to slip down low and deliver the true swipe to his legs. With this lower momentum going he tucked and rolled, trying to roll between the two clones so that he could get behind them. Once there he took a second swipe at the back of the knees of the second guy.

Sasha was being left in the middle, and this fact bothered Trent. A distinctive whistle filled the air, causing Sasha's ears to perk. He activated the one chip that he had at his use and charged the target that Trent was pointing at. With a strong push the massive dog jumped into the air, mouth wide open for a bite. The force of the bite and the tackle combined would knock back the attacker if they connected, allowing Sasha freedom from the circle as well.

Trent turned his attention to the rest of the soldiers, and felt the presence of two chips in his system from Mark, both of which were crowd control type chips. "These will help all of you to not take damage and get this battle done with quickly." He wasn't planning on it, but using something like this would be helpful here. Beforehand though, he pulled up a chip of his own choosing, the widesword. The attack empowered his left hand forward grip, which he swung at the three closest targets sending out a blue wave of energy. He lightened his stance and hopped backwards like a boxer as he summoned the other two chips.

The first one the sent on the three furthest targets from himself, which caused strings of white spider webbing to emerge from the net ways like a rising Kraken. Each target was surrounded by various thicknesses and numbers of white strings, trying to wrap the targets up and bind them to the floor. The second chip was sent out to daze, confuse, and greatly weaken three of the other targets. Above each of them, a large blue blob formed and descended downwards. If the target was hit they would be covered in the gooey substance that made up the slime virus.

Trent final action of his own accord, was the finish off the two target that he had already weakened. He reached into his chip selection and grabbed the rageclaw chip. Over right hand and knife a large gauntlet with three bladed prongs formed. Two of the blades were on the top, and the third on the bottom creating a pincer. He dropped his weight down and moved over to one of the clones and led with this right hand. The claws of the glove opened and tried to latch unto the neo-shogun. Using the power of the chip Trent shifted his weight and tried to pick up and throw the man into the other solider, damaged by Sasha.

Mark was impressed with what his navi had done for the opener of the fight. It very much gave him hope for the upcoming fights in the rings, and made him remember and appreciate why he bought Trent. He smugly crossed his arms over his chest and observed the massacre of the poor neo-shogun clones.

Summary
Sasha
1) Protection Collar -40 HP barrier to self-

Trent
1) Quick Slashes to Neo-Clone A (30 Slashing Damage), THEN Movement + Dodge + Haste THEN 30 Damage to Neo-Clone B (30 + Slashing)

Sasha
2) Chip Preset: Gigasarm1 to Neo-Clone D (90 + Break + Impact + Knockback)

Trent
2) Widesword to Neo-Clone A, B, C (80 + Wide Attack + Slashing)
*Free Action: Swordplay: Dodge
3) Whiteweb to Neo-Clone H, I, J ((40 + Snare)x3) Snare: (Hold + Grapple + Trap)
4) Metagel to E, F, G (90 + Slow x 3 Targets + Aqua)
5) Rageclaw2 to Neo-Clone C, D (35 + Impact + Throw Neo-Clone C)
"Another ruthless fighter with recklass abandon! Rather like the last candidate I interviewed, actually," PantheonMan laughed, crossing his arms across his chest as he watched Trent zoom around the battlefield, taking on the group of soldiers with only the aid of his operator and dog. "A classic chip collection, too. I'll bet you're looking forward to refining it throughout our battles, though."

While Trent swung blades and webs and all manner of other attacks at the soldiers, some successful, others not, the soldiers retaliated with a constant barrage of spear pokes. Separate, they would have been fairly negligible, but it soon became clear that there were too many of them to dodge. The tips began to jab painfully into Trent, ripping into his flesh with no finesse but overwhelming numbers. Still, once the soldiers stepped back, Trent was still standing and he'd managed to leave three dead and four injured; the three that had been defeated glowed purple for a moment, then vanished into data.

"Good showing so far. Demeter keep you as you continue!" he praised his ally, then raised one hand to the clouds. A torrent of water came down from the sky, covering Trent and helping close his wounds. While it accomplished healing, it did nothing to dull the very real pain that the clones had induced upon him. "By the way, I'm not sure if I mentioned this before... The reason that you don't see anyone else here right now... If you wish to pass, you will continue to fight until you are either ejected forcefully or your navi core is destroyed. It's not a test of your full capabilities with any less than that, correct?"

The soldiers menacingly began to close back in on Trent, who found that he now had the grace of at least two walls to his back instead of soldiers on every side. As he watched, a lightning bolt flew down from the sky and evaporated one of the soldiers where he stood. "Sorry, I know that this is your training, but I can get a little restless if I'm not killing something," PantheonMan apologized from behind the swarm of soldiers that remained. Sasha remained nearby him, the collar having protected him from injury.

Neo-Shogun Soldier A: 70 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier B: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier C: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier D: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier E: 10 HP (Slow) (1 movement away)
Neo-Shogun Soldier F: 10 HP (Slow) (1 movement away)
Neo-Shogun Soldier G: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier H: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier I: 100 HP
Neo-Shogun Soldier J: 60 HP (Snared) (1 movement away)

Trent: 110 HP
Sasha: 50 HP (10 HP barrier)
PantheonMan: 800 HP

CloneMan: 100 HP
Clone Generator Device: 200 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal
Expecting the help of PantheonMan was a grave mistake on Trent's part, and not one that he was going to make again. He should have known this was going to be on just him, and that simple error cost him far too much of his health. He was grateful for the healing from Pantheonman, but was going to fight much more carefully, and with more tactics. Rushing into things at the start was always his most common downfall. The tips of the spears had done their damage to him as well, several of the wounds were still very painful, some in his sides. He had learned from the years of knife fighting that the sides of the torso was a very painful puncture point. He didn't like being on the receiving end.

Mark was watching eagerly in his seat while feeling a mixture of emotions. He was happy to be here but not happy Trent messed up so badly the first few moves. "Pull it together Trent!" Mark snapped. He wasn't about to let his trained Navi pull stupid stunts and get himself hurt and dishonored when trying out for the bloodhounds. "I will not accept this, buck up." Trent heard him, but didn't react.

The walls behind Trent were both a blessing and a curse. It limited is backwards movement, but at the same time kept his back free from counter attack. Trent studied the formation of the three that were before him, trying to mentally sort through his chips and attack plans to delete them quickly and also heal some of his health back. Nothing was coming to mind. His only healing chip was the totem, a chip which would take two actions to be able to properly use. But it was his only shot at keeping his own health high. He slid a hand down to his leg holsters and pulled out a new knife, one which had been modified by the moonblade chip.

Trent moved forwards slightly, his new knife held behind him which he started to swing around in a wide arc. The momentum was picked up by the chip, which spun him around in a circle quickly. The three that were closest to him would be getting a surprise as he quickly went back on the offense. After his spinning attack was executed, he took out three more knives and tossed on at each of the projections before him. The very very painful projections.

With the enemies before him either taken out or at least on the defense, Trent too stepped backwards, keeping his weight light in case of a counter attack. He pulled up the totem chip, and summoned it behind him, meanwhile whistling an order to Sasha. Sasha rushed pasted the lines of guards and took a wide stance behind them. His ears rolled backward unto his head and his lips curled up to show a mouth full of teeth. Several deep growls erupted from the dog as his stance got lower and more aggressive. He began to bark and snap wildly at the guards, trying to fear them into not stepping further. Sasha kept his wits about him as he did, checking for any sneak attacks.

His dog taking the lead and pressing them back was the moment Trent waited for as he smashed his foot into the face of the red totem behind him, causing the color to change from red to blue. The blue side had a healing effect, which Trent quickly utilized. Seeing no more opportunity for attack Trent dodged and rolled towards his dog to keep him safe.

Summary
Trent
1) Moonblade Neo-Clone A, H, I (90 + Slashing + Spin Attack)
2) Kunai Neo-Clone H, I, E (30 + Slashing)
*Free Action: Swordplay: Dodge
3) Summon Totem Behind Trent

Sasha
1) Movement to behind A, H, I and in the middle of most enemies to use
2) Dread Howl (Stun + Nova 2)

Trent
4) Kick Totem
*Activate Totem: +50 HP to self
*Free Action: Fast Warrior: Passive movement to Sasha
5) Dodge Roll on the way to Sasha
Trent took a few more prods from spears aimed at him, but his healing totem left him feeling better (unlike the blessing PantheonMan had given him, this one did a little to alleviate the pain too). By the time he'd finished attacking, only two injured soldiers were left. True to the battle data, they both backed away, then ran for their lives.

As they did, PantheonMan gave a hearty, genuine laugh, then blasted both of the fleeing clones with lightning, turning them into bits of useless data. "An amusingly accurate recreation, wouldn't you say? We Bloodhounds have nothing to fear from weak-willed soldiers like those," he finished, already fiddling with the machine to ready the next batch of clones. "They ran like that in the previous simulation, too. If you were a bit faster, you could have had the pleasure of destroying them yourself! Still, you did well. Take a moment to allow your arsenal to refresh and offer me your opinions on the enemies you faced. Just for reference, those men were some of the Neo-Shogun's footsoldiers. They come in innumerable quantities but have primitive weaponry and only the slackest understanding of how to conduct themselves in combat. Really, you couldn't ever find yourself facing more than about ten at once, because with the limitations of their weaponry, they can't fit any more in to stab at you."

Neo-Shogun Soldier A: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier B: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier C: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier D: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier E: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier F: 10 HP (Slow) (1 movement away)
Neo-Shogun Soldier G: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier H: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier I: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Soldier J: 60 HP (Snared) (1 movement away)

Trent: 130 HP
Sasha: 50 HP (10 HP barrier)
PantheonMan: 800 HP
Totem: 100 HP

CloneMan: 100 HP
Clone Generator Device: 200 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

--BATTLE 1 CLEAR--

Trent gets: 800z, 40 BugFrags, 3 PantheonMan FXP
With the final slashes done and the retreating warrior on their way out, Trent let them go. He wasn't overly shocked when PantheonMan struck them down. He kept his knives gripped in his hands, not attempting to put them away. Trent turned his attention to Sasha, who thankfully wasn't harmed from that fight. He congratulated his dog with a fast, and careful, head rub.

"Trent, turn your attention back to PantheonMan," Mark said commandingly over a private channel. "He is who both of you need to be impressing. Don't forget your focus and there is no need to get Sasha overreacting to such a small fight." Mark leaned back and crossed his arms. He was starting to get critical of Trent.

Trent stood back up from his crouched position and looked back to PantheonMan, seeing the next wave of clones heading in. As this went on further it would be getting tougher and tougher, he would need to keep himself and Sasha in check. Then again, Trent always was more vulnerable against multiple targets. "You're right we have nothing to fear. Even in numbers they didn't do their job. A small handful of bloodhounds could drop an army of those." Trent was trying to say the correct words for both Mark mostly, knowing he would want the glory of remembering them. Normally Trent wouldn't say anything, or if he did it wouldn't have been more than a few words, and his awkwardness in talking was most likely apparent to the smooth talking PantheonMan.

Trent returned to his normal silence when he stared at PantheonMan and waited for the next batch. Sasha lowered his chest and ears as he waited. The dog, truth be told, was enjoying these fights.

{Battle 2}
"Yes... qualified Bloodhounds, certainly. The heelnavis composing the bottoms of our ranks are about as useless as those soldiers, to be honest. Unlike that shogun, however, we have no intention of relying on their numbers to get us through our battles. Let's not dwell on the insignificant for any longer than is proper," PantheonMan agreed. Even though he himself could never seem to get brevity down, he applauded the virtue in his ally. "Now, let's meet some of the prettier faces of the Neo-Shogun's army."

The next enemies to show up were all female, including one short ninja in yellow, a slightly taller (and skimpily clad) samurai in red, and a taller and bustier woman in a blue dress. The first two were decidedly Electopian; the final looked Electopian herself, but her hair was dyed a gradient of white and black. The first two wore serious expressions, while the third smiled haughtily. "I can respect the shogun's style. As a man of strength, I too enjoy the company of strong women. However, these you see before you, despite each holding the rank of general, are the weakest among his officers. Let's see how you fare against the three of them. I'll be happy to help you out some too, of course, but you should be able to handle at least these three," he ensured Trent. His smile, however, seemed again to be hiding something.

Neo-Shogun Ninja: 140 HP
Neo-Shogun Samurai: 250 HP
Neo-Shogun Sorceress: 100 HP

Trent: 130 HP
Sasha: 50 HP (10 HP barrier)
PantheonMan: 800 HP
Totem: 100 HP

CloneMan: 100 HP
Clone Generator Device: 200 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

--BATTLE 2 START--
The next three opponents showed up, each one showing a strikingly different style of fighting that he knew would become an issue to deal with very quickly. He would need to get some control of the field going, but wasn't exactly sure how to handle that just yet. The smile displayed both on the face of one of the illusions and the face of PantheonMan gave enough away for him to be cautious. Seeing how much help he was offered last fight, Trent would not be shooting off the starting line so quickly. Trent glanced over to the odd working of these test fights, including the totem which remained by his side and Sasha's unchanged barrier values. A bit odd indeed. Even Mark made an off handed remark about it. "Huh, the totem is still around. The properties of these test fights must be changed. Makes it even closer to those rings huh, anything can happen in there."

Trent ignored the comment, choosing instead to further disconnect himself from the idea of the rings for the last bit of precious time that he could. He dropped into a low stance and ordered Sasha to take another bite of his cube, which he did so quickly. The dog scratched at the collar with his back foot, jarring the cube lose and unto the ground. A blue barrier engulfed Sasha once more, doubling over his shield. Trent didn't want to take any chances with these three, and sat up a quick defense measure first. The Fast Gauge chip sped itself throughout Trent's system, giving him a nice boost to his favorite defensive measure. During the change Trent kept his own movements as still as possible, trying to be covert about the activation of the chip.

Mark was quietly taking notice of his navi's change in attitude, he was much more cautious towards these three than he has been before. Normally Trent would have gone in knives swinging, but he was holding himself back. It appeared he was slowly changing back to a more controlled style of fighting, based in self preservation. Either way, the change should help in the opening moves of this fight Mark thought.

Trent pulled up a chip which he hadn't used much before and readied it as he dropped down into a low stance and shot him weight to the right, as a defensive move, to throw off any aimed attacks and to help free himself for his next choice, the arrow chip. After his weight landed a bit to the side he withdrew a knife and slung it with a side arm through towards the sorceress in the back of the group. Along the flight path the knife turned into the elecbee virus which gave him this attack. Sasha followed suit with the start of the attack, but dodge and darted forwards towards the three. Sasha always was a strikingly brave companion. The dog took an aggressive stance in his new found position and spread his front legs and lowered his chest to the ground. The ears rolled backwards and the lips rolled up exposing his bright white teeth. A deep rumble began in his stomach as a follow-up howl and bark were released.

After the attack was launched Trent darted back to the other side, spinning his weight off to the left and dropping low to the ground in a roll. He came back up to is feet with another chip armed and ready, a rather silly looking bubble gun had formed in his hands. It was comically large and was made of two spherical chambers with a protruding blue tip. He pulled the trigger and held it back as three bubbles formed on the end, each slowly drifting towards the targets. If they failed to capture the enemies, which they most likely would do, at least they would provide a battlefield obstacle, albeit a temporary one. Finally Trent pulled up the totem and healed himself, hopefully setting up the next moves to be highly in his favor.

"I'm not sure I like this more reserved Trent. He doesn't get himself into so much trouble and in turn I don't have to watch him so closely," Mark chuckled.

Summary
Sasha
1) Protection Collar -40 HP barrier to self-

Trent
1) Fast Gauge chip to self -+10% dodge for target for 3 turns-
2) Dodge
3) Arrow Chip to Neo-Shogun Sorceress -100 + homing + Elec-

Sasha
2) Dread Howl Sig Attack - Stun + Nova 2-

Trent
4) Dodge
5) BubbleStar to Ninja, Samurai, and Sorceress -20 + Bubble Trap x 3 targets + Aqua-
* Free Action: Totem Heal + 50 HP
Trent and Sasha set up defenses of their own while the samurai and ninja closed in. The sorceress, on the other hand, kept her distance and raised one fan over her face. As she flipped it, she began to fade out of existence... only to be blasted by a flying electric bee before she could fully disappear. The navi staggered backwards, saved only by the undershirt NC program.

Even being in such close proximity to Trent and his dog, the ninja nimbly managed to jump and avoid the shockwave produced by Sasha. The samurai, on the other hand, took the attack but kept coming. As a final measure, Trent released a trio of bubbles towards the Neo-Shogun officers. The ninja simply evaded again, but the samurai was covered in suds, despite spinning her spear to pop the bubble before it connected. The bubble didn't really have a chance of hitting the sorceress who, injured state aside, was still invisible and hard to aim at.

The samurai delivered four quick thrusts of her spear as a counterattack, which Trent managed to avoid. As she finished, she planted the tip of the halberd into the ground and lifted one leg, then brought it down hard on Trent's shoulder. The impact seemed even worse than what he could have anticipated from being hit by the weapon; his body felt like it was locking up. It was all he could do to dodge out of the way of a barrage of yellow, sparking kunai from the ninja. Unrelenting, the samurai hit him square in the gut with her fist, which had erupted into flames, then spun and backfisted his dog, which was thankfully protected by its barrier.

Seeming to come from another word, PantheonMan's voice addressed Trent again. "Impressive! This is the point at which the first candidate proved to be a failure, you know. The fact that you're still standing proves you're a better fighter than she was... Perhaps worthy to be considered amongst our ranks. My purpose here was to prove to you that the Neo-Shogun soldiers had such dangerous women in their ranks... although perhaps you didn't need that lesson. Regardless, I'll help you from this point on. Let's see if you can stand and continue fighting. Your opponents still have a lot of kick left in them," the Bloodhound fighter spoke up, although a new mist had enveloped the area so heavily that it was hard to tell where he was. Trent could still see his enemies easily enough, however.

Neo-Shogun Ninja A: 140 HP (decoy active)
Neo-Shogun Ninja B: 140 HP (decoy active)
Neo-Shogun Samurai: 250 HP (stun x1) (bubble trap x1)
Neo-Shogun Sorceress: 1 HP (invis x1) (illusion x1)

Trent: 60 HP (stun x2)
Sasha: 50 HP
PantheonMan: 800 HP
Totem: 100 HP

CloneMan: 100 HP
Clone Generator Device: 200 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal
Mark let a devilish smile cross his face as the words of PantheonMan echoed around the temple. It brought him joy to see Trent being accepted in the way that he was, already having bypassed the failures of others. But just getting through the one without any fire wasn't going to be good enough for Mark. Trent would have to be the best of the three to really prove himself. "Trent. Don't accept that as much of a compliment, remember what was said about that navi when we first got here. No fire. No potential. We already knew you had that. Push it forwards." Mark checked the vitals of his navi, it didn't look very good at the moment. But with PantheonMan's help and the heavy hitter of the group trapped up, that should be enough to get this fight down. All Trent had to do was stand through it. Once the stuns broke though, that should be easy.

Mark's words barely made it into Trent's ears, his entire focus was put on the three, very damaging, illusions before him. One of which had already greatly reduced his health and the barrier of Sasha. Trent's mind was only in the fight right now. His body was locking up from the shoulder where the weapon had smacked him hard. The massive strike left him unable to use half of his torso, all he could do was stumble slightly while trying to loosen and unlock his damaged joint. The bubble trap sprung on the samurai, encasing him in a comical bubble. Quickly and loudly he whistled to Sasha, who ran over to Trent's side and spread his feet wider and braced himself. His back lowered as he readied for a jump. He held this position as Trent regained control of his body and flew out of the gate, on full offense.

Two metal blades snapped out from the leg holsters, each one gripped so hard in Trent's palm it made his knuckles turn white. There was no reason to play a defense now, with so much of his time wasted in loosing his stunned shoulder. Heavy feet landed on the ground as he ran after the equally nimbly and agile Neo-Shogun Ninja. With double the targets from the ninja Trent would have be just as fast to disable the fake ninja and damage the real one. He leaped at one, knife blade leading the way, attempting to throw a simply slash at the center mass of the ninja. Not wanting to stay where he was, Trent rolled to the ground and dashed after the second ninja, keeping his stance light, and delivered a second simple slash towards that ninja as well.

Now he turned his attention to the trapped and stunned samurai, one he very desperately wanted to have out of his way. He moved behind the trapped target and brought up a blade to the center of her back, his blade searching for an opening on the heavy armor and slip through. Once the first attack had been sent forwards Trent whistled to Sasha, who pushed off the ground and leap forwards towards the Samurai. As Sasha left the ground, Trent pulled up a boot to the center of her back, trying to send her right into Sasha's incoming mouth.

Trent ducked down low after the attack as an avoidance move, and refocused the ninja. Which luck the two fast strikes had found their target, and he could descend upon the real ninja with a flurry of blades. Trent found what he though was the real one and pounced and slashed furiously before rolling and out once more, keeping up his hit and run tactics. He was washed in a blue light as he regained his footing.

Summary
Trent
1) STUN
2) STUN

Sasha
1) Charge Gigasarm1 from chip Preset

Trent
3) Quick Slashes to Ninja A -30 Slashing- THEN -Dodge + Movement (Towards other Ninja) + Haste THEN -30 Slashing- to Ninja B
*Free Action: Fast Warrior: Movement Behind the Samurai
4) Combat Tactic Disengage to Samurai -70 Damage + Slashing + Knockback (Towards Sasha) + Dodge-

Sasha
2) Use charged Gigasarm1 on Samurai -180 + Break + Impact + Microburst-

5) Combat Tactic: Flurry to The only Ninja (If there is a clone attack ninja A) -20 x 5 Hits + Slashing + Movement-
*Free Action: Swordplay: Dodge
*Free Action: Totem Heal -+50 to self-
Trent's attack on the first ninja dispelled the illusion, which flickered and vanished like a TV screen turning off once it was slashed. The other, however, annoyingly dodged out of his attack, more concerned about its safety (as concerned as a clone based on battle data could be, anyways). Fortunately, the samurai was a much easier target; although she turned in her bubble to face him, she was still trapped, and he delivered a swift kick that burst the bubble but sent her flying backwards. The dog bit her out of the air and then slammed her onto the ground, shattering some of her armor. The cry of pain was realistic enough to the point that it was difficult to remember she was just a copy.

Climbing back up to one knee, she raised one fist and gave a battle cry. Flames rose from her feet and spiraled around her body, lighting up her eyes with new energy. She managed to rise, despite the injury that was causing her to leak data from her exposed midriff. Even as Trent focused the other ninja, he found his attacks amazingly ineffective; only one swipe managed to hit, a glancing blow that drew data but didn't slow his enemy down at all.

The ninja was really the only enemy in a position to attack him, however. She released another volley of kunai, which missed him entirely. As he looked into the distance, he realized she hadn't been aiming at him at all; she'd hit his totem instead. She teleported in and finished it off with a spinning slash, which cut the totem in two and nearly slashed him by proximity. He managed to dodge just in time.

The ninja split in two again, just as PantheonMan emerged from the mist and placed a hand on Trent's shoulder. A low hiss emanated from all around them, letting them know that the sorceress was still using her trickery. "I got my start in a player killer group known as the Legion, you know?" he chuckled, going off on a tangent seemingly unrelated to their task at hand. "We would fight to kill as well, but back then, the fighting was the best you got out of it. Honor for you, shame for your enemies, but none of the actual satisfaction of denying your opponent his life. A hollow way to fight. This clone technology is great, but destroying these practice dummies can't compare to the raw thrill you or I could experience from depriving those ignorant soldiers of their lives. They've jumped into this war with no consideration of their enemies... or what we're prepared to do."

Punctuating his point, he released a barrage of lightning bolts from his free hand that tore the samurai apart, invalidating her efforts to get back on her feet. "I like that you protect yourself while you attack. It shows that you understand the concept of a battle to the death. Never lose that fear for your life; the complacency bred by a jackout mechanism is a warrior navi's worst enemy. You do value your life, don't you?" the Bloodhounds Rank 1 inquired, smiling earnestly.

In the distance, through the fog, Trent could see that the sorceress navi had doubled herself as well. It was looking like some annoying running gag inside the Neo-Shogun's army to have cloning magic... The clones just kept cloning themselves. Furthermore, she seemed to have used her magic to heal the wound left by that earlier electric attack.

Neo-Shogun Ninja A: 120 HP (decoy active)
Neo-Shogun Ninja B: 120 HP (decoy active)
Neo-Shogun Samurai: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Sorceress A: 100 HP (illusion x1) (decoy active)
Neo-Shogun Sorceress A: 100 HP (illusion x1) (decoy active)

Trent: 60 HP (Team linked) (Strengthen 60)
Sasha: 50 HP
PantheonMan: 800 HP (Team linked)
Totem: DESTROYED

CloneMan: 100 HP
Clone Generator Device: 200 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal
A grim look came over Trent's face as the totem behind him was slashed away. That had been the one thing that was keeping him stable in this fight, and bringing out a new one would just set it up as another target for the fast moving ninja. Trent turned his head quickly to confront whoever placed a hand on him not wanting to jump away until he knew if it was a friend of a foe there. When PantheonMan came into view he relaxed slightly and called Sasha over to his side. The white dog emerged from the mist with streams of it rolling from his fur. All three listened closely to PantheonMan's words, but none more closely than Mark. He turned up the volume from his PET and leaned in much closer to listen carefully. A broad smile crossed his face as PantheonMan praised Trent.

The fighters eyes never stopped darting around the mist as he felt PantheonMan starting to assist him with this fight. The hand on his shoulder was strangely comforting. "I do value my life," Trent said lowly. "I never have fought with the thought of the safety net of the jackout there." Trent and Sasha kept scouting the mist.

"Trent, well done. Lets get this fight finished off huh? I say ignore that ninja, you are going to waste a lot of valuable effort on such a fast target. Stick to the other and save the ninja so that all three of you can tie her down." Mark slotted in one chip for Trent, so that he could save some thinking time. The moonblade downloaded to Trent and he let a short smile cross his face, as Mark finally gave him one good chip. "Lets get the Sorceress." Trent tired to locate the Sorceress and then set off towards her.

Trent dropped low and whistled for Sasha to follow. The pair ran towards her and tried to position to be in the middle of her and all of her clones. With the tight grip on his knife he took one final step and landed on the ball of one foot. The chip kicked in spinning him around in a broad circle. His elbow locked at the joint from the extra force of the spin and the fully outstretched arm tried to swipe through all the targets. He withdrew himself from the spin, rather dizzy from the additional kick provided by PantheonMan. He gathered his stance and pulled out three throwing knives from his leg holsters. He tossed one at one of the Sorceress and then turned to face the ever dodging and darting ninja. He would have a tough time finding her in this fog but he threw at what he thought was her and her clone. From there he rolled backwards and dodged back out of the group of clones.

A sharp sound pierced the fog as Trent whistled and Sasha ran up on the first Sorceress he saw, and hopefully the only remaining one, and lunged into the air mouth wide open for a bite. He landed on the ground behind her afterwards and took a few small steps back towards PantheonMan and Trent for safety and for distance.

Trent got back to his feet and searched again for the ninja, which he hoped would be the final target to delete. He pulled up a seldom used chip in his inventory, something he had just recently obtained. The Marublaster1 chip would prove to be promising here if the ninja's clone had been deleted from the kunai throws. He found the first ninja he could, and fired the chip at her, not waiting to see if another one was dancing around on the sides. Then Trent made a dodging action back toward PantheonMan for safety. As one last measure to make sure that the ninja clones were gone for PantheonMan to find, he pulled up a shotgun and took aim. He blasted down through the mist hoping the spread of the pellets would hit both of the ninja.

Summary
Trent
*Free Action: Fast Warrior: Movement into best spot to hit the most Sorceress clones with
1) Moonblade to Sorceress A and Sorceress A and all clones -4 Targets + Strengthen 10 + 90 slashing + Spin Attack-

Sasha
1) Movement Behind Trent

Trent
2) Kunai to The last Sorceress, if there is more than the first he sees, and both ninjas -30 + Slashing + 3 Targets
*Free Action: Swordplay: Dodge

Sasha
2) Attack Remaining Sorceress if there is more than one the first he sees -15 damage-

Trent
3) Marublaster1 to remaining ninja or the first ninja he sees -B Acc- (60 + Glitch + Elec + Special: If used after sword or Melee attack the accuracy is increased to A
4) Dodge
5) Shotgun to Ninja and clone -50 + Spread1-
Trent's first move was a good one, allowing him to station himself so that he could slice into both sorceresses at once. It wasn't possible to hit the ninjas with the same blade, but the damage to the blue dress girls ought to be enough to impress PantheonMan. One dispelled and the other attempted to retreat into the mist. The kunai wasn't able to hit her, but his dog was. Of course, it was a little bit strange, tearing into what should be navi data and finding that the clone vanished like tissue paper. In that sense, there was little difference between the decoys Trent had been destroying and the clones themselves. Annoyingly, the ninjas had dodged all of his attacks again, but that was as he'd foreseen.

"That's a flaw in CloneMan's simulator, don't you think? I'd like our opponents to be a little meatier, personally! If you're the type who uses fists or a blade, you probably like to feel a little feedback when you get your weapon into the opponent's flesh," PantheonMan chuckled, casting a glance in the direction where they'd seen CloneMan earlier. "Well, I guess nothing's quite perfect!"

In the mean time, Trent continued attempting to get an attack in on the ninja. One attack dissipated her clone, but she just kept moving. Even once the shotgun hit her, he found it ineffective as she faded into a black shadow; the attack just moved right through her. She countered with her own wave of kunai, which moved past Trent but hit PantheonMan, scratching his arm.

Had the NetMafia's Rank 1 really allowed himself to be hit by such an obvious attack? Wasn't he always going on about keeping one's wits on the battlefield and being certain not to underestimate a situation? He quickly revealed the source of his nonchalance; the same shower from earlier rained from the sky and helped him recovery from the injury. He shrugged. "Fear's important, but if you're just not afraid, what can you do? I can't be afraid of someone like this." Trent, however, felt that the gash had been transferred to his own arm as well... the double-edged sword of a Team navi's abilities was showing itself.

Surprisingly, the clone seemed to understand the change in the battlefield. She began to retreat towards the edge of the dome... but the clone couldn't escape, despite her speed. As a clone, she was trapped inside the area projected around the generator. PantheonMan extended one arm, which began to glow a bright white, then burst into electricity. The sparks arced out further and further until they stabilized to form a long blade. "The Neo-Shogun Army is fond of a special defensive ability: shadow. You should come equipped with swords when you fight them! Of course, you were well prepared; you use a knife primarily. It was a simple slip-up," he explained, then ran forward.

Even with the ninja's speed, PantheonMan was faster. The two looked for a moment like entwining bolts... Finally, they came to a stop; the dark-skinned navi dispelled his electricity and allowed his foe to fall into two even halves. "There we are! You were right to leave her for last... she's an annoying one that never stops moving but can't do anything worthwhile. A pitiful way to fight, if you ask me. Balance! Well-rounded tactics will win the fight," he chuckled... Although it didn't seem like he needed much in the way of strategy to overcome his opponents.

The navi paused, then turned back to Trent. He grinned and clapped his hands heartily. "Well done! Those are the basic troops of the Neo-Shogun's army. You have proven yourself worthy of our ranks, I'd say. I've got more simulations if you'd like to try them out, but I understand if you are weary. There's no shame in stopping here. After all, you've only just begun your tour as a Bloodhound," he congratulated the new inductee. "The last ones, though... they're the real warriors of that army! They're the lines of defense that keep us from wiping that little militia aside with the back of our hand. Skilled athletes with superior fighting techniques... the kind of women even I'd like to fight for real some day. I'm not sure that CloneMan's little machine here has done them justice, but it's the best I've got for now. I might go on sparring for a while. You're free to watch, or join in, if you like!"

He turned and crossed his arms, wanting to hide his smirk. There was nothing evil or deceptive in that expression. It was just a raw and almost masturbatory emotion, like when one smiles in self-praise after doing such a good job with a chore. Sometimes PantheonMan couldn't help feeling that way, with how well the net had played out for him.

Neo-Shogun Ninja: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Samurai: DELETED
Neo-Shogun Sorceress: DELETED

Trent: 45 HP (Team linked) (Strengthen 60)
Sasha: 50 HP
PantheonMan: 800 HP (Team linked) (Haste)
Totem: DESTROYED

CloneMan: 100 HP
Clone Generator Device: 200 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

--BATTLE 2 COMPLETE--

Trent gets: 2800z, 24 BugFrags, MistConv1, 12 PantheonMan FXP
Sasha regained his footing quickly but was clearly confused by how quickly the navi had given way. His first instinct was to look around, thinking it another trick, but a whistle from Trent and a few words of conformation from Pantheon man assured the dog that the clone was deleted. Sasha was still overall confused by how easily they folded but how painful they were. Trent looked down at his blades at the same time thinking about the lack of feedback he had experienced. It was a small but important detail he was rather used to feeling. Sasha moved back over to Trent's side as they watched PantheonMan.

Mark began to scold Trent on his inability to use the proper attacks, his own favorite and most basic attacks, against he ninja. Before he could start though PantheonMan man rushed after the Ninja and fished her off in a spectacular manner. This display silenced Mark and Trent as they watched. In on time the large navi was finished and back near to Trent, congratulating him. Trent lowered his head in a small but obvious bow, and raised back up. He didn't know what Mark would want him to say, so there was a moment of awkward silence before Mark filled the gaps.

"Thank you PantheonMan. I am glad that you have found us worthy, I guess the invite was well extended." Mark was beaming at this point. "That clone technology is a very nice training machine indeed. Would any bloodhounds be able to use it in the future for training purposes?"

"I want to watch the next fight. To gather information on the Neo-Shoguns." Trent said in the brief space where Mark wasn't talking or preparing more words for him. Trent was already very low on health, and there were only two ways to give that health back, neither of which was an acceptable option. Trent placed his knives in his holsters and watched a reaction from PantheonMan. Sasha sat happily on the ground next to Trent's side and seemed to be smiling himself.

Mark was slightly disappointed in his navi, but understood why. No need to bring about embarrassment now, after he impressed so well.