Enter the Devil's Daughter

((One more fight. Not going for a mission in boring ol' Electown. No, it's time Cheshy bit off more than she could chew. >: D
I hear Netopia is lovely this time of year.))
((Bump.
Let's make this dynamic!))
(Gah! Sorryorry!)

It's a swarm of viruses! Just, not as big as the one that Cheshire will soon face.

VolgearA: 80 HP
VolgearB: 80 HP
VolgearC: 80 HP
MagneakerA: 70 HP
MagneakerB: 70 HP
MagneakerC: 70 HP
MagneakerD: 70 HP

Cheshire: 150 HP

-BATTLE 4! FIGHT!-
"Oh, boring. Sorry, Arco, but we're gonna have to do another. There's something other than these harmless things around, but I need to wander a little more to actually find it." This change of plans drew a heavy sigh from Arco.

"Alright, whatever. Doesn't look like I'm going to get any sleep, anyway." Despite her words, she didn't sound so frustrated as Cheshire had expected; maybe she was having some fun, too. That was a good sign, and one that brought a sly grin to the catty young woman's lips. Ever the brilliant strategist (she really had taken to Netbattling like a fish to water,) Arco slipped in three chips that would decimate the virus ranks with little trouble. Now, what fun would that be?

Cheshire swept the data of the last one away. Probably meant she couldn't use it again for the battle; the payload had been transmitted, whether said payload had been used or not. She was indifferent; she was beginning to see why people regarded chips of its type as the biggest violators of the balance of power. What could she learn from this foray if she could simply swing a sword all the way? It would break after a while, but not before it had cut down great swaths of viruses. And then it would just refresh. Might as well give these sad little things a chance to fight back, too; now, she only hoped they weren't as stupid as the Hanz, who had just floated there, probably ogling her hips until his demise. She couldn't blame him, though.

She suddenly brought her good arm forward, the Gleipnir coming to life and coiling from her hips up her torso and along her arm, where it left her body entirely and became a spinning ring of steel, or whatever metal it was supposed to be made of. Its incessant spinning, through very ominous, wasn't very deadly at all, especially since as it was positioned it was more likely to shear Cheshire than any viruses. This changed son enough; a gushing torrent of water sprang from the gatelike circle of metal, sweeping towards the unfortunate Volgears until something came to their aid; a wall of fire, sent by a familiar young woman with cat ears. However, this didn't turn out much better for the Volgears; now there was a sheet of pressurized steeam after them, and it looked like it might catch the tail end of the Magneaker troupe as well. The entire battlefield, Cheshire included, was engulfed in a cloud of steam. Although this steam had lost its momentum and cooled from its former scalding temperature, it still managed to block visibility like a sheet, leaving the outcome of such a venture in question.

---------------
1. Wideshot (80, [A], Aqua) All Volgears
2. Flameline1 (70, [A], Fire) Magneakers A, B, and C
3. Dodge
4. Dodge
Lolpwnt.
But... there's one left. It fires an attack, but misses.

VolgearA: DELETED
VolgearB: DELETED
VolgearC: DELETED
MagneakerA: DELETED
MagneakerB: DELETED
MagneakerC: DELETED
MagneakerD: 70 HP

Cheshire: 150 HP
((I only have 140 HP ;D
Thanks for the speedy modding. I need to get this done posthaste.))

Cheshire was still lost in a massive cloud of steam. Some of it had started to condense, and she was starting to soak; her shirt clung wetly to her chest and torso, and the ground felt damp and cold under her bare feet. That said, the experience wasn't too unpleasant; the steam was for the most part nice and warm. How often do you get to bring a little Yoka to your fights? Even better, the thinning cloud had finally dispersed enough to reveal a single grasshopper shape.

"Hey, Chess. Everything okay? The PET's gone all greyscreen on me." Arco's voice crackled through the air; she was obviously right up against the mic, probably thinking on some level that she'd need the close proximity to be heard if there were any connection problems. She still had a lot to learn.

"Everything's great here, Arco. Just thought I'd make things a little interesting. I've needed a nice steam for a while now. Let's go to Yoka sometime, huh? You could use a steam, too." Cheshire certainly sounded relaxed... Then again, Arco hadn't seen anything get to her, ever.

"We have a netpolice mission, remember?" Arco tried to avoid the question, but... "... Then again, it would be nice. Take my mind off the state of things... Alright. For the mission, we'll head to Yoka. Virus swarms are probably a bigger problem in tourist places like that, anyway."

Cheshire smiled. Yeah, Arco really needed to cool down a little. Besides, the last time Cheshire had been to the Onsen... Well, she couldn't remember the last time. It had been a while, for sure. But enough of that... She swept her grinning gaze to the now perfectly visible grasshopper. The chain coiled once more to her arms, where it wrapped around her hands, leaving a metal shell reminiscient of a buster, only these two busters were joined by a heavy chain. It wasn't of any consequence, though, seeing as the chain was hers and all. Twin bursts of energy flashed for an instant at the muzzles of the chain-busters before the y uncoiled and returned to being a hip ornament.

--------------
1. Cannon (40, [A]) MagneakerD
2. Cannon (40, [A]) MagneakerD
3. Dodge
4. Dodge
It goes pop

Reward: 400Zenny, Flameline1
"Alright, then, Arco. One more virus, then we're off to Yoka for the mission." Cheshire promised with a smile and a nod, everything else silent save for the light padding of bare feet as the young woman walked along a small dirt path on the outskirts of the majority of Electown Net.

"Mmm." Arco affirmed. She could already feel the hot water... Looked like she would get a bath tonight after all.

((Battle 5! Lock and load!))
Suddenly, two heelnavis pop out of some random bush... All ready to mug Cheshire for all her chips and moneys.


HeelnaviA:250HP
HeelnaviB:250HP

Cheshire: 140 HP


Mug or be Mugged!!!
"Oh, come on. Ordinary old hoods? I used to eat you guys for breakfast if you tried this kind of thing. We got along pretty well if you didn't, though... But, if you're wandering around in a group like this, then you're probably here to try and mug poor, innocent Chess, huh? Well, then, I'm gonna kick you guys to hell and back then scoot for a quick steam in Yoka." She fixed the two with a terrifying grin. Even Arco was taken aback. It was the face of Death -- no, not Death. As melodramatic as the old Ender was, he never seemed to enjoy his work. Her mother's side of the family blood had caused enough of it for young Arco to know that though the events beforehand may be violent, death and Death were serene. Ultimately so.

She shuddered and pushed the thought from her mind by turning it instead to strategy. She wasn't ready to let her mind wander there yet. Stupid kid should've known what he had got into...

Cheshire relented and lowered her demonic glare. "Arco, you send me anything good?" The Gleipnir was in hand, with a single strange symbol giving off an odd glow. The glow soon spread to Cheshire herself, lending her a slightly godlike air despite her otherwise demonic appearance. The glow was especially concentrated in a dazzling halo around her head. "Hee hee. You scared yet?" She dropped the chain onto the floor, where it lay innocently, coiled at either end. That is, until it sprang up again a hundredfold, a wave of links with crisp purple lightning crackling between them. The Heelnavis dissapeared behind a wall of metal. A final blinding flash of purple coursed through the tangled mess that remained. "'Cause you should be. Don't you know who I am?" A ripple distorted the air above the heap of chains. Even if the unfortunate hoods had been tangled in the mess, surely they had made it out by now. Just in time, too; the chains were glowing a lethal orange now.

"Well, you're not going to live long enough to know. Sorry."

---------------
1. Magbomb (30, [D], Elec) HeelnaviA [Chance to stun]
2. Magbomb (30, [D], Elec) HeelnaviB [Chance to stun]
3. Flameline1 (70, [A], Fire) Heelnavi A and B
4. Dodge
When Chess attacked with the bombs, the heelnavis both dodged them. However, they both moved the same way at the same time. The flameline managed to hit both of them, but shortly after. A hail of bullets rained out from the flames, and hit Chess in the chest. The Two heelnavis appeared, now with Guns inplace of there hands.


HeelnaviA:180HP (Vulcan2)
HeelnaviB:180HP (Vulcan2)

Cheshire: 95 HP

((Not all of there bullets hit, incase you might be confused by your life total))

"Ow! You guys, don't you know that's the worst place to hit a woman? You guys really need to learn manners and all that." The energy bullets that the Vulcans had loosed didn't penetrate to anywhere vital, but they still managed to leave some seeping wounds around her torso and tear her shirt up pretty bad around the stomach area. "Okay, I'll admit, you guys have some nice tricks up your sleeves." The divine glow, which had been gathering since the turn before, suddenly reached its peak. "But I think I've got something that'll blow you away." The tangled mess of chains surged forward once more like a wave. It hit the ground in a distinctly splashlike fashion, sending a horizontal wall of metal at the two hoods. As it lost momentum, it retracted and lost its immense mass, becoming a regular chain on its way to Cheshire. As soon as it reached her hand, though, she swept it out again at the first hood, the Gleipnir leaving a trail of translucent green light. As the light faded, it took on the shape of falling bamboo leaves; The bamboosword, it seemed.

"Now, let's see..." Arco was sitting cross-legged on the bed, the PET resting one one knee and her pile of chips in her lap. She had already given Chess a couple of tried-and-true chips she knew were powerful, but now she wanted to try something a little less direct. The starfish and the plug-rabbit. The bubbles were made out of water, after all. She found the ones she wanted and slotted them into the PET. Almost instantly, they merrily popped out the other side. She fell back into the covers, the PET still grasped in her hand. She watched the screen with muted interest, her head propped up on one arm. What was that Cheshire had just done? It looked like it was lending a lot of power to her attacks, too... That girl sure was full of mysteries. But Arco'd grown to like her a little in the short time they'd known each other thus far. She could really get used to being a NetOp...

Back in the Net, Cheshire had returned the Gleipnir to her waist. "So, you still gonna try and take me down?" She brought her hand to her lips, and geve her fingers a light kiss. She blew the kiss then, but instead of a wave of affection or flames, three growing bubbles shot from the space above her hand and hurtled at the hood. They were large enough that if they hit, he'd be engulfed. But that didn't matter at the moment. She sashayed toward the hood, a coquettish smile on her lips. "You're such a sweetheart," she purred. "You and your friend gave me what I came here to find; a little excitement. And there's not a lot that's more exciting than a good fight." She let out a melodious laugh. "You even managed to hurt me, a little. It's not fun to get hurt, but it adds a lot to a fight if both sides pull their weight. I think you deserve a little something in return, too..." She leaned forward to plant a kiss on the hood's cheek. If he was wise to what she was attempting to do (and not currently entangled in a bubble,) he couldd easily step back and avoid the kiss. If he didn't, he'd have an unpleasant surprise; with a playful "mwah," electricity coursed through Cheshire, delivering deadly voltage to anything she was touching.

---------------
0.5 - Blessed One (+10 to attacks this turn, 1/4 chance to reflect attacks 15 and under)
1. Wideshot (80+10, [A], Aqua) Heenavi A and B
2. BambooSword (80+10, , Wood) HeelnaviA
3. BubStar1 ((20x3)+10, [A], Aqua) HeelnaviB
4. Zapring1 ((40+10)x2, [A], Elec) HeelnaviB
Both Heelnavis dodged Cheshire's wideshot... but when Cheshire came up with the blade, she managed to strike him in the chest with it. Her attempt at hitting the second one with the bubbles did not work, as he merely shot them down, but he was hit in the chest by the Zapring, stunning him momentary. The more wounded of the two fired his gun of death at Cheshire, but failed to hit for some strange unknown reason.


HeelnaviA:90HP (Vulcan2)
HeelnaviB:130HP (Vulcan2) (Stuned)

Cheshire: 95 HP
A heavy sigh drooped Cheshire's shoulders. "Cmon, guys. I know you're fast and all, but do you have to lord it over me like that? I mean, I'm fast too. But you don't need to point out how fast you are by avoiding all my best chips and strategies." She pressed an accusatory finger into the stunned hood's chest. "How do you know what I'm planning, anyway? You psychic?" She pushed away with the slim digit, but luckily for the hood his stance was sturdy enough to keeep him from clattering lamely to the floor. "Man, if I was all here right now, you guys'd be dead already, so count your lucky stars I'm -- he's -- it's not! And stop gloating in that passive-agressive way! You're gonna die, and you know what? I'll get some of your stuff! Let's see how you guys like it, huh? Arco, gimme whatever you still got!"

"Alright..." Arco sifted through the shrinking pile of chips she could use. Two with high numbers and the letter A proudly printed underneath their dynamic pictographical demonstrations stood out. "Sorry, Chess. We're running thin as far as the good chips go," she muttered in an apologetic tone.

"No problem, Arco!" Chess replied, cheery despite Arco's gloomy delivery. "Listen, I wanted a good fight. These guys are giving me a nice bit of a challenge. Short, easy battles are no fun, so buck up!"

Arco couldn't help but smile at Cheshire's encouragement. The girl was a little too flippant sometimes, and it was often tough to see what was real and what was a joke, but Arco could tell she had a good heart. "I'm gonna get ready for Yoka. Do the best you can with these guys, okay?" From what she knew of onsen, she wouldn't need a swimsuit... So she really only had to redress. She swung herself up off of the bed and started for her suitcase. She hoped Cheshire would hurry; unarmed and preoccupied, a walk in the dark could be fatal to anyone carrying the Swift name. She carried but a shadow of the Swift family features over her mother's face, but that in itself was dangerous. She wondered as she led her arms through her black jacket why Father had been enough of a fool to marry into the Yakuza.

Cheshire heard the groaning of mattress springs signalling that Arco had left to prepare. She couldn't wait herself; she hadn't been to Yoka for ages. Yoka... The thought brought back memories. The Reaper dropping change into a limp hand. A stocky colorful giant with a ridiculous and truly phallic weapon. Twin grinning facades of Comedy ranting about justice. A young girl in a white dress, her hands glowing with a gentle power and her face grave. Her own grin faded to mirror the girl's. Lumped in among the memories... A frightening moment of savagery. Anger. Fury at the inability to rend, to taste blood.

Suddenly painfully aware of her limp arm and the chain around her waist, Cheshire drove the memories away with the unfamiliar euphoria of a chip presenting itself in her mind. It couldn't hurt to be a little savage. No, certainly not. She spun on her toes to to the hood who hadn't been stunned, bringing her fist up as she moved. It burst into flames as the swing came into full force, searing any flesh it might come into contact with. She kicked off of the ground, quickly rising into the air. Time for the follow-up. Her good arm and legs were fully extended as she gathered power. As she brought these limbs forward in a quick motion, a twisting inferno was born to scour the area. The force of this weapon knocked her backwards, sending her tumbling unceremoniously back to the ground in an embarassing position. She could feel her cheeks flush as she awkwardly stumbled to her feet. So much for scaring them.

---------------
1. Firehit1 (70, [A], Fire) HeelnaviA
2. FireBrn1 (50, [A], Fire) Heelnavis A and B
3. Dodge
4. Dodge
Chess burned the first heel Navi alive, and he drops to the ground. The second one, stunned by that, and slightly charred from Chess' Flaming attack, raised his Vulcan at her and fired. But all of his shots missed. He slowly stepped back, hoping he could make a run for it soon. It was not going to be as easy of a catch as he thought it was going to be.


HeelnaviA:Playing dead
HeelnaviB:80HP (Vulcan2)

Cheshire: 95 HP
Arco watched with mild amusement as the charred scoundrel fell to his knees, then collapsed in a sooty heap. "He dead?"

"He sure smells dead." Cheshire wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Looks like he's just playing, though." She dropped down onto her haunches to prod the false corpse with a finger. "If we'd killed him, he wouldn't be here." She relented at long last, instead occupying herself by tracing the emblem on her chest into the sooty surface of the criminal's back armor.

"Um... Cheshire?" Arco cut in. "I'm ready to go whenever you are, but... Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Oh, right... Him." She cast her eyes over to the remaining hood, also covered in soot, but in much better shape than his cohort. "You sure you don't want to leave or something? Your friend's alive, too, just kind of cowardly. I'm in a good mood, too, I'd be willing to let you go... What, no? Aww. You're holding me up, dood." She stood, wiping her sooty hand off on her leg. "Fine, you got a death wish, whatever. Not personal anymore, though, alright?"

"Chess... Sometimes, I really don't get you." A smile was on Arco's face, though. "Sometimes you're really too nice. These are your enemies, after all."

"Are they?" Cheshire winked. "They're just bad guys. Small-time ones at that. They're not my enemies, it's just a matter of self-defense. Same goes for viruses; I mean, they're designed to destroy stuff, but some of them are real nice. That's the problem you face when you make programs sentient, I guess." As she talked, she absently snapped her fingers, an an explosion rang out from the criminal's general location. Dust and rocks flew into the air.

"Yeah, but like you said, it's a matter of self-defense. Aren't they your enemies, at least as far as survival's concerned?"

"Hey, if I die, I just lose some loot and speed back to that PET. It's all just like a game. A pretty painful one, granted, but... Well, couldn't you say that your life's a game sometimes?" She shrugged.

"No." Arco's reply was quick and blunt. "In a game, no one dies, and everything eventually turns out all right."

Cheshire inwardly winced. She had struck a nerve, all right... Poor Arco. But, if she just reflected Arco's gloom, she'd never get better. "Alright, say what you will." She said with a mostly outward smile. At that moment, she thrust her palm out, and chaos broke loose in a very localized portion of the Net. Rocks flew straight up as if gravity had suddenly been reversed, punctuated with the occasional clump of dirt. The hood was totally obscured behind the pandemonium... Or eas he in the middleof it all? It was impossible to tell, but Cheshire was enjoying the show anyway. It all caught fire then, the ender to Arco and Cheshire's travelling SFX show.

"Cheshire... Isn't that sort of overkill?"

"Yeah. What's your point?"

---------------
1-3. Shotguns (50, [A]) HeelnaviB
4. Heatshot (40, [A]) HeelnaviB
What nice and Pretty fire works, and it seems to have drop some money while exploding.


You win

Reward: 1250 zenny
"Well, that was fun." Cheshire spread her arms and let out a mighty yawn. "Let's be on our way, then." She faded and disappeared from the Net entirely.