Onsen madness.

DragonierMan lifted the faceplate of his helmet up a crack and spit. Then secured it back into place and began collecting the loot from the field of battle. Destin brightened immediately as the data came in.

"Woo! We finally have enough money to purchase a chip I was saving for."

"It better be worth this..."

He pointed to the scarred terrain.

"There has not been a single worthy challenge since I got here."

"Oh don't worry, this new chip will be worth it."

"We'll se-."

DragonierMan suddenly got a whiff of a scent that was unlike the others until now. A grin spread from ear to ear under his helmet. And just like that, he tore off toward the origin of the scent. Meanwhile Destin was busy putting in a request to a vendor.

[Requesting Battle 5 (Aim).]
DragonierMan smelled several very intriguing, unusual scents. Somewhere nearby, some sort of medieval boiling oil had been freshly poured. Elsewhere, smoke was drifting through the air, indicating the burning of wood lit ablaze. There were also the scents of several navis... one of the navis appeared to be quickly approaching DragonierMan's position.

Yasu recognized DragonierMan's appearance as she approached, although some aspects had changed from back when she'd first met him. She appeared to have been running; although she did not look worn out, her flesh, which her outfit revealed much of, was glistening with sweat. "You there. You're the knight that attended the summit, are you not? I've got important business nearby, if you care to attend me," she informed him. It was easy to imagine that she might need his help more strongly than she was letting on, though, considering the state of her body.

"I do not know if you are an ally of the NeoShogun's army, but if you are, follow me immediately," she commanded him, running in the direction that DragonierMan had smelt smoke from just moments before. Interestingly, DragonierMan now spotted a small stone tower in the distance, but it didn't appear to be relevant to Yasu's interests, considering she was running in the opposite direction...
". . ."

DragonierMan started to open his mouth at Yasu's approach, then she ran off after giving him a quick order to follow, which caused him to close it. His face turned toward the stone tower for a moment. Wondering if that was where she came from.

"I guess you should follow her."

Destin added before DragonierMan shrugged his shoulders and took off after her. The tower was probably a border tower meant to give a vantage point to the area. If Yasu had come from it and seemed to be in a hurry, it could be assumed that something was on the way that would need to be dealt with. Since he had not heard anything else besides the sound of boiling oil.

The thought of potential battle did put a smile on his face though.
"So long as you're coming along, I guess I'd better tell you why you're coming," Yasu sighed, continuing her run at a furious pace, but slowing down slightly so that DragonierMan could keep up. "There's a woman I admire named Armor up ahead. She is a collector of armor and has some pieces that I think would be of great value to my Shogun's army. Just as the time came to visit her and place an offer for those armors, I visited her exhibit and found that she'd been taken captive by some unscrupulous people. I've tracked down those people on route to their base and plan to attack them."

DragonierMan may have wanted to ask at this point why Yasu was moving to attack them with no sort of support in the form of other soldiers, but the answer was clear to see: she felt that the immediacy of the mission was so important that she hadn't had time to get back-up. She'd seemed rather hot-headed at the meeting and her personality wouldn't allow her to act slowly while someone she admired was being mistreated.

"I've identified a few officers amongst the crowd. While I handle those, you will need to neutralize the guards surrounding Armor and get her to safety. Remember that the top priority is rescuing her, not defeating the guards, so as soon as you've gotten her in the clear, I'll come and join you," the eyepatch-wearing general further explained. It was interesting to point out that this plan seemed to imply that she wasn't going to be available to help DragonierMan. Perhaps the officers she'd mentioned were extraordinarily powerful?

Yasu and DragonierMan quickly came upon the enemies she'd talked about. Again, Yasu had brought the two of them there so quickly that DragonierMan had barely had any time to protest the details of the plan. Indeed, as Yasu had described, a woman in silver, medieval armor wearing some sort of cruel, wooden device around her arms was surrounded by several menacing navis. Besides a group of about eight men, each similarly designed with red robes and hats, there were two tall navis wearing bright red hoods that obscured their figures.

The devices restraining Armor seemed to consist of the wooden, medieval stock and shackles around her legs. She seemed worn out and unable to fight, judging by her hunched posture.

Yasu wasted no time engaging the group. "I don't know who you are, but you've gone far enough! Release your captive at once," she instructed them. She didn't seem terribly willing to honor the promise she'd made earlier at the summit, which called for non-violence, but perhaps this was for a good cause.

"GUILLOTINE... THESE ARE ENEMIES OF OURS... REDEEM YOURSELF IN THE EYES OF MASTER ROBESPIERRE... DESTROY THEM IMMEDIATELY..."[color=#E3319D][/color] the first robed figure spoke. No movement came from underneath the hood, although blue light was shining from behind it. A bolt of electricity sparked tellingly from where the face should have been.

"Ugh, more cretins? That one may have been permissable once, but look at her horrendous visage! She is scarred beyond repair,"[color=blue][/color] the officer named Guillotine chided the new arrivals, crossing her arms beneath her robe. "And the other... I can smell infection within him! He's nothing more than a common virus,"[color=blue][/color] she scoffed.

With a flourish, she threw off her robe, revealing her silver hair, womanly figure, and blue cloak, which was lined with glinting guillotine blades. "Very well, Pebblewit! Have at you!"[color=blue][/color] she cried out, sending a guillotine blade soaring through the air towards Yasu. Yasu dodged, then approached with ninja speed.

"You're a disgrace to my lord's net!" Yasu roared, raising one fist in the air. The sound of metal on metal clashed through the air as the two fought each other back.

"THE REST OF YOU... GUARD THE CAPTIVE... AND DELIVER HER ONCE YOU ARE DONE... FAILURE SHALL NOT BE TOLERATED..."[color=#E3319D][/color] the remaining cloaked figure bellowed in a thunderous voice. "I WILL RETURN... AND REPORT TO MASTER ROBESPIERRE... I HOPE THAT YOU MAY YOU ALL RETURN AS WELL... WITH NEWS OF VICTORY..."[color=#E3319D][/color]

The men all nodded in response, then turned to face the enemy as the officer disappeared. "This fellah gonna try to take all eight've us? That'd take some bloody big bawls, wouldn' it? Cummon, chum, if ya got the baaawls for it! one of the men laughed, taunting DragonierMan by waving his torch forward.

Four of the men moved forwards towards DragonierMan, while the others stayed and surrounded Armor. DragonierMan made note of a small onsen pool behind the group, but he'd have to decide for himself if there was a way to use that to his advantage.

RoT Inquisitor A: 100 HP (standing behind Armor)
RoT Inquisitor B: 100 HP (standing to the left side of Armor)
RoT Inquisitor C: 100 HP (standing to the right side of Armor)
RoT Inquisitor D: 100 HP (standing in front of Armor)
RoT Inquisitor E: 100 HP
RoT Inquisitor F: 100 HP
RoT Inquisitor G: 100 HP
RoT Inquisitor H: 100 HP

Armor: 200 HP (bound and weak) (1 movement away)

DragonierMan: 150 HP

Terrain: 80% Normal, 20% Onsen
RoT Inquisitor [x8]

Quote (RoT Inquisitor)

"This fellah gonna try to take all eight've us? That'd take some bloody big bawls, wouldn' it? Cummon, chum, if ya got the baaawls for it! one of the men laughed, taunting DragonierMan by waving his torch forward.

DragonierMan cracked his knuckles.

His cloak caught an invisible wind and unfurled behind him like a flag. The obsidian tower on his white tabard twinkled as if the night sky had been miniaturized and worn as an ornament on his broad, armored chest. His hands came down to his sides, claws unfurled, and his legs bent in a posture reminiscent of a great beast ready to pounce. The dirt underneath his boots cracked and shifted under his weight. The navi bristled as a dull gray sheen began to envelop him, as if the earth itself was encasing him in rock.

"Smash and grab DragonierMan!"

Destin called out as DragonierMan pitched forward and roared in the faces of the four RoT Inquisitors that had stepped forward to dispatch him. The air reverberated with his bellow. And even though his faceplate was down, sweltering heat from his outcry swept over the terrain. Charring it. Forcing wisps of smoke to curl off the dried and crackling ground.

Then came the flames. A monstrous conflagration that thundered and howled. The wave of burning, searing heat licked across the landscape. It blasted the dirt and dust from the field, scouring as it roiled. And the earth churned and bubbled as it passed, quickly liquefying into a pool of murky, molten lava.

The unlucky few who would happen to survive such heat would then be melted within moments by the dangerous terrain now beneath their feet. As a heavy cloud of black smoke and soot settled over the bleak environment.

Which parted moments later in a huff as a silver streak plowed through it and any unlucky foes still standing there. Twin rays of bright light lancing from its sides like a disco ball as it tore by, potentially landing the critical blow to a weakened foe.

DragonierMan flashed across the battlefield in an instant, scattering plumes of ashes and cinders in his wake. And ran headlong into the Inquisitor that stood in front of the weakened and bound Armor. His heavy, spiked body came down like a hammer, heaving his weight into the unfortunate soldier like a wrecking ball.

Having most likely bowled the target over. DragonierMan immediately reached for Armor. His muscles bulged under leather and steel plates as he attempted to lift Armor over his shoulders like a sack of grain. Then he bolted off towards the way he came, carrying her off like a prize. Heading little about the pursuit that was sure to follow.

Summary
Actions:
1: HeatBreath [Battlechip]: Acc: C; 90 Fire Damage + Lava Panel Change + Cone Attack to RoT Inquisitor E/F/G/H.
* Bestial Bulwark [Signature]: One instance of 25 HP Barrier.
* Dragon Scales [Signature]: One instance of 25 HP Casing.
* Empowering Flourish [Signature]: One instance of Strengthen 25.
2: DashAttack [Battlechip]: Acc: C; 100/90 (90+10 Strengthen to Inquisitor D, 90 for all other targets) Null Damage + Impact + LineAttack(5) to RoT Inquisitor D (and any targets in the line to him).
* Sudden Breath 1 [Signature]: Acc: A [Shot Type Attribute]; 10 Null Damage to nearest remaining RoT Inquisitor E/F/G/or H.
* Sudden Breath 2 [Signature]: Acc: A [Shot Type Attribute]; 10 Null Damage to nearest remaining RoT Inquisitor E/F/G/or H.
3: Grab Armor and hoist over shoulders like a sack of potatoes.
4: Tactical Movement: Retreat with hostage.
5: Tactical Movement: Retreat with hostage.

Other Effects:
1: FloatShoes [NaviCust]: Ignores effects from panels except broken/missing.
2: ShadowShoes [NaviCust]: Allows the Navi to move across fragile panels, such as Cracked and Glass, without breaking them.
3: Empowering Flourish [Signature]: Strengthen 15 remaining.
"Blimey, he's a bleedin' dragon! one of the men called out. The men attempted to dodge DragonierMan's fire breath, but two of them were still caught by it. Growling, the men lifted themselves up from the lava and continued onward. They must be pretty devoted to their job to keep on fighting after such an injury. Strangely, the lava didn't seem to be hurting them.

DragonierMan drove his way through one, knocking him back down into the lava with a splat, then nearly plowed into another of the stationary guards nearby Armor. The others growled; DragonierMan noticed that they'd begun to equip themselves with gnarled, poorly fashioned cats-of-nine-tails.

The others behind him, however, already had theirs ready. As the knightly navi scooped up Armor (his body shuddered under the weight of her heavy golden armor), the enemies struck out vengefully with their weapons. Countless tiny hooks tore into DragonierMan, ripping apart his armor and cutting into his flesh. [10 x 14!] The others weren't attacking, but they were already chasing DragonierMan and staying close on his tail.

The situation was looking grim. DragonierMan's body wouldn't stand another assault like that, and Armor was extremely heavy, limiting his mobility severely. Either he would need to find another way to rescue her, find another means of transporting her, or simply drop her. If he could bide time till Yasu returned, that may also help (although Guillotine could come out victorious instead, worsening the situation). He might even need to escape to avoid her same fate.

If worse came to worse, he might be able to use Armor as a pretty good bodyshield. That would be sort of defeating the whole purpose of rescuing her, though.

RoT Inquisitor A: 100 HP (near DragonierMan) (varitails: 2)
RoT Inquisitor B: 100 HP (near DragonierMan) (varitails: 2)
RoT Inquisitor C: 100 HP (near DragonierMan) (varitails: 2)
RoT Inquisitor D: 100 HP (near DragonierMan) (varitails: 2)
RoT Inquisitor E: 100 HP (1 movement behind DragonierMan) (varitails: 1)
RoT Inquisitor F: 10 HP (1 movement behind DragonierMan) (lava) (varitails: 1)
RoT Inquisitor G: 1 HP (1 movement behind DragonierMan) (lava) (varitails: 1)
RoT Inquisitor H: 100 HP (1 movement behind DragonierMan) (varitails: 1)

Armor: 200 HP (bound and weak) (taken by DragonierMan)

DragonierMan: 60 HP (15 strengthen) (carrying Armor; slowed)

Terrain: 55% Normal, 25% Lava, 20% Onsen
Destin saw his navi's health status drop 60% in the opening minutes of the battle. That was bad. He pinged DragonierMan.

"Drop Armor off and switch to a defensive stance."

DragonierMan stooped down and rolled Armor off his shoulders to the ground, then turned to face the pursuing Inquisitors. His chest heaved with effort, and blood dripped out of the joints of his armor. He was a mess, but still had some fight left in him.

He raised himself up to his full height and roared again at the approaching navis. Twin bolts of energy flew from his mouth and homed in on the weakest navi in the back row. Skimming across the surface of the battlefield to find their marks on the head and torso of one potentially unlucky Inquisitor.

The dust kicked up around him like a barrier and armored scales grew upon his form. He drew deep within himself for more power, pooling the swirling energies. His wounds began to knit slowly before the enemy's eyes.

His first real battle in Yoka Net had started off a little too recklessly. But he would make them pay for their earlier successes.

He summoned a silvery sword out of the ether, brandishing it at his foes with both hands. He moved to engage the nearest group, and then shifted from side to side in front of them, baiting them to attack. His footfalls now light and dancing upon the dirt. He swung his sword across the first three Inquisitors, the blade biting and drawing a swath of energy through the air.

The warrior then jumped back and to the side, forcing them to chase him. Leading them away from Armor. Then rushed forward again as they pursued, cutting the air with another damaging swing from his mighty energy blade. The fluid edge rippling along as it swept at his opponents. His movements also seemed to become lighter as he attacked, his vigor returning to him with each passing minute.

Summary
Actions:
1: Put Armor on the ground.
* Bestial Bulwark [Signature]: One instance of 25 HP Barrier.
* Dragon Scales [Signature]: One instance of 25 HP Casing.
* Empowering Flourish [Signature]: One instance of Strengthen 25.
* Inner Might 1 [Signature]: One instance of Heal 10.
* Sudden Breath 1 [Signature]: Acc: A [Shot Type Attribute]; 10 Null Damage to nearest remaining RoT Inquisitor G.
* Sudden Breath 2 [Signature]: Acc: A [Shot Type Attribute]; 10 Null Damage to nearest remaining RoT Inquisitor G.
2: Dodge.
3: WideSword [Battlechip]: Acc: B; 80 Null Damage + Slashing + Wide Attack to RoT Inquisitor A/B/C.
4: Dodge.
5: WideSword [Battlechip]: Acc: B; 80 Null Damage + Slashing + Wide Attack to RoT Inquisitor A/B/C.
* Inner Might 2 [Signature]: One instance of Heal 10.

Other Effects:
1: FloatShoes [NaviCust]: Ignores effects from panels except broken/missing.
2: ShadowShoes [NaviCust]: Allows the Navi to move across fragile panels, such as Cracked and Glass, without breaking them.
3: Empowering Flourish [Signature]: Strengthen 40 remaining.
((Btw, there was a slight miscalculation in the last post, but it was sort of counterbalanced by something else I did, so I'm leaving it as it is; if you really need to know what happened there, talk to me later))

Armor fell to the ground with a thud as DragonierMan focused on the defeat of the enemies. "Yew regrettin' it now, beastie? Yew'll pay fer makin' loight of the Rawt! one of the figures laughed, swinging his weapon confidently (notably, he was one of the ones that hadn't been hit). DragonierMan's body began to regenerate, however, as did his armor. "Pahaha! Just loike a monster, regerneratin' his flesh loike that! Alright men, 'ave at him again!"

DragonierMan attacked first, knocking one of the men at the back into the lava and EJOing him. With his wide sword, he managed to score several meaty hits on the inquisitors closest behind him. The men kept up in pursuit, however, and surrounded him. One stood back to pick up Armor while the others attacked with their medieval weaponry, again tearing apart DragonierMan's defenses and ripping his flesh. [14 x 10!] For every hook he evaded, another penetrated.

"Not even a lizzad can regrow 'is tail ferevah! Yew're done foooor! one of the inquisitors bawled, slapping his weapon up and down against the ground.

In the distance, it seemed as if a figure was approaching. It might be one of the two women from earlier; whoever it was, they were hurrying.

RoT Inquisitor A: 20 HP (near DragonierMan) (varitails: 1)
RoT Inquisitor B: 1 HP (near DragonierMan) (varitails: 1)
RoT Inquisitor C: 1 HP (near DragonierMan) (varitails: 1)
RoT Inquisitor D: 100 HP (near DragonierMan) (varitails: 1)
RoT Inquisitor E: 100 HP (near DragonierMan)
RoT Inquisitor F: 10 HP (near DragonierMan)
RoT Inquisitor G: EJO'D
RoT Inquisitor H: 100 HP (1 movement away from DragonierMan) (carrying Armor)

Armor: 200 HP (bound and weak) (taken by Inquisitor H)

DragonierMan: 10 HP (40 strengthen) (widesword: 1)

Terrain: 55% Normal, 25% Lava, 20% Onsen
DragonierMan was in critical condition and Destin eyed his screens nervously. DragonierMan's armor and barrier returned to him as he staggered about, covering him in another layer of temporary defenses as he scooted backwards from the constant lashing. He bled all over the place as his body tried desperately to keep moving, backpedaling from his foes' superior numbers. His white cloak and tabbard were dirty and tattered. And he just barely had enough strength to send out two feeble blasts of energy at the weakest Inquisitors. They flared and spun about each other before branching off to strike at their individual targets... Even his mending capabilities seemed overtaxed as some datum flow slowed to a trickle in a few places.

Collecting the last of his strength, and hopefully clearing the area where the Inquisitors almost surrounded him, he attempted to nuke them. Twin missiles of light leapt from his scarred and broken hands, covering the small distance in a blink. The concurrent explosions blossomed like flowers, blinding the battlefield for a moment. But DragonierMan didn't wait for the conclusion, as he was continuing to barrage the area, laying down a carpet of gray-white bolts. Riddling the area with bullets and craters. He was desperate to end this battle, for it had been a long time since he was so gravely wounded. He fought like a wounded animal, with a wild gleam in his eyes.

Summary
Actions:
1: Dodge: backwards.
* Bestial Bulwark [Signature]: One instance of 25 HP Barrier.
* Dragon Scales [Signature]: One instance of 25 HP Casing.
* Empowering Flourish [Signature]: One instance of Strengthen 25.
* Inner Might 1 [Signature]: One instance of Heal 10.
* Sudden Breath 1 [Signature]: Acc: A [Shot Type Attribute]; 10 Null Damage to RoT Inquisitor B.
* Sudden Breath 2 [Signature]: Acc: A [Shot Type Attribute]; 10 Null Damage to RoT Inquisitor C.
2: Dodge: backwards.
* Inner Might 2 [Signature]: One instance of Heal 10.
3: TankCannon2 [Battlechip]: Acc: C; 120 Null Damage + Slashing + Blast2 to RoT Inquisitor A-F.
4: TankCannon2 [Battlechip]: Acc: C; 120 Null Damage + Slashing + Blast2 to RoT Inquisitor A-F.
5: MachineGun1 [Battlechip]: Acc: D; (30 Null Damage x 9 Shots) + Spray Fire to RoT Inquisitor A-F.

Other Effects:
1: FloatShoes [NaviCust]: Ignores effects from panels except broken/missing.
2: ShadowShoes [NaviCust]: Allows the Navi to move across fragile panels, such as Cracked and Glass, without breaking them.
3: Empowering Flourish [Signature]: Strengthen 65 remaining.
DragonierMan fought for his life, firing cannon barrages towards the enemy navis and following it up with a vicious machine gun. Unfortunately, even with all of his firepower, the enemies had the advantage of numbers. Trudging through the storm of explosions, they lashed out once more with their whips and smacked the painful hooks into DragonierMan's flesh. [11 x 10]

The blood loss was too much for the navi to sustain. Even as Yasu returned from her battle with Guillotine, calling out to him, he blacked out and felt as though he were being ejected from the net. However, the pain lingered and the ejection didn't come. What was happening to him...?

RoT Inquisitor A: 20 HP (near DragonierMan)
RoT Inquisitor B: EJO'D
RoT Inquisitor C: 1 HP (near DragonierMan)
RoT Inquisitor D: 70 HP (near DragonierMan)
RoT Inquisitor E: 1 HP (near DragonierMan) (varitails: 1)
RoT Inquisitor F: EJO'D
RoT Inquisitor G: EJO'D
RoT Inquisitor H: 100 HP (1 movement away from DragonierMan) (carrying Armor)

Armor: 200 HP (bound and weak) (taken by Inquisitor H)

DragonierMan: BLACKED OUT?

Terrain: 55% Normal, 25% Lava, 20% Onsen

BATTLE 5 FAILED!

DragonierMan loses: MudFlop1

((Continued in new thread here))