"Yoka? Yoka?!"
"Is there a problem, Marian?" Naga asked, as he stepped out of the portal and into Yoka net. He took a slow, deep breath, waiting patiently for an answer.
"Whoa whoawhoawhoa, you can't go to Yoka! I'm still stuck in frozenoverland up here for the next few days, you're not going to the damned hot spring network while I'm trapped in my icy prison!"
Naga inclined his head and closed his eyes for a few seconds, then conceded. "You are correct. I am not," he said. Caught off guard, Marian stalled just long enough in responding for him to add "I am already here."
"You...you..." Marian grumbled. "Fine. Go have fun in your hot spring. See if I care. I'll just...find another heater or something."
((Battle 1))
Insert your own big fish in small pond joke
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It was as Naga had told his Operator. The Navi found himself in a large fenced-in area of YokaNet... Literally. The place was surrounded by four meter tall bamboo fences, save for four openings; one in each of the cardinal directions. Leading from each opening to the center of the area was a wide path between large hot spring pools to either side. In all, there were four pools, and each featured a large rock or two that was half submerged in the onsen water. The paths met in the center at a wide circular walkway centered around a large boulder.
Strangely, aside from Naga, there wasn't a soul to be found anywhere nearby.
What would Naga do?
Strangely, aside from Naga, there wasn't a soul to be found anywhere nearby.
What would Naga do?
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"Hey look, nobody's here, right? So you can come back now, right?" Marian chanced.
"Isolation is a state to be sought out, not avoided. It is an ideal state for achieving inner peace and harmony with both material and spiritual worlds," Naga answered, surveying the area in which he had arrived. His operator had spoken truly, there was nothing else living within sight or hearing. No navis, no progs, not even viruses waiting to ambush him so far as he could tell.
For a time, his homepage was the only place he knew of with such perfect stillness. That had gone on for some time, until Marian had changed the name and altered it to suit her own interests. Encountering a similar state elsewhere was...not unwelcome, but discomforting all the same. With viruses running rampant in nearly all areas of the net, even a temple hidden in the mountains of Sharo or the jungles of Yumland could be a potential battlefield if not properly taken care of.
Before he could assess the likelihood of a similar ambush in the hot springs despite the apparent emptiness, Marian interrupted again. "Okay, I know you're just saying shit like that to mess with me. What does a dragon need with inner peace anyway? Look, just come back, and go somewhere that will make me less jealous. I'm about to be fighting Frosty the Snowman and his legion of ice demons if this keeps up. ...and damn it, this heater's broken too."
"Is that not an acceptable test of your will to survive?" Naga asked, making his way toward the boulder in the center of the walkway and beginning to circle around it. He continued to watch the area as he walked, searching for signs of anything hiding or arriving.
"Not when you're visiting a hot spring."
"Isolation is a state to be sought out, not avoided. It is an ideal state for achieving inner peace and harmony with both material and spiritual worlds," Naga answered, surveying the area in which he had arrived. His operator had spoken truly, there was nothing else living within sight or hearing. No navis, no progs, not even viruses waiting to ambush him so far as he could tell.
For a time, his homepage was the only place he knew of with such perfect stillness. That had gone on for some time, until Marian had changed the name and altered it to suit her own interests. Encountering a similar state elsewhere was...not unwelcome, but discomforting all the same. With viruses running rampant in nearly all areas of the net, even a temple hidden in the mountains of Sharo or the jungles of Yumland could be a potential battlefield if not properly taken care of.
Before he could assess the likelihood of a similar ambush in the hot springs despite the apparent emptiness, Marian interrupted again. "Okay, I know you're just saying shit like that to mess with me. What does a dragon need with inner peace anyway? Look, just come back, and go somewhere that will make me less jealous. I'm about to be fighting Frosty the Snowman and his legion of ice demons if this keeps up. ...and damn it, this heater's broken too."
"Is that not an acceptable test of your will to survive?" Naga asked, making his way toward the boulder in the center of the walkway and beginning to circle around it. He continued to watch the area as he walked, searching for signs of anything hiding or arriving.
"Not when you're visiting a hot spring."
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The first sign Naga had of his impending encounter with hostile viruses was when a mattock pinwheeled through the air right across his path, narrowly missed him, and wedged a good portion of the blade into the side of the boulder the Navi was strolling around.
So much for peace and quiet.
Naga spotted the source of the pick-turned-shuriken standing atop the bamboo wall... or not. The virus lost its balance and felll into the pool below with a fairly impressive splash. That's when the Navi also spotted a second Metool running along the top of another section of wall just as fast as it could. A splash from somewhere the opposite direction signaled the arrival of a third Metool that was now standing atop a large rock in one of the Onsen pools, with a pickax drawn and at the ready.
--The Enemy--
Metool A: 40 HP (Somewhere underwater, a move or so away)
Metool B: 40 HP (Standing atop a rock in a pool a few moves to the left)
Metool C: 40 HP (Running along the top of the bamboo wall quite a distance away)
--The Navi--
Naga.EXE: 100 HP
--The Setting--
Big Boulder: 490 HP (Center)
Rocks: 100 HP each, 11 scattered around in the pools.
Bamboo Walls: 50 HP per section (Edge)
--The Terrain--
Normal: 25% (main paths)
Rocks (Normal): 11% (Scattered in the pools)
Onsen: 64% (4 large pools)
So much for peace and quiet.
Naga spotted the source of the pick-turned-shuriken standing atop the bamboo wall... or not. The virus lost its balance and felll into the pool below with a fairly impressive splash. That's when the Navi also spotted a second Metool running along the top of another section of wall just as fast as it could. A splash from somewhere the opposite direction signaled the arrival of a third Metool that was now standing atop a large rock in one of the Onsen pools, with a pickax drawn and at the ready.
--The Enemy--
Metool A: 40 HP (Somewhere underwater, a move or so away)
Metool B: 40 HP (Standing atop a rock in a pool a few moves to the left)
Metool C: 40 HP (Running along the top of the bamboo wall quite a distance away)
--The Navi--
Naga.EXE: 100 HP
--The Setting--
Big Boulder: 490 HP (Center)
Rocks: 100 HP each, 11 scattered around in the pools.
Bamboo Walls: 50 HP per section (Edge)
--The Terrain--
Normal: 25% (main paths)
Rocks (Normal): 11% (Scattered in the pools)
Onsen: 64% (4 large pools)
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"Whoa whoa, since when were metools capable of setting up an ambush?" Marian asked as the trio arrived, some more gracefully than the others. Naga had managed to avoid their opening attack, but only barely. "No, wait, I think I remember a news story on this. Let me see if I can find it again." She searched through her browsing history until she found the NewsServ page again. "Oh, here it is. It's...oh, never mind, it was just some story about wrecking shit in the shape of some metool knight. I could write a better story than this."
"Peppered with the 'colorful' language you are so well known for, I am sure," Naga answered, raising a veil of water around him to act as a barrier. For all his willingness to take things slow and humor his operator's many diversions, he was not about to let his guard down and be deleted by metools because of it. Besides, while another navi may claim that they were much smarter than normal in their defense, Naga had his doubts.
The attacking met's botched entrance was the chief source of them.
"Oh fine, so I said 'fuck' a few more times than you would have approved of in my last story. It's just my style, okay? Besides people like it." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, if mets are worth writing about now, then I'm going to write about them. And you're going to help me."
"You should know that I always experience a distinct sensation of dread whenever you say such things as a statement of fact," Naga answered.
"Oh hush, you just have to play with these mets for a bit so I can see what they do. Don't delete them too fast though, I need something I can actually work with."
"I have no intention of deleting them unless they leave me no other options."
"Even better then. Get to it!" Marian hit the record button on her PET to give herself a video for later, then opened up another window to scribble notes on.
Naga, meanwhile, braced himself for future attacks, getting ready to move the moment the water veil fell while maintaining a stance that was defensive, but as non-threatening as he could manage with his size.
___
1. Water Veil: 20 HP Barrier
2. Dodge
3. Dodge
"Peppered with the 'colorful' language you are so well known for, I am sure," Naga answered, raising a veil of water around him to act as a barrier. For all his willingness to take things slow and humor his operator's many diversions, he was not about to let his guard down and be deleted by metools because of it. Besides, while another navi may claim that they were much smarter than normal in their defense, Naga had his doubts.
The attacking met's botched entrance was the chief source of them.
"Oh fine, so I said 'fuck' a few more times than you would have approved of in my last story. It's just my style, okay? Besides people like it." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, if mets are worth writing about now, then I'm going to write about them. And you're going to help me."
"You should know that I always experience a distinct sensation of dread whenever you say such things as a statement of fact," Naga answered.
"Oh hush, you just have to play with these mets for a bit so I can see what they do. Don't delete them too fast though, I need something I can actually work with."
"I have no intention of deleting them unless they leave me no other options."
"Even better then. Get to it!" Marian hit the record button on her PET to give herself a video for later, then opened up another window to scribble notes on.
Naga, meanwhile, braced himself for future attacks, getting ready to move the moment the water veil fell while maintaining a stance that was defensive, but as non-threatening as he could manage with his size.
___
1. Water Veil: 20 HP Barrier
2. Dodge
3. Dodge
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A Metool suddenly burst from the water, and flip-hurled a mattock at Naga that went wide as the Navi dodged it. The mattock embedded itself in the bamboo wall on the far side of the bathing area as the Metool splashed down in the water again, and disappeared under the steamy surface. Naga then successfully ducked a second thrown mattock that came in from a high trajectory to his left, clearly thrown by the Met atop the fence. However, the serpentine Navi failed to dodge the third mattock, as he would have needed eyes in the back of his skull to see that one coming at all. Luckily, it just bounced off of his barrier.
--The Enemy--
Metool A: 40 HP (Somewhere underwater, a move or so away)
Metool B: 40 HP (Somewhere behind Naga, on a rock.)
Metool C: 40 HP (Running along the top of the bamboo wall quite a distance away)
--The Navi--
Naga.EXE: 100 HP (10 HP Aqua Barrier)
--The Setting--
Big Boulder: 490 HP (Center)
Rocks: 100 HP each, 11 scattered around in the pools.
Bamboo Walls: 50 HP per section (Edge)
--The Terrain--
Normal: 25% (main paths)
Rocks (Normal): 11% (Scattered in the pools)
Onsen: 64% (4 large pools)
--The Enemy--
Metool A: 40 HP (Somewhere underwater, a move or so away)
Metool B: 40 HP (Somewhere behind Naga, on a rock.)
Metool C: 40 HP (Running along the top of the bamboo wall quite a distance away)
--The Navi--
Naga.EXE: 100 HP (10 HP Aqua Barrier)
--The Setting--
Big Boulder: 490 HP (Center)
Rocks: 100 HP each, 11 scattered around in the pools.
Bamboo Walls: 50 HP per section (Edge)
--The Terrain--
Normal: 25% (main paths)
Rocks (Normal): 11% (Scattered in the pools)
Onsen: 64% (4 large pools)
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"They seem to like throwing those things. I thought mets usually fought with shockwave attacks. And for that matter, where are they getting all of them," Marian said as her navi was assaulted by a thrown mattock from each of his opponents. There were now four of the digging implements strewn about the hotspring, with no indication that the mets had been holding anything before they threw them. It was like they had pulled them straight out of their hats! Or...something. Questions about where viruses got their weapons of choice were probably best left to researchers. She was writing about their behavior after all, not the intricacies of their programming. Nonetheless she made a note about pulling mattocks out of nowhere and throwing them, rather than generating shockwaves with a pickaxe.
Then the next obvious question came to mind and she asked "Hey, Naga, are those mattocks still there, or did they just disappear.
Naga looked around for the mattocks that had been thrown, spotting the one that had embedded itself in the wall of bamboo. The others, from the looks of it, had disappeared under the surface of the water, but if one was still around then more than likely all of them were. "They are," he said.
"Oh, oh, I bet you can use them," Marian suggested. "Or...no wait, try catching one of them. Yes, if you catch one we can see how smart these guys really are."
"How, exactly," Naga asked.
"Well, if you can catch what they throw at you and they're smart enough to recognize that, they won't want to mess with you. That or they'll get upset at you for stealing their weapons...or think it was a fluke...or decide you're too distracted with your accomplishment to fight them off...okay, admittedly I haven't thought this through very well."
"Clearly."
"But metools shouldn't pose much of a challenge to you anyway, even if they are a bit smarter than average. You should be able to get away with it. Just think of it as a challenge. And maybe they'll recognize you for it if it works. You like challenges, right?"
Naga chose not to answer. What he did do, however, was turn toward the metool on the bamboo wall and take several steps back, to ensure that none of the mets were behind him without actively moving. He stood ready, waiting for the mets to make a move, while Marian had to assume he was going through with her challenge and sent him an appropriate chip to help. As the Rageclaw data flowed into his body, Naga's hands grew into large reptilian talons. The fingertips were replaced by claws, while the skin became hard and scaly on top. The palms, however, shifted in texture to be more like the skin of a shark: rough enough to hurt or at least put a good amount of friction on anything moving across it, but not nearly as visibly so as the scales or claws that had replaced the rest of each hand and forearm. The change was not one native to Naga's true form, which was entirely serpentine, but definitely draconic in appearance.
Now all he had to do was wait. He visualized it first, noting from the ones that had already been thrown that mattocks were more handle than blade, but even if he did have no choice but to catch it by pick or adze that he should be able to grab it. Then he waited making no effort to move toward or away from it until it reached his barrier, but once it did he reached out with his clawed hand to attempt to snatch it out of the air.
___
1. Movement: Turn toward and move backward relative to Metool C
2. Rageclaw: attempt to catch the first mattock thrown at him
-splice-
Then the next obvious question came to mind and she asked "Hey, Naga, are those mattocks still there, or did they just disappear.
Naga looked around for the mattocks that had been thrown, spotting the one that had embedded itself in the wall of bamboo. The others, from the looks of it, had disappeared under the surface of the water, but if one was still around then more than likely all of them were. "They are," he said.
"Oh, oh, I bet you can use them," Marian suggested. "Or...no wait, try catching one of them. Yes, if you catch one we can see how smart these guys really are."
"How, exactly," Naga asked.
"Well, if you can catch what they throw at you and they're smart enough to recognize that, they won't want to mess with you. That or they'll get upset at you for stealing their weapons...or think it was a fluke...or decide you're too distracted with your accomplishment to fight them off...okay, admittedly I haven't thought this through very well."
"Clearly."
"But metools shouldn't pose much of a challenge to you anyway, even if they are a bit smarter than average. You should be able to get away with it. Just think of it as a challenge. And maybe they'll recognize you for it if it works. You like challenges, right?"
Naga chose not to answer. What he did do, however, was turn toward the metool on the bamboo wall and take several steps back, to ensure that none of the mets were behind him without actively moving. He stood ready, waiting for the mets to make a move, while Marian had to assume he was going through with her challenge and sent him an appropriate chip to help. As the Rageclaw data flowed into his body, Naga's hands grew into large reptilian talons. The fingertips were replaced by claws, while the skin became hard and scaly on top. The palms, however, shifted in texture to be more like the skin of a shark: rough enough to hurt or at least put a good amount of friction on anything moving across it, but not nearly as visibly so as the scales or claws that had replaced the rest of each hand and forearm. The change was not one native to Naga's true form, which was entirely serpentine, but definitely draconic in appearance.
Now all he had to do was wait. He visualized it first, noting from the ones that had already been thrown that mattocks were more handle than blade, but even if he did have no choice but to catch it by pick or adze that he should be able to grab it. Then he waited making no effort to move toward or away from it until it reached his barrier, but once it did he reached out with his clawed hand to attempt to snatch it out of the air.
___
1. Movement: Turn toward and move backward relative to Metool C
2. Rageclaw: attempt to catch the first mattock thrown at him
-splice-
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The first Metool breached the surface of the water and flipped around again, sending another mattock at Naga. But this time Naga was ready. Reaching out with clawed hands, the Navi caught the weapon by the handle, stopping it just in the nick of time. The pick end lightly tapped Naga's serpentine head as it was brought to a screeching halt. Whew! That could have been messy.
Just as the Metool splashed back under the water, Naga was smashed in the back by another mattock thrown by the Met standing on the rock behind him, shattering what was left of the Navi's barrier. In the Navi's efforts to concentrate on the Metool running along the fence and catching a mattock, he left his back wide open again. There was a little chirping sound that came from the Met standing on the rock, sounding like a chuckle or laugh. The Metool seemed to be shaking from laughter, quite pleased with itself for striking the serpentine Navi twice in a row.
The last Metool that was running along the fence suddenly stopped, having noticed that the Navi was now brandishing one of their mattocks. It gave its own sort of chirping chuckle and raised its own mattock in challenge. It looked like it wanted to see whether Naga would be fast and accurate enough on the draw between them. Which one would bean the other with their mattock?
--The Enemy--
Metool A: 40 HP (Somewhere underwater, a move or so away)
Metool B: 40 HP (Somewhere behind Naga, on a rock.)
Metool C: 40 HP (Standing on top of the bamboo wall quite a distance away, twirling mattock in challenge)
--The Navi--
Naga.EXE: 100 HP (Barrier Destroyed!) (Mattock Caught!) (One Action Remaining.)
--The Setting--
Big Boulder: 490 HP (Center)
Rocks: 100 HP each, 11 scattered around in the pools.
Bamboo Walls: 50 HP per section (Edge)
--The Terrain--
Normal: 25% (main paths)
Rocks (Normal): 11% (Scattered in the pools)
Onsen: 64% (4 large pools)
--Special--
Mattock:
1) Thrown - Accuracy B; 40.
2) Shockwave - Accuracy C; 40 + Line Attack + Ground Attack.
Duration: Once.
Element: Null.
Just as the Metool splashed back under the water, Naga was smashed in the back by another mattock thrown by the Met standing on the rock behind him, shattering what was left of the Navi's barrier. In the Navi's efforts to concentrate on the Metool running along the fence and catching a mattock, he left his back wide open again. There was a little chirping sound that came from the Met standing on the rock, sounding like a chuckle or laugh. The Metool seemed to be shaking from laughter, quite pleased with itself for striking the serpentine Navi twice in a row.
The last Metool that was running along the fence suddenly stopped, having noticed that the Navi was now brandishing one of their mattocks. It gave its own sort of chirping chuckle and raised its own mattock in challenge. It looked like it wanted to see whether Naga would be fast and accurate enough on the draw between them. Which one would bean the other with their mattock?
--The Enemy--
Metool A: 40 HP (Somewhere underwater, a move or so away)
Metool B: 40 HP (Somewhere behind Naga, on a rock.)
Metool C: 40 HP (Standing on top of the bamboo wall quite a distance away, twirling mattock in challenge)
--The Navi--
Naga.EXE: 100 HP (Barrier Destroyed!) (Mattock Caught!) (One Action Remaining.)
--The Setting--
Big Boulder: 490 HP (Center)
Rocks: 100 HP each, 11 scattered around in the pools.
Bamboo Walls: 50 HP per section (Edge)
--The Terrain--
Normal: 25% (main paths)
Rocks (Normal): 11% (Scattered in the pools)
Onsen: 64% (4 large pools)
--Special--
Mattock:
1) Thrown - Accuracy B; 40.
2) Shockwave - Accuracy C; 40 + Line Attack + Ground Attack.
Duration: Once.
Element: Null.