Alignment Mission: Peace and Peril

A beam of light slammed down against the Netopian network as Voulge arrived from the distant Internet City. Both his SP appeared just after the navi, looking confused at the environment. "...H-hey, something feels wrong." said Ignis as he twisted and turned. "...What seems to be the problem?" asked Marius. "This place... ... ...It's too peaceful."

As strange as it sounded, Voulge understood what Ignis has meant to say. All of their previous virus busting for a good length of time was on the ever-so-dangerous rogue networks, filled with dangers both known and unknown, keeping the three at their toe at all times. Now finding themselves on the rather calm normal network, Voulge, Ignis, and even Licht felt uneasy by the peace. "We're on a mission. A NetPolice mission. I'm sure a life-threatening danger would come by and keep you at your usual self." said Voulge with his attempt at sarcasm, which was a hit-or-miss.

Though Licht adjusted to the surrounding fairly quickly, Ignis was still prepared for the worst as he was closely circled around Voulge. The navi, unchanging as ever, stood still like a statue with his arms crossed while he waited for "Garde" to show up and begin the mission...
The area around Voulge was pleasant and peaceful indeed; a fancy Netopian food market surrounded him, bustling with commerce and activity. It was hard to imagine that NP patrols could be needed in such a relaxed place as this, but the coordinates he'd been given seemed to indicate that this was the place. The location was soon confirmed as a navi walked over from one of the stands, carrying a large, fluffy baguette in one hand. "Enchante! Here is my companion!"[font=French Script MT][/font] the navi greeted Voulge informally, spreading her arms to her sides as she came towards him, nearly hitting another navi passing by with her bread. "Ca ne fat rien! Why do you look so tense, eh? Did I not say zat we would be patrolling togezer?"[font=French Script MT][/font] the navi lectured him, waving the baguette in a scolding way.

The navi had a very stand-out appearance, wearing clanking armor with a blue and white cross-print tunic draped over its front and back. He spotted a rapier and musket on her person, although it was difficult to avert one's attention from her black, tri-cornered hat and its large, red plume. Her blond curls bobbed as she moved her head, sizing Voulge up with her lazy but bright blue eyes. "Cest bon! Ze paramount specimen of ze Public Security, no?"[font=French Script MT][/font] she laughed, not seeming to take Voulge seriously. "Ah, but I digress, let us walk for a little, mon ami.[font=French Script MT][/font]

Giving Voulge no say in the matter, she quickly turned and started down her own route. "So eh, I've got to get to ze typical routine today, but whilst we go, you must have questions! Give zem to me and I'll see what we can do,[font=French Script MT][/font] she asked, keeping her arms crossed in front of her chest as she walked and her eyes on Voulge (though it seemed like the point of the patrol ought to be to watch one's surroundings).
"I guess she's the police navi we were wai-WOAH!" Ignis found himself instinctively swinging to the side when the bread nearly hit him. "...Ta-da! Did you see th-BLARG" Voulge lightly shoved Ignis away after he successfully dodged, but having no self control over his own strength (when it comes to Ignis), Voulge sent the SP crashing against one of the stone walls of the food market.

The navi ignored what happened to Ignis and began to approach his assigned NetPolice officer. "And you must be Garde. Thank you for taking your time." The spearman held his hand out in a formal greeting gesture, but found himself lectured about how tense he was and got a few stray hit to the head from the baguette. "Bare with it, Voulge...NetPolice are much more loose than the regular police force." commented Marius.

Shortly after, Garde, Voulge, and Licht (with Ignis still unconscious) began walking through the bustling street vendors. The navi's eye drifted to the side as they walked and saw the large variety of foods available for sale. Though he was interested in what more they had to offer, he reminded himself about the "important" mission he was attending along with Garde...Who didn't look like she was paying too much attention to her surroundings.

Despite the lack of participation from his new partner, Voulge's eyes stayed vigilant as he walked along side with Garde, and opened his mouth to let out a short question. "Garde...Is it fair for a navi like me to help you in your patrol? Not that I'm saying I won't be of any use, but..." He turned and watched as the civilian navis was completely relaxed and had no fear of virus attacks nor anything serious on the matter. "This place already looks like it's under control. I don't think I can prove my worth from a simple scheduled patrol such as this..."
Garde seemed ignorant of the fact that she was brandishing her baguette in all sorts of dangerous places, yet continued to flail it around as if it were a natural extension of her very arm. "Oh? Eh, well, I'll just be honest with you, huh? Zere's nozing zat let's us put you trainees in ze really tough spots, you know? When you guys come into zese recruitment missions, we want you doing somezing useful, sure, but not so difficult. It makes sense, I think, ne'st-ce pas?"[font=French Script MT][/font] she asked, twirling her breadless hand. She finished by taking another large bite. "At ze very minimal, we spot some crooks or somezing trying to steal some fine baker's work and we put zem down together!"[font=French Script MT][/font] It seemed like Garde was unusually tense; there was something she'd danced around with her answer, but it was hard for Voulge to tell what.

No matter how hard Voulge looked around, however, there just didn't seem to be anything to do; no thieves to stop nor even a couple of ruffians brawling in the streets. "Oh right! Zere is a special reason I require suitable backup today. I have received somezing like a threat; says zere will be Mafia activity in a small tavern on my route. Well, I don't know how zey got ze message to me so specifically, but I'm going to take care of it personally. Mon raison d'etre, you might say, is to uphold peace here in Netopia!"[font=French Script MT][/font] she finished impressively, reducing the bread to one half its size with another chomp.

Voulge thought the two might be approaching the tavern in question, as a darkened building came into view. Despite the bustling activity around the market, the place looked stark and decrepit, like both light and attention were immediately drawn away from its sinister purposes. Voulge thought he detected nervousness coming into the voice of the NP officer. His suspicions were confirmed as she slowed her step to put him in the lead. "Z-Zis is ze place! Why don't you head in and look around? It's not abandoned, per se, so don't go stomping around too much. We have a warrant, zo, so it'll be okay, I zink. Allez, Voulge, Allez!"[font=French Script MT][/font] she goaded him, prodding him in the back with gently with the remaining half of her bread. "Remember, appearances are important, so don't do anything to alarm ze people inside! Just go up to ze counter and eh... inquire!"[font=French Script MT][/font] Despite serious questions as to what he was supposed to inquire, Voulge was pushed on into the tavern before he could object. Luckily, the other navi followed him, at least.

Strangely, despite the fact that the door was open, nobody seemed to be around. In fact, the area was only questionably a tavern. Several barstools surrounded the area on the left and right, but they seemed to just sit next to the wall with no bar for drinks. A small desk sat at the back of the room with a bell on the front; at each side of the desk was a swinging door, the upper part covered by a small curtain. The room felt very eerie...

Garde seemed nearly paralyzed with fear, so it would be up to Voulge to figure out what was going on.
"...I understand." replied Voulge as he nodded his head up and down. Though his question was answered, the way Garde told him made him rather uneasy. The tone of voice or the way she told him, it had a bit of uneasiness and nervousness in the mix. Possible indications of her keeping a secret...or even lying. However, the navi shook his head and continued their patrol through the street vendors, halting himself from placing biased judgment on his partner without any proof.

"HEY, ASS HOLE!" Ignis screamed at the top of his lung as he flew towards Voulge's backside. "Let's see how you like it when you get a surprise attack!" Everyone on the street turned their attention towards the cocky SP, even going far as to warn Voulge of the impending doom. Ignis directed its spiky top in front as it headed at the navi's unprotected head, laughing maniacally. "Instant kill! IGNIS CRASH!!" The spearman sighed and tilted his head to the side to dodge the attack...That's all it took.

Voulge stretched out his hands and swiped Ignis off the air as it flew by, shaking him like a soda can before letting go. "Be on your best behavior." Poor Ignis buzzed around in circles as it only saw stars and blurs, but he was quick on his recovery and trailed along side his sibling Licht. "... ... ...imnottalkingtoyoueveragain."

Because of all the distractions Ignis has put up, Voulge was only able to listen to part of Garde's next explanation, but simply nodded his head in a gesture. Marius, on the other hand, listened in and began to have suspicions about their partner navi. "A personal message. And directed towards a mafia hideout..." He rested his head against his hands and punched in some few buttons to start a private communication with his navi. "Something's wrong. I hate to say this, but don't trust Garde completely." Voulge was surprised by his operator's remark as one of his eyebrows was slightly lifted, "...I understand."

When they arrived at the supposed mafia bar, it was certainly suspicious enough to be a so-called mafia hideout. "Is this the place?" said Voulge as he began walking closer, noticing that Garde was beginning to slow down and followed behind. "..." Before he could have a say on the situation, Garde was determined to get Voulge inside the bar first as she rapidly poked the navi's back with her baguette. "Arrgh! Let's get this over already! Beating some punks will calm me down from this...this..." said Ignis as he looked down at Voulge. "...TINHEAD!"

Padding away the crumbs from his back, Voulge fearlessly entered the bar with his spear ready at hand. However, to find it completely empty of navis or qualities of a bar such as liquor bottles, the navi was surprised...but not without lowering his guard. Though it was devoid of anything, it made things even more suspicious as for why someone would call Garde into an abandoned building. Voulge pointed his finger at the left side of the room, then the right, and closed his hand into a fist up to his eye level.

Ignis and Licht nodded and fluttered around the bar carefully, one heading to the left and the other to the right, examining the area for anything suspicious. The search ended rather quickly, however, when nothing came up except for the bell on the table and the two doors behind it. "Nothing notable here, Marius." stated Voulge as he stood by the entrance with his Avaria-Lancea resting against his shoulder. "...Ms. Garde. May I also ask you a question regarding the mission." Marius appeared as a holographic screen, projected by Voulge's emblem. "Could I get a copy of the message you received?"

...

While Voulge, Marius, and Garde was left to do their own business, Ignis and Licht pulled away from the discussion and began wondering around the seemingly empty bar like a curious pair of kids. "Hey, I wonder what's behind those doors~" said Ignis with a delightful tone of curiosity. Licht violently shook his body side to side to say no, but the red SP only let out a diabolical chuckle and flew towards end of the room. "Anybody in here!!" Ignis yelled as he was only a foot away from the right door...
"Oh! Zis is ze operator of Monsieur Voulge? You want a copy of ze threat letter, eh?"[font=French Script MT][/font] Garde asked, seeming a little awkward saying the word "threat." Marius had half expected her to say "zret" or some other butchering of the pronunciation. "Very well, why don't I send zis straight to your navi?"[font=French Script MT][/font] Regardless of what Marius wanted, she did it before he could have time to object.

Quote ()

Officer Garde,

Come to the Fall Tavern at the end of your patrol tomorrow evening. If you do not appear, a navi will be killed on the streets. Another navi will be killed on the streets for each day following in which you fail to appear.

NetMafia


The fact that the navi would fail to show this to Voulge showed incredible lack of care on her part. For starters, the message was clearly indicative of a plot to either capture or kill Officer Garde, yet she had brought no extra back-up besides a trainee with unconfirmed levels of ability. Furthermore, the message stated that a navi would be "killed" on the streets by the NetMafia, which would involve using a jackout barrier in a highly populated area; such an act could not possibly go off without a hitch considering the climate of NetPolice and NetMafia relations.

Somebody had counted on Officer Garde to be an idiot, and she'd responded, meeting their expectations perfectly.

"Such gaucherie, no? I can't turn down zis man's pathetic challenge!"[font=French Script MT][/font] she called out, implying that besides everything else, she was assuming there was only enemy sending a message signed "NetMafia."

----------------------------------------------

The two SPs found Ignis' call answered by silence... but the silence was broken by a faint dripping sound. Shortly after the drip followed another voice, thick and warbling like several entities speaking in perfect unison. It was almost like a chorus of smug, satisfied mafioso siblings. "So you've come, Garde! It appears I was just slightly off in my calculations. I predicted you'd come alone, but you've brought another officer! Interesting," the voices laughed. Garde jumped back as a disgusting puddle of aqua-colored slop began to move itself from ceiling to floor. The muddled image of a face slowly appeared in the liquid, giving its best imitation of a cocky smile. "This girl has been selected to die, you know. You, by extension, will be tested. If you are unfit to live in this world we call the net, you will be removed."

The officer jumped back a good couple of feet as the enemy impacted upon the floor, then put on a face of feigned confidence. "S-Sacrebleu! A cowardly attempt to perform ze sneak attack, eh?!"[font=French Script MT][/font] she laughed.

The face in the puddle watched her with a wide frown, regarding her coldly. "If any thing in our beautiful world may be called 'disgusting' it is you. Weakness is the only sin a navi can commit," the enemy preached. "I'm actually doing the NP a service by removing you from their ranks. Perhaps we don't need to fight at all, newcomer," the navi said, regarding Voulge with an eerie, coy smile on his bizarre, liquid face. "Public Safety is honestly my least favorite field, as protecting the weak is counterproductive to net growth, but its possible you can be salvaged. I know a thing or two about Garde. How would you like to hear some before you inevitably raise your weapon to defend those weaker than you? Weaker than must be allowed to live?"

Voulge noted the strange feeling in the air; a jack-out barrier had risen. He could bet that the front door was now sealed, but it might be possible to break free from another direction, if he had the notion to do so. Garde was watching him with fear in her eyes, seeming more afraid that he would ask to know about her history than that the enemy puddle would kill her.

How much could Voulge rely on his ally for backup? It was hard to tell...

As if there weren't enough x factors already, Voulge noticed that the floor felt somewhat weak. It appeared there was a basement level beneath the thin foundation.

--Front Room--

Voulge: 250 HP (2 actions from door)
Ignis: 115 HP (1 action from door)
Licht: 90 HP (1 action from door)
Garde: 310 HP (2 actions from door)

NetMafia Puddle: 400 HP (firstbarrier)

Terrain: 100% Normal
"..."

"..."

Marius and Voulge were simply astonished by how serious the message was, even more surprised by how Garde has accepted this as a mere "challenge". "...We can safely assume that this message was received yesterday, correct?" The operator tried to keep his head cool and leveled while he tried to think through the absurdness of the situation. However, his eyes strayed to the side to see Voulge acting rather strangely.

The spearman's fist trembled as he kept his face down, but his head turned towards Garde and slowly approached her. "Call for back up, immediately." whispered Voulge. His head lifted up ever so slightly to reveal his crimson eyes glaring towards his own partner in aggravation. "This is no challenge. This is a NetMafia calling out for a public slaughter!" Unable to contain his anger, the navi slammed his fist against the wall, causing the entire building and its floor to rumble. "...If you have any ounce of duty left in you, I suggest you see through with this threat without any more of your cowardice."

The navi's red eyes flared once more before he turned away and headed towards the door at the end of the room, shaking his head and letting out a sigh to calm himself down. Both Marius and the SPs quietly stared at Voulge, honestly surprised by how the navi they've thought they knew so well would burst out in anger. "I-I never saw that guy snap like that. Even on me..." Licht was freighted by the sight of his master's unknown side as it cowered behind Ignis. The operator was the only one who understood the reason for his navi's sudden change in his emotions. Just the fact that Garde has took this measure as a simple game of challenge rather than considering the possible danger of innocent civilians was enough to bring out the side of Voulge no one has ever seen.

"Voulge is right. Ms. Garde, forgive him for now, but our current situation is extremely dire to everyone in this street. Please call for a back up from the NetPolice immediately!" Marius tried to keep Garde on the good side before Voulge's sudden outburst affected their relationship. However, before he could continue on, the operator heard a faint noise coming out from his PET speaker. The sound of dripping water. "...Voulge."

"..."

Immediately turning around with his spear held with both hands, Voulge looked up to see a gelatinous blob dripping down from the ceiling and plummeted down to the ground, thankfully missing Garde. "In formation!" Without a second to lose, all three virtual beings raised their defense against their mysterious assailant on command. Voulge created a buckler made from loose wood planks from the chair, floor, or even the bar stool. Licht summoned forth a large, circular iron shield in front of itself while Ignis fortified its body with...his ever growing ego. "SURPRISE ATTACK WON'T GET ME. I'M TOO GOOD FOR YOU!" said the SP as his voice still shuddering from the surprise appearance of his enemy.

"Licht, guard Garde. Ignis, stay on cue."

The green crystal nodded its body up and down and began to drift towards the frightened NetPolice, placing itself between the puddle and navi. Voulge slowly slid his right leg back and lowered his spear to the level of his thigh, keeping a vigilant watch over the enemy as it began to talk things out. "He must be from the Vivarte family, from the way that he talks." Marius announced as he closely listened in. "Bee-Bar-Tay? What the sh*t is that?" The operator shook his head and continued to focus on the battle, picking off chips from his folder with his index and middle finger. "A self-proclaimed revolutionaries working under the NetMafia. Not as radical and well known as the other families, but still as dangerous as every other."

Voulge listened to what the NetMafia puddle had to say, raising an eyebrow when he offered the navi a chance to know Garde's true intentions. Peering at his partner over his shoulder, Voulge could see the fear in Garde's eyes and the desperation of knowing what his answer was to the mafia's question. "..." His eyes narrowed before he faced forward, raising his spearhead up to the level of his chest and gripped onto the ash-black body of the spear. "If I need answers, I'll ask her myself."

With a bright red flash covering the Avaria-Lancea, a tower of flame rose from the end of the spear up to the tip. The veil of fire dispersed to reveal a giant halberd with its cleaving blade reflecting both Voulge and the mafia puddle at each side. "I'll show you no mercy. Think over your actions when I rid you from this world, Mafia." Completely ignoring the fact that their exit was covered by a J.O. barrier, Voulge's total focus was on the enemy in sight. He swung his newly formed spear over his head, grabbing only the very end and allowed the momentum created from the heavy blade to let the weapon flow. After a few swings over head, the spear began to drop lower, and lower, and lower till it slightly scraped the floor with the spike tip...unknowingly creating a large cut mark due to the floor's weak structure.

In a blink of an eye, Voulge blasted forward with a powerful kick against the ground, holding the spearhead up to the sky and the blade pointing away from him. The navi only had small distance to cover in order to get into reasonable melee range and he was able to stop himself from getting too far as he stabbed the blunt end of the spear to the weak ground and spun a full circle around. Using the god-given physics to take over his body, Voulge plucked the spear off the floor the moment he let go, floating up into the sky while he pulled back his spear all the way back to his hip.

"HELMS..."

His eyes were tightly fixed on the formless blob as he began his decent. His hands began to grip tighter into the spear and his muscle and blood veins began to bulge out on his arms. His body arched back even further with his knees pointing down to the ground. His mouth opened up, letting his shout resonate throughout the small bar and to strike fear into his enemy. "SPLITTER!"

Swinging his halberd all the way from his back to the ground in a vertical motion, the shining blade created a trail of light that resembled a crescent moon. Voulge used both instinct and experience to let his body do what is natural, using both his arms and his upper body to swing down on the puddle with the right amount of strength, accuracy, and speed. The halberd cut clean through the ground, still running through whether it hit its mark or not, but the air pressure created from the swing began to break down the floor planks one by one.

The moment Voulge's feet touched the ground, the navi immediately backed away from the enemy while he kept his spear low. "Igni-" "I KNOW I KNOW!" Even before the navi could announce his next command, the anxious Ignis already spread out his fire arms and pulled back his left arm for a launch. "SURPRISE ATTACK!" The SP, being positioned near the door, meant that he had the advantage of catching the puddle off guard while it directed its attention at Voulge's attack. Throwing his left fist straight forward, the entire arm detached itself from the body and flew towards the mafia like a rocket. "I ain't like that tinhead, doing all those fancy-pansy crap. I like my attacks quick and dirty!" laughed Ignis as he began to swing his only available arm like a maniac.

Licht tried its best to follow along with Garde's movement, keeping up its shield and braced for a beating. However, it couldn't help but to be curious as it took a quick glance at the battle from the corner of the giant shield. Voulge maintained a good distance away from the puddle and began to reassess the flow of battle. "Marius, do you have a plan." asked the navi in an unusually calm tone. "We can't know for sure what this...thing is capable of. There's always a good chance that it might latch onto the ceiling like it did before." Marius let out his reply while he flipped one chip back and forth on top of fingers like a poker chip, gazing upon his own spectacle as he thought things through. "...But, of course, I have a plan."

As the navi and the operator talked things out, Ignis tried to make the best of the time. "Oi! Licht! I need a hand in this one!" The green crystal peered over the shield once more as its sibling's request perked up its interest. "You know what I mean, right? Just like we practiced!!" Licht became excited as it furiously shook his body up and down, generating a circular flow of wind by spinning its two bodies around. Ignis, on the other hand, held up its right fist up and pointed its middle finger up to the sky, taunting his enemy with his usual cocky attitude. "Take this! All my pain, all my trouble, and all my RAGE AGAINST THAT ASSHOLE TINHEAD." The fire arm dispersed and reformed into a layer that surrounded the SP's entire body, almost forming the shape of a gun shell. By this time, Licht's wind began to take visible form with the hint of emerald green.

"SURE-KILL TECHNIQUE, NUMBER 2!"

Ignis blasted off while pointing its sharp tipped head straight at the puddle, whizzing through the air as it created a high pitch noise. Licht kept his position as he continued to guard Garde and let out the generated wind to speed up Ignis' tackle. The moment the wind came in contact with the flying SP, the high pitch hum became even stronger and almost mimicked the sound of a boiling pot. "Get ready for...IGNIS. IGNITION.!" As his words rung in everyone's ear, Ignis literally took off with a bang as a burst of flame ignited behind, actually following true to his attack's name.

*CRASH*

The SP found himself right next to the NetMafia after the attack, not sure if his own attack was a success of not. Being uneasy by the fact that his enemy was right beside him, Ignis began to break out in cold sweat and turned towards Licht. "L-L-Licht! Get me out of here!" Unfortunately, the SP shook his head no, unable to create another flow of wind for at least a minute or more. Now, Ignis began to sweat profusely (despite the fact that he is a crystal and lacked a sweat gland), and even turned towards Voulge with a desperate plea. "...Halp."
Voulge sighed and stuck out his left arm forward towards Ignis and the puddle. "Just stay put." The navi clenched his hand into a fist and a powerful force of wind began to blow towards him from an unknown source. It began to grow stronger by the moment, even starting to drag Ignis. "H-hey! Gentle! Be gentle!" However, the wind's general focus was on the mafia as the wind current was at least twice as strong as the one Ignis was experiencing.

After getting his enemy close enough, Voulge readied his halberd with his one hand, spearhead pointing to the floor and the handle firmly placed under his armpit and around his arm. "Begone!" Pulling his left arm back and throwing it forward once more as his hands opened wide, the wind reversed its flow and created three large tornadoes. The tornadoes had a mind of their own as it flew past Voulge and headed directly at the puddle, leaving the navi to focus on its own attack as he dashed forward. He twirled the halberd in front of him before he held the spear up to his side with both hands, readying the powerful blade like an executioner. With all his might, Voulge swung the spear over the puddle and even twisted the spear around for another swing!

"Fall back! Be on your guard and wait for further instructions."

Marius halted Voulge from continuing his attack in fear of what the blob had hidden beneath his sleeves, plus the fact that his navi was driven by his emotions. Ignis and Licht kept their position while they relied on their guard, but Voulge bit his lips as he struggled to follow his operator's order. "...Understood." He withdrew the spear back into its original form and quickly backed away, keeping a careful watch over his enemy.

* Phalanx Aspis [2-hit Shield]
* Tempero Flamma [Strengthen [40]]
Licht: Ironshield2 [4-hit Shield]
* Licht: Vel Drive [Movement]: Move in front of Garde
Ignis: Tough Ego [Hardbody (2 turns) / 2TCD]
1. GutImpact [160 / 3 Uses / Impact / Break / Knockback / Melee] {B} @ Puddle
Ignis: FireHit2 [90+[color=red]25[/color] / Impact / Double] {A} @ Puddle
Licht: Guard Garde / Movement
2. Dodge
* Licht: Knockback/Pull (?) Ignis @ Puddle
Ignis: FireHit2 IGNIS IGNITION [90+[color=red]25[/color] / Impact / Double] {A} @ Puddle
Licht: Guard Garde / Movement
3. AirStorm2 [60 x 3 / Variable Targeting / Pull3] {B} Pull Ignis, Puddle | Attack Puddle x3
4. GutImpact [160 / 3 Uses / Impact / Break / Knockback / Melee] {B} @ Puddle
5. Dodge
6. Dodge

Cooldown:
Tough Ego: USED
GutImpact: 1 Use
Garde felt offended initially by Voulge's harsh criticism of her, but gradually realized he was in the right. "I-I guess I made a little mistake, b-but between ze two of us..."[font=French Script MT][/font] she blubbered, but it was too late for apologies to make any difference in the situation. She put up her fencing stance, removing her fencing sword from its place at her side; the weakness of her legs, however, was evident.

"Hm hm hm! Predictable! Your kind always goes out of its way to protect the weak; that's why the net is like it is today, filled with inferior creatures. It would be more fortunate for you two if I was from Vivarte, but you should know that I'm just here for my own purposes," the puddle explained as Voulge prepared his bar-stool shield and weapon. "Let's test you.... fully," the puddle groaned, suddenly stretching upward as Voulge ascended. The liquid slowly formed into the shape of a body, slowly gaining the necessary extremities. The gel tightened unnaturally towards its end, forming a face that was somehow too close to skeletal, stretched so tightly across the face that it created a disturbing grin.

A flash emitted from the eyes of Voulge's enemy as the navi came down for his attack. "You're new, right?" he commented in a telling way, sliding backward out of the way of Voulge's attack. The rattle as the navi's spear collided with the ground was unpleasant, but more importantly, it seemed to reveal that the floor was even less stable than it had seemed. Amazingly, the creature stepped out of the way of Ignis' masterfully planned attack as well! "Now learn the folly of the modern world. Gaze upon the power that the very Netpolice strive to keep from fruition!" the navi cackled, rearing back his own fist for a counterattack.

Fortunately, Ignis was ready for another attack, coming through and slamming into the navi's back. The navi's eyes widened as the attack hit, but he seemed rather pleased somehow that it had. "Hahaha. Delightful. If the NP operative had half the wit of your two SPs, perhaps she'd be fit for survival! Unfortunately, you've underestimated me again," the navi gloated in its myriad voices. Tendrils of blue liquid shot out around Ignis, but just before they could converge, Voulge's technique pulled him back to safety. Growling with exertion, the blue navi attempted to hold himself back. His body twirled around in the wind mysteriously, seeming to minimize the damage somewhat.

"Such powerful attacks! To think you're wasted upon the NetPolice," the large blue navi chuckled. "But facing me is folly. Even the strong will die if they are foolish!" Suddenly, the navi shot off chunks from his body in a hail of damaging needles. Voulge managed to dodge the majority of them, but his shield was obliterated. Lurching forward, he came through with the fist he'd stored earlier, smashing Voulge across the chest and sending him careening into the wall. [181] For a navi made out of gelatinous liquid, he seemed to have surprisingly solid knuckles.

Moving across the room, the navi picked Voulge up with one fist, still grinning menacingly. The blue navi looked like he had more in store, but before he could unleash it Voulge (at long last) received some back-up from his ally. The NP navi danced forward, slashing the mafioso across his back with her sword. The navi didn't even wince from the damage, barely acknowledging it. Sensing the need for further action, she jabbed the sword through his body and twisted it. "Rgh!" the navi grunted, releasing his grip. He paused, seeming to mutter to himself in a hushed voice. Voulge could vaguely overhear a few of the words...

"No... Take her... Interested in this one... Do it!"

Before anyone could act further, the wooden panel floor began to move on its own. A panel opened up beneath Garde, dropping her to the level beneath. She fell with an obnoxious wail, but a splash at the bottom followed by sputtering indicated she'd survived the fall. "We can continue fighting if you'd like. But be warned: this trap was designed to succeed," the enemy taunted Voulge.

"Monsieur Voulge! You were correct! We need more support here. Try to get out and get help, merci!"[font=French Script MT][/font] Voulge heard his ally's voice come from far beneath the floor. She was sputtering but otherwise seemed alright.

--Front Room--

Voulge: 69 HP (2 actions from door)
Ignis: 115 HP (2 action from door) (hardbody)
Licht: 90 HP (2 action from door) (4-hit shield)

NetMafia Puddle: 150 HP

Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Basement--

Garde: 310 HP (2 actions from door) (20 HP casing)

Terrain: 95% Unknown, 5% Aqua
"AWW, THAT'S JUST PLAIN DIRTY!" Even Ignis was angered at their enemy's decision to split Garde and Voulge. The spearman wiped the blood drizzling down from his lip and gave a cold stare at the mafia. Though the two of them were at each others throat, Voulge had no choice but to give in to the situation as he loosened his grip over his spear and hung it low to the ground.

"Stay put Garde...We're coming"

The navi strafed around the mafia puddle and slowly approached the hole which Garde has fallen into. Without hesitation, the navi jumped in along with both his SPs. Licht pulled Ignis along while the red crystal conjured up a small flicker of flame to light the dark basement floor...

-TURN SPLICE-
1. Fall down
Licht: Fall down
* Licht: Pull Ignis]
Ignis: Attack [40/Homing] (Light up the basement floor)
The enemy mafioso watched Voulge jump down into the hole that had slid open for Garde, raising one eyebrow quizzically but keeping his grin in its constant expression. A sigh slid from what was presumably his throat, despite possessing many voices. "This is the limitation of one guided by human compassion, I suppose. You are doomed to dive head-first into traps designed to weed out the weak from the strong."

-----------------------------------

Voulge hit the bottom with a huge splash, finding himself distressingly submerged in water, a situation all fire navis recognize as posing significant danger to their health. Garde watched with surprise as her ally and his SPs plunged into the liquid. There was no telling how deep it was, but luckily Voulge managed to avoid staying under very long.

The officer seemed to have lost her hat in the fall; her formerly bouncing, curly hair now fell all around her head into the water in matted strands. Her face at first reflected one of happiness to see him emerge, but then turned to a scolding frown. "No, ze gaffe of a lifetime! Zis is terrible! Why did you disobey my command?"[font=French Script MT][/font] she moaned, not realizing that she might have already lost a lot of credibility in Voulge's eyes. "This is just where he wants us, I zink; zere's so much water here zat he can use for cover,"[font=French Script MT][/font] she muttered.

A troublesome situation had indeed presented itself; although their nemesis was not seemingly following them down, all that Voulge could see surrounding them was water. Oddly, however, it was clean water, as opposed to the dank water you'd expect to find in the basement of the house. It was apparent it had been added specifically for the purpose of the trap. The walls, although dark and hard to make out, appeared to be solid stone.

The voice of their pursuer could be heard on the floor above them, but the words were difficult to make out. Immediately afterward, however, panic struck as more holes began to open up across the floor. Various objects began to drop into the water, although it was difficult to make them out. "Ack! Furzer and furzer we slide down ze glissade! I can get out of here, but can you? I don't want to leave you alone down here, I could never forgive myself! C-Can you even swim?"[font=French Script MT][/font] she babbled, swimming closer. How in the world she was swimming with all of her armor on was beyond Voulge...

--Front Room--

NetMafia Puddle: 150 HP

Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Basement--

Voulge: 69 HP
Ignis: 115 HP (hardbody)
Licht: 90 HP (4-hit shield)
Garde: 310 HP

???A: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???B: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???C: Unidentified Object (submerged)

Terrain: 100% Aqua
"Then go! I'll catch up with you." Voulge was quick to instruct his partner into safety, especially when he noticed unknown objects dropping into the water. The navi was set on investigating whether the objects were enemies or not...The Mafia operative's last word about the trap set up certainly made him uneasy. "I-I don't like this at all, tin head. Let's skidattle before you almost get us killed again!" Ignis quickly got himself up on Garde, since it was the nearest thing he could find to get himself out of the water due to his fiery nature. Licht simply didn't bother as it floated along the water.

"I agree, Voulge. Though you were able to go one on one with the NetMafia, you're gonna get yourself killed. Get out of there now and call for back up." said Marius as he slotted an AreaGrab for the navi to use.

At the bottom of his heart, Voulge wanted to see this battle through. Garde's mistake has put this entire town in danger and he wasn't going to turn a blind eye just for his own safety. However, at his current condition, he didn't have the luxury of doing everything he wanted. As he bit his lips, Voulge emerged out of the water and began to hover just above the surface thanks to his new NaviCust, looking into the wall of darkness and up towards the hole where he fell into.

"...Understood."

In a blink of an eye Voulge disappeared from the basement and appeared to the room on top. Even so, the navi immediately erected another shield in case the jello navi was to act again.

"...Let's go already!" said Ignis as he quietly hovered on top of Garde's shoulder. Licht began to rapidly spin around and around till it generated enough wind to shoot it self out of the basement, dragging Ignis along with the updraft. "Aiiiiiieeee~!"

-Turn Splice End-
Ignis: Get on Garde
Licht: Airstep to upper level
* Licht: Pull Ignis
2. AreaGrab [Teleport] {S} to upper level
* Phalanx Aspis [2-hit Shield]
* Tempero Flamma [Strengthen [40]]
-Turn Splice-

Cooldown:
Tough Ego: 2 TCD
GutImpact: 1 Use
"Oh? Un bel esprit! Cest bon, we shall exit togezer!"[font=French Script MT][/font] the officer nodded emphatically, causing her wet, blond hair to bob up and down, then rest matted across her forehead. Along with Voulge and his SPs, she areagrabbed to the original floor before the mysterious objects had a chance to affect them.

As Garde emerged to the top, flapping her hair back and forth to get the moisture out of it, it became apparent that she'd used some sort of .GMO to ditch her armor below the water. She was now dressed in a somewhat immodest bikini with the vertical barred blue, white, and red print of a flag. She laughed and pressed her fingers together. "Well, swimming in all of zat armor would be, eh, how do you say... les boules."[font=French Script MT][/font] She had a very nice body that was very glamorously proportioned and pleasing to look at, sleek and wet, although not nearly as muscular or athletic as one would expect from a professional fencer.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much time for Voulge to oggle his companion even if he wanted to. The blue puddle hadn't moved much from his original position and scowled at them disdainfully. "It seems that the weak are clinging to life. You've carried this trash out with you; although you are powerful, this error of compassion makes you worthless, like vermin. I am not reserving any further effort in eliminating the two of you," he warned them, then started making his way across the floor.

Garde summoned back on her breastplate (which looked silly, as she was still wearing her bikini under it), then turned to Voulge. "I get ze feeling zat we ought to try to escape. If we stay in zis room to fight, ze floor might open up again and drop us right back where we were!"[font=French Script MT][/font] she encouraged him, heading towards the back doors. "Zere must be some way out, non?"[font=French Script MT][/font]

((Entrance to back room is 1 movement away))

--Front Room--

NetMafia Puddle: 150 HP

Voulge: 69 HP
Ignis: 115 HP (hardbody)
Licht: 90 HP (4-hit shield)
Garde: 310 HP (20 HP casing)

Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Basement--

???A: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???B: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???C: Unidentified Object (submerged)

Terrain: 100% Aqua
Voulge let out a relieved sigh as he watched Garde get out of the watery basement without harm. "What the hell was that for, Licht! You didn't have to take me away like tha--allo, what's this?" Ignis began inspecting Garde's 'appearance' as he began to orbit around the half-naked navi. "Dayum...What a babe."

However, Voulge didn't even notice his partner's appearance and already turned towards the mafia navi in front of him, raising his spear and shield against it. "Stand guard!" He alerted the others of the navi's presence and the two SPs immediately stood guard by Garde. "We need to get some distance away if we want to get away from that navi." Said Marius as he twirled a chip between his fingers. "Take it slow and use this."

As the spearman gestured his SPs towards the back door, he kept his eye locked on the puddle at all times. "Go Garde. I'll buy us some time!" Ignis and Licht moved towards the back door, making sure the police navi would be kept safe. "Don't you worry about him, he says you're trash? Pfft, he must have no eyes to see that bod' of yours. If he did, he'll think twice before callin' you trash."

He took his shield up to his eye level and plunged his spear straight to the ground, sending a wave of red energy to shoot forward. "Totem!!" The wooden figure emerged from the pool of red energy and had its signature grin on its face. "I'm relying on you!" Voulge plucked the spear out and began to run towards the back door as everyone else did. The Totem's husky laughter echoed through out the small room before it unleashed its fiery breath upon the incoming puddlenavi.

3. Totem2 [140+[color=red]15[/color]+Spread 2 /or/ 70 Heal / Changes When Hit / 3 Turns / 100 HP] {A|S} In front of Voulge @ Puddle
Ignis: Move towards back room.
Licht: Vel Drive: Move towards back room.
4. Move towards back room.
-Turn Splice-

Cooldown:
Tough Ego: 2 TCD
GutImpact: 1 Use
"Zis little man and his bon mot! You are ze little charmer, non?"[font=French Script MT][/font] Garde giggled, reaching out to tickle Ignis as she enjoyed the compliment. Everyone but her realized that it was hardly the time for appreciating flattery, however, and Voulge quickly urged her towards the doors.

A frown spread across the blue blob's amorphous face. "You mistake me for someone who will fall for simple diversions," he sneered, then began to transform his body into a new form. The goo stretched up to form an ape-like body with a low brow. The arms elongated and the back hunched, giving him the shape of a giant, primitive neanderthal creature. He grew even further as Voulge watched; it seemed his cells were regenerating. "Diiie!" the creature growled with all of its throats, then charged them.

Voulge's totem spun to face the monster, blasting him with fire. The creature kept on moving, however, shaking its body and shivering as it emerged. "Ouch," it grunted simply, moving along with them and bursting through the door to the next room with the sheer force of its body. As he burst through, he flexed his muscles, then spread his arms, releasing a torrent of gooey colonies in spear-like formations. The projectiles tore through Voulge's shield and also smashed Garde's breastplate in two, inciting a startled wail. Another one hit Ignis, sucking at his life force. Thankfully, his hardened body protected him from most of the pain.

The room that all of them had escaped into contained some very old, dingy wooden furniture (cabinets, round tables, and chairs), an elevator shaft, and two staircase. A stage sat at the back of the room, although it looked like it had been disused for some time. Judging by the feeling of the floor, the navis could only assume that there were similar trapdoors installed. "Come kill me. Unless you're afraid," the creature grunted, snarling and showing sharpened primate teeth. Something seemed suspicious about his stance... almost like the colonies across his body were leaping with hunger.

"Oi, Monsieur Voulge! I am becoming worried about your health. Why don't you allow me to hold him off for a second while you find out which way we should go, eh?"[font=French Script MT][/font] she offered, raising her fencing foil. On one hand, it might be safer, seeing as she was virtually uninjured. On the other hand, the mafia man had proven himself capable of inflicting great injuries over small periods of time.

"Surrendeeeeer!" the creature groaned, beating its chest energetically.

--Center Room--

((Elevator shaft is one movement away))
((Stage is one movement away))
((Upstairs area is one movement away but up stairs))

NetMafia Puddle: 107 HP (hardbody)

Voulge: 69 HP (80 strengthen)
Ignis: 105 HP (hardbody)
Licht: 90 HP (4-hit shield)
Garde: 310 HP

(??? Trap Set!)
(??? Trap Set!)
(??? Trap Set!)
(Trap set by NetMafia Puddle!)
Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Front Room--

Totem2: 100 HP

--Basement--

???A: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???B: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???C: Unidentified Object (submerged)

Terrain: 100% Aqua
Totem did very little in the way of stopping the puddle in its track, but it at least inflict some amount of damage to the now humanoid-shaped mafia. Voulge repelled the volley of projectiles with his shield, but unfortunately for Ignis, he was struck by one of the leeching spears "Argh!? W-what do you think I am? S-s...some floating whorehouse where you can take some whore when ever you like it with your spears?!...That's a terrible example, BUT YOU GET THE POINT!"

Voulge quickly readied his own spear for a counter attack, but a few thing lingered in his mind. He was more than confident that he could strike down the puddle in one precise strike, but it was obvious that the mafia was simply taunting him to do so. Any more aggressive move like he did from the start, he wouldn't be so lucky to survive yet another attack.

"Keep your head cool. Think only about escaping that place!"

As he nodded his head in acknowledgment, Voulge surveyed the area for their next destination. He had to decide quick, or else he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for what the puddle could do to Garde. "Hey! Licht! Where the hell are you going off to!" Before Voulge could decide, the little green SP began to wonder off towards the stairs on its own accord. "...Then we'll go upstairs!"

The spearman followed his SP's lead as he ran up the stairs, but also prepared something on his way up. With another stab to the ground with his spear, Voulge sent out a wave of yellow energy through the ground. A lone, yellow snakegg emerged out from the energy and slowly began to slither down the stairs and towards the puddle.

"...Oh, you guys are ****-ing jerks!"

Ignis, on the other hand, stayed down at the center room because he had no more energy to move on with others, silently watching the mafia puddle in hopes that it won't suffer a horrible, painful death.

Licht: Move up the stairs.
5. Move up the stairs
6. Snakegg2 [140 (x2?) / Stun / Ground] {C} @ Puddle

Cooldown:
Tough Ego: 2 TCD
GutImpact: 1 Use
As Licht moved up the stairs first, a trap door opened up in the steps, causing him to plummet down into the water below. Voulge managed to stop himself just before plummeting to a similar fate and leapt to the top of the stairs, leaving behind a SnakeEgg to try to take care of the mafioso.

"Allez! Time for ze tête-à-tête!"[font=French Script MT][/font] Garde exclaimed, going in with her rapier ready. That was apparently just the move that the puddle was waiting for, however; with no further delay, it unleashed a burst of swarming colonies shaped like skeeter viruses which dug into her flesh. While she was distracted, the creature grabbed itself around her body and began squeezing the life out of her. "Merde alors! Nnngh!"[font=French Script MT][/font] she cried out, trying to pry the creature off with her hands.

Luckily, Voulge's electric snake was just what was called for to cause the blob to release its grasp. The creature collapsed inward, shuddering at the electric shock, then reformed its hulking body. "Ouch!" the creature grunted, having trouble maintaining its form after the static shock.

The distraction had given Garde enough time to run for the stairs. Following Voulge's guide, she leaped over the hole and landed at the top floor with him. Despite her obvious injuries, more visible in her fatigue than any flesh wounds, the situation was looking up; they'd gotten a little distance away from the navi now. The only problem was that Voulge's SPs were now separated from him, but luckily, it looked like the creature had little concern for Ignis. Licht had fallen into the waters below, however.

The upper area was surprisingly barren. It seemed that there was one room right at the end of the hall, but nothing else to be found. It might be locked, but the only alternative was to go back down with the puddle.

Licht could hear one of the items that had dropped into the water earlier whirring like a motor...

--Upstairs Area--

((Center room is one movement away down stairs))
((Attic room is one movement away down hall))

Voulge: 69 HP (80 strengthen)
Garde: 99 HP

(??? Trap Set!)

Terrain: 100% Normal

--Center Room--

((Elevator shaft is one movement away))
((Stage is one movement away))
((Upstairs area is one movement away but up stairs))

NetMafia Puddle: 137 HP (stun x1)

Ignis: 105 HP

(??? Trap Set!)
(??? Trap Set!)
(Trap set by NetMafia Puddle!)

Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Front Room--

Totem2: 100 HP

Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Basement--

Licht: 90 HP (4-hit shield)

???A: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???B: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???C: Unidentified Object (submerged)

Terrain: 100% Aqua
Voulge was relieved that Garde was able to escape from the puddle, but she suffered tremendous amount of damage from that short encounter. With nowhere else to go except towards the attic, the navi tapped Garde by her shoulder and pointed towards the door at the end of the hall "...Let's head over there."

Licht was unfortunately caught in one of the mafia's many traps, finding itself in the wet basement again. "You're just gonna leave Licht in there?" questioned Marius as he was curious about the navi's comrade priority. "He's fine." The SP was terrified when the whir of the motor echoed throughout the basement and immediately launched itself out of the basement like it did before with the gust of wind. "Look." Still dominated by fear, Licht zipped pass both Voulge and Garde and headed up to the attic...most likely running into yet another trap.

Ignis, left alone at the center room with the mafia navi, ceased any sort of movement and thudded down to the ground to play dead. "...Those assholes are gonna get it, I swear..." Fortunately, the puddle had its attention towards Voulge and Garde upstairs and nothing else, giving Ignis a God-given chance. "...Yoink~" Ignis attempted to slip past the mafia as silently as he could, moving towards the safety of the front room to hide behind the sturdy Totem.

"Garde. Let's go."

Voulge constructed yet another shield from scraps and began to move along the long hallway towards the attic door. Licht spared no time to see if the door was yet another trap or not and fired one of its miniature tornado straight at the door, hopefully ripping the wooden door apart for safe passage. However, the spearman stopped just before he went up the attick and turned towards the center room. Marius realized what was going on in his navi's mind and followed it with a question. "You want to slow him down again?" Voulge replied with a nod. "...Then this chip would do the job."

The operator nimbly picked out a single chip from his folder and slid it into the PET, crossing his arms as he waited to see how the battle will unfold. The chip slowly took on the form of a Killereye virus facing directly through the hallway and the staircase, leaving Voulge and the others safe from its lethal field of vision. "NETMAFIA! HAVE YOU REACHED YOUR LIMIT? I SWEAR YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO SHOW NO MERCY ON US." Voulge suddenly began to provoke the puddle as his resounding voice trembled through the hallway and into the center room. "NOW, LET US END THIS QUICKLY." He readied his shield and spear, praying that it will take the bait and finish this useless chase once and for all...

Licht: AirStep out of the hole.
* Licht: Vel Drive: Move towards attic
Ignis: Move towards front room.
* Phalanx Aspis [2-hit Shield]
* Tempero Flamma [Strengthen [40]] (120)
1. Move towards attic (Not all the way)
Licht: Attack [10 / Glitch] attic door
2. Sensor [100[b]+40 Strengthen[/b] / Stun / Beam / Attacks anything moving insight / Destroyed after attacking / 100 HP / ElecBody] {S} towards the hall/stairs
-Turn Splice-

Cooldown:
Tough Ego: 1 TCD
GutImpact: 1 Use
Totem: 2 Turns
The mafioso began his slow, lumbering descent up the stairs after Voulge. "No escape!" he snorted, vaulting over the hole that had opened up.

Licht, who had just caught up with the group with his wind-assisted jump, plummeted back beneath the waters as he skirted across the hallway. Garde watched blankly as he fell back into the basement below. "Déjà vu... Monsieur Voulge... I feel a certain empazee for your SP. He and I seem to have similar luck with ze traps,"[font=French Script MT][/font] she commented slowly, then turned to see the blob-creature approaching. With a short cry, she ran after Voulge over the hole that Licht had fallen into, wailing again in terror as the surprisingly thin floor shook beneath her weight. "I-I am not fat! It's just ze make of ze floor!"[font=French Script MT][/font] she defended hastily, then got back up to her feet.

As EvolutionMan ascended the staircase, he unfortunately slowed his mad charge and adopted his grinning, human-like form again. "Not likely," he laughed, then split into six pieces. Four of the pieces were immediately caught in the beam and burned to ashes.

Garde pulled back on her breastplate and gulped as she watched the navi approach. "Allez, mon ami..."[font=French Script MT][/font] she muttered quietly, backing up towards the door.

"They're coming in. If you value you position in this organization, do not run. I repeat: do NOT run," the approaching navi spoke without moving his lips. The anger was obvious in his voice. He'd said something about running... was it possible they were almost to an exit?

Licht noticed that the objects in the basement weren't attacking him or making aggressive motions yet. The whirring was still ominous, however...

--Upstairs Area--

((Center room is one movement away down stairs))
((Attic room is one movement away down hall))

NetMafia Puddle: 122 HP (stun x1)
Blob Chunk: 20 HP

Voulge: 69 HP (120 strengthen) (2-hit shield)
Garde: 99 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

--Center Room--

((Elevator shaft is one movement away))
((Stage is one movement away))
((Upstairs area is one movement away but up stairs))

(??? Trap Set!)
(??? Trap Set!)
(Trap set by NetMafia Puddle!)

Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Front Room--

Ignis: 105 HP
Totem2: 100 HP

Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Basement--

Licht: 90 HP (4-hit shield)

???A: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???B: Unidentified Object (submerged)
???C: Unidentified Object (submerged)

Terrain: 100% Aqua
"...Marius, it di-."

"It didn't work! I can see fine, Voulge!"

The operator was upset at the fact that the Sensor failed to attack the mafia navi, instead, caused it to separate into 6 separate entities to deafen the blow. "There was no way we could've know it could do that...I think." Voulge stated to alleviate his operator's distress. However, it wasn't the fact that the attack missed that bothered Voulge, what the Puddle has said to Garde was getting to him. It was now obvious that the two had some history together, but why he had to go to such length to create a building full of traps just to get one navi was beyond him...

The poor green SP fell into yet another trap after it blindly charged through the hallway. Finding itself in the watery basement once more, Licht attempted to fly out again but lacked enough energy to do so right this minute. It was still terrified by the strange sound the object emitted, but came to realize that it wasn't hostile, or at least something that wasn't capable of attacking Licht directly. Now filled with curiosity, the SP slowly made its way across the waters and approached the object to get a closer look...But it wasn't going to let its guard down, preparing to blast the object away if it did pose any sort of threat.

On the other hand, Ignis managed to slip away from the puddle's line of sight and slid across the floor as if he was playing a game of baseball. After bumping into something to stop his slide, the eccentric SP jumped up and shrieked in joy. " SAFE!" Ignis was overflowing with joy by the fact that he was now away from imminent pain and suffering he would've had to suffer. "Sweet sweet freedom! That asshole can rot in hell if all I care! It looked like he was almost dead anyways...GOOD FOR HIM! Isn't that right, Totty?"

He turned towards the Totem in hopes of it sharing his joy with its usual deep tone laughter, but instead, Ignis was shocked he saw something else. Apparently, Ignis accidentally crashed into the Totem and caused it to turn its body into the calm white face when the SP slid across the floor. "W-wait!" Before Ignis could do anything else, the Totem's white face opened its eyes and showered Voulge in a soothing, curative light. "...Goddamnit."

"...Marius, was that you?" Voulge asked as his wounds and pain began to disappear. "Huh? What are you talking about?" After scratching his head a bit, the navi shrugged it off and began to run up the attic as quickly as he could. The spearman feared that there was yet another trap waiting for them, along with the fact that the attic was the dead end for their escape. "Garde, stay strong. Find a way out!"

Voulge held his spear up to his chest with both hands, closing his eyes and took in a big breath through his nose. "Lend me the strength, Splash." His emblem flashed in a blue light and changed the navi's appearance in a blink of an eye. Now donning a white spear and the blue and silver armors, Voulge was prepared to face off with the mafia. Marius was curious why the navi suddenly entered into his SoulCross, but then thought back to a few moments ago and snapped his fingers. "That last attack you got from the mafia did some numbers because of your fire affinity...Good choice."

The navi withdrew the spear over his shoulder, taking a few steps back away from the door as his eyes tightly locked towards the hallway. Licking his lips and tightening his grip, Voulge stretched out his other hand forward and began to slow his breathing. "...Come." The white spear suddenly began to shine in a golden light and began to discharge small electric arcs. Voulge patiently waited for the puddle to come through the door, but also kept a vigilant watch to see if the mafia will come to the attic in a different manner. Either way, the navi wasn't going to waste the electric javelin and made sure it would hit the mark.

Ignis, now unable to undo his mistake, still had a plan to see things through. "That tinhead was almost dead from that one hit. Y-yea, I'm sure he's gonna die from one more, even if he did get healed or not...I can't wait to see that with my own eyes!"With the devilish scheme up in his mind, Ignis moved back to the center room and now tried to head towards the attic to get the front-seat of Voulge's (possible) demise.

Licht: Examine unidentified object.
* Licht: [Prepare] Knockback Object.
Ignis: Headbutt [1] Totem2
* Totem2 [140+[color=red]15[/color]+Spread 2 /or/ 70 Heal / Changes When Hit / 3 Turns / 100 HP] {A|S} @ Voulge
3. Move up the attic
4. Activate SplashCross [+15 [color=blue]Aqua[/color]]
5. Take Aim
6. Arrow [100+[b]25 Strengthen[/b] / Homing] {B+Take Aim} @ Puddle
Ignis: Move to center room.

Cooldown:
Tough Ego: 1 TCD
GutImpact: 1 Use
Totem: 2 Turns
The navi on the stairs grinned at Voulge, as his face seemed unable to do anything else, but a sort of malice and hatred was obviously bubbling beneath the surface. Voulge's totem healed him up, which only seemed to increase the navi's rage. Garde's eyes sparkled as she watched Voulge equip his SplashCross. "Ah, Monsieur Voulge, I am going to swoon!"[font=French Script MT][/font] she giggled, but it was hard to pay attention to her when the rivalry between the puddle and the Netpolice recruit had reached its height.

Voulge fired off the javelin with perfect timing, releasing it at the exact moment that the man finished ascending the staircase. Unfortunately, a barrier quickly enclosed the target, dispelling the electricity from the attack with a harsh crackle. "This was an error in planning on my part. I did not anticipate that Garde would bring such a worthy specimen to protect her... But do you not recognize your folly? Do you not understand the sadness it brings me?" the navi grunted to Voulge, locking eyes with him. "The one you've toiled so hard to protect is no more worthy of populating the net than an insignificant virus."

"Ze words of a loser! You know that we have won and now you are just boo-hooing!"[font=French Script MT][/font] Officer Garde taunted him, proceeding through the door with Voulge. "Maybe we all don't care about your stupid standards about who lives and who doesn't, eh? Maybe not everyone can be some stupid immortal transforming blob... zing!"[font=French Script MT][/font]

"When viruses corrupt a system, we delete them. They pollute the net by their very existence and nature. Such is the nature of weaklings like you: by simply existing and perpetuating the idea that it is fine to carry on your life in this manner, you corrupt the navi pool," he offered, waiting to see if she would understand him this time.

Garde wanted to retort, but she figured she ought to search for an exit like Voulge said. However, as she turned to observe the attic room that they had backed into someone...

Licht found that the submerged objects were just as nasty looking as he'd imagined: creepy, black, metal objects like torpedos, painted with snarling faces. The machines had motors attached to the back, but it didn't seem like they were active.

... Garde had backed into a strange looking navi at a console, a navi clad in a black skinsuit with armor that made it look as though his entire body had been caught in a series of iron jaw bear traps. The navi waved his hands and backed up towards the window of the room, which was vacant besides the new occupants and the console he'd been working at. "Hey, hold on! Here's the way out, here! Just don't kill me!" he pleaded in a whimpering voice, clasping his hands together. The jackout barrier seemed to have fallen.

"TrapMan, you imbecile! Did your operator just destroy the jackout barrier mechanism? Do you even have any idea what that technology is worth? A single jackout barrier is worth more to this organization than the lives of you or your operator," the blue navi snarled through his grin. "Don't bother leaving. I'll see to it that you and your operator both meet a slow, painful demise very soon."

"Screw you, we lost! What am I supposed to do?!" he cried out, pressing himself against the wall. They were only on the second story floor, so jumping out probably wouldn't yield a lot of pain, but he was evidently too scared to try it regardless.

"Monsieur Voulge, we have done enough. I don't think we have ze proper tools to apprehend zis man, so all we can do now is leave and call it even,"[font=French Script MT][/font] Garde explained, tugging on Voulge's arm. "We should get out of here and make a report!"[font=French Script MT][/font]

"This failure stains everything that I stand for... I will not allow it to go unredeemed. Mark my words, Voulge. By saving this girl, you have doomed a hundred others," EvolutionMan ensured the recruit, then disappeared into his puddle and presumably from the net.

TrapMan huddled into a ball on the floor, clutching his head. "Aaagh! It's over, it's all over! Why did I have to work for that bastard!?" he groaned to himself.

Garde sighed, then turned to Voulge. "What do we do? We can apprehend him I guess,"[font=French Script MT][/font] she suggested. "If he comes willingly we can put him into custody and zen interrogate him. He's got to give us ze name of his operator too, though, or it sounds like zat guy is kaput."[font=French Script MT][/font]

"Huh? Sure! I can give you guys all sorts of crap! Just take me in and put me somewhere safe!" he exclaimed, standing back up to his feet.

"Eh, ze problem is, he could be bluffing. If we take him back and get our NP interrogators on him, he could clam up and not give us anyzing. Maybe we should take zis time to interrogate him right now? If he gives up ze op's name, ze whole problem will be solved! Unfortunately, zat's kind of outside of our actual duties, but I won't tell if you won't,"[font=French Script MT][/font] she whispered in a hurried voice to Voulge. The other navi waited, grinding his hands together impatiently as he waited for the verdict.

Unfortunately for Ignis, he really hadn't gotten to see any of this since they all disappeared through the doorway before he could get a glimpse.

--Attic Room--

TrapMan: 100 HP
NetMafia Puddle: JACKED OUT!

Voulge: 139 HP (95 strengthen) (2-hit shield)
Garde: 99 HP

100% Normal

--Upstairs Area--

((Center room is one movement away down stairs))
((Attic room is one movement away down hall))

Blob Chunk: 20 HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

--Center Room--

((Elevator shaft is one movement away))
((Stage is one movement away))
((Upstairs area is one movement away but up stairs))

Ignis: 105 HP

(??? Trap Set!)
(??? Trap Set!)

Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Front Room--

Totem2: 100 HP

Terrain: 90% Normal, 10% Missing

--Basement--

Licht: 90 HP (4-hit shield)

TorpedoA: 10 HP
TorpedoB: 10 HP
TorpedoC: 10 HP

Terrain: 100% Aqua