Sunshine in Sharo (EVENT!)

Soft footsteps mark the otherwise immaculate snowfield--quick, while the wind hasn't blown the path away!

A massive shadow appeared over the portal from the netsquare, a shadow that seemed to suck all the sound out of the area. Finally, from the middle of the shadows, a navi stepped out, clad in black and wearing a dark red scarf.

Pianissimo looked around, then activated his scanner. I'm not picking up the trail, he thought, turning it back off. How did that other guy do it?

He looked back at the portal, where the shadows had finally cleared, and wondered if anyone else would come. He'd go this alone if he had to, but since he still hadn't fought since he had been created...he didn't particularly want to.

Oberon flew out of the portal at full speed, in midair, and then landed in a crouch, his blades making an odd clink as they tapped the permafrost underfoot. His white body nearly disappeared against the snowy background, and aside from the deep blue sapphire set in his pendant, only the shadowy areas on his beveled features were visible inside his dim outline.

"Hello again," he said with a nod, straightening as he realized the lack of any immediate threats.

Despite the fact that he had never engaged in battle before, Oberon handled himself and his weapons with perfect grace, as if he had practiced for years before this day, and as if he was not starting something new, but rather, turning around to rediscover what had always been his purpose.

EDIT: Oberon looked at the footprints, then said, "That's just too easy. Keep your sensors on full alert. Watch my back and I'll watch yours."

The gem on his chest gave one slow pulse from within. His features flickered, and a similar glint was visible on his forehead for just a second, and then Oberon turned to again face Pianissimo. "I forgot to mention: I am Oberon, and my companion is Titania. I am operated by Kazuhiro Sachio Ishihara. Perhaps you have heard of him. Welcome to my home net of Sharo."

Triggerman's lone poncho appeared in the midst of the portal, accompanied by a sparse gale, not quite strong enough to disturb the precarious evidence. Gently floating to the ground before coming to rest, the fabric gave ghostly rise to Triggerman's full presence.

Be still, he silently told the Western Wind. With obedience, the gale's vitality dimmed, gently setting his wind aroused poncho to rest. By instinct, the slinger placed his gun hand beneath the serape's cloth, reassuring it with the cold touch of the .45.

But the Count wasn't to be diminished yet. He didn't have to look around to confirm the present safety; instinct's dictates had informed him already. The shots had yet to be exchanged yet, and the scene, undisturbed, confirmed it.

He looked at the ground, taking in the frost that clung to his boots; he'd played the role of the Reaper the last time he'd graced this terra.

Staying taciturn, Triggerman glanced upwards at the duo of navis that had preceded him, his eyes beneath his brim's shadows. His invisible glare served almost as the mute semblance of a greeting.

MeleeMan appeared in a burst of smoke, rubbing both of his gauntlets. He was instantly surprised at how cold they felt, then suddenly became aware of the harsh, snowy conditions around him. "R-R-Rania!" he cringed. "W-we couldn't h-have picked a w-w-worse place to go!"

"Meh, beggers can't be choosers," Rania muttered under her breath.

"W-What'd you c-c-call me?" he asked through his teeth with indignation. "S-s-say that t-t-to-!"

"Wow, you can hardly even talk there, can you? You really should have dressed warmer. I'm cold just looking at you!" Rania shivered. "So, er, do you see Rass or that wierd normal navi?"

"N-n-no, I d-don't. I wonder w-where they are?" MeleeMan muttered, looking from side to side as moisture began to form flakes on his upper lip. "I'll be h-h-happy if I never come h-here again."

"I'll scout ahead," said Oberon flatly, without so much as a glance at the newcomers-- or maybe he had looked at them out of the corner of his eye, in which case it woudl be impossible to tell. "It'll be hard for them to see us, but easy for them to spot you. Follow the trail and I'll search a wider path to make sure there aren't any nasty surprises.

Without saying anything else by way of greeting, Oberon vanished into the snows, leaving a new trail of footprints some distance away from the existing ones.

Chaos appeared out of the Net Portal, sharp eyes searching the surrounding area for anything that might show where the criminals had run off to. A set of foot prints immediately caught his eye, but he dismissed them as being a little too obvious for the group that had staged such a well planned robbery and continued his search. MeleeMan had exited the portal just a bit a head of him and was standing in the snow shivering, a weakness that Chaos was sure to note.

Chaos scanned the rest of the area, noting another trio of Navi that stood in the distance. He cursed under his breath as he recognized the group. One was an opalescent Navi that resembled the female that he had been appraising before the commotion. The other two he recognized all to well as the stoic gunslinger and the sword wielding, black armored Navi that had been following him when he first arrived at the NetSquare.

"Damn..." Came Rayth's voice over the secure line.

"Yes," Chaos responded with an equally irritated voice. "I believe that those two shall recognize me even with this ridiculous GMO that you have created. I shall have to rely on my own skills to assuage their suspicions."

On cue, Chaos stumbled over his own feet, the plain beige Navi tumbling into a bank of snow. He lay there for several seconds, feigning confusion, before pushing himself to his feet. He gave a hearty wave to the other Navi and laughed embarrassedly.

"Aheh, sorry 'bout that! I guess I have to watch where I'm going." He scratched his head, despite his lack of hair, and gazed at the trio of "strange" Navi. "Hullo there! I'm NaviMan. Are you folks gonna help us stop those bad men that made the poor Golden Navi cry?"

"Ahah!" The navi yelled happily as he fell through the portal and into Sharo net, then immediately noticed how cold it was, but it was nothing compared to the view he held of the shivering navi known as Meleeman, who was perfect for a monk fighter. Better yet, he looked like he had a elemental type, although it wouldn't be good for this area of the world, it would be good as a character.

And then there was... a gunman! The silent-type gunman! He could join the party too!


"Hi, I didn't get your name, Mister-Shivering-person, but would you like to join my party?" The navi asked the shivering meleeman enthusiastically, then turning to Triggerman, and basically asking him the same thing.

"I didn't get your name either, Um... It was easier in games, where when you spoke to me your name displayed... But Whatever your name is, would you like to join my party?" He asked, then spun around again, he was beginning to feel dizzy.

"Normal Beige-colored-guy! Nice to meet you! Do you have a name, or are you just a generic NPC?" The navi asked, no sarcasm in his voice, just naivety.

"Well, generic is the proper word for me." Said Chaos in a too cheerful voice. "I'm called NaviMan. It is a pleasure to meet you, er...What is your name?"

Chaos' eyes flicked from the strange newcomer to the portal and back. Why hadn't Rass emerged yet? Had that pink Navi bumbled into the wrong portal? Was Chaos now forced to substitute Rass for this obviously crazed Navi? He cursed Rass' ineptitude and offered a hand in greeting to the new Navi.

"Damn," He thought to himself. "My plaything seems to have wandered off and I have been left with an imbecile who plays too many video games. I bet Rayth is laughing right now...Well, no one laughs and gets away with it. I'll have my fun when their blood is dripping from my claws."

"Hrm? These are my teammates? Half of them are silent as stone statues; the other half are clearly insane!" MeleeMan shouted. Apparently, unprovoked rage was heating him up; smoke billowed from his gauntlets. This appeared to clear up his stuttering problem. "Meh, when life gives you limes, you make gatorade."

"What was that? I don't think that was how the phrase goes," Rania pointed out. "Well, at any rate, it seems that Rass isn't going to show. It's a lucky thing there are plenty of other navis hanging around. Who's that pretty silvery navi over there? I don't think that it's introduced itself yet."

"Huh... I don't know who they are, but they're trying to get away from us. And you there," he said, pointing toward Seraphim, "we ain't here to party. Best to get any of those notions out of your head."

"I think he said 'join his party.' Party as in 'a group of people,'" Rania pointed out. "I've heard the term in a few of those fantasy video games before. I wonder if he has neat swords and things like they do?"

"Hah! Swords. Real warriors-" MeleeMan started.

"Fight with their fists," Rania interrupted him with a grumble. "Yeah, yeah. You're so predictable!"

Looking as though his pride was injured, MeleeMan turned away from the other navis, rubbing his thick arms rapidly and billowing smoke from his gauntlets.

"Naviman? That's a very nice name. Well, I'm named Seraphim." The navi spoke confidently, holding his hand out to the beige navi and shaking vigorously, then turning around and looking around.


"As a Generic NPC, he doesn't have anything more to say, I think. I don't want to hear repeated statements, after all." Seraphim looked at meleeman.

"Are you all right, Mister Shivery? If this wasn't a game, you might contract an illness with all that shivering."

Wow, thought Pianissimo, So many people... There were a few things he wanted to say to each of them. First...the one who had introduced himself as Oberon, and a companion as Titania. Oberon...Titania...now I get it!

"Yes, I've heard of Kazu. My operator's mentioned that name a few times, though I'm not sure if he knew him personally or just heard about him, though." Pianissimo said.

"And there's no need to welcome me to your 'home net'. It's well...mine too. You go scout ahead if you want, my armor will just stand out against the snow."

Letting Oberon walk ahead, Pianissimo contacted his operator. "I take it you heard all that, right."

"Yes. Indeed I've heard the name, but I can't remember where from. Did he say where he lived?"

Pianissimo told him what he knew, which wasn't very much. Leaving Rigel to do...whatever he was going to do...Pianissimo immediately looked at the newcomers, spotting a beige normalnavi that seemed to be trying too hard to be inconspicuous. He scanned the navi, getting the name Chaos.EXE, and remembered something. When the confusion started at the netsquare, he had seen that very navi's appearance shatter, revealing the skeletal navi that he had been suspicious of earlier. He walked up and talked in a strangely quiet voice so only Chaos could here,

"Listen. We're here to find the navis that stole the sunshine chips or whatever they were, and beat the living shit out of them. I don't want you causing any more trouble than we need. Got it...Chaos?"

The cold bit at Triggerman's skin like Lady Luck's acid kisses. The dame had left a trail, but it ran cold like the blood of fresh roadkill.

...Is it that easy?

The hell it was. He could sniff it; bad tidings were in the air, a scent that cast itself into the frigid Western Wind. The gale wrapped it self amongst him, subtly hinting. He could hear the Dame's cold laughter echoing amidst the wind's overture; she had an agenda.
He knew what it was. The Lady was nursing a hate.

A real big hate.

The players had all arrived, but their presence couldn't conceal the foreboding stench. He took little notice of them, gently brushing aside the ecstatic navi that approached him amusingly.

But one of the lads had departed; trying to play hero again. It was that same character that had spoken up at the square.

Good intentions equated to bleeding corpses. Triggerman wasn't going to place faith in the competence or safety of the stranger.

Lowering his hat by habit, he set off in the same direction as the ambiguous personality.

"You don't have to follow, but thanks," said Oberon. His location was betrayed by a flurry of movement in the air as he turned, and the shadows below his snow-white features aligned into the unmistakable shape of a human face with a wiry head of hair. "The footsteps could easily be a trap, and my partner doesn't like surprises."

The footsteps appearing in the snow turned sideways and slowed down as Oberon twisted to face Triggerman. "By the way, I'm Oberon, and my operator is Kazuhiro Ishihara. Maybe you've heard of him. I'll explain later."

The foosteps righted themselves again, and Oberon resumed his steady jog.

As the group trudges through the tundra, a gale of snowfall meets them--wait, that's not snow!!

Dozens of icy blue shards descend from the sky!

"It... It's a cutscene! An FMV! I should move!" The navi yelled out, then threw himself to the side, rolling out of the way of the shards of ice, then spinning his weapon around, pointing it at random intervals.

"Where are you,villain, you have to reveal yourself for the battle to start!" The navi cried out, looking around nervously.

Pianissimo rolled out of the way in the same direction as Seraph, using his katana to shield the eyepieces of his helmet.

"A clever tactic, using the environmental conditions against us, I'll give him that much." he said more to himself than anyone, continuing to shield his eyes just in case.

"Stay calm," he said to Seraphim, who looked visibly nervous, and was pointing his weapon at seemingly everything that moved. "And don't point that at me."

Chaos was just about to answer the threatening Navi with a snide comment of his own, but he was interrupted by a flash of blue from the sky. Shards of what looked like ice were raining down upon them, shards that looked incredibly sharp and dangerous. Chaos smiled behind his mask; he liked the style of this mystery opponent. He turned back to see Seraphim and the scarfed Navi rolling to the side.

Chaos followed suit, small sparks of crimson energy running along the soles of the beige NormalNavi's feet, and promptly stumbled over his own feet. His powers over gravity sent him sailing over the snow to land in a tumbling roll that brought him under the cover of a tree. The dark, sword-wielding Navi was close to his cover, so he whispered in Pianissimo's ear, his voice once more adopting the sinister hiss.

"Worry not, I have no intention of preventing those HeelNavi from meeting the fate that they so well deserve."

As Triggerman continued to tail Oberon and distance himself farther from the main group, intuition hung in the back of his throat like a bitter liquor, warning him with each step.

He could smell the Lady's perfume now. It was foul.

At that moment, he felt a disturbance in the atmosphere, his gut twanging like an automatic. He didn't have to look up; the Dame's first move had been played, and the reality of it throbbed like the beat of a war drum.

"...looks like your surprise came a little early," he said to Oberon through gritted teeth, his voice grey with dirt.

By Triggerman's volition, the Western Wind gathered in strength. With prejudice, the gale assuaged the ambush, shielding both the Slinger and Oberon from the assault overhead.
Motes of ice drizzled across Triggerman's serape in the violent effect, tinging his face with cold. But it was better than the taste of the Reaper's business end.

Lady Luck had just begun to show her hand, and she was rolling again.

((Sorry for being slow guys. I'm sharing the computer with 4 others, and my attention also is demanded by Valkyrie Profile. XD))

"A-Augh! Who dares pelt me with more ice and snow!? Do you fools not yet realize that your utilization of the cold only makes my rage burn stronger?" MeleeMan shouted to nobody in particular. Although he was talking tuff, he actually shielded his face with both of his gauntlets. The ice storm was definitely demoralizing him.

"Don't worry, they aren't doing any real damage yet. This appears to be some kind of diversion," Rania explained. "Just weather it out and wait until the others locate the enemy."

"Hmph! Wait for the others!" MeleeMan scoffed. He did find, however, that he couldn't bring himself to unguard his face at present, so he scanned the area once more for his opponent.