Powers Combine

"...Well, this is new!" Soundman remarked, stepping forward. He glanced upward at the massive pyramid--

and up.

and up.

and up.

"...Very new." he finished, returning his sight to ground level. Melody floated up behind him. "Look at the size of it..." she remarked, tilting back in a way similar to the way Soundman's head had moments ago, "I wonder what's inside?"

"If every single RPG and piece of fiction ever is to be believed? We're not going to like the answer." Trenn said over the line. "Ugh, I can't even get a readout of the entire thing with how big it is... Soundman, see if you can head a little closer."

"You got it, Trenn." Soundman confirmed, walking cautiously towards the pyramid. Melody drifted slowly behind him...

Titania and Oberon were distracted from their interior dialogue by their Operator's... moping would be the best way to describe it. Apparently, Guy was instinctively holding down his push-to-talk while talking self-pity. Either that, or he really wanted Titania and Oberon to hear. Curiously, they reacted so differently that if not for their awareness of each other, they would never have known that the opposite reaction was possible.

Trenn is right. You don't have to take the whole burden yourself, said Titania as soothingly as she could, before Oberon was able to give his particular brand of encouragement.

As the group moves closer, the pillars suddenly crumble and fall over. When the dust settles, Totems sit where the base of each pillar used to be, and Heavys float off to the sides where the tops of the pillars had fallen. The sounds of something in the distance ahead crumbling could also be heard, but nothing else appeared. The Totems turned to bring their flame throwers to bear against the Navis, all of which began to glow....

It was a trap, and the Navis were caught square in the middle of it.

-----------
Summary
-----------

Battle 6: Begin!!

---Allies--- (on pathway)
SoundMan.EXE: 180 HP
Melody.SP: 40 HP
Titania.EXE: 140 HP
-- 9 Battle Turns Un-Opped Remaining

---Enemies---
---Group1--- (in a line to the left of the path)
TotemA: 80 HP
TotemB: 80 HP
TotemC: 80 HP

---Group2--- (In a loose cluster to the left)
HeavyA: 75 HP
HeavyB: 75 HP
HeavyC: 75 HP

---Group1--- (in a line to the right of the path)
TotemD: 80 HP
TotemE: 80 HP
TotemF: 80 HP

---Group2--- (In a loose cluster to the right)
HeavyA: 75 HP
HeavyB: 75 HP
HeavyC: 75 HP

---Objects---
Pyramid Door: 320 HP (IronBody) [4 moves ahead]

---Locations---
Pyramid Entrance: [4 moves ahead]

---Terrain---
Sand: 40%
Normal: 20% (Path leading to the Pyramid)
Pyramid: 40% (Cannot be changed. May be climbed slowly as Sand, may be descended quickly as Normal.)

Note: The pyramid is huge. The terrain % only accounts for a small part of it facing you, and doesn't even begin to cover going all the way to the top.

Guy made a kind of guttral sound over the mic as if he had been hit by a sudden intravenous dose of paralyzing venom. That low nrrrgh sound was as much of a danger signal to Titania and Oberon as the sound of a pod full of missiles arming up and locking on.

"He's not ready," murmured Titania.

"He's useless!" Scowled Oberon, making sure Guy heard this as well. "Listen up, boy, we may be a top-grade Navi with experimental programming, but we're not Net Gods."

"OH god oh god oh god."

"Pull your shit together or we're going to get iced and it'll be your fault! Is that what you want? Huh!?" Because he had the luxury of not having to actually execute the evasive maneuvers that Titania was pacing through, he had plenty of processing time left to use for berating his Operator. Titania, on the other hand, was busy running for her life.

Oberon had a saying: When there is no defense, attack. Titania had a saying: When there is no attack, wait for one to appear. Both of them agreed on this situation, where there was no attack nor defense: Run.

For now, they ran to escape, but not to leave the battle. Titania ran along the path for a few steps, but before that would become too predictable, she suddenly slammed both armored feet into the ground and hurtled backwards, then up into the air. With the immobility of airborne travel, she interrupted Oberon's process of yelling at Guy to remind him to be ready to switch and defend.

When she landed, it was on sand. She rolled low across her shoulders, to avoid the inconvenience of having to push off of soft sand and to decrease her target area. Guy would get it together soon. He would have to.

1. Dodge
2. Dodge
3. Dodge (Jump)
4. Dual Aegis
5. Dodge (roll)

"I figured something like this would happen." Trenn remarked with a chuckle. Soundman heard a set of three differently-toned beeps through the line as Trenn sent him some chips, almost immediately beginning to formulate a plan on how to use them. "Here, Soundman, take these. We need to get at least one of those groups completely gone first off-- being flanked is not going to be pleasant. Try to get some defense up before you go after them, though."

"Okay." Soundman nodded, pushing all of the sliders on his forearms to their highest setting. He snatched Melody out of the air with a grin, lifted his hand dramatically... and then brought it down across Melody's strings. A wave of sound blasted outward from Melody as Soundman followed up the first strum with a second, speakers pumping out a bass-and-drum accompaniment. The waves of sheet music characteristic of his Restez signature belted outward as the impromptu concert carried on, quickly growing in number as Soundman played. The sheets and sheets of notework and staves did not follow the usual pattern of instantly wrapping around Soundman, however; they instead hovered slightly above the ground around Soundman like a dense fog, rapidly undulating back and forth to the fast-paced rhythm of Soundman's playing.

The musical navi gave another grand, over-dramatized strum on Melody's strings, calling forth a bolt of lightning that arced jaggedly from from the tip end of her, leaping through the air towards the nearest Totem virus. As it neared the thing it zagged harshly, leaping to strike a different Totem in the line at the last second.

Soundman kept on playing as the song stopped along with the sheet production; the sheet music he had already created continued to slowly revolve around him on the floor, despite it all, waiting for an attack to try and strike him. Soundman took the lack of music as an opportunity rather than the end of the signature it was, and with a smirk he broke out into a guitar solo, fingers deftly playing a complex sequence of chords at a pace that was nothing if not dizzying. As the solo continued on, the sound of Soundman's playing almost seemed to build up, growing louder and louder for the entire time the musical navi played, until the sound of Melody alone was nearly deafening. As the solo seemed to reach its' peak, Soundman gave one last aggrandized stroke across Melody's strings-- and the buildup of sound focused itself into a literal wave of guitar chords and rhythm that sliced through the netspace towards the first Totem Soundman had originally sought to electrify.

His solo time with Melody at an end, Soundman raised his right arm back towards the sky, pausing at the silence left in comparison to his music. It was... almost peaceful, if a bit boring. Soundman exhaled softly, steeling himself against the enemies in front of him, and tensed his muscles; when the inevitable attack came, he would be ready to move.

1: Restez (80 HP barrier on Soundman)
Melody 1: Strum (40 damage @ Totem C)
2: Thunder2 (80 Elec damage at Totem B)
3: Whine (80 damage @ Totem A)
4: Prepped dodge

While Titania/Oberon manage to keep a few Heavies occupied, Soundman raises a barrier and proceeds to exchange fire with the Totems. He manages to delete two of them with his attacks while the flame throwers of the red-faced Totems flare harmlessly against his barrier. Melody's attack is a little less successful, as the Totem she struck immediately turned in place, presented its blue face, and healed itself back to maximum. The efforts of Soundman's teammate leaves the groups of Heavies scattered chaotically across the landscape, but the dual Navi manages to come out unscathed in spite of the substitute operator panicking.

There was a lot of glass everywhere now...

[spoiler=Summary]---Allies--- (on pathway)
SoundMan.EXE: 180 HP (20 HP barrier)
Melody.SP: 40 HP
Titania.EXE: 140 HP
-- 8 Battle Turns Un-Opped Remaining

---Enemies---
---Group1--- (in a line to the left of the path)
TotemA: Deleted
TotemB: Deleted
TotemC: 80 HP (Blue)

---Group2--- (Scattered)
HeavyA: 75 HP
HeavyB: 75 HP
HeavyC: 75 HP

---Group3--- (in a line to the right of the path)
TotemD: 80 HP (Red)
TotemE: 80 HP (Red)
TotemF: 80 HP (Red)

---Group4--- (Scattered)
HeavyD: 75 HP
HeavyE: 75 HP
HeavyF: 75 HP

---Objects---
Pyramid Door: 320 HP (IronBody) [4 moves ahead]

---Locations---
Pyramid Entrance: [4 moves ahead]

---Terrain---
Glass: 40%
Normal: 20% (Path leading to the Pyramid)
Pyramid: 40% (Cannot be changed. May be climbed slowly as Sand, may be descended quickly as Normal.)

Note: The pyramid is huge. The terrain % only accounts for a small part of it facing you, and doesn't even begin to cover going all the way to the top.[/Spoiler]

Conceded. We'll make the best of this.

Titania's focus returned to the battle. A flicker of determination which nobody but Oberon could appreciate crossed her milk-white features, and even Oberon's mind was receding from her mental processes as he directed his thoughts towards his own strategic goals. Her feet left the path with a cloud of dust as she made the most of her legpower before she was forced to run across the soft sand. Her boots shifted and slipped infuriatingly, but still she ran, building speed. The Heavies... maybe they used a falling attack, like Quakes. And Totems... maybe they attacked linearly. Maybe, maybe. After spending a few nanoseconds rolling the info around in her head, she knew how to hedge her bets.

Her body dipped low into a slide and she raised her hands, from which the SideBubbles emerged and hovered menacingly in the air. From there, she reversed her momentum, pushing against the sand with what force she could and retracing her steps for a short distance before pivoting and vanishing.

Oberon's twin blades glowed with the second chip's energy, tearing a yellow rift through space and data as he drew a wild pattern of arcs and spikes aimed at one of the Heavies. His weapons seemed to blink in and out of existence as the glowing aura of yellow extended their reach to strike beyond the data-steel. With a final angry flash, he thrusted his katars in opposite directions, hoping to delete two at once with the beams of energy extending his reach before he too vanished.

His essence flowed across the Net to fill the space where Titania was-- leaping off the sand again, back onto the path.

[1] Unison Flow (4x Tac Move)/Close to Group3
[2] Place SideBubbles (90 Break Trap)
[3] Close to Group4/ElecSword [80] HeavyD
[4] Position for double delete/ElecSword [80] HeavyE,F
[5] Dodge/Avoid Glass

"Titania, Oberon, do you read?" The message was meant for the two other navis, but Soundman heard it as well. The musical navi glanced over at his busting partner(s) instinctively at the remark, and noticed a rapid succession of facial expressions flitting across their features. Surprise, mostly, mixed with a bit of confusion and perhaps just a twinge of frustration?

Oh well, Soundman thought, I was never good at reading faces anyway. He continued to listen in on the conversation as Trenn gave them some tactical advice, sent them some chips... Soundman decided to busy himself with tuning Melody as Trenn talked, adjusting the tightness of her strings while he waited.

"Soundman, did you get all that?" Trenn finally addressed Soundman with that remark, leading him to realize that he had accidentally tightened one of Melody's strings a little too much. "Loud and clear, Trenn!" Came Soundman's chipper reply as he quickly loosened the string. Melody let out a sharp hiss beneath him. "You won't have to worry too much about me or them staying alive, whichever of us you pay attention to, so don't feel too pressured, okay?" he finished, unwrapping himself from Melody and standing up.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Soundman." Trenn responded, sounding much calmer. "Now that that's done... see if you can finish off that Totem that's getting all blue in the face near you. You should be able to use this--" There was a small pause as Trenn presumably fiddled with something on the PET, then continued. "-- to make him as cold as he looks." Trenn's response coincided with the arrival of their Icewave1 chip, which Soundman immediately began to take into his systems.

Soundman held his left arm out to the side as it began to freeze over, with a thin, icy shell encasing the entire thing from the shoulder down. Soundman moved his left arm to point it at the totem nearest him, the thin layer of ice cracking near his joints as he thrust it forward, palm open; the rime that covered it thickened considerably as a small, blue ball of frost built up in his palm, and with a CRACK the shot fired from his palm, snapped his arm back, and released a wave of ice towards the Totem.

Soundman took a step forward, eyeing up the first set of heavies, and held his right arm aloft. A familiar cobalt spear fell into his outstretched hand, and Soundman pulled his arm back, taught like a notched arrow, as he lined up his shot. Flames began to pour out from the back side of the spear's head, but Soundman held the weapon that was suddenly trying to escape his grip firm. Not yet... not until he had finished lining the shot up... Soundman's eyes scanned the battlefield as he tried to aim the deadly projectile that he was about to become at the Heavy viruses; when he had finally lined himself up well enough, he wagered, Soundman leapt forward-- and let the spear take care of the rest.

The musical navi careened swiftly through the air at breakneck speeds, pulled in equal parts by both the spear he had conjured and the trail of flames it was leaving in its' wake. The wind assaulted his hair as he charged relentlessly, twirling through the space above the glass as he went. It would be a great evasive maneuver if it wasn't an attack that spanned a straight line, Soundman wagered, but it was too late to think of that now.

The glinting tip of Soundman's spear pushed everything that threatened to stop it aside as it ripped through the air; with luck, it would punch straight through the Heavies Soundman had lined it up with. If not...

Soundman zipped through the group of Heavy viruses, spear still carrying him, and then disappeared, the trail of smoke he was leaving behind cutting itself off abruptly. There was a moment of silence while the roar of the spear's flaming power was cut off by the third chip Soundman had used this turn-- but that silence was cut short as the musical navi reappeared just outside of the group of Heavies, this time traveling at an angle that would send him careening straight through two more.

--Summary--
1: Icewave (80 Aqua damage @ Totem C) [Acc: A]
2: Dodge/Summon R's spear
3: DashAttack (90 + Impact + LineATK(5) @ Heavy A/C) [Acc: C]
4: AreaGrab [Acc + to next attack] [Dodge] (Change direction of DashAttack to hit Heavy B/C as well)

Melody 1: Dodge

((Thread Jack'D at mod's request))

Soundman's icy attack proved too much for the totem virus as it crumbled to pieces from the strain of the rapid temperature drop and piercing ice (80). As SoundMan readied his spear, Titania closed in on the group of Totems on the right side of the path and left a pair of deadly SideBubbles in front of them. They slowly floated ahead, and one struck the closest totem in an explosion of water and rock (180). The totems quickly retaliated with a pair of flamethrowers directly towards Titania, but only one struck her(20). The second line of flame caused the second bubble to pop, and in a loud crash, the totem was blasted in half by a large anchor that launched from the bubble like a cannonball(90).

The Heavies that hovered over the area started to go into a fervor and flew towards the attacking Navis. Soundman managed to dodge one as it teleported next to him and tried to smack him with it's dumbbell-shaped body. He then allowed the spear he summoned to pull him along like an arrow as he charged through the Heavy viruses nearest to him. Unfortunately his straight pass didn't destroy all of the Heavies (90), but Soundman knew of his chip's capabilities and teleported with a more advantageous angle to finish off the third (90) Heavy; the one that actually attacked him before.

Oberon quickly went on the offensive and moved in on the Heavies and delivered a series of slashes to the closest one, which caused it to fall to pieces to the ground (80). However, the Heavies were not content with simply getting chopped to pieces, and one of them teleported next to Oberon before it slid hard to the side and bashed the Navi (15). However, he managed to move back into position between the remaining heavies and swung both katars in opposite directions and felled the viruses (80).

It seemed as if the field was decimated by the Navis and there were few threats remaining, but the temporary silence on the battlefield was drowned out by a series of blasts that came from the entry way. A half-dozen projectiles soared through the air and exploded on the ground around the Navis. Melody and Titania/Oberon managed to avoid the majority of the blasts (10 to each), but Soundman was unprepared for the barrage and was hit multiple times. Luckily for him, his barrier weathered the brunt of the blasts before it disappeared (20). As the smoke cleared from the entry way, they saw the iron doors were slightly tilted forward before they slowly slid back into place.



[spoiler=Summary]---Allies--- (on pathway)
SoundMan.EXE: 180 HP [Barrier Destroyed]
Melody.SP: 30 HP
Titania.EXE: 110 HP
-- 7 Battle Turns Un-Opped Remaining

---Enemies---
---Group1--- (in a line to the left of the path)
TotemA: Deleted
TotemB: Deleted
TotemC: Deleted

---Group2--- (Scattered)
HeavyA: Deleted
HeavyB: Deleted
HeavyC: Deleted

---Group3--- (in a line to the right of the path)
TotemD: Deleted
TotemE: Deleted
TotemF: 80 HP (Red)

---Group4--- (Scattered)
HeavyD: Deleted
HeavyE: Deleted
HeavyF: Deleted

---Objects---
Pyramid Door: 320 HP (IronBody) [4 moves ahead]

---Locations---
Pyramid Entrance: [4 moves ahead]

---Terrain---
Glass: 40%
Normal: 15% (Path leading to the Pyramid)
Rubble: 5% (Scattered on both sides of path, may hinder movement)
Pyramid: 40% (Cannot be changed. May be climbed slowly as Sand, may be descended quickly as Normal.)

Note: The pyramid is huge. The terrain % only accounts for a small part of it facing you, and doesn't even begin to cover going all the way to the top.[/Spoiler]

Titania, take out that Totem on your way over. Don't bother getting into melee range.

Titania's feet beat a snare rhythm against the path as she took off at a full sprint. Her bow seemed like it would dissolve in the air as it formed from white mist in her hands and was drawn. What's he thinking? Asked Oberon. He's thinking about line-of-fire, she thought back. He understood as her eyes flicked across the door momentarily before returning to their current mark.

The chip came. The arrow was energized. The shot was lined up. And after a nanosecond's hesitation, taken on the run. A blue streak of attack data was drawn across Net-space, perpendicular to the trail of white following her movement, aimed for the core of the remaining virus. There was no break in the patter of her footsteps. She sprinted hard, then finally twisted her body and slid on the dusty footpath, aiming to land bodily against the pyramid wall just next to the entrance.

She had no way of knowing the drama happening inside Guy's own mind, but she could hear the conversation, and she knew what was transpiring-- what had to transpire if Guy was ever to achieve the status of NetBattler proper. She did not let it distract her.

[1] Move to pyramid
[2] IceWave [80 Aqua] TotemF
[3] Move to pyramid
[4] Move to pyramid
[5] Move to pyramid (beside door)

"All of you, move to the near edge of the pyramid wall and press up against it; make it so they can't aim those blasts at you without coming outside to do so."

Soundman was a flurry of motion when the orders came through the line; in one second, he took the first step forward. In the next, he grabbed Melody with a hand, and in the third second after that, he slung her across his back where she stuck, holding herself against him with her gauze. Soundman himself continued dashing quickly along the path as this happened, watching the door with a cold intensity, ready to move out of the way if the doors swung open again. To this end, he stuck to the edge of the path, rather than the middle.

Soundman skidded into place as he reached the pyramid, sidling up against the wall next to the door on the opposite side from Titania. When the door opened again, they would be ready.

All Soundman actions: Run to pyramid wall/dodge if the doors open.

Melody 1: Cling to Soundman's back.

The Navis and SP quickly moved to the side of the pyramid before Titania dispatched the lone Totem with an arrow of ice (100). The doors started to open again as Soundman advanced towards it. Just like before, a quartet of cannons slid out from the gap made by the movement of the door, and opened fire. Soundman anticipated this and quickly ran towards the wall as the rounds whizzed past. His SP was also spared from the barrage due to being tethered to his back. The group was then up against the Pyramid wall, and completely out of the firing angle of the doors. Though they couldn't see it, they heard the scraping of metal and stone before it went silent again. However, before the Navis made their next move, they heard short, repetitive scraping noises coming from the doorway.


[spoiler=Summary]---Allies--- (against Pyramid wall)
SoundMan.EXE: 180 HP
Melody.SP: 30 HP
Titania.EXE: 110 HP
-- 6 Battle Turns Un-Opped Remaining

---Enemies---
---Group1--- (in a line to the left of the path)
TotemA: Deleted
TotemB: Deleted
TotemC: Deleted

---Group2--- (Scattered)
HeavyA: Deleted
HeavyB: Deleted
HeavyC: Deleted

---Group3--- (in a line to the right of the path)
TotemD: Deleted
TotemE: Deleted
TotemF: Deleted

---Group4--- (Scattered)
HeavyD: Deleted
HeavyE: Deleted
HeavyF: Deleted

---Objects---
Pyramid Door: 320 HP (IronBody) [Emitting a strange noise]

---Locations---
Pyramid Entrance: [Currently blocked by Pyramid Door]

---Terrain---
Glass: 40%
Normal: 15% (Path leading to the Pyramid)
Rubble: 5% (Scattered on both sides of path, may hinder movement)
Pyramid: 40% (Cannot be changed. May be climbed slowly as Sand, may be descended quickly as Normal.)

Note: The pyramid is huge. The terrain % only accounts for a small part of it facing you, and doesn't even begin to cover going all the way to the top.[/Spoiler]

Soundman glanced over at Titaberon on the opposite side of the pyramid door; she looked a little more beat up than he did, he had to admit. He reached backward, grabbing Melody off of his back, and began to play a soft melody.

Rum pata pun pum pa, pum pata pun pum pa.

He fingered the notes and chords on Melody as speedily as he could, glancing constantly between his partner and the door that was separating them from whatever sat inside the pyramid. The sheet music so familiar to Soundman by now spooled outward from the various speakers implanted across his entire body, then slithered its' way through the air at a slow, lumbering pace.

The notes and lines cascaded over Titaberon when they got near, then turned to swirl about them like a constant bubble of protection. Round and round and round they went, like the turning cylinder of a music box. And then they vanished as Soundman's small performance ended, leaving small evidence of their presence; a single note, hanging in the air.

Soundman, meanwhile, decided to just hunker down where he was. The viruses on this side of the door were dead, and he had a creeping feeling he would need everything he had for what was on the other side of that door.

1: Restez (80 HP barrier on Titania/Oberon
2/3/4: Wait/Prepped dodge

Melody 1: Continue clinging to Soundman.

Titania stood defiantly in the middle of the path with an arrow nocked and her body positioned, but she did not draw yet. As Soundman's shield surrounded her, combining and overlapping with defensive data-structures of her own, she understood what was to be done. Her eyes burned deep blue with the power of the second Navi looking through them, power which flowed from the blue gem on her forehead and into her hands.

Whatever came through that door would have a big surprise waiting for it.

Double Aegis
Tandem Surge [Strengthen 120]
Readied Cannon [160, knockback]
Auto Dodge
Auto Dodge

Bumparino!

Bamf.

Er, Bump.

Our heroes started their preparations for an assault by arming the double Navis with shields, barriers, and an overcharged cannon, and waited for the viruses to come. However, they only continued to hear the short, repetitive scraping coming from inside the entrance corridor. But after a few moments, the sound of metal whining, sounding like a motor undergoing a great deal of strain.