Powers Combine

The form of a running Navi materialized on the plains of the Net. Titania's gaze was straight ahead, intent upon punching deep into the area, discovering its secrets, always on the lookout for threats, but even though he was invisible and had no presence in the Net, Oberon could not hide his enthusiasm, which showed through a persistent sparkle in the only color on Titania's ghostly form-- her sapphire-colored pendant.

This place is great, said Oberon's voice through the voice-link. I can't wait to see what cool stuff there is to delete in here.

[[color=darkred] This is going to be a little different, [/color]] said Rachel. [ [color=darkred]You'll be busting with a teammate this time. [/color]]

"I always do," replied Titania matter-of-factly. "The difference will be in how well he fights with me."

[[ Throw a Battle 1 at us whenever. ]]
A small, luminescent sphere crash-landed on the floor next to Titania, hardly leaving a dent but sticking in place. It began to pulse, flashing a signal...

Soundman's beam of light shortly followed the tracer, unwinding like a coil to reveal the navi contained within. A second, smaller beam struck the floor next to Soundman and unfolded like a pair of translucent wings; this time the revealed object was a floating, blue guitar, wrapped in bandages. Soundman took a step toward Titania, and the guitar floated to his side.

"Hello there... Oberon, was it?" Soundman cheerfully said, greeting the navi. "My name's Soundman, I'm Trenn's-" Soundman paused for a moment, an odd look flashing across his face. "That's funny... I'm getting two separate identification readings off of you. Are you alright?"
"I'm not Oberon," said Titania flatly. "Oberon is my ally. You'll see him just as soon as I need him." She slowed her pace to as not to get too far ahead of her freshly-jacked teammate, but he eyes continued to scan the horizon.

That's funny, said Oberon, causing a slightly amused twinkle in the pendant. I never thought of what we must look like on a Navi's heads-up. I wonder if we should figure out a way to keep it secret?
"Well, what is your name, then?" Soundman kept pace with Titania, stopping at her side once again. "I believe I've introduced myself, the least you could do is reciprocate."
"My name is Titania," she replied smartly, with a nod to her teammate, as she marched along the Net's pathways. "I suppose that would make me Oberon's... counterpart, of sorts."

She folded her arms, looking straight ahead still, the grey shadows on her white face revealing nothing. "I apologize in advance if our eccentricities make us a difficult Virus Busting partner." She placed no emphasis on the word 'eccentricites,' nor did she call any attention to the inconsistent pronouns in her statement...
Soundman quirked an eyebrow at the response. "It shouldn't matter much, I get along pretty well with most-"

There was a cough to Soundman's right.

"Oh. Right. I almost forgot." Soundman smacked his forehead, grinning. "Titania, this is Melody." Soundman took a step backward, clearing the line of sight between Titania and the guitar that had been following him diligently.

Melody herself took this as a cue to show off, and strummed off a note or two before speaking. "Hello, Titania. Pleased to meet you." The support program's voice was silky, practiced, like what you would expect of a stage performer-- even speech was a song to be sung. As far as sentient guitars go, she sounded pretty chipper.
"A Support Program. From the looks of you, you're also your Operator's handiwork," observed Titania with an approving nod. "As you can see, I lack a Support Program, as well as an Operator who knows me well, but nevertheless, I do not fight alone."

I like these two. I wanna say hi.

Titania finished with "Melody, a pleasure," and turned back to the task of searching for viruses, ignoring the nagging voice from within.
((Battle 1, please. We're both ready now.))
Before long, the two found themselves approached from each side.

Though they had been walking on a grassy path, they would now see that it was surrounded by Sand on each side, and as a result the viruses would be found approaching over the sand.

SoundMan and Melody, for their part, would find 3 HauntedCandles, all looking angry and frightening.

From the opposite side of the path, Titania and Oberon would first hear, then see three Skeetes heading straight them.

Should be fun.

Battle Summary:
Duo of Heroic Duos:

SoundMan.EXE: 180 HP [Right, on Grass]
Melody.SP: 40 HP [Right, on Grass]

Titania/Oberon.EXE: 210 HP [Left, on Grass]

Enemies:
HntdCandleA: 100 HP [Right, Out on Sand]
HntdCandleB: 100 HP [Right, Out on Sand]
HntdCandleC: 100 HP [Right, Out on Sand]
SkeeterA: 30 HP [Left, Out on Sand]
SkeeterB: 30 HP [Left, Out on Sand]
SkeeterC: 30 HP [Left, out on Sand]

Battlegrounds:
Grass 20% [Center in a path, separating Sands]
Sand 40% [To the Right of the path]
Sand 40% [To the left of the path]

Battle 1, GO!

((OOC: Twi, please put Melody's stats in your sig. It'd be one click more convenient, as I have enough tabs open to mod already. 'sides, I think you're required to have at least her HP in there.))
"Yeah, those should work!" Soundman replied with a nod. He turned to face the guitar floating next to him. "Melody, want to help Titania take out the Skeeters over there?"

"You got it!" Melody whisked through the air, stopping to hover at Titania's side. "Give me a strum, hon! I'll show those Skeeters what I can do!" The long bandage hovering around Melody unraveled in response, taking up a shape around her that seemed oddly like a guitar strap, and her strings crackled with electricity. "We'll give them a show to remember!"

Soundman, meanwhile, tapped the power of the first chip Trenn had sent him. There was a small, echoing sound, like someone had dropped a pin onto a glass floor, and Soundman disappeared, leaving little more than a hovering note where he had been.

Soundman reappeared near the candles in a whirling blast of sheet music and sound, scattering musical notes every which way as he spun into a pose. Dramatic chords began to belt out of his speakers as he tapped the second chip Trenn had sent him. Heat began to rise up within him, starting from his feet and building up hotter, hotter, broiling inside. An ordinary navi would flinch from the sensation, but he had felt it before; both from this very chip and from a certain cross of his.

Runeknight... Just the mention of his name gave Soundman a bit of strength; The heat rose in his chest, rising high enough to spill over into his arms. It was like being filled with lava, being full of the fire of the soul--

--and ready to explode.

Soundman struck his arms out to either side, and flames exploded from him in every direction in a loud, earth-shaking blast. The sheer heat of the flames turned the sand below to glass as it passed overhead, the fire just as much a catalyst of change as it was destruction. The air itself seemed ablaze with the dancing fire as it rippled outward; yet the navi positioned squarely at the epicenter showed little signs of duress.

As the flames began to die down, heavy bass notes and guitar chords echoed outward from Soundman's speakers; one would think to look toward the navi's SP for the source, but no. This was all Soundman.

So it made sense, then, as the tabs for the song-- in typical sheet music form-- unfurled from the subwoofer strapped to Soundman's back, wrapping around him to form a defensive 'bubble' as the song drew to a close. Soundman tapped into the third chip as the protective barrier faded into invisibility, allowing him to see unhindered, and looked around for any targets...

Turn Splice
1: Areagrab to middle of Haunted Candles (Also counts as a dodge, Acc+ to next attack)
2: Burner to all Haunted Candles (130 Fire + Blast2 centered on Soundman, Accuracy UP from Areagrab)
3: Restez @ Soundman (80 HP barrier)
4: [Saved for end of turn splice]

--Melody--
1: Strum (40 @ SkeeterA)
Titania looked like she was about to say something, but the sound of the incoming Skeeters instantly consumed all of her attention. She suddenly pivoted on her heel and drew her bow. Her aim centered on one of the small virii, and she almost gave just the slightest smile at the opportunity for target practice. However, if there was a smile on her face, then the grey shadows on white plaster that made her features were insufficient to show it. "Twinfang! Cannon!"

No, no. Rachel, put in a RageClaw. Let me... it was all Titania could do to keep from rolling her eyes as she heard the voice eminating from her, speaking through the voice-link to the human world. In fact, if she had rolled those pupilless eyes-- who would know?

The two chips Rachel had chosen arrived simultaneously, and Oberon gave a single snort at the "compromise." A good compromise leaves everyone mad, he mused, as Titania's bow was energized with the first chip. Her bowstring hissed with power as it launched the hefty arrow in an unerringly straight path at nothing. For a moment it looked as if the projectile would whiz harmlessly past the virus group, and then the virtual air thrummed with energy as the arrow split into two, both full-sized arrows flying straight for different targets.

Titania lowered her bow, as if the battle was over, when Melody, that charming little thing, flew past her head. "Stay alert, Rachel," muttered the archer Navi, her hunter's gaze scanning the battlefield once more. "We're not done quite yet..."

[ [color=darkred]Oberon! Cover that Support Program![/color] ]

"Yes, ma'am." Oberon's voice had more than a slight edge of sarcasm to it as he suddenly warped into view next to Melody as she approached the enemies, the guitar-sprite's strings crackling with energy as it prepared to unleash its... fury? Whatever it was that a living guitar could be said to unleash.

Oberon stared at Melody for a few short moments, not really understanding her roundabout instructions, but when she unfurled a strap, he seemed to get the picture. Oberon did a dramatic jump into the air, turning a full circle as he snatched Melody from the air, the guitar-sprite tinkling in protest as he whirled around, holding her by the neck-- and activated a RageClaw on her body, attempting to smash her into the bug-like virus on the way down. She hummed indignantly, and her nervous trill came to a crescendo at the apex of Oberon's swing, such that her song resonated with the strike, releasing her attack's power-- though surely not in the way that the poor Support Program had intended.

When Oberon landed, he was wearing Melody upside down over his back, with his hands on his hips. "What an unusual little Support Program," he said happily as he struck his pose. "She takes the form of a weapon, but like none I've ever seen before..."

Double Aegis [2 Shields]
Twinfang1 [70 SkeeterB, SkeeterC]
Unison Flow [Teleport, Take Aim, Strengthen 20]
RageClaw [40+20, Take Aim used, any Skeeter that survives]
*Afterburner*
And the battle was off to a tremendous start. Soon after it started, one Skeet moved ahead of one of the others, and began approaching. In some sort of incredible twist of fate, this left them all lined up perfectly for a triple delete at the hands of Titania's twin arrow attack.

SoundMan was attacked by a candle, but warped away behind them while the ground was still blinking beneath him, and was long gone before it burst into flames. A second prepared to attack him from behind them, but was interrupted as SoundMan encompassed the area in flames.

A third attacked Oberon, seeing that the Navi appeared to be a threat. This failed, though, mainly because Oberon and Melody transported themselves over to the sand to swipe at the air.

SoundMan then enclosed himself in a barrier while Melody blasted some serious vibes at the dead skeeters from Oberon's back, just for good measure.

The glass beneath SoundMan's feet began to blink orange.


Battle Summary:
Terrific Trio and an (soon to be not so)Ineffectual Loner:

SoundMan.EXE: 180 HP [Right, on Grass]

Melody.SP: 40 HP [Oberon's Back]
Titania/Oberon.EXE: 210 HP [Left, on Sand]

Enemies:
HntdCandleA: 100 HP [Right, Out on Glass]
HntdCandleB: 100 HP [Right, Out on Glass]
HntdCandleC: 100 HP [Right, Out on Glass]
SkeeterA: -Deleted-
SkeeterB: -Deleted-
SkeeterC: -Deleted-

Battlegrounds:
Grass 16% [Center in a path, separating Sands]
Glass 8% [Where SoundMan had been on the Path, and some sands to the right of that]
Sand 28% [To the Right of the path]
Glass 8% [In the Sand to the Right]
Sand 40% [To the left of the path]

((SoundMan gets one more action.))
Well, that didn't turn out quite so well! Soundman thought, quickly bailing off of the glass with a leap. Maybe I can...

The musical navi immediately turned the moment he landed, his feet disturbing the sand beneath him, and activated the chip he had been sent prior. The Lilbomb expanded into his hand like an inflating balloon, pressing against his grip, locking itself into a secure hold between his fingers. Soundman took another step back, away from the glass, and cocked his arm back behind him. The throw would be overhand, the trajectory... the middle of the glass.

Sweat formed on Soundman's brow as he briefly ran over the possible arcs, force, and angles he could throw it at or from, trying to pin down the best way to get a shatter. It was going to be now or never, however; the viruses would probably move off of the glass soon.

So there came the windup, the tensing of Soundman's entire body as, like a pitcher, he curled back- and then the pitch. Soundman's arm whipped forward, slicing the air, and the Lilbomb left the safety of his fingers at a rocketing pace.

The small, rounded projectile hurtled through the air, whirling every which way as it flew; Soundman could only hope that it would work...

End of Turn Splice
4: Lilbomb @ Middle of Glass (50 + Blast 2, should hopefully break the glass beneath all the candles, dealing extra damage/killing them)
SoundMan managed to barely roll into the sand and off the glass before throwing a bomb back into the center of his opponents.

On the downside, he didn't move far enough to get off the blinking ground beneath him, and his shield took a fiery blow.

On the brightside, he landed the shot perfectly and was far enough to avoid his bombs blast radius, which knocked all three evil little candles down a peg.

Battle Summary:
Terrific Trio and a Musician:

SoundMan.EXE: 180 HP [30 HP shield][Right, on G[b]L[/b]ass]

Melody.SP: 40 HP [Oberon's Back]
Titania/Oberon.EXE: 210 HP [Left, on Sand]

Enemies:
HntdCandleA: 50 HP [Right, Out on Glass]
HntdCandleB: 50 HP [Right, Out on Glass]
HntdCandleC: 50 HP [Right, Out on Glass]
SkeeterA: -Deleted-
SkeeterB: -Deleted-
SkeeterC: -Deleted-

Battlegrounds:
Grass 16% [Center in a path, separating Sands]
Glass 8% [Where SoundMan had been on the Path, and some sands to the right of that]
Sand 24% [To the Right of the path]
Glass 12% [In the Sand to the Right]
Sand 40% [To the left of the path]
[ [color=darkred]Closing to melee. Don't throw any more Blast attacks.[/color] ]

"You're not closing to melee; we are," Oberon shot back, as he hefted Melody, played himself a quick fanfare of utterly random, chaotic notes that clashed together like the squeal of some kind of dying machine, then tossed her into the air to let her free-float again. "Thanks for your help, Melody!" He yelled at her, before sprinting out across the field.

Rachel tried to tell him how to do his job. He spat back "I know about GlassPanels," and bit back the words useless amateur, and continued to order his Operator to give him the chips that would deal the damage needed.

[ [color=darkred]Shit... Fine.[/color] ]

Oberon's face darkened with shadow as he leaned forward into his sprint, skipping lightly over the small patch of GlassPanels in the way, taking a small hop off the grass and onto the glass, then bending his knees and lowering his center of gravity close to the ground, keeping a precariously delicate balance as he skidded across the sheer glass surface. His balance was thrown further into danger as he struck out with one bladed fist, then the other, trying to delete the viruses with a sliding attack run.

Only moments after passing the group, he evaporated into airy white data, and instantaneously re-assembled his body in a stationary position, close again to the enemies, both weapons crackling with electricity, leaving a kind of sizzle in the air as he used the glass to whirl into a kind of dance, his blades striking and darting in all directions, their reach extended by audible sparks of electricity.

0. Guitar solo!
1. Jump, hop, leap, and slide
2. Sliding Sword rush [80 to HauntedCandleA]
3. Sliding Sword rush [80 to HauntedCandleB]
4. AreaGrab to center of group
5. ElecSword spin slash [80 to all]
[BTW, I should have two Shields. They weren't in the last battle summary.]
((0 inspiration for cleanup posts + sick = lag))

Melody wailed out a warbling note as she was flung into the air, prompting Soundman to turn and spot the distressed, flying guitar. Melody! Soundman raced across the terrain, his steps hindered by the sand that he continued to kick up with every movement. Closer, closer, closer...

Soundman leaped for Melody, kicking up one last gout of sand, but fell short, instead landing face-down, his arms still outstretched. Melody drifted lightly downward to land in his grasp.

It was quite the scene...

"Mrph... mrgli rigee-gree-neeh, burr-nrf." Soundman muttered, his face still planted in the sand.

"Not really..." Melody replied nonchalantly. Soundman grabbed onto the ribbon-y gauze hanging from Melody that was still wafting lightly in the digital breeze, and hoisted himself up to a standing position.

"Well, let's uh.." Soundman took stock of the remaining viruses on the field as he spat a bit of sand out from his mouth, and twisted his face into a pensive expression. He scratched his chin. "Let's lay down some covering fire, I guess?" He looked at Oberon, charging in, and his expression changed to one of surprise. "Wait, wasn't sh- he-..wasn't I fighting with a girl before, Trenn?"

"You still are." Melody chimed in from behind him, a giggle hinting in her voice, "But I get what you meant." She floated forward to rest at Soundman's side.

"Well, Trenn started, "If they're Fire-type, which I'm guessing they are..." There was a small 'beep', "let's go with an Icewave and a Shockwave. Ti-...Oberon should be able to dodge out of the way of those if it does come down to it."

"Alright, I guess." Soundman spared one last confused glance toward... Oberon? and started up his 'routine'. The speakers on his left Shin played out a few tinkling, high-pitched notes, and everything from the knee down on Soundman's left leg began to freeze over, the sound equipment quickly being covered in a thick layer of rime. A frigid grin crept over Soundman's face in a similar manner, and the musical navi raised his foot. With a powerful bass chord punctuating it, Soundman stomped the ground hard, sending a wave of spiked ice careening across the glass toward one of the HntdCandles. With a second stomp, the ice broke free of Soundman's foot.

Soundman held his right hand in front of him, palm upward, and looked at what he was holding-- a tiny pickax. Soundman closed his hand around the tiny object.

The windup... the pitch...

Soundman sent the the pickaxe hurtling in an arc through the air-- too much of one, actually, as it seemed it would fall too far to hit one of the HntdCandles-- but that was the trick of it. The pickax struck the ground hard as it landed, sending out a wave of energy at an angle toward the HntdCandle it had seemingly missed-- with the angle set to hit a second, if neither moved.

1: DIVE for Melody and ultimately fail. (Dodge)
2: Icewave1 @ HntdCandleC (160 Aqua [Elemental Bonus])
FREE: Buff Shockwave (add 18 damage)
3: Shockwave @ HntdCandle A & B (58 + Piercing + Line Attack)
4: Dodge
Bump.
The battle ended itself pretty nicely. As everything suddenly flew into motion, the viruses managed to fail to get much done.

Oberon then slid through the center of them, missing his first slice, but hitting with his second. As SoundMan sent an icewave at the third, the first, missed target hit him with a flame blast. It burnt off his remaining barrier, just as he deleted his target.

Then as SoundMan pitched his attack, Oberon teleported and sliced at the last virus. Somewhere between the two of them, they killed the last virus.

Victory!
SoundMan.EXE: 180 HP
Melody.SP: 40 HP [Back with SoundMan]

Oberon.EXE: 210 HP

RewardData:
SoundMan Get: 300 zenny, 7 bugfrags
Oberon Get: 300 zenny
Oberon snatched up his half of the reward data as he strutted back to the path, and sneered. "Well, that's a sad amount of Zenny," he complained.

Then it's fitting for a group of enemies who didn't even manage to scratch you, replied a voice that Oberon would consider his conscience if not for the fact that it often said things that he himself would never think.

"Hi," said Oberon to the Navi he's been fighting with. His right hand-blade dematerialized as he gave a kind of salute. "I'm Oberon. Sorry I didn't introduce myself before, but Titania likes to keep people in the dark about us, for some reason. Anyway, let's keep walking. We're sure to find an enemy who isn't quite so pathetic, if we keep looking."

His speech completed, Oberon turned on a heel and started jogging off, deeper into Netfrica.
Soundman stuttered for a moment while Melody snatched up and uploaded the data, then trodded off after Oberon. "Um... if I may ask..." Soundman scratched the back of his neck. "What are you two? Two navis in one shell? A GMO flicker? I mean..." He frowned, falling into step next to Oberon, "...I don't want to be rude, but I'm pretty sure that you're not- average."

Melody giggled lightly from behind the two, laughing at a joke Soundman didn't quite grasp just yet...