Spiders and Speed Demons

Mach, Aera, and Vector materialized in the NetVegas network, and were greeted with bright lights, vibrant colors, and the dull roar of Navis and Progs moving about. Some Navis and Progs were dressed up in NetVegas uniforms and moved about quickly as they did their daily duties. The trio were quite intrigued by the flashy appearance of the network, and stood just a few feet from the portal and looked around curiously.

Wow, this whole network seems so flashy and grand, it feels like one big party.

Yeah, this place seems really "dressed to the 9s."

Aera looked over to Mach with a questioning look on her face. Mach realized what she was trying to say, and quickly spoke up.
Oh, that's a figure of speech used to describe something or someone who looks really fancy or dressed up nicely.
Ah... I see, I'll try to remember that.

The trio waited for Sylk to enter the network, and after she arrived they would be ready to set out to find a good situation to demonstrate their new abilities.

((Ready for Battle #1))
As the pillar of light shown, to signal Sylk's arrival, the spider burst forth before coming to an abrupt halt by mach and the gang. She was about to say something, but stopped suddenly, as the glamorous lights caught her attention, and held it in a tight grasp. She'd never seen anything like it before, and probably wouldn't again for a long while. She took a moment to enjoy the scenery, before turning to Mach.

It's really vibrant here, like some grand attraction hmm? The perfect place to let lose and show off i suppose heheh. Shall we?

The spider prepared herself, thinking how she would demonstrate her new abilities first, as they readied for battle.

[Ready for Battle 1]
As Machman's crew entered the NetVegas network with Sylk, and began admiring the busy sights and sounds of the bustling place, there was a gruff cry, heard only by Machman and Sylk, as Machman had keener auditory sensors than the others, and Sylk her spider's intuition. Then, before the two could discern its origin, the group was engulfed in a black mist that reduced visibility to one inch. Naught did the outsiders of NetVegas see, for all they saw was the group jacking out.

Then, the mist cleared, giving the group their sight back, and lo! Mazer and Rei's PETs would show that they were still in NetVegas, but it seemed like they had been teleported off into the depths of Sharo! A low cackle permeated the space, though its origin was undetermined at first, they found the source to be directly behind them. A hooded and cloaked figure, perching on a high mountainous cliff like a bird, looked down at them.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho, nice subjects, nice prey. Good test, good test. Good day, lady and gentlemen. I am Heretic. I-" Suddenly, his introduction was cut off, as a beep took his attention, and a holographic screen appeared in front of him. There was someone he talked to for a few seconds, before he grumbled in discontent and shut down the screen. He made a jest to look at his hand, as if a watch was there, then said,

"My word, look at the time. I'm sorry I can't stay, I have errands to run for my master. But I leave you a parting gift."

With that, he disappeared with a puff of smoke, and as if on cue, a bolt of lightning flashed and blinded the world in a momentary doom of light. When the group were restored of their sight a moment later, the mountains around them were filled with viral threats!

- 0 Degrees -
Large Boulder: 222HP (Grass)
GaiaA: 100HP (Snow)
GaiaB: 100HP (Grass) (Behind Boulder)

- 90 Degrees -
EarthDragon: 200HP (Snow)
DarkMechA: 120HP (Soil)
DarkMechB: 120HP (Grass)

- 180 Degrees -
Large RockA: 100HP (Soil)
Large RockB: 100HP (Snow)
Large RockC: 100HP (Ice)
NightmareA: 100HP (Behind RockA)
NightmareB: 100HP (Behind RockC)

- 270 Degrees -
MuteAnt: 90HP (Snow)
???A: ???HP (Invisible)
???B: ???HP (Invisible)

Terrain: (Changes Every Turn on Moderator's Discretion)
1: Sharo's Icy Peaks

Machman and Sylk are in the middle of 4 tall mountains, at 0, 90, 180, 270 degrees. Clockwise, from 0 degrees, the heights (in order to scale to the top) are 1 actions, 2 actions, 1 actions and 3 actions. Each mountain is identical in terrain and its own 100%, with 30% Snow, 10% Ice, 40% Soil and 20% Grass from top to bottom. The plain on which Machman and Sylk are standing on is circular, with 60% Soil, 10% Normal (stone ring) and 30% Grass radiating from the center.

All of this adds up to... 500% Random. Enjoy!

(All on Soil, middle plain)
MachMan.EXE: 160HP
Sylk.EXE: 140HP
Aera.SP: 70HP
Vector.SP: 110HP

-SPECIAL BATTLE ONE, FIGHT!!-
Mach, Vector, and Aera were immediately on high alert as the black mist appeared all around them. They couldn't see a thing, and Aera instinctively took a step backwards before feeling the familiar touch of Mach's hand. She took his hand in hers, just as the mist started to clear. The trio tried to find their bearings, since the entire background had changed, and instead of the glitzy bright lights of NetVegas, they gazed upon the snowy mountains of Sharo.

Machman was already prepared to fight, his vulcan had formed underneath his arm, and his right hand gripped the trigger assembly tightly. He turned towards the voice, and looked over to the cloaked Navi. His vulcan was still at his side, and was pointing diagonally at the ground as the Navi spoke before he quickly was interrupted and disappeared.

Um... wha-

Aera was interrupted by the flash of light, followed by the sight of the mountains teeming with viruses. Mach's vulcan immediately rose towards the viruses on the hill in front of him.

Viruses identified! Count 10. We're surrounded.

[Blizzard, Cannonball, and Counter chips uploaded. Take out that musical virus first, then the PotDragon; you know what happened last time we faced one of those!]

Yeah, I remember too well. Consider it done!

Mach, what should we do?

You hang on to me. Vector, guard Sylk! Sylk, I'm sending you tactical information now!

As he spoke, he quickly composed a text only message that he sent directly to Sylk via wireless transfer. The note read:
[[color=0000aa]Requested Targets: NightMare x2 and Gaia x2

Virus: "Nightmare"
Weakness: Sword-based slashing attacks, impervious to all other attacks
Offensive Capabilities: Attacks using a blade at close range. Capable of teleportation.

Virus: "Gaia"
Weakness: Heavy projectiles and high explosives (Break attacks). Its thick armor is highly resistant to non-anti-armor munitions.
Offensive Capabilities: Attacks using a hammer, capable of sending rocks and debris falling from the ceiling.

Notes: Vector should be able to provide ample protection for you, focus on taking down those viruses. If you need assistance, Aera and I will be able to assist.
[/color]]

With the message away, Sylk should have been given enough information to effectively engage the enemy. Mach has encountered nearly all of these viruses before, and knew their capabilities. Vector affirmed Mach's orders with a nod as he turned towards Sylk.
I shall protect her with my life, sire.

Aera wrapped her arms around Mach's chest as his protective energy shield raised in front of him. Before Vector ran towards Sylk, a few of his metal plates stayed behind and acted as a protective buffer over Mach's shielding. After he did so, he completely fragmented and flew towards Sylk.
Please stand still for a moment, miss Sylk.

As Vector began to armor up Sylk, Aera closed her eyes as she felt a wave of relaxation go over her body; she seemed to "fall" into Mach's back. Her body actually seemed to pass into Mach's back, and she completely disappeared from sight; her two floating wings stayed behind and moved between the pairs of wings floating behind him. Mach could no longer feel Aera's touch, and looked around to see she was no longer there.
What the? Aera? Where are you?

Mazer quickly realized he forgot to mention a particular upgrade he installed when they were recovering.
[Mach, don't panic; Aera's still there... but she's basically merged with your programming. So she's completely protected by your body, even outside of MachFighter mode.]

Machman was still kind of confused, but then he heard a familiar voice in his head, which calmed him down almost completely.
[[i]I'm here, Mach. I'm still with you. I'm a little confused myself, but it feels... comforting.[/i]]
Mazer, I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to this... Engaging!

Machman's mind went back into the battle ahead, and he quickly raised his vulcan towards the MuteAnt virus as a multitude of drones materialized around him. The Overwatch drones darted off in different directions while the decoys floated at Mach's side. Seemingly without a command, the drones' holographic projectors turned on and created a pair of Navis next to him. One looked exactly like Mach, the other looked just like Sylk. They obediently started to "run" towards the actual Navis they mimicked, and copied their movements before the Sylk decoy "attacked" the Gaias while the Mach decoy moved towards the PotDragon and started to sidestep/strafe around it.

As the drones advanced, Machs vulcan started to spool up with a mechanical whine. The high-pitched tone was suddenly drowned out by a rumbling roar as the vulcan started to spew hundreds of armor-piercing rounds towards the bouncing virus. The stream of lead looked like a red beam as the tracers burned through the air. Sparks, snow, and bits of shrapnel exploded around where the bullets struck the area down range. Mach could tell he was able to sustain fire for a much longer time, and felt a slight increase in recoil. He finally ran out of ammunition and the vulcan, its trio of barrels white hot from the heat, slowly spun to a stop. The vulcan began to disappear from his arm as his wings, 6 in total, activated their thrusters and sent him rocketing up and away.

He turned in the air and paused just slightly in the air as his wings adjusted their positions before he pushed the thrusters to full power. He flew sharply in one direction before he quickly switched directions in an attempt to avoid enemy fire as he flew towards the summit of the mountain ahead. As he continued to climb, mist started to ooze off his right hand as it started to cool rapidly. He closed his hand into a fist with a slight crackling sound, due to the thin layer that rapidly grew over his hand. He continued up and over the summit as the decoy continued to try and distract the EarthDragon. He adjusted his trajectory and positioned himself directly above the EarthDragon before his thrusters died.

As he started to fall, he rolled in the air to face back down to the ground as he drew his ice-covered hand back. As soon as he got within range, he thrust his fist downwards towards the EarthDragon and opened his hand with a loud crack. With a loud whoosh, a torrent of super-cooled air cascaded from his palm and spread out like a milky-white cone that spread over the peak of the mountain. His wing thrusters kicked on again to prevent him from smacking into the top of the mountain. The deluge of frosty air died down, and his thrusters were pushed into full throttle as he rocketed into the sky. He continued to climb until he felt he was out of range of most virus attacks.

As he flew over the battlefield, a small metal orb materialized in his right hand, which he gripped tightly. He tapped into the visual feeds of his overwatch drone network, and confirmed the position of the MuteAnt virus on the mountain below. He had a simple trajectory since he was over 30 feet above the mountain, and no obstacles in the way. He plotted the virus's position in a 3D field, and carefully observed its movements before he determined the best place to deliver the attack. With the targeting information in mind, he chucked the rather heavy iron ball down towards the virus.

As the iron ball fell to the ground with a eerie whistling noise, his right arm started to swell as large metal plates materialized over his fingers and arm all the way to his shoulder. In a few seconds of metallic scraping and sparks, his right arm was nearly 3 times its normal size and ready to deliver 4 knuckles of pain to the first virus to fire a shot at him.


ACTIONS:
1. Heavy Shielding: Machman.EXE (6-hit Shield + 3TCD)
Vector: Reinforce Heavy Shielding (+ 1 Hit)
Aera: Mobility Junction to Machman.EXE (3 Passive Movements or 1 Passive Dodge)
Vector: Armor Junction to Sylk.EXE (110HP Casing)
2. Rising Barrage: MuteAnt (50dmg x4 + Break + Impact + Knockback + Movement + BusterLock + 7TCD)
-[Movement: Move up mountain at 90degrees]-
3. Dodge
-[Mobility Movement: Move above EarthDragon]-
4. Blizzard: EarthDragon, DarkMechA,B (100dmg Aqua + Ice Panel Change + Cone Attack {Max 4 Targets})
-[Mobility Movement: Move into High Altitude]-
5. CannonBall: MuteAnt (150dmg + Break) [+Take Aim]
6. Counter1: 1 Attacking Virus (Counter attack with Gutpunch for 70dmg + Break + Impact)

Decoy1: Distract Gaia group (Mimicking Sylk)
Decoy2: Distract EarthDragon (Mimicking Machman)

Cooling Sigs:
Heavy Shielding: 3 Turns Remaining
Rising Barrage: 7 Turns Remaining
---- Busterlock: 2 Turns Remaining
Oh crap, there are words in my head! why are there words in my head?! Her mental spaz ended shortly after, as she slowly realized that must have been the message which Mach had just previously mentioned. Looking at the text in her head, Sylk just nodded in agreement. She had enough weaponry to defeat the nightmares, but the gaia's would be another story. In their case, she had a different method in hopes of dealing with them.

As Sylk prepped her plans mentally, Vector body began to attach itself upon Sylk. The feeling was a bit odd, to say the least, but she believed in mach and vector. She could overlook the odd sensation in exchange for the protection it would grant her. Not to mention the spiffy new knight-like battle armor covering her upper body. The spider moved her arms around, making sure she still had a decent range of movement in the new attire. It wasn't as contraining as she expected, and fit quite snug against her body. Having no issues with it, she quickly went on the offense with a grin. Within her body, sylk began building up a poisonus venom. The potent liquid was being collected into her mouth, and being concentrated into a semi physcal orb. In a matter of seconds, Sylk's razor sharp grin opened up as she expelled the attack from her mouth. The attack traveled quickly into the vecinity of the Gaias, a circular mass of gltiched data was it's final form. A quick explosion occurred shortly after arriving at the designated target, scattering all across the area. Anything being hit by it possibly getting infected just from the touch.

With that out of the way, Sylk dashed towards the Nightmare's mountain, ready to take them on. Rei, send me down the elecknife and kunai, ok? She ordered to her OP, as she got closer. With the blade forming on her mid right arm, and the 3 kunai in each of her left, she made a dash past the rocks, and quickly spun around. The knife crackled as she slashed diagonally across at the first nightmare, hoping to strike it dead on. Planting her left foot, she proceeded to follow up with a second strike, swiping her arm sideways at the shadowy figure. Sylk hoped that this was enough to finish off the first target as her eyes shifted sights to the other virii in the area. Sylk brought one of the kunai to her mouth, running her tongue along the blade as she concentrated her energy into her arms, while trying to remain calm. Using the kunai as a catalyst to transfer her venom, her arms pulled back and launched all three blades at once; The glitch tipped kunai traveling a bit more forcefully from a stronger launch.

Hopefully thats enough to deal with these guys for now. She thought to herself, wondering how Mach and aera were doing with their targets.


Summary:

1) Venom torrent: (glitch+blast4 - 2 TCD) @ GaiaA, B

2&3)Elecknife ( 60 elec + slashing - 6 uses) @ NightmareA

4) Kunai1 (30 + slashing x 3) + inner fire + viral touch @ NightmareB
((Bump))
Shielding himself with a good dose of protective energy, Machman readied himself for battle as his Support Programs junctioned to him and Sylk. As Sylk fired off a glitch-ridden blast of goop from her mouth, Machman went on the offensive to the MuteAnt. Strangely enough, the trumpet was blocked by some rock that went in the way, but that was smashed quite easily with the armor-piercing bullets he used. The drone he sent to the Gaias was of quite some use, when they focused their attacks on it, only to be disappointed by the holographic imagery. Sylk's glitches seemed to do not much to the Gaias, except turn one of the statues into a clown of some sort. Weird. Meanwhile, the EarthDragon had no intention of being stupid and attacking a lowly projection, and stayed in its small pot. The DarkMechs, however, were alerted to this strange thing, and fired their electrical shots at it, which were rendered completely useless as they hit thin air. The Nightmares started to move up to Sylk, and lifted their swords to attack. They were foiled by Vector's armor, which sustained all the damage for her. She sliced at them with an electrical knife and some kunai blades, but that wasn't nearly enough to defeat them. Her Viral Touch did mostly nothing but make the Nightmare look even more hideous, turning it into a contorted amalgam of spikes and melted shadows. The black shadows retreated. During this time, Machman had flown up to the entourage of the EarthDragon and unleashed a hail of supercooled air. The blast was too short of range to get the DarkMechs, but the EarthDragon was sufficiently dead. He opted not to use the CannonBall on anything as the MuteAnt was already dead and such.

Then, the flash of lightning from earlier made its reentry. Suddenly, Machman and Sylk found themselves... in the middle of the oceans!

- 0 Degrees -
Large Boulder: 222HP (Sand)
GaiaA: 100HP (Grass) [Clownface palette switch]
GaiaB: 100HP (Grass) (Behind Boulder) [Attack +5]

- 90 Degrees -
EarthDragon: DELETED
DarkMechA: 120HP (Mud)
DarkMechB: 120HP (Sand)

- 180 Degrees -
Large RockA: 100HP (Sand)
Large RockB: 100HP (Sand)
Large RockC: 100HP (Mud)
NightmareA: 40HP (Behind RockA)
NightmareB: 60HP (Behind RockC) [Hideous +10]

- 270 Degrees -
MuteAnt: DELETED
???A: DELETED
???B: ???HP (Invisible)

Terrain: (Changes Every Turn on Moderator's Discretion)
2: Marooned on the Isles of Hades

In the middle of the arena, a rather large islet of 40% Sand, 10% Furnace, 10% Lava and 15% Grass is surrounded by 25% Sea. Four other islets are a bit smaller, each of 30% Sand, 10% Mud, 10% Grass, surrounded by 50% Sea. All islets have coconut trees and palm trees that may be used for cover, or perhaps as coconut cannon fodder. They do not count as objects, but are simply terrain quirks, and thus cannot be moved or hit.

Grand Total: 500% Random.

(floating above 90degree islet)
MachMan.EXE: 160HP [AeraMobility+3] [HeavyShielding7] [CounterActive] [BusterLock2] [HighAltitude]

(on sandy beach of middle islet)
Sylk.EXE: 140HP [VectorArmor30]
Mach held back his cannonball since the MuteAnt was decimated by his Rising Barrage, but he noticed something temporarily blocked the attack before it was destroyed and left the MuteAnt open to the rest of his barrage.

Mazer, did you notice something protecting the that one virus as I engaged it with my vulcan? I didn't see any shield flash, just a bunch of data appearing out of nowhere. Happen to know what that was?

Mazer was about to respond, but he was cut off by another flash, and Mach looked down in surprise to see the battlefield changed again, but this time to a series of small sandy islands in the middle of a large body of water. Mazer managed to get over his surprise and responded.

[Woah, a constantly variable battlefield... As for that one virus, I don't remember seeing anything like that when you defeated that one Tromby virus; I think it may have been something else. Keep your eyes open, if there are some unseen barriers in front of viruses, there might be others all over the place... but it only happened when you attacked the Tromby-looking virus. I'm drawing a blank here, Mach.]

Machman started to make his way over the small island where the two Gaia stood, and noted one looked like a clown. His right arm was still fully armored, and though Mach didn't want to burn such a valuable weapon, he deactivated it and allowed his arm to revert to its default form.
I see. I'll be careful. Requesting Magnum, Cannonball, and WoodSword Chips

Mazer quickly slid the requested chips into the PET and uploaded the information directly to Mach.
[BattleChips uploaded!]

Machman paused in the air as he pointed his right arm down towards the Gaias below. As he did so, a large triple-barreled cannon materialized over his arm. The gunmetal gray weapon had three large rifled barrels, each with a slide that revealed a port for shells to be ejected after firing. Two of the barrels were loaded with a high explosive round, and the slides moved forward and secured the bullets into the barrel. A pair of cross hairs materialized in Mach's vision like a built-in HUD. As he aimed the weapon, the cross hairs moved as well. He cross hairs slid over the island before one stopped on the clown-colored Gaia, and the second stopped over the other. With the two viruses targeted, the weapon automatically aimed towards the first and fired a round with a loud boom and a flash of fire. The bullet streaked towards the ground and exploded with a large fireball as a large brass casing tumbled through the air and hit the water with a loud splash. Mach then pointed the cannon towards the remaining Gaia and fired a second time with an identical-sounding boom, followed by the sound of the round exploding on the ground and a loud splash a few seconds later.

As the cannon started to fragment and disappear, Mach's 6 wing thrusters burned brightly as he fell backwards and dove towards the ground. As he did so, a new pair of Decoys materialized behind him to replace the ones that were destroyed, and followed Mach as he sped towards Sylk on the center island. He quickly approached her and paused in the air momentarily.
Good work occupying the Gaias and NightMares. I'm going to try and clean the rest of them up, but a few might evade me, and I'll leave those to you. Also, be careful, there might be other surprises lurking around here.

He boosted away again, he didn't want to stay too long and draw fire towards Sylk. Though he boosted away, one of his decoy drones stayed behind and quickly adopted Sylk's appearance before it stood by to follow Sylk at a safe distance away. Mach flew out over the water to try and put some distance between him and Sylk before he stopped and faced the DarkMechs ahead. After he stopped, his four wings paired up and floated to his sides before they charged two glowing red orbs of plasma. The spheres of crimson energy pulsated and grew as they quickly gained energy. The wings slightly turned and rotated as they aimed towards their target: one of the DarkMechs. With a silent command, the plasma was unleashed in one blast, which sent two large crimson beams of plasma screaming towards the DarkMech. As the DarkMech was assaulted by plasma, the decoy following Machman flew off towards the adjacent island, and hid itself near the unoccupied rock between the two rocks sheltering the NightMare viruses.

The beams carved two grooves in the water as they quickly raced over the water and towards the island where the DarkMech stood. Though the beams may have not had enough power to completely destroy the virus, the sheer force of the blast would easily be sufficient enough to send the virus hurtling into the sea around the small island. The beams quickly died down, and as his wings moved back into position, Machman accessed the visual data broadcast by his Overwatch sensor network and confirmed the location of the second DarkMech. The view was temporarily obscured by the beams, but they quickly faded and revealed the remaining DarkMech. With it's location confirmed, Mach gripped the freshly reformed cannonball in his hand before he drew his arm back and threw it like a iron baseball. Hopefully his fastball would hit its mark, but he had no time to stick around and confirm it. His MachSaber hilt materialized in his hand as he suddenly blurred out of sight and disappeared.

As soon as Machman disappeared, the decoy sprang into action and activated its holoprojectors to create a perfect copy of Machman. It moved from behind its rock and positioned itself between the two NightMares in an attempt to draw them closer together. The real Machman quickly reappeared behind the pair of NightMares and whipped his arm out to his side as a green-tinged cyan flame erupted from the top of the hilt before it extended and tightened into a somewhat wider version of the standard MachSaber blade. His thrusters kicked on and sent him strafing to one side as he delivered a wide, perfectly horizontal slash across the NightMare's positions. The blade seemed to stretch as it sliced through the air in a wide arc, aided by Machman's smooth dash across the field. The decoy stood directly in the blade's path, but hopefully it served it's purpose, and its fragile shell would provide no resistance to the saber's blade as it swiped through the air.


ACTIONS:
((Deactivated Counter1))
1. Charge Magnum
2. Magnum1: GaiaA,B (120dmg Fire + Break + Panel Break)
-[Mobility Action: Fly down to Sylk's position]-
3. Cheer Sylk/Share Tactical info
-[Mobility Action: Move away from Sylk to engage DarkMechs]-
4. Superior Thrust Laser: DarkMechA (40dmg x2 + Microburst + 3TCD)
5. CannonBall: DarkMechB (120dmg + Break) [+Take Aim]
6. SCRAM Boost: Teleport Behind NightMares (Teleport + 2TCD)
-[Mobility Action: Start moving to allow a single wide slash to strike both NightMares]-
7. AfterBurner Action: WoodSword: NightMareA,B (80dmg Wood + Slashing {Can hit 3 Targets at Once}

DecoyA: Distract NightMares and draw them closer to each other (Mimicking Mach)
DecoyB: Stay around 5 feet away from Sylk (Mimicking Sylk w/ Vector Armor Junction)


Cooling Sigs:
Heavy Shielding: 2 Turns Remaining
Rising Barrage: 6 Turns Remaining
---- Busterlock: 1 Turn Remaining

Superior Thrust Laser: 3 Turns Remaining
SCRAM Boost: 2 Turns Remaining
Sylk was less than pleased that her attacks had only done minor damage to her targets, but atleast it was better then missing all together. The spider ran one of her many arms gently along the armor which had protected her through the attack, and smiled softly. Thank you, Vector She knew that ahd she been on her own, she couldn't fight this freely. Though she also felt bad for letting Vector protect her from her own rash actions.

As her crimson gaze caught the changing of the battle field, it made her feel nothing but uneasy. It was just one more problematic element to the battle already, and it could potentially leave her in trouble if she wasn't careful. She was especially weary of the sea surrounding where she was located, not exactly fond of the open waters.

When Mach arrived on the scene, Sylk held back her next attack to listen to what the navi had to say. Her attacks hadn't done much, but if she atleast helped keep the enemy occupied it would have to do. She nodded in agreement with Machs words, and prepared to attack once more. I'll try to finish these ones off, and i'll keep my eyes out for anything suspicious.

With that, Sylk Readied the elecknife once more in her mid right arm. The weapon crackled as she gripped it tightly, deciding which enemy to strike down first. Her body leaned forward. Her legs bent down. All 8 eyes opened wide. Sylk's body gathered power into it's lower half as she drew her arms closer to her body. All but the one holding the knife. She oulled it back, flipping it in her hands so the blade faced away from her. With little warning, the arachnid sprung forth at one of the nightmares. The blade left a trail of electricity behind as she clenched it tightly within claw-like fingers. Her arm lashed out at her target as she got close, as flash of lightning as the knife streaked across the air at her enemy hoping to hit it's target.

Sylk's movements didnt stop however, as she placed her arms to the ground. She pushed off the floor beneath her with all her limbs, changing the path she had been on in order to continue her assault on a new target. As her feet returned to the ground, her legs coiled up once more. Her lower hands were against the sand, digging in as well as they could. On the unstable terrain, every little bit of balance helped. Using her lower arms in tandem with her legs, she pushed off with both as she flew towards the second nightmare. She drew the elecknife in towards her body, as each of her upper 4 arms gripped around the tiny handle. They extended outwards as electricity swirled around the blade, aiming to pierce the virii before her.

Sylk quickly jumped back after her attack, and went on the defensive. Sylk quickly went on the move, not wanting to remain on beach for much longer, and attempted to get herself to better ground. The sand only seemed to be a hindranced, and that was the last thing she needed right now. With the Elecknife now being held in one of her left hands, she gathered some new chip data into her mid right. As the chip took form, Sylk kept a watch on everything around her, keeping in mind what Mach said and waiting with a shield in hand. Both the guard1 and Vector began to glow for a moment, resonating together, before quickly dying down. Sylk wasn't exactly sure what happened, but she trusted in whatever it was Vector had just done.

Summary:

1) Elecknife ( 60 elec + slashing - 6 uses) @ NightmareB

2) Elecknife ( 60 elec + slashing - 6 uses) @ NightmareA

3) Dash toward Furnace panels

4) Guard1

Vector: Reinforce Guard1

Elecknife - 2 uses left.

Venom torrent - 1 turn remaining
((Until Junctions are fix'd, Reinforce duz not work hurr. Not that it matters, anyhow.))

Loading up a Magnum triple-barreled cannon, Machman locked onto the Gaia on one of the beaches. His first shot was blocked by the same block of black from earlier and spared the clown-Gaia behind, but the other was down for the count. The silly Gaia responded by whacking the ground with its powerful hammer smash, causing the armor Vector gave her to crack even further. For the moment, the Nightmares watched the new Machman fly around them, and were puzzled at its apparent lack of life. They hacked at it for a bit before realizing its fakeness. As such, they ignored Sylk's rather strange antics as she hacked at air, being a bit too far away to hit anything with her stubby little knife. She did do the right thing by going to the furnace panel, though, as the DarkMechs began to fire their electrical stunning balls. The balls ignored the Sylk decoy Machman made, going straight for the original. However, they were a mite far to successfully hit her accurately. Meanwhile, Machman was getting his Superior Thrust Laser up, blasting away a DarkMech into the sea and causing it to aghcan'tbreathdie- The other DarkMech evaded the Cannonball Mach threw, and stayed where it was, not being dead. Thereafter, he teleported up to the Nightmares and gave them what-for.

Then, their surroundings changed yet again, this time of a more technological-looking place. The DarkMech, which was supposed to be in the sea, got caught in the change and was instantly deleted.

- 0 Degrees -
Large Boulder: 222HP
GaiaA: 100HP [Clownface palette switch]
GaiaB: DELETED

- 90 Degrees -
EarthDragon: DELETED
DarkMechA: DELETED
DarkMechB: 120HP

- 180 Degrees -
Large RockA: 100HP
Large RockB: 100HP
Large RockC: 100HP
NightmareA: DELETED
NightmareB: DELETED

- 270 Degrees -
MuteAnt: DELETED
???A: DELETED
???B: DELETED

Terrain: (Changes Every Turn on Moderator's Discretion)
3: Science Labs Simulatron

The battlefield is now a vast expanse of cyberspace, with the sky replaced as a green gridsphere. Five platforms of varying heights are denoted as 70% Normal, separated each by 30% Missing in their own space. Clockwise, the heights of the platforms, in relation to the middle platform, are 6 feet, 10 feet, 0 feet, and negative 12 feet.

Grand Total: 500% Random.

(floating above 180degree platform)
MachMan.EXE: 160HP [AeraMobility+3] [HeavyShielding7] [BusterLock1] [Afterburner]

(on middle platform)
Sylk.EXE: 140HP [VectorArmor10] [Guard1]
Machman watched as the battlefield changed once again, this time into a more digital atmosphere, complete with floating platforms. He also noted only two viruses remained, one Gaia, and a DarkMech on the highest floating platform. He knew the Gaia's had very tough armor, and didn't know if Sylk still had enough heavy weaponry to destroy it. However, the DarkMech was a bit out of reach, since the platform was over 10 feet in the air, and even further away from her platform in a lateral sense. He thought fast, since he wouldn't be able to track both targets at once for long.

Mazer, requesting AirHockey1 chip.

[What about the DarkMech?]

I'll leave it to Sylk.

[You realize that platform is separated from her platform by a good 30 feet, right?]

Of course; I'm going to give her a lift.

[... oh. Right then, battlechip uploaded.]

Machman rolled as his thrusters burned brightly and dove towards Sylk's platform. He easily leveled out and slid towards her as he stood upright, floating an inch or two from the ground. He spoke as he made his gradually slowing approach.
We still have a virus on that upper platform, I'll give you a lift.

He quickly zipped to her side as he ducked down just slightly to place his right forearm behind Sylk's knees, as his left arm extended across her back. He then moved his right arm to the right and then up, and literally swept Sylk off her feet. She would have simply fallen on her back, but his left arm remained firm and kept her in a slightly seated position. Sylk was a bit heavier than Aera, only due the extra pairs of arms, but Vector's armored plates that wrapped around her assisted with the load. Machman looked down at Sylk to check she was okay, before he looked up at the platform ahead.
Hang on.

His wing thrusters erupted and caused the pair of Navis to smoothly lift off from the platform and quickly fly towards the floating platform. As they flew up, Machman's Decoy drones moved to his sides and quickly used their holoprojectors to create two exact replicas of Machman, holding Sylk in his arms. They then zipped ahead, and split off in two directions before they went up and over the platforms first. Hopefully with the DarkMech distracted by the flanking Decoys, Machman and Sylk darted beneath the platform before they flew up and over, with the Decoy's positions on their extreme right and left. He didn't have much time to drop Sylk off, since the DarkMech could have possibly seen through the decoy's ruse, and his energy shields may not be able to protect them both. He quickly leveled out and floated an inch above the ground.
I'll leave this one to you; I'll take care of the Gaia.

Mach lowered his right arm to allow Sylk's feet to make contact with the floor before he let her slide from his left arm. As soon as Sylk was safely deployed, Machman touched down on the edge of the platform and started to fall backwards. As he did, he rapidly blurred out of sight and disappeared, only to have re-appeared behind the Gaia virus. He held a darkened metal disk, almost the size of an old nickel-metal hydrate film canister, almost 2 feet in diameter. His arm was already drawn back, and he gripped the metal disk like a discus thrower. He quickly whipped his arm forward and released the AirHockey puck towards the Gaia, with the hopes that the dense metal disk would shatter its armor and render the Gaia deleted.

Mach remained floating a foot or two in the air, but he remained perched there for only a moment or two before he jetted backwards and started to return to Sylk's platform as he rolled and strafed from side to side in an attempt to ward off any counterattacks by the Gaia, if it still remained.


ACTIONS:
-[Mobility Movement: Move down to Sylk's platform]-
1. Strategic Movement: Pick up Sylk
-[Mobility Movement: Move on to the far West edge of the DarkMech's platform]-
2. Strategic Movement: Drop off Sylk
3. SCRAM Boost: Teleport Behind GaiaA (Teleport + 2TCD)
4. AirHockey1: GaiaA (50dmg Break + Ground Attack + Rebound x3)
5. Dodge
6. Afterburner Cooldown

DecoyA: Move to the far North edge of the 90 degree platform (Mimicking Machman carrying Sylk w/ Vector Armor Junction)
DecoyB: Move to the far South edge of the 90 degree platform (Mimicking Machman carrying Sylk w/ Vector Armor Junction)


Cooling Sigs:
Heavy Shielding: 1 Turn Remaining
Rising Barrage: 5 Turns Remaining
---- Buster Function Restored
Superior Thrust Laser: 2 Turns Remaining
SCRAM Boost: 1 Turn Remaining
SCRAM Boost: 2 Turns Remaining
What do you mean you'll give me a l-EEP!

The slight yelp escaped her mouth involuntarily as the ever fast Mach speed in and picked her up off her feet. Sylk was slightly embarassed, but at the same time, she didn't exactly mind it. She trusted that mach wouldn't let anything happen to her, so she just tried to relax and enjoy the moment. All the while keeping her hands to herself, fighting the urge to ruin the moment with a few tactically placed hands. It was only a matter of moments until she was placed back onto her feet. She definitely prefered to be on the solid ground, but the thought of flying around once in a while was a little exciting; As long as it was with either mach or aera, atleast.

Alright, i'll do my best to get rid of this guy. Sylk called back to Mach, as she turned to face the darkmech. She felt like she had to make up for her lack of success against the shadow-like virii earlier. She needed to go all out this time, since the tiny knife was clearly no good. Rei~ be a dear and send me all my strong chips, k? The spider called to her Operator with a toothy grin. It was only a few seconds before the request was granted, as she felt the data begin to download to her body.

Summoning flames to swirl around her body, Sylk extended her arms and gathered the energy into one focal point between 4 of her unoccupied hands. The fire twisted and danced as it collected into a sphere of crimson red before her, as it rose in heat. As Sylk concentrated, she began to add her own power into the blazing orb, powering it up. The flames changed from red, to green, to blue, and finally an indigo as the intensity rose in almost an instant. With little warning, the fireball erupted forth, spreading out and taking the shape of a phoenix as it barreled towards the dark mech.

A bit of the purple flames seemed to linger on sylk's body however, and quickly spread out along two of her arms. She took a fighting stance as her eyes locked on to the dark mech, Watching it's movements carefully as the purple blaze danced and flickered. Once she had gotten the approximate distance figured out, she let lose her arms with a right hook followed by a quick left uppercut. The flames shot forth, and copied sylk's movements without hesitation, intending to smash the target into deletion.

Upon attacking, sylk quickly resumed her defensive stance as she had previously done, readying the shield she had yet to use before.

Summary:

1) Phoenixshot2 (90 + 10 fire, wide) @ DarkMechB

2) firehit1 (60+10 fire + impact, double hit) @ DarkMechB

3) firehit1 double hit (60+10 fire + impact, double hit) @ DarkMechB

4) guard1
Machman carried Sylk to her target, who smashed it with healthy doses of FIRE. The Gaia was similarly smashed with healthy doses of HOCKEY.

- 0 Degrees -
Large Boulder: 222HP
GaiaA: DELETED [m]
GaiaB: DELETED [m]

- 90 Degrees -
EarthDragon: DELETED [m]
DarkMechA: DELETED [m]
DarkMechB: DELETED [s]

- 180 Degrees -
Large RockA: 100HP
Large RockB: 100HP
Large RockC: 100HP
NightmareA: DELETED [m]
NightmareB: DELETED [m]

- 270 Degrees -
MuteAnt: DELETED [m]
???A: DELETED [m]
???B: DELETED [m]

Terrain: (Changes Every Turn on Moderator's Discretion)
3: Science Labs Simulatron

The battlefield is now a vast expanse of cyberspace, with the sky replaced as a green gridsphere. Five platforms of varying heights are denoted as 70% Normal, separated each by 30% Missing in their own space. Clockwise, the heights of the platforms, in relation to the middle platform, are 6 feet, 10 feet, 0 feet, and negative 12 feet.

Grand Total: 500% Random.

(floating above 180degree platform)
MachMan.EXE: 160HP [AeraMobility+3] [HeavyShielding7] [BusterLock1] [Afterburner]

(on middle platform)
Sylk.EXE: 140HP [VectorArmor10] [Guard1]

-BATTLE ONE, VICTORY!!-

Rewards:

MachMan:
- [SummonBlack1] Battlechip
- 1600z
- 41 BugFrags
- 7 Sylk FXP
Sylk:
- [MachineSword] Battlechip
- 250z
- 7 Machman FXP
With the DarkMech burned to ash and the Gaia reduced to rubble, Machman jumped into the air and let his wing thrusters push him through the air as he approached Sylk's floating platform. He started to gain speed as he got closer to the platform's edge. He blasted past the platform just as his thrusters tapered off; he still had more than enough momentum to continue climbing. As he did so, he leaned forward and started a slow front flip in the air as he reached the apex of his "jump" and started to fall to the floating platform below. He tucked his arms against his side as he threw his weight to one side and started to spin as he flipped forward. He used his overwatch drones and his own eyesight to keep be aware of his position, and his arms quickly became outstretched and halted his rotation. The thrusters on his chest and feet flickered as they fired sporadically to slow him down as he touched down.

He landed on both feet and crouched to absorb the impact before he stood up straight as he looked over to Sylk.
And that's that. Good work, Sylk!

He started to walk towards her, and as he did, he noticed a few scratches and dents on the protective armor covering her body.
Looks like you really held up well, Vector. Are you alright?

A single red eye appeared on the armor on Sylk's abdomen, and it looked over towards Machman before Vector spoke.
Of course, sire. The enemy was unable to pierce my armor.
Excellent to hear, Vector. The battle is over, so you may stand down.
As you wish.

Vector's metal plates gradually started to slide away from each other as they floated away from Sylk's body, before they harmlessly floated past her and recombined into his normal form a few feet away. Some of the bugfrags left over from the battle started to float towards Vector and were absorbed into his body. Mach felt relieved that both Sylk and Vector emerged relatively unscathed, but then felt something else: an odd sensation coming from his back. He paused for a moment, but then was distracted as he felt two arms come from over his shoulders and slide past his neck before they connected to each other on his chest. He looked down to see the familiar-looking arms, then felt a chin on his shoulder. He looked to his left to see Aera grinning as she looked back.
Thanks for the boost Aera. No offense, but it still feels a bit... wierd.

Aera giggled as she eased herself down to the ground and released her grip.
Yeah, it's kinda weird, but it doesn't seem too much different when I'm in the MachFighter. It just feels as if I'm seeing everything with your eyes. I feel just as safe as I do in MachFighter, so don't worry about me.

Aera walked over to Sylk, and smiled as she crossed her hands behind her back.
I could also see how well you did out there as well. You really have become a lot stronger!
Mazer also chimed in from a small pop-up window that opened next to Mach.
[I agree. I see you are utilizing glitches in your techniques as well; that must really come in handy.]
Thanks~ Though im still no match for you three, heh. The spider tried to accept the comment, but her own performance compaired to that of the others fell short. She was far from pleased at how her attacks had turned out, and could only think about trying to improve herself even more. Sylk didn't bother mention it to the group though. There would be no point. She just smiled and tried to ignore the feeling of weakness for now.

you know, you would think glitches would be more useful, but... As sylk recalled all her past experience with the ability, her expression changed to that of dissapointment. I think i get more useless or enemy helpful results then something thats actually aiding me. Though I did get a pretty sweet weapon one time, heehee. That aside, it's really difficult to use. Sylk spoke as she relaxed her stance and crossed her arms in frustration. She really wished she could control the powers, though it was a fairly impossible idea.

Glitch is all well and good, but I think I'd be better of with my own cute little partner, heh. Vector was quite a help, after all~ She grinned at the image. imagining all the fun she could have.
Mach crossed his arms as Mazer scratched his chin upon hearing Sylk's comments on her glitching abilities. They began to realize utilizing something as unpredictable as a glitch or bug would be incredibly advantageous, completely ineffective, or anything in between.
[I see, so the glitches themselves are somewhat unpredictable... I guess it just goes to luck, and the ability to adapt to a constantly changing battle environment.]
With those abilities, added to your terrain change skills, I wouldn't be surprised if you become able to adapt to anything you face. I found my defeats came entirely from being unable to adapt to a non-conventional battle situation. You have the building blocks to become an incredibly flexible and dynamic warrior; I'm kind of jealous!

Mazer and Machman chuckled in unison, but they stopped halfway through upon the realization that they sounded almost exactly alike. Aera started to laugh as the pair looked at each other, surprised at the near-perfect similarity their voices had. Vector continued to be Vector and remained silent. However, Vector turned to Sylk as she complemented his use in battle, and bowed.
Thank you for your kind words, Miss Sylk. The enemy is no match for my armor.

Vector stood up straight and almost seemed to... flex. His body plates seemed to slide sharply into place and made a metallic clang as they almost acted like muscles tensing up. His glowing red eye seemed to shine a bit brighter, and reflected off the shined surface of his armor. Machman raised an eyebrow as he watched Vector.
{Is Vector... showing off? Interesting.}

Mazer was too busy fiddling with his PET to notice what was happening inside the Net, but he seemed to find what he was looking for, and spoke up.
[Are you looking for a way to obtain a SP, Sylk? You can actually request one in the Mission BBS in InternetCity. You can receive the data to build a Support Program as a reward for completing a requested task or mission. Normally the missions are somewhat difficult, but you probably won't have too much trouble with one.]
If you get one, let us know, I'll probably want to meet it!

Mazer glanced back down at his PET, and noticed the time.
[Wow, it's already getting late. Time flies... I have some work to do, and paperwork to fill out, so we need to go.]

Aw...
Aera had a look of disappointment on her face, but put on a smile as she turned to Sylk.
Looks like we have to cut this meeting short.
I look forward to seeing you again, Miss Sylk.
Vector spoke up, which he doesn't often do. Aera approached Sylk and gave her a warm hug.
It was great to see you again, we're so glad you were okay.

As Aera hugged their arachnid friend, Machman chimed in.
I'll send you our email address; feel free to contact us whenever you want.
Aera released her grip and waved as she took a few steps back. The trio started to glow cyan as Mazer activated the log-out function, and they beamed out of the network.

Sylk GET: Mazer's Email [M.Patrovski@PSAOM.org]

((Logged Out))
Take care everyone~ I'm sure we'll see eachother again soon! She called out as she saw them begin to dissapear from her sight, a little sad to see them go once more. She was rather enjoying the times she spent with them, even if they weren't for very long. Upon there complete dissapearance, Sylk's happy expression seems to wane slightly, as she turned away from where they once stood.

[You dont believe them, do you?]

Rei decided to stop hiding himself, as he saw the discomfort within his navi. It was clear she was still worried about what she was capable of, and after seeing the difference between herself and her friends, it was only natural she would feel weak. Rei wasn't really sure what he could say to cheer her up, nor did he think he could. After a few seconds of silence, he tyried to put his thoughts together into words.

[You can't keep comparing yourself to them, you know. Your still young, and they've been around for a long while... In fact, i've met them before you were even born.] Rei paused for a moment, remebering his past days he spent with his old navi. He didn't exactly want to bring it up, for his own sake as well as trying not to annoy sylk. However it was relevant to what he was trying to get at, and couldnt let it go. Taking a deep breath he continued.

[ They helped out me and curse a few times, and they were amazing back then to. They seem to have forgotten, and I'm not going to drag them into my problem, but my point is you'll reach their level. You just need time.]

Sylk didn't know what to say. She hung her ehad low, as the words ran through her head. Even her new friends were related to the navi she was created to find. She didn't believe that they would leave her once he returned, but the connection still hurt a little the more she thought about it. Suddenly she cried out to her OP, a mix of anger and desperation in her voice.

Then find someone to train me! Someone who can help me understand my abilities, and make use of them! I don't want to go around barely winning or being useless to those around me... I'm just... wasting all the power i've been given.

Rei was stunned to say the least. He couldn't bring himself to tell her she was wrong, only because he was at a loss for words. All he could do was agree to her idea at this point.

[...Alright. Lets go then. I have an idea of where we can look, thanks to those three.]

With that, a pillar of light surrounded the spider, only to draw her away from the flashy surroundings that were NetVegas. She could only hope Rei's idea would actually work.

((logged out))
[+4 FXP to Mach/Sylk for Interaction]