With the twins making their intentions clearer, Terra took a moment to reassure her staunch protector, and the pair quickly set up their defences in preparation for a tough conflict. the twins, still embracing, decoupled slightly to face hem and the male, Pronus, stretched his arms and rolled his neck, still smiling in an unnervingly friendly and relaxed manner. On his left arm, a gleam lit up and fanned out, unfolding itself into a slightly concave kite shape for a few moments before fading from sight, while beside him, Fortuna raised her arms above her head in an equally luxuriant stretch, that culminated in a happy sigh, and a storm of electrical particles that covered the twins and glittered softly on their skin, as well as dancing in the air about them like a protective bubble.
"It's a pity you want to fight, dear... Really, I think my brother and I would prefer it much more if you just went on your way, and let us take you unawares. It's so much cleaner that way." She pouted softly as Carbide interposed herself, both shields ready to cover as many angles as she could. Pronus chuckled.
"Oh, you've upset my dear sister, little girl. She's taken quite a shine to you, you know. I think it hurts her feelings to see such a cute little one setting herself against us." The pair moved subtly as they bantered, shifting in rhythm from side to side while the mass of electronic parts around them swirled. Both sets of eyes continued to watch carefully, taking in each detail of Terra's actions.
Neither flinched as the empowered aura strike flew at them, or even blinked at all as the potent attack struck. It hit the outer shell of dancing sparks, and though they scattered away, the attack stopped there and had no further effect. Pronus held up one hand, moving a finger-tip back and forth.
"Ah-ah... Let's not rush the meal now, Terra darling... Artfully done, of course, but I'm sure you can do better. Remember, presentation is important!"
"Let's have a closer look..." His sister cut in, and then as one the pair were moving, very, very suddenly. They split, gliding around Terra and Carbide in opposite direction while the nest of mechanics divided and reformed in a circle. As they passed around, though, each twin extended a hand and released a bolt of bright electricity, shot through with crackles of blue and red. Each was aiming for a separate target, but Carbide was both quick and ready. She was able to block the shot directed at her by Pronus, and cross the small gap to get her other shield in front of Terra as well, a single layer of defence peeling off each shield, but sparing them both from harm.
Slightly less expected, though, was the seeping feeling of corrupted code working its way into the small support-program's code from each of the bolts. As she landed from the quick defence, Carbide began to feel suddenly stronger and stronger. Her shields weren't just light... she felt like she could probably level a building with them now. She also started to feel a strange affinity for the metallic plating beneath them, and a sense of familiarity with the effusive electricity all around them that she hadn't felt before. Both twins looked at her, as though measuring their handiwork.
Terra wasn't giving them any more time to chat idly, though, and the gale whipped up by her moaning attack before began to pull the twins in closer once they rejoined each other in front of her. Before the winds could do either of them any real harm, though, Pronus raised his arm to the wind current. The glimmering shield on his left arm came into view as it re-directed a portion of the blast around them and directly back at Terra instead; it hammered against her barrier, but Carbide's influence on the defence kept it form collapsing altogether. The rest of the winds only managed to scour off the remaining electrical field covering their finely detailed bodies, without harming either twin, but it did draw them in suddenly closer, which may or may not have been something Terra or Carbide expressly wanted.
Desired or not, Terra found herself chest to chest and face to face with Fortuna, and felt the same strange give an softness in her body that Carbide had experienced before. the woman took the opportunity to slip her arms about Terra for an extra moment, giggling quietly as she pressed strangely soft, warm breasts against her, before stepping back just a little bit. The maelstrom of parts had allowed Terra in as she pulled them close, and in any other circumstance it might have seemed a bit improperly intimate, given her state of undress and the way the nest seemed like a part of her.
"You act like you want to fight, Terra, but are you sure that's what you really want? I really think you'll enjoy being with us!" The gynoid still sounded more like she was playing than fighting, but the twins had already made at least partially serious assaults, so it wasn't a stretch to imagine that the banter was a deliberate disarming tactic.
Holding her course, Terra continued her attack, beginning to draw up two more sections of the ground in front of her to attack with. As she did, though, Fortuna leaned in even closer, running her hands over the elementalist's arms and purring softly.
"You simply must share your toys, dear.... It's only polite..." She drew back suddenly, the mass of parts swirling around Terra again to exclude her from the intimate position, and as Fortuna drew back to her brother, the other woman would notice that somehow she had lost control of the two metal shards; Fortuna had begun making small gestures similar to Terra's, almost in mimicry, but now it became clear that her gestures were the ones in control, and the two shards suddenly lanced towards Carbide instead. the smaller girl managed to get her stronger shield up, but the two chunks struck hard, empowered by the ground they came from, and the shield broke under the force of the second one, which went on to shred away most of her protective casing as well.
"We should share ours too, sister dear, don't you agree? Share and share alike, as they say..." Pronus had moved to be opposite his twin, once more putting Terra and Carbide between them, and as they made a quick gliding spin about the pair this time, the bolts of electricity they released carried significantly more range. the blasts were aimed at Terra and Carbide respectively, but both had the power to envelope not only the navi and her SP, but also scattered over the twins as well.
In the moment that the light subsided, Terra was able to see something potentially concerning about the twins. As the wash of electricity passed over them, Fortuna let her head roll back, sighing softly and closing her eyes for a moment, while Pronus gave a soft groan of satisfaction. A small amount of the dented and malfunctioning parts they both displayed seemed to click back into place as the wave passed.
Carbide, meanwhile, had managed to block one side of the blast with her remaining shield, its electrical alignment drinking in the attack without damage, but it had been left to the remains of her armour to take the hit from the other side. Terra had also taken both blasts, but her own defences were up to the task of withstanding them.
As before, a series of garbled and broken code fragments accompanied the attacks, and it seemed as though everyone in the room was dealing with a new selection of oddities. Terra found her vision sharpening acutely; in some intrinsic way she could see and feel where the best ways to strike were... unfortunately this enhancement also drew her attention to the more appearing curves and shapes of her enemies, and it was an effort not to linger and enjoy the sights. More worrisome than this, though, was the way part of the glitching effect was wreaking havoc with her customiser, as though it were reconfiguring itself on the fly, against her will. Space rapidly disappeared, filled up with junk, and she could only keep some of her abilities working, while at the same time the junked space re-formed itself into a support system for her signatures, helping them recover more quickly.
Carbide, Meanwhile, was struck by the feeling of being suddenly coated in a thin, warm layer of viscous fluid that no amount of rubbing or scraping would remove. Her hands shook and her fingers felt like jelly, and it took all of her effort to hold onto her remaining shield without dropping it.
The twins also seemed to be dealing with an assortment of oddities, though the pair seemed used to the process. They glanced at each other, then at Terra and Carbide. Fortuna darted closer, bending down to bring her face close to Carbide again, and reaching out to stroke her head. There was a soft tingling sensation as one of the anomalies in carbide's system faded — Her new-found electrical affinity dissipated almost as swiftly as it had come.
"There you go dear, much better!" she cooed, attempting to pinch the SP's cheek with a grin. Pronus stood by her a moment later as well, not kneeling down and giving Carbide a rather unfortunate eye-view. Instead he reached out and placed one hand more firmly on her head.
"And we can't let you have that one either. Allow me..." A much more unpleasant sensation followed for the little SP as a feeling like having part of her code sucked out accompanied the android's touch; the glitch giving her inhuman strength and power was drained away while he smiled down at her.
Terra wasn't putting up with this and launched a surprise final assault. The last spike of metal struck while they were distracted, but a slight catch of breath from the female was followed by a flash from her eyes just before the attack struck. It still landed, striking through the male twin's shoulder and piercing it in the first really respectable damage that Terra had managed, but even then, it didn't seem to do as much as it ought to have; it seemed as though Fortuna had weakened it in some way just before it hit. Pronus, for his part, grunted in what was likely a quite genuine expression of pain and he and his sister drew back, keeping the torn-open hole in the metal repair bay between them and Terra for now.
"All right, little girl, all right... Fine..." His voice sounded less amused than it had, though Fortuna was still pouting softly instead of looking serious.
-=Pronus-Fortuna, Assassin Twins=-Pronus-Fortuna: 350Hp [in close quarters with Terra and Carbide, other side of Broken][Metal][Glitch: Cover-Fire (Two turns)][Just a Little Closer][Glitch: Hyper-Sensitivity][Floating Point: 2][Buster Charge][Strengthen: 20][???]
-=Returned Battlers=-Terra.Exe: 170Hp [Middle of cul-de-sac, other side of Broken to Pronus-Fortuna][10hp Planar Casing: (Elec)][Glitch: Piercing Eyes (Two turns)][Lingering Gaze][Glitch: Auto-Custom (Two Turns)][Metal]
Carbide.SP: 70Hp [By Terra][2-Hit Planar Shield: (Elec)][Glitch: Jelly Shakes][Viscous Film][Glitch: Power Swell (Two turns)][Metal]
-=Dark tunnels=-40% Soil [Most of the ground]
35% Metal [Scattered sections of degraded panels, including most of the side passage]
20% Moss [Evenly mixed with the earthy ground]
5% Broken [Small area between Terra and the Twins, in the middle of the side passage]
Moss: Acts in all ways like Grass terrain, but does not amplify fire damage (though it is still consumed in the same manner)
Area is an array of columns made of stone and hard earth, supporting a large, gradually sloping area. Terra and Carbide are close to one more solid wall, with a properly formed tunnel leading off it, into a well lit area beyond, out of sight.
-=Know Effects=-[???]: Target may have unknown attributes or effects that can be discerned through experimentation, or by actions taken to deliberately observe/scan or otherwise learn.
- Twins exhibit aspects of both Glitch and Variable subtypes.
- Appear capable of both stealing their opponents' chip data directly, and also turning attacks back on their enemies.
- Seem to generally attack in tandem, favouring Pincer attacks.
- Seem to be able to convert electrical energy into repair power at a greatly reduced conversion.
- Targets have separate bodies and could, in theory, be damaged independently, despite appearing to share a single Hp value.
- Targets appear to have full knowledge and sensory sharing with each other at all times.
- Targets can move apart from one another, but will always remain at least partially connected by the mass of technological cast-offs that swarm about their lower portions.
- Targets seem to be more anatomically correct than is strictly necessary for androids/gynoids. This likely has no combat relevance.
- Targets were interested in learning a lot about Terra, Carbide, and how they fight - and seem to be satisfied that they have done so.
The Glitches
Jelly Shakes (Negative glitch): The victim's fingers (or other appendages) feel like they've turned to quivering jelly. For every turn after the first that they hold a piece of wielded gear, there is a chance they will drop it, losing the item. Lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Viscous Film (Cosmetic Effect): The victim's skin looks and feels like it is covered in a very thin film of some warm, slippery, viscous fluid that defies being removed. Lasts until the parent glitch is removed.
Power Swell (Positive Glitch): The victim feels a surge of wild elemental energy. Elemental damage dealt by the victim is increased by and additional 50% of Base to Source. Lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Piercing Eyes (Balance Glitch): The victim temporarily gains preternatural targeting ability, gaining the benefit of a take aim action on all attacks, which stacks with any other accuracy modifiers. After two turns of this, however, the glitch burns out, leaving their vision impaired for an additional two turns, and decreasing the accuracy of all attacks by one rank. Glitch can be removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect during its active turns, but is treated like a nerfing effect after it burns out, and cannot be removed until it expires.
Lingering Gaze (Cosmetic Effect): The victim finds their gaze lingering on the features of their opponents that they would normally find most appealing, and may have a hard time shaking this disposition. Lasts until the parent glitch is removed, plus one additional turn thereafter.
Auto-Custom (Balance Glitch): The victim's navi customiser automatically re-purposes itself; they lose 40 points worth of NC space, but each turn may reduce one of their active signatures on cooldown by one turn, as per the Custom+1 NCP. Lost NC space may result in the deactivation of other NC parts — the victim may choose which ones if so. This glitch has no effect on viruses or Support Programs, who simply act as carriers. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Cover-Fire (Positive Glitch): The victim gains access to two passive buster shots per turn, which they may use at any time. Glitch lasts two turns, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Just A Little Closer (Cosmetic Effect): The victim feels the strong urge to touch or caress any target they attack, and may have trouble shaking this disposition. Lasts until the parent glitch is removed.
Hyper Sensitivity (Balance Glitch): The Victim's skin becomes extremely sensitive to the touch. they take an additional 15 points of null damage that cannot be reduced any time they take damage from an attack, however they also gain an innate 10% evasion chance against any attack, which functions on its own, or adds onto any existing evasion attempts. Lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
IronShield1Effect: 2-Hit Shield
WoodDragon2Damage: 150 + Ground Attack + Medium Area Grass Terrain Change + Terrain Changer
