Cassius rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times, both stinging from the flash Coronaman produced. When the light faded, he looked just in time to see Aestus dodge the bomb the opposing navi laid down. He had to think quickly. He looked around the battlefield, looking for something to even the odds.

"You can't let him hit you with that buster... it's powerful." Aestus grimaced and tried to blink the spots out of her eyes as she stood up, ready to deliver her next attack.

"Wonderful observation! What do you want me to do now?" Cassius smirked and slotted another set of chips into the terminal.

"Alright, here's how it's going to go. Just wait for the next attack, make sure he stays -right- there." A flash of prismatic light enveloped Aestus for a brief moment before fading away as the first of the set chips took effect. As ordered she readied her weapon and stood in wait for Coronaman to make his move. The moment after the first counterattack was delivered, Cassius pushed a button on the terminal. In an instant, Aestus was standing on top of an enormous block suspended from the ceiling. Beneath her was Coronaman in the spot she'd just occupied.

"Keep low, stay quiet.. Use that naginata to cut the cable. When I say so, jump." Aestus nodded, quickly and quietly cutting through the only thing keeping the great cube from the ground. The cable severed and the heavy thing began its rapid descent toward the ground and Coronaman below.

"Okay, now! Jump off and use it for cover!" The navi obeyed, leaping off the block before it landed and took cover behind her new shield.

~Synopsis~
Guard1
AreaGrab (teleportation to the cube above)
Action: (Cut the cable of the cube and leap off to take cover behind it once it hits the ground)

Cassius was taken aback by his opponent, a miliatary woman if her dogtags were any indication. Aestus was equally surprised by the towering figure that was her opponent. Regardless, the operator grinned and took her hand to shake it in his own.

"Cassius Markai. Nice to meet ya. Nice work on your navi's coding, the voice is an excellent touch." The announcer blared his warning for the match to start and the operator jumped a bit. The fight was about to begin.

"Aah, guess it's time to fight now. Wish ya the best." He flashed a playful grin and quickly walked to his terminal. He opened the folder and looked at the chips inside, making a quick inventory of what was inside.

"Wood... that's an interesting coincidence. Aestus, did I ever tell you that I almost made you a wood navi before I decided to make you a water navi?" The navi bristled, keeping her eyes on her opponent.

"Is now really the best time?"

"Just hear me out. I did some work on some chips we got in the folder before. Looks like we got lucky."

"We wouldn't have to rely on luck if you just submitted your request for a water folder like I told you time and time again..." She replied tersely through pursed lips.

"Not the point. I'm going to send you something. When you get it, charge in." The navi nodded, watching the flash of code wash over her arm. On her left forearm a black box with a red question mark on each face appeared.

"What the hell... Did the code not translate over?" Cassius was mortified to see the generic glitched object box floating where his chip should have been.

"J-just.. Use it as a shield Aestus. The chip will still do the same thing." The navi nodded, setting her feet and tightening her grip on her naginata in her other hand. She dashed forward, the strange block held in front of her like a shield. A flash took her naginata's form as the operator set another chip. The blade of the back end of the weapon disappeared and the shaft shortened slightly, forming into a much lighter material. The bamboo knife's blade formed at the end, keeping some part of her original blade's shape.

The navi acted without hesitation, feeling the change in weight and size and leapt into the air, aiming to fly past the navi's side. She held the box foward still, the supposed shield to block an oncoming attack, and swung the knife at the navi's side, aiming for the area of the armor beneath his arm socket.

She landed just behind him and quickly swept her leg to turn her self to face the large navi's back and went for the leg-hip joint before making a quick leap backwards in hopes of avoiding a counterattack.

~Synopsis~
RiskyHoney:Damage: 5x10 + Homing (used as the shield)
BambooKnifex2: Damage: 60 + Slashing
Free Dodge Action

Aestus.exe... Jack In!



* * *
She looked around at the arena and walked around, surveying the large columns coming out of the floor.

"Lots of places for cover. Not great for ranged fighters because there's stuff to hide behind. But then, it's great for ranged fighters because there's stuff to hide behind." Aestus rolled her eyes.

"Insightful, Cassius. Truly..." Cassius laughed and thumbed through the chips he recieved.

"Why so serious, my dear. The fight hasn't started yet. You don't have to worry either, you'll be perfectly fine."

"I'm not worried.." She retorted, gripping onto her blade. Her prismatic armor took form and wrapped around her, glistening with every shade of blue. Her hair took a like quality, or so much that spilled from beneath her battle helm.

"I don't remember having this helmet.." Cassius clicked his tongue and grined.

"I made a rewrite or two, it won't hinder you any. It just looks cool." Cassius' grin faded and he took a deep breath. The navi did the same, noting that he was -finally- settling into a serious mood.

"Alright Aestus. Get yourself ready. It looks like whoever we're fighting isn't here yet." Aestus nodded, clenching her fist around the shaft of her double naginata.

"Quick reaction times on those things.." Cassius sighed and smirked, his virual likeness grinning at the remaining spikey.

"I sense a great warrior's spirit within you, young wolf..." His voice dropped low and held a overly dramatic overtone. His virtual projection was suddenly wearing a gi much like those of old kung-fu masters in action and martial arts movies. Upon his chin was an absurdly long and white beard that blew with his equally long and white hair in the absence of wind. He nodded to the navi who rolled her eyes and charged forward with her naginata/sword raised.

"While your reserve may be strong, the warrior spirit of my battle goddess is stronger still." His eyes narrowed and his virtual arm pointed at the spikey facing Aestus down.

"You were dead the moment you set foot on the battlefield" Aestus brought the blade down toward the spikey's head, then leapt over it to swing at its flank. She leapt off to the side and held her naginata firm, ignoring her operator's bizarre act and preparing to fend off the next attack.

~synopsis~
Sword [80+slashing] x2 : Spikey A
FAD
Guard

"One hit from that sword near killed it... Aestus, you know what to do. Lets end this quick, okay darlin'?" The navi didn't respond to the playful nickname, charging off toward the yet untouched and uninjured spikey before it had time to launch a counterattack.

She brought the sword across the breadth of the wolf-virus' gut, then brought the unaltered end of the transformed weapon on it in quick succession. The path of the initial blow laid, she leaped to the virus' side and let a quick sweep find itself rushing toward the creature's leg. The final thrust was aimed after she pivoted and turned, gracefully stepping around her quarry to land a blow on the injured Spikey.

"Lets be sure it's done, I don't want any chance of an unexpected cheap shot. Aestus, do your thing." By reflex and sheer knowledge of Cassius' battle preference, Aestus instantly interpreted her operator's instruction and brought her naginata-sword buster up like a shield before jamming it into the ground to launch herself backward and out of the way of any of the virus' retaliation. The weapon glowed and the warrioress obediently spun it in her hands. With each rotation the weapon's glow became much more intense, soon forming a glimmering sphere in the center of the spinning weapon's shaft. All at once the sphere shattered and a flurry of energy shards rushed from the central point of the navi's staff, rushing forward to pepper her foes and the ground around them.

~Synopsis~

Sword [80+Slashing]---> Spikey A
Unda Del Ultronis: [5]--->Spikey A [10]--->Spikey A [25]--->Spikey C
FAD
Shotgun [50+Spread]--->All Remaining

][My mistake. It's the details that catch me from time to time.][

"Cannons, knights and ghosts, now hell hounds. The net has an interesting host of viruses that call it home. Alright." A shine overtook one end of Aestus' naginata, the blade lengthening considerably and expanding down a portion of the weapon's shaft. She took a brief moment to evaluate the weapon's new weight and gave it a small trial swing before rushing into battle.

"This thing is powerful, soften up each of em with one swing and we'll fly it from there. Stay sharp, I don't know what these things can do and I don't want to have them hitting you to find out." The navi rushed toward her opponents, leaping left and right as she advanced to keep from having a bead drawn. She came within ten feet of the central spikey then leaped into the air, doing a somersault with her blade held outward. As she passed over the wolf, the blade's path directed where it stood beneath her. The moment she landed behind the virii, she spun quickly to her left, swinging the sword's blade in a wide arc toward another of the spikey's backs.

"Take up the defensive, I'm not going to take chances with this one." The navi seemed to understand the command before it was issued, pushing the sword into the ground an pulling the weapon with her as she vaulted backward and out of immediate range. Again the shining form of a shield washed over the warrioress, forming a prismatic and ethereal luster as it took it's hardened and finished form.

~Synopsis~

Sword--->Spikey B [80+Slashing]
Sword--->Spikey C [80+Slashing]
FAD (Free Action Dodge]
Guard 1

The navi sighed as she finally addressed the wound on her lower chest. Concern flashed in Cassius' eyes as he assessed the damage.

"That sword dealit got a pretty good slash in... Great job on maintaining in spite of it all." Aestus smiled slightly, brooding over letting herself make such a careless mistake as to be hit.

"Your combat skills have increased something crazy though. You were amazing, I have to say." The warrioress straightened herself and regained her composure, gazing into the screen her operator floated beside her in with anticipation.

"If you're ready to go back out, I won't stop you. If you do though, the viruses are bound to get tougher, so we have to take that into consideration. Bu-"

"Yes." She replied simply, cutting Cassius off mid-sentence. Her eyes hardened and she turned to face the openness of the net. He smirked and nodded, examining his new chip data.

"Hey, we got a sword chip. That'll work out nicely, eh?" Aestus nodded vaguely and set herself in her battle stance.

"Ready when you are, darlin'."

][Next Battle Request][

The navi didn't need to consult with her operator to know what she had to do. The moment the shield dissipated the navi rolled quickly behind the knight closest to her, quickly bringing up her rage claw weapon up beneath it, attempting to get off another throw at the other knightly virus.

Before it would reach him however, Aestus would quickly dash over behind the other knight to thrust her naginata into the ground just before it, with the intent of impaling and holding it to keep it from moving.

Once her weapon found ground, she leaped to the side and away from an immediate counterattack.

~Synopsis~

Rageclaw Swordy A[20]----(before impact (if workable))
Buster/attempted holding action (melee action regardless)
Free dodge action
----Swordy B[20]

<<Convoluted though it may be, I'm just looking to see if it can be done.>>

The navi winced as she received the blow, jumping back a foot or two. She quickly reset her step, bringing down her now normal weapon down toward the swordy's head, then stepped quickly out of its slash range to have another chance at its side before turning to stab him in the back. As the weapon made its final thrust, the end shone again to take a claw-like shape. She shoved it beneath the knight and made a quick sweeping motion, arcing a path that lead from one knight to the other.

"Good, now get out of dodge. Those things can produce a nasty wallop if you let them get too close it seems."

The navi did a quick leap backwards, holding her weapon at the ready to parry another oncoming strike.

"I won't make the mistake of being hit twice..."

"Better play it safe..." Cassius muttered, sliding in another chip. A shield too the breadth of the naginata's shaft, then shifted to the navi herself. Her colors shifted prismatically as the shield solidified.


~synopsis~

Unda Dea Ultonis (all three strikes on Swordy B 40 dmg)
Rageclaw (swordy B [20]------>swordy A [20] )
Free Action Dodge
Guard

"Well these are new." The operator mused, arranging his chips in preparation for the oncoming rush. The warrioress navi firmed her footing and sized up the competition.

"Two of them are in armor, the other one.. Well it looks like a ghost... I'm thinking that we should keep our distance and see what they can do." The navi nodded, holding her naginata out in front of herself.

"What strategy do you suggest?" Cassius paused for a moment before loading a chip into the PET.

"Back up a good distance and focus on your target. I'll take care of the rest." Aestus offered a compliant nod, leaping back a good several feet before setting her eyes on the center of her opponents. Her naginata transformed and she set her feet, aiming the barrel of her newly formed cannon at the end of the naginata's shaft. She let the blast fly toward the apparition in the middle of the group, bracing against the kick of the weapon.

Her naginata changed again, shimmering in her hands. She spun the newly formed shotgun weapon and let the shards of energy fly toward the whole of the group.


~Synopsis~

Take Aim
Cannon Spooky (40)
Shotgun Spooky (50+Spread1)