Posts made by P.A. Master

Voltman stretched as he stepped off of the river, listening to the gurgling of the water now that the viruses had been taken care of. The creaks of the wood broke the stillness of the scene as he went to cross the river properly, the dilapidated bridge managing to hold steady under his weight.
Beneath the facemask you could almost make out a small smile as he marked a brisk pace through the rest of the clearing. "You know there's something to be said for these outdated areas. It's practically wilderness. Like a, uh... a park, I guess?"
Julian's screen popped up, his expression deadpan. "A park? A literal walk in the park, you're comparing it to now." He shook his head, his mouse wheel clicking lightly as he scrolled through available data about the Yoka Rogue Net. "This place is more like an abandoned city than a park, Volt. Entire zones made obsolete years ahead of schedule. And instead of spending the time to work it together and just rebuild, they just thought it was cheaper to literally bury it and leave it be." His chair let out a groan as he sat back, his hands crossed behind his head. "It's a breeding ground. They just ignored the problem and moved on, and while I can appreciate an area to fish for viruses, this can't be healthy for the upper nets."
Voltman shrugged, absentmindedly kicking a rock as he kept walking. "I mean I get it, Jules, but most of our systems are just held up with sticks and wire behind the scenes anyway. That's how software's always been. It's just that before the net..." He kicked a nearby piece of wood, the rotted timber giving way and spreading a cloud of dust into the air "...we couldn't literally see the old stuff rotting away."

Minutes passed as they continued talking idly, making minor folder changes and walking a straight line across the abandoned network. There were always more viruses to find, more money to be made, more chips to collect, and Voltman was finally enjoying a chance to stretch and do all of it.

(Battle 2)

Standing over the river, Voltman lifted the lightly damp mystery data and tapped the outside of the casing to crack it open.

[Y]

His footsteps silent, Yoka Rogue remained as still and quiet as any of the decommissioned networks as Voltman reached the bridge.

Jules didn't bring up a hologram live, instead projecting himself into the corner of Voltman's visor for purposes of remaining stealthy. ["Three enemies, all aqua, one asleep."] Voltman whispered, a small highlight on his HUD identifying the unopened BMD in the water. It wasn't but a moment more before the unintelligible speech of the nearby viruses broke the silence, though they appeared to not have noticed him yet.
"Voltman, the awake ones are grouped and distracted. It's... basically free, as long as you can approach without being seen or heard. The problem then is the enemy in the water. It's unconscious for now, but who knows how long that'll keep." As he spoke, he slotted in an Areagrab and Elecsword, the yellow blade's glow dulled to nearly nothing for purposes of remaining stealthy.
Voltman looked down slightly. ["If I land on that bridge, the Floatshoes might not be enough to prevent it from making significant amounts of noise under my weight..."] His eyes lit up ["...So I don't land. A teleporting strike, and another teleport before I ever hit the ground. The sound of the river under Floatshoes might be significantly less noticeable to the sleeping enemy, which would allow me to get close and save the data."]

The sound of several more chips being inserted came through his earpiece, and Voltman prepared his Elecsword for immediate dissolution after the initial strike. Closing his eyes as he let out a deep breath, he inhaled...

Visualize your target. Strike with force and precision both. Empty all else from your mind.

A ghost vanished from the edge of the clearing and appeared directly behind the pair of chattering foes. A single, silent, swift slice, with a twist of the blade to ensure the death of the Bark. And as quickly as it had appeared the sword vanished from the hilt outwards, barely leaving more evidence of its presence than the slight arc of light it had trailed a moment before. The ghost vanished again from the air above the bridge.

...and exhaled softly, landing on top of the river without disturbing the water below him. If his plan had worked he was safe, but realistically he had only moments. If either one of the bridge viruses had dodged his attack it could ruin his plan to catch the sleeping enemy unaware. Crouching forward as the Blue Mystery Data drifted toward him with sleeping passenger in tow, he summoned a much smaller blade and gripped the handle tightly.

The moment his hand gripped the data, he tore his arms simultaneously in both directions from the center. In his left, the Blue Mystery Data, taken to protect it from its dozing rider. In his right, the Elecknife, taking the dozing rider from this world.

And with that, if only for a moment, the clearing was deadly silent once more.

[Turn summary]
1) Offense of the Swordsmet (Accuracy Enhancement, Strengthen 40 [x2])
2) Areagrab to just behind/above the distracted viruses on the bridge
3) Elecsword to Aquagear, Bark (190 to Aquagear [95x2], 270 to Bark [(95+40)x2 (Accuracy enhanced)(Strengthen used on Bark hit)
4) Areagrab to beside Snoozier on the river
[Floatshoes function: Try to remain quiet on the water, standing 'on top' of the river]
5) Hold Blue Mystery Data steady (try to not disturb the Snoozier, BMD is held if snoozier moves)
6) Elecknife to Snoozier [75x2](Accuracy enhanced)

Hey! So I've been in the Discord for the past day or so, but I also wanted to say here that I'm going to be giving this another try! I won't be posting as often as I used to, but I do want to continue the adventures of my old pair in earnest.

Glad to see y'all are well!

[From here]

A beam of light struck the ground from above as Voltman hit the net for the first time in entirely too long. Standing up he shook his arms and legs as if removing a fine coat of dust only he could see, and stopped just as suddenly. "Jules, I feel... lighter. Is there network interference? You getting me ok here?" He waved upwards towards where he had jacked in from, knowing full well that his operator could see him regardless.

A small screen opened up just in front of him, Julian's face looking sickly but slightly excited against the pale glow of the monitors. "Network connection is fine, but you may experience a bit of early weirdness with your combat capabilities. In the time since we've been virus busting I've significantly reduced your processing load-" a set of small graphs appeared on the monitor next to him "-which should result in an according uptick in your speed. This means your swordplay may be slightly more basic, but it should significantly open mobility options for you in battle."

Voltman turned his hands over, clenching and unclenching his fists and wiggling his fingers before letting off a few quick punches to the air. "Huh, alright. It'll take some getting used to, but I guess that's why we're here."

He wandered down the derelict net, eyes peeled, his footsteps making no sound but his armor lightly clattering as he proceeded towards combat for the first time in too long.

(Battle 1, 200 HP)

[From here]

Jules collapsed back into his chair, thinking. "Do you think- should I have talked with him more? Was I too 'to the point'? I mean I've never really thought about it before, but his job's gotta be pretty dull..." He started tapping his foot and biting his lip slightly. "I mean for all I know other folks actually have a rapport with him. I was- I've always- We never really connected, y'know, and-" Voltman's hologram popped up from the PET, interrupting his friend's nervous mumbling.
"It's a job, Jules. There's no expectation that you make friends with the employees, just that you treat them like people." His visor glowed slightly brighter as he smiled up at him. "Just relax, it's a free day for us. Now- nothing for it but to jump straight back into the deep end." Shuffling his feet slightly, he crossed his arms and looked downwards. "I've got an ice fishing score to settle, as it were. So I'd appreciate heading for Sharo net."

Jules immediately sat further up, shaking his head. "No can do. It took an entire squad just to pacify that thing last time, we are not trying to take it on alone." He pulled up the data of Squalo's tooth, stored safely away since the day they'd failed to stop him and been saved by an official.

"I'm stronger now, Jules. More powerful, more well equipped, and faster than ever. I can do this." Voltman's voice was almost pleading. But... Julian was resolute. He wasn't about to risk Voltman's life again, against a foe he was confident they couldn't face.

He sniffed slightly and avoided his navi's gaze, turning his chair towards his computer and opening a browser window. "We'll get our bearings in the second level of Electown net. If..." He turned his head to Voltman "...and I do mean if we manage to find enough here to boost your combat strength a bit further... then, we can start combing Sharo net for your whale."

"Now, Jack In, Voltman.exe! Transmit!"

[To here]

"I, uh- you're welcome! Thank you!" Slightly overenthusiastic, he waved and nodded his head as he left the shop. It was time to go home and get back into the swing of things.

[To here]

(From here)

Jules almost felt like a stranger in the chip shop despite having been there countless times before.

Hesitantly, he approached the checkout counter and started to point to the chips under the counter. "Hi, uh... I'll take... a Bambooknife." Falling silent again, a small cough from his PET seemed to shake him slightly and he looked down again. "Alright oh and, uh... four Untraps, and a bookmark."

(1800 + 1200 + 1000, total 4000z)

The low clattering of a keyboard was the only sound in the room, and the only light a faint glow from a monitor in the corner. With the heavy curtains drawn tight and the door closed you wouldn't be faulted for thinking it was the dead of night. The figure at the keyboard sighed and stretched, cracking his neck and sitting back in his chair as the PET on the desk lit up.

Voltman tapped a finger to his cheek, thinking briefly before breaking the silence in the room.
"Jules, are you... ok? With this?" The chair's creaking abruptly stopped as Jules looked at the projection of his navi, his expression harder to read in the dim lighting but visibly confused nonetheless. Voltman shook his head slightly. "This lifestyle. It's been days since you've left for anything but groceries, you spend hours just watching videos, reading message boards, or streamlining my code. We've only been virus busting enough to meet rent and for you to eat." He put his arms up, half shrugging and half gesturing to the apartment around him. Soundless, the apartment itself seemed to be holding its breath. "You just... you just used to seem so lively." As he finished, the chair creaked and some semblance of life returned to the room.
"I... I don't know." Jules leaned on one fist as he stared blankly at the monitors, his brow slightly furrowed in thought. "We're doing enough to get by, and more just seems... unreasonable." His expression seemed to shift as he lowered his gaze to his desk. "Some days it's hard enough to get out of bed for this, much less function as your operator for anything intensive." The words hovered in the air as he fell silent once more.

Voltman paused for only a moment, before a slight beep sounded and the curtains flew open. A wordless shriek barely made it out of Jules' mouth as he toppled over, shielding his eyes from the light. Voltman's image hovered over the figure now tangled in blankets and laundry on the floor, pointing directly at what was probably a head. "You're going out. Today. And we're going to go virus busting, get some petty cash, and get you some decent food for once."


An hour later, cleaned and presentable to the world, they were on the bus for ACDC town's chip shop.
(To here)

Given how my signature effects and game plan has been for a while, while Swords may be his main tool, his speed has always been his biggest asset.

As such, I'd like to change Voltman from a Sword subtype to a Speed subtype

All else remains unchanged for him

Edit: Volt not votl

Also, I would like to change my operator's name to Julian Tibbett. I made their name way back when I thought I had to make it sound japanese(?) and it's uh, a bit of an embarrassment.

Get well soon. ;~;

-lright, I've restored the connection, let's take 'em down! Shigeru remarked, before seeing Voltman calmly gathering up the spoils of battle. He sighed, took the battlechip data, and went back to scanning for enemies.

(Battle 2)

Damn, but the place was empty. Not a single soul in sight, even if the sound of distant combat rang out sporadically. Voltman knew he couldn't be alone in Rogue net, but he'd expected... something. Anything. The occasional passerby, another netbattler training themselves in the harsher terrain. Anything.
Got anything down there? Voltman shook his head slightly, looking around. A wrecked building, a long abandoned subchip stand, more cracked flooring... it was an absolute ghost town. He stopped and put two fingers to his visor, turning on a quick scan display of the area around him.
Not a thing. No navis, structural integrity is... sketchy, at the worst of times. He continued passing through the town, eventually coming to an overpass that looked like its less infected twin seen through shattered glass. Shigeru broke comms silence for the second time that trip.
Hold on, I've got incoming. Remember, the new signature attack processes are the same as the old ones, but you've got a lot more control now. No more shooting random blasts for lack of a better option, or healing nicks in your armor and then taking cannons to the chest. Shigeru pulled up small text files on the individual processes, reading through the basic descriptions. I've also read through that book the Swordsmet gave you when you met. Not bad, a bit too much flowery language for my taste, but it had some good lines about force only being useful if your attacks connect. "Take heed of your foes' attacks, and keep your own style inscrutable, and find their blows striking only air, and their attempts to avoid nothing more than a..." Shigeru paused. Whatever, I don't remember all of it. Point is, attacks are worthless if they don't connect.
Voltman shook his head. Diversionary tactics. "Suppressing fire." Multi-pronged assaults. They may not strike anything, but that isn't the point of them. Attacks aren't always about striking your enemy, after all. Sometimes, it's about getting inside their head.

Shigeru shrugged. Regardless, definitely virus signatures that I was picking up, and they're advancing on your position. Go make some friends. Voltman held a small orb of electricity in his hand, moving towards the area Shigeru had highlighted in his HUD. A crack of a panel underfoot made him swing around, ready to fire, but it was only a small rock settling into position. He breathed out a sigh of relief, the energy in his hand fading.
Check it again, there's nothing here. Just more shit strewn around. He waited a moment, but no reply came. His brow furrowed and he tried again. I said check again. Did the targets move? A burst of static came through his earpiece, making him flinch and take a slightly stunned step backwards.
...breaking up... battle routine... signal disrupted... behind you, asshole! With the final burst, the transmission cut out and the familiar sheen of the barriers of the battle routine settled around the bridge, but the static remained. Voltman looked around for a moment, confused, before seeing the sparks flying from the prongs of the three viruses. He rolled his head from side to side cracking his neck, and shook the last of the fatigue from his recuperation out of his system. Lightning flared from the rods on his shoulders, and a crack of thunder split the arena as the air above him fried from the heat.

Battle Routine, Execute!
Warning, Operator Connection Terminated! Battle Chip Access Restricted!

Voltman didn't move, for a moment. Shigeru's words echoed through his head, the words from the book he'd read only occasionally since his encounter with the strange honorable mettaur. He remained still for almost a full second before he dashed forward, summoning his sword on his right hand. The closest Silly his target, Voltman expanded his HUD to give himself a slightly wider peripheral vision, and enabled a short term movement enhancement system. He slashed the sword in front if him twice and then struck it against one of his lightning rods, igniting a spark on the tip that charged the entire weapon with electricity. The blade of the sword split into two as it became charged, and Voltman thrust the two pronged weapon towards the Silly virus. Only a feint, though, as he drew it back and spun to the side, driving it into the ground where he had seen the Silly's prong moving a moment previously and hopefully catching one of its arms underneath the weapon. With a snap, he disengaged the blade from his wrist and retreated.

He flipped backwards to dodge any attacks that had been aimed at him, moving with unnatural speed from the enhancement of the Defensive Way. Once more he fell still, this time not contemplating how to dodge but where best to strike. It took but a moment, and his visor lit up a moment later with his predicted path and attack pattern. Voltman dashed forward, accelerated... and disappeared. A moment later, a a crash of thunder sounded from a few meters behind the enemies and Voltman reappeared with eight orbs of electricity orbiting the lightning rods on his shoulders, two of them glowing slightly brighter than the others. Letting out a roar he threw his left hand forward in an open handed blow at the air, and in answer the orbs circling his left shoulder flew towards one of the Sillies he hadn't attempted to disable. Charging forward, he threw his right hand forward, and the other attacks were likewise directed to the second Silly virus.

Turning his attention back to the Silly he had tried to disable earlier, he zigzagged towards it and his shoulder lightning rods glowed ominously once more. Sparks flew, and the air around him seemed to darken as he drew in massive amounts of power. Leaping into the air, he tossed the blast downwards towards his enemy, a crackling storm of lightning that scorched the already damaged terrain where it struck. Landing, he used his momentum to roll towards a bridge support, turning and drawing his sword so as to deflect any incoming attacks.

Overview:
1. Defense of the Swordsmet (Disarm Silly A, Dodge [x2], Haste [x2])
2. Offense of the Swordsmet (Accuracy Enhancement, Strengthen 40 [x2])
3. Lightning Step (Teleport behind Sillies, Tactical Movement added to the next 4 actions)
4. Thunder Flurry to Sillies B and C (3 Rapid Shots [40 Damage, Seeking] each, One Strengthen[+40] Rapid Shot each [80 Damage, Seeking])
[Tactical Movement towards SillyA]
5. Electric Blaze to Silly A (200, Stun, Elec)
[Tactical movement away from SillyA]
6. Parry

(Bump)

(Bump)

Happy Birthday, Fera

Quote (Pocket)

JUST AN FYI

Quote ()

Name: Netbattler's Reflexes (40p)
Description: Voltman can use his combat prowess to attempt to disarm an enemy.
Effects: Disarm

Disarm falls under the "Standard Action" set of signature effects - A list of things you can do anyways with an action. You are essentially wasting 40 points here.

Ah, decent point.
I'll combine the Reflexes sig with the Defense of the Swordy sig. Add it in as another ability within. He parries the first blow, and then dodges the rest.

Shigeru was prone in bed, staring at the slight dent in the ceiling he'd made from absentmindedly tossing a tennis ball at it for hours on end. That last mission had been an unmitigated disaster, and they'd done nothing but fuck it up repeatedly in the simulations they'd looked at in the time since. Something about Voltman just wasn't right for the mission, that had to be it.
He tossed the tennis ball again, but missed the indentation by a fraction of an inch. It ricocheted off at an awkward angle, rolling to the corner of the room where a small hard drive sat, plugged into the wall and humming softly. His eyes focused briefly on it before he just laid his head down again. He'd moved the Watt subroutine into the drive after a while. A bit of a mercy, really, considering what they had gotten themselves into.
Shigeru's eyes closed, and he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

He awoke later, but how long he'd been out he wasn't entirely sure. His PET alarm function was going off, so it had to have been nearly three quarters of a day. He rubbed his eyes and rolled his legs off of the bed, slipping his feet into a ragged pair of slippers as he let out a yawn and stared at the PET. After a moment, he grabbed it and deactivated the alarm, staring at the screen. Voltman had been fully healed for almost a day and a half, now, but he'd not reactivated him in the meantime. He was missing... something. They were missing something.
He started fiddling with Voltman's attack programs. Maybe it was in there.

It was the next day that Shigeru finally stumbled upon the answer. Synchronicity, for lack of a better word. A bond. Sure, he and Voltman were friends, but for the most part he just gave him weapons and left him to his own devices. The sidekick, nothing more. And Voltman needed an equal, if they were to grow. Voltman needed him to step up.
He reactivated his Navi. Few words between them, mostly how much time had passed and what the plan was. It wasn't until a minute later that Voltman let out a small exclamation.
You sure about this, Shigeru? I mean, I know we're pretty strong, but... there's not a chance in hell, right now. He stared at the fang across from his image on the PET screen, a slight tinge of anxiety in his tone.
[/color=gray]It's just a goal, Voltman. I know we're not nearly strong enough to take it on alone now. Probably not ever. But it's something to start towards.[/color]

A few moments of silence followed, and then Voltman sighed. Well, we're going to need some better weapons. Rogue Net's been opened to higher level public like ourselves, I'm pretty sure.
Shigeru nodded. Not entirely sure what the Rogue networks will hold for us, though. We took care of Electown fairly well in the War, though, so we should start there before branching into the other Nets.
For the first time in days, Shigeru cracked a smile. They were back. Or at least, on their way to being back.

(Electown Rogue Net)
Jack In, Voltman.EXE!

Voltman appeared in Electown Rogue Net for the second time, but the first of his own volition. The net was darker than normal, but what else could be expected of Electown's old infrastructure considering it was practically located under the current net?

Cities under cities. Nets under other Nets. Both the real world and the digital one were built on ruins of their predecessors. Real world didn't have to worry about natural occurrences throwing elemental forces at you, though, so there's that in its favor.

(Battle 1, 200 HP)

Figure with my return I might as well revamp my sigs as I see fit. Hell, I've still got a few edits sitting around from the old days.

POINT POOL: 1180
ACTIVE LIMIT: 260 (390 Nerf cap) PASSIVE LIMIT: 40

Name: Electric Blaze (230p)
Description: Voltman's oldest and most reliable ability, it blasts a single enemy with a massive bolt of electricity.
Effects: 200 Damage, Stun, Elec, 6 Turns Cooldown

Name: Lightning Step (160p)
Description: Voltman's always been fast, but here's where he steps it up to a whole other level. Moving fast enough to avoid being seen, Voltman effectively teleports to another location on the field, and then keeps up his momentum to continue re-positioning himself for his next few attacks.
Effects: Teleport, Movement [Delay: 1 Action], Movement [Delay: 2 Actions], Movement [Delay: 3 Actions], Movement [Delay: 4 Actions], 4 Turns Cooldown

Name: Thunder Flurry (240p)
Description: Where he used to fire off shots every few seconds in combat, Voltman now saves his natural extra energy to unleash a barrage of buster shots when it really matters. [Warning: Overcharging normal buster processes may lead to higher than normal attack volume. Turn your headphones down.]
Effects: Buster Shot [x8], 6 Turns Cooldown

Name: Living Dynamo (200p)
Description: Voltman has finally mastered his passive regenerative processes, allowing him to save bursts of health for when he's been badly damaged instead of wasting regenerative energy while unharmed.
Effects: 150 Heal, 5 Turns Cooldown

Name: Reboot (30p)
Description: If temporarily disabled, Voltman has a Quick Reboot system in place that he can use to rid himself of unwanted effects with little to no effect on his combat.
Effects: Status Cure, 1 Turn Cooldown

Name: Defense of the Swordsmet (200p)
Description: Hastened movement and an acute awareness of his surroundings are granted to Voltman for a short amount of time, allowing him to disarm an opponent and dodge with greatly increased efficiency.
Effects: Disarm, Haste [x2], Dodge [x2], 5 Turns Cooldown

Name: Offense of the Swordsmet (120p)
Description: Heightened reflexes and more forceful blows are granted to Voltman for a short amount of time, allowing him to strike down his opponents with enhanced speed and efficiency.
Effects: Accuracy Enhancement, Strengthen 40 [x2]


Total cost: 230 + 30 + 160 + 240 + 200 +200 + 120 = 1180 points