Somewhere amidst the out-of-place beach music and the strange sensations, while Vasilia struggled to escape and Ego suffered in between, the impossible mass that was Hex seemed to draw back – blooming and shifting with an unexpected hesitation, while a unexpected scene drifted in the oddly permeable space around their hectic chase; a quirk of the badly mutilated code of the space they were crashing through cast the images before everyone... and then, a moment later, the reverie broke, and hell broke loose again.
Vasilia found herself thrust back into her immediate here and now, her senses realigning within her body as a flash of something was torn from her and back into the churning white mass; the muted numbness remained, and the increasing dis-figuration of her wooden parts, but for the moment she was back with herself in her own head, at least. As she formed the sigil for protection once more, the slightly apart mass that bore Ego's conduit threw itself towards her again, desperately trying to cling on just as a battering-ram bludgeon of mass slammed forward, through the remaining shards of scientific debris, with enough force to flatten the puppet navi. The first hit was deflected, but it was clear that her sigil wasn't holding as well as it should.
All around them, shattering wood, stone and glass cracked over the still-playing music as what remained of Ego struggled to keep herself between Vasilia and the inevitability of the white. Trying to hold back the ocean only served to get in Vasilia's way, however, as the navi sought to give the corrupted creature back some of its own medicine. The grasping shadow hands reached and grabbed, latching only Ego's form and clinging tightly, pulling her along as Vasilia herself made for the fire escape. For a moment it looked more like two fleeing from one, rather than the other way around, but even as the code-breaking hands sank into Ego's conduit, the shadows flowed back along their tethered connection to the greater white mass as well.
Ego herself could feel the shadowy hands holding her tight and weighing her down, when moving was hard enough already, but there was more to it than that as well – they also seemed to be holding her up at the same time, keeping what remained of her form just above the glass-strewn ground without effort; for a moment it felt like, if she willed it, they might even carry her up and away from all of this. The stream of corruption that chased its way back to Hex itself washed across the monstrosity in a very different manner. As thought was discarded and intelligence was thrown aside, forgotten, all that was hex became sense and need, and then more, and less; senses narrowed, focused, brightened evened as they died... what need for sight, when its prey was right there, and it could be felt and heard and scented... what need touch, or scent or sound, when it could taste... and that taste was everything. The taste, the taste it needed, was all that remained; taste and the universe-devouring need to taste more.
Just ahead; that was where the lingering taste of heartwood and fractals fled. Hex surged forward, raw mass churning into the descending corridor behind Vasilia and Ego, on dragged by the other. Bolts of red lighting arced from the conduit as Vasilia rushed on; they arced off the metal housing of the door frame and the stairs, lighting up a narrow stairway that led down a dozen feet then doubled back on itself. Below, another door. Vasilia was able to descend, skipping part of the railing as she made for the lower door, but the corridor behind was filled as Hex came on like a flow, then a torrent, then a crashing flood.
For Hex, there was the taste of shattered glass, of broken stone, of water and of coolant, or iron metal and steel, and of old, dead wood. Not the taste it sought. Substance and matter, but not what would sate its hunger; it drove after the retreating taste, uncaring of anything else that might be between them.
The building rumbled, and spiderweb cracks began to spread out from the everywhere Hex's mass impacted. A glance back as Vasilia thrust the door open with her remaining hand; the zigzag stairs above gone, filled with white, and the cracks weren't just cracks in the masonry; code bled from them, as the data that made up their world ruptured and crumbled. Ahead, the panicked shouts of normal navis hurriedly jacking out before they got caught up in whatever was coming; an office space, benches and testing equipment, cubicles and terminals; a poster on the wall with a kitten hanging on a branch. Doors leading to other offices but where was down?
The other option drew Vasilia to turn back just as she burst into the upper floor, one hand drawing the sigils to send a fresh attack barrelling back at the only way her pursuer could be coming from. Sure enough it came on, tearing through the doorway and much of the upper wall as its body mass consumed everything it flowed over. Vasilia's attack was broad and forceful, and hammered back at her foe; the recoil seemed to slam the still-connected Ego back with it as well, as one set of tangled code warred against another and swiftly tore the space around them apart.
The floor of the building groaned as the network of widening cracks raced across it and the sea of Hex absorbed the heavy weight that had embedded itself in the mass. Dark lances of glitched code speared into the white substance, and again Vasilia got a glimpse of the aberrant code jumping back and forth between the monstrosity and Ego's conduit.
Hex seemed to only be growing more implacable and unstoppable as the broken code sank in and settled amidst the mass of flesh and form, though a keen eyes suggested that, whatever she was doing, Vasilia was making some headway towards driving the abomination back. There was only distantly the sensation of impacts and the taste of consuming all manner of things that were not the thing it needed to taste. That need was all that mattered; nothing else needed to remain at all.
Whatever was still present of Ego's ego felt the odd stillness fall across her again, though it was different this time. There was, impossibly, a tiny islet of calm from which to take in the horror beyond, and it remained somewhere in that part of the tortured girl that hadn't yet been corrupted, letting her know what to do, and when.
The moment ended as the building was filled with a warning creak. Hex drew itself up and lunged, driving the largest, most solid mass of its bludgeoning body back at Vasilia; the impact set her senses spinning as the fleshy substance was suddenly all over her, flattening her to the ground and trying to consume. Then, a deafening crash and a tearing sound, and suddenly everything was falling, tumbling, shattering and crashing against other broken pieces, all being torn asunder or devoured by the white mass. Vasilia landed with a painful impact, something rigid against her back, but not supporting her head or her lower body. Even the lingering numbness wasn't enough to shield her from the sudden bolt of pain that the hard landing solidified her awareness with. White was everywhere, on everything, slamming and thrashing about, but it didn't have her, not entirely, not yet.
Barely a moment to take in her awareness showed Vasilia what had happened; the broken skeleton of the office building loomed above her on four side, but the insides were gone collapsed, destroyed and devoured, leaving only a gutted shell that was itself laced with cracks and broken in places. At its core was Hex, white mass trailing from the walls down to a deep basement pit below the ground level. there should have been more material; there should have been more, but there was only hex, and the scattered remains of small debris. The white filled the basement, and Vasilia herself lay precariously above it, caught only by an outcrop of stone and steel that hadn't quite broken off. The doors and windows of the lowest level had all blown out, and shattered glass was everywhere, but it hurt to even move right now.
Not far from Vasilia, the body mass that could only be Ego's form drifted above the pit, still connected to the ocean of horror below, and still an inhuman mass of twisted flesh, too many ears, red-crackling conduit and the remnants of a dress... but drifting apart, a few feet and seemingly miles away from the churning, swelling, expanding mass below... and it was expanding, climbing, reaching, and coming for her.
-=The White=-
Hex: 65Hp [Broken, building basement][Strengthen: 20][Glitch: Sensory Fall (Taste) (2 Turns)][Glitch: Crumbling Touch (Tier 1) (2 Turns)][Glitch: Force Reroute (3 Turns)][Glitch: Neutral Plane (2 Turns)]
Egomorph.SP: 1Hp[Above Broken, Above Hex][Glitch: NC Flicker (1 Turn)][Glitch: Fissured Growth (Tier 4)(Restored: 30Hp)(Indefinite)][Glitch: Crimson Cascade (Indefinite)][Glitch: All Ears (Indefinite)][Glitch: To The Beach (Indefinite)][Glitch: Leaden Shadow (Indefinite)][Glitch: Ether-Step (2 Turns)][Glitch: Prescient Distraction (2 Turns)][Glitch: Warding Touch (3 Turns)]
-=The Witch=-
Vasilia.Exe: 1Hp [Metal. Ruins just above the Hex-basement][A Hand Down: Only one wield slot available for remainder of fight][Glitch: Chip Limiter (Two Turns)][Glitch: Routine Override (Tier 4)(Indefinite)][Glitch: Lingering Numbness (Indefinite)][Glitch: Armour To Dust (Tier 3)(Two Turns)]
-=The Walk-Way=-
20% Metal
80% Broken
Terrain is the ground and basement floor in the remains of a large square building. The walls mostly stand, but the building is gutted. North from the ruins led towards the public plaza, south leads back into the maze of other tall buildings.
Sensory Fall (Negative Glitch): The victim suffers an almost suffocating level of sensory loss. All of their senses will shut off completely, leaving nothing behind. Only one sense (randomly selected) will remain unaffected by this glitch. This glitch has no hard mechanical effect, but should be played out by the victim as appropriate. Your moderator my decide to enact appropriate debuffs as well, or simulate them in combat calculations (such as imposing blind while sight is lost). Lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Crumbling Touch (Negative Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim's terrain changes decay rapidly. any terrain change the victim makes degrades into cracked terrain after one round, unless the change was already to cracked or broken terrain. This glitch is highly mutable and is prone to increasing in severity. At second tier, the victim's terrain changes decay at the end of the round they are created. At third tier, the terrain collapses into broken terrain one turn after it decays. At tier four, all terrain changes the victim makes decay immediately, and collapse into broken at the end of the round. At fifth tier, as well as the tier four effects, the victim creates small areas of cracked terrain around themselves wherever they move, which also collapse at the end of the round. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Force Reroute (Balance Glitch): The victim's body begins to reroute damage and power in reactive and cyclic ways. Any time the victim takes direct damage to their hit points, they gain strengthen equal to the damage that they took. Any time the victim gains Strengthen from a source other than this glitch, they take damage to their Hp equal to the Strengthen gained. This damage bypasses defences and cannot be mitigated, but is stopped by undershirt/second chance. Glitch lasts three turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Neutral Plane (Positive Glitch): The victim gains a naturalised form of planar adaptation. Any null elemental defence the victim gains acts much like a planar defence, as long as the victim is in contact with null elemental terrain. Specifically, null planar defences are not weak to break or impact. They have no elemental weakness, but do not halve damage from any source either. If the victim is not in contact null elemental terrain, null elemental defences remain and act as normal. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Leaden Shadow (Negative Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim's shadow, or similar aspect becomes heavy and clinging, clawing a them and weighing them down. The mobility and evasion bonus of all avoidances are downgraded by one category. That is: movements only grant as much mobility as a feint, and confer no evasion bonus, feints grant only as much mobility as a dodge, and confer only the evasion bonus of a movement, and dodges grant no mobility at all, while only conferring the evasion bonus of a feint. Glitch lasts until combat ends, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or similar effect.
Ether-Step (Positive Glitch): The victim gains a lightness of step that functionally emulates the presence of Air Shoes, Float Shoes and Shadow Shoes. This also allows them to access the OmniShoes Custom Advance. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Prescient Distraction (Balance Glitch): The victim gains a calmness that allows a mild prescience effect, a the cost of personal focus. The victim loses their first action each round to a distracted daze, however, all actions they take have their accuracy increased by 2 ranks. this effect stacks with taking aim, and can surpass A rank. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Warding Touch (Positive Glitch): The victim gains a free allocation of processing capability that can be channelled into supporting effects. Once per turn as a free action, the victim may apply any one effect from the following list to a target of their choice: (15 Healing), (Status Cure), (1-Hit Shield), (20hp Barrier), (20hp Casing), (Damage Reduction 5, (1 Round)), (Strengthen 20), (NC Resistance (1 Round)), (Buster Resistance (1 Round)), (Folder Resistance (1 Round)), (Signature Resistance (1 Round)), (SP Resistance (1 Round)). Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Fissured Growth (Balance Glitch): The victim gains regeneration, recovering 5Hp per action through this glitch. The glitch records how much Hp it has restored. If this glitch is removed, it immediately deals direct damage to the victim equal to half the amount of Hp it has restored at the time of removal. This damage cannot be reduced or mitigated in any way, but will be blocked by Undershirt/Second Chance. This glitch is prone to increasing in severity, and can tier up to a maximum of five times. Each tier beyond the first restores an extra 5Hp per action. At fifth tier, damage caused by removal of the glitch ignores Undershirt/Second Chance. If this glitch resolves out of combat, it does not deal any damage. Glitch lasts until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Crimson Cascade (Positive Glitch): The victim exudes erratic, crimson light which lashes out at enemies nearby. As a free action each turn, the energy attempts to strike any hostiles nearby, a number of times equal to double the victim's rapid stat. Each energy strike deals 10 null element damage, and the victim gains Strengthen equal to the amount of actual Hp the attacks deplete (Barriers etc., do not count). Glitch lasts until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
NC Flicker (Negative Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim's Navi customiser suffers a glitch that causes their installed parts to randomly shut off for brief periods. Each turn, every NC install that the victim has will have a fifty percent chance to stop functioning for that turn. Any part that fails to function on one turn will be immune to this effect on the subsequent turn. This glitch has no effect on SPs, though they do act as carriers. This glitch is highly mutable and can interact with other glitches. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Chip Limiter (Negative Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim suffers a glitch in their battlechip system, which becomes partially become corrupted. They cannot use more that two battlechips per turn. Glitch lasts three turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Routine Override (Positive Glitch): The victim suffers an effect that bypasses the normal safety protocols in their battle routines, allowing the free use of actions and abilities normally requiring battle routines to be disengaged. This glitch is prone to increasing in severity and can increase to a maximum of five tiers. At tier one, the victim can freely refresh one used chip each round (though they can't use the same chip multiple times in one round lit this). At tier two, they can also use one subchip each round, as an action. At tier three, the victim's chips refresh automatically at the end of each turn. At tier four the victim change their subtype choices and installed navicust parts at the beginning of each turn. At tier five, the victim can use any number of subchips as free actions on their turn, and can choose to jack their navi out without consequence or needing to escape the battle first. Glitch lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Lingering Numbness (Negative Glitch): The victim suffers a creeping numbness of body, which makes it difficult for them to function in a coordinated manner. Melee and Slashing attacks are decreased in accuracy by 10%, and there is a 10% chance that any wielded gear will be automatically disarmed any time it is used or struck by an enemy. The victim's base evasion is also hampered by 10%. This glitch is prone to increasing in severity, and can increase to a maximum of five tiers. The penalties and negative chances increase by 5% for each tier beyond the first. Glitch lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Armour To Dust (Negative Glitch): The victim's armour begins to degrade and lose function. At the end of each turn, the victim automatically loses any Layer 3 defences they might have active. A visual cosmetic effect accompanies this glitch, in whatever way is appropriate for the victim. This glitch is prone to increasing in severity, and can worsen up to a maximum of five tiers, and the effects are additive and cumulative. At second tier, the automatic layer 3 loss occurs both at the end of the turn, and also no more than two actions after any layer 3 defence is activated. Third tier causes all layer 3 defences to be destroyed automatically after taking one hit, though they still block overflow damage unless struck with the correct piercing type. Fourth tier causes all layer 3 defences to be vulnerable to take double damage and overspill from all attacks, as though weak to them. Fifth tier prevents any layer 3 defences from being applied to the victim at all. The cosmetic effect of this glitch progresses with each tier as well. Glitch lasts three turns, until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
At The Beach (Neutral Glitch): Are you feeling, feeling, feeling like I'm, feeling-like-I'm-floating, floating, up above that big blue ocean; sand beneath our feet, big blue sky above our heads. No need to keep the stressing from our everyday life on our minds; we have got to leave all that behind!
All Ears (Neutral Glitch): The victim's body sprouts and changes to be come covered in ears of all different shapes and sizes. The ears completely obscure their form to the point of ridiculousness, but strangely, they don't have any actual impact on the victim's ability to function or perceive the world around them.
Elemental Reflux (Negative Glitch): The victim suffers a backlash of elemental energy inside their body, which shifts wildly from element to element and grows stronger over time. On the first turn, the victim takes 10 elemental damage of their own element, or Fire if the victim is Null elemental. The damage increases by 10 each turn, and changes element at random. This damage is delivered on application, and then at the start of each turn, before any other actions occur (including passives). It cannot be reduced or mitigated in any way, but will be stopped by the Undershirt program. It is susceptible to being increased by the victim's elemental weakness if they have one. If the glitch ever deals 100 damage or more in one application, or if it triggers the victim's Undershirt, it is immediately burned out and removed. Otherwise, glitch lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Reactive Form (Balance Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim's body becomes extremely reactive to changes in its integrity. They take an additional 10 points of null damage that cannot be reduced any time they take damage from any other source, however they also gain double the value of any healing they receive. This glitch is highly mutable and can interact with other glitches. Glitch lasts three turn, until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Target Catalyst (Positive Glitch)(Catalytic Glitch): The victim suffers a temporary offence-enhancing effect, randomly determined, and taking effect immediately upon application. This effect lasts only until the end of the turn. At the end of the turn, the Glitch checks for any Mutable Glitches in the victim's system. If none are present, the glitch is dispelled. If a Mutable Glitch is present this glitch interacts with that one, and creates a new, long-term glitch of a related nature to one or the other, or both. If the Mutable Glitch and the Catalytic Glitch are of different natures (Positive, Negative, Balance), the new form will be either Balance, or the nature of the Catalytic Glitch. If multiple Mutable Glitches exist, one is randomly selected. Glitch lasts only for the turn that it is applied.
Spectrum Wash (Positive Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim is surrounded by a halo of energetic light. Once each turn, the energy strikes out to hit a random enemy with a bolt of random elemental energy. This glitch is highly mutable and can interact with other glitches. Glitch lasts three turns, until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Damage Catalyst (Positive Glitch)(Catalytic Glitch): The victim suffers a temporary damage-enhancing effect, randomly determined, and taking effect immediately upon application. This effect lasts only until the end of the turn. At the end of the turn, the Glitch checks for any Mutable Glitches in the victim's system. If none are present, the glitch is dispelled. If a Mutable Glitch is present this glitch interacts with that one, and creates a new, long-term glitch of a related nature to one or the other, or both. If the Mutable Glitch and the Catalytic Glitch are of different natures (Positive, Negative, Balance), the new form will be either Balance, or the nature of the Catalytic Glitch. If multiple Mutable Glitches exist, one is randomly selected. Glitch lasts only for the turn that it is applied.
Overly Objective (Neutral Glitch): The victim suffers a perspective shift that causes their senses to relay information about their surroundings as though they were several metres removed from themselves, watching on. The glitch affects primarily the visual and aural senses; tactile experience is unaffected, creating a disorienting, but not debilitating experience.
Adaptive Mutation (Balance Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim suffers a mutability of their body which grants it the ability to resist damage. The Final damage the victim takes from any attack is reduced by 10. The effect is uncomfortable, alien and unsettling, however, and it makes it hard to focus beyond the unnerving sensation: the victim's accuracy and evasion are both reduced by 10%. This glitch is highly mutable and can interact with other glitches. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Cripple Catalyst (Negative Glitch)(Catalytic Glitch): The victim suffers a temporary debuffing effect, randomly determined, and taking effect immediately upon application. This effect lasts only until the end of the turn. At the end of the turn, the Glitch checks for any Mutable Glitches in the victim's system. If none are present, the glitch is dispelled. If a Mutable Glitch is present this glitch interacts with that one, and creates a new, long-term glitch of a related nature to one or the other, or both. If the Mutable Glitch and the Catalytic Glitch are of different natures (Positive, Negative, Balance), the new form will be either Balance, or the nature of the Catalytic Glitch. If multiple Mutable Glitches exist, one is randomly selected. Glitch lasts only for the turn that it is applied.
SAS Shortcut (Positive Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim suffers a glitch in their signature Attack System which causes a more efficient and longer enduring function. Positive effects generated by signatures last for as long as this glitch does, unless their duration would already be longer. SPs and Navigators are treated as independent by this glitch; an SP whose navigator has allocated them personal signatures is unaffected if their navi has this glitch, and similarly an SP with this glitch finds only their personal signatures effected, without infecting their navi's. Glitch lasts three turns, until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Growth Catalyst (Positive Glitch)(Catalytic Glitch): The victim suffers a temporary protective or restorative effect, randomly determined, and taking effect immediately upon application. This effect lasts only until the end of the turn. At the end of the turn, the Glitch checks for any Mutable Glitches in the victim's system. If none are present, the glitch is dispelled. If a Mutable Glitch is present this glitch interacts with that one, and creates a new, long-term glitch of a related nature to one or the other, or both. If the Mutable Glitch and the Catalytic Glitch are of different natures (Positive, Negative, Balance), the new form will be either Balance, or the nature of the Catalytic Glitch. If multiple Mutable Glitches exist, one is randomly selected. Glitch lasts only for the turn that it is applied.
SAS Soul (Positive Glitch): The victim's Signature Attack System briefly defies all code logic. Signatures have no cooldown and can all be used once per turn. Positive effects generated by signatures endure indefinitely (or until destroyed as usual in the case of defences), instead of their listed duration, as long as this glitch remains. This includes enhancements, such as Haste, body defences, such as shadow and multi-turn/action benefits such as regeneration effects. Any time the victim uses a signature with a beneficial effect on themselves, they spontaneously regenerate 10Hp. Glitch lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
posted in SciLab Net •
Vasilia found herself thrust back into her immediate here and now, her senses realigning within her body as a flash of something was torn from her and back into the churning white mass; the muted numbness remained, and the increasing dis-figuration of her wooden parts, but for the moment she was back with herself in her own head, at least. As she formed the sigil for protection once more, the slightly apart mass that bore Ego's conduit threw itself towards her again, desperately trying to cling on just as a battering-ram bludgeon of mass slammed forward, through the remaining shards of scientific debris, with enough force to flatten the puppet navi. The first hit was deflected, but it was clear that her sigil wasn't holding as well as it should.
All around them, shattering wood, stone and glass cracked over the still-playing music as what remained of Ego struggled to keep herself between Vasilia and the inevitability of the white. Trying to hold back the ocean only served to get in Vasilia's way, however, as the navi sought to give the corrupted creature back some of its own medicine. The grasping shadow hands reached and grabbed, latching only Ego's form and clinging tightly, pulling her along as Vasilia herself made for the fire escape. For a moment it looked more like two fleeing from one, rather than the other way around, but even as the code-breaking hands sank into Ego's conduit, the shadows flowed back along their tethered connection to the greater white mass as well.
Ego herself could feel the shadowy hands holding her tight and weighing her down, when moving was hard enough already, but there was more to it than that as well – they also seemed to be holding her up at the same time, keeping what remained of her form just above the glass-strewn ground without effort; for a moment it felt like, if she willed it, they might even carry her up and away from all of this. The stream of corruption that chased its way back to Hex itself washed across the monstrosity in a very different manner. As thought was discarded and intelligence was thrown aside, forgotten, all that was hex became sense and need, and then more, and less; senses narrowed, focused, brightened evened as they died... what need for sight, when its prey was right there, and it could be felt and heard and scented... what need touch, or scent or sound, when it could taste... and that taste was everything. The taste, the taste it needed, was all that remained; taste and the universe-devouring need to taste more.
Just ahead; that was where the lingering taste of heartwood and fractals fled. Hex surged forward, raw mass churning into the descending corridor behind Vasilia and Ego, on dragged by the other. Bolts of red lighting arced from the conduit as Vasilia rushed on; they arced off the metal housing of the door frame and the stairs, lighting up a narrow stairway that led down a dozen feet then doubled back on itself. Below, another door. Vasilia was able to descend, skipping part of the railing as she made for the lower door, but the corridor behind was filled as Hex came on like a flow, then a torrent, then a crashing flood.
For Hex, there was the taste of shattered glass, of broken stone, of water and of coolant, or iron metal and steel, and of old, dead wood. Not the taste it sought. Substance and matter, but not what would sate its hunger; it drove after the retreating taste, uncaring of anything else that might be between them.
The building rumbled, and spiderweb cracks began to spread out from the everywhere Hex's mass impacted. A glance back as Vasilia thrust the door open with her remaining hand; the zigzag stairs above gone, filled with white, and the cracks weren't just cracks in the masonry; code bled from them, as the data that made up their world ruptured and crumbled. Ahead, the panicked shouts of normal navis hurriedly jacking out before they got caught up in whatever was coming; an office space, benches and testing equipment, cubicles and terminals; a poster on the wall with a kitten hanging on a branch. Doors leading to other offices but where was down?
The other option drew Vasilia to turn back just as she burst into the upper floor, one hand drawing the sigils to send a fresh attack barrelling back at the only way her pursuer could be coming from. Sure enough it came on, tearing through the doorway and much of the upper wall as its body mass consumed everything it flowed over. Vasilia's attack was broad and forceful, and hammered back at her foe; the recoil seemed to slam the still-connected Ego back with it as well, as one set of tangled code warred against another and swiftly tore the space around them apart.
The floor of the building groaned as the network of widening cracks raced across it and the sea of Hex absorbed the heavy weight that had embedded itself in the mass. Dark lances of glitched code speared into the white substance, and again Vasilia got a glimpse of the aberrant code jumping back and forth between the monstrosity and Ego's conduit.
Hex seemed to only be growing more implacable and unstoppable as the broken code sank in and settled amidst the mass of flesh and form, though a keen eyes suggested that, whatever she was doing, Vasilia was making some headway towards driving the abomination back. There was only distantly the sensation of impacts and the taste of consuming all manner of things that were not the thing it needed to taste. That need was all that mattered; nothing else needed to remain at all.
Whatever was still present of Ego's ego felt the odd stillness fall across her again, though it was different this time. There was, impossibly, a tiny islet of calm from which to take in the horror beyond, and it remained somewhere in that part of the tortured girl that hadn't yet been corrupted, letting her know what to do, and when.
The moment ended as the building was filled with a warning creak. Hex drew itself up and lunged, driving the largest, most solid mass of its bludgeoning body back at Vasilia; the impact set her senses spinning as the fleshy substance was suddenly all over her, flattening her to the ground and trying to consume. Then, a deafening crash and a tearing sound, and suddenly everything was falling, tumbling, shattering and crashing against other broken pieces, all being torn asunder or devoured by the white mass. Vasilia landed with a painful impact, something rigid against her back, but not supporting her head or her lower body. Even the lingering numbness wasn't enough to shield her from the sudden bolt of pain that the hard landing solidified her awareness with. White was everywhere, on everything, slamming and thrashing about, but it didn't have her, not entirely, not yet.
Barely a moment to take in her awareness showed Vasilia what had happened; the broken skeleton of the office building loomed above her on four side, but the insides were gone collapsed, destroyed and devoured, leaving only a gutted shell that was itself laced with cracks and broken in places. At its core was Hex, white mass trailing from the walls down to a deep basement pit below the ground level. there should have been more material; there should have been more, but there was only hex, and the scattered remains of small debris. The white filled the basement, and Vasilia herself lay precariously above it, caught only by an outcrop of stone and steel that hadn't quite broken off. The doors and windows of the lowest level had all blown out, and shattered glass was everywhere, but it hurt to even move right now.
Not far from Vasilia, the body mass that could only be Ego's form drifted above the pit, still connected to the ocean of horror below, and still an inhuman mass of twisted flesh, too many ears, red-crackling conduit and the remnants of a dress... but drifting apart, a few feet and seemingly miles away from the churning, swelling, expanding mass below... and it was expanding, climbing, reaching, and coming for her.
-=The White=-
Hex: 65Hp [Broken, building basement][Strengthen: 20][Glitch: Sensory Fall (Taste) (2 Turns)][Glitch: Crumbling Touch (Tier 1) (2 Turns)][Glitch: Force Reroute (3 Turns)][Glitch: Neutral Plane (2 Turns)]
Egomorph.SP: 1Hp[Above Broken, Above Hex][Glitch: NC Flicker (1 Turn)][Glitch: Fissured Growth (Tier 4)(Restored: 30Hp)(Indefinite)][Glitch: Crimson Cascade (Indefinite)][Glitch: All Ears (Indefinite)][Glitch: To The Beach (Indefinite)][Glitch: Leaden Shadow (Indefinite)][Glitch: Ether-Step (2 Turns)][Glitch: Prescient Distraction (2 Turns)][Glitch: Warding Touch (3 Turns)]
-=The Witch=-
Vasilia.Exe: 1Hp [Metal. Ruins just above the Hex-basement][A Hand Down: Only one wield slot available for remainder of fight][Glitch: Chip Limiter (Two Turns)][Glitch: Routine Override (Tier 4)(Indefinite)][Glitch: Lingering Numbness (Indefinite)][Glitch: Armour To Dust (Tier 3)(Two Turns)]
-=The Walk-Way=-
20% Metal
- Cannot be Broken or Cracked except with Geddon/PanelShot, cannot be Burrowed into.
- Elec attacks: +100% Source Damage.
- 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Cracked.
- 100 Damage Fire attacks: Change terrain hit to Furnace.
- PanelShot: Imbue Elec + Break.
80% Broken
- Not bottomless.
- Reverts to Normal after a time, if no one is inside.
- Doubles dodge penalties for bad RP.
- 1-4 Movements actions to climb back out depending on method.
Terrain is the ground and basement floor in the remains of a large square building. The walls mostly stand, but the building is gutted. North from the ruins led towards the public plaza, south leads back into the maze of other tall buildings.
New Glitches
Sensory Fall (Negative Glitch): The victim suffers an almost suffocating level of sensory loss. All of their senses will shut off completely, leaving nothing behind. Only one sense (randomly selected) will remain unaffected by this glitch. This glitch has no hard mechanical effect, but should be played out by the victim as appropriate. Your moderator my decide to enact appropriate debuffs as well, or simulate them in combat calculations (such as imposing blind while sight is lost). Lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Crumbling Touch (Negative Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim's terrain changes decay rapidly. any terrain change the victim makes degrades into cracked terrain after one round, unless the change was already to cracked or broken terrain. This glitch is highly mutable and is prone to increasing in severity. At second tier, the victim's terrain changes decay at the end of the round they are created. At third tier, the terrain collapses into broken terrain one turn after it decays. At tier four, all terrain changes the victim makes decay immediately, and collapse into broken at the end of the round. At fifth tier, as well as the tier four effects, the victim creates small areas of cracked terrain around themselves wherever they move, which also collapse at the end of the round. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Force Reroute (Balance Glitch): The victim's body begins to reroute damage and power in reactive and cyclic ways. Any time the victim takes direct damage to their hit points, they gain strengthen equal to the damage that they took. Any time the victim gains Strengthen from a source other than this glitch, they take damage to their Hp equal to the Strengthen gained. This damage bypasses defences and cannot be mitigated, but is stopped by undershirt/second chance. Glitch lasts three turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Neutral Plane (Positive Glitch): The victim gains a naturalised form of planar adaptation. Any null elemental defence the victim gains acts much like a planar defence, as long as the victim is in contact with null elemental terrain. Specifically, null planar defences are not weak to break or impact. They have no elemental weakness, but do not halve damage from any source either. If the victim is not in contact null elemental terrain, null elemental defences remain and act as normal. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Leaden Shadow (Negative Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim's shadow, or similar aspect becomes heavy and clinging, clawing a them and weighing them down. The mobility and evasion bonus of all avoidances are downgraded by one category. That is: movements only grant as much mobility as a feint, and confer no evasion bonus, feints grant only as much mobility as a dodge, and confer only the evasion bonus of a movement, and dodges grant no mobility at all, while only conferring the evasion bonus of a feint. Glitch lasts until combat ends, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or similar effect.
Ether-Step (Positive Glitch): The victim gains a lightness of step that functionally emulates the presence of Air Shoes, Float Shoes and Shadow Shoes. This also allows them to access the OmniShoes Custom Advance. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Prescient Distraction (Balance Glitch): The victim gains a calmness that allows a mild prescience effect, a the cost of personal focus. The victim loses their first action each round to a distracted daze, however, all actions they take have their accuracy increased by 2 ranks. this effect stacks with taking aim, and can surpass A rank. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Warding Touch (Positive Glitch): The victim gains a free allocation of processing capability that can be channelled into supporting effects. Once per turn as a free action, the victim may apply any one effect from the following list to a target of their choice: (15 Healing), (Status Cure), (1-Hit Shield), (20hp Barrier), (20hp Casing), (Damage Reduction 5, (1 Round)), (Strengthen 20), (NC Resistance (1 Round)), (Buster Resistance (1 Round)), (Folder Resistance (1 Round)), (Signature Resistance (1 Round)), (SP Resistance (1 Round)). Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Existing Current Glitches
Fissured Growth (Balance Glitch): The victim gains regeneration, recovering 5Hp per action through this glitch. The glitch records how much Hp it has restored. If this glitch is removed, it immediately deals direct damage to the victim equal to half the amount of Hp it has restored at the time of removal. This damage cannot be reduced or mitigated in any way, but will be blocked by Undershirt/Second Chance. This glitch is prone to increasing in severity, and can tier up to a maximum of five times. Each tier beyond the first restores an extra 5Hp per action. At fifth tier, damage caused by removal of the glitch ignores Undershirt/Second Chance. If this glitch resolves out of combat, it does not deal any damage. Glitch lasts until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Crimson Cascade (Positive Glitch): The victim exudes erratic, crimson light which lashes out at enemies nearby. As a free action each turn, the energy attempts to strike any hostiles nearby, a number of times equal to double the victim's rapid stat. Each energy strike deals 10 null element damage, and the victim gains Strengthen equal to the amount of actual Hp the attacks deplete (Barriers etc., do not count). Glitch lasts until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
NC Flicker (Negative Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim's Navi customiser suffers a glitch that causes their installed parts to randomly shut off for brief periods. Each turn, every NC install that the victim has will have a fifty percent chance to stop functioning for that turn. Any part that fails to function on one turn will be immune to this effect on the subsequent turn. This glitch has no effect on SPs, though they do act as carriers. This glitch is highly mutable and can interact with other glitches. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Chip Limiter (Negative Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim suffers a glitch in their battlechip system, which becomes partially become corrupted. They cannot use more that two battlechips per turn. Glitch lasts three turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Routine Override (Positive Glitch): The victim suffers an effect that bypasses the normal safety protocols in their battle routines, allowing the free use of actions and abilities normally requiring battle routines to be disengaged. This glitch is prone to increasing in severity and can increase to a maximum of five tiers. At tier one, the victim can freely refresh one used chip each round (though they can't use the same chip multiple times in one round lit this). At tier two, they can also use one subchip each round, as an action. At tier three, the victim's chips refresh automatically at the end of each turn. At tier four the victim change their subtype choices and installed navicust parts at the beginning of each turn. At tier five, the victim can use any number of subchips as free actions on their turn, and can choose to jack their navi out without consequence or needing to escape the battle first. Glitch lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Lingering Numbness (Negative Glitch): The victim suffers a creeping numbness of body, which makes it difficult for them to function in a coordinated manner. Melee and Slashing attacks are decreased in accuracy by 10%, and there is a 10% chance that any wielded gear will be automatically disarmed any time it is used or struck by an enemy. The victim's base evasion is also hampered by 10%. This glitch is prone to increasing in severity, and can increase to a maximum of five tiers. The penalties and negative chances increase by 5% for each tier beyond the first. Glitch lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Armour To Dust (Negative Glitch): The victim's armour begins to degrade and lose function. At the end of each turn, the victim automatically loses any Layer 3 defences they might have active. A visual cosmetic effect accompanies this glitch, in whatever way is appropriate for the victim. This glitch is prone to increasing in severity, and can worsen up to a maximum of five tiers, and the effects are additive and cumulative. At second tier, the automatic layer 3 loss occurs both at the end of the turn, and also no more than two actions after any layer 3 defence is activated. Third tier causes all layer 3 defences to be destroyed automatically after taking one hit, though they still block overflow damage unless struck with the correct piercing type. Fourth tier causes all layer 3 defences to be vulnerable to take double damage and overspill from all attacks, as though weak to them. Fifth tier prevents any layer 3 defences from being applied to the victim at all. The cosmetic effect of this glitch progresses with each tier as well. Glitch lasts three turns, until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
At The Beach (Neutral Glitch): Are you feeling, feeling, feeling like I'm, feeling-like-I'm-floating, floating, up above that big blue ocean; sand beneath our feet, big blue sky above our heads. No need to keep the stressing from our everyday life on our minds; we have got to leave all that behind!
All Ears (Neutral Glitch): The victim's body sprouts and changes to be come covered in ears of all different shapes and sizes. The ears completely obscure their form to the point of ridiculousness, but strangely, they don't have any actual impact on the victim's ability to function or perceive the world around them.
Past Glitch Log
Elemental Reflux (Negative Glitch): The victim suffers a backlash of elemental energy inside their body, which shifts wildly from element to element and grows stronger over time. On the first turn, the victim takes 10 elemental damage of their own element, or Fire if the victim is Null elemental. The damage increases by 10 each turn, and changes element at random. This damage is delivered on application, and then at the start of each turn, before any other actions occur (including passives). It cannot be reduced or mitigated in any way, but will be stopped by the Undershirt program. It is susceptible to being increased by the victim's elemental weakness if they have one. If the glitch ever deals 100 damage or more in one application, or if it triggers the victim's Undershirt, it is immediately burned out and removed. Otherwise, glitch lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Reactive Form (Balance Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim's body becomes extremely reactive to changes in its integrity. They take an additional 10 points of null damage that cannot be reduced any time they take damage from any other source, however they also gain double the value of any healing they receive. This glitch is highly mutable and can interact with other glitches. Glitch lasts three turn, until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Target Catalyst (Positive Glitch)(Catalytic Glitch): The victim suffers a temporary offence-enhancing effect, randomly determined, and taking effect immediately upon application. This effect lasts only until the end of the turn. At the end of the turn, the Glitch checks for any Mutable Glitches in the victim's system. If none are present, the glitch is dispelled. If a Mutable Glitch is present this glitch interacts with that one, and creates a new, long-term glitch of a related nature to one or the other, or both. If the Mutable Glitch and the Catalytic Glitch are of different natures (Positive, Negative, Balance), the new form will be either Balance, or the nature of the Catalytic Glitch. If multiple Mutable Glitches exist, one is randomly selected. Glitch lasts only for the turn that it is applied.
Spectrum Wash (Positive Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim is surrounded by a halo of energetic light. Once each turn, the energy strikes out to hit a random enemy with a bolt of random elemental energy. This glitch is highly mutable and can interact with other glitches. Glitch lasts three turns, until combat ends or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Damage Catalyst (Positive Glitch)(Catalytic Glitch): The victim suffers a temporary damage-enhancing effect, randomly determined, and taking effect immediately upon application. This effect lasts only until the end of the turn. At the end of the turn, the Glitch checks for any Mutable Glitches in the victim's system. If none are present, the glitch is dispelled. If a Mutable Glitch is present this glitch interacts with that one, and creates a new, long-term glitch of a related nature to one or the other, or both. If the Mutable Glitch and the Catalytic Glitch are of different natures (Positive, Negative, Balance), the new form will be either Balance, or the nature of the Catalytic Glitch. If multiple Mutable Glitches exist, one is randomly selected. Glitch lasts only for the turn that it is applied.
Overly Objective (Neutral Glitch): The victim suffers a perspective shift that causes their senses to relay information about their surroundings as though they were several metres removed from themselves, watching on. The glitch affects primarily the visual and aural senses; tactile experience is unaffected, creating a disorienting, but not debilitating experience.
Adaptive Mutation (Balance Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim suffers a mutability of their body which grants it the ability to resist damage. The Final damage the victim takes from any attack is reduced by 10. The effect is uncomfortable, alien and unsettling, however, and it makes it hard to focus beyond the unnerving sensation: the victim's accuracy and evasion are both reduced by 10%. This glitch is highly mutable and can interact with other glitches. Glitch lasts two turns, or until removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Cripple Catalyst (Negative Glitch)(Catalytic Glitch): The victim suffers a temporary debuffing effect, randomly determined, and taking effect immediately upon application. This effect lasts only until the end of the turn. At the end of the turn, the Glitch checks for any Mutable Glitches in the victim's system. If none are present, the glitch is dispelled. If a Mutable Glitch is present this glitch interacts with that one, and creates a new, long-term glitch of a related nature to one or the other, or both. If the Mutable Glitch and the Catalytic Glitch are of different natures (Positive, Negative, Balance), the new form will be either Balance, or the nature of the Catalytic Glitch. If multiple Mutable Glitches exist, one is randomly selected. Glitch lasts only for the turn that it is applied.
SAS Shortcut (Positive Glitch)(Mutable Glitch): The victim suffers a glitch in their signature Attack System which causes a more efficient and longer enduring function. Positive effects generated by signatures last for as long as this glitch does, unless their duration would already be longer. SPs and Navigators are treated as independent by this glitch; an SP whose navigator has allocated them personal signatures is unaffected if their navi has this glitch, and similarly an SP with this glitch finds only their personal signatures effected, without infecting their navi's. Glitch lasts three turns, until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.
Growth Catalyst (Positive Glitch)(Catalytic Glitch): The victim suffers a temporary protective or restorative effect, randomly determined, and taking effect immediately upon application. This effect lasts only until the end of the turn. At the end of the turn, the Glitch checks for any Mutable Glitches in the victim's system. If none are present, the glitch is dispelled. If a Mutable Glitch is present this glitch interacts with that one, and creates a new, long-term glitch of a related nature to one or the other, or both. If the Mutable Glitch and the Catalytic Glitch are of different natures (Positive, Negative, Balance), the new form will be either Balance, or the nature of the Catalytic Glitch. If multiple Mutable Glitches exist, one is randomly selected. Glitch lasts only for the turn that it is applied.
SAS Soul (Positive Glitch): The victim's Signature Attack System briefly defies all code logic. Signatures have no cooldown and can all be used once per turn. Positive effects generated by signatures endure indefinitely (or until destroyed as usual in the case of defences), instead of their listed duration, as long as this glitch remains. This includes enhancements, such as Haste, body defences, such as shadow and multi-turn/action benefits such as regeneration effects. Any time the victim uses a signature with a beneficial effect on themselves, they spontaneously regenerate 10Hp. Glitch lasts until combat ends, or removed with Status Cure, Glitch Eater or other similar effect.