“Stories from the field? Sure, I’m happy to share one or two” began Suien, grateful for the change in conversation as he leaned back in his chair. However, as he mentally ticked through his misadventures, his small smile slowly transformed into a grimace as he realized the distinct lack of any acceptable stories to share.

There was the time he brutalized some heelnavis in front of an elementary school class

There was the time he got drunk and jacked into a broken TV at a bar

There was the time he had that weird… not-date but also not-not-date with Rania and the weird old guy.

There was the time he hung out with two underage girls in a shared bath

There was the time he navigated Rass into an active combat situation while hungover

There was the time he hacked a NetVegas security feed after a night of debauchery

Suien shook his head. “Um…. unfortunately, I think I lead a pretty boring life.” he said, swirling his drink. “That’s part of my professional rut, so to speak. I’ve been mostly surviving overseas through contract work and odd jobs here and there.” After a moment’s hesitation, he continued. “You know, teaching, maintenance work, security system uh.... vulnerability testing,” he said, somewhat unconvincingly.

Taking another sip, he glanced over toward his PET, refocusing his blurring vision. “If I’m being honest, taking care of Rass has been my main concern for the past few years,” he admitted, the words flowing easily from his slightly inebriated state. “I know it’s a bit strange to be tinkering with navis at my age, but I want to make sure that he… they... are self-sufficient and, well... happy. I owe the three of them that much after what happened.”

After another pause, Suien realized his error, “Sorry, four,” he said quickly, “I meant the four of them.”

To: Chips & Candy
From: Tem.SP (smatsumoto@electopiamailserv.com)
Subject: Chip Trade Event
Message:

This feels an awful lot like entrapment, and will not be incriminating myself or my netOp with any admissions of malfeasance. I have, in any event, attached our charitable contribution for your consideration.

Attached chip: WaveArm3Damage: 160 + Piercing + Ground Attack + Chain(2)
Accuracy: B
Description: A special shock wave that can automatically adjust its path to hit up to three enemies.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Special: Chain: This attack will adjust it's path to hit multiple enemies, but it cannot chain-target a previously struck target. If a target manages to get hit more than once by this effect, it is not because the attack targeted it more than once, but due to some other series of events.
Trader Rank: B

It sounds like someone must have the juiciest stories of all! Ah well, it's just fun and games, so I hope you enjoy your new chip and have a spooky season!
-Prose

Suien’s face felt warm, though whether it was from Ema’s attention or the alcohol, he couldn’t quite tell. “Oh, me? Nah, it’s been a while, to tell you the truth.” he responded, conflating drinking partners with romantic partners in his inebriated headspace, “I mean sure, there was a couple.. Okay maybe just one, but… well, you know how it is.”

The dark-haired netOp gazed up at the ceiling for an awkward moment, before shaking his head and adjusting his glasses. “It’s just such a pain to meet people these days,” he said finally, taking another sip from his glass, “I mean sure, you meet loads of people every day, but it’s so difficult to make a meaningful connection. Even if you’re lucky enough to start a conversation, nobody wants to make an effort to meet up again, much less develop any sort of relationship....”

Realizing how inconsiderate his words must have sounded to the cloistered researcher, he quickly backpedaled, “I mean, I really shouldn’t complain about this sort of thing” he said quickly, “really, it’s just that I haven’t really found fulfillment in my professional life like you seem to have, so I’ve been trying to find fulfillment in… well, whatever I can get, really...” He trailed off again before taking another sip. “Er… sorry” he apologized sheepishly, “didn’t mean to be such a downer. I do appreciate the company this evening though. Really, I do.”

Tem’s features hardened at Wrangler’s ostentatious show. "Of all the arrogant, pompous, self-important junk data... who the hell does this twerp think he is?" she thought....

...or at least, she thought she thought. "Wait, did I say that out loud?"

The ascended subsystem blushed in embarrassment and frustration, and bit her lower lip as she once again slammed her palm downward to catch the errant paper, moving quickly but still taking the time to gingerly slide the bounty document off the edge of the counter. “Your concern, is greatly appreciated,” she growled through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at Wrangler as she pushed her body off of the counter. Turning around with deliberate vigor, Tem took off in a huff, making several frustrated - but ironically quite natural-looking - strides away from the bounty booth toward the netportal.

If there was anything owed to Wrangler for assisting Tem in the development of her fine motor skills, this was lost on her. Whirling around as she stepped onto the telepad,, she crossed her arms across her chest contemptuously and shot a particularly sour look toward Wrangler as her body disappeared in a flash of black light.

“Whoa, easy there. Are you…” started Suien, his eyes widening in concern as Ema sputtered and coughed. The dark-haired netOp instinctively leaned forward and extended his arm to support Ema’s body, placing his hand gingerly on her shoulder. This gesture of concern proved unnecessary, however, as the Sharoan researcher seemed to regain her composure with almost uncanny speed.

Quote (Ema)

"Sorry. Feels like I got punched in the chest. Did I drink it wrong?" said Ema, clearing her throat in between sentences.

“Oh… ah, no, don’t worry about it,” he said, quickly moving his hand to the back of his neck and scratching it sheepishly as he sat back down, “Truth is, I’m not exactly what one might consider an expert on the topic. The bottle is at cask strength though, so the proofage might be a fair bit higher than what you’re used to.”

Glancing toward the newly-arrived half-empty bottles of Sharoan vodka that Karen had brought in, Suien paused. Then again, maybe not, he thought.

“Anyways, I’ve heard it’s best to take it slow and enjoy the experience. Enjoy the aroma, let it linger on your palate before swallowing, allow the flavors to develop a bit before taking another sip,” he said, gently swirling his portion of the amber-colored liquid in the commemorative glass and lifting it to taste, “try to distinguish the flavors of peat, citrus, maybe a little caramel...” Suien trailed off as he noticed that Karen had already poured and downed her shot in a single gulp.

Shaking his head, he smiled. “Or, you know, just toss it back and let it ride, I guess,” he said, taking a long sip of his drink, “Seems like you’re both no strangers to booze anyways, so far be it for me to try to prattle on about the ‘right’ way to drink.”

Having at last settled into an acceptable stance, Tem rolled her eyes at Wrangler’s folksy platitudes and dawdling manner. “‘Little lady?’ I beg your incredible pardon,” she scoffed, instinctively lashing out with her “inner” voice, “Perhaps if you weren’t spending your scant system resources on sounding like a slack-jawed yokel, you wouldn’t actually be one.”

With that, Tem attempted to snatch the newly-printed paper from the countertop, but only succeeded in brushing it to the side. Frowning deeply, she groped around the counter, struggling to pick up the sheet of paper. Motherboard &%$&ing fine motor control,” she thought as she slammed her palm down onto the paper, scrunched it up to retrieve it, and unceremoniously uncrumpled it to review its contents. Her icy blue eyes darted back and forth as she reviewed the viral list, pursing her lips in thought.

“The Dynamite viruses,” she said finally, pressing the now-crumpled paper down onto the counter in front of Wrangler with perhaps a bit too much force, “We should be more than capable of… as you say… ‘wrangling’ at least a few.”

A piercing black light slammed into the network, the resultant particles quickly reforming into a fluid, black form. A luminous blue globe followed from the sky, crashing into the inky black form in a burst of brilliant azure light. A moment later, a slender blue-and-white netnavi took a tentative step forward into the sweltering Netfrican netspace.

Narrowing her eyes and glancing around the area, Tem found herself somewhat surprised at the spartan nature of the bounty store. Her gaze shifted downward toward the ground as she mentally mapped out a path forward that avoided any unstable-looking patches of network terrain.

All right. Good. I can do this. I’m a genius, after all.

A few seconds later, she started out, taking stable - albeit somewhat mechanical - strides in a meandering path toward the bounty counter.

“Greetings, Mr. Wrangler,” she said, placing her hands at her hips, “I would like to peruse a Normal Network bounty list.”

As Tem waited for Wrangler’s response, she fidgeted uncomfortably. Wait, this isn’t… no, maybe..., she thought, moving her arms conspicuously to a crossed position at her chest, then back to her hips, then finally left them dangling awkwardly at her side.

...still no, none of this feels right. What does one do with their arms normally?

Tem blinked. TempoMan’s courteous response and prompt service caught her completely off-guard. Despite her syrupy tone, she had expected some sort of pigheaded comment from the cobalt-blue shop navi and had taken the liberty of preparing a number of cutting retorts in advance. When no such comment came, she found herself staring at TempoMan instead, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

Catching herself, she quickly shifted her body and pushed off the counter with a stumble. “I, uh… thanks,” she muttered, her upper body swaying as she managed a small wave, “I’m sure we’ll be back before too long.”

As she turned away and started walking toward the exit, the former subsystem felt warmth in her face, the corners of her lips drawing upward into an involuntary grin. Touching her cheeks with her gloved hands, Tem furrowed her brow in contemplation, which, surprisingly, failed to suppress her smile.

That’s… new. she thought, as she initialized a jack-out command and disappeared in a stream of black light.

Remaining Signature Points: 420

Rass.EXE

Sync Buster

One consequence of the developmental trend toward more humanoid NetNavigators is the emulation of the organic brain within a computerized framework and the consolidation of these processes into a single centralized processor. The result is an immense improvement in an operator’s ability to interact with and understand their navigator, at the cost of a certain degree of efficiency only obtainable from traditional CPU processors.

Most operators welcomed this change. After all, it’s a lot easier to talk to a tiny human than a desktop tower.

That said, one downside of this development is that most mass-produced navis are bound to a single processor that issues commands from the electronic brain which translate into action. Many navis seek to overcome this weakness in a variety of ways. Some navis are designed to boost processing speed far beyond human levels. Some navis utilize intricate programming to string together a chain of hyper-efficient command sequences.

For Rass, the solution is simply to have four brains and make them work together simultaneously.

By streamlining various processes within the Rapid Assimilation Synthesis System, Rass and his subsystems are capable of creating a parallel process within the body, shortcutting common processing roadblocks and dramatically increasing the efficiency of his actions. For this particular command, Rass maintains control of his body to evade and fire while another subsystem simultaneously optimizes the energy output from the fusion core. The result is an extremely fast charge/discharge cycle, albeit one that sacrifices a certain degree of control. Externally, it’s not a particularly flashy maneuver - the only evidence of its activation is a brief flickering of Rass’ bodysuit from black and pink to totally white.

Technical Version:
Dodge (40 cost)
Charge (40 cost)
Trap Activated Attribute (Trigger: Rass makes a Charge Attack): [Rass gains a buster charge (40) after resolution of buster attack, Set New Trap Activated Attribute (Trigger: Rass makes a Charge Attack): [Rass gains a buster charge (40) after resolution of buster attack]]

[i]Simplified Description:]/i]
Dodge (40 cost)
Rass gains a buster charge. The next two times Rass make a charge attack, he gains a buster charge after the attack. (3x Buster Charge = 120 cost, counts as a trap until the third charge attack)

160 Cost, 4TC


Subsystem Hack

Rass’ “summoning” abilities can be traced to the ichorlike fusionist protoplasm that makes up his body. However, the protoplasm itself is simply a medium for his subsystems to control. This ability allows any of Rass’ subsystems to temporarily exit the fusionist protoplasm and enter any object on the battlefield in a burst of colored light. In so doing, Tem, Argo, or Ishamel can temporarily “fuse” with any object with the field - hijacking its structural data and allowing it to move according to their whim. The visual effect of this ability is that the targeted object will turn Blue, Green, or Red depending on which subsystem is currently inhabiting it.

Telekinesis (80 cost)

80 Cost, 2TC

Fusion Force

Rass slams one of his limbs into the network, briefly fusing with it and sending one of his subsystems through the network toward a given point. Once there, the subsystem releases a signal into the network, prompting a command to “fuse” with all targets within a given radius. Though actual fusion with the network is impossible, the signal will nevertheless draw inward all entities within a ((3 panel)) radius from the point.

Ground Type Attribute
Pull x2, Nova 4 = 80 cost, 2TC


Supporting Protoplasm

Subsystem Hack

As an entity comprised of the same fusionist protoplasm as the main body, the Supporting Protoplasm can similarly fire off one of Rass’ subsystems to temporarily “fuse” with any object with the field - hijacking its structural data and allowing it to move according to their whim. Again, the visual effect of this ability is that the targeted object will turn Blue, Green, or Red depending on which subsystem is currently inhabiting it.

Telekinesis (80 cost), 2TC


M.A.S.S.

Soul Fist: Savior Flash

The mega-ultimate of fighter has adopted the legendary Soul Fist as his chosen battle style. Unable to fully grasp the philosophy of the vaunted art, however, the M.A.S.S. sees the Soul Fist as the use of dominating brute force to simply overpower a target. As such, Mass' version of MeleeMan's signature style relies on little more than sheer speed and strength to shatter his opponent's body and spirit. The Savior Flash is the first such technique, and begins with Mass channeling the majority of his system resources into destructive energies, manifested in a brilliant crimson aura. These volatile energies can be fused with any other attack, increasing the power by a significant amount. As soon as sufficient power is corrected, Mass teleports to a more strategic position (usually, in Mass' case, point-blank range) and prepares for battle.

Buster Charge x2 (80) + Teleport (80), 4TC

A piercing black light slammed into the network, the resultant particles quickly reforming into a fluid, black form. A luminous blue globe followed from the sky, crashing into the inky black form in a burst of brilliant azure light. A moment later, a slender blue-and-white netnavi took her first wobbly, uncertain steps into Suitachi’s online navi shop.

Tem frowned, her focus entirely on staying balanced in this unfamiliar body. She flexed her fingers on her right hand experimentally - first individually, then all at once - before suddenly tightening them into a fist. Instantly, a small display burst into existence next to her right arm, containing a list of navi components and a note from Suien. She sighed with exasperation as she read the hastily-typed communique.

Tem, tbh I’m a lil buzzed rn. I figured out the SP stuff, but I trust u to do shopping 4 Rass. Stay out of trouble and return to PET if u rnt feeling good

Well at least gesture commands seem to work she thought, closing the window with a snap of her fingers, Honestly, when I told Suien I wanted to practice my movement subroutines while the main body was still in stasis, I was hoping for a slightly less… public… debut.

Looking for all the world like Tempoman’s intoxicated booth-babe, the former subsystem stumbled over to the storefront. Leaning into the counter for support in an unintentionally alluring way, she waved down TempoMan with her free hand.

“Greetings, TempoMan.EXE, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” she said in a bright, chipper tone, “I am in the market to procure a number of upgrades and was hoping that you might be able to assist me.”

Buster Upgrade 7: 7000
Buster Upgrade 8: 8000
Phasing Shot: 1500
Navicust Expansion 1: 1000
Navicust Expansion 2: 1250
Process Upgrade 11: 1100
Process Upgrade 12: 1200
Process Upgrade 13: 1300
Process Upgrade 14: 1400
Process Upgrade 15: 1500
First Armor x5: 12500
Fast Armor: 5000
Process Edit: 140

Total: 42,890Z