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Post by Gaia on Oct 9, 2021 17:07:39 GMT -8
Centurion.EXE
Centurion looks around as he is released, first seeing the battlefield and its various and sundry signs of combat, and then looking back at Vanguard. His leader would not have called him out if it wasn't important, but this . . . this was not what he was expecting, truth be told. Such a thing was never brought forward as an option before, and it kind of caught him off guard.
. . . But he wasn't entirely unprepared for it. He had already noted that he was a powerful weapon . . . but weapons were tools, and he was more than just a tool. He was intelligent, and had thoughts and ideas; he was more than just a weapon. He was a soldier; a Centurion.
He looked to Armiger, formed in his armor, empty but able to march on his own, and at himself, needing the electrical form charging off of his spear to sustain him. So frail . . .
". . . Our current design is to act passively as equipment, and to generate bodies for ourselves using resources when no one is present to wield us . . ." he trails off, looking at Armiger, wondering if he would understand his meaning.
Armiger.EXE
It was probably jarring for Mistair to consider seeing him without anyone bonded to him, as he was introduced first by bonding to her, and then to Genesis. In this scenario, however, Armiger was better suited for self-sustained presence than Centurion was; his armor already had humanoid form, he needed only to use his power to animate it. Armiger stood as an empty shell in front of Mistair, looking about and listening as Centurion explained their core functions.
Understanding, Armiger spoke up to complete the sentence. ". . . could you invert that? To passively be able to maintain our own humanoid forms, and to expend resources instead to establish a connection?"
Vanguard.EXE
Vanguard listened to their idea, considering what it may mean. It would ultimately result in a very minor change of purpose; their core feature would to become their own instruments of battle, and their auxiliary purpose would be to bond and augment another's abilities when the combined effort was more appropriate. It was a smart decision, all told, and surely one worth exploring if they were willing to follow through.
It would enable them the freedom to act as they wished, without needing to rely on frail energy constructs to wield them. It would limit their access to being bonded, but, at the end of the day, that was the goal; to limit their need to rely on another.
He looked to Mistair, waiting to see what she thought of it.
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Post by Zane on Oct 9, 2021 17:37:13 GMT -8
Armiger being a walking suit of armor was still fitting for him. And while she wouldn't have told them to make their decision here and now, it was up to them on when they would go ahead and do so. And if that was the decision they were going to make, she would see to it that it wasn't a wasted decision on their part. They had been dragged along for the ride after all.
"If that's what you want, that's nothing difficult for me. This won't take long."
Everything she needed was already there after all. It was not unlike the scene with Var as she moved her hand and the two armaments would be undone. Unlike Var however, they didn't stay in the shape for Vanguard to make for himself. Instead they would be able to piece themselves back together to fit their new position as they pleased with what they asked for as well.
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Post by Gaia on Oct 11, 2021 16:13:09 GMT -8
Centurion.EXE
Being unmade was a strange experience - it was like being sent into their own code, an out-of-body experience, where Centurion was still aware of his form but also in a place where he could do with it as he willed.
Unmade and given free reign of his new form, Centurion took to first look at his original state - the spear itself was his true form. The spear could create large stores of volts and push them into being in order to form his humanoid state. What he wanted was more control over his own form, a humanoid state more stable than his current production.
The task of the Centurion was to march onto the battlefield with strategic excellence and pierce a way through enemy ranks for others to make through. Vanguard led the fray, but it was he that was truly at its front - the point of the spear. The formation of the mighty Centurion spear appeared first, as a baseline, from the freedom granted by Mistair. What he changed about it, though, was to make the spear larger, with a flared point, more like a lance. A lance was better used when building up speed, and was better designed with greater weight for puncturing through defenses. The flared end of the spear typically sprouted a polearm for someone to wield; his lance still had that, but it had an additional port within it from which a powerful cannister, like a transformer that would take in and store energy while also being able to output it. With that as the design, Centurion then designed his humanoid form, a powerful humanoid of raw electrical energy, with solidified sparks turned into armor; not all that different from his usual state.
Testing out his new form, Centurion flexed his arms and stretched his legs, hoisting the new spear that exemplified his form. Holding up the lance, Centurion took a strong stance and threw the spear, transitioning his body back into raw electricity and arcing into the transformer of the spear. At the end of the travel of the spear, he reformed, gripped his spear, and swung it experimentally.
It gave him more freedom, more control, and more speed and maneuverability. He liked it. He managed a smile at Mistair, nodding his appreciation at her.
Armiger.EXE
Of the two, Armiger was perhaps the one least in need of an update. His form was still utilitarian; by far having more freedom than Centurion's. A core element bound into a utilitarian form, Armiger refashioned himself into the hollow suit of full plate, but gave his helmet a face plate that would allow him to show emotion. He used this new freedom to smile at Mistair, as well, to show his appreciation.
Vanguard.EXE
That was it, then. The two had ultimately decided to keep the core of their features the same, but redesign themselves to be humanoids in their own right, rather than through extension. Vanguard stepped forward to the two, smiling at them, and happy for the freedom that the two seemed to not just possess, but seemed to own, now.
". . . Then the two of you are no longer bound to someone else needing to give you direction. You have your own purposes, removed from someone else. I'm happy for that," he smiled, genuinely, knowing that he, too, was once a tool to be used, and had to be reforged. Not nearly in the same way, but there was only one key difference that led him to not go down their path, and it was seniority.
". . . There are trying times ahead," he admitted, turning to look at Mistair, and looking back at the two that were previously equipment. "Mistair, Genesis, Faith, and I have surely stirred up quite the hornet's nest. We have experience and resources that the two of you don't, however . . . I cannot ask you to come with us blindly into situations that may far outclass your experience." He looked down at the world below, still tossed in turmoil. "I am sure that there are others down there, just like the two of you, that are in need of leaders, protectors, and companions to fight towards their own freedoms.
"I will not control what you do next, but I don't believe you will get the most of the freedom you have been given by continuing with us." He looked to Mistair, here, thinking she would have some insight to offer. "What do you think?"
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Post by Zane on Oct 11, 2021 16:38:57 GMT -8
Mistair offered a smile back to the pair, soon after catching her eyes upward at Vanguard's question as he would have looked down at the world below. And it was for a moment, but Vanguard would have been able to catch a glimpse of the platinum and onyx that had dispersed away from the planet. Whatever that was would be hard to say, but it was gone now all the same. She considered the options and with that in mind considered each area that would have taken damage. Electopia probably had the most responders available to them, but they would still be undermanned for all of this. That meant the other areas would be...
"Netopia and Creamland are both ill-prepared for this, but the NIA at least is better suited at dealing with being under duress. If you're looking to work with others on the situation, Netopia would be ideal. If you're looking to handle things yourselves, Creamland or one of the less known areas are where you should begin. All because they have had little traffic in these days doesn't mean they were offline, just like Sharo proved to be."
They weren't impossible to access, simply that no one had reason to visit them before. Or put more fairly, none of the ordinary people would have been visiting them. Others with other reasons or people of influence would have been maintaining communications just fine. But they could also run the same risk that Sharo had where they had walked into an area that was owned by those with nefarious designs as a result.
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Post by Gaia on Oct 11, 2021 19:09:57 GMT -8
Centurion.EXE
Centurion looked at Armiger, the two passing words between them without really needing to speak. It was something that the tools were given that they decided to keep when remade - telepathic communication with one another, to make the task of being a tool easier.
"We're in no position to handle this ourselves, so we'll go to Creamland and see who we can find to help. Netopia has the NIA - Creamland has very little left of anything." He looked to Vanguard, at this statement, realizing the irony of his own decision to go help Creamland, given Vanguard's first task from his own mentor.
"This, then, sir, is where we say goodbye," Centurion smiles, giving Vanguard a salute. Turning to Armiger, he nods, and disperses into energy to make his own way out.
Armiger.EXE
"Like Centurion said - there is no reason to do this alone, but, also, to help those without currently any help feels more meaningful. If Netopia has the NIA, then Creamland shall have us," he said simply, nodding to Mistair. Just as Centurion had before, Armiger turned and saluted to Vanguard, before dispersing into a flurry and whisking away, following after the arcs of energy that were Centurion.
Vanguard.EXE
"Godspeed." It seemed kind of lackluster of a farewell, given how much it seemed the team had gone through in such a short span of time, but it was appropriate for them to part ways and make their own name, carve their path, and put their own mark on history aside from the hands that used them. With communications down, Vanguard would even get away with them being off and about for a little while before needing to report their hopeful successes back to the company.
He looked to Mistair, now, as the two were truly alone. It had been such a long road, with just the two of them, and many had joined it along the way, but he appreciated how it seemed to always cycle back to the two of them, exhausted and wondering of their next steps. He held up his hand and showed her the coordinates on the moon that Genesis sent him, aware that this was their next course of action, as it was their duty to trudge ahead on their own pace.
". . . Then, I suppose we need to be on our way . . . ?!
He paused midsentence, turning about, as a presence quite unlike anything else filled the air.
". . . Hmph. So, this is where you're hiding."
The air darkened and stifled. The wave world whined and pulled. A beam of purple light, interspersed with golden radiance, touched down just a little ways away from Mistair and Vanguard, and in the dark plume of phenomenal power stood a single figure.
No taller than Vanguard, the silver-haired warrior was wreathed in a black aura of desolation unlike anything that he had wielded before. The power was analogous to that of the Net's first Navi, and an intense wave of loneliness radiated off of him that seemed to make the distance between Vanguard and Mistair incalculable.
His power was unlike anything the two would have seen before. It seemed to be based on waves, but the wave energy emitted was absolutely phenomenal, and yet seemed to be rapidly changing, as if the very foundation of the waves that made him were in transition into something more. His piercing eyes seemed to sap the heat from the air as he glowered down at them, locking over the pair, and focusing on the band of rock on Vanguard's arm, and then the eye in Vanguard's skull.
". . . So. They really did awaken in this timeline, then," he said simply holding out his hand and summoning the laplace blade to his grasp. He got into a fighting stance and stared down the two, looking over them.
"I've made it my task to ensure that no other world has to overcome what I did. If you're wielding that band, and you have that eye in your skull, even if you've overcome, you're not beyond apprehension. You wield something that will inevitably destroy you for its own exaltation if given the opportunity," he explains, able to analyze the one wielding the horseman like a weapon with ease.
As for the other one . . . she was an enigma. She read like a navi, but had power in storage that even he could not analyze. The fact that he could see what used to be the horseman of war wrapped around the other one's arm gave him great pause, given what he had seen before. This was not an encounter to take lightly, but she was at least somewhat identifiable. If they had encountered and dealt with the horseman, however, they were at least in opposition of Immortalis.
Or, perhaps, just as Immortalis had subsumed control of the Maker, he then dispatched them to take control of her horsemen. He didn't know the explicit, and he didn't quite care enough to learn. He couldn't permit them to use that power.
He let the dark waves roll off of him with dangerous intent. "You have but one chance to lay down your weapon, and then let me destroy it and your eye. You are only free for as long as those beneath you choose to remain so. You will be consumed."
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Post by Zane on Oct 11, 2021 19:29:55 GMT -8
She would wave the two off, glad to see them willing to help out in Creamland after the sights they saw there even before tragedy struck further. And when Vanguard showed her the coordinates she could barely contain the laughter she wanted to give for it. In one way it was like Genesis was telling them to shove off, but on the other it would mean that he found a rather curious set of coordinates from his trip in Sharo. She supposed it only made sense if the Reaver Kings were guarding it for it to ultimately point out two very isolated locations. She wouldn't comment this time though, not yet anyway, as the new arrival made themselves known. The transition phase was taking place with this one it appeared, cupping her chin as she had shown a habit of doing now when she had observed something.
"So he's not that far removed from Var. That's not bad for him working all on his own."
What she was referring to was difficult to say, though Vanguard might have had an idea given what his eye allowed him to see. However, given the demands and what literally happened not all that long ago for the very same she already knew that the request was to be declined. Well, that and Vanguard's eye was a less negotiable offense anyway. At least he announced himself before attacking, letting her hand fall back to her side now.
"I appreciate that you're the first of your kind that speaks in more words than barbaric death cries filling the air in droves. So I will likewise issue a warning but once. If you refuse to back down and continue hounding us, you will lose everything in a way you never imagined. Or perhaps you have an idea about that given what remained of your culture?"
Her tone was neutral because she understood his statements. It lined up all too well with what she said once too and even with recent events preceding this. But if that was the road they were going to take before they would have traversed it the first time. From observation at least, she certainly was less threatening than the others that Burai had met, seeing as his analysis got further with her than it had with them...
"Though I will say they put it back together quite nicely. Anyone looking at it on the surface would never notice anything was amiss. Whoever did it must have appreciated the history behind it after all."
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Post by Gaia on Oct 12, 2021 16:07:53 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
Vanguard looked at the new figure, the unique energy roiling off of him incredible and in an instant recognizable as Waves, something very similar to what Var wielded, no less. Mistair already seemed aware of what he was, at least, so Vanguard's eye wasn't the only thing at work here.
Still, Mistair's unguarded stance and confidence in her statement made it easier to stay calm, even with the incredible power rolling off of this individual. Vanguard took to just studying their adversary, as Mistair's opening was foreboding enough - he had no reason to doubt her capability in the matter, either, given the specialization she admitted to wielding to work with Var.
He did find it interesting that Mistair seemed to know about what this one had gone through, though; knowing more about their culture. Perhaps she just extrapolated what had occurred based on Var's words? Or maybe she had done even more studying than she first implied? Whatever the cause, she was cutting deep and making her stance known. This newcomer was on shifting, unforgiving sand, and could be forced to sink quickly with no hope for upheaval.
Burai kept his gaze on what the real threat was, here, and it was the woman he could not analyze. Just as the power bound to his right hand was undeniable but completely impossible to analyze, any force that could not be understood had a right to be feared. She kept a level head when talking with him, and the way she chose her words reminded him of his exploits thus far.
She knew what he was, and the way that she talked had a similar confidence to it that Immortalis and even Sirius wielded. She was apparently used to the ilk that followed the majority of the other Murians, of course; they were all hot-headed barbarians bent on destruction or subjugation, depending on the generation.
Given what happened to his culture, here . . . fighting was nearly guaranteed suicide. When he had first arrived, for the purpose of pride and dignity, he had consigned himself to oblivion, even against impossible odds. Something about this one . . . it was different.
That desolate stare kept on Mistair for a while, before his combat stance relaxed. Standing up again, Burai dismissed his Laplace blade and stared down Mistair. ". . . Hmph. Just like to the one before, then, I've given my warning. What you decide to do with it . . . well, your world will have to deal with those consequences.
"Just understand that . . . this is a power that sleeps and slumbers, and waits to find weakness and exploits it. It wants to exalt itself, it wants to see itself raised high, to the exclusion of all other things, so that it can see its maker raised high. That power . . . it consumes everything. The Murians weren't ready for it.
". . . I've been proven wrong, before, though. Your inferior species . . . has a way of surprising me, again and again." He turned away from them, glancing upwards and around, taking in the scenery. ". . . I can at least remove this, however. Leave, and I'll ensure this never troubles your world again."
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Post by Zane on Oct 12, 2021 18:14:51 GMT -8
It looked like this one learned from the past at least. She was glad to see that she was finally getting the hang of the occasional negotiation tactic. Turned out you just needed to add a bit more heat to them sometimes and they were more willing to listen. It at least explained why it fell on deaf ears before now. She wouldn't say she would adopt it as her go-to approach every time from here on out, but she at least was glad to see that she had rectified her misunderstanding on how it worked.
"We'll take the warning to heart. Let's be on our way."
She wouldn't argue over the opinion of who was inferior or superior. That was always up to a person's belief system that told them what they thought constituted that right or not. If his pride told him that the Murians accomplished what Mankind could not even with the surprises he knew of now, that was his cross to bear. But it was fine for this place to be on its way out as well. While Vanguard was speaking with Var she had taken to multi-tasking as she was given to anyway and had learned all she needed to know about it if anywhere ever cared to ask. Not to mention... well, that wouldn't matter as much. But given the proximity and distance and their understanding, they could get to their next location without a problem. So this time she took hold of Vanguard's shoulder as they would disperse, heading toward one of their two locations coming up.
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Post by Raven8 on Oct 12, 2021 18:23:13 GMT -8
....inferior species....
The presence... it had been watching, waiting since the moment that Burai had entered this world. It had been distant, it had been near, but at all times Burai was well within its sight. And now, with this moment, the fates converge on one spot. Terror grasps the chests of Burai, Vanguard, and Mistair alike, choking them as the light drains from the network itself and Mistair finds herself unable to escape. The space station quakes, the waves and data alike scream beneath the weight of what's to come.
He's come.
A portal similar to the one that the shadow had used earlier opens on the floor, a swirling vortex of wickedness and evil, and from it he appears. Twin blades of gold and black rise first, swept back and terminating into a broad, inverted wedge. Closed eyes shrouded in black and outlined in deep violet appear next, and finally a tattered, brown cloak of legend that rises to cover the lower half of his face. He rises silently, takes his place, and opens his eyes with a flash of demonic red light.
Pure hate, distilled and weaponized, now stands among those who have remained aboard Eden for so long. His power greater than all of them, and his mercy little more than oblivion itself. Before Burai, Mistair, and Vanguard is the original Navi, the most powerful being that the net has ever spawned: Forte.EXE.
Forte: You....
Forte's eyes lock onto Burai, staring him down as an executioner looks on to his assigned victim.
Forte: You are an affront to me. Your existence offends me, and I will no longer tolerate you within my realm.
Surges of black energy roll off of Forte as Eden quakes beneath his might. Cracks begin to appear in the hull from his presence alone as a single buster escapes the front of his cloak, aimed just below Burai as a final threat.
Forte: You will feel the final joy of battle at my hand, and then... you will taste the bitterness of my wrath.
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Post by Zane on Oct 12, 2021 18:57:14 GMT -8
She knew it. It wasn't as if she was unaware that at the very least she was under watch. So she stayed careful and simply kept the attention required of to a minimum. They could engage others, but ultimately Vanguard, Genesis, Faith, Centurion, and Armiger or any of the others would garner the attention as she offered support. She knew that the moment Var was finished that whatever had been hiding this place would no doubt be undone and over time allow others to notice them. She knew that the longer they were here the sooner they would be exactly where anyone else would want them to be. How no one else would realize that was beyond her, but that was neither here nor there. Her eyes saw the swirling evil open and knew all too well who was going to rise up from it.
"I was too slow. I knew I should've made them stop talking so much here sooner."
Ultimately it boiled down to just that. She even tried to expedite this last part so she wouldn't be caught up in this mess. And this was one where words would fall flater than someone who believed in flat Earth. She had simply decided to go with Vanguard's take on tactically sound choices and leave Burai to his fate. But now that she couldn't take them out right now she supposed she could alter that decision and defer to her original state of mind. Besdies... she supposed she did owe him for last time too. He caused her quite the headache by showing up out of the blue like that when she hadn't even done anything.
"Here's a tip before you start to talk a lot more gusto, not-so-nameless-human-who-fancies-himself-as-inhuman. Skip the talking and get to fighting. You really brought this on yourself and just dragged us into it."
It was no doubt a contrast to the previous two times she encountered Forte as well. She was meek and possibly even frozen stiff back then. Was it because she thought they could work together to deal with this threat? Hardly. If anything this one made teamwork more difficult just by using his ability to begin with. It was just that this time she would have to act or watch Burai be killed before the attention inevitably turned her way anyway with Vanguard caught as the collateral.
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Post by Gaia on Oct 13, 2021 12:56:09 GMT -8
Vanguard was at first relieved that it seemed the two were on their way, and this new interloper was quelled, and then they, too, could finally leave this point of contention. He had already considered how dangerous it was, but the number of locations that he and Mistair could have had a private conversation of this sort were fairly slim that he could think of.
For a number of other reasons, Vanguard didn't think of the other dangers that lurked in the darkness, however. It was now, with this new arrival, that an old adversary arrived. A pressure far deeper than any Vanguard had encountered before, even in comparison to this new individual, gave way from another portal into the vile depths of evil itself. What rose out of it was surely evil incarnate . . .
His presence felt different than the last time Vanguard encountered him, as though the original Navi had only acquired more strength using his unique ability since last they met. Of course he had, though; Vanguard saw him as a power-hungry monger that would stop at nothing until he had everything. The choking sensation might have been to fear - it might have also been due to the simple fact that the very air was stifling under the pressure that Forte brought with him. It would only make sense for such a pressure to feel like a crushing despair.
Vanguard turned to look at Mistair, whose hand was still on his shoulder, as he prepared for what was to come. Not daring to raise that power, yet, Vanguard summoned his old arm cannon and stared down the first Navi, wondering if Forte even recognized him. It had been so long ago, and he'd grown so much since then.
". . . His attack pattern is rapid and unforgiving, difficult to evade and nigh impossible to mitigate. His unique defensive measure is a powerful barrier that demands your attention, and cannot be bypassed by practical means.
"I did not face him while he was using his full strength, though. There is much I don't know of what he's capable of, just rumor and speculation."
Vanguard was nothing if not consistent; what he knew, he shared. The only concern was, in this case, there wasn't much that he knew of what Forte could do that he was certain of, and he didn't enjoy strategizing around speculations.
This would truly be a fight worth fighting, if it meant he got to see more of this infamous Navi at work, alongside whatever this other individual, the not-so-nameless-human-who-fancies-himself-inhuman, was capable of.
That . . . that power. Burai had noticed it before, just outside of his range of awareness, and had been aware that something was following him, but he could never make out just what. Allowing it to follow after him, and waiting for it to finally emerge, Burai turned as that pressure fell into the room.
For all that it was, Burai seemed fairly calm. His shoulders wavered a moment, but Burai did not falter, his eyes did not yield, and his own tempestuous wave of black malice did not give way as Forte rose from the depths.
The thing's file size was massive. The power of the Great Being, further empowered by the metal he collected, let him read even Navis now with perfect clarity alongside his wave analytics. That power was shown in the near rainbow of waves that fluctuated off of his body, the tight golden hues wrapping around his form, and a halo of power sometimes pulsing from the top of his head. The metal was shown in the murian crest on his chest - no longer a deep crimson, instead a prominent gold, Burai stood defiant of everything that Forte expected of someone that met him.
Those feelings of despair, of power unrivaled, of malice made manifest . . . Burai had seen it all before, in different forms. Each of the Murian tribes manifested with such high opinions of themselves, and the Murian deities themselves radiated a power that would lay the very world low for their designs. He was unfortunately used to staring impossible odds in the face and finding a way through.
He looked behind him, at Mistair, for her warning, and at Vanguard, preparing for battle. Burai turned to look at Forte, recognizing him from something in his timeline. It was kind of amusing, to think that something of this power was reduced to little more than a trinket to remember him by.
All that was left of Forte in his timeline was a memorial.
". . . People following me around makes my blood boil," he responded in kind, holding up one hand towards the original Navi. "So, if my existence offends you, it is only unfortunate that you decided to confront me in my realm."
Waves pulsed in the air around them. Dense pockets formed arcing pathways in the air overhead, transmitting information rapidly and on all sides. That density created a powerful enough wave world that allowed his form to manifest, and allowed even Navis to synchronize with the data processing systems of the natural wave world to manifest in the real world. Forte was straining the wave world here, sure, but he would quickly notice that it wasn't nearly as strained as the Net might be to handle him. As the space station cracked and whined, the glass seemed to repair itself. The air stopped being so stifling, as more waves simply flooded the space to support it.
Burai's presence was creating new waves to layer into the wave world. But it was doing something much more, as well, as golden glyphs began to form around his hand, that powerful language taking effect. Forte would not just notice the wave world expanding, at first, to support him more easily. . . but then he would feel it retreating. The wave world around them collapsing, rushing towards Burai, as more of Eden was broken down into the waves that formed the otherwise solid structure, and bent towards his hand.
". . . The Wave World is different. Navis need a medium to travel through; the Wave World is only necessary for Wave Beings to travel and interact while maintaining a matter state." Burai pulled the waves from the air around Forte, making it clear what he was doing - a process very similar to simply forcefully removing a Network from the Net and thus preventing access to it, Burai was rapidly deteriorating the Wave World around him so that the Navis relying on it couldn't use it to manifest anymore.
"The Wave World is no longer something I can just see and understand. It is something I can control. Navis can't exist without a medium to run on, and I doubt the real world will simply support you."
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Post by Raven8 on Oct 13, 2021 14:01:56 GMT -8
Forte's eyes, unblinking and locked, look through Burai with malace. The gambit from the Murian's side proves effective though, and Forte is forced to hover back as the legendary Rogue begins to disassemble the waves around him. But then a hand appears.
Forte: Do you really believe this to be enough to stop me?
A thunderous growl splits the silence of the network, punctuated by a roar that resonates like lightning, causing physical pain to all within the area in its wake. A second power surges within Forte, one of vicious and feral intent.
Radiation surges from Forte's position, and in a matter of moments Burai loses his connection to the waves around him as they become incalculably corrupted by the rising power. Soon, the remaining waves split apart and fester under the power of this corruption before growing like a cancer, replacing the entire area with a network of sheer, self-perpetuating corruption. a Network on which Forte stands, now transformed yet also the same, radiating a power radically different from what he had just moments before.
Forte GS: Navis have no need for the trivial creations of humans. All that we need is the strength to exist on our own! Absolute power, so that we need cower before none. I will weed out the weak who cannot fight on their own!
A hand rises to Burai, and from Forte's palm extends the ugly, deformed face of a wolf-like monster, snarling with fury and passively spewing tongues of flame from within the glowing core of its gnashing maw with its every breath. Before Burai is the power of the legendary Bug Beast, Gospel, and the one that holds its power; Forte GS.
Forte GS: And now it's your time to see the fate of any human who dares enter into my world.
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Setup Phase:
True Life Aura The data stolen from the Life Virus, molded by Forte to his own design Aura, uncuttable, ? HP. Automatically reforms once every turn, cannot be permanently removed. Can be recalled when broken once per available use. 30x use
Gospel's Wrath The sheer power of Gospel is hard to fathom, and this power infused into other means makes it one of the deadliest weapons to ever exist. - Every attack posed by Forte GS that lands inflicts Glitch. Glitches inflicted via this skill ignore all forms of immunity, cannot be removed, and stack infinitely.
Offense Phase:
Air Shot S-Attack Normal Element A single, straight-forward burst of energy 100 DMG [1x @ Burai]
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Post by Zane on Oct 13, 2021 16:01:19 GMT -8
At least she got the response for Burai's approach right with her words. Still this should serve to be educational for the people assuming otherwise. To take his foothold you would need to be able to use a medium that Forte wasn't able to interact with. He proved that from the beginning when he arrived here to begin with. And while she could go into detail for what happened, she presumed the cancerous nature of the correction would speak for itself. On top of that given the speed was further accelerated and the network had been created with a similar speed, she would cast a side glance over to Burai once more.
"Chalk another one up to being surprised by what can be done by inferiors? It's honestly because you're refusing to judge this with the same yardstick you would your own kind. Their potential where you are from was just as unexplored, but here it is uninhibited."
Of course she was well aware that those words meant nothing to pride anyway, so if anything she was speaking to Vanguard more than she was Burai. If the goal was to formulate a strategy, first he would need to know everything that Forte was capable of. But then he would have to be aware that could change in the middle of using that strategy against Forte if it had a gap of any kind. And so if you wanted to approach from an angle that wasn't brute force, you couldn't afford to draw his attention before you prepared. Of course, that was speaking from the surface level take on matters. Delving any deeper than that would be a waste of time in this particular setting.
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Post by Gaia on Oct 13, 2021 16:31:49 GMT -8
Watching the Wave World around them crumble was something Vanguard wasn't able to experience before, but it was also something that was quite terrifying, watching the reality that was sustaining them simply being ripped away by another being's sheer will.
Forte responded with equal fervor, seemingly recreating a network from nothing and then corrupting it quickly. Vanguard's eye could see the differences between the two powers at work, and yet could also see their parallels. These two beings were something to behold, and it was like watching a clash of gods.
Vanguard felt the pain striking at him from all sides as the corrupted Network flowed forward, but it wasn't the first time he was in such an environment. Wreathing his body with ephemeral flames, Vanguard adapted, moving to one side of the space station as Burai sustained it and Forte reforged it, intent on watching the two powers at work to learn more about his new eye and their capabilities before acting.
Still, the powerful abilities he had adopted, as well as his change of attire, demanded a certain response from him, all the same. The power welling up from within began to overflow, as his inner flames stoked themselves into a roaring inferno, and Vanguard raised his trusted cannon to transform it into a large fan, and unleash a prominent typhoon mixed with red lava and arcs of lightning alongside it, a peculiar pale green aura emanating from him as he does.
Defense Phase
[Vanguard HP=2001/2500]
[Vanguard has 0 Armor]
[Vanguard HP=2500/2500]
Support Phase
{ Pinpoint Offensive Advanced ::(+):: } Vanguard's power is in his eyes, a powerful gift that allows him to stare into a target's code and see the critical point within which it flows. This power is not easily raised against an enemy that he has not extensively studied, and has grown more powerful as Vanguard has learned to control it. - Up to 5 of Vanguard's Passive Attack Slots are converted into stacks of Constant Charge. - Constant Charge can be spent to apply a multiplier to one Attack's Damage per turn (proportionate to an Optional Charge Multiplier, corresponding to the Constant Charge spent) - Constant Charge resets at the end of every turn [- Constant Charge does not substitute Required Charge [- Interruption removes all stacks of Constant Charge for 1 Turn -- [Passive]
Crown of the Fallen Monarch A powerful crown that darkens the mind.... ° User is allowed one free dark-chip attack per turn ° Does not cost an Attack Slot or expend the Dark Chip's use ° Cannot be used if no uses remain of the desired dark chips ° Can only be applied to Standard Darkchips ° Glitch: User loses 15% of their Max HP per turn ° After using 5 Dark Chips in battle, the Glitch is removed for the rest of that battle
[Vanguard HP=2,125/2,500]
[Famine's Step] - Gain the benefits of Lava panels regardless of element for this turn.
[::BattleChip:Lava PanelsLv1:v21::]
[Regen] - +100 Health.
[Vanguard HP=2,225/2,500]
Offense Phase 2 AS, 5 CC || 2 DCE
[Mobius] Infinite Power, Finite Output. ° Preemptive Charges may be applied as desired ° All chargeable attacks are automatically charged once per turn ° One full-turn charged attack of choice is auto-charged once every Even Turn ° Charges are allowed to be held indefinitely when fully charged ° Triggered Auto Strikes have no interaction with this Giga Program
Vanguard charges all chargeable attacks.
[Crown of the Fallen Monarch] [::BattleChip:Dark KunaiLv7:v21::]
[Outbreak's Containment] - Vanguard adds Shock to one attack.
[DCE] 1. [::BattleChip:Dark TornadoLv7:v21:&Fire:x1.1 Lava Panels:x6 Constant Charge:"Shock"::]
2. [Hub Batch] - [1/1 GIGA Charges]
Summary Phase
[Vanguard HP=2,325/2,500]
While he assumed this wouldn't be enough to stop this formidable foe outright, it did force a change of style that gave him new information. Forte exuded power that first overlayed a network into the wave world around him, giving him his own world to operate in before Burai could fully remove the influence of the wave world. Then, he further corrupted that Network, making it even more foreign to the power that Burai wielded.
It was not beyond his ken, but more difficult for him to control, like this. The corrupted network was similar in many ways to the dense pockets of Noise that he frequented, however, and that incredible corruption wasn't as worrisome for him.
His EM Body presented a powerful sheen as Forte tested himself against it, shining like some unknown metal coated his flesh as the shot that struck him simply faded into nothingness, the black energy roiling off of Burai snuffing out the attack entirely; his signature defense not even animating for an attack so pitiful.
There were many things that made his blood boil, but to first compare him to humans, and then to test him with an assault so measly? It was an offense he would not endure. Burai scoffed and raised his chin up, holding out his hand and calling his trusted sword back to his grasp, getting into a warrior's stance as he stood off against Forte. Even as the one holding Var, and apparently channeling the power of the other horsemen, behind him started up his assault, Burai stared down the first Navi.
"You dare compare me to an inferior species? To something so frail and temporary? To a plague that cannot muster the strength to face anything on their own? . . . The very thought makes me sick.
". . . The past should not hold back the future, of this much I agree. But there's a certain understanding to be had of the knowledge that history holds, and what it affords its only survivor. The Murians accomplished that which human civilization wouldn't dream of for eons to come, and some of our feats even in comparison to today have not been eclipsed.
"I hold pride in it because I am proud of it. We made mistakes, and surely there is much to be said of what has become of these Navis due to differing times . . . this is no longer a matter of waves against data, or even humans against Murians, or humans against Navis. It is a matter of seeing through what we each believe in.
"I will hold fast to mine. You can hold fast to yours. The one capable of protecting those beliefs . . . that is who will succeed, here."
Some of his words were pointed at Forte, in front of him; some of them, at Mistair, behind. He didn't care what they thought of him, however. He sought only after the results.
Burai challenged Forte's emission with his own, his energy radiating outward and washing over Forte, a mixture of raw divine might and equally corrupting power made manifest into one. While he wasn't yet using the power of the Crimson Dragon, the power of the Great Being was now synonymous with his own. Even her graces, however, were not fully present, yet. He would cycle into his greater abilities as necessary.
For now, he had his tools. The incredible, pure black energy rose and encompassed Burai's sword as he considered the first Navi, and made his decision to test his speed, first.
"Hmph!" Burai dashed forward at Forte, the dark energy roiling off of his body naturally cleaving through the corrupted energy that Forte emitted. He was fast, so incredibly so that, with his blade raised, he cut through the very air, a whistling whine passing past Forte as Burai darted around him. For his speed, he was carrying a heavy weapon, and used it with grace, but also efficient force - he swung the blade once, and with each strike that followed, the waves emitted by the previous swing intensified and grew, one stroke of the blade rapidly multiplying in strength to compare to the swings of the others. He dashed away, returned from a different angle, and harried Forte on all sides, looking to cleave through his defense in a few careful strokes, or at least see just what his defenses were capable of.
To finish his own assault, Burai first dashed backwards, came to a full stop, and exerted energy to launch forward. He grabbed his blade and drove it into the ground beneath him, smashing its edge towards Forte like a massive cleaver. As the blade made contact with the ground, dark energy roiling over its edge erupted on all sides, creating a cascade of pure destructive force that threatened to overwhelm Forte, his analytical eye preventing Forte from responding to his efforts in the same way more than once.
Burai
Set Phase -
[Murian Genesis] The power from which all divinity flows, now flowing from the edge of the Laplace blade. That incredible might is Burai's to channel, and enhanced many of his base abilities. -- Except by other entities with this skill, effects from the user's attacks cannot be copied or imbued. Skills copied from the user are always graded one tier higher for uses and scaling, and lose any custom properties. -- The user's effects that scale based on Version are 100% more potent.
[Isolation Zone] A broken history paved his road to conquest, and all that stand against him must fight in the depths of his isolation. One must fight with only their own strength, and strength that they have made their own. - Burai has no allies. Burai does not benefit from any effect reliant on allies. Burai cannot be intercepted for. - Individuals do not benefit from any ability that is generated by, targets, affects, or is reliant on allies, and treat all effects as though they were fighting alone. No individual may intercept for any other (self-summoned objects are not included), and abilities activated can only affect their user or their enemy. Allies cannot be excluded from effects that would target or affect all enemies. - Offensive interactions based on others are negated. - Burai can designate entities to affect with the negative effects of this skill. Forte, selected. All others excluded.
[Divine Restoration] Power that flows unceasingly, reforging lost power and restoring lost resources. - Up to 5 of Burai's skills gain +1 Skill Use each turn, to a maximum of their starting skill uses.
[Mu Rejection Barrier] An invisible, impermeable defense mechanism that separates Burai from others, and prevents any harm to his form. Seemingly with a mind of its own, this transparent, circular disc appears before him as his ultimate defense mechanism, imbued with divine majesty. - The Mu Rejection Barrier negates five full attacks made against him each turn. - When negating the same attack in a turn, negate one additional instance of that attack per time it was negated. For every 10 times an attack was used in the turn, double the total negates of the Rejection Barrier and apply its overall negates. All negates reset at the end of the turn. - Negates gained in this way apply per hit to multi-hit attacks with avoid separately, but always negate a full attack. - If Burai has any negates during a turn, he automatically negates any C-Range Attack, as well as any attack modified by an aiming effect, without losing negates from the barrier. - If destroyed, can be recalled once equal to available uses. 20 Uses.
Defense Phase -
[Burai HP=35,000/35,000]
[Divine Defense] A powerful, unyielding mass of waves coats Burai's form like a metallic sheen. This potent defense does not yield before simple efforts to destroy it. -- Burai is unaffected by attacks dealing 500 or less base (unaugmented) damage. -- Burai can choose to affect one attack with this skill's effect regardless of base damage, but if so this skill cannot be used in response to any other attacks that turn.
Air Shot nullified.
Support Phase -
[N/A]
Offense Phase -
[Combat Arts] A skillful and capable combatant, Burai performs fluid movements that allow him to strategically chain attacks together in a way that leaves his enemies confounded. - Burai’s attacks with avoided separately deal full damage per hit, require a 1-Turn Charge, and the number of hits on use are determined by the number of attack slots sacrificed. - Being struck by any hit of an attack with avoid separately makes any hit that the opponent could not reduce to 0 Damage impossible to avoid. - If all hits of an attack chain in a turn successfully deal damage, Burai applies 1 immediate charge to that attack chain.
Attack Slots - 45
[Wave Ride Boosters] Burai’s boots are equipped with a set of verniers that can shoot bursts of EM Energy, allowing him to move freely in all directions. These boosters take advantage of his already advanced senses and capabilities, enabling a wide variety of high-impact attacks and agile maneuvers, making his movements and attacks near impossible to respond to. - Burai evades attacks in any order. Burai is unaffected by effects that require him to avoid multiple times. Burai does not trigger any opposing effects that would trigger from him avoiding his opponent’s attack. - So long as Burai sacrifices additional attack slots for an effect when using the attack, Burai does not trigger any opposing effects that would trigger from an opponent avoiding his attacks, and the opponent may not augment their avoids to respond to his attacks. - Burai may spend an additional attack slot alongside any C-Range attack to increase its final damage by 100%. - Burai may spend an additional attack slot alongside any C-Range attack to double its required avoidances. Has no effect on Avoid Separately.
Three attack slots sacrificed. Against the affected attack, Forte cannot augment his avoids, Burai does not trigger any opposing effects from the opponent avoiding the attack, the attack's final damage is increased by 100%, and the required avoidances are doubled.
1. [Murian Fist] A single, resounding uppercut, empowered by the dark energy resonating around his fist, which intensifies the loneliness within one's heart. -- 7,030 Dark C-Attack Damage. -- Requires four total avoidance effects. This applies to layers of HP-Auras/Barriers, as well. -- If hits a Barrier, Aura, or Object, applies Disconnect. -- Can be used as the first hit of an attack with avoided separately. -- Gains effects at 5 hits and 15 hits following it. Adds 50% of its final damage to one attack this turn, deals 5% per of target’s max-hp as additional damage.
Disconnect - Nullifies the effects of the affected summon/ally for 1 turn.
2. [Murian Blade Combat] A series of well-placed sword strikes performed by a master of the arts. -- [30,735] 15,370 Sword/Dark C-Attack Damage. Avoided Separately * 20 Hits. -- Gains 15% of Burai’s base damage per hit applied on use, up to 250%. -- Hits must be avoided using a unique avoidance method. Resets every 5 hits avoided. If has 15 or more hits, ignores avoidances with multiple types. If has 20 or more hits, ignores omni-avoidances. -- Can reduce final damage by half to add this damage or half total hits as required avoidances to one finisher this turn.
3 attack slots sacrificed. Double required avoidances, total damage, and prevent avoidances from being augmented to respond to the attack.
3. [Blade Finisher] An astounding over-head slash with the blade that releases a powerful shockwave of energy upon impact. -- 339,000 Sword/Dark C-Attack Damage. Avoided Separately * 5 Hits. 1-Turn Charge. 5/5 Preemptive charges applied. -- Cannot be avoided with any effect used to avoid one Avoided Separately attack, this turn. Murian Blade Combat, selected. -- Is treated as the final attack in an Avoided Separately Combat Chain. -- Cannot be Countered, Cannot be Naturally Avoided, Ruins. -- Gains effects based on total hits. Inflicts Interrupt regardless of success, gains 5 hits avoided separately against its primary target, Ruin pierces status immunity.
Ruin - Always inflicted regardless of success, and cannot be cleansed on the turn of infliction. User suffers 15% of their maximum health as unavoidable damage each turn. 2 turn duration, additional afflictions refresh duration.
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Post by Raven8 on Oct 13, 2021 17:41:19 GMT -8
With Vanguard acting first, Forte keeps his eyes locked onto Burai. His only response is stretching a palm towards Vanguard, to which the tactician's data responds by instantly transferring a huge portion of his power to Forte. Vanguard's assault fails miserably at this point, and to punctuate the frightening effects of what just transpired, Forte's hand holds not only Vanguard's power, but a very tangible item as well.
In Forte's hand is the weapon that is Var, taken effortlessly from Vanguard and held as the ultimate win-condition for Forte's assault.
Lines of data circle around the weapon, analyzing what it is and how it interacts with both waves and the digital world, and soon the weapon is left a dark gray husk, which Forte drops to the ground like a piece of trash. With the data on the Murian tech and wave-based beings within his arsenal, Forte next reaches out a hand towards Burai. With the first move made, Burai would clash against Forte's aura, only to find it replaced with an infinitely more powerful version of itself. And it's in this moment that he would be given his first taste of Forte's power.
Within the aura, Forte raises a hand, firmly grasps his supporting arm with his free hand, and swiftly charges up rather unimpressive surge of yellow energy, punctuated by bright red rings rising around his arm. The First Navi then lowers both of his arms and shifts his hands into busters, beginning his first true assault. Eden quakes as Forte unleashes a seemingly endless torrent of fire that appears to not come from his busters directly, but rather from all around. From in front of Forte, beside Forte, even behind Forte, explosions of pure energy explode across the field, starting countless chain-reactions as the space directly in front of them explode as well. Vanguard in particular would notice the truth manifest in this moment; this is the real power of the attack that Forte used against him, unleashed with superb power and waving forward as the deadly assault that first spawned Forte's infamy.
Defense Phase:
Perfect Immunity None can defile the sanctuary within User becomes immune to all statuses. This immunity cannot be pierced or ignored.
Get Ability Forte's innate power; devastating in its threat, debilitating in its practice. At any time during a battle, Forte may "steal" any effect from a given opponent and add its power to himself, rendering this effect unusable to the opponent for the remainder of the battle. If an effect is stolen during the user's defense phase, then the effect is retroactively removed from the opponent's previous turn. If effects are removed from attacks or skills, then similar effects are removed from all attacks or skills even if they innately have the effect available. 1x use per turn maximum.
Target: Vanguard
Used on: -Harbinger Weapon: Var
Wave/Murian Interface Capabilities Obtained
True Dark Aura The power of the apex of all auras manifest: one of the most powerful defensive measures in existence. Uncuttable Aura. The HP of this aura equates to the highest damage attack used by an opponent this turn plus 10%. Ignores all effects that could bypass it or drain uses save "Cuts Uncuttable Auras" Lasts 1 turn 3x use/battle. [372,900 HP] All attacks avoided.
Offense Phase:
Explosion S-Attack Normal Element The frightening signature attack of Forte brought to bear: an all-encompassing attack of tremendous destructive power. 500 Damage x10, cuts uncuttable auras, fully undodgable, attacks all. Every hit of this attack evaded causes the following hit to deal 2x damage, compounded. This effect persists between all uses of Explosion on the turn that it's used. If 3 or more hits of this individual attack manage to hit, the next hit taken from any attack this turn instantly deletes the target. Each individual hit of this attack must be treated as an individual attack. If a target has immunity to this effect, then they may choose to disable that effect for this battle. If they do not choose to disable the effect, then this attack splits into 10 individual attacks instead, and the instant-delete requirement is instead spread out over the entire turn instead of a single move. If this attack is copied or reflected, only 1 hit is launched. If the damage of this attack is repurposed, then only the damage of 1 hit at base damage is calculated.
Explosion S-Attack Normal Element The frightening signature attack of Forte brought to bear: an all-encompassing attack of tremendous destructive power. 500 Damage x10, cuts uncuttable auras, fully undodgable, attacks all. Every hit of this attack evaded causes the following hit to deal 2x damage, compounded. This effect persists between all uses of Explosion on the turn that it's used. If 3 or more hits of this individual attack manage to hit, the next hit taken from any attack this turn instantly deletes the target. Each individual hit of this attack must be treated as an individual attack. If a target has immunity to this effect, then they may choose to disable that effect for this battle. If they do not choose to disable the effect, then this attack splits into 10 individual attacks instead, and the instant-delete requirement is instead spread out over the entire turn instead of a single move. If this attack is copied or reflected, only 1 hit is launched. If the damage of this attack is repurposed, then only the damage of 1 hit at base damage is calculated.
Explosion S-Attack Normal Element The frightening signature attack of Forte brought to bear: an all-encompassing attack of tremendous destructive power. 500 Damage x10, cuts uncuttable auras, fully undodgable, attacks all. Every hit of this attack evaded causes the following hit to deal 2x damage, compounded. This effect persists between all uses of Explosion on the turn that it's used. If 3 or more hits of this individual attack manage to hit, the next hit taken from any attack this turn instantly deletes the target. Each individual hit of this attack must be treated as an individual attack. If a target has immunity to this effect, then they may choose to disable that effect for this battle. If they do not choose to disable the effect, then this attack splits into 10 individual attacks instead, and the instant-delete requirement is instead spread out over the entire turn instead of a single move. If this attack is copied or reflected, only 1 hit is launched. If the damage of this attack is repurposed, then only the damage of 1 hit at base damage is calculated.
Explosion S-Attack Normal Element The frightening signature attack of Forte brought to bear: an all-encompassing attack of tremendous destructive power. 500 Damage x10, cuts uncuttable auras, fully undodgable, attacks all. Every hit of this attack evaded causes the following hit to deal 2x damage, compounded. This effect persists between all uses of Explosion on the turn that it's used. If 3 or more hits of this individual attack manage to hit, the next hit taken from any attack this turn instantly deletes the target. Each individual hit of this attack must be treated as an individual attack. If a target has immunity to this effect, then they may choose to disable that effect for this battle. If they do not choose to disable the effect, then this attack splits into 10 individual attacks instead, and the instant-delete requirement is instead spread out over the entire turn instead of a single turn. If this attack is copied or reflected, only 1 hit is launched. If the damage of this attack is repurposed, then only the damage of 1 hit at base damage is calculated.
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