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Post by Gaia on Dec 10, 2022 19:21:04 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/858178610224562196/1049866352405532782/JokerAcidCard~png
Ace's burners didn't give out until they were will away from the beast, as all of his energy went into boosting them away at top speed. Once they were a safe distance away, Ace slowed down, the energy instantly dissipating as he turned his boosters around and created a back-burn to counteract inertia. As they came to a stop, brushed himself off, moving energy about his body and already finding himself fully restored. Ace didn't look so great, himself, so Joker transmitted some crimson over to him to compensate.
"All that training, and you still never concocted a way to heal your own wounds?" Joker asked him, obviously concerned.
"Heh. It got to a point where I just decided it was easier to eliminate the enemies, first. Never had to contend with anything that was even close to as fast as I was - Jack's pretty speedy, but he's got nothing on Falzar."
"Hmm. Your combat data regulator should be downloading information from our simulation runs now, then, in order to accommodate for that. At least you and I automatically update and upgrade whenever deficiencies are revealed. We should be in better shape if we come across something like that again."
"Look at you, talking like Heartless does. Looks like that information analyzer up top does something!" Ace joked with him, a big, eager grin on his face. While the oldest of the three humans Joker called his siblings, Ace was easily one of the more childish of the bunch; Tia showed more maturity than he did. "Usually, I don't have to worry about recovery; if I can't defeat it, Tia's always -"
"Well, obviously, she's not," Joker said rather matter-of-factly, his scowl returning. "I know you prefer to work with the assumption that you can have your allies, but self-sufficiency is integral for long-term success. Your battle rating drops by nearly 28% whenever you consider your inability to restore harm to yourself reliably.
Ace paused and stepped away from Joker, staring him down, narrowing his gaze. "You went and played loner for so long, and you want to tell me I can't rely on my allies? Remember that 'Collective Success Rate?' That was us, Joker. That's why we made it out of those simulations, and Ten didn't.
"You don't have to remind me of Ten's aberrant combat resolution procedures," Joker told him, speaking as though what was left of Ten's data was nothing more than information. Ace looked disgusted at the thought.
"Do you even miss Ten? All this time away from the family, and here I thought you were growing character, but you still just see percentages and values."
"You know nothing of my time away from the family, and even less of what I 'see' in individuals," Joker challenged, holding out a hand to point at Ace. "I'll remind you that it was your idea first to get away; I'm just the one who followed through with it."
"I couldn't just leave Jack and Tia!" Ace retorted, searching over Joker's face for any sense that Joker showed he cared about that concern. Joker, for his part, did understand, especially after what he went through with Merrill, but it was difficult for him to express that. " . . . Jack's missed you, by the way. Tia asks about you all the time; wants me to use our connection to spy on you. Heartless is almost constantly tracking you on a system King doesn't know how to use and telling us you're at least safe. Its how we knew you were here. You've . . . you've been through a lot. You could've signaled for me earlier, you know."
Joker's frown furrowed deep into his chin, as his brother's words brought him true sorrow to consider. Everything he had been through, he had to abandon it all to get this far, and he had made such growth. He shook his head, hardened his thoughts, though, and stared down Ace. "And I won't go back, yet. If they want to work together, they have to come to me, because I won't stand in front of him. He has more power over me than he has over any of you, and I refuse to go back to being his lapdog.
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Post by Raven8 on Jan 3, 2023 15:56:35 GMT -8
....and this is when it seems as though the entire world drops several feet from beneath the feet of Joker and Acid Ace. The feeling of safety shatters, giving way to the panic of something approaching, as the barrier that just moments before kept them from Falzer's continued wrath breaks apart like glass.
But the Cybeast would not be their worry.
With judgement from above, a tremendous violet orb screams downward like a comet, impacting Falzer's back with a black explosion and outright shattering it in a single blow. The legendary beast's broken pieces break into fractions of dark red energy which then surge to the sky above and re-form into an orb that now hovers on the palm of the most feared being that the net has ever known.
Looking to Falzer's data with an intent glare is Forte, hovering in the sky in his feared XX form. He looks on as the sky above him darkens, entirely unaware of Joker and Acid Ace's presence as he seems to look into Falzer's data as if searching it for some unseen presence...
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Post by Zane on Jan 3, 2023 16:08:00 GMT -8
The strike made a direct hit on Falzar, bringing it down to the ground below with the mighty assault. As Forte aimed to search for the unseen presence, the legendary beast's body would begin to shine in a way that would have been familiar to Joker as from its wounded back revealed something that launched outward. An eruption of onyx black and platinum white energy explodes out as the power-burst was instantaneous and all-encompassing, and soon it becomes obvious exactly what it was. Within the blink of an eye, the reality erasing power was unleashed upon Forte XX as Falzar was caught up in it just as well and eradicated.
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Post by Raven8 on Jan 3, 2023 16:24:47 GMT -8
Looking on through the power, Forte allows it to wash over his form, disappearing amid the storm of reality-altering energy as it swallows him entirely. But, ultimately, it fails in any intended effect.
With the sprung trap over and done with, Forte is once again revealed, surrounded by his Black Barrier and still looking over Falzer's data as if he'd been assailed by a gentle gust of wind. However, his eyes display more than they had just moments before; annoyance.
Slashing one arm out of his cloak and to the side, Forte dispels his own barrier and descends to the net below, causing the ground beneath where he hovers to turn black as pitch beneath his power and authority. It's here that he clutches his fist and Falzer's data disappears entirely from the network and Forte looks up, glancing around the network in silence as his hands fall beneath his cloak once again.
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Post by Zane on Jan 3, 2023 17:08:37 GMT -8
It was a showing that many would have forgotten with the passage of time, of the legendary power that was also possessed by the Black Barrier. And with his power after that he set about removing any data that remained in the wake of the nightmare's explosion. Glancing around the network in silence, surveying the black earth around them with the next move made on the board. And with time passing showed that no further resistance was on its way to check him for clipping the wings from the Cybeast that was moved upon first by them at the beginning of these events.
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Post by Gaia on Jan 3, 2023 21:45:20 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/858178610224562196/1049866352405532782/JokerAcidCard~png
Ace and Joker continued to talk about the past for a moment longer with one another, discussing what they had missed, until something astounding happened.
A pressure unlike anything else crashed onto the room; a pressure that Ace and Joker both recognized, yet. The two of them both wielding half of a powerful program being in the same place at the same time as this particular individual was dangerous beyond their liking, as Forte appeared and made devastatingly quick work of Falzar.
What was perplexing and surprising to Joker, however, was that another bomb like the one he had in his chest earlier was placed inside of Falzar. He realized, suddenly, what Grom had accomplished by taking him in - analyzing him and figuring out how to create what Gate had already done. He had been hoping to use that to destroy the Original Navi, then?
The Black Barrier that Forte wielded proved far stronger than even the reality monger's ability to rewrite space and time, and, so, the far-gazing Forte XX was left unharmed, and yet suspiciously quiet as he glanced around, Joker and Ace not far away from the greatest threat the Net may ever know.
"You are not, under any circumstances, allowed to engage that foe," Tia's voice came over the intercoms, taking up Heartless' usual place at the helm. Joker looked incredibly surprised, and Ace looked pleased.
"Tia?! Good to have you with us - what are you doing at the helm? And why do you feel the need to tell us that?"
"Just in case it isn't abundantly clear for the one between you two whose ego is typically bigger than his brain," Tia responded with a bit of mirth in her voice, and Joker frowned at the interaction.
"Of course we knew not to engage Forte, Tia. . . it is good to hear from you."
"Good to hear from you, too, Joker. Stay put until he leaves, just in case you leaving draws his attention, or just in case he triggers some failsafe against leaving the Network. Once you're safe to, vacate the Netopian Networks and make your way over to the Element City server. Heartless has an idea that requires us to be there."
"Any chances Queen Virgo will be joining us?" Ace asked rather obviously.
"Someone has to be at the computer in case Heartless and Jack need something, so, no. If I go silent, that's why."
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Post by Raven8 on Jan 4, 2023 7:40:55 GMT -8
...the silence was more suspect than the entire scene leading up to it in Forte's eyes. He continues to look around the area despite the silence, finally laying eyes on Joker and Acid Ace as he does so. But, despite their obvious power, the original Navi's eyes continue to scan the area as if he'd only seen nothing more than a pebble laying lifelessly on the ground.
The original Navi, still irritated by the attempted counter-attack, narrows his eyes. The audacity of this move was palpable, and the method utilized was audacious... but something else was on the original Navi's mind now. Raising his hand from his cloak and looking at it for a moment Forte causes several black sparks to bolt from his palm as he clenches a fist. Beneath him, a pure black hole opens up in the net, exuding a horrible presence of sheer, unadulterated evil. Forte then lowers himself into this hole and closes it behind himself, leaving the area intact with no further incident.
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Post by Genesis on Jan 5, 2023 15:33:37 GMT -8
Topic: Re: Rendezvous Sender: Xion Recipient: Joker, Warrior Message: Assuming this gets to you Joker, you can get into a lot of trouble in the span of 45 minutes, let me tell you. I don't have very many details about everything that has happened in the brief time I've been away while we were separated, but I can make some assumptions from the knowledge given. Grom is antagonistic because of the unsaid things from before, while the infectious creatures are unrelated to our new guests. The evidence is them targeting Grom. You know who to ask then. My plans haven't changed but go find Merrill. He won't be at the Colony, my fault for that, and is at Creamland as a result of the natural course of the rerouting procedure. And a note of caution is to trust no one until you get back to me. If you find that you must trust anyone, I recommend trusting other Navis less than you would any other familiar kind of face.
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Post by Gaia on Jan 5, 2023 16:26:20 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/858178610224562196/1049866352405532782/JokerAcidCard~png
The original navi's eyes looked over them, and Joker was worried for a moment that he would see the connection between them. Thankfully, he continued to stare on, not caring of them at all. Then, he ripped open a hole into Black Earth and descended. Shuddering, Joker backed away, and finally saw the responses he was looking for from Xion, and even a message from Merrill, flash over his visor.
Reading Xion's message, he appreciated the insight, and knew, as well, what he meant. Still, the latter half of his message was foreboding. Xion was learning more and more about this situation, and his distrust of others was rising due to it. What reason would he have to not trust anyone? Joker didn't know, but decided it was best to do as Xion told him.
Trust no one, and trust Navis even less, is that it? Joker looked at his brother, Ace, who even now he felt his systems pulling him towards. They called to one another, two halves wishing to be whole, and separated by necessity. Even now, even with that pull, he felt so separated, as Heartless' words made him weary of the one individual he should be closest to.
"I have to go. I'll be back whenever this thing is dealt with. Get to Element City like Heartless said. I'll see you both later. Be safe . . . and listen to Joker, Ace."
Tia left the coms for a moment, and Joker looked over at Ace. Ace just shrugged. "You heard her. Let's go."
He held up a hand, shaking his head. "First, to Creamland," Joker said, already feeling the guilt flood him.
"Why . . . why Creamland?" Ace didn't seem to know what was so sensitive about it. Perhaps his family wasn't being as invasive of his privacy as he first thought?
"An ally of mine is there. We'll be able to ensure we go into enemy territory with a friend, and a powerful ally, no less."
Ace held up one hand to prompt Joker to lead the way.
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Post by Gaia on Jan 6, 2023 20:05:07 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/858178610224562196/1049866352405532782/JokerAcidCard~png
Joker stepped forward, the words from Xion's message echoing through his mind, as well as his conversation with Heartless and Gate up to this point. As he moved forward, the power to open the gateway to Creamland flowed from him, but, he never accessed it. He turned, glancing askance, and looked Ace in the eyes.
Much taller than his brother, and only brothers in name, Joker trusted Ace implicitly, and he knew that trust was hard to earn here. Still, he couldn't get something out of his mind . . .
He held out one hand towards Ace, pressuring space to create a sudden distance between them. Ace instinctively flared his burners in the opposite direction, adopting a combative stance. Joker didn't see him unsheathe it, but his gun was already in his hand.
"Not funny, Jokie. What was that about?" Ace asked, carefully lowering his guard and moving to close the distance. Joker was adamant, though, black energy and crimson clouds flowing off of him to keep Ace at bay. "You're starting to worry me, Joker. Explain, now, before I start taking you seriously," Ace warned again.
"The full capabilities of Acid are restrained in order to protect the human underneath, Ace," Joker said pretty simply, keeping his eyes firmly on Ace. "In order to know that I can trust you, I want your Ace Program," Joker commanded, holding out his spare hand while using his other to continue to push Ace back.
"Are you insane? My Ace Program? Its literally a part of my core functions!" Ace retorts, glaring Joker down.
"No, it isn't; 100% of its functions are purely experimental, and you are functional without them, especially since we can't even resonate with the Crimson Satellite," Joker responds, unyielding. "My Joker program has been inactive since it was destroyed as it was taking up unnecessary space in my directives," he explained.
"Your Joker Program isn't inactive, I just watched you use it; mine is restricted because we're not sure if I'd survive using it," Ace reminded him. "You don't need me to give it to you because I'd only use it in a dire emergency," Ace told him, standing his own ground. He unfurled his wings, glaring at his larger brother. "Now, stand down, or else I'll make you see reason, Joker."
"Your Ace Program, brother, or we go nowhere. I need to know I can trust you."
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Post by Gaia on Jan 6, 2023 20:47:01 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/858178610224562196/1049866352405532782/JokerAcidCard~png
Ace kept a level gaze with Joker for a while, but, after a moment, just sighed. He pulled up a screen and began preparing to send something, and Joker could see the contents before he even hit send.
"Heroes know when to choose their battles, yeah?" Ace said with a knowing smile, preparing to send it over. Joker shook his head.
"That's . . . that's all I needed to see. The willingness to trust me with it is enough," Joker reassured him, lowering his hand. "Don't bother sending it. You may yet need it," he relented, and then opened the gateway to Creamland, with Ace presumably after him.
Ace sighed, put away his email, and looked around the space a moment longer. He stepped into Creamland just a step behind Joker.
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