Naval Base <NB>
On the surface, Leviathan's naval base doesn't appear to be much more than a series of half-submerged shining silver spheres, gleaming in the sunlight or sparkling with the glow of the stars. Within, however, beauty gives way to harsh and militaristic designs. Warcruisers and battleships line the harbors, stark and dull grey in color. Hundreds of drones move quickly on constant alert, monitoring the surrounding area and exchanging information in rapid relay. Fortunately, none of this can be seen through the protective shields...only the loveliness of silver curves, lapped by the ocean's current.
Zero's eyes glow once again, wide and open... As his head tilts back at a funny angle, his autorepair systems all that stands between him and a snapped neck. The reploid screams in pain and anger... That borders slightly on rage... Oh dear...
Zero, once again dashes at Leviathan, before there are three flashes of light, three long strokes of the Z-Sabre.
Zero strikes Leviathan with his Triple Slash attack.
Cody has arrived.
Commander Keen watches the AGWS carefully. He can't get much more info on it from where he is. Hmmm... what to do? An AGWS in this area is very unusual, and probably hostile. As the boy debates what to do, he tries flying further out of range, maybe hanging out in the clouds will do. Darn, if he were by himself, he'd probably attack it right away, but since he's part of the Palace Air Force, he's better off waiting for an order or something it seems. Better communication with the faction some more for ideas...
Destin Faroda is running towards the base. From the sea. He can do those sorts of things with his elite Opinion Leader hotness. That, and the low cost pair of Greased Boots he's wearing. He's currently banking on the fact that the Neo-Arcadians aren't going to be expecting a one man infantry assult from the ocean.
Leviathan squeaks in pain, crossing the lance defensively in front of her body to stifle the damage done. Doesn't work, though...Zero's more skilled than she is, because he's an old old man with wayyyyy more experience than she'll ever have, curse him. "Oooo, got you mad, didn't I? Scared that I might win this time?" she purrs, tipping forward to sweep her hand before her. A storm of tiny icicles fly out to spatter against Zero's armor.
Leviathan strikes Zero with her on pins and needles attack.
The green disk of the Shield Boomerang comes out, blocking two icicles, before 3 more slash long gashes in his bodysuit. The reploid's mechfluid seeps once mroe into the water, first true blood for Levi. And the feeling is known to Zero. Oh, it's well known. The crystal blue eyes shift to purple, narrowing.
And Zero draws his Buster once more, running along the bottom, trying to peg the swimming Guardian with a long series of shots.
Zero strikes Leviathan with his Directed Fire attack.
Thump. A bit of teleportation energy and a rather loud 'thud' marks the arrival of one rather large polar she-bear. Polar Kamrous /had/ been told to watch the gates, yes, but really shouldn't she be watching her commanding officer? Even if she can defend herself pretty well? It had taken a good twenty minutes for that idea to work its way through the white bear's head .. whereupon she trundled on down to the transporters, and sent herself over. She blinks slowly upon finding herself at the appropriate base, scratching round belly with ice claws before turning on her scanners. "Helloooo, attacking people... I'm here to eeeat yoouuu."
Fefnir teleported as well, loaded for combat, ready to kick some butt as he arrives near Leviathan's compound. "Alright, who wants some?" he shouts as loudly as he can, the armcannon on his right arm charging up already and warming up for maximal combat efficiency.
Leviathan swerves and dodges as best she can, but one of those shots hits her pretty hard, tearing off a chunk of her armor and pelting into the soft synthskin beneath. "AHHHH!" she cries out, curling up in pain for a few moments as a dark mist of her fluids seeps out. She clamps her hand over the open wound, sealing it shut with ice. "Better...no mercy from you...none at all, Zero...! I'm so proud..." she smiles, just before she dances backwards, a stream of bubbles following her wake. She lets the lance go, raising one knee elegantly as her arms cross before her bowed head. The water's become wild and terribly cold, swirling before her and tossing the tails of her helmet.
A distant rumbling roar sounds, and dimly visible through the water is the icy outline of a dragon, glinting in the light from the moon that manages to pierce the waves. And the dragon sure looks an awful lot like Ridley for some reason...
Leviathan strikes Zero with her Ice Ridley Assault raaaaaar! smash attack.
Gades has arrived.
There's the sound of a small explosion and more smoke than usual as Phantom appears, standing on top of the base, for once not trying to hide his presense at all. Of course Fefnir's always done a better job of attracting attention to himself, and that's just fine. Gives Phantom more time to survey the situation.
The VX-10000's sensors chime quietly as they register a succesful scan. Albedo leans back a little in his piloting couch, drumming clawed fingers on the weapons panel. "Oh, so it took that much, hm?" he mutters, smiling to himself. "Well well. THAT will have the entire Palace up in arms." The AGWS stays where it is a moment more as -more- people begin arriving, before jetting straight upward, into the cloud cover. Once more, it feathers its thrusters once it's at the proper altitude, and resumes--simply watching.
A seagull lands on the AGWS.
Oh no, not this attac-
Zero is SLAMMED HARD by the dragon, something snapping inside of him. Well, two things. The first thing that snaps is one of his circulatory units, pump number 3 shutting off. One arm goes limp from lack of fluids moving to it. The repair systems get on that.
The other thing that snaps is Zero. The eyes shift over from the purple shade they had been to a dull red. And then all hell breaks loose. Zero grabs at the large ice dragon attacking him, and shatters it. A dash of bootjets, as he runs along it's surface, screaming like some wounded beast as he charges Leviathan, the Z-Sabre glowing a firey red color. HE LEAPS at Leviathan, screaming.
Zero strikes Leviathan with his Shoryuken! smash attack.
Damn birds. >> forcefield online <<
The AGWS is going to smell like roasted chicken now.
The seagull squarks in alarm. for a moment, anyway, before it's summarily vaporized by unexpected forcefields. Seated on the AGWS is now a charred lump of what used to be a gull.
Much better.
A ship approaches in the distance. First just a glint on the horizon, it steadily draws near. It's configuration should be familiar to at least one person present. A slightly modified Space fighter, issued by the Kukai Foundation, for use by Ziggurat Industries cyborg Ziggurat 8. Ziggy sits at the helm, bringing up an image of the forces present, specifically tuning in on the stolen AGWS which, thanks to Commander Keen, Ziggy is well aware of who the pilot is. As the cyborg approaches the AGWS, instead of opening fire, he lowers his speed and cautiously hovors a short distance in front of it. Then he tries to open a channel to the AGWS' pilot.
Destin Faroda leaps off of the crest of a wave, to land on the next and ride it into the inside of the base's docks. Another leap and he's on the docks, fighting his way into a pack of X-Drones protecting a battlecruiser. Slashy slashy! He's hacking his way towards Fefnir at the moment, releasing a magical blast of acid at the drones next to him.
Cody meanwhile...well, just runs. He doesn't have any fancy boats or rides, nor can he swim freakishly fast. Thus, it's a bit hard when most of the area you need to fight about is sea. But, he makes his way somehow, even if it means getting his sneakers soaked in the process. He bears no weapons on him...for now, but just from the look on his face as he quickens his step, you KNOW he's up for a fight...
Leviathan cries out with pain, slumping towards the side. For a moment she starts to rise towards the surface before her sensors blink and flash, bringing her back around. She's almost done for, she knows it. But that must mean that he is, too. No holding back, Levi, she tells herself. Do it. Make your master proud! She owes him that much...and more. Seeking her redemption, she flies towards Zero with a cry of determination, slamming all of her weight against him as she thrusts her elbow towards his throat.
Leviathan strikes Zero with her throat jab attack.
As the little fightercraft appears out of seeming nowhere, Albedo arches a brow. He DOES recognize that ship--and, in fact, was talking to the pilot not so long ago. He chuckles low in his throat, tapping the communications panel as a request to open a channel comes up. << So what was this about not stalking me, cyborg? >> are the first words transmitted. Somebody's in a good mood today.
Fefnir patches in the local radar grid, only to see friendly blips dropping like flies on the eastern flank. Well that doesn't bode well, the flame Guardian rushing off to meet the assaillant head on. "I hope it's not one of those mermaid chicks doing this...always gotta hurt the cute ones." he thinks aloud, going toward the docks.
Zero's neck armor twists, as he lowers his head to protect against an attack there again. Levi's attack breaks off one of Zero's fins, but he's not done just yet, oh no. He's not feeling much in the way of pain anymore, just determined to defeat his enemies now...
Zero grabs, claws, pulls at Levi, and spins, looking to toss her into a nearby pillar of rock. Another bestial snarl of anger.
You wanted no mercy, Levi... Now pay the consequences.
Zero strikes Leviathan with his THROW attack.
Leviathan has been knocked out!
There doesn't seem to be anyone here. Polar Kamrous is more than a little puzzled by that particular bit of apparent news, small ears swivelling back and forth as the bear makes her way slowly through the base, sniffing for any sign of hostilities. She can hear people outside.. but that's outside. And the base is domed and she'd slip off and Aztec would laugh at her again, so she can't go THERE. Hm. Hm hm hm. To keep herself occupied, the snow bear begins coating the floor.. the walls.. the ceiling.. everything within reach, really, with a layer of ice, and takes to sliding across the floor instead. Sure, it creates rather delicate, very sharp icicles everywhere, but she didn't care. They won't hurt -her-. "There are no bad people here," she tells herself after a moment. "If there were they would have jumped out by now. Stupid alarms."
Leviathan smashes into the rock...and through it...landing in a heap near an outcropping of coral and sea anemones. She struggles to rise, but her body doesn't seem to want to obey. Trembling, she falls back down onto the sandy bottom, panting. "It...it is d-done..." she murmurs. "Finish it..."
Ziggy's experssion doesn't change as the channel is open and Albedo makes his remark. Though he does, oddly enough, retort <<I believe it is you who once told me that this is a war we are fighting. It is only natural that we would face each other from time to time.>> With the pleasentries out of the way, Ziggy moves onto mandatory protocol. <<I assume that if I were to scan the Law Enforcement reports from the Federation I would find such an AGWS as yours listed as stolen. Albedo, you will abandon that machine and withdraw from this area.>> In all honestly, even Ziggy doesn't expect Albedo to comply, but there are protocols to follow. In preparation, puts shields on max and charges his weapons.
The BWB Megarocket dips lower, approaching the base. Whether it's to scan and collect more info, or attack and lay siege is still undetermined. But it's now in sight as it is approaching.
There's a flash of light, as Zero pops the top of one of his subtanks, snarling a bit more... As he closes with Leviathan. His voice is twisted, spiteful, angry. "No, little girl. That is just what you want, to be freed from the pain and sorrow of your defeat." He moves over to the water GUardian, and shakes his head, the blond hair floating in the water. A vicious kick to the ribs. "You get to live. Now I go to finish what I came here for..."
Phantom does just like he intended from his high perch. Survey the situation. His head turns towards where drones seem to be falling like flies... well, Fefnir can take care of that. Many things in the air too, but that isn't really his area of expertise, so he ignores that too. Hm, someone else approaching too... doesn't look like anything special, just a random human. Except no one's coming to intercept him, it looks like. Will that be up to him? Figuring that would be an incredibly boring fight, he just keeps an eye on Cody for now, though he realises he'll probably have to step in should he get too close. Oh well.
Zero strikes Zero with his Subtank healing attack.
Leviathan screams in pain, her body stiffening before it collapses altogether. Darkness falls over her optics and she lies completely still. Leaking. And looking cute. AS ALWAYS.
Destin Faroda slices the head off of an X-Drone, spinning around to deflect a shot from another nearby Drone. But these aren't his targets. Someone else can deal with the fodder. Destin charges forwards into the unhappy looking Guardian of Ubershooty, also known as Fefnir, his sword seeking in on the reploid's crimson shoulder.
Destin Faroda strikes Fefnir with his weak *plink* attack.
Albedo Piasora smiles as his own words are thrown back at him. For all he has an active animosity toward most of Vector and anyone associated with him, he's starting to like the cyborg. << Why yes. You would. But bear with me a moment--even if this IS a war, we have the same goals here. >> The VX-10000's weapons remain powered down, though its forcefield--an after-market modification, from the way it vaporized that bird--stays active. He pauses, tilting his slightly to one side, before switching the open channel and--smiling at something he's monitoring.
Fefnir doesn't even TRY to avoid the sword, he's rushing forward as well, planning to meet what seemed to be a challenge head on, except...well, he doesn't have a pointy thing. The stab to the shoulder pierces his armor slightly and makes a hole in the synthskin and the componants underneath, but the flame reploid intends to give that man's cheek a punch that he won't forget.
<< If you'll EXCUSE me, >> the mad retrovirus continues, << I have a package to pick up. I can turn the AGWS back over to the 'authorities' later. >> With that, the AGWS's thrusters cut out, and it -drops- back toward the surface of the ocean. If Ziggy wants to take a potshot at the fleeing mech, now is the best time for it.
Fefnir strikes Destin Faroda with his weak *punch* attack.
Cody could have a few choice words for the Ninja of the Neo Arcadians...but he'll have to save them for if he actually runs into the guy. As is, he just keeps running, keeping one thing in mind. . o O (Where the hell is that supply dump place Zero was talkin' 'bout?) Yeah, Cody's not exactly familiar with bases like this, so he's pretty much running in blind, if his aimless movements suggest anything. If only he had a map to this place or something.
There's an explosion of water, as Zero comes leaping out of the ocean. He lands on the docks, and wastes no time in moving through the very familiar base. He knows where he's going, and he knows where Polar is going to be. Time for him to clean the place up.
The red armor switches to a light grey in color, as he switches on a different attack mode.
Zero has switched to Rise Form
With the orders from Zero at hand, Commander Keen ejects from the cockpit of his ship, some 1000 feet above the base. He then plummets downward, riding his pogo stick for a safe landing, and bounces perfectly and harmlessly onto the dock. Putting the toy away, he rushes inside after Zero to infiltrate and gather supplies as was requested.
Ziggurat 8 narrows his eyes, ever so subtly, as Albedo's AGWS drops down towards the ocean surface. His hand reaches for the weapons control, but pauses. He retracts his hand and instead begins pursuit of Albedo. This particular fighter was modified to function underwater, but only for a brief period of time. Luckily if worse comes to worse, Ziggy still doesn't need to breathe, but extended exposure to seawater would damage his cybernetic parts. For now, Ziggy wants to see what Albedo is up to, as long as the URTV isn't attacking any of the Palace forces, he will hold his fire.
Polar Kamrous is no longer a happy camper, no sir. Somewhere out there, Leviathan is squished! And she can't find her! The bear's job is to help out, not stand around being clueless! Though first she'd need to figure out where she's going. As Zero makes his announcement over the radio, the white shebear roars loud enough to shake the walls and drive the icicles from the ceiling in sharp spears. Claws scrape on metal and ice as she spins around and tromps purposefully for the nearest door, snorting blasts of indignant frost.
Phantom of course doesn't know that Cody's just wandering around not knowing where he's going. And so, at the exact same moment when Zero comes bursting from the water, he vanishes from his perch. And reappears on top of the metal structure the brawler was heading towards, which just happens to be a weapons storage facility. Three Kunai daggers sail down to strike the ground in front of Cody, after which Phantom recrosses his arms, looking very disinterested. "You're trespassing. Go away."
Staggering backwards, it seems that the first part of this dance has become a draw. Destin holds up his sword defensively. He doesn't what to trade blow for blow with the metal guardian, he knows he can't win that fight. So he hops back a few steps and charges a bit of a spell in his left hand. "Blades of wind, aid my call....Ion Shot!" He points fowards, a blast of electricity forming over his head and streaking forwards to the Neo-Arcadian.
Destin Faroda strikes Fefnir with his Ion Shot attack.
One might wonder, with Polar here, who's watching Neo Arcadia's gates?
A teddybear with 'Polar' written on it.
And Binky the Wonder Cyber Elf.
And drones, of course. Lots of them. Unless they were scared off by Binky.
"Do you HAVE to call out your att-AUGH!" Okay Fefnir, less talking, more dodging the painful bolts of electrical energy that causes surges in his systems and general unpleasantness. "Okay, nevermind, burn and take a hike you fourteenth century hippy." And that said, the flame Guardian fires a blast of flame bigger than himself, go gigantic plasma stuff!
Zero arrives very quickly at the main doors to the Supply Dump, opening the doors with his Universal Key.
Zzzzrnch
ZRRRRAT!
Cruanch!
The door caves in, and Zero waves the following kid inside. "Quick kid, start warping this stuff back to the Palace!" He tosses over a set of PortaTranservers, and starts slapping them on the crates of POWER CONVERTERS and TOSHI STATIONS! I mean, weapons and energy crystals and parts and fuel and such.
Fefnir misses Destin Faroda with his Charged Flame Blast attack.
With a crack and a shuddering THOOM, the AGWS hits the water. All pretenses of stealth are now gone--you could probably see that splash from orbit, as a good four tons of metal hit the water. It sinks rapidly, all thruster systems temporarily brought to standby as Albedo tries yet another dumb stunt. The AGWS was not meant for deep-sea operation over long periods of time, but the hull was sealed against the rigors of vacuum--and as long as he didn't go deeper than a few hundred, the armor should keep the AGWS from cracking like an egg.
As the mech comes to rest on the sandy bottom with a clunk, Albedo flips the searchlight on. He's looking for something very specific down here, and doesn't have much time to do it before he's noticed. The mech begins its march, active radar keyed to look for a very -specific- signal... "Where are you, Leviathan of the depths..." the mad retrovirus mutters to himself.
Cody just continues...well, running, sloshing, and slipping about as he tries to find just where the heck he needs to...at least, until the kunai flash out and embed in the ground before him, the brawler jumping back on instinct as they come. Looking up, he stares at the strange masked reploid. He frowns, remembering his encounter with him the first time Neo Arcadia dropped into Videoland. "Trespassin'? Mebbe, but I think we got a good reason fer that on our hands, and I ain't 'bout to stop. Stop me if ya wanna know, I could use a rematch," he says with a smirk, cracking his knuckles.
The cold that blasts into the supply dump, and the rapid formation of sheer ice is a good warning that Polar is very near. As is the sing-song snarling growl of the irate shebear, heavy footsteps making the metal deckplating shudder at each impact. And as Zero busies himself on stealing things, the Neo Arcadian looms very large in the doorway, eyes shining brilliant, angry red. "Stupid Maverick!" The bear's declaration is the same grating female tone as ever, but she doesn't wait long before lashing out with one massive, clawed forepaw, to slap Zero away from his intended property. "You hurt Lady Leviathan!"
Harpuia strikes Zero with his trivial WHAP. attack.
Leviathan is just sorta lying there, the armor dissipating to allow her self-repair systems maximum strength to fix up all the damaged internal workings of the little water guardian. Her cheek is pressed against the sand, fingers curled into a tight fist as she lies there, motionless, but for the gentle stirring of her hair in the current.
Destin Faroda raises his sword high above his head and rushes at the ball of flame, slashing it in half with a mighty strike. He spins on his heel, deflecting a shot from an X-Drone into a different drone. He continues his spin, dragging the two handed sword around to strike down a eletro-prod armed drone that's gotten too close. He then turns towards Fefnir again, dashing forwards to resume his wordless assult. This time it's a blow to the midsection.
Destin Faroda strikes Fefnir with his Slashyslashy! attack.
As Albedo's AGWS hits the water, Ziggy's ship does so shortly after. He keeps his distance, mostly just watching what Albedo is up to. Though Ziggy can't detect that Albedo's radar is on, and has no idea what he is looking for (poor Levi may even be right in Ziggy's line of sight). But Ziggurat 8 is a bastion of patience, and remains ready to act on the URTV's movements. He quickly throws a glance to his ship's outer hull pressure, and notes he has no more than 20 minutes before he has to surface.
Fefnir doesn't like getting cut, except maybe tax cuts but that's an entirely different thing. The reploid winces as the man cuts his jumpsuit a little, bringing a beastial growl from the reploid as he slams the ground with his fist, creating a wave of energy that travels at high speed.
Fefnir misses Destin Faroda with his Ground Break attack.
Zero heard her coming, but the fact is that he didn't expect her to get in so quickly. Even as crates start to vanish, the reploid feels the heavy paw of the polarbear smack him across the room. There's the screech of metal as Zero skids to a stop, and gets up slowly. Mechfluid drips onto the ground, his arm is limp, but he's still fighting.
He draws the Buster Pistol with his good hand, and starts firing at Polar, having gotten at least what he needed. Anything more is merely gravy.
Zero strikes Harpuia with his trivial Buster Fire attack.
From the grinding, limp-gaited way the AGWS is moving, Albedo probably has less time down here than even Ziggy. But as always, the URTV is preternaturally patient. He guides the staggering mech along the ocean floor, listening to the whine and hum of overtaxed servos not used to operating with so much outside pressure, violet eyes focused on the forward screens. A blip registers on the radar, and Albedo brings his ride to a halt, turning the searchlights to sweep the floor. There! A glint of blue. That was what he was looking for, and it's two minutes away at the AGWS's top underwater running speed. It accelerates again, plodding along with considerable protest and heading for Leviathan's unconscious form.
Phantom takes a moment to consult his databanks. Did he fight this human before? They all mostly look the same to him. He does have a file on Cody, but something as trivial as fighting him wasn't noted. Oh well, it doesn't really matter, anyway. With a sigh, he responds in that same bored tone, "Oh, alright." With those words, he's gone again. Only to reappears right behind Cody, delivering a lackluster kick aimed for his back.
Phantom misses Cody with his weak Kick o' Normalness attack.
Fefnir misses Phantom with his trivial SEPPUKU! NOW! attack.
Commander Keen knows when a mission is urgent, so he hops right to work, grabbing crates and sending them to the resistance base via the PortaTranservers. Together, the output of the work is doubled, and progress is made quickly. When Zero is slapped, Keen gives the giant bear reploid a wide look and nearly draws his pistol, but instead goes back to moving crates. The purpose of this mission is to collect supplies after all, and Zero can still fight, so Keen continues doing his part to make sure that the venture remains successful.
Polar Kamrous can be quick! How often do people get attacked by bears and say they were startled by the creature's speed? She snarls as Zero opens fire, pelting white form with energy blasts that mar her finish with black scorch marks and more than one hole. She doesn't seem to realize that Zero's goal had been the goods, oh no. She doesn't think this way. She's under the impression that if she flattens Zero, Levi will magically be better. So that's exactly what she tries to do.. in the form of rapidly created and flung ice blocks. "Bad!"
Harpuia strikes Zero with his trivial Not Lego blocks. Not Tetris blocks. Ice Blocks. attack.
Destin Faroda rolls forwards as Fefnir's fist slams down. The waves extends outwards, but Destin just narrowly evades the shockwave. Rolling up to one knee, he brings his sword up, drawing it back for another attack. He dashes forward, shoulder first (note the metal shoulder covering) followed by a nasty two handed slash, diagonally downwards.
Destin Faroda strikes Fefnir with his Bash n' Slash attack.
Zero has seen this before. The reploid snarls, and leaps to the wall, clinging onto its surface. The ice blocks slam into the wall beneath him, as he waits this one out, charging up the Z-Buster once more. He takes aim from the wall, and fires.
Zero strikes Harpuia with his Fire Shot attack.
"What do you mortals belive you are doing, mm?" Echos a voice suddenly around the supply area, wich is incidently where Keen and Zero are at! After the voice, comes a short flash of dark-blue light and...Gades, the mighty Sinistral of Destruction, hovering nearby the Commander, has arrived.
"Mmm? What do you have to say for yourself, human?" Without waiting an answer, the Demi-god lift an gauntlet up and FIRE a small ball of explosive energies at the young boy. You know. A warning shoot.
Seriously NOT his day, Fefnir annoyed by all that moving, he just shouts "STOP FIDGETING AND DIE!" to the hero seconds before he gets a shoulder to the chest, plus a slash. The tackle itself didn't bother the reploid much but that whole fluid leakage caused by the slash is just uncool. His turn to rush forward, the Guardian of X reaches out to touch someone...and trap Destin in that pincer thing of his.
Gades strikes Commander Keen with his weak Destruct-o Blast: Sissy Version attack.
Fefnir misses Destin Faroda with his The PINCER of grabbyness +2 stun attack.
Cody blinks as Phantom...well, blinks away. However, he hears the sound of a leg striking through the air, ducking with both skill and a little bit of luck (since he was mostly guessing about where the kick was coming from). Snorting, he twists about, pivoting on his knee and striking out with a simple sweep toward the Guardian. "Nice try...but ya gotta do better..."
Cody strikes Phantom with his weak Quick Sweep attack.
The bear grunts as -fire- is used against her, leaving far more damage in its wake than the ordinary energy shots had. It stings, more than a little, and she does her best to shake it off, rising to her feet again and tromping for the wall Zero clung to. Polar remembered, vaguely, that he liked doing that. Which might be why both fists abrubtly slam into said wall, buckling and sending tremors through the thing. Holding onto it might be difficutl at best. Come down! Gades, as he appears, is snorted at but left alone. Sensors said Ally, not someone to squish.
"Oh, great. Complications." This phrase is uttered as Keen attempts a short backflip to dodge the explosive shot. And it works, but the heated ball of energy smashes into the metal floor, spraying him with red hot metal drops and pieces and he lands.
"I'm not sorry," he says defiantly as he grabs a box of energy crystal and slides it along the floor at Gades. It stop right underneath him, and then the boy draws his Vorticon Hyperpistol and shoots the box, causing it to explode beneath his foe in a messy shower of wooden shards and crystals.
Commander Keen strikes Gades with his weak Crystal Shower attack.
Sadly, Zero has this tendancy to slide while on the wall, right into range of the big bear... And he tries to get away, he really does.
But something spark inside of Zero, causing him to cant foward and into those big hamfists. Hmmm, Levi must have hurt him more than he thought.
Crunch.
Phantom is struck in the legs, uttering a grunt in annoyance as he somersaults backwards to keep him from falling. "I wasn't trying. You'd know if I were trying", he says matter-of-factly, which is the truth. His heart wasn't really in this battle, which he figured would be a waste of time. But that was a nice counter-move, he'd have to admit. Of course he doesn't actually do that, instead dashing forward to try and bring up a knee in Cody's gut. Should it succeed, he'll follow up with a palm strike to the face.
Phantom strikes Cody with his Fefnir Uses Napalm, I Use Knee-Palm attack.
The Sinistral grunted. Excelent, finaly a fight. The giant seemingly vanish when the container explodes, but it is apparent that his attemped evasive actions was a little to late. It is even more proven as Gades rematerialise on the metal floor, his massive armor showing signs of damage.
But it's just a flesh wound!
"Oh, I do not except YOU to be sorry NOW, human. You WILL be once I'm thru with you!" That said, that demi-god charge foward the much, much smaller human and attemps to crush him with a foot!
Not to follow Albedo all the way down here and give up the ghost, Ziggy moves when he does, keeping his original distance. Somewhat curious, Ziggy activates his own radar to see if anything suspicious pops up in the vicinity Albedo is heading in. He checks his time limit again: 15 minutes.
Gades strikes Commander Keen with his AND THE GIANT CAME AND...CRUNCH! attack.
Destin Faroda swings his sword around to clash with the sound of metal on metal as the claw ensnares the blade harmlessly. Destin holds the reploid's grasp with equal brute strength. And finally he speaks. "No, Fefnir, I'm not going to die today." He reverses the pressure of his blade, pulling backwards and free of the claw, allowing the guardian's momentum to carry him fowards. Destin's blade comes up and around, trying to bite into Fefnir's backside.
Destin Faroda strikes Fefnir with his Backlash attack.
Polar Kamrous' claws close around Zero tightly, luminant crimson eyes flaring brighter with malice as she gives him a little shake. "Stupid! Now you go squish." She looks around carefully before stomping her way over to the nearest door and opening it carefully with her teeth, opening to ... the open sea! Sea air blasts inwards, washing over bear and captured Zero alike for a minute, salt spray lapping up at the open doorway as Polar shifts her grip on Zero enough to transfer him to one clawed hand and leeeaaan back. And fling him full-force out the door, towards the water. Airborne Hunter!
MORE cutting, more jumpsuit damaged, more ticked off Fefnir.
"Alright, that's it, NOW IT'S ON!" shouts the combat reploid, leaping backward a little after regaining his balance. He gathers energy and...rips apart the fabric of space and time? Sure looks like it anyway as his body begins to shift, his legs transforming in four large tires (with four wheel drive, no less), his arms becoming four MASSIVE armcannons while his torso becomes the main body of the vehicle.
Fefnir battletank, ONLINE!
As the AGWS approaches Leviathan's form, Albedo directs it to go down on one knee. It's not something the little mech likes doing, but it responds--with another grinding noise of overtaxed servos. Carefully, it reaches out with one hand. The forcefield flickers down, and it does a rough but serviceable job of scooping her up off the ocean floor. Then, only then, does it straighten, turning to face Ziggy's fighter craft. << Seen enough? >> comes the transmission.
Cody wasn't expecting the knee. He was expecting Phan to strike a bit lower or someting...but alas, as Cody rises, he meets the shot head on, followed up by the palm strike that rocks him back on his feet and sends him stumbling. A hand comes up instinctively to his chin, cradling it as he tries to recover. "Ugh....right, right. I guess I'l jus' have to make you try, won't I?" he counters back, before he drives forward, feinting a kick to Phan's side, before he slips in 2 quick jabs with his left, followed by a hard right hook where his foot should have hit. That is, if the Phantom proves to be just as leadfooted as before.
Cody strikes Phantom with his Fake-out Combo attack.
Zero splashes against the water, and sinks, a cloud of mechfuid marking his resting place.
Polar Kamrous does a dance in place at the open door, looking very pleased with herself. Ice claws snag on the door, pulling it shut again with a definitive CLANG. "There. Stupid Mavericks." Gades and Keen are peeeered at. Hm. Fighting fleshies isn't in her job description! "Lady Levi will be happy now," she informs them pointedly, eyes narrowing. "If you make her unhappy I will crrrrush you."
A step? Woah, this guy must be packing serious heat. Fortunately, steps can be easy to dodge, and Keen is quick enough to do just that, but the seismic rumble from the footstep isn't as easily handled. It causes him to tumble backward, right onto the patch of piping hot molten floor that the Sinistral's energy ball hit earlier.
The boy winces as he rolls quickly out of the hot patch, then quickly pulls out his yo-yo and attempts to wrap up his enemy's foot with the toy. But the yo-yo itself won't do the damage if it hit. No, the button on Keen's end of the string will. When pressed, it causes the toy to surge with electricity! My, the ability to invent your own weapons is handy.
Commander Keen misses Gades with his electrical surge (Yes, from a yo-yo) attack.
Destin Faroda hmmms. "That's interesting." He looks the big old honkin' tank over. But he's overly unphased on the whole. He starts to cast another spell, holding his off hand in front of his face, then he points it forwards at the Feftank. "Ice Cloud!" Blades of ice and snow slash out all over the area, encompassing Destin, the Tank, and several drones that are too close to the fight.
Destin Faroda strikes Fefnir with his Ice Cloud Spell attack.
Phantom raises a defense against the initial kick, still with that incredibly bored 'you're not worth my time'-look. That fades when he gets hit with the actual attack, however. Wait a second, that actually /hurt/! That always works for a wake-up call, and Phantom now looks quite unamused. "Why you miserable little..." Not finishing that sentence, he instead settles for reaching for Cody's throat. Should he manage to grab hold, it's soon followed up with a toss towards the metal mini-weapons storage facility.
Phantom misses Cody with his Well, You've Been Hitting Metal The Entire Battle Anyway attack.
Ziggy pauses as Albedo's message goes through, though it seems his disposition doesn't change. <<It would have been foolish to let you out of my sights, with other Palace forces nearby. However if you are planning on escaping with that individual I will not stop you.>> Zig is aware of her identity and is also aware that Zero had spared her life earlier. So he'll let Albedo retreat with her if that is her intention. <<However I am ignoring the warnings of my safety protocols in my system by letting you go. If you make one violent move against any of the Palace forces I will open fire.>>
Fefnir chills...literally, stuck in ice and cold and some of those little ice shards even pierce him. The wheels spin a little before he starts moving forward, every gun focused on Destin before a torrent of FIRE goes his way, one gun was bad enough but with four, it's impressive even if it's not effective.
Fefnir strikes Destin Faroda with his Quad Flamethrowers: Torrent of fire attack.
Thankfully, Cody's quicker than his human form might suggest. The benefits of being a street fighter, ya know. As soon as Phantom reaches for his throat, he slaps away the hand, trying to snag it by the wrist once it's no threat to his well being and hold it out long enough for him to bring down his elbow onto Phantom's elbow and hyperextend...something. As for hitting metal...well, Cody's got a punch that can break through super-thick concrete. He can take slamming down on metal.
Cody strikes Phantom with his weak Making Things Bend The Wrong Way attack.
Unfortunatly for Keen, Gades is maybe big, but he is also somewhat faster than his look would make you think. Before the yo-yo manage to warp around the giant's foot, he lift it up and back away, laughing loud. "Haaaahaha! Your pathetic toys are no match to my powers, little one!" He lend an hand to his side, summoning...one WICKED blade. Big. Large. EXTREMLY large. But if you compare it to his size, it's not THAT big.
"Allow me to show a few weapons of my own."
But for someone that is far to be as tall than the mighty sinistral, that thing is just (*?$"/ing HUGE!
Oh, and, the Kamrous merly get a short lived glare from Gades. More a warning glare.
Oh. Yes. He DO bring down his weapon. Like a mace.
Gades misses Commander Keen with his Giant Sword: This Thing Can Double As One Heck Of A Golf Club, Ask Cody attack.
<< That's more than I gave you credit for, >> Albedo retorts wryly. << Don't -worry-. As long as the Palace doesn't interfere with my goals, I'll leave it be. >> Another blip catches on Albedo's radar, this one clearly registering as an enemy. << One of your friends is in the water. Go get him. >> The VX-10000 crouches, before springing upward, thrusters activating. The ion-laden steam produced by this is going to play hell with the armor, but that can be repaired later. In short order, the AGWS bursts from the waves again, in a massive cloud of steam and spray of salt water. << Until next time, cyborg. >> With those words, the machine darts skyward. Where to? Well, there had to be a transmit generator around here somewhere--likely the Song of Nephilim itself. Whatever the retrovirus was up to--he wasn't going to reveal it now.
Ziggy doesn't reply as Albedo takes off. He just watches for a moment as the AGWS rockets to the surface, then turns his eyes to his own radar, and begins moving towards Zero's location. With one final obstacle of how to get Zero onboard, Ziggy decides to use the ship's limited tractor beam to hold Zero's form until they reach the surface, where he can open the hatch and place Zero in the co-pilot's seat.
Although a faint crunch can be heard somewhere in Phantom's arm, the reploid doesn't seem to be bothered much by this, emitting only a grunt. Before disappearing right out of Cody's grip, he's annoying like that. When he re-appears, it's at somewhat of a distance in front of Cody, flexing that arm a bit. "Okay, I don't feel like being nice anymore. I gave fair warning." Now it's time to bring the weapons out. A giant shuriken unfolds itself in Phantom's hand, which is then sent sailing in Cody's direction.
Phantom misses Cody with his Shu-Ri-Ken! attack.
Destin Faroda block, block, block, OMGFIREBALLSWHEE! Destin burns a bit, but comes through the blaze largely in good condition. He raises the sword high above his head, and is about to mimic the move that Fefnir tried earlier. The sword SLAMS into the ground, and a small column of light bursts out of the ground in front of Destin. And then as that one fades, another just like it bursts up next to it, closer to Fefnir. Then another. And another, and another and...well, you get the idea. Each light column lasts for about half a moment and goes off rapid fire. And of course the explosion of light if it connects with the tank properly.
Harpuia strikes Cody with his trivial omg! attack.
Destin Faroda strikes Fefnir with his Iainuki! smash attack.
Darn it! Keen is engaged in combat now, and he let Zero get crushed and pitched out the door! Gah... well, not much can be done about that now. He doesn't give the polar bear any regards either, since he's already got his hands full.
While doing his best to shrug off the pain from the heat he's been taking (literally), Keen retreats back to the supply chamber. Maybe there's a way he can send more supplies to the base and give Gades a good smack all at once. If not, maybe he can lure Gades into the bay and have him destroy the remaining supplies there. Either way would be beneficial to the resistance.
The young commander dives inside, just missing the lethal sword as it slams down. He takes cover behind several boxes and fires back with his hyperpistol, which is set to "Fry to Delicate Brown". Let's see how this guy likes taking heat for a change!
Commander Keen strikes Gades with his Yeah yeah, I get it Sini. The stuff from your own game world is always better. attack.
Is an Iainuki the brother of a Tanooki? Wait, don't answer that, Fefnir's suffering far too much damage to even care right now as warnings just pop up on his internal optics, severe damage warning. "Get off our property!" he shouts as sparks begin to spew out of various parts of his tank body, and he just charges up for the mother of all blasts. A wave of pure flaming fury, a torrent of plasma, etc. etc.
Fefnir strikes Destin Faroda with his Charged up Quad Flamelaunchers makes for RAGE OF INFERNO smash attack.
Again with that blinking crap!! He's seen it before with that M.Bison guy and Dhalsim...it annoyed him then, and it annoys him now. Still, at least the reploid saves him the trouble of finding him by staying in the line of sight. He smirks as he sees Phant get serious, pulling out his giant shuriken. "Now this is more like it," he says, obviously liking where the fight's turned. Unfortunately, if Phant was counting on the weapon to turn the fight around, Cody isn't having that, the brawler jumping over the throwing star and heading right toward the Guardian. As he does so, a blue glow starts to form around his right fist. "My turn now," he says as he drops to the ground in front of Phant...before letting loose an uppercut that DOESN'T quite hit. Then again, maybe it's because that wave of blue chi coming from his fist is the real attack...
Cody strikes Phantom with his Point Blank To-ru-nei-do Su-ee-pu (Tornado Sweep) attack.
Destin Faroda is engulfed in flames...there's no way to block something like that. Destin sets his jaw and wades through the flames, even though the deluge itself threatens to sweep him backwards off his feet. Step after laborious step, he moves closer and closer to the tank that seems intent on burning him. He jumps upwards, bringing the blade down hard on one of the flamethrowers, hopefully trying to reduce the amount of firepower coming at him.
Destin Faroda strikes Fefnir with his *SHINK* attack.
Well, blow me down. Phantom indeed is blown away by that one, still not putting as much effort into this battle as he should be, it looks like. He's just a /human/, he isn't supposed to be able to do things like this! And yet, he still doesn't hit the ground, vanishing yet again moments before he does. This time he isn't making his new location so obvious, there's only a shadow from above, a fraction of a second before Phantom comes down for a sword slash.
The blasts coming from the little boy hit right home, slaming right in the giant's chest plate armor. A few manage to beat through the Zirconium armor, wich cause more anger than ever in Gades. This little human is starting to seriously tick him off! And when calm goes, the Sinistral of Destruction's self-restriction goes too.
"You cannot hide for long, Human! REAAAAARG!" Apparently not caring for collateral damage at all -- why should he? --, the great giant rush foward the supplies boxes the little clever commander is hiding befor, giving a powerfull swing at the boxes and other stuff, searching to hit the little pest.
Phantom strikes Cody with his No Witty Attack Name This Time, Since Those Keep Missing attack.
Gades strikes Commander Keen with his Destruction IS Good attack.
Fefnir grits his teeth and closes his optics as he feels alot of pain while his bottom left cannon just explodes, becoming unusable. "Oh, you're paying for that." says the Guardian, switching ordinance for the higher guns before backing away at high speed, targetting the sword-wielding human and firing two large balls of flak, the fragmentation projectiles exploding as they impact with the ground and scattering their payload.
Fefnir strikes Destin Faroda with his As Paine said: Luck is a lady, Code is a whore, and I add: You eat Flak attack.
Oooh, death from above. Nice move. It's enough to at least catch Cody off guard this time. The slash trails down his back, causing Cody to wince at the sting of the blade. "GAH!!" he utters, fumbling foward, before he spins around and tries to drive the back of his fist behind him, hopefully teaching Phant that even if he can't guard his back, he can still get back at anyone behind him.
Cody strikes Phantom with his Backspin Backfist attack.
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