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Post by Uberwulf X on Sept 30, 2022 0:30:19 GMT
"Hngh!" Fast as he was, he wasn't prepared to dodge lightning, and was thrown back. Teeth grit, he narrowed his eyes at Demandred.
"Metzli, focus the chaff!" Despite having been blown back, he was still much closer than before, so stepped up for another strike, this one a straight stab to the shoulder.
Metzli nodded and rushed forward, skirting around Demandred to skid, and pounce high onto the Buzzbomber that Mei was focusing, in an attempt to take it out of the sky.
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Post by Kyt on Sept 30, 2022 20:06:17 GMT
Yuki gaped for a moment at the sudden laser, taking a step back even though it was nowhere near her. They couldn't afford any distraction though, as the Buzzbombers flew out.
<Why can't things ever be easy...> She muttered, unknowingly echoing Aidan as she turned to the side. Laying her right arm out as a platform, she drew her left hand back from it, creating a frosted arrow that then launched at the Buzzbomber behind the one Mei and Metzli were attacking.
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Post by Aidan on Oct 2, 2022 20:27:09 GMT
Demandred turned toward Damien and brought his left arm over his shoulder, as though reaching for something. He spun away, drawing his hand around in an arc, and ice spread across the ground between them, erupting into a wall of spikes as Demandred started forward, drawing his sidearm from his hip holster.
“If only I had known it was so easy,” he murmured, bringing the gun up to fire upon Yuki.
Mei emerged from the shadows and leapt at the buzzbomber that had emerged near Grenadine. It turned to face her, red eye gleaming, but Mei landed just as its pulse lasers fired, drawing twin streaks of blackened metal along the wall of the chamber. As it drifted backward, her tail wrapping around its waist for security as she clawed at its armor playing, Metzli pounced on it from behind, grabbing hold of the twin turbines holding it up to drag the machine down toward the ground under the weight of two mobians.
As the two girls dragged that first buzzbomber to the ground, the machine’s companion rose and turned its single red eye upon, then opened fire with its pulse cannons, targeting a sweep across mobians and machine alike. The buzzbombers light armor would be enough to protect it from the stinging fire of its fellow, so long as the fire wasn’t sustained. Soft mobians would be another matter.
On the other side of the chamber, Elyas’ side arm - a conventional laser pistol - scored black hits on the gray buzzbomber’s armor, but the machine did not appear bothered by the light arms fire. Its pulse canons whirred and fired upon the porcupine as Elyas scrambled for cover.
As the other buzzbomber on the right side of the room maneuvered for position, it turned its guns toward Aidan only to quickly dodge to the size as Resonance’s Light Blades flashed through where it had just been. Changing targets, its pulse lasers spun up to return fire at Resonance.
The Big Eye, meanwhile, had focused on Kapp and, its red lens growing brightly, blasted a line of energy from Kapp toward Resonance.
Elyas dove toward one of the corner consoles, the air around him flickering with blue light whenever a pulse laser struck too close and triggered his Nocturnus shield generator. Glancing hits, he could handle, but the small device wouldn’t be able to handle direct, concentrated fire.
Speaking of - “Kapp, dive to your right! Resonance, back!”
Aidan caught Resonance’s meaning and flapped higher, catching sight of the bulldog and a closed hatch on the second floor gantry. Twisting in the air, he dove down at the buzzbomber that began firing with Resonance, swinging his legs forward to slam his feet down on it from above, causing it to drop abruptly toward the gantry stairs, keeping Reson clear from its pulse fires.
“Observer on the gantry - It’s Ana’s henchman, the invulnerable one,” he said into the Raiders comm line. “I think Demandred is - Res, look out!”
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Post by Resonance on Oct 3, 2022 20:22:04 GMT
Between Buzz pulses and red energy beams, Res was in a tight spot. She shifted her weight as the Buzz turned its sights on her, getting ready to run to the side. Then she heard Elyas and Aidan shout at her and stepped outward to correct her footing and then leapt backward, following the direction Elyas indicated. For good measure, she threw up a quick Light shield to block the Buzz fire, narrowly dodging the energy beam as it cut across the floor at her. "%&*! that was close!"
As Mei and Metzli's weight took down the Buzz, Mei's claws sought for weaknesses in its armor, preferably around the head where she could sever its circuits quickly. When the second Buzz opened fire, she twisted and hung onto the side of the Buzz instead of crouching on its top, trying to put the Buzz between herself and the one shooting. "Metz, duck!"
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Post by Uberwulf X on Oct 4, 2022 16:15:34 GMT
Metzli had her mouth wide open, ready to bite onto the skull of the machine with her increased jaw power, but the warning and support fire made her simply drop down to the ground. The moment she had all fours down, she sprinted to, and pounced at, the second Buzzbomber. She had the presence of mind to not leap in its obvious line of sight, in between it and Yuki's arrow, as well as to make sure that when she disoriented it, the Buzz's turret wouldn't immediately sweep at Mei.
She did hear Aidan's words, but she couldn't look on high just yet.
"Just how many abilities do you have right now," Damien muttered as he turned his head to the source of the laser fire sweeping the arena, and deciding that it had to be taken down. He ran to the Big Eye, flying upwards only when he was directly under it, to sweep his hands across in a Venom slash that would tear it apart if there were any weaknesses in its seams.
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Post by Kyt on Oct 5, 2022 19:27:40 GMT
Yuki hated enclosed spaces. Too many people moving around, too much going on. All the lights and energies, most familiar, but....she frowned, ears perking up as she spotted ice forming up at the side of her vision. But....she didn't feel Kapp. She stepped back, trying to keep things in sight, and confirmed that Kapp hadn't used anything yet. But....Demandred....
She jerked back, alarmed, mind racing as she tried to process what didn't make sense, and being under fire as Demandred unexpectedly focused on her. A quick shout of a word as she jerked her hand up, raising her own sheet of ice in front of her as a barrier. A deflector.
There was a crack as ice shattered, and Yuki cried out in pain as she dropped to the floor.
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Post by Kokinyu on Oct 6, 2022 18:27:19 GMT
Kapp found himself immediately on the backfoot from his initial charging attack, dodging and twisting to avoid the worst of the retaliatory strikes. While moving he caught Demandred's quick reach and knew what was coming.
Was there really a double standard that drawing a gun on a kid would be any different from those same kids lobbing fireballs and lasers? Didn't matter, guy was still a scumbag to him.
Elyas called out, and with a swift jerk of the head he caught sight of the beam of light in time to take a short hop backward. As the dust settled and the ground smouldered, Kapp lunged one hand through the smoke. A ray of super-chilled air extended from his palm toward Demandred's back and the temperature in the air surrounding the wolf plummeted. "Keep the pressure on him, don't hold back!"
------
Things were moving fast, new combatants were in the fray. Grenadine looked about at the various mechanical menaces in the air and sucked her teeth. Not what she wanted to do- but many light-armored targets needed countermeasures. With a swift series of strokes, she drove a thin needle-like implement into the shoulder of her prosthetic.
Runes.
The sigils and lines of color along the arm glowed a pale blue as the chaos inherent was drawn from within and toward her fingertips, taking form as four white motes of spinning energy, no larger than a marble. Moving quickly, she darted away from Mei and Yuki and slung her hand forward to throw the motes toward these new foes. Like little bottle rockets they fired off with a tiny whistling shriek, each arching and twisting to briefly chase their targets. Two toward the one ahead of Mei, two more across the room near Aidan.
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Post by Kokinyu on Oct 6, 2022 18:52:50 GMT
Mike, seeing that he'd been seen, past a cold and impassive glance down at the fight, and the kids, below. He took a few steps backward, into the shadows. Soon they'd be up here and he'd have to deal with that too.
(Buzzbombers are now color coded for easy identification)
B.Bomber Red prepared to aim and take fire, plasma cannons firing up a pale blue. Alerts and digital squawks of warning sounded off briefly before the arrow of ice manifested and careened toward its midsection, piercing the light armor an inch deep before the ice crusted over its chassis. Knocked back, it sets its focus onto the caster- Yuki and opened fire. Only for its head to be struck not once, but twice more, from tiny missiles of energy. The buzzbomber spun in the air, smoking and sparking for several moments. It wasn't yet grounded, but it was clearly disoriented and calibrating.
Bomber Blue was currently being grappled, stabbed, and chewed by shadow beast and a larger cat. Its eyes flickered red as a series of warnings chirped, and as its chassis was torn and its internals exposed, it went into overdrive. Its thrusters revved up, threatening to lift Mei off of her feet while it began to lash out with its pincer-pronged face in an attempt to bite its way free. All the while the firing end- the plasma generator at the tip of its 'stinger'- was starting to glow hot as it pointed toward the ground.
Mei had a hot, angry potato on her hands.
Bomber Yellow was not dissuaded. As it was struck from above and forced hard into the catwalk below, it rebounded and re-calibrated, hovering in the air as it turned and spun. The room was a target rich environment. It darted away from the echidhog, maintaining roughly the same elevation- fifteen or so feet in the air. It took aim and prepared to unload a volley at Aidan, a clear threat...
Only for it to be struck by one of Grenadine's miniature force missiles. As it spun in place, it shifted to dodge the second mote of energy. For a moment, Aidan could see the Buzzbomber's eyes flicker a brief blue color, as did the one nearby in the corner of the room. Data received. Recalibrating.
Bomber Purple had gone largely unnoticed. From the shadows its plasma cannon lit up white hot as it swept its aim across the ground, peppering Resonance and Kapp. As it did, its movements shifted erratically up, left, right, and down. It hugged the wall and corner of the room.
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Post by Aidan on Oct 7, 2022 0:32:44 GMT
Damien flew up to the Big Eye, and as he swung his hand forward, the metal plates that had opened to reveal the Eye abruptly shifted back into place, the lines of Venom etching into the metal and breaking through the plating in time to reveal an intense red glow behind the metal.
Venom ripped the shielding apart and the Big Eye’s beam erupted outward, flinging the broken shielding in all directions as it attempted to blast Damien backwards into the far wall.
A wall of ice erupted into being between Demandred and Yuki, only for jagged cracks to radiate out from the hole where the bullet had punctured the magical barrier. Demandred spared only a moment before swinging his gun toward Resonance, only for the temperature around him to plummet dramatically.
“Hm.”
Rather than fire at Resonance, he turned and stalked across the floor, leaving the center of the battleground for a safer space. As he backed away from the fiercest of the fighting, the barrier he had summoned earlier melted to allow him to pass, while the air around him grew colder still, expanding out from him, frost spreading across the ground around him.
As he turned backed to the battle, he looked up at Damien, his eyes narrowing. “...I see… that is a potent power indeed… dangerous in the hands of children…”
His eyes flicked out toward Yuki and Grenadine. He raised his free hand and crooked his fingers as lines of angry red began to appear on the floor around them….
“Yuki’s down!” Elyas shouted. “Need a medic!” With a quick glance across the battlefield to ensure he was in the clear, Elyas began sprinting toward the girl, holstering his sidearm and swinging his rifle back into his hands. It was loaded with dampener rounds, and as he moved, he raised and took aim at Demandred through the growing fog of cold air, firing off shots to keep the wolf distracted.
Aidan sprang back from Yellow, and as he did, he brought his sword up and around. “No you don’t!” He growled, the blade flawing with light and sparking with electricity as he dove at the buzzbomber and swept his blade down, drawing an arc of spiritual electricity down into it from above as it attempted to reorient after Grenadine’s distraction.
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Post by Resonance on Oct 8, 2022 10:48:58 GMT
"Shit!" Reson cursed as she regained her bearings after the laser fire and heard Elyas shout. But Bomber Purple was making itself a nuisance and she couldn't let it go unchecked. As Elyas rushed for Yuki, she got between him and the Bomber to give him cover. She quickly manifested two circlets of Light around the shaft of her spear at opposite ends and launched it at the erratic Bomber.
"Oh no you don't," Mei said as the Blue Bomber revved its engines. She twisted around once more, unwinding her tail and hanging onto the Bomber by her hands as it began to lift. Using her gymnastics skill, she began to swing, like someone on a high bar, with the aim of messing with the Bomber's center of gravity enough to disorient it and disrupt its ability to fly.
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Post by Uberwulf X on Oct 9, 2022 22:37:07 GMT
A grunt of effort, and Damien slammed his hand into the Eye's surface, using it as leverage as he beat his wings and threw himself straight up with Celerity, ahead of the beam-- if only barely. His focus was on staying un-lasered, but once he was 'comfortably' ahead of it, he swung himself down in a way that the beam, in aiming for him, would attack the area Demandred was standing.
"Cut that crap out!"
"Crap!" Metzli wanted to leave Bomber Red to Mei so she could help Yuki, but Mei was already on the move. Growling, she snagged and lifted the Bomber above her head and, holding it by the neck, began to rapidly slam it into the ground like she was trying to incorrectly break open a piñata.
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Post by Kyt on Oct 10, 2022 8:19:48 GMT
"I-I'm fine!" Yuki's pained voice broke through the comms, lifting herself up as Elyas approached. "Demandred, he's-kuso, I think he copied magic!" She tried to quickly warn the others as she steadied herself, blood dripping down her shoulder.
There wasn't any time to recover, though, as lines started glowing around her. If this was what she thought it was, there was no room for finesse on this one. Another block of ice shot up right next to her, literally shoving her out the way as she tried to roll to the side.
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Post by Kokinyu on Oct 15, 2022 22:50:36 GMT
Grenadine's eyes went wide at the sharp cry, the shout, and the slumping motion as Yuki went down. It wasn't until Yuki spoke and began moving, launching herself free from Venom's effects, that Grenadine remembered to breathe.
He was copying magic.Magic. An idea formed in her mind as the forces of chaos creation and destruction went to war, threatening to paralyze her with variables. Numbers. Think. Venom- red lines telegraphed the power, a phantasmic force, short range but potent enough to tear cars and limbs like paper. They delay was the key- she had time to move, just barely. She leapt toward the front of the room and tumbled, turning about face upon landing.
She tore a canister from her hip and tossed it up and over toward Elyas. "Clotting agent- pack the wound, give her something to bite or sshe will break her teeth."
Grenadine steadied and collected herself closer to Metzli and Mei. With a clap of her palms, a thin and high pitched hum resonated from her position. Her wrists and hands crackled with a pale blue light while her eyes studied Demandred from the distance- ready for him to dare and use that ability again.
--------------
Kapp was balancing playing defensive and aggressive. Catching sight of white plasma fire in his periphery, he turned to hastily bring his forearms to bear the brunt of the attacks on him. Ping, twang, SMASH. He was sent reeling backwards, arms steaming as the shield-like bracers of ice were partially destroyed. This wasn't something he could sustain and so the snow leopard doubled back, taking cover near the ascension engine. "Shit- Shit-!"
While focusing on the big bad, he'd underestimated these mechanical pests. That was about to change- as soon as he got a second to think!
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Post by Kokinyu on Oct 15, 2022 23:34:57 GMT
Bomber Red was still calibrating when Metzli leapt into air, grasped it by its thorax, and with the enhanced speed and strength of her enormous altered form smashed it into the ground. As it calibrated and sought to fight against the tug of the giant teenager, it was smashed again. And again.
Pieces were shed with each additional crash into the ground, and eventually... its thrusters gave out, growing dim. Its eyes lit up blue for several moments before going dark.
(Bomber Red has left the Chat.)
Bomber Blue now had a rider. As it slowly levitated in the air trying for elevation, Mei's spinning and twirling was too chaotic to calibrate for. Its eyes briefly flashed blue as an alarm went off- The giant Jaguar woman was to be avoided. It tried to attempt evasive maneuvers, but Mei's movements made it somewhat impossible to steer- preventing it from getting very high, or getting very far. Robbing the bomber of its ability to aim or evade, Mei bought herself a moment to think.
Bomber Purple, armed with yet more combat data, continued on its defensive path. The first circlet of light energy missed the automaton while the second one struck its left stabilizer wing. It was already practically against the wall as it struck it, dropping several feet before revving its engine. As it stabilized, Its blaster lit up white hot. It took aim at Resonance, readying another volley. It was a clear shot toward her.
But it was also a clear shot from Resonance toward it. Would the Kidajin evade, or risk her and her friends in the imminent peppering of plasma bolts? She had only seconds to decide.
Bomber Yellow was a calibrated machine, highly specialized and taught by millions of algorithms. Years of war data had amalgamated into perfect fight and flight routines while the most sophisticated movement sensors gave it a superior aerial advantage compared to any living creature in the air.
Which is why, perhaps, it could not fathom that it should be 'surprised' when its systems locked up in the presence of an evolutionary ability that machines lacked. Lightning could be calibrated and worked with. Extreme heat, extreme cold, bludgeoning and piercing. There were rules for that. Spiritual energy had no rules. And as it was cut through in a jagged, un-clean and imperfect slash, its systems came back online in time for its exposed innards to light up- copper and exotic metals actually glowing as the rapid electronic vibrations overburdened its engines, actuators, and silicon thinking-bits into what was, effectively... a very expensive two part paperweight.
(Bomber Yellow has left the Chat.)
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Post by Aidan on Oct 17, 2022 23:36:59 GMT
Damien led the Eye down toward Demandred, avoiding his companions as he plunged through the icy mist serving as Demandred’s aura. His wings immediately began to ice over, the membranes numbing, but he was up and out before taking any damage. The Big Eye, however, had cut out before being drawn toward the master of Argus, and instead focused on a new target - Elyas and Yuki. With another building hum, it unleashed a new blast toward the wounded fox.
Demandred clenched his fist - and staggered backwards as the Dampener blasts from Elyas’ rifle struck him, piercing the veil of cold mist enveloping to pepper his flak vest with shots meant to disrupt rather than wound. The Venom attack faltered, lines of deadly energy dissipating as they raked harmlessly through the air where Yuki had been. Demandred ducked backwards futher as Damien dove passed, and the cold aura diminished considerably as he moved behind the Ascension Engine.
And found Kapp.
“You… I remember you.” He lifted his pistol toward Kapp, splitting his attention between the jaguar and his companions. “Did you think you would have better luck this time around…?” He punctuated his words by opening fire on the teenager, firing two shots in quick succession.
The entire ship shuddered, a terrible screeching sound emanating from outside of it as the ship sank further into the caldera of the volcano at the heart of Tolaria. Through the window below, the Raiders could see the distant lava slowly rising as the ship sank into a better position for whatever Demandred had planned.
Elyas dropped his rifle, letting it swing to his hip on the shoulder strap, and dropped into a baseball slide, coming up to Yuki in time to reach up and grab the canister Grenadine had thrown. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the Big Eye refocusing, then looked back to Yuki with a determined expression on his face.
“Hold still,” he said, the Eye lighting up behind him as he pulled the top of the container free and tossed it aside. The porcupine was positioned between Yuki and the glowing Eye. Leaning forward, he gingerly lifted Yuki’s shoulder, noting the blood streak on the floor. “Bullet went through - best outcome we could hope for.”
He pulled a thin-handled tactical flashlight from his belt and held it to her. “Bite down on this.” As she took it from him, he reached down, touched his belt buckle, and leaned forward to pack Yuki’s wound.
The Big Eye fired.
Red Eggtech met Blue Nocturnetech as Elyas the untouchable’s energy barrier activated, the clash of color and power swirling out behind him.
Aidan felt a surge of triumph as his bomber went down, but he didn’t linger on the success. Instead he flapped his wings, taking stock of the situation around him. The fight was shifting, but…
The room shook. The hull screeched. Resonance felt a surge of panic through their bond.
Clenching his jaw in frustration, Aidan turned away from the battle around the Engine and dove onto the gantry, landing about fifteen or so feet from the observant bulldog.
“Stand aside,” he said. “You don’t know what’s at risk here. You don’t know what she - what they - plan to do!”
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