NPF Avatars 5 - Capitalism Has Made It This Way

[PyrosNine]

Asheth sighed. "I dunno. I always find it a pleasure finding some wannabe starlet willing to do a duet with mwa, as long as I get more spotlight, more onstage presence, and my accompaniment (in this case, you) has to be as little seen as possible. If you want, I have this deary lil box to cover you with. Don't worry darlin, I poked holes in it and everything!"

Asheth held up a tiny box that said "No place to hide" on the side, and previously held watermelons. It could only hold a person if that person was willing to bend in half on their knees.

[Fenris]

Fenris brought the hammer down onto the receptionist's skull, ending her.

Irium began to float around the battlefield, cleaning up after the carnage, and killing the occasional survivor.

Fenris held back a sniffle. "They grow up so fast..."

[TheBlindMime]

A group of fembots who stepped in line with each other each snapped their fingers to a single synthesized chord. They walked down a hallway doing their best to look intimidating in their eighties garb as the beat of the song playing over them ramped up in tempo.

From the other end of the hallway stood a group of Ro-ladies also dressed in eighties crap. As they met their rivals in the hallway TBM the founder of the Ro-ladies group was nowhere to be found. He was sulking in his room, in a white shirt with a piano drawn upon it and a pair of black slacks, also he was Michael Jackson (the black one). He was too busy singing about the choices of being a macho man or being bad and what not and far to busy to be there for the initial encounter.

However when he did arrive after taking the time out of his day to dance in an empty pool hall and diner and changing into a new shirt and adding a pretty snazy red leather jacket he showed up just in time to interrupt the knife fight between the two opposing leaders. They then danced fiercely for peace.

Later when the dance was over the two rival groups destroyed each other, TBMichael Jackson (still the black pre-icky things one) danced atop their broken bodies to 'Billie Jean' all the while the floor lit up causing the eerie shadows of fembot carnage to be etched along the otherwise empty hallway walls.

[Arhra]

Having gotten to where she needed to be, Arhra had decided her first order of business should be telling Kayessa about the some of the inhabitants of the NPF.

"We're standing on Rhiya." Arhra began, "She's a sort of succubus but can turn into this dragon, though she's normally smaller than this." Voice lowering, Arhra added something, "She seems to become a whole lot less intelligent the larger she gets."

"This is Inbred Chocobo." Arhra said, the topic of conversation having conveniently landed right in of them atop Rhiya's head. "He's half chocobo! Don't ask, don't tell. Inbred, this is Kayessa."

Arhra turned a little, looking for the impact point of her boulder, where Mesden's shielding dome had been, "That's Mesden there. She says she's some kind of soul goddess but I think she might just be a spirit with delusions of grandeur."

Arhra scanned the battle field, eyes fixing on the hard to miss giant Phoenixbot. "Over there is Phoenixbot." Arhra began, "There must be some shenanigans going on, since she's supposed to be human sized. She's a combat android built by Phoenix - you'll know her when you see her, she's virtually identical in appearance. I'll have to introduce you properly to Phoenixbot and Rei, seeing they're both robots too."

"Speaking of whom, that's Rei there." Arhra said, pointing out the corporate gynoid, "She works for Pedro O'Sullivan. That's Pyros next to her." she indicated Asheth, "He's, like, a fire god or something."

"Isn't that a woman?" Kayessa broke in.

"We... we don't talk about that." Changing the subject, Arhra pointed out Krylo, "There's Krylo, the original Mr Never Die." Finally, her indicating finger stabbed out at where lightning was striking from the heavens, "And that's Mauve over there in the pink dress. She's covering the arena story. I think that's about everyone here. Any questions?"

Kayessa paused for a moment. "Why are they fighting an army of battle-droids?"

"I honestly don't know." Arhra said, having missed the plot exposition. "I can only assume there is a very good reason for it. Say, would your big gun happen to have been recharged by any chance?"

"The Integrated Arsenal Cannon's ammunition is depleted." Kayessa replied, Arhra looking crestfallen. "However," the android went on, "My gun arm's five other weapon systems are fully operational."

She found herself in Arhra's crushing, affectionate embrace once again. "This really is the happiest day of my life!" Arhra exclaimed. It even outshone almost destroying the universe.

Regaining control of her joy, Arhra went on "Okay, you shoot that crab's weak point and I'll steer the dragon!" Arhra declared.

"How will I know the weak point?"

"It'll glow or periodically open or something! Just figure it out!" Arhra replied, twin strands of magic coiling between her hands. She flung them out one other after another, wrapping around a horn on both sides of Rhiya's head. Gripping one in each hand, Arhra let them slide through her grip, abseiling back part of the way back down the dragon's neck to get better leverage. Her intent was obvious. She was going to use them like reins.

Kayessa, on the other hand was faced with a conundrum. While atop the dragon's head was reasonably safe, her scan on the C.R.A.B for 'glowy or periodically opening' targets indicated such a point was located on the underside of the crab. Further analysis indicated it appeared to be a flawed maintenance panel, allowing access to critical system components. Arhra had been right.

The conundrum was this: Rhiya was trying to chew on the C.R.A.B.. Kayessa was on top of Rhiya. The weak point was on the C.R.A.B.'s underside.

Fortunately, robots are good at problem solving. She jumped, skidding down Rhiya's side just as the C.R.A.B. reared up and fired its boosters, attempting to knock Rhiya back. Kayessa hit the ground running, circling around to Rhiya' front to get a proper shot at the C.R.A.B.'s exposed belly. The guard robot were sending out a punishing volley at anyone in front, especially Rei and Asheth.

Kayessa raised her arm, gun reconfiguring as she did, and fired. It lobbed a tight cluster of small, bluish-purple energy orbs right at them. The projectiles exploding on contact, releasing kinetic pulses that violently pushed anything caught within their area of effect out of the way. While getting knocked around would do little to no damage to the robots, it would get them out of the way. Skidding past, Kayessa's weapon arm shifted modes again, a small missile firing out of the short barrel, aimed squarely for the orange glowing weak point.

OOC: While I have yet to finalise those five weapon modes, the kinetic beam and missiles are definite ins. There's also a grapple beam and two others that are still being picked, though one will probably be a default gun and the other might be protective in nature.

[Rhiya Ravenwing]

With a mighty crash that shook half the gigantic stadium, Rhiya struck the stands at full force, still gripping onto the crab with her teeth and various appendages.

The impact carved a deep gash through the side of the arena and demolished a good section of the rooms and various equipment just located within. Bullet-proof glass shattered and showered the surroundings with deadly glittering shards. Stadium seats went flying, twisted metal whipped across the floor.

Rhiya roared in pain as the two massive giants crashed to a stop, her grip on C.R.A.B. loosening only momentarily. Not so easy to give up on her prize, Rhiya's tail whipped around and...

Scraped to a halt as the walls prevented any buildup of momentum to do any serious damage. Rhiya's tail only served to create a tiny little dent in the machine's carapace.

Rhiya wasn't looking happy either. Having copped the full brunt of the force of a building thrown at her (essentially that, while the technical case is her being thrown at a building.) Rhiya's back was cracked, chaos ichor oozing out and flying everywhere as C.R.A.B. tried futilely to shake Rhiya off.

In a fit of fury and pain, Rhiya, claws sinking deep into the carapace to keep purchase on her prize, turned around so that she was facing close towards the rear end of the machine where the thrusters were located, before whipping her head down towards the swiveling propellers and grabbing a hold of one.

With a growl of anger, the injured dragon tore off the thruster from its base, draconic face pelted and peppered by small rockets, lasers, and the occasional zap of freeze rays were all ignored.

[Red Mage Black]

Black was waiting for his dramatic moment to strike but it appeared it was already. "Damn, always taking away my fun." He kicked up a fembot head and started juggling it with his foot. Much like a soccer ball he kept it in one place. At the right moment he kicked it high, flipped backwards, and kicked it into another fembot who exploded on contact. Black lifted his hands and shouted.

"GOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"

[Inbred Chocobo]

"Yo" IC replied as Arhra point him out, but IC was already making to get to the Crab, he was ready for battle again. IC gripped the big sword in one hand, preparing to go underside of the crab. He has to admit, he likes this big ole' blade, makes a good bruising weapon to swing around. But now was not the time to reminise on things such as weapons.

IC got off of Rhiya, and onto the crab. Now, you do have to remember IC is getting off way before the crab slammed into Rhiya. It might have been even before Arhra, but IC wasn't paying attention, so who cared. Instead, IC waited on top for the right moment to make his move. When Rhiya started to tear the thrusters, that seemed like the perfect time to go under.

IC appeared out of no where, and when the guards of the panel turned their firepower upon IC, incredibly IC just held his sword out in front of him, and started deflecting most of the bullets. Then one launched a rocket at IC, you know, blow him away. IC snatched the rocket out of mid-air, and threw it back them. He didn't want it anyway.

[POS Industries]

Properly distracted by Rhiya's assualt, the CRAB failed to notice IC and Kayessa making their toward the maintenance access panel on the underside of the monster, and IC's destruction of the robotroopers guarding it cleared a perfect path for Kayessa's shot, which struck the panel, punching several small holes in it from which cracks began forming across its now bright red surface.

Another electrical feedback tore through the CRAB, but this time it stored up the excess energy before releasing it in a massive explosion upon the surrounding area and anything that happened to be within approximately fifteen meters.

As the dust settled, the robotroopers began swarming the underside of the CRAB as it got back to its feet, defending the weakpoint and barraging everything around it with constant weaponsfire. The CRAB itself was quite visibly damaged, shaking uncontrollably as it once again began firing on the NPFers.

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"I hear someone is trying to steal my dramatic entrances."

"My dear, I must say I cannot recall where I acquired my entrance," Pedro chuckled moving to rejoin the NPFers, "Though it's possible it may have simply fallen off the back of a truck." Swiftly walking past the group toward the most reasonable exit, he addressed the others, "They're having some trouble up at the stadium, and I can't say I know what they're current status is. Come along, Hobo and, er.... Hobo's friends."

[PhoenixFlame]

"Perhaps I owned the truck?" Phoenix giggled, "Well, fortunately..." she pointed outside toward the spa, and the still-persisting blue square of a portal. "It seems I never instructed Raven to close the hyperspace gate."

She shrugged, "Those of you who have the stomach for being atomized and launched through subspace in an atmospheric enviroment, only to be reconstructed on the other side in a poorly documented and purely experimental manner, far beyond the length of time tactical gates remain stable..." approaching the portal.

"Then come on down!" and with that, stepped through, falling into the remains of Pedro's box back at the stadium.

The blue square crackled and phased slightly, as if daring anyone else to have the courage to try.

[mauve]

"Still no word from authorites on just what exactly is going on here today," Mauve reported, managing to retain her professional journalist look while simultaneously building up some kind of magical spell between her open palms. Her hands faced each other, fingertips almost touching as they encircled the small orb of purple-black energy.

She turned the majority of her attention to the spell now, eyeing the glowing globe as it grew from the size of a walnut to the size of a baseball. Her hands were now about a foot apart from each other. Slowly she let her left hand fall to her side and angled the right hand upwards, as if she were holding something in her palm. The glowing orb settled amiably into her hand.

"Contestants and spectators alike are all asking the same question," Mauve continued, her gaze darting back to the camera. "That question being 'Why is POS Industries under attack? Why is Doukhobor Labs doing this?'"

"Nuh uh. That's not the question I'M asking!" interrupted a random spectator.

"This just in: That guy is an idiot and he doesn't count!" Mauve said, nodding to the spectator.

She spun and hurled the glowing orb with all her strength at the army of robotroopers, aiming for a group that wasn't in close proximity to any other NPFers. Or at least any that couldn't regenerate any skin they lost in the process. The spell continued to grow, reaching the size of a basketball by the time it impacted with the ground at the robots' feet. The effect was like a match hitting gasoline. As soon as the spell touched the marble-like substance that made up the arena floor, it exploded into a massive burst of purple-white flames.

"This just in," Mauve said, returning her attention to the camera. "I'm awesome."