sticksandbones | [closed] two white haired anime boys fight some bone boys

[ 9S is quick to pull up his holographic interface, scanning the area just as he's programmed to do. Enemy signals are much simpler to track even from great distances when they're machines or other androids, but the quaking itself is something he can pinpoint the origins of.

He uses that to point where his readings indicate with one hand, waving his screen away with the other. ]

It's coming from there.

[ His pod turns, facing that direction and ready to fire. ]

Is it?

The river seems to split open with a guttural roar. From the depths the writhing dead-yet-trapped cry for help as a six legged creature made of bones, briars and mud crawls forth, something glowing in it's chest. Notably, parts of the briars are displaying frost damage.

That something is actually very easy to see given that it is just a giant rib cage: A blue, ethereal fish tangled in thorned vines, one who's long since given up on escape.

Welcome the Guardian and it's... "predecessor". It's going to try and swipe you both into the water.

[Remember a day ago when i rolled the dice and now we're here anyway, hi,

It can have its attempt at throwing them both into the water, but Elsword is stalwart — he's going to block the hit with his sword and try to prevent both of them from going down, or at least, 9S from going down. No thanks.

Since he can't swing his sword while blocking, the creature is stopped from that, but don't worry because :) Elsword can just summon more swords :) which are going to rain down from the sky on the enemy.]

[ It would go to figure that while Elsword is worried about 9S, 9S is far more worried about Elsword. And the distraction is all that's necessary for something to latch onto his ankle and yank him down with scarcely more than a startled yelp.

The mud immediately presents a problem in terms of visibility, but 9S flings a hand in the direction he can detect the enemy in and his lance launches in that direction even as his pod tries to fish him back out. It is capable of doing such things, but in this situation...who's to say? ]

The pod will have a struggle, getting 9S back- the briars and sea grass within the river twist and wrap themselves around the android, trying to pull him further in.

Meanwhile, the beast howls in pain, shaking the trees with it's volume, as it twists around and tries to swat the swords away. With a spiteful glare, it whips back to strike at Elsword again.

The blue fish does nothing from it's cage.

Nines!

[Dammit that's the outcome he didn't want, but Elsword's on the defensive — he can't stop to fish 9S out, so Pod will have to do it. Momentary distraction is what gets him struck in the arm by the creature's lashing, but he holds steady. It's his job to take hits.

With a grunt, he shoves forward, trying to force the creature to back up as he's also blocking other hits. It's with that in mind that a spell forms on his lips, and from over his shoulder, several more golden blades shoot out and try to skewer the thing. Mostly, they wind up embedded in trees nearby, dissipating after a few short seconds of contact.]

[ Contrary to what might be sensible— might be efficient YoRHa need to breathe. 9S hears the murky sound of his old nickname from somewhere overhead as his pod attempts to free him, and he claws away at the vegetation wrapping its way around his body.

It's bad. He knows he won't last long if he doesn't get air. How ironic that his body uses water to fuel itself, but this muddy, cloying mess he can't even see through is too much. It'll gum up his systems if he takes in too much.

Before his arm is too constricted to move, he reaches toward the creature's form somewhere above and casts out a signal, attempting again to use hacking. It had failed with Buckethead, but he has to try. He has to try, because...

...Because there's only one other thing he can do, if he can't get free. ]

The beast snarls as a few blades do manage to hit it, rearing back to try and swipe them away. It's focus is broken enough that 9S may be able to escape the water if he's fast, but he'd better hurry.

With fury, the beast tries to bring a sharpened, bone fist down upon Eslword.

9S's signal connects. He may wish it hadn't- a cacophony of screaming, pained voices all while a vicious snarl echoes out it's hunger and wrath. How dare you come here. How dare you leave. It's hungry. It's hungry it's hungry it's hungry it's hungry it's hungry DIE.

Edited 2023-07-20 02:17 (UTC)

[Shit, that blow is heavy. He manages to block it just in time ~~because I rolled an 18~~, but the force pushes him down into the mud. It's not enough time for him to get his feet free to try and save 9S, and maybe 9S can save himself. Elsword does some quick mental math, determines that the best course of action is likely to keep wailing on it, to not let its attention divert.]

Dammit...! Just— go away already!

[The moment Elsword's sword is free, he grips the hilt with both hands and slams the beast with a downward slash. He's attempting to sever an arm, please no more punching him.]

[ Unfortunately, it isn't the first time that 9S has encountered a mind too broken for him to do anything with. It's all mad ranting and nothing useful underneath, nothing coherent enough for him to hijack and manipulate. It is, somehow, too close to organic for him to even seize power over a limb.

His NFCS becomes hazy and static as he thrashes against the restricting plant matter wrapped around him. Luckily for him, it seems desperation is enough at least for him to struggle his way to air, and then he's latching onto the creature's ribcage in an attempt to stay out of the water as he hacks up the excess from his waterlogged systems.

It lands him a nice, close view of that glowing blue fish inside this monstrosity, amidst the flicker and fuzz of his NFCS. Perhaps it's just the damage to his interfacing systems, but... That creature makes him think of an energy source and it doesn't appear to be possessed of the same crazed, broken mind as the skeletal beast it's contained in. ]

Is it...using that...as a core? [ He's reminded, if only vaguely, of that large machine obsessed with beauty, festooning its hulking form with the corpses of so many androids, trapped between life and death, forced to amplify its intrusive song. ] Elsword, the blue thing— something's off about it—

[ It's all he manages as he tries to hold on, waving his pod away to fire at skeletal limbs. He's no Battler unit, not meant for close combat, but he tests his own theory by prying at the enemy's ribs. If nothing else, he is nearly three hundred pounds of motivated metal and synthetic materials.

And a black box made of the same unearthly components as a machine's core, but he won't own up to that. ]

[closed] two white haired anime boys fight some bone boys

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roll:18

roll: 2(B)

Re: roll: 2(B)

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