It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by Lock Cade » Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:00 pm

No rush. Take your time writing.

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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by Hylian Pirate » Wed Aug 04, 2010 8:58 pm

Oh, hi! It seems I got my soul back from Dragon Quest (...and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift...) for a while. Writing can be a funny thing. I sat down and opened up WordPad, not really feeling it, but after a few sentences, it just seemed to flow. Who knows what's up with that. Maybe I should dedicate some time to it every other week or so. A light push seems to do it wonders. Did the kick start turn out OK? Well, one is one's own worst critic, so I'll leave it up for you to decide!

Oh, and just so no one gets the wrong idea and thinks I'm claiming any lyrics of my own, please go here and set yourself straight. Just... try to imagine a female voice...?

***Eukrante: Songbird of Prey***

She checks the time. In twenty minutes, she and Baby Razz will hit the stage and teach a new audience the meaning of rock. She takes a moment to fondly remember the day Razz came to her... She chose to live out in society among the humans and out of the confines of the World Castle. The issue with this is that one cannot simply "just be" amongst the humans. One must fit oneself into human society as one of them. That means working amongst them. And frankly, she never could find any of the accepted occupations interesting...

First, she tried normal jobs. The restaurant industry didn't quite work out. She had a strong tendency to throw any rudeness or attitude given to her right back at the sender, be it customer or manager, and she had no affinity for cooking. Then, she tried retail, but her lack of customer service-centric thinking again spelled her downfall. After that, she tried something more interesting. Given her love of the water, she tried to become a professional surfer. However, as fate would have it, despite her grace over the water when donned with the Siren armor, the surf board simply refused to take to her. Finally, she settled in with her sister and ran a lifeguard shift alongside her at her pool. This bored the girl to death, but her sister always welcomed her with open arms... and looked the other way whenever any disagreements arose.

"What's the matter, Eukrante?," Ianeira asked her one night after work. Ianeira saw the discontented look on her sister's face.
"Ah, it's nothin', Ia," Eukrante replied. Her red eyes seemed to look straight through her locker, as if there were some unattainable Holy Grail beyond the walls.
"Don't tell me such a thing with that face," Ianeira reprimanded her, "I could tell that you're feeling troubled even if I wasn't your sister." Ianeira closed Eukrante's locker and looked into her eyes.
"I just-," Eukrante began.
"-feel tied down? Bored? Like you don't want to keep up this facade but you don't want to live in the Castle either?"
"... Yeah... that..." Eukrante awkwardly breaks Ianeira's gaze.
"Come on, Eukrante," Ianeira reasons with her, "it can't always be war and excitement. There has to be something else that makes you happy."
"I'm a Siren, Ia; the only other thing that makes me happy is singing! And that's not something you get paid for unless you make it big! And you know what the odds of that are?!"
"Slim to nil?"
"Slim to nil!," Eukrante continued her rant, though Ianeira had already heard it many times before. "I mean, you need connections, an agent, someone who gives a damn about you over all the other great singers out there and ARGH!" As always, this particular rant ended with a cry of frustration.
"So, let's go sing!"
"What? Karaoke? Down at the bar?"
"Why not?" Ianeira put on a broad smile for her sister. She knew this would make her happy, if only for tonight.
"Yeah... yeah, why not?," Eukrante agreed with her.

The two finish closing the pool for the night and set off toward the local bar. The place was a hole in the wall joint, but a local couple with an enthusiasm for karaoke donated their time and equipment twice a week to run sessions. When they first started this, both Eukrante and Ianeira reacted excitedly and became regulars. Usually the event would draw in a crowd, but that night was slower than usual.

"Hey, Earl!," Eukrante greeted the bartender when she entered, "Where is everybody tonight?"
"Well! If it isn't the Songstress Sisters themselves! Erin, Irene, welcome!," Earl greeted them warmly, as always, and with good reason. Some of the regulars on karaoke night came specifically to hear one, the other, or both of them sing. "'Fraid some folks'd rather go to a live show, Baby Razz is in town tonight, remember?"
"Oh! Isn't that her on TV?," Ianeira pointed to the news silently broadcasting on the screen behind the bar. Meanwhile, Eukrante went to put in her song request with the karaoke operator.
"Huh, so it is," Earl replied to Ianeira. He turned the sound up to listen to the special report.
"... -as fired her lead singer right on stage in mid-concert. Apparently all concert goers will receive a full refund and the tour will recommence as soon as Razz finds a new front man. When we tried to reach Baby Razz for comments, she flipped us the bird. More on that at eleven."
Eukrante sat at the bar with her sister. "So," she asked Earl and Ianeira, "what's up?"
"Well," Ianeira started, but was immediately cut off by a loud crash.

Someone just kicked the door to the bar open. That someone stood in the doorway, his or her small frame covered by a ratty hood and cloak. Strapped to its back was something wrapped in a light leather. "Hey!," Earl shouted at the intruder, "easy with that!"
"Can it, pops!" No one could mistake her deadpan voice. The figure that stood in the open doorway was none other than that of Baby Razz herself. She slammed the door behind her and moped up to the bar, where she removed her hood.
"Y-you're!," Earl stammered.
"Yeah, I know damn well who I am." Razz climbed onto the bar for all to see. "may I have your attention for just a moment," she called out to the small crowd, "Yes, I am Baby Razz, and yes, I am here in your little shithole bar, no, I am not in the mood to sign any goddamn autographs, and I will brutally maim anyone who even attempts to notify the press." She shot an icy glare into the crowd. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?" After hearing some general sounds of agreement, Razz turned her attention to Earl. "And you, get me a double shot of Jack, pronto."
"Er... right. Uh, b-but I'm afraid I'm gonna hafta see some ID, uh, Miss Razz..."
"ID? You want to see some ID?" Razz showed Earl the bottom of her boot, where "Baby Razz" was written backwards. "Here's my ID. If you don't get me a goddamn double shot of Jack right the fuck now, I'm gonna kick you in the forehead so the print reads right when you look in the mirror, got it?"
"Er, got it, double Jack comin' up. Uh... rocks or straight...?
"Ugh," Razz sighed as she climbed down into the bar stool beside Eukrante and Ianeira, "Give it to me straight." Earl made her drinks and quickly left to attend other customers.

"So, Bird, Fish Jugs, what brings you to this shithole on this lovely night," Razz finally greeted the sisters. Ianeira smiled maternally at Razz, but a vein visibly popped in her forehead at the mention of her nickname.
"We're just here for-," Eukrante started to explain.
"We're here for karaoke!," Ianeira interjected, and she moved in to pinch Razz's cheeks.
"Ow! Hey! GAH! What the hell?! Get off me, Fish Ju~mmf!"
Ianeira tightly embraced Razz, burying Razz's face in her chest. "Oh, Miss Razz," Ianeira cried, "whenever I see you on television my heart just goes out to you! Oh, to grow up without parental guidance! Just look at the delinquency it's caused!"
"Mmmph mmbl mff!," Razz protested, accompanied by a clear middle finger from her free hand.
"And," Ianeira lowered her voice and whispered into Razz's ear, "my name isn't 'Fish Jugs.'" She released Razz.
Razz gasped in a huge breath after being practically drowned in Ianeira's cleavage. "No," she shot back, "clearly, your name is Psycho Fish!"
"That's still not right, but preferable, I suppose," Ianeira smiled again, content with herself.
"God dammit," Razz grumbled, "Karaoke, eh? There any talent here?"
"It... could be worse," Eukrante replied, "why?"
"Heh, I guess news doesn't travel as fast as they say it does."
"No," Ianeira interrupted, "Eukrante just wasn't here when it came on the news."
"Oh, well, let me fill you in on the details," Razz downed one of her Jack Daniels before continuing, "Mike, my singer?, well, he decided to change the lineup with the rest of the band before confronting me. Naturally, the band knew better than to take any changes from anyone other than me, so he started singing the wrong song and, instead of listening to the band and catching up, he stops the show to throw a little hissy fit. So I kicked his ass out." She looked at her other shot and considered it.
"Wow... That's terrible...," Eukrante let the phrase hang there, not knowing what else she could possibly say. Then, the karaoke DJ called her up. "Oh! Sorry, I put in for a song! I'll be right back, OK?"
"Hey, Bird."
"What is it?"
"You've got some Bardsong ability, right?"
"Razz!," Ianeira hissed, "Hush!"
"Keep your shirt on, Psycho Fish; it's not like anyone can hear us. Well, Bird?"
"U-uh, y-yeah, I do," Eukrante answered her.
"Then put a little something in your voice for me, will ya?," she contemplated her shot again, "This spirit just doesn't seem to raise my spirit, you know?"
Eukrante nodded, "I'll belt it out for you, Razz!"
As Eukrante headed up to the mic, Razz leaned over to Ianeira and asked, "So what does Bird like to sing anyway? I mean, she's a Siren, right? So, does she sing pop or hip-hop or some shit?"
"Actually," Ianeira answered her,"I think you'll find Eukrante's music choice right up your alley..."

Eukrante took the mic, and the drum beat marked the start of the song. The screen showed the words, but Eukrante turned away from it and looked out toward the crowd of bar goers. This was her stage, and she promised Razz to give it her all. Razz, hearing the opening bars of the song, perked up and gave Eukrante her full attention. Eukrante smirked as the guitar riff brought her in.

"I can't stand it for another day
When you live so many miles away.
Nothing here is gonna make me stay,
You took me over let me find a way."

I sold my house
I sold my motor, too.
All I want is to be Next To You.
I'd rob a bank
Maybe steal a plane.
YOU TOOK ME OVER,
THINK I'M GOIN INSANE!

What can I do,
All I want is to be next to you.
What can I do,
All I want is to be next to you."


Razz wasted no time. She grabbed the thing she had on her back and unsheathed it. Her guitar glittered in the bar light. She pulled a cable out from the bag and threw it into an open jack in the sound system. "Don't stop!," she commanded Eukrante as she took up the guitar part of the song. Eukrante faltered for only a moment from her surprise at Razz's reaction, but picked up without missing a beat.

"I've had a thousand guys or maybe more,
But I've never felt like this before.
But I just don't know what's come over me,
YOU TOOK ME OVER, TAKE A LOOK AT ME!"

Razz, who made her way up to the stage, sang backup harmonies into Eukrante's mic for the chorus.

"What can I "do",
All I want is to be next to you.
What can I "do",
All I want is to be next to "you".

All I want is to be next to "you",
All I want is to be next to "you",
ALL I WANT IS TO BE NEXT TO YOU!"


Razz completely overrided the karaoke machine to solo for Eukrante.

"So many times I used to give a sign
Got this feeling, gonna lose my mind.
When all it is is just a love affair.
YOU TOOK ME OVER BABY TAKE ME THERE!"

Razz alternated with Eukrante:

"What can I do"
"All I want is to be next to you"
"What can I do"
"All I want is to be next to you"
"What can I do"
"All I want is to be next to you"
"What can I do"
"All I want is to be next to you."


"You there!," Razz yelled to the DJ, "put up another song for me an' the Bird!"
"B-but there are other people waiting to-"
"Fuck 'em! Tonight, we shall rock this shithole to the ground! Barkeep!"
"Gah!," Earl jumped in surprise.
"Everyone gets a free round! You will be compensated. And I thought I told you to keep the music coming!"

After a forty-five minute set, Razz and Eukrante left the small stage to as thunderous an applause as the small group could manage. "Bird, what are you doin' for work?," Razz asked her.
"Well, right now I-"
"Quit."
"I-I can't just-"
"Yes, you can, and you will. Shit, Bird! Have you ever listened to yourself?! Besides, I've already decided that you're coming with me. You, Bird. You're my new front."
"B-but what if Mike-"
"Fuck Mike! Mike's voice is shit covered in more shit compared to yours!"
"I-I can't just leave Ianeira though, I have a shift tomorrow morning..."
"Well, what say you, Psycho Fish?" Razz brought her stare to Ianeira, who stood behind them, listening.
"I can cover that one, Eukrante," she replied, "in fact, I've got a waiting list of applicants."
"I just don't know if...," Eukrante mumbled.
"Eukrante!," Ianeira scolded, "What is wrong with you?! Why would you ever try to get out of something like this?!"
"That's... a good question," Eukrante reasoned, "Are you sure you don't mind, Ia?"
"Of course not," Ianeira smiled warmly at her sister. After some parting words and an announcement to the bar, Eukrante left to join Razz's band.

That was five years ago.

Now, Eukrante makes her way to Razz's dressing room, her pink pigtails bouncing to her steps. On her way there, she hears a man cursing. "Hey!," she calls out, "What's the matter here?"
"Oh, shit!," comes the man's reply, followed by frantically scampering footsteps. Eukrante wonders what just happened.
She knocks on Razz's door. "Hey, Razz," she calls in, "we're on in ten, you set?"
"I'll be there soon, Bird," Razz answers, "just let me finish a few things up in here."
"Alright then, I'll see you on stage."

Razz makes her entrance on one side of the stage, with Eukrante coming in from the opposite side. The crowd thunders with applause. "Are you people ready to make some noise?!," Eukrante goads them. They respond with a resounding YEAH! Eukrante continues, "We've got a great show lined up for yo--"
"BIRD!," Razz cuts her off, "Quit yapping so we can play some FUCKING MUSIC!" The audience roars even louder at this, and the show starts.

After the concert, Eukrante asks Razz, "So who was that guy outside your dressing room?"
"Oh, you mean Daren? He's my newest fan."
"'Fan,' huh?"
"Yeah, 'fan.' You know, the kind of 'fan' I sick Bats on."
"Vespelio's going after him, eh?"
"She's good at what she does, I'm sure she's having a great time right now..."
"Ha! Oh, hey, hold on, I've got a call coming in." Eukrante's comm goes off as Fort Bragg calls to her.
"Eukrante, this is Bragg, do you read?"
"Loud and clear, Bragg," Eukrante answers her, "what's the good word?"
"The word is KO, and we need you to check it out."
"Oh?"
"Right, WaffeDolphin sent us an intelligence report concerning an uncharted artificial island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. She reports a huge underwater facility."
"Exciting."
"We want you to pick up Ianeira and rendezvous with Dolly at the following coordinates."
"Gotcha; coordinates received, sounds like a date. Thanks, Bragg. Eukrante out. Well," she addresses Razz, "it seems I'll be going on a cruise with Ianeira and Dolly."
"Like, a cruise with a full seafood bar, or a cruise with nuclear weapons?"
"Probably that second one."
"Ah, well, have fun then. We're taking a week off anyway. You know, so we can kick back and relax for a while. I'm sure this cruise will do you some good."
"Wow, Razz, you're a great boss, you know that?"
"I try, I try. Well, off with you, Bird. Tell Fish Jugs I said hello."

Eukrante takes the stairs to the roof of the building where she and Razz held their last show. She checks the corners and shadows for any unfortunate chance humans or overzealous fans. When she's sure no one else is around, she disengages her projector, revealing her violet and black body. She takes a second to absorb the scenery. The wind rustles her bangs as a full moon casts its light on her. Not a single cloud challenges the moon's light. Perfect, she thinks to herself, then, "Let's go Albatross!"

She spreads her arms wide as the sturdy chest armor embraces her. Tufts of metallic "feathers" sprout on her shoulders, and a violet visor with a single shining green gem affixes itself to her head. Then, one by one, the rest of her arsenal appears before her and configures itself into her familiar. The great bird looks at her with its glowing green visor as it offers its back to her. She grabs hold of the handles and tells it, "Alright, we're picking up Ianeira first, then we've all got a date with Dolly at the port, got it?" The silent metal creature nods and takes off into the night sky, setting Ianeira's energy signature as its flight beacon. I wonder, Eukrante thinks to herself as the bird makes its way to the Mermaid, what are we going to find when we get to the island...

***FIN***

Name: Eukrante
Type: Siren
Element: Electricity
Weapons: -Molpe's Talons: A double-sided weapon. On one side is the close-range namesake, a set of claws to extend Eukrante's melee range and ad some cutting damage. On the other side, a notch for Eukrante's elemental field allows her to fire off arrows of electricity. They're used more for paralyzing than dealing any real damage.
-Ligeia Blades: A pair of long swords. These blades are Eukrante's preference. The only style she prefers over them is unarmed combat.
-Persephone Spread: Eukrante's gun is actually a spread weapon, similar to a shotgun. The bottom barrel moves independently to increase the area of effect.
-Albatross Buster: All of Eukrante's weapons combine to form this beast. While its maximum output pales in comparison to some other BFG-style weapons, its recharge rate is considerably better, making the Albatross Buster more effective in regular combat than as a finisher like Arnval's Divine Judgment.
Type Abilities: -Siren Song: A support ability that lets her boost her allies' or even her own abilities. Offensively, her songs stun and daze opponents, setting them up for an open attack from Eukrante or one of her allies.
-Martial Artist: Because the Siren armor's Albatross configuration uses all of her weapons, Eukrante cannot summon any of her weapons unarmored. To make up for this, Eukrante has the highest unarmed proficiency of all the Royal Guard Shinki. She augments this by charging her feet and fists with electricity.
Bio: Always out for some kind of excitement, Eukrante couldn't stand living at the World Castle, so she took herself into human society... only to find that that was boring, too. She loves alien invasions and discoveries of new opposing magitech facilities, because she knows she'll be in for a good fight. When she's not beating down some unfortunate aggressor, she gets her kicks singing for Baby Razz. The Siren armor is agile, and quick in combat situations, but she'll be left in the dust of the other fliers in an all-out race. However, the Siren, especially in Albatross configuration, has the best flight endurance of the flying armors. Using minimal energy, Eukrante can theoretically stay airborne indefinitely. Like Ianeira, Eukrante is somewhat of a weapon specialist, and quick-changes her fighting style to keep opponents on their toes. The electric element adds a jolt to all of Eukrante's weapons, however, she doesn't get the same explosive results that other electricity wielders like Razz do. It does, however, grant her the same immunity to opposing electric attacks.

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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by halconfenix » Thu Aug 05, 2010 12:01 am

AWESOME!

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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by Lock Cade » Sun Aug 08, 2010 6:12 pm

What Halconfenix said... AWESOME!

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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by Ninth » Sat Aug 28, 2010 3:49 pm

I should have mentioned earlier, I find your passive-aggressive Ianeira hilarious.

Also... you've said that we'll eventually see repaints of the Busou Shinki as antagonists, but are "opposing magitech facilities" automatically cause for the girls to raise the DEFCON, or do they look for signs of belligerence before they actually move in? Could a guy get in trouble if he just wanted to mass-produce nurse robots for assisted living facilities?
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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by Hylian Pirate » Sun Aug 29, 2010 1:37 pm

Oh, hi! This one took me longer than usual. I'm not sure why, either. It's not even that long. I was stuck for a long time both in the middle and around the end, and it didn't come out exactly like I planned it, but I was determined to get the next short out before Metroid: Other M usurped my time... though, from what I hear, an experienced gamer might get 10 to 15 hours out of it... We'll see! Part of me wants to apologize in advance for the cliffhanger, but another part of me is twisted and cruel and hopes that some of you might pull your hair our wondering exactly what our adventuring party saw at the end of their little dive. }:>

Ah! Ninth! Yes, well, if a guy wanted to mass-produce some nurse bots, he would likely have his factory public and not hidden at the bottom of the ocean. Also, Cid, being the inventor of the Busou Shinki in this fiction, is quite protective over who uses the designs. (Also, Bright Feather is not a mass-produced unit.) If you feel the need to hide your facility, then you're probably doing something you're not supposed to, and you will get shut down. Both the Council of Mages and the World Castle have enemies, and those enemies see fit to fight magic with magic and android girls with android girls. So! without further adieu, here's:

(edit: spelling)

***WaffeDolphin: The Thing That Should not Be***

She gazes out over the black ocean. The moon's pale light accents her wet armor. Her face appears almost stark white against her black gear and hair. She grows bored, but her mind never wanders. This particular evening, duty calls. Earlier in the week, Pod 15 alerted her to a new island. She took it upon herself to personally examine this phenomenon, because she knows that islands typically do not appear over the course of a few months. However, when she arrived at the rendezvous point with the Pod, the "island" stood on the horizon before her dark eyes. She gave the Pod detailed instructions to gather data, and they returned with all the warning signs: boundary field preventing teleportation and outside communication, thermal readings too cold to be consideered life despite the appearance of a lush tropical forest, and the occasional discharge of magical energy in the form of unpredicted thunderstorms. And, perhaps most importantly of all, the island held no connection whatsoever with the ocean floor below.

So, she observed. At regular intervals, a ship would make birth at a seemingly natural port in a cliff facing. Coordinated with this, a submarine would travel between the surface and a point in the ocean floor. At the point on the ocean floor, the submarine disappeared. Later, it would reappear, just in time to meet the ship.

So, she infiltrated. As a military unit, her armor includes dampeners that mask her presence. The "tropical forest" soon gave way to a cold steel building. Not much happened within the building. Quarters stood for the security team, but other than that, it only served as a meet-up between the ship and the submarine. At each meet, the vessels' occupants would trade places, so that those coming from the ship would dive to the ocean floor, and those coming from below would continue on to shore. She analyzed the people coming and going. Mages, mostly, none of whom she knew. However, the magical output readings were unmistakable. Prophets, Spellblades, Necromancers, Summoners, Transformists, and most telling of all, Technomancers. All the necessary ingredients for making Fabricated Souls and, subsequently, Busou Shinkis.

So, she acted. The operation beneath the ocean floor is not sanctioned with either the World Queen or the Council of Mages, so it must be stopped. She and a Pod might be enough to do the job, but there's no telling what they may find once they get down there, so now she waits for backup. In the world of Busou Shinki, very few are capable of working in sub-aquatic conditions. And, even though she takes her mission more seriously, the two she waits for are just as skilled as she and have much more versatile equipment.

"Dolly!," a voice calls to her from above. She turns her gaze skyward to see a great white bird circling overhead. On the bird's back sit the two she awaits. She smirks to herself as Eukrante and Ianeira land. Finally, her mission can commence.

She reports her findings to the Siren and the Mermaid. "And that's the end of it," she concludes.
"Oh, my," Ianeira speaks up, "we could be in for some real trouble if you saw Technomancers. Are you sure?"
"Affirmative," Dolly confirms, "the magical energy signatures were crystal clear."
"Hmm," Eukrante ponders, "could you gauge their potency? I mean, even if we are dealing with magitech weaponry, it won't be a problem if we're just dealing with amateurs, right?"
"Negative: these people are certainly well-trained in Yellow Magic. They all have the skill necessary to manipulate Fabricated Souls, though I doubt the mages needed to conjure the souls were capable of creating sentient ones. However, given the combination of mages present, I'd bet my torpedoes that we'll see at least one non-Royal Guard Shinki down there."
"Heh, whether they're sane or not, eh," Eukrante speculates, "well, I'm game, when does the fun start?"
"First," Dolly begins, "we'll trail a ship out to the mock island. Eukrante, you and Ianeira will follow in the air on the Albatross while the Pod and I swim behind it. From there, Ianeira will follow the submarine to the ocean's floor, where she will find a way to keep the entry point open for the rest of us. Once we're inside, we'll set up a warp point for Eukrante."
"And then what?," Ianeira interjects, "we can't just start shooting up the place, can we?"
"Negative. We will first attempt to make proper arrests. However, if our targets react with deadly force...," Dolly trails off. She doesn't have to explain further.
"So," Ianeira speaks up again, "what do we do if we find these supposed Shinkis?"
"Again," Dolly repeats, "it all depends on their reaction."
"I guess my question should have been 'what do we do with them if we don't have to kill them?'"
"I... hadn't thought of that," Dolly admits, "but I suppose we'd bring them before the Queen and see what she says about it." Ianeira nods at this, satisfied with the answer.
"Hey!," Eukrante chimes in, "Where is the Pod anyway? I mean, I've never actually seen one before." Dolly smirks and snaps her fingers. Moments later, ten pairs of red circles dot the surface of the dark ocean as the pod of WaffeDolphins put their heads above water. "O-oh... I... guess I was expecting something a bit more... friendly? playful maybe?"
"We aren't dolphins," Dolly corrects her as she looks over the Pod with pride, "we're WaffeDolphins."
"R-right... so, do their faces look like yours under those masks?"
Dolly looks up in time to see the target ship leaving the port. She turns to face Eukrante as her own intimidating, red-eyed mask slides over her face. "Theirs aren't masks," she says shortly, "There's our ship, you two take off and don't be seen!"

Dolly dives into the blackness of the ocean as Eukrante and Ianeira board the Albatross. Pod 15 follows their leader as she kicks through the water, moving her legs in unison. Dolly leaves them instructions to continue following the vessel, while she swims ahead. She left this part out of her plan. The Mermaid and Siren would have wanted in on it, and while they have superior weapon and armor systems, Dolly sneaks much better than they, either wet or dry. She approaches the ship from below. Building speed, she leaps out of the water to cling to the emergency ladder hanging off the side. Just after she latches on, her armor fades to an outline, and disappears, leaving behind only a black wetsuit.

She hauls herself aboard and quickly makes for the shadows. She lurks the ship, looking for any sort of way to listen in on someone's conversation. Then, she comes upon an open window, and voices ring clear from within. "So," one says, "they want us to make Busou Shinki?"
"That's the gist of it," another replies, confirming Dolly's suspicions.
"But, don't they already have, like, four of them down there?," the first asks.
"Yeah, but they're all failures. None of 'em have the smarts to take commands."
"How'd they fuck that up?"
"Ya know how those bitches run on souls, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, the smart ones, like the ones in the Royal Guard, have human souls. So far, the ones they got down below have animal souls. Little animals, too. They'd make good pets, but not much more."
"So, like, dogs and shit?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"And, what? they can't teach the dogs?"
"'Sick 'em' is only a good command if the dog in question knows how to use what she's got. They could teach them to attack, but they don't understand their weapons or armor."
"Right... So what're they gonna do with those?"
"The same thing you do with any dog that can't serve its purpose: you put it down."
"Ha! Good one! Hey, don't they have something goin' on at another one of their labs?"
"Yeah. They figured out how to copy some of the designs. If they could just get the Fabricated Souls to work they'd be set. They need the Souls, 'cause it's not like the regular design has a place for any sort of A.I., you know?"
"Yeah, I get it... hey, how 'bout that hot Necromancer we've got on board?"
"Ohhh, she's smokin'. I'd like to put my--"
Dolly heads on, having collected her fill of information from this particular source. Also, because she feels no need to hear about what they might want to do with the "hot Necromancer."

She carefully circles the ship twice, but never finds any more opportunities. Finished, she dives overboard, the Dolphin armor retracing itself onto her as she breaks the surface of the ocean and takes her place in the ship's wake. Her Pod catches up to her shortly, and they dive when the ship gets close to the port on the false island. They come up on the other side, where the Albatross lands with Ianeira and Eukrante.

"I have new information," she reports to them.
"Huh?"
"New?," they both sound confused. "Dolly," Ianeira asks, "how did you get new information?"
"I infiltrated the ship en route and eavesdropped on a conversation."
"So," Eukrante wonders, "why didn't you just blow it up?"
"Because that would jeopardize our mission," Dolly snaps at her, "Anyway, we have a bit less than an hour before the submarine disembarks." She then relates the conversation to the sisters, who begin to ponder the possibilities.
"Animal souls," Ianeira thinks out loud, "in Shinki bodies...?"
"If they're animals, then maybe they have different rules for the soul conjuring," Eukrante joins her.
"Does that mean that both pairs are sister units? Do you think they have sister units?"
"Maybe, do you think they're all the same animal? Or are they different?"
"I wonder how the animal soul adapts to the human-like body?"
"Oh!," Eukrante comes to an epiphany, "If they're animal souls and they can't be trained, then they probably won't be hostile!"
"Or, at the very least not too dangerous," Ianeira agrees.
Dolly lets out an exasperated sigh. "Can we please focus on the mission?," she goads them, "We can present them to Cid after all is said and done. We'll leave the whys and hows to him."
"Oh, yes, of course."
"Er, yeah, sorry Dolly."

The saboteurs get into position. Dolly leads half of the Pod while Ianeira leads the other in a wide flank around the diving submarine while Eukrante waits on the island for her sisters to set up a warp. Down they dive, well away from the pale light of the moon. Ianeira has two WaffeDolphins swim beside her to keep her on track. Dolly, however, takes in the world with all the clarity of a brightly lit day. She fires off a hypersonic blast in all directions and it returns to her a full 3-D model of her surroundings. She knows her relative position to the sub, to her Pod, and to Ianeira. The Mermaid may be a mistress of the seas, but she can't echolocate unless the Delphinus is formed.

As they near the ocean's floor, a hole opens and lets light spill out, giving Ianeira something to aim for. "Ianeira," Dolly calls to her, "that's your cue!"
"Right!," Ianeira answers as she charges ahead. She closes in on the sub. As it passes through, the opening begins to disappear. Ianeira conjures her fully extended trident and jams the opening. It remains just wide enough for Dolly and the Pod to pass through single file. The tunnel dives lower before opening into a cavern where the sub can surface to let its passengers off. Dolly motions for Ianeira to stay in the tunnel out of sight with the Pod, while she surfaces to investigate.

The machinery is laid out before her. The underwater facility takes up one massive chamber with a few rooms off to the side, presumably living quarters. The creation of a Busou Shinki core body is no small task, but it's still nothing compared to the conjuring and tempering of a Fabricated Soul to inhabit said body. She watches as the mages aboard the submarine are led to one of the side rooms. That must be where they intend to call forth the souls. She signals the Pod and they immediately ascend from the depths and loudly jump from the landing pool onto the port. Naturally they are met with immediate hostility. Ianeira notices the commotion too late and kicks her powerful tail to intercept Dolly. "What are you doing?!"
"Preforming my duty."
"Your duty? Your duty was to infiltrate and make proper arrests after meeting with the officials, not cause widespread panic!"
"They fired on us first; therefore we need to respond in kind."
"We're going to be met with hostility if we come out with all the subtlety of a great white blood frenzy!"
"Ianeira," Dolly turns to her, "you and Eukrante accompanied me here to provide backup when they realize who they're dealing with and to provide the firepower necessary to eradicate this place, not to question my methods. Do you understand?"
Ianeira taps the red gem atop her chest, "Warp point set; Eukrante, get down here!"
Eukrante's form traces in the air as she phases into the chamber. A bullet whizzes through her pigtail as she falls into the pool with Ia and Dolly. "Whoa! How'd it get this bad so soon?!"
"This one," Ianeira motions to Dolly, "decided to ignore her stealthiness and start gunning the place down."
"I told you," Dolly defends herself, "they shot first."
"They shot first because you had your Pod jump out at them!," Ianeira hisses.
"So, wait," Eukrante interrupts, "where are the bootlegs and where are the mages?"
"That doesn't matter," Dolly states abruptly, "I'm under direct orders from Cid to drown this place and leave no survivors, be they staff or otherwise."
""What?!,"" the two gape at her.
"Queen Xiphos would never OK that!," Eukrante pleads desperately.
"Well, I don't have any orders from the Queen right now, so I'm going on what Cid told me."
"We've got company!," Ianeira points to the mages, who have been alerted to the girls' presence.
"Well, now it's your time to shine, ladies," Dolly instructs them, "you keep them busy while I set the charges; on my mark we'll esca--"
"No," Ianeira interrupts her.
"MMS Type Mermaid, I am in charge of this mission and I--"
"No, you're not; on behalf of Her Majesty, the World Queen, I am hereby relieving you of command until further notice," Ianeira addresses Eukrante, "It's too late for most of the staff, but we're not leaving here without those animals, understood?"
"Right!," with that, Eukrante summons the Siren armor and takes to the air.
"You can't do that!," Dolly scolds Ianeira.
"I just did," Ianeira corrects her, "and if you cooperate, I'll be sure to put a good word in with Xiphos so your punishment for not double-checking an order won't be so harsh. Now, front lines, with me."

The two leap from the water to land gracefully on the dock. Their argument took just long enough for the Pod to eliminate all of the normal armed guards. However, the mages have already subdued the Pod, as the Pod lack in magic defense and all but the most basic tactics. The girls and the mages square off. "So," Ianeira addresses them, "I don't suppose any of you would be willing to talk this over?" A pair of Spellblades electrically charge their swords and rush them. "Ah, that's a 'no.'"

Ianeira uses her double-tipped trident while Dolly takes her opponent out with her long tonfas. The two fight like twin rivers while Eukrante rains down spread cover from above. The mages put up a good fight, but they run low on mana before their bodies can recover it. However, most refuse to surrender, knowing that Soul Crush, a permanent stripping of magic potential, is the fate that awaits them. Even Ianeira knows that at this point, to not surrender is to ask for death, and she has Dolly oblige their wishes while she and Eukrante restrain the few who would rather live without magic than die. She asks one of her captives, "Now, what room are the bootlegs in?"
"Y-you mean the kennel?," he replies.
"Kennel?!," Ianeira asks, outraged.
"W-well, th-that's just its nickname. I-it's over there," he points to one of the doors on the edge of the cavern, "It's just one room, not very big; they're in there."
"Thank you," Ianeira pats him on the shoulder as she gets up and motions for Dolly and Eukrante to follow her.

When they open the door, the sight makes them cringe. Ianeira gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. "Oh, my god...," are the only words Eukrante can find. Even the battle-hardened Dolly's eyes well with tears at the sight they behold. Ianeira's rage redoubles as she springs for the man in the back with the yellow one. But Dolly can't move. Even all her training never prepared her for such cruelty. Here were things that looked and felt so much like her sisters being treated like mere pests. No, pests is too lenient. Dolly couldn't even describe it. She just fell to her knees, weeping for the poor souls before her. Cid wanted them dead, put down like sick animals, and she thought she could carry out the order. Why shouldn't she? She's taken out her fair share of Ninja units and Snipers just like everyone else, so why were these any different?

Because, she thinks to herself, they were hostile, they were enemies. That's right. The Ninjas lost in fair fights. This wouldn't have been a fight; it would've been murder. While Graffias may have no qualms about such a thing if she can justify it, the idea doesn't sit well with Dolly. She makes a conscious decision then and there to change her outlook on strictly following orders. It comes down to a simple motto, really. What would Xiphos do? Ianeira and Eukrante already lived by this, and they were able to see the folly of the operation long before it came to this gruesome point. Maybe that's why her comrades are acting, freeing the innocents, while she remains stunned. She forces herself to look up so that she can burn the image into her memory forever to serve as a reminder of the life-altering decision she made this day.

***FIN***

Name: WaffeDolphin
Type: Dolphin
Element: Water
Weapons: -Kelp Tonfa: Two long blades with a perpendicular handle in the middle. These are Dolly's close range weapons of choice. She can use them while swimming.
-Fins: A pair of knives shaped like a dolphin's pectoral fins. Dolly uses these more for utility purposes like cutting rope than for actual combat, but they're quite sharp.
-Subazooka: A small weapon with a scope that fires explosive rounds. She can't use this in the water.
-Semi-Automatic Rifle: A rapid-fire weapon that's good for showering the opponent with bullets. Don't get it wet!
-Mini-Torpedoes: A hand-held torpedo launcher. Good for sinking enemy subs. Can only be used in the water.
Type Abilities: -Echolocation: WaffeDolphin units have the ability to use sonar to build a full 3-D map of their surroundings. This allows them to see even at night or at depths beyond the Sun's penetration.
-Command Pod: Exclusive to Dolly, this lets her issue orders to a pod of drone WaffeDolphin units. Alone, they typically observe and report to Dolly remotely, but Dolly can issue specific orders and have them enact more complex strategies.
Bio: Serious and never one to question orders, WaffeDolphin was given the nickname "Dolly" by her peers as a way to differentiate her, the command unit, from the WaffeDolphin drones under her command. A soldier to the core, she takes missions more seriously than most of the others, which is something that infuriates her about her easy-going sister WaffeBunny. However, a mission to a KO factory with Ianeira and Eukrante changed her outlook on orders. While she still takes missions very seriously, she will stop to check her orders against her moral center before proceeding. The Dolphin armor was made for speed and stealth. The oxygen tanks are optional, but can be used to refuel WaffeDolphin's magical energy or donated to rescue targets. Ianeira has a speed advantage in the water, but Dolly trades this for being able to take her full armor on land, whereas Ianeira needs to sacrifice her tail, the bulk of her armor, to take part in such a luxury. Dolly's water element works much the same as Ianeira's, though only Dolly herself can tap into it; WaffeDolphin drones cannot.
Last edited by Hylian Pirate on Mon Aug 30, 2010 11:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Lock Cade
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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by Lock Cade » Sun Aug 29, 2010 5:22 pm

Wow, this certainly got interesting real fast!

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mechajunkie
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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by mechajunkie » Sun Aug 29, 2010 9:56 pm

this, is amazing. you're one of the members I mentioned that makes me appreciate........BSW!

I haven't read your other ones in detail, but oooh my. I like. :eukrante: :ianeira: :arnval: :tigris:

Ninth
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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by Ninth » Mon Aug 30, 2010 8:09 am

Profits
Prophets?
"R-right... so, do their faces look like yours under those masks?"
Dolly looks up in time to see the target ship leaving the port. She turns to face Eukrante as her own intimidating, red-eyed mask slides over her face. "Theirs aren't masks," she says shortly...
Creepy, but fittingly so with the subject of this post.
Battle Rondo username: ninerplease

Class A Shinki:
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Class C Shinki:
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Hylian Pirate
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Re: It came from HP's head... *MATURE CONTENT WARNING*

Post by Hylian Pirate » Mon Aug 30, 2010 11:15 am

Ninth wrote:
Profits
Prophets?
No, Profits. You see, they're money mages. They are universally bad mages that magically generate currency and run its actual value into the ground. They are hailed as economic harbingers of doom. Really devious bastards... But thanks for that, edit made... That mistake makes me feel lame...

And mechajunkie, I'm glad I can help you enjoy your stay in our little corner of the institution!

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