World Tree MUSH

    Last Time, on HyperDimension Neptunia: >"Destroy the source of these cursed Glitchvaders, and I promise the city will not be raided by me and mine."<

    POD 042: "We must shoot the core for massive damage."
    "Master? We have found the remaining troopers. Only the medic survived, the other two are dead... yes Master, evac is enroute."

    Uni sighs, "I suggest we get my people out of here, regroup at the camp, then return to finish this fight."

    Now: The Lastation encampment has shrunk a little, now the Malvaders aren't trying to break containment and the source of the attacks has been located... at least four medivac shuttles have taken the wounded, and the casualties away for proper treatment and burial.

    Uni stands at the entry to the Glitchspace, waiting for the others to gather up once more.

    For some reason, Talia sneezes. Something about a space station.

    She's here, ears burning metaphorically, and she does what she can to help with the wounded. Soothed injuries here, some bacta there, just passing time until the rest make it here and generally trying to be helpful.

    Once again 2B, 9S, and the pods are at Lastation.
    The androids make their way through the shrunken camp towards the entry to the glitch.
    "Heeeeeey Uni." 9S says going in for the complicated human handshake greeting ritual.
    "We're here." 2B says, business as usual.

Misaki is looking tired again, though at least this time she didn't bring her school supplies with her. "Miss Uni, Miss Kyras, Miss Bee, Mister Ess." She greets the others in turn. "What's the plan?"

    Talia's efforts are appreciated by the beleagured medics, especially the survivor from the scout team.

    The two Androids arrival is also appreciated, 9S is actually intercepted by one of the snipers when he goes in for the greeting on Uni, engaging in an intricate series of dips, dabs, bumps and pounds. The young looking man with a super generic face goes for as long as it takes for 9S to get bored... or for 2B to drag the Scanner away.

    Misaki's arrival gets a nod from Uni, who gestures inside. "We're heading back to our Malvader guide, and going to kill a big Glitchvader Queen to stop the production of more Glitchvaders. Saddle up, we're moving now." she says in response, summoning a shotgun and turning to re-enter the dungeon, Bravette shining a cone of light from a helmet-mounted spotlight.

    Once it's time, Talia returns to the others, nodding to Misaki and the androids. "Good to see you both again." She says with a smile, a tired but warm one. "Let's get to work." She says, and takes the lightsaber hilt from her belt.

    She really hopes the Malvaders are the forgiving type deep down.

    "Whoah- whoah this guy's good!" 9S says as he... He's not going to get bored.
    2B drags him away.
    "I already said for efficiency's sake, 2B will suffice. Hello." She says to Misaki. "Yeah and call me Nines!" 9S chirrups amid 2B shaking him lightly.
    Moving out though, the pods also click on their own flashlights as well as the androids draw their katanas.

"For efficiency's sake, complaining about my preference for one two-syllable form of address over another seems counterproductive." Misaki answers 2B. "But if you insist, I can call you miss 2B instead. Dropping the honorific implies a degree of familiarity I'm not comfortable implying." She glances to 9S to imply that goes for both of them.

She transforms when they're getting ready to get to work, immediately summoning her guns and beginning to charge them. It looks like she might be getting ready to vent some aggression.

    Just like last time, the group enters, finding the crossroads, where the wounded Ancient Dragon, and the Malvader wait. The dragon looks like he's aiming to play back-line support, stopping any Glitches from getting through. The Malvader looks a bit aprehensive, but it turns when the group arrives, and heads down the left side tunnel, buzzing out >"FOLLOW."< in that high pitched warbling voice these things have.

    Bravette moves ahead to scout, while Uni looks back at the androids and Misaki. "Guys, it's a cultural thing. Miss Sakai's culture places a lot of emphasis on politeness and proper formality." she offers, her tone that of a leader of people, not a wandering hobo-venturer.

    "I highly doubt syllable count matters, 2B." Talia comments idly. "But then, names aren't always the most efficient things. I knew a Padawan named Runs-With-The-Wind. She was from a tribal culture, where names were given befitting the person." She sighs. "She was a good friend."

    In any case, Talia flicks her lightsaber on, the white-cored green blade flashing to light as it lights up the immediate area around the Jedi, the distinctive hum accompanying it. Besides the symbol it represents, not to mention their immense killing power, lightsabers make decent torches in a pinch.

    She'll begin to head near to the front of the party with Bravette, using her lightsaber as a makeshift torch as they advance.

    Between 2B and 9S, it's only 9S who seems genuinely hurt when Misaki gives him that glance.
    "Affirmative." 2B says simply accepting it at this point, as the group goes further into the glitch-cave.
    "Runs-With-The-Wind, huh." 2B does muse. "Unfortunately YoRHa designations are a bit more pragmatic." the Battle unit muses.

"I don't even drop honorifics for my close friends, mister Ess, it's nothing personal. You seem like a nice person." Misaki studiously avoids looking at 2B there. "Thank you, miss Uni." Once they head in, so she summons an orb of light above her head and keeps pushing forwards, "Are we there yet?"

    "Almost. Sensors indicate a large chamber just around the next bend." reports Bravette. The Malvader stopping and heading back the way the group came, gibbering fearfully. It doesn't want to get Glitched.

    Uni racks the pump on her shotgun, and readies to unload on whatever is in that room.

    On rounding the corner, the group will be confronted by a large cluster of 3D JPEG artifacts in the vague approximation of a large xenomorph-like creature. It screeches like someone spliced together TV static, a thunderclap and a toddler screaming. It then seems to 'unfold' a pair of glitchy wings, revealing some oddly glowing pieces of its body. "Aim for the glowing spots to deal more damage!" calls Uni, then she fires, the booming report of her shotgun filling the chamber.

    "I take it that's the Glitchvader." By the Force is that noise horrifying. That thing isn't too easy on the eyes either. When Uni opens fire on the creature, Talia dashes to the side in order to attack the creature's flank. She leaps towards the cavern wall, running along it before she propels herself off it at the Xenovader. Talia swipes at one of the glowing spots with her lightsaber, hoping to inflict a little extra damage.

    Nines is totally a nice person. And it's hard to tell where 2B is looking while Misaki doesn't look her way. Nevertheless, the party arrives and...
    There is a glitched out Alien waiting for them.
    "H-hey where you going little guy?" 9S blurts as the Malvader takes off, but then he understands why it ran when the thing roars.
    It sure pauses the Scanner unit. But 2B makes up for his slack.
    "Pods! Open fire!" She orders, causing both PODs to swivel and face the glitched out monstrosity.
    "Statement: Shoot the core for massive damage." 042 explains to 153.
    "Affirmation: Understood." 153 announces as the pods open fire with their hard light emitters set to gatling mode.

Misaki rushes ahead of the others, and her charged up guns are set for rather damaging beams, which don't go for the glowing spots because she fired them before Uni's advice came out. She's atypically aggressive and reckless, not bothering to keep a healthy distance or proper awareness of her surroundings.

That's probably gonna bite her.

    The shotgun blast strikes near one of the glowing spots. This staggers the creature, allowing Talia to get close, her lightsaber piercing the glowing section and causing the creature to shriek again, the glowing section going dim, before 'shattering' into some voxels. It goes to swipe at the Jedi and the Goddess, but is stopped by the fussilade from the PODs, and the shots from Misaki too. This creature isn't used to such dynamic attack patterns, though it furls its wings again, protecting the vulnerable sections from the incoming attacks, its outer layers bubbling oddly with each shot from those lasers, and the pulse fire from the PODs.

    Talia's lightsaber might cut flesh, but she finds this thing a bit hardier as she finds that its claws aren't cut up when she moves to parry them. THat weak point getting destroyed tells her everything, just like Uni said.

    Blocking twice before she takes a leap over a third, she then rushes to circle around to attack from the back, trying to find weak spots amid the wings.

    Once the vulnerable spots are hidden away by the creatures wings, the pods hold their fire.
    "Assessment: vulnerable points have been hidden. Attack cannot continue until they are revealed once again. Please reveal the weak points for continued assault." 042 announces.
    "Dammit." 2B mutters as- "Misaki what are you doing? Stick back to distance combat, leave the short range fighting to me and Kyras." She says, taking note of the girl's reckless tactics. Not that she knows this is atypical of her, it's still a Thing at this moment in time, as 2B rushes into melee range, trying to hack and slash the wings back open again.

Misaki is entirely ignoring 2B's comments, taking her own approach to the glitch hiding its vulnerable points, by trying to close in and find an angle to shoot the vulnerable points through any gaps in the wings. A strategy which makes her rather vulnerable to counterattack.

    The Xenovader growls as its flanked around, shot and slashed at... it then emits a glow from its entire body a deep purple hue that suddenly flares and it unfurls its wings and swipes with its razor sharp talons, a rapid sweeping circle aiming to clear those close to it from its immediate vicinity.

    As it does this, though, the weakspots reappear.

    Talia blocks one of the swipes before she leaps into the air. THis thing is reckless, especially with this many opponents at once. She gracefully lands onto the creature's arm, before dashing along the limb. She eyes that weakspot, somewhere near the shoulder, and she plunges her lightsaber into the weak point.

    Let it not be said 2B did not show concern for the reckless human girl. But when the glitched out monstrosity takes those wide swipes... 2B does not retreat.
    Instead, she shoulder checks Misaki out of the way of incoming attack- likely earning herself some damage in the process, with a grunt as the pods open fire once again once the weak points reveal themselves!

Misaki is in trouble. Was in trouble. 2B saves her hide, and as she lands on the ground, bruised but otherwise fine she has an excellent angle with which to shoot the core for massive damage, as a certain pod would put it. So she fires a pair of beams.

    As Talia sinks her Lightsaber into that weakspot, the beast lets out another shriek of agony... then the PODs spray a third point with their pulse lasers, while Misaki aims for a fourth with her charged beams. Each one shatters into voxels, then the thing starts to shudder, growing cracks along its surfaces, before with a final, cut-off scream, it shatters and drops a few assorted items and some coins with a clattering jingle.

    With that last scream, as the glitched monster shatters and drops its loot, 2B flips away to put further distance between herself and where it was. But with the battle seemingly over, she stows her katana to float in the air behind her back, drawing a slow breath that lifts her shoulders in a slow heave.
    Anyone looking will see the back of her dress darkening rapidly with moisture blooming over the dark fabric, drops of liquid scarlet pooling at her feet. Though she doesn't seem to display much actual pain in spite of the damage.

    Talia is thrown off the beast, pulling her lightsaber free with the Force. It deactivates, the hilt flying to her hand as she lands on the ground on her feet. She skids across the cavern floor, grunting as she makes a landing. "Is everyone alright?" Talia asks, her answer gotten when she realizes she's skid past a good amount of blood. She stares quizzically at the fluid, unsure what to make of it. "Oh, by the Stars that's an awful lot of blood...I think? Are you alright, 2B?"

Misaki is calming down now that the fight is over, and she notices the amount of blood... or blood equivalent, 2B is losing. "I'm sorry, miss two bee. I'm not normally this reckless. Can I do anything to help you?" She sounds real worried.

    "Good work, everyone... grab the items and lets go, we need to let the Dragon know his home is safe again." remarks Uni, dismissing her gun as she turns to leave... then she notices 2B bleeding out... "Uh, do I need to contact a medic?"

    "I'll be fine." 2B says matter of factly, her tone entirely cool in spite of the fact that she's- 
    "Gah! 2B! You're bleeding out, hold on!" 9S sounds a lot more frantic as he rummages through his supplies for the necessary repair and medical components.
    "I have this." 2B announces as she pulls out a can of what looks like an energy drink.
    It is, in fact, a Nepbull that she purchased while here in Lastation. Popping the tab on the drink she takes a deep pull... And absolutely nothing happens.
    She does not have the same physiology as Uni or the locals after all. In fact, her physiology is so different that just one sip of the drink causes her to go very still for a beat... Before she collapses flat onto her face, blood pooling rapidly beneath her.
    9S sighs heavily. "She'll be fine, I'll tend to her repairs, don't worry."

    Talia sighs, dropping her shoulders as she shakes her head. "Well...at least those drinks are delicious."

Misaki looks even more worried as 2B collapses, but 9S' confidence reassures her. "You'd better, mister Ess. I wouldn't want to have it on my conscience that she got something permanent because I was being a little reckless."