Scene #8083: The Five Deadly Venoms

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Rubi-Kan Vagrants	There's been a new message from Connor, the martial artist freed and deprogrammed from the centuries-old Rubi-Kan cult. He left word with Watch sympathizers on the planet that there's been a new Venom discovered. He, along with four others, made up the most senior students of the cult's martial arts school, the exemplars of the five forms taught. The Watch has already found and helped the Bileswarm and the Adder--(as much as the latter was willing to be helped). Connor's message mentions the Salamander. Notum Mine 'Newland Desert' Region Planet Rubi-Ka 14:00 RKT The rendezvous point involves a bit of travel. The nearest Warpgate is miles to the south, in Newland City--one of two major neutral population centers on Rubi-Ka. Fortunately, there is a road that winds through the outskirts of the city, which cuts down on the fatigue of tromping through and over sandy dunes. Whatever your means of arriving, you'll find Connor waiting outside a very recently abandoned mine. Two suns at the apex of their orbit glare down upon the scarcely shaded entrance--a far-future variant of corten steel, forming a squat, utilitarian doorway. Abandoned tools are scattered in a semicircle around the malfunctioning door, presently caught in a loop of opening halfway and then closing. The area around the mine is silent enough to invite comparison to a graveyard--refineries have gone cold, and a nearby guard outpost is abandoned, too. Not by choice. Tracing the towering outpost from its sturdy foundations to the shaded peak, one can spot the body of a guard. Green, plated Newland Guard body armor gleams in the sun, glinting as well off of a partially-buried energy rifle. Connor waits with his hands behind his back. The black changshan he wears billows in the wind--as does the blonde hair he's grown out and pinned in a ponytail. "I managed to convince the Newland Guard to give us a chance," he says, with a frown. "It wasn't easy, but we have until sundown to stop her. Otherwise..." "They'll be responding in force, and no one wants that."
Hibiki Tachibana	It's been a bit since Connor came calling. A lot of stuff has changed, but Hibiki's willingness to help Connor hasn't. She's too deep into it to not see things through to the end...and she also wants to see the rest of the Venoms be able to keep on living. And as ever, she's showing up already transformed, and entirely on foot - the trek this way isn't really a bother for her, and she's pretty good at crossing distance entirely on her own. The sight of the mine and the surroundings are enough to bring her out of whatever was on her mind - and take it in with no small amount of concern. "After the attack you mentioned...she's gone and holed herself up in there?" Her Symphogear's scarf, trailing behind her, is adjusted with a hand as her eyes settle on the on the fallen guard. "...And going and doing this..." A low, somewhat pained sound leaks out from her throat before she closes her eyes, exhales, and then looks back to Connor. "...Sundown is plenty of time. We won't let it get to that point, Connor." It's reassurance for him, and just a little bit for herself.
Karlan Nobles	Today, only two of the Karlan crew are here to track down the Salamander, and only one would be someone that Connor might actually recognize: Pramanix. The other is Matterhorn, a figurative ox of a man who just happens to have an ox's horns coming out of the top of his head. As always, the representatives both still manage to look out of place between Pramanix looking like a tourist in her black and blue dress with all the ruffles and Matterhorn in all black with a riot shield strapped to his back. "Ah, Connor! And Miss Tachibana! We've got our work cut out for us, don't we?" "No time to sightsee if we have a time limit, then. If our target is holed up inside... Shall we flush her out, or pin her in?" Pramanix finds herself distracted momentarily by the body, grimacing slightly and shaking her head even as Matterhorn tries to 'discreetly' (he is very large) step between the body and both Pramanix and Hibiki, just to try and keep it out of view unless they actually want to see it. "Right, need to focus, and... Things will be alright, Connor. Are there any other entrances or exits that you're aware of? We'll need to block them off, and I've got just the trick for that if that is the case." It's ice. It's always ice.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Pramanix gets the same uneasy smile of recognition as Hibiki. Matterhorn, the new face, gets a more formal greeting. Connor steps forward, right hand swinging from behind his back to offer Matterhorn a greeting handshake. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Connor, like Pramanix said." Connor nods at Hibiki. "Yeah. Her name is Dorene, and she was an Engineer--capital E. It was her that got that Juggernaut online for us, so I imagine she's after the notum here. Probably... trying to put something together." It would explain the attack on the junk skiff he mentioned, too, but 'why' could be for any reason, given the wild variance in personality between the other Venoms. He shakes his head. "None that I'm aware of. But that doesn't mean she won't try something inventive to get out." The martial artist turns, gesturing towards the entrance with a sweep of his hand. The interior of the mineshaft is lit in regular intervals by softly humming overhead lights. It's wide enough for everyone to comfortably walk shoulder to shoulder. An elevator waits at the end of a hallway. Scenes of battle are implied during the walk--there are places where the poured stone, no doubt placed to make mining in a desert less perilous and tedious, bears scoring marks from directed energy weapons, and the occasional spot of dried blood. As outside, tools lie abandoned. The broken-down chassis of two skeletal mining droids, laid in a heap before the elevator, shudder to life, charging at the team. Their upper portions spin wildly, cylindrical heads locked on your position as they attempt to bludgeon you with manipulators moving too quickly to see amidst the metallic blur of limbs.
Hibiki Tachibana	Matterhorn doing his best to block the somewhat gruesome sight is appreciated, honestly. Hibiki is a lot more used to seeing Pramanix with her brother rather than their employees, so he gets a slightly subdued nod of greeting as he moves into position, before she focuses on what they should be doing. "Yeah. We'll make it work out though," she responds to Pramanix. And she commits the name to memory as Connor gives it, along with the somewhat worrying mention of her role. You know what fighting is, don't you? "...Whatever she tries, or whatever she's putting together, it's as easy as just dealing with it as it happens." Her tone is enough to tell she doesn't really think it'll be that easy at all, but Hibiki nevertheless begins marching in, on edge. Partially because of the signs of previous combat. It's rough, trying to imagine just how many people might've gotten hurt before they got here. She really hopes most of the prior occupants managed to get away. And the other part of 'on edge' is because anything could happen. To be honest, two mining droids waiting for them is thankfully a lot more obvious than she could have hoped for. "Looks like we know where to start...! I'll take front!" And there's no surprise at all that she's the first to throw herself right in, apparently heedless of the whirling limbs she's rushing into - although at the last moment, as she ducks low and charges in, Hibiki leaps upwards over the both of them. And goes to flip down onto one of them in a heel drop with her Symphogear's armored boot, to try and crush its head and a considerable portion of its body beneath it.
Karlan Nobles	"Matterhorn. Good to meet you, Connor. I am one of the guards dispatched here by Master SilverAsh to protect Lady Pramanix and to aid you today." "You don't need to be that formal about it. We're not here for business or anything." "Mhm. Of course." Matterhorn's handshake is a firm one, but not an overly crushing one. His demeanor is definitely more professional at a glance than Pramanix's is, but he's still unfamiliar enough with the area and situation that he doesn't stray far from her nor Hibiki. He's keeping his eyes peeled while they discuss strategy, and Pramanix looks over at the entrance and the elevator in the sort-of distance. "She really did some damage on the way in, didn't she? Ah, well. Let's not let our guards down, then." Pramanix affirms as she draws her bow, nocking an arrow and keeping the tip pointed away as she follows Matterhorn towards the elevator. They both notice the blood and markings on the way, but it's not until the mining droids spring to life that both of them spring to action. "Did she lay this as a trap?" Pramanix leaps back to get some distance as she takes aim at one of the mining droids, then launching a heavy arrow right at its spinning base to try and punch right through it. "Maybe she bypassed some defenses intended for her. Miners normally leave wrecked machines behind, don't they?" Matterhorn suggests in a dull-ish tone while slamming his shield forward to try and just stop the spinning entirely in time for Pramanix to make her shot. If the arrow hits its mark, he goes one step further to slam it in with the flat of his kukri to really wedge that projectile in.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	"Almost certainly," says Connor to Pramanix. "They won't be the last." Hibiki's boot crushes the mining droid underneath, its cylindrical head crumpling before smashing into the blocky mass beneath it. It utters garbled, warbling gibberish at her, its arms taking a moment to slow down and fall limp as it crashes to the ground. Meanwhile, Matterhorn's shield steadfastly halts the droid's spinning. The impact is strong, and it's clear by the hangtime after that these droids are working at cross-purposes to their original programming. As if having to be reminded, the droid's dented arms lift up and reach for Matterhorn, attempting to snake around his shield with two unsteadily-firing pneumatic picks. Before it can manage, Pramanix's arrow pierces through its center of mass with the shriek of forced metal. "Hold on a second," says Connor, stepping out in front of the party. "If you two want to take up the front, then... let me make an adjustment." His palms clapped together, he works his way into a fluid, ponderous taolu, very different from the acrobatic, high energy Rollerrat style. As he performs the motions, red motes of light swirl around him like fireflies, culiminating in a brief but dazzling vortex. "There," he says, bringing one fist to rest against the opposite palm, then shaking his shoulders loose. "I'll stick in the backline with Pramanix, and keep everyone patched up." This proves to be the right choice, when the elevator, too, is trapped. It practically races to the lowest level of the mine, sending loose protective equipment rattling around. The grated metal walls offer little handholds, for the brave--scarcely an inch lies between the other side of the grating and the speeding stone walls. Pressed against the ceiling, Connor strikes a flurry of hand gestures, kicking off the ceiling with a shout of exertion to hit each of you with a palm thrust. The landing hurts--but not as much, thanks to Connor. Outside the doors, there is an intersection. Which way to go largely depends on which way seems least miserable. The EAST corridor carries a steady beeping sound and the whirr of a motor of some sort. The WEST corridor looks suspiciously as if the earth has been disturbed.
Karlan Nobles	The flashy show from Connor gets a curious look from both Pramanix and Matterhorn, due in part to... Well, it's flashy, and they're not really sure what's happening. He mentions sticking to the back with Pramanix, and the two from Kjerag both exchange curious glances before shrugging in unison. "Good to have you a little more over here, then! Is it really as simple as that, though? I mean... Do you need to go through that process just to change where you're fighting?" "A change of perspective, perhaps? It does look quite useful, if... Hm. Can it be taught?" Going into the elevator is easy enough, at least, but the sudden descent has Pramanix screeching and Matterhorn grasping onto the nothing with both arms outstretched to provide her, Hibiki, and Connor some minor level of support on the way down. Thankfully, Connor turns what could be a fatal drop into just in incredibly unpleasant one, but they're both alive! It just takes several long, painful seconds after actually reaching the bottom for Pramanix to pull herself off of her larger bodyguard, still visibly shaken from the descent. "I'm going to freeze her in a brick." "Temper, Lady Pramanix. We still have yet to find our target. Miss Tachibana, Mister Connor. Do you-agh. Need a hand?" Two doors. Hearing those beeping noises gets Pramanix's attention, and she immediately heads that-a-way while swapping her bow out for her bell. Before she heads in too deep, she starts going through her snow-summoning ritual, blowing an icy wind down that corridor with all manner of icy projectiles scattering along the walls and ceiling to try and set off whatever's causing that incessant beeping! Matterhorn doesn't bother trying to stop her. He just gets his shield ready, stretches his back out a little, then gets ready for something else to come flying at them.
Hibiki Tachibana	"...Thanks, Connor. We'll be counting on you." She is immediately grateful for Connor's shift on the ride down - the shift in styles doesn't bother her, after everything she's seen back at the Temple - as her level of on-guard-edness isn't quite prepared for something as simple as the elevator just descending really, really fast. More than anything else, she ends up getting thrown around the compartment with a little bit of surprised shouting, trying to find a handhold without also upsetting Matterhorn's position. But Connor does his thing, and she herself manages to right herself just at it hits the bottom, landing on her feet with buckled knees. Judging from her grit teeth, that still smarted more than a little bit. "Ow...ow, ow...No, I'm fine...maybe that was just something they prepped for her...?" This will probably not do much to deter Pramanix. Exhaling, she stands back up and takes stock of the two ways to go - east and west. She can imagine both ways are heavily trapped, and Pramanix is already trying to get a reaction out of that way. She gives Matterhorn, on defense, a nod as she moves next to him to prepare for... ...Honestly, anything could be coming at this point.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	oDo you need to go through that process just to change where you're fighting? "For Zazen, I do. Nanites execute programs according to instructions from the user. Depending on the type of deck you're using, and the programs you load, certain ways of giving those instructions are more intuitive. For martial artists, those instructions are given physically, because there's a thin line between a program and a technique for us in the first place." oA change of perspective, perhaps? It does look quite useful, if... Hm. Can it be taught? Connor nods at Matterhorn. "A change of perspective, yes. A difference in the way that 'the energy of being' is channeled. I'm... I'm not sure I'm at the point where I can teach Zazen. But I can point you to my teacher, at least. Don't worry," he says, looking over at Hibiki. "I didn't learn this style from the Temple." oMaybe that was just something they prepped for her...? "Sorry," says Connor. "I don't think it's likely. It doesn't look like they saw her coming at all. No... I think this is all her. I don't know what kind of person she is, without the Immortal One's influence, up there. But I know she was an uncommonly good Engineer." Following the incident with the elevator, the decision is made to go EAST. The beeping is, as it turns out, from a security camera. It's a rugged model, bulky and spherical, clearly assembled from scrap and not originally part of the mine. The range isn't great, by simple empirical evidence--you can stand at the foot of the eastern corridor without its sweeps noticing you. Connor frowns, pointing at blocky shapes laid out just between the cones of light offered by flickering overheads. "She's been busy," he says. "We could definitely blow up the camera from here, but that might set off the alarm." It's cobbled-together enough that accessing it remotely is possible (there's definitely an access point deeper in the mine). "I guess we could book it," he says with uncertainty. "Maybe wait until it's looking at that wall, then Matterhorn and Hibiki could smash some of those droids before they warm up?" If someone has a better idea, now would be the time.
Karlan Nobles	'maybe that was just something they prepped for her...?' "If it was, I'm going to have a word with them later." Pramanix complains, rubbing her back and wincing a bit as she continues onwards alongside Connor. Matterhorn isn't about to spoil that moment of irritation for her, and he mouths a silent 'thank you' when Connor clarifies that it's probably an Engineer thing. Connor broadly explains the process of changing how he can focus his nanites, and that gets curious noises from both of the animal-eared/horned people. Upon realizing it, Matterhorn turns to Pramanix and shakes his head slowly while Pramanix nods her head quickly in return. "I'll have to take you up on that later, if there's time." Pramanix seems to be in better spirits then, at least, and she's even able to relax a little bit when it's just a camera in their way. "That's it? Oh, this'll be child's play to get by. Just follow my lead if you're not confident~" "And once we're in range... Hm. I may have something for this." Without elaborating further, he gives Pramanix a firm nod before following her sneaky stealthy lead as she observes the camera, then starts signaling when it's roughly safe to start heading in. Matterhorn has his phone out in the meantime while taking up the rear guard this time, plugging it into the nearest access point he can find to try and put those machines into sleep mode. Or worse: Restart them so they can start updating.
Hibiki Tachibana	"...Mn," Hibiki makes a Sound in response to Connor, as they first begin heading EAST. "I guess we won't know why she's trying to make herself so hard to reach down here until we meet her ourselves." The attack on the skiff, taking over this mine...what is it all for? She can't imagine it, yet. She gave a nod as well, when Connor confirmed that wasn't something he learned from the Temple. It reminds her that she, herself, has something she picked up from there...not that it'll be useful against these machines. She glances down the camera-watched corridor with a frown, eying the device shifting on its constant vigil. "...Trying to just run past will probably just leave a whole lot of problems behind us. You really have an idea, Pramanix...?" She sounds awfully confident, although Hibiki is still carefully observing the silhouettes of drones in their path. But although she's hardly the stealthy type, the magical girl indeed follows her lead - moving in whenever the signal is given, keeping close to the wall, and taking up Matterhorn's role in staying up front so she can react to any danger. It's not that she doubts either of them are lacking in trust in handling the situation. She's just saying, if any of them wake up and look like they're going to do something unexpectedly, she won't be afraid to crunch their frames inward with her fist.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Connor is not confident--and so he follows Pramanix's lead. He's light on his feet, at least enough to mimic her actions. He does tense up, when, halfway past the camera, the droids seem to shudder. This, as it happens, is a false alarm. Their bootup is restarted and delayed by Matterhorn's timely intervention. Hibiki ends up with the chance to save her strength, although it's certainly likely that brief jumpscare will have resulted in a crushed chassis. There is thankfully a lull in defenses around the corner, which extends all the way to a circular chamber. A mix of prefab stone and natural sandstone forms multiple levels. In addition to the default white lighting of the overheads, the chamber is lit by the gentle glow of large, sharp crystals. At the bottom of the chamber, three levels down, is Dorene--the master of the Salamander style. She doesn't look like a martial artist, in her welding goggles, bent over a familiar-looking white killbot. Hibiki and Pramanix would recognize it as being in the same production line as TIM, the slayerdroid rescued from the Omni-Tek black site, BIOMARE. The same raptorial claws, towering sleek white frame, and cyclopic, impact-glass-protected red eye. Dorene is roughly Connor's age, and Bercilak's size. Her size, posture, and musculature place her as a different metabreed of humanity than Connor. "Dorene..." "Connor." She looks up at all of you, without bothering to take her goggles off. Her outfit is a utilitarian jumpsuit, with scrapmetal plates hammered out and affixed overtop. Her broad hands drop the welding tool, and she closes the access panel on her slayerdroid. Pumps spaced out across the room shut off, each one cobbled together from scrap. She'd come here to get this droid working, it seems, and stolen scrap from the Newland skiff to piece together enough defenses to buy time until then. The means of her escape is presently shut off, a ways behind her--the tunneling rig the miners were using. "We're not here to take you back." "I know," she says noncomittally. "I'm still not going with you. And I can't chance any of you following me."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Dorene and the slayerdroid move as one. Each of them makes a synchronized leap, ascending the distance between you in a matter of seconds. The Salamander style is a hard style, focused on short-range, brutal strikes that cut across her opponents' attacks, as well as strikes targeted at pressure points for sustained damage. As if aggression weren't difficult enough to deal with, retaliating against her causes a staticky golden screen of energy to burst forth, delivering a portion of the force back to the attacker as acrid chemical blowback. She starts with Hibiki, her hand jabbed towards the ribs for a one-inch punch, long legs aggressively encroaching on the Symphogear user to try and force a stumble amidst the mining equipment. After securing a little space, she then moves to Matterhorn, striking a synchronized attack with the slayerdroid to batter his shield arm into exhausted submission, a flurry of rabbit punches from the engineer timed with broad, sweeping motions of the droid's long, deadly talons. Her style isn't nearly as acrobatic as Connor's, despite the leap--she prefers to keep her feet firmly planted, and so, with a glance towards Pramanix, gauges the distance between them and opts to send the droid in with a nod. Connor glides between and around her, his palm strikes and finger taps slowly mending the damage she does, careful not to do it while she's looking.
Hibiki Tachibana	"...My bad," Hibiki murmurs with some slight embarrassment, when she realizes she threw hands just a little bit early. Thankfully, it's easy enough to shake it off by simply progressing forward and tucking her face a bit further into her scarf, and enjoying the fact that there don't seem to be any more defenses in their path. Down they go, until they reach their goal - and although she might not look like their brand of martial artist, looks are deceiving, and she's already imposing enough. Both physically and with what she's working on. Yeah. She remembers TIM. Slowly, her attention goes from the machine to Dorene. "Why are you...?" She doesn't get to say much before Dorene and her slayerdroid are upon them. Her guard only barely comes up in time - she knows a one-inch punch when she sees one. Just a split-second before the fist resumes its motion into her chest, she twists on her heels and spins backwards and to the side so the extreme force never gets a chance to carry through. "If you already know we're not here to take you back to them, where are you trying to go--? And what do you need this machine to do!?" Hibiki halts her movement and pushes forward on her heels. Dorene staying grounded works for her - it makes it that much easier to throw herself in while her droid is off assaulting Pramanix. A momentum-driven hook to crash into her side, followed by making up for the height difference between them by kicking up off the floor, to throw a knee up towards her chin. "If you just tell us...!"
Karlan Nobles	"When did you learn how to do that?" "While you and the young master were sneaking off for the better part of three years." "Geh...! How long did-" "Three years.." Although Pramanix is mildly perturbed at her cover being blown for years now, she's still able to keep her cool while heading through the chamber. Hibiki's proximity certainly helps, and she might have to hold in some giggles if something gets unnecessarily smashed. By the time they reach Dorene, though, Matterhorn has once again joined Hibiki up front, and Pramanix still has her bell ready alongside Connor in the back. The snow leopard holds a hand out to Connor to keep him from getting too close too fast once she sees the familiar machine, though, but Matterhorn doesn't have that same level of caution. He just keeps his shield ready while staring right at Dorene and the machine. "Follow...? Wait, but if you go out there, the guards'll kill you without a second thought!" "But she can't stay here, either, or they'll come after her regardless." "Right! So hear us out, Miss Dorene!" Before any hearing out can be done, though, Dorene and the slayerdroid go on the offensive. Matterhorn takes the brunt of the strikes head on, finding few opportunities to strike back while the Salamander and the robot hammer away at his defenses in tandem. Being a bigger target than most certainly doesn't help him, but it helps Pramanix find gaps to start getting the snow and ice to rage around that chamber. When Dorene and the droid go on the offensive, inconvenient gusts push back against them. When Matterhorn or Hibiki go on the counterattack, ice builds beneath their targets to hinder their movements. The droid in particular gets Matterhorn's attention, though, when it heads for Pramanix. Matterhorn slings his kukri around it with far more finesse than someone his size should have, slicing at limbs and battering his shield against its body whenever he gets the chance. Thankfully, he can focus on the machine while Hibiki goes after Dorene, and he keeps pressing the attack to try and keep it from shifting targets. The snowstorm also has that helpful side effect of making it a little harder to actually see Connor. Maybe.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	oIf you already know we're not here to take you back to them, where are you trying to go--? And what do you need this machine to do!? If you just tell us...! Dorene's face is a stone mask, her voice as cool as the pitiless black surface of her goggles. Her white pixie cut frames them especially harshly, giving her the appearance of a professional merely about her work. "Sure," she answers Hibiki. "I'm joining the Dust Brigade." "What?!" cries Connor, taken aback. oWait, but if you go out there, the guards'll kill you without a second thought!
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	oIf you already know we're not here to take you back to them, where are you trying to go--? And what do you need this machine to do!? If you just tell us...! Dorene's face is a stone mask, her voice as cool as the pitiless black surface of her goggles. Her white pixie cut frames them especially harshly, giving her the appearance of a professional merely about her work. "Sure," she answers Hibiki. "I'm joining the Dust Brigade." "What?!" cries Connor, taken aback. oWait, but if you go out there, the guards'll kill you without a second thought! "Exactly. But I have what I needed. So now, I just tunnel clear of Newland and be on my way. Hence, 'the machine.'" Directed at Hibiki, "Unless you mean the droid. But it should be pretty obvious why I need that." Hibiki's fist crashes into Dorene's ribs. Her abdomen's level with Hibiki's face, making rib shots particularly easy with the type of hook Hibiki throws in. Her protective forcefield flares up as she rolls with the impact. The pained grunt she makes after Hibiki's knee impacts her chin belies the ease with which she movies--that was a hard hit, and it took a lot of gas to stay standing. Staggered but determined to stay in the fight, her leg strikes out forward and down, attempting to buckle Hibiki's footing as she comes back down. Her fingers seek out the other girl's throat, index and middle, like the fangs of her style's namesake. "Dorene, you'll never have a normal life with them!" Connor strains against Pramanix's hand, but stays put--for a moment. "I don't have one now," Dorene says, rushing down Connor and Pramanix after having spotted one of his spot-heals. Much like Hibiki, he makes up for the height difference with his agility, running along the wall to meet her. "At least with the Dust Brigade I can do some good." "What 'good?!'" Connor seems truly upset by this as he springs off the wall to pelt her with one of his style's signature overhead flip-kicks. "You're talking about the most notorious terrorist cell on the planet. Every faction on Rubi-Ka shoots them on sight! And for good reason." The backlash from her forcefield hurls him through the air, and he's nearly gored by the slayerdroid, but for a fortuitous gust of wind pushing its leg back into a frozen slurry. It slips, and Connor tucks and rolls, just in time for Matterhorn to peel it from him and Pramanix. The spots where Dorene's original construction exist are ludicrously tough. Fortunately for Matterhorn, these spots have grown less prevalent with the age of the droid. Its sense of balance is incredible, even after slipping--but there's only so much it can do against his battering, even sharing a forcefield like Dorene's. It resigns itself to trying to race him to the finish line--something that won't end well for it, but likely decided on for the hope that Matterhorn wouldn't be happy, either. The droid's talons punch forwards in a powerful one-two as Matterhorn eviscerates it, followed up by a stomp, leg shifting to try and shoulder-check him down the icy slope. "I'm doing it to get Omni-Tek off this planet--which no one else seems to want. I have to... I have to make up for what I did. You of all people should understand that. 'Rollerrat.'" She searches through the blizzard for him, one arm held up to shield her eyes in vain.
Karlan Nobles	'I don't have one now,' 'At least with the Dust Brigade I can do some good.' Something about that strikes a chord in Pramanix's chest, and she can't actually come up with a good counterargument against it. If that's the case, though, wouldn't it make more sense to let this Dorene go? 'You're talking about the most notorious terrorist cell on the planet. Every faction on Rubi-Ka shoots them on sight! And for good reason.' Maybe not. That snaps her attention back to the fight, though, just in time to see Matterhorn wrestling with the drone. One of those talon strikes slips through his guard and bites into his side, forcing him to dorp the shield in order to grasp that talon firmly with a pained shout. The shield gets shoved right into the path of the second blow to buy him some time as he releases it to instead grab onto the talon stabbing right into him. He'll need leverage once it shoulder-checks him to pull it along with him, after all. He's not in an advantageous position doing so, but he doesn't need to in this particular situation. It's not a duel, after all, but a group battle. "Are you really so short-sighted?" Pramanix calls out to Dorene as her ritual continues to create even more icy obstacles around the room. Icy bricks of hail continue falling towards Dorene at random angles, and the slayerdroid too has to contend with even more bad footing. Although it's got the upper hand against Matterhorn, he's grappling fiercely with it while a great ice spike forms on and dangles precariously on the ceiling above them. "If you truly want to change things, why settle for just one world? Join us as a friend, not an enemy, and save as many as you like. That's why we've been coming here in the first place!" With a stomp and a great swing of that bell, the icicle falls, and Matterhorn roars hoarsely as he pries that talon out of his side and shoves upwards against the droid, trying to impale it with that falling icicle.
Hibiki Tachibana	"The Dust Briga--?"Hibiki is cut off by the offbalancing drop and the dangerous strike coming in for her throat. This one, she's not as fast to react to thanks to the setup, and it's her Symphogear's invisible defensive barrier that manages to stop it from being a lot more fight-ending than it otherwise would be. It blunts it enough that it 'only' makes her stumble back with a hard wince, a hand on her throat, momentarily silenced and unable to make anything other than a choking sound. "Urgh...do...some good...?" 'I have to... I have to make up for what I did.' Something about hearing that gets her to clench her free hand tight into a fist, and her other does the same as soon as it slips away from her neck. Even before she's gotten the ability to speak properly back, she grits her teeth and rushes back in - she won't find Phreak, but she will find Hibiki coming in with a leaping punch towards the face, to make that forcefield crackle once again. "Listen--to Connor! You're--ghk...--finally free from the Immortal One...! You can do anything you want...!" She lands back on the opposite side of Dorene afterwards, forcing the words out. "I can't tell you not to feel guilty just because you were under the Immortal One's control...I probably would be too...!" That's what she is. She's angry, hearing this. Angry enough to want to do something about it. Even if she escapes from here, the kind of life waiting for her isn't any life at all. "...But what happens /after/ you boot them off!? You won't have anything waiting for you! Just an entire world of enemies! Think about your /own/ happiness too, not just your guilt! There's Connor...the Watch...all sorts of ways you can make a difference without going that far! Care about yourself at least half as much as he cares about you, damnit...!" Here comes the pilebunker punch. It's always the pilebunker punch - aimed to send her right into one of Pramanix's ice constructs.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Searching for Connor to take his healing out of the fight opens Dorene up for blow after blow of heavy hail. The forcefield doesn't seem able to trace it back to Pramanix, either, lashing out blindly around her. oIf you truly want to change things, why settle for just one world? Join us as a friend, not an enemy, and save as many as you like. That's why we've been coming here in the first place! A small, sharp gasp escapes the master of the Salamander style. Hibiki's punch sends Dorene flying, before her own right cross can find any purchase. She crashes through countless bricks of hail, flailing in the air, rolling across the ground. Pramanix's icicle falls and crashes atop Dorene's droid, making a horrendous sound as metal, plastic and ceramic all give way to cold, unfeeling ice. Pinned to the ground, its talons search uselessly for targets, before giving out altogether. o...But what happens /after/ you boot them off!? You won't have anything waiting for you! Just an entire world of enemies! Think about your /own/ happiness too, not just your guilt! Dorene holds out a hand. She's done fighting, and so is her droid. With her other hand, she pulls down her goggles. Though Pramanix's ice is plentiful, Dorene's is melted, all at once. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't think..." Her blue eyes well up with tears. "I didn't think anyone would try and stop me for... that reason." Connor sighs, stepping out into the open. "How is it fair, if I get to start again, and you don't?" He asks. "I know what I did. But if I get to decide what I do now, then so do you. So does everyone. Pramanix, Hibiki... I'm going to go let the Newland Guard know we handled it. Dorene, what do you want to do?" Dorene sniffles, and wipes her eyes with her sleeve, glancing between Hibiki and Pramanix. "I want... I want to change things," she says, nodding towards Pramanix. "Like she said. As your... friend. Just take me where I need to go for that. Somewhere... away from here."
Karlan Nobles	At the cost of the slayerdroid and some troublesome injuries, Dorene calls for an end to the battle, and not a moment too soon. PRamanix stops ringing that bell as she hears the Salamander calling out to the group, and she hurries over to help Matterhorn stand (never mind the size difference). "That's right, you didn't think!. But... Well, if you're with us, you'll be in good company." "That might not be as reassuring as you'd hope, Lady Pramanix." After shooting a look at Matterhorn and resisting the urge to nudge his side, Pramanix sighs and turns to Connor with a tired nod. "Please. We'll walk our new friend out of here once she's ready to go." She replies, turning to Dorene with a soft smile and nodding at Hibiki. "Hibiki's right. If you're feeling guilty about what happened before, then we'll just have to work it out together to make up for all that. We'll need to get the rest of the Watch on board if you're willing to join us, but that should be simple enough." She pauses, then whispers with a bit of a grin. "Fast, too, since we don't have any paperwork involved." "That's all well and good, Lady Pramanix, and it is... Good to have you with us Miss Salamander." Matterhorn finally manages to utter, clearing his throat while keeping one hand pressed against his side wound. "But before all of that..." "Would you happen to know that Zazen technique, or other healing abilities? Lady Pramanix might get in trouble if I bleed out in her care." He's totally playing it up, but Pramanix can't really tell while she's starting to freak out a bit and trying to put some ice on those wounds.
Hibiki Tachibana	After Dorene is downed, and her droid goes still, Hibiki is left with her fist outstretched and panting a little heavier than she otherwise should be. It's only after a few seconds that she blinks, her expression going a little softer, as she straightens up and drops all her tension to turn her attention down at the fallen fighter. "...Dorene..." Seeing those tears in her eyes, Hibiki briefly glances to Pramanix, and she gives a nod. And enough of a smile that it's just barely visible past her scarf. "...As friends," she repeats. After an exhale, her transformation ends and puts her back in her casual wear - it's still pretty cold, but she apparently doesn't mind - the fight's over. And it makes the look on her face that much more obvious, but that one is unintentional. "...And you don't have to apologize. There's always someone who cares, even if you don't think so. That's why we're here in the first place. You might not be able to take back what you did..." Her mind flashes back, to the fallen guard topside. She's very familiar with how death often works here on Rubi-Ka. Still, her small smile flickers. Even so, she walks over to Dorene and offers a hand to help her up. "...But like Connor said, you can decide what you do now. And we'll help you change things, however we can. I know at least one friend of mine who'd be happy to help." As she does so, and Pramanix is flustering over Matterhorn, she side-glances Connor's way as he prepares to head off to deliver the good news. "...Thanks, Connor." It's not entirely obvious why she's saying that until she adds on, "I'm...really glad we're able to help with this."