07-20-2017, 08:32 PM
It didn't take long for X to draw a decisive conclusion about this encounter. Plant Man was without a doubt very much like Spike Rosered, down even to the literal flowery head. Although the veteran Maverick Hunter was certain this couldn't be the same maverick he had fought so long ago, the similarities were clear, almost uncannily so. How strange...
"What?" Kelly asked, presuming some answer along the lines of the grotesque creatures before them both. X didn't realized he had spoken aloud- perhaps a malfunction caused by Nebula Space.
"This Darkloid- he resembles an old foe of mine," the android explained quickly. As far as his processors could calculate, there was no harm in letting the psychic know his thoughts. Putting aside any strange suspicions, X finished off two of the grotesque Cerberus-frogs and allowed a third to leap at him with fangs bared. With just a slight aim adjustment, the android's Buster cannon shot a blast down the exposed gullet. The disgusting chimera flopped at the bomber's feet, the impact spattering discolored blood onto his boots.
Meanwhile, Kelly saw one of the panther-apes close in, rearing up from its knuckles to wind up a swing of the fist. The wanderer held the arm fast with an application of telekinetic force, and the creature snagged on his arm arm as if he were clothes-lined. Seizing the moment of exposure, Kelly jabbed his staff into the beast's throat, crushing its larynx decisively. "You think you can apply a similar strategy to this foe, as well?" the fellow liberator replied without looking as the monster fell.
Could he? X considered this, but realized that he would have to re-locate his combat records of Rosered to make a precise statement on the matter. Considering Plant Man was recovering right now, this could not be an option. "No," X responded finally, "We'll think of something else."
With Plant Man having recovered from his previously-grievous wound, the Darkloid returned to the fray. X turned to face the enemy, leveling the X-Buster on the maverick program's head. The floral commander's set his own sights up the armament, keeping a careful watch of it.
Plant Man was eager to enact a vendetta against the inferior machine, and what more fitting than an eye for an eye- or more precisely, an arm for an arm. Perhaps the archaic weapon would make for a nice trophy.
X took the first shot, and paid for it dearly. In a mockery of Kelly's uprooting attack, a barrier of vegetation suddenly burst from the ground with a wave of his hand, absorbing the blast. The earth churned below X, and a series of spiked vines shooting from the ground like striking serpents. The blue bomber pushed his servos as hard as he could to compete with the agility of the Darkloid, releasing his blast early to dissuade the attacking plant-fibers. Though the explosion of dirt managed to dissuade some of the vines, two longer strands managed to ensnare the Mega Man's feet.
The android's backpedaling made him topple over, back hitting the earth with the thunk of heavy metal. X rolled over to his front, picking himself up as rapidly as a clunky robot could. He was just in time to spy that chimera-boar gunning for him again- but not in time to dodge the attack.
The liberator was forced to take the charging horns dead in the chest, having to use his hand to catch the imposing scorpion tail. Tackled to the ground, X had to hold off a dripping singer with one hand and a gnashing maw with the other. The machine began charging his weapon again, gnashing his own teeth from the combined physical strain and energy drain. With a great heave, the Mega Man flung away the boars head- only for a moment, but long enough to shove the X-Buster in its face and release the amassed plasma.
With the chimera successfully relieved of its head, a gore-soaked X tossed away the dying stinger tail. He was about to shove away the body with his feet when he found their movement restrained- and not by weight. The returning vines rapidly coiled up and seized the android's lower limbs, dragging him away from the fresh corpse. X's best efforts to slow the progress fell flat, the soft earth easily giving way under his clawing digits. In the process, even more of the twisting vines were exposed, immediately lashing out and seizing the liberator's arms as well.
The vines tangled around the Mega Man did not stop dragging, however. The Maverick Hunter quickly found himself strung up taut, pulled between his halves like some macabre torture device. He looked up, witnessing Plant Man approach with a wicked smile.
"Such an old-looking machine," the Darkloid mocked, "With those joints and rotors... it's a wonder how you even work. I would be happy to give you a form more befitting to the cause of Nebula, of course-"
"No," X retorted, not skipping a beat, "I won't submit to you!" X's energy core was being strained from all the charged shots he had fired already, but the blue bomber couldn't let up; if the Liberators wanted to win this battle, they would have to give everything. Slowy, he began charging again...
"That's what they all say," Plant Man dismissed, tightening the hold of his vines. Violent thorns scratched and pierced the titanium shell of his victim, as the restraints pulled harder. X could feel his limbs about to be stretched beyond their limits; every ounce of restraint caused a guttural wheezing from his servos, a sound no machine should ever make.
Warning: Integrity compromised in armor sections ALF, ARF, ALU...
Warning: Integrity compromised in joints ASL, ASR, AEL...
Aside X, a ring of flowers began to bud, revealing sickly-green petals that nearly blended in with the general foliage. As the flowers opened, they ejected sprays of caustic spores, trying to coat the robot's torso in the stuff. Acid began to eat away at his armor, digging holes out of his existing wounds and thinning his metal skin. Plant Man only watched sadistically at his handiwork as X suffered.
Warning: Integrity compromised in armor sections TUR, TUL, TLL...
"Kelly-!" The android cried, desperately trying to get his ally to act. And so he did- as one of the plumed gorillas lunged forth, the psychic punched it in the gut with his staff. But instead of stopping the momentum, Kelly added to it, using the stick as leverage and his own telekinetic force to move the weight. Swinging the reeling beat overhead, he flung the entire chimera at Plant Man.
This most definitely divided the Darkloid's priorities. The plantoid program uprooted himself, releasing the battered liberator from the hold of his vines as he dove away from the weaponized creature. X's entire body was practically screaming in protest, but his arms finally sparked back to life. With an agonizing whir of his damaged internals, the android sat up and took aim with his charged Buster. "Catch!" X yelled, firing the blast.
As the plasma projectile went wide, Plant Man smiled in satisfaction- only to rescind it as Kelly poured all his psychic power into the bolt, steering it into his left side.
The ensuing scream of agony and frustration brought a faint smirk to the wounded android in kind.
"What?" Kelly asked, presuming some answer along the lines of the grotesque creatures before them both. X didn't realized he had spoken aloud- perhaps a malfunction caused by Nebula Space.
"This Darkloid- he resembles an old foe of mine," the android explained quickly. As far as his processors could calculate, there was no harm in letting the psychic know his thoughts. Putting aside any strange suspicions, X finished off two of the grotesque Cerberus-frogs and allowed a third to leap at him with fangs bared. With just a slight aim adjustment, the android's Buster cannon shot a blast down the exposed gullet. The disgusting chimera flopped at the bomber's feet, the impact spattering discolored blood onto his boots.
Meanwhile, Kelly saw one of the panther-apes close in, rearing up from its knuckles to wind up a swing of the fist. The wanderer held the arm fast with an application of telekinetic force, and the creature snagged on his arm arm as if he were clothes-lined. Seizing the moment of exposure, Kelly jabbed his staff into the beast's throat, crushing its larynx decisively. "You think you can apply a similar strategy to this foe, as well?" the fellow liberator replied without looking as the monster fell.
Could he? X considered this, but realized that he would have to re-locate his combat records of Rosered to make a precise statement on the matter. Considering Plant Man was recovering right now, this could not be an option. "No," X responded finally, "We'll think of something else."
With Plant Man having recovered from his previously-grievous wound, the Darkloid returned to the fray. X turned to face the enemy, leveling the X-Buster on the maverick program's head. The floral commander's set his own sights up the armament, keeping a careful watch of it.
Plant Man was eager to enact a vendetta against the inferior machine, and what more fitting than an eye for an eye- or more precisely, an arm for an arm. Perhaps the archaic weapon would make for a nice trophy.
X took the first shot, and paid for it dearly. In a mockery of Kelly's uprooting attack, a barrier of vegetation suddenly burst from the ground with a wave of his hand, absorbing the blast. The earth churned below X, and a series of spiked vines shooting from the ground like striking serpents. The blue bomber pushed his servos as hard as he could to compete with the agility of the Darkloid, releasing his blast early to dissuade the attacking plant-fibers. Though the explosion of dirt managed to dissuade some of the vines, two longer strands managed to ensnare the Mega Man's feet.
The android's backpedaling made him topple over, back hitting the earth with the thunk of heavy metal. X rolled over to his front, picking himself up as rapidly as a clunky robot could. He was just in time to spy that chimera-boar gunning for him again- but not in time to dodge the attack.
The liberator was forced to take the charging horns dead in the chest, having to use his hand to catch the imposing scorpion tail. Tackled to the ground, X had to hold off a dripping singer with one hand and a gnashing maw with the other. The machine began charging his weapon again, gnashing his own teeth from the combined physical strain and energy drain. With a great heave, the Mega Man flung away the boars head- only for a moment, but long enough to shove the X-Buster in its face and release the amassed plasma.
With the chimera successfully relieved of its head, a gore-soaked X tossed away the dying stinger tail. He was about to shove away the body with his feet when he found their movement restrained- and not by weight. The returning vines rapidly coiled up and seized the android's lower limbs, dragging him away from the fresh corpse. X's best efforts to slow the progress fell flat, the soft earth easily giving way under his clawing digits. In the process, even more of the twisting vines were exposed, immediately lashing out and seizing the liberator's arms as well.
The vines tangled around the Mega Man did not stop dragging, however. The Maverick Hunter quickly found himself strung up taut, pulled between his halves like some macabre torture device. He looked up, witnessing Plant Man approach with a wicked smile.
"Such an old-looking machine," the Darkloid mocked, "With those joints and rotors... it's a wonder how you even work. I would be happy to give you a form more befitting to the cause of Nebula, of course-"
"No," X retorted, not skipping a beat, "I won't submit to you!" X's energy core was being strained from all the charged shots he had fired already, but the blue bomber couldn't let up; if the Liberators wanted to win this battle, they would have to give everything. Slowy, he began charging again...
"That's what they all say," Plant Man dismissed, tightening the hold of his vines. Violent thorns scratched and pierced the titanium shell of his victim, as the restraints pulled harder. X could feel his limbs about to be stretched beyond their limits; every ounce of restraint caused a guttural wheezing from his servos, a sound no machine should ever make.
Warning: Integrity compromised in armor sections ALF, ARF, ALU...
Warning: Integrity compromised in joints ASL, ASR, AEL...
Aside X, a ring of flowers began to bud, revealing sickly-green petals that nearly blended in with the general foliage. As the flowers opened, they ejected sprays of caustic spores, trying to coat the robot's torso in the stuff. Acid began to eat away at his armor, digging holes out of his existing wounds and thinning his metal skin. Plant Man only watched sadistically at his handiwork as X suffered.
Warning: Integrity compromised in armor sections TUR, TUL, TLL...
"Kelly-!" The android cried, desperately trying to get his ally to act. And so he did- as one of the plumed gorillas lunged forth, the psychic punched it in the gut with his staff. But instead of stopping the momentum, Kelly added to it, using the stick as leverage and his own telekinetic force to move the weight. Swinging the reeling beat overhead, he flung the entire chimera at Plant Man.
This most definitely divided the Darkloid's priorities. The plantoid program uprooted himself, releasing the battered liberator from the hold of his vines as he dove away from the weaponized creature. X's entire body was practically screaming in protest, but his arms finally sparked back to life. With an agonizing whir of his damaged internals, the android sat up and took aim with his charged Buster. "Catch!" X yelled, firing the blast.
As the plasma projectile went wide, Plant Man smiled in satisfaction- only to rescind it as Kelly poured all his psychic power into the bolt, steering it into his left side.
The ensuing scream of agony and frustration brought a faint smirk to the wounded android in kind.
Quote:1225 words, according to Wordcounter.net.
Plant Man uses Plant Shield, Vine Whip, and Flower Pollen Spray. The flowers are a green version that uses acid. X's defenses will be debuffed until his Regeneration can heal it.