Eastern Sahara
Forever stretching across the continent of Africa is the Sahara Desert, its begotten landscape spanning as far as the eyes can see. Reaching 1000 miles wide and around 3200 miles from east to west, this is without a doubt the largest desert in the world. Its entire square footage is a blistering 3,500,000 miles, although currently you are in the eastern region. This is primarily the Libyan Desert, considered the most arid part of the Sahara itself. Oasises, as rare as they normally are, are almost nonexistant in this region, leaving little hope and even less chances for anyone to survive who manages to get lost here. The majority of the land here consists of sandy dunes, often rising up 400 feet or more in height. Far off to the east is the valley of the Nile River, the only end in sight to this infinite realm of death and, beyond its grace, is the mountainous area of the Nubian Desert as well.
Revenant Cobra [Alone] [MH] Elec Man [Normal] [RM]
Battle and Chase Stands - Single CombatBorder Fortresses
Resource Collection Mines <RCM> Sphere Outpost <Omega> [RM]
North <N> leads to Barbary Coast.
West <W> leads to Mirror Desert (Western Sahara).
South <S> leads to Ivory Coast.
East <E> leads to Egypt.
Up <U> leads to Sky Above Sahara.
Hailstorm Eagle arrives from the Egypt.
Hailstorm Eagle has arrived.
And from the sky, coming straight from Fortress V himself, Storm Owl, flanked by Hailstorm Eagle, soars into view. His golden-orange armour gleams beautifully in the harsh desert sunlight. But then, one doesn't think of beauty when they think of Storm Owl. The somewhat rotund war bird settles down on the ground, letting his sharp talons grip into the sand as best it can. The strategist has a cold, unfeeling look in his beady eyes. "I am pleased by my pairing, Hailstorm," he notes. "The chance to do battle against an Alpha Robot Master is an excellent chance to collect data. Both on my own abilities and on the abilities of our enemy." He has already calculated his chance of winning this battle to several hundred decimal places, but he doesn't bother sharing it since OOCly I haven't a clue what it would be. Storm steps towards the ring. It's a crude wrestling style ring. Storm peers at it with mild disdain, as if he were above this sort of thing.
The entrance isn't overly flashy, but it'll do. Coming from the direction of Cairo is your average hoverbike - on top of it is your average Elec Man (of course, there being only one Elec Man, that goes without saying). He skids to a stop a short distance from the ring, and jumps down. Then, he claps his hands. "Alright then. Looks like it's time to take down another one for the glory of Wily!" His generators click clearly over any other noise - a nice crowd is already gathering for this, the first Single Combat match. Electricity bursts out from around him, and the Alpha dashes to the ring and vaults in. And he does a flip!
"I'm here for a reason too, Major," the eagle soared in a very tight echelon right formation before touching down nearby. "Same as yours, but for applications in my own match... I just wish Plasma could come to watch." She looked at the ring... and offered him a hand on the shoulder. "Either way, do your best.. and have fun with it," she stated before heading to his
corner as his backup. To watch, of course, and drag him out should he need it.
The announcer, one Hawkeye Hawk, a redundantly-named local reporter/sports announcer, perches at the top of the announcer's structure and looks down into it. There's one person, there's the other, and so it's time to actually do some announcing! Shedding all his lethargy, Hawkeye grabs the microphone and begins to speak into it.
"All right! Here we are in the bea-U-tiful evening Sahara on the first night of Battle and Chase, and have I got a treat for you today. We've got one of the very first Heavy Combat matches going on right here, right now! In the south part of the ring stands the Robot Master dynamo, energy source for millions and real jitterbug, ELEC MAN! And just landing now in the north, Repliforce's own tactician, king of stastics and master of the Fortress, STORM OWL! In just a moment, we'll be ready to start - once they get into position and signal us, of course."
Storm Owl watches as Elec Man makes his appearance. "Hypothesis: Your confidence may be unfounded. Fact: I do not plan to lose without testing your abilities in full, Elec Man." Storm Owl says to the walking battery. He's not terribly good at trash talk, is he? Storm looks back at Hailstorm
and nods, "I shall do my best," he promises. He doesn't bother mentioning how 'fun' shall have nothing to do with it. Everything is work for him... which, ironically, could be considered 'fun'. Storm Owl hops over the ropes and lands in his corner as Hailstorm heads there as well. Looking over his shoulder as the announcer arrives, Storm listens intently even though it's all fluff and no information. "I am prepared." he announces to Hawkeye. Storm Owl's cold gaze falls to Elec Man, as if analyzing him... searching him... judging him.
Elec Man slowly makes his way to his corner, extracting a paddleball from somewhere and utilizing it as you would. ~doonk-doonk-doonk~ "My confidence is never unfounded, Delicious Thanksgiving Dinner. I just wish I brought some stuffing, and cranberry sauce, and perhaps a tasteful flower
arrangement." He give the paddleball a last doonk before slipping it back wherever it was. "And now... bon appetit." He leans nonchalantly in his corner, snapping at the ref. Electricity begins to whirl around him.
That's good enough for Hawkeye. And yes, he can see you from up there. What, you thought his name was just for show? "All right! Elec Man is ready, Storm Owl is ready - let's get this show on the road!" More officially: "Combatants, take your places. On your mark..." Raising a tiny pistol, he
pulls the trigger; despite the size of the weapon, the bang is deafening. Hurrah for sonic equipment. "Go!" His yell is sort of outblasted by the gun, though.
And immediately, showing those snap reflexes of his, Elec rolls up onto the top of the post, bending his knees and springing out over Storm Owl. Electricity presses down into his foot as he completes a turn, and when he lines up with him, he seems to streak down like a bolt of lightning. "Kisses from Heaven!"
Elec Man strikes you with a minor hit from his Bolt Kick attack for 7 units of damage.
Storm Owl arches a metallic ridge at Elec Man. "But that is illogical." he drones. "1) Only an organic avian would be worthwhile to consume. 1a) There are exceptions, granted, however I do not believe, given the facts available, that either of us would fit the requirements for robotic
consumption. 2) Turkeys are, traditionally, the avian of choice for the holiday that you seem to be referencing. 2a) I am not modeled after a turkey; rather, I am designed to resemble an owl. A clue to this fact can be seen in my designation: Storm /Owl/. 3) Given the rules for this match, I be-" *BZZZZZT!!* Perhaps Storm Owl should do a little less squawking and a little more smiting? Elec Man gets the jump on Storm Owl and leaps at the Fortress V Commander, sending Storm reeling back to the ropes near Hailstorm. "Nnn..." he drones. Storm gets into the combat stance Simian taught him and lashes out with his foot, trying to slash at Elec Man's shins with his talons and send the Robot Master to the ground so Storm can build up an adequate defence.
You strike Elec Man with a minor hit from your Talon attack.
Hail leans back as Storm goes flying, wincing... "yeah, good plan."
Elec Man hisses, the talons going right through his boots and sending him right to the ground, as planned. However, he comes back up, electricity swelling up around him as if it were his forcefield. However, it seems to be lacking a certain solidity. "Bar bar bar bar, I'm intelligent and thusly ergo irrevecobly point a point b ISSUES, ISSUES!" The sphere of electricity around him suddenly launches forward at Storm Owl, attempting to encircle him and shock him from without.
Elec Man strikes you with a major hit from his Electrisphere attack for 24 units of damage.
Storm Owl rises back up after his successful strike, planning to take to the skies for added mobility before the Alpha can recover. But before he can do so, Storm Owl ends up getting positively blasted by the Alpha. The electricity crackles around Storm Owl's suddenly very, /very/ battered form, spewing energy in all directions. Wings tarnished, Storm Owl's armour is now
several shades darker than before. Seeing that there's no point in having a discussion with Elec Man, Storm Owl focuses his attention on the battle at hand and, once he has gained enough height, begins summoning up the powers of the wind. With a complex motion of his hand, Storm Owl sends a powerful blast of air streaking downward, hoping to once more knock Elec Man off his feet. Maybe with some luck he'll put a damper on the firepower being put out by that Alpha.
You strike Elec Man with a solid hit from your Cyclone Storm attack.
"That's /gotta hurt!" Hawkeye leans forward on his perch. "Okay, we've got a real match going out there. Elec Man is zapping the lubricant out of Storm Owl, who's only managed to defend himself with a nasty-looking kick! Despite looking a bit charred, he's still up - and there's a windstorm! I can't see for the dust!"
"Gah! Hey! INTENSE DISAPPROVAL!" Elec Man is indeed taken off of his feet by the windstorm, knocking him on his side hard. He twists and turns under the force until he's on his back. However, thinking his prone position'll hurt his firepower is definitely not the way to go. He throws his hand out toward the post of the ring, a blue line of electricity connecting him and it. With a loud shriek, and a pull of his arm, the post rips out from the ring, hurling up in the air in an attempt to 'punch' the Repliforcer. Hit or miss, Elec brings the post right back down into the hole it left, leaving the ring seemingly untouched after it all.
Elec Man strikes you with a solid hit from his Electromagnetics - Blunt attack for 15 units of damage.
The eagle just winced... This isn't looking good so far. She continued watching, though... until the windstorm came up. At that point, she took cover.
Storm Owl is finding that dodging electricity of any sort is very, very difficult indeed... the war bird lets out a gasp as the post, driven by magnets, flies up from the ring and smashes straight through Storm Owl's windstorm. The cyclone powers drop immediately due to the powerful impact,
letting the sand die down and visibility return to normal. Storm, meanwhile, is weakly trying to keep his position in the sky. Wordlessly, he adds all of this information to his tactical database. Summed up, it is: Elec Man is hard. The owl, struggling to keep up in this horrible match, swoops down at a breakneck speed, hoping that a close melee one-on-one battle will favour Storm a tad more. The Fortress V Commander tries to smash into the Alpha with his heavily armoured wings just as the post is gently returned to its position.
You strike Elec Man with a major hit from your Accelerated Strike attack.
Elec Man cries out as the strike sends him spinning into the side of the ring, bouncing off the ropes to land on his chest. Growling, he smacks his hand down on the mat, power bursting and launching the battered Master to his feet. "No way... am I going to go down in the first round... again!" He claps his hands together, his generators kicking into high gear.
Whirrrrr...
Electricity arcs about Elec Man, jumping from his head to his shoulders and on down, and up as well. Blue, yellow, and white, all swirling around him. He begins to float off of the floor of the mat as thunder cracks about him. He holds out his arms, palms forward, and the electricity begins to press forward.
WhirrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRR...
Coursing forward, the charge Elec has built initially builds around his yellow gloves, then moves forward into a large, solid ball. Elec's face is frozen in a scowl as he regards Storm Owl. "Right then." He takes one step forward in the air, then slams his arms forward. "THUNDER BEAAAAAAM!"
The power lances out from Elec Man in a solid bar, the three colors of his electricity swirling together like oils. A crack of thunder resounds through the entire area as the Thunder Beam goes off.
(it also totally bounces away from the audience stands, because of the wonder of protective forcefields)
Elec Man misses you with his Thunder Beam attack.
"Okay, the dust is cleared!" Hawkeye is practically bouncing at his perch. "Storm Owl dives Elec Man, slamming into him and launching him to the side - but he stays /in/ the ring! Nice save, Elec! And - what's this? Elec Man's charging up! He's going to shoot! He's going to shoot! HE SHOOTS!" He
pauses, letting the thunderclap fade away and his eyes clear from the flash of light. "And Storm Owl SAVES! He SAVES!"
He must've come from a hockey game.
Storm Owl had calculated his chances of successfully striking Elec Man at under fifty percent given the massive damage he has received thus far. But the nearly emotionless mech ignores the pain and focuses on compensating for his damaged systems. It is not easy, even for Storm Owl. Internal circuitry is fried, and his armour has shredded in several spots. Storm Owl's famed belly-bulge has a dent in it that's curiously shaped like the post from the ring. Thankfully, Storm Owl has no intention of staying /in/ that ring.
You miss Elec Man with your Sonic Dive attack.
After hearing the telltale ~CRACK~ of his armoured wings striking against the evil form of Elec Man, the war bird angles his wings and swoops back to the sky like the phoenix rising from his own ashes to avenge his earlier loss.
Storm Owl's ultra-keen hearing detects something... a slight whirling... the avian tilts his head, processing through millions of calculations to determine what is going to occur. It helps that the Alpha shouts out his plans anyway, but Storm has already started to act against it. Screaming up high into the sky, the war bird uses every tactic taught to him by Storm Eagle in the art of aerial combat, seeking to gain distance from this electrical onslaught. And just when the blast is fired, Storm Owl is a mere speck in the bright sky.
It's tough to tell... was he hit at this extreme range? Did it miss? The speck grows, and the obvious fear is that he is plummeting to his holographic demise. But no, this dive is controlled, and Storm Owl angles himself to try and knock off Elec Man once again before pulling up abruptly. The wind screams in protest of this dangerous maneuver. But danger or no, it is the logical course of action.
Elec Man dodges Storm's attack almost by providence, falling over and rolling just in time to avoid Storm's rushing attack. On nothing but instinct, the Alpha goes for one of his weaker, but more strategically handy moves. Blue electricity gathers in Elec's hand as he swings out at the
passing Storm Owl, releasing a powerfully stunning crack of thunder on either him or the mat.
Elec Man strikes you with a glancing hit from his Thunderclap attack for 2 units of damage.
Storm Owl is temporarily disoriented by Elec Man's Thunderclap attack.
Hawkeye Hawk watches Storm fly away. Far, far away. "And Storm Owl backs up! Is he running away? HEY, STORM, GET BACK HERE!" And then, conveniently, he does, diving toward the battlefield. Anything else he says is drowned out by the sonic dive and thunderclap.
Storm Owl's plan is a simple one: Advance up high into the sky again for another assault, but this time... this time Elec Man is too fast for him, and the war bird is confronted with an explosive boom just as he passes by Elec Man. The shock sends Storm Owl off course, and rather than soaring up high into the sky majestically, he tumbles off course, rises just enough to kill his momentum, and falls back to the ground, rolling into the corner, clearly disoriented by the crack of thunder. From within, Storm Owl begins the tedious process of recalibrating his optical and audio sensors so he'll be able to defend himself... but there's no way he'll be done by the time Elec Man gets through with him. Hawkeye's comments are unheard, and naturally are not responded to.
Hailstorm had to just continue watching, hanging back... and then Storm was sent to the mat. This wouldn't be good. "Come on Storm, get back up!" she shouted.
Elec Man stands back up now that he's got Storm incapacitated, and slowly walks over to him, rubbing at his side. "Game over..." He kneels down to him, reaching out and seizing his face. His brow twitches, and sparks explode out from him in an incredible, almost blinding shower.
Elec Man strikes you with a solid hit from his Shower Of Sparks attack for 15 units of damage.
You are below your courage-endurance point.
Game over? Not until Shield Shellfish sings. With no small effort, Storm Owl rises up, supported by one hand that barely has the strength to keep him from falling again, his form shaking and twitching as his cranes around, trying to decipher what his sensors are telling him. He can vaguely hear Hailstorm cheering him on. Though he cares not for the encouragement, it does help with the recalibration. His optics barely manage to focus on Elec Man just as the Alpha kneels before him. As terrifying a thought as it may be, Storm Owl can only watch helplessly as Elec kneels and grabs his face. The sound of crackling metal is horrible, as is the sight of the war bird's face starting to melt, surrounded by sparks shooting every which way. Were he not so badly damaged, Storm Owl would cry out from the pain. Instead, he uses his slowly recovering free hand, reaching over to his other wing even as Elec carries out this awful deed. Storm grabs one of his feather daggers from its position in the wing and, with what he has left, tries to jab it up into Elec Man's form.
You strike Elec Man with a solid hit from your Feather Missile attack.
Elec Man falls to the ground, unconscious, due to massive systems damage.
The makeshift dagger slips under the chestplate and catches Elec just to the left of his central generator, causing sparks to shower out from the wound in a Kurosawaesque display. Elec stumbles away from Storm Owl, the feather still caught just under his chestplate. He goes down to a knee, and slams a fist into the mat angrily, with accompanying thunderclap. "Damnit!"
"Storm Owl's caught down - I can see through those sparks, but the cameras can't! He's down - I think that's a win for El - no, wait! No! He's up! Storm Owl is UP!" Hawkeye is still bouncing, caught up in the moment. "Barely, and I'd swear he'd fall over any moment now, but he's still
fighting! He's - he's got a knife, and he's stabbed Elec Man, and - " Hawkeye pauses. "Wow! He's come from behind! Elec Man's sparking like crazy and he's down down /down/! That's a win for Storm Owl! Victory to the Repliforce!"
The eagle covered herself to avoid from getting the spark results in her optics... getting a massive recharge to her wings in the process, of course... and then looked up and watched as Storm -won-. Out of nowhere. "..oh wow! Storm! Good job!"
Storm Owl slumps back down to the ground, face first in the mat. A little puddle of melted orange metal is cooling and hardening around where he lays. The strategist grunts, dropping the dagger and letting it lay at his side. The sound of Hawkeye's reporting is a welcome thing indeed, and Storm Owl slowly, with massive effort, props himself up to one elbow... and then another, and then to his knees. The holographic damage slowly begins to shimmer and vanish as he does so. The end result is Storm Owl rising from the ground, rising from near defeat, and rising up to his full, undamaged
and threatening pose. By the time the damage is gone, Storm Owl is once more on his feet, peering at Elec Man. Were the Fortress V Commander a sporting fellow, he might praise Elec Man's battle ability and console him with how close he was. Or perhaps let him know that it could have gone either way, and it was merely luck in the end. But Storm Owl is not a sporting individual, and so he turns away and steps back to Hailstorm Eagle. "It was satisfactory, at best. I noticed many glaring flaws in my performance." Storm Owl's harder on himself than he is on his troops. Still, he does add in a somewhat reluctant tone, "I do appreciate your support, however."
Hailstorm grinned widely and nodded. "There's -always- room for improvement, Major."
Elec Man storms (quite literally) out of the arena, pulling the ropes apart so roughly that the pole pulls back out of the ring behind him, collapsing a quarter of the ropes. Without any further words, he makes his way to the hoverbike and speeds off.
Storm Owl inclines his head to Hailstorm. "Well said." He turns about and glances at the retreating Elec Man, and then peers at the official, "If there is no more business here, then I shall be returning to the Fortress V. You may inform me if there's any other requirements needed for advancing to the second round." Given how tough the first round is, Storm Owl is interested to see how the second one turns out.
"No, no, that's all for this match." Hawkeye seems a lot more pleasant /after/ the match than before; he's given the post-combat report duty to one of his lackies. Hurrah for lackies. "You can go home. Take a break. Good luck on the next one - fine showing tonight.