[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjcyLmJlYzViZC5WR2hsSUVadmNtVjJaWElnUzJsdVp3LjA/blackchancery.regular.webp[/img][/center] [center][h3][b][color=9e0b0f]A [/color][color=92278f]N [/color][color=2e3192]D[/color][/b][/h3][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/eM3WQ5U.jpg?1[/img] [h3][b][color=ed1c24]B O N E S A W[/color][/b][/h3][/center] [b]Location(s)[/b]: Paradox Engine, Simulated Universe #1 (Open Fields, Current Simulation: Unknown) [b]Mentions[/b]: Driscoll [@Mintz], Cyrus [@Randomness], Shadow Moth [@TruthHurts22], Poison Ivy [@Crimson Flame], Ganon [@ActRaiserTheReturned], and Horus [@Dead Cruiser]. [hr][hr] The Pretty Green Lady and Mr. Cyrus seemed to be handling themselves okay. The Green Lady's chlorokinesis really was rather impressive, growing an... oak tree apparently? Yeah, that did seem to be what it was -if the lady’s boasting was any clue. Growing it in seconds! [i]Wowee[/i], that was impressive! The gears of possibilities began to turn a bit harder in Bonesaw's head. Unless the Pretty Green Lady was carrying around seeds with her in that very much pocketless dress, then she'd just spontaneously created life from nothing! [color=ed1c24][i]Oh-hoh-hoo-hoo~![/i][/color] Bonesaw couldn't stop a gleeful smile at the possibilities. First a potential source of technological mass via the nanobots, and now a [i]biological[/i] one? Well, plants weren't exactly her preferred ingredients for her Art, but she could still make some nifty poisons with just flora! Mr. Cyrus and the Best Mascot Ever -who was apparently named [i]Houndoom[/i] (Bonesaw could have swooned)- were making short work of the bots that were inconvenienced by the Pretty Green Lady in a spectacularly flashy manner. The sheer heat wafting off the adorable hell puppy made her feel like she was standing near an oven almost, even from this distance! And last, but certainly not least, Mr. Horus's power-suit really was something to behold. The mind behind it wasn't too shabby either, she decided, as she watched from the corner of her eye him adapt to his opponents' tactics, carefully probing their defenses and ability to adapt to him in turn, before ripping into them with a respectable savagery. His mindfulness of the risk of reckless attacks seemed to inform his response well, his strikes calculated to maximize results and minimize consequences. The result? Two thoroughly wrecked drones and not a single new foe to replace them. Sure he'd been caught off guard initially, but it seemed Mr. Horus had a gift for sniffing out weaknesses and exploiting them. Bonesaw smiled glibly. She'd have to watch out for him in particular. As if on the que of the obliteration of all but one of the remaining enemy drones, the larger meteor made impact. And what an [i]impact[/i] it was! [color=ed1c24]"Eeek~!"[/color] Bonesaw squeaked, as she tumbled tooshie over teakettle from the shockwave, flying off of Driscoll's shoulder into the grassy plains. Shaking her head after the impact, Bonesaw was already moving back towards her lovely chivalrous meat-shield, her internal safeguards against concussive force serving her well in preventing the small child from being left stunned by the rough fall. A quick once-over of the state of the battlefield saw that most everyone had been disoriented by the new arrival. On the one hand, it seemed her fragile hold on her perch meant she hadn't been landed on by Mr. Driscoll. Sure, he'd managed to catch himself somewhat, but the risk was there! On the other hand... Bonesaw pouted at the number of grass stains visited upon her formerly flawless blue dress by the tumble. Those were going to be [i]annoying[/i] to get out later... especially without a place to wash in sight! Glaring at the new Big Bad Robot, the little blonde's hands planted themselves on her hips. [i]Oh[/i], she was going to make him [i]regret[/i] that! The big robot ([color=ed1c24][i]And wowee was he big![/i][/color]) said some quite ominous stuff about "crowd control" before launching a giant, not-so-friendly-looking blue orb of energy high into the sky… which began to immediately pulse… and scatter. [color=ed1c24]“[i]Oh…[/i]”[/color] Bonesaw’s eyes widened minutely, before she urgently picked up speed, lunging into Mr. Driscoll’s grasp, as he deployed his energy shield overhead once more. Thunderous blows rattled down around them, pulping soil and turning greenery to ash. Every impact was one that she could feel vibrating through her reinforced skeleton, titanic enough to destroy Mr. Driscoll’s shield in a single blow and drive the power-suited man deeper into a slowly growing crater, as the little blonde tucked herself as far down as she could safely manage. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all [i]that[/i] far, all things considered. If she let him fully shield for her, she might get crushed beneath his bulk! Well, given her reinforced skeleton, she’d live… probably. The only real question would be how many more hits his body could take for her once the shield gave out for good. Instead, the little blonde huddled to the side of her protector, still under the shield but not exactly pressed against him. Looking to the sky, her baby blue eyes narrowed at the energy orb, squinting, as the laser artillery continued to pour off of it like rain. To her effectively 20/20 vision, the orb was shrinking… barely at all, sure, but it was there. Unfortunately, that rate of decline was… [color=ed1c24]“Eheh-”[/color] Her giggle was a bit understandably restrained in humor. [color=ed1c24]“[i]Oh dear[/i], this may take a while… several minutes if I’m not mistaken.”[/color] And even disregarding the precariousness of her own situation, the rest of her current allies didn’t have the same protection she did. Swallowing, Bonesaw turned her head to the Forever King from where she lay mostly flat against the soil, inwardly lamenting the further despoiling of her dress. [color=ed1c24]“Mr. Driscoll Sir, how long can your shield take this kind of punishment?”[/color] As if punctuating Bonesaw’s sentence, another blast struck against the shield, briefly obliterating it, and forcing the two further into the ground. [color=0054a6]”Hrgh…”[/color] Quickly, a new one formed before any further artillery could land on them, as Driscoll took this brief reprieve to answer. [color=0054a6]”In truth…My shields have not been [i]taking[/i] these attacks since the beginning, but I have enough reprieve to set up anew before another strikes. I could keep this going for quite some time. However…”[/color] Risking a glance across the drastically war-torn field, he could see the others scrambling for cover and desperate to find ways to guard themselves. [color=0054a6]”I don’t believe the others have such a luxury.”[/color] Frowning, Bonesaw’s small brow furrowed, before she nodded resolutely. [color=ed1c24]“Your power supply then. Can it handle firing the water gun again while also maintaining the shield?”[/color] She glanced back up at the orb of death and then at its creator, who loomed over them all a dangerously nearby twenty feet away. The arms hadn’t undergone any particular shifts that she could see since its landing, so she couldn’t say for certain if destroying them would grant a reprieve from the assault. Or even if destroying the drone in its entirety would matter other than preventing another orb from being created. Truly, it was unclear at all if the orb was a one-and-done attack… or if it was currently being maintained remotely, which might explain how it was lasting so long. Actually, that might explain why there was only a single orb at all. If it were a one-and-done attack, then the robot could simply make more and bury all of them under the onslaught. Instead, only a single orb existed, and the attacks… They didn’t look random. [i]No[/i], they were guided somehow, preventing the creator from being hit. An unseen smirk played on Driscoll’s face. Could it? What a ridiculous question….Though it wasn’t like the young girl could’ve known what he possessed. [color=0054a6]”Undoubtedly. Why?”[/color] [color=ed1c24]“I’ll aim it this time,”[/color] she said simply. [color=ed1c24]“I saw how you opened it up and manually adjusted the pressure before, so I should be able to replicate it.”[/color] Curling one leg up, she flicked open her other pinkie toe and plucked the virulently-green acid capsule out. Grunting, she rolled over onto her stomach and pushed up into a low crouch. [color=ed1c24]“I just need you to maintain that shield and pull the trigger, Mr. Forever King Sir. I’ll handle the rest.”[/color] Hm. No more cute inflections or the sort; perhaps this had gotten a modicum of seriousness from the child? An amusing thought. Obliging, he reformed the cannon once again, and in another small flex of his arm hidden deeper in the machine, the dial unveiled itself once more. [color=0054a6]”Our conditions this time seem far harsher. The distance is wider, the target larger; and likely far more tenacious. If we miss…You’re certain you can aim this?”[/color] If anything, the tone of his voice spoke more of a challenge than a genuine question. Bonesaw’s cherubic grin was a touch feral. [color=ed1c24]“[i]Oh[/i], but Mr. Driscoll Sir, you said it yourself: the target is oh so much [i]bigger[/i]~!”[/color] Reaching out, Bonesaw took hold of the water cannon and crouched, laying the barrel atop her shoulder like an RPG gun, as she sighted down it towards the looming foe over the lip of the crater she shared with another. Humming, she double-checked the pressure of the gun, turning the dial as far down as she could manage, before settling back in. She refrained from placing the capsule in the barrel yet, mindful of the risk of an unexpected disruption from above potentially fouling her shot and setting off the volatile weapon. As the thunder of artillery sounded all around, Bonesaw’s brow furrowed in concentration, aiming the weapon at a somewhat upwards angle. At the lowest pressure, there might be a risk of her shot arcing low at this distance, and she could only safely afford to ramp it up once the stream reached the target. That settled, she considered her targets: waist, arms, or head. Arms were almost right out. Even if destroying them would likely cut power to the artillery orb, they were a small enough target to easily miss. She’d already seen how these drones had a surprising amount of agility. If she tried to be a greedy little smarty-patootie, she’d be punished for it by hitting nothing at all. Plus, there were two of them, and she could only hit one, unless the bot was foolish enough to grab the affected one. The small one had been, but this one looked a tad smarter. The waist…? Well, that was greed all the way. Considering the size of the thing, her capsule wouldn’t have enough fuel to eat through all of it, considering how it was entirely inorganic. With that in mind, she could wipe out the bottom half and leave the upper control center untouched aside from whatever damage it might take being removed from the main body by overenthusiastic allies… And [i]oh sweet sister Panacea[/i] did she want that more advanced control center intact~! The only problems, of course, were that this carried the risk of the big guy having time to potentially adapt to even her acid, to say nothing of the fact that it would be able to likely replicate itself just like any of the lesser drones if it got the chance to tear off part of its remaining upper body. And she [i]really[/i] didn’t want to think about what might happen if it could replicate her acid as a weapon. In theory, that should be impossible. Her acid was entirely organic and outside such a machine’s reach, but she didn’t really understand the limits of nanotechnology. If she gambled and was wrong…? She might as well have signed their death warrants. If this was to work, she needed her allies to defeat it incredibly fast once it was crippled. The head -or, more accurately, the upper torso- was a simple death blow. Quick. Clean. Efficient… and leaving nothing of use to scavenge afterwards. It was immediate reward at the cost of hurting -or at least, waylaying- their future efforts. Choices… choices… A wild grin overtook her expression, as she made her choice… and aimed ever so slightly lower. Looks like she was putting her trust in these strangers for now. They had better appreciate the opportunity to do some damage! Sucking in a deep breath, Bonesaw exercised her vocal chords to their maximum, straining to be heard over the eardrum-rattling roar of artillery, as she addressed her allies. [color=ed1c24]“[i]BIOLOGICAL WEAPONRY STRIKE: [b]INCOMING[/b]![/i] STEER CLEAR OF THE ACID! RIP OFF THE HEAD!”[/color] Gritting her teeth, fuming silently at the measures she had to take to make this work, she finished. [color=ed1c24]“AND [i]WHATEVER YOU DO[/i], JUST GRAPPLE THOSE [i]ARMS[/i]! DO [i]NOT[/i] LET THEM MOVE! DO [i]NOT[/i] LET THEM REPLICATE!”[/color] Turning her head to double-check the pressure dial a final time, Bonesaw slid the acid capsule down the barrel, steadied Driscoll’s arm with both hands and took hold of the dial. [color=ed1c24]“[b][i]FIRE![/i][/b]”[/color] Driscoll was surprised the little lady could muster such a warcry. He’d admit (at least to himself); it was impressive. Still, there were more pressing matters. Turning his gaze to the combat at hand, noting a bolt of energy approaching them. It was now or never. Bonesaw would feel it first before it released, the rumble of water blasting out like a geyser of force forward, heading towards…The waist? His scoff couldn’t be heard over the rushing water and artillery fire. Seemed this one had a reckless edge to her…Best to keep that in mind. Still, he wasn’t entirely remiss on the idea either; if they could have something salvageable from a Techadon like this, it could prove to be an interesting foundation for future works…He, too, found a grin beginning to form beneath his helm. As the water traveled, it almost looked like it wouldn’t make the mark. The tension in the air was palpable as the capsule flew in the air, mere inches off-target….And in that moment, the balance of the technological titan was stricken from it. From below, Static Cling had forced its puppetted Techadon to, for lack of better term, football tackle one of the gargantuan machine’s legs…And surprisingly, it had buckled from the strength. Not by much, but enough. The capsule was as close as it could ever get, and all that was left was to crank the pressure. With an adorably savage smile, Bonesaw turned the dial. From this distance, over the roar of water next to her head and the thunder of artillery, she couldn’t hear the capsule crack, but she imagined it sounded a whole lot like the click of the pressure dial maximizing. This drone was bigger, significantly so. Even so, the water helped carry and splash the newly-loosed volatile payload upon the internals, and soon, a gush of water splurted out the other side of the titan. Just as the water carried the deadly acid about the inside, so too did it scatter fragments on the ruined greenery and trickle and splash down the drone’s legs, leaving scars of ruined metal that soon began to grow in size with a terrible hissing noise that was audible even over the cacophony. Unable to support its own weight, the titan of steel and nanotech was driven to its quickly nonexistent knees, even as the crawl of acid began to ominously slow in its efforts to climb the torso properly, the by now highly diluted substance quickly running dry of the vital organic materials it needed to continue on. As an aside, it was quite unavoidable that the hijacked drone that had salvaged her fumbled shot was also doused thoroughly in the acid-filled water, quickly becoming a ruined dangerous mess all across the front. It was unfortunate and a waste of potential resources, truly, but... smirking in the face of the alternative payout, Bonesaw decided that was a sacrifice she was willing to make. That little drone’s valuable contribution would be remembered. Refocusing her attention upon the crippled titan, she grinned and crossed her fingers. It was all up to the others to finish this thing… hopefully leaving the good bits intact. As the titanic hulking construct crashed to the ground, blowing dirt and debris across the battlefield, another thing seemed to bring the odds back in favor; all of the energy, mid-air or otherwise, dissipated, having been held by the concentration of the mechanic menace. With no more artillery to call upon, and the reproduction of the lower half crippled by acid, this was their moment; either strike now, or lose, there would be no in-between.