{ "submission_id": "1360911", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "21442", "keyword_name": "character development", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1326" }, { "keyword_id": "7749", "keyword_name": "cyberpunk", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "2060" }, { "keyword_id": "123", "keyword_name": "female", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1093962" }, { "keyword_id": "165", "keyword_name": "male", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1202242" }, { "keyword_id": "19574", "keyword_name": "pit-bull", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4" }, { "keyword_id": "2589", "keyword_name": "poodle", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "3628" }, { "keyword_id": "186", "keyword_name": "rabbit", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "139735" }, { "keyword_id": "27045", "keyword_name": "shonen", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "132" }, { "keyword_id": "10144", "keyword_name": "story progression", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "2002" }, { "keyword_id": "2138", "keyword_name": "tabby", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1354" }, { "keyword_id": "5891", "keyword_name": "tanuki", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "8537" }, { "keyword_id": "911", "keyword_name": "white tiger", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "2144" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "1", "create_datetime": "2017-05-21 11:07:38.795132+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "21 May 2017 13:07 CEST", "last_file_update_datetime": "2017-05-21 11:00:02.079203+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "21 May 2017 13:00 CEST", "username": "TerraMGP", "user_id": "46355", "user_icon_file_name": "60251_TerraMGP_terramg.gif", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/60/60251_TerraMGP_terramg.gif", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/60/60251_TerraMGP_terramg.gif", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/60/60251_TerraMGP_terramg.gif", "file_name": "1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.doc", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "300", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "200", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "120", "thumb_medium_y": "120", "files": [ { "file_id": "1914305", "file_name": "1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.doc", "mimetype": "application/msword", "submission_id": "1360911", "user_id": "46355", "submission_file_order": "0", "full_size_x": null, "full_size_y": null, "screen_size_x": null, "screen_size_y": null, "preview_size_x": null, "preview_size_y": null, "initial_file_md5": "31ab74079787fae706890c6a67d34a63", "full_file_md5": "31ab74079787fae706890c6a67d34a63", "large_file_md5": "", "small_file_md5": "", "thumbnail_md5": "8ff2c3f611b72d29810f4ed350cd0259", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2017-05-21 11:00:02.079203+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "21 May 2017 13:00 CEST", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/1914/1914305_TerraMGP_by_design_new_game.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "300", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "200", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "120", "thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "41413", "name": "By Design", "description": "The Machinations of Ilka Thanedotter as she makes moves and counter-moves against others. A twisted young wolf with ambitions and plots seeking something only she truly understands.", "count": "19", "submission_left_submission_id": "1315952", "submission_left_file_name": "1847095_TerraMGP_by_design_infection.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/1847/1847095_TerraMGP_by_design_infection.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/1847/1847095_TerraMGP_by_design_infection.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/1847/1847095_TerraMGP_by_design_infection.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120", "submission_right_submission_id": "1443024", "submission_right_file_name": "2037839_TerraMGP_by_design_admiration_part_1.doc", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/2037/2037839_TerraMGP_by_design_admiration_part_1.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/2037/2037839_TerraMGP_by_design_admiration_part_1.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/2037/2037839_TerraMGP_by_design_admiration_part_1.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "120" }, { "pool_id": "64597", "name": "Great Tree Saga", "description": "An attempt at the chronological list for all great tree saga stories. Does not incldue side stories.", "count": "65", "submission_left_submission_id": "1397220", "submission_left_file_name": "1969187_TerraMGP_by_right_resolve.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/1969/1969187_TerraMGP_by_right_resolve.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/1969/1969187_TerraMGP_by_right_resolve.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/1969/1969187_TerraMGP_by_right_resolve.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120", "submission_right_submission_id": "1310040", "submission_right_file_name": "1838107_TerraMGP_by_design_miss.doc", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/1838/1838107_TerraMGP_by_design_miss.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/1838/1838107_TerraMGP_by_design_miss.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/1838/1838107_TerraMGP_by_design_miss.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "description": "So yeah, depression and computer issues have kept me from doing any serious writing, more so the depression keeping me from finishing anything serious.\n\nThis one probably isn't what the few of you out there who read me are waiting for, but it is what I can produce at the moment and it does go a way to progressing 'by design'. Even if much of it is world building.\n\nI put in all of the tags for what is in here, but kept it on the extreme side of sexual because the series as a whole contains enough Cub, mind control and other things most people want to blacklist for various reasons, so I figure best not to lure someone in with what looks like it will be a silly shonen spoof and then bam, porn that makes them feel horrible about themselves when another story shows up.\n\nStill considering doing something with no cub at all, but honestly that is one of my big fetishes, and more over it really is something I have to think hard about when I am barely getting out what I write now.\n\nJust note that this one may have errors I missed because my current setup is sub optimal.\n\nQuestions, comments and constructive criticism adored.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "So yeah, depression and computer issues have kept me from doing any serious writing, more so the depression keeping me from finishing anything serious.

This one probably isn't what the few of you out there who read me are waiting for, but it is what I can produce at the moment and it does go a way to progressing 'by design'. Even if much of it is world building.

I put in all of the tags for what is in here, but kept it on the extreme side of sexual because the series as a whole contains enough Cub, mind control and other things most people want to blacklist for various reasons, so I figure best not to lure someone in with what looks like it will be a silly shonen spoof and then bam, porn that makes them feel horrible about themselves when another story shows up.

Still considering doing something with no cub at all, but honestly that is one of my big fetishes, and more over it really is something I have to think hard about when I am barely getting out what I write now.

Just note that this one may have errors I missed because my current setup is sub optimal.

Questions, comments and constructive criticism adored.", "writing": "By Design: New Game\n\nBy TerraMGP\n\n\t“What was the name of the Terran emperor who led to the great Schism?”\n\n\t“Alexander Rothford Kwalia. Last of the Kwalia.”\n\n\t“What Megacorporation holds the largest amount of multimedia entertainment influence galaxy wide?”\n\n\t“Third Sun”\n\n\t“Who is the father of computing?”\n\n\t“Modern computing or just computing?”\n\n\t“Computing overall”\n\n\t“Charles Babbage, though the argument can be made for Alan Turing.”\n\n\tHye carefully arranged the new boxes along the walls of her closet. Each stack meticulously squared with the last and with the wall. She would re-open a pack, carefully place each new part in the proper part of the storage container and then put the pack itself on the stack. A ritual she’d been doing since she started out in the game.\n\n\tNaturally most kids would usually recycle the packs to get back a couple ration points. Maybe keep one of each art style for the sake of collecting at best. To Hye though it was all special. Besides the most she could get out of this would probably be a handful of packs or so. Not nearly enough to justify giving up her little treasures.\n\n\tThe slightly pudgy girl looked back to Eodom. Her battler back in her previous configuration at the moment. The battler sitting on her charge station with a link opened to the school text files. Her battler was her friend after all, and what said friendship more than helping with homework?\n\n\t“As far as I can tell that should be sufficient coverage for today. In fact it should cover the majority of the information slated for the semester.” Eodom giggled “Not that I would expect much different.”\n\n\t“Study is easy. Getting Riff and Raven to pay attention is the hard part.” The tanuki whined as she slumped a bit and rolled her shoulders. \n\n\t“It will probably help if you are better able to keep pressure on them in fights. They generally don’t pay much attention if they haven’t been worn out on a good fight. Or at least Raven won’t.”\n\n\t“So what, you think if I can beat them consistently I’ll be able to make them work or something? Because that would probably help them out a lot” she giggled teasingly.\n\n\tEodom sighed and shook her head from her place on the desk. “No, I do not. It is doubtful that Raven or Riff will have any sort of desire to increase their educational goals regardless. At least that’s my take on things.”\n\n\tPoor Hye just shook her head and nodded softly. As much as she hated to admit it, the little battler had a point. Well regardless, We do have to keep up. I think it may be time for a bit of an overhaul based on the offerings from the new set. We have a good deal of parts to play with, and based on what I read the neck slot items should help synergize things a bit. From the sounds of it, a lot of people think the meta is pointing towards older parts being more viable with a neck slot added, and removing the focus on using parts ‘intended’ to work together.”\n\n\t“So Raven should be right at home then?” Eodom asked\n\n\t“Yeah” Hye sighed a bit and smirked to herself. “He was always one to break the mold. Though it may mean we need to work harder in adaptation.” She finished getting the different parts arranged and organized exactly how she wanted them. There were quite a few doubles and triples. A nice chunk of commons she could trade or grind up and switch out for other things in the shop if need be. \n\n\tShe started to thumb her way though the old sets of parts as she so often did when a new set came out. Without enough concrete info on the new meta it was going to be hard to get anything functional. Instead she looked over the weapon parts she possessed and glanced back at Eodom, opening up a tab for the new interface to look over the statistical enhancements given by the nice lacey choker currently set around the small toys neck.\n\n\t“Do you think we will be able to adapt properly? I admit I’m not quite sure that your current setup will work very well with the new system. I think I have an idea atleast in how to start.but without any sort of data on the meta this is probably all we have to go on.” Hye sighed and slumped a bit as she started to look over her collection slowly.\n\n\t“Well we have plenty of time to figure it out.” The small battler reassured her controller “Besides I’m sure our fights with Raven and Riff will help give us some idea of just what the new set is capable of. There is no point in stressing over anything prematurely, right?”\n\n\tHye nodded and smirked a bit “I guess. I mean the new item looks nice, and we’ve been doing fine up until now. Worst thing that happens Riff busts out something brand new and we get some good data.”\n\n\t“Speaking of which” Eodom chimed in. “you have a meeting with the boys in the park in half an hour to show off your new build.”\n\n\tThe tanuki chuckled and grinned nice and wide as she picked up an older rare. A rather steampunkish staff probably almost as old as she was. “Well then I guess we better hurry then, huh?”\n\n--------------------\n\n\tConsidering the nearly idyllic nature of the planet, the colony had little shortage of well groomed parks. Indeed with the other bits of loamy soil around and abundance of indigenous life it was a small matter for the sparse prefab buildings to be set up amidst patches of drone-groomed grasses and trees each tailored to the whims of the current parks management supervisor. A job that was currently number forty seven on Hye’s list of desired career paths after her education was complete.\n\n\tThe boys were late. Not that it was really a shock, nor should it be. The girl glanced the time from the corner of her eye as she split her time between pacing in front of a park bench and sitting in it scanning her favorite streams and channels for any new insights or uploaded media to help her wrap her head around the new set.\n\n\tAfter the tenth short flatvid broadcast ended up doing little beyond naming the same parts list any number of fan sites could give her, Hye pushed herself back off of the bench and resigned herself once more to the simple nervous fidgeting she had been getting used to. So used to, in fact, that she didn’t even really notice as the squat tanuki managed to slam face first into someone else, her forehead thumping on chin bone and sending her stumbling back.\n\n\t“Gah! Ow. Sorry! Sorry are you hurt?” Hye stumbled back into a nice thick oak and winced as her palm scraped tree bark. She looked up at the other girl. She was older, just her physical build and the state of her jump suit told her that. Long sleeves and pant legs even in the warming air and a small insignia of someone in training for a career path. Though admittedly memorizing all of the various minutia of career badges for the colony system was something even Hye was never bored enough or curious enough to attempt.\n\n\t“Oh, Hello there.” The older girl said. She was a Tapir, a dusky furred thing with a rather simple conservative cut that went down to her neck and long spindly limbs that seemed to indicate she got almost no real exercise. The girl looked almost frail as she stood there.\n\n\tTruth be told it made Hye wonder if the poor girl wasn’t sick or something.\n\n\t“I, uh. It seems you may have dropped something.” The girl said as she bent down and snatched up Eodoms box, holding it up in her hands a moment to look it over. Her voice had a calm, papery tone that only added to the younger girls worry. Like she was some figurine in danger of snapping in two at a strong breeze.\n\n\tHye nodded softly “Yep. I uh, could I have her back, please? I’m supposed to do some training here soon with my friends.”\n\n\tThe older girl nodded softly and took one last look over the box before offering it to Hye graciously and nodding. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to inconvenience you. I was simply curious.” she said rather matter of factly.\n\n\t“It’s no big deal. I’m the one who kinda rammed full force into you after all. It’s really my fault.” Hye said as she bowed politely “My name is Hye Penske. I am sorry if I harmed you in any way. I guess I just got a bit worked up.”\n\n\t“Emily.” the older girl said with a small nod “and I really should be going.” It wasn’t an impolite brushoff. If anything the girls tone oozed soft matter-of-factness and calm. However it was still a very brisk reaction, almost a brush off. Leaving Hye standing there with Eodoms box in hand and jaw just a bit agape.\n\n\tFortunately Hye had been raised well enough to keep her wits and manners about her even with something that strange. She waited until the older girl was gone from sight before popping it open. Not enough to wake the sleeping toy within, just a crack to quickly scan that all the parts were exactly in order.\n\n\t“So, what do we have here?”\n\n\tHye bristled at the voice and quickly shut her box back up. She turned heel as best as her clumsy feet could and narrowed her eyes at the trio of girls standing before her. “Peridot.” the caramel tanuki muttered with every angstrom of tact she could muster. Sadly they were few.\n\n\t“Penske.” Peridot chuckled, almost oozed the words. The poodle girl was stuck up and superior even at her best of times. Right now she seemed to be at one of her worst, the kind of moods that reeked of smug self assuredness. She was flanked by her cronies. A tabby and pit bull named Martha and Jean. Hye didn’t bother to learn which was which. Few people did she imagined. “Fancy seeing you here. The new set only released a short while ago. I figured you would be stuck at home trying to take care of things. Or perhaps doting on your father again.”\n\n\tThe words made her bristle just a bit. It was something one got used to. Such a small colony and such a small school the bullies and thugs generally didn‘t put much effort in hiding themselves. “Do you want something?” Hye muttered softly “Because I have things I need to do today.” she bit her lip a bit and let out a frustrated little sigh.\n\n\t“like what creeper?” the tabby laughed “Gonna hang out in the bushes again and spy on that little bunny you hang out with all the time?”\n\n\t“Yeah” the pit-bull chuckled “Dumb bunny.”\n\n\tA less pacifistic Hye might have been less diplomatic, and at the moment she was somewhat wishing she wasn’t quite so polite. “He is not dumb you… distasteful individuals. You all know very well I was simply getting the ball since our PE teacher insisted on kamph-ball and I was out first anyways.”\n\n\t“Yeah, like always” the tabby sniggered\n\n\tHye narrowed her eyes but let the slight go. “More importantly you should leave Raven alone. He’s the best in the whole colony, probably the best on world. Plus he’s quite intelligent, even if his vocabulary is a bit rough.” She smirked softly and shook her head “Not that present company fares much better.”\n\n\tThe Tabby seemed to catch on, the pit bull simply laughed to herself clearly missing the barbs entirely.\n\n\tPeri, on the other hand, was on point as always. “I suppose you may be right, Penske. I mean you do spend enough time fawning over him, and you are at least book smart for whatever good that’ll do you. I guess you’d know. Unless you let something mess with your objectivity. Like, say, his butt.” She smirked at what she presumed to be the height of wit, before those sharp blue eyes landed on Hye’s box.\n\n\t“Ohhh, so that’s what this is. You guys got to nab the new set early because bunny boy fucked with authority and as always lucked into a reward instead of getting what he deserves. So now you’re going to sit out here and try to figure out how to make the new parts work. Am I warm?”\n\n\t“Warm enough.” Hye said softly “It’s training. Raven and Riff need it if they’re going to improve. Especially since they insist on using their own… unique… build styles. Besides a good fight might further inspire me.”\n\n\t“Inspire you to what, give up?” Peri laughed haughtily “What, are you expecting to suddenly get the perfect build list plopped into your jack memory because you hung around with two people dumb enough to keep going with the same thing? I mean if he really was as smart as you say, He’d be studying at the Battler Society Academy instead of stuck here taking the same boring classes as the rest of us. I bet he just doesn’t have the grades to get in though, huh?”\n\n\tThe words grated on Hye as she gritted her hands into the best fists her weak hands could muster. Looking up and glowering at Peri over the rims of her glasses. “Leave Raven out of this.” She muttered\n\n\t“oh, I struck a nerve. Is creepy stalker girl upset her crush isn’t off where she thinks he should be? Or maybe she’s happy he fucked up last time he tried to get in. that way she has him around and all to herself.”\n\n\tHye flinched again and blushed hard “I’m not a stalker. I’m just his friend. What is wrong with you girls?”\n\n\tThe poodle chuckled and ran a finger though her curls as she looked Hye over. “You know the bunny may be a joke, but he is ok enough this game. Very good. You got me thinking, princess. Maybe it’s time someone else started making the moves on him. I mean it would be a shame for such a good player to end up with someone who hurts his reputation. Who knows, maybe if he stops hanging with losers like you he’d even get better and get in the BSA. What do you girls think. Is little Hye an albatross?”\n\n\t“Yeah, definitely.” The tabby giggled.\n\n\t“I donno Peri. Isn’t she like, a Tanuki?” the pit-bull whimpered only to get smacked in the back of the head.\n\n\tWithout a shred of warning Hye held her box out and took a confident step forwards, narrowing her eyes. “That’s it! You and me, right now. One on one, no help from your goons. That is unless you’re scared.”\n\n\tPeri smirked at that and licked her chops slowly “oh now you’ve done it. I think I finally hit pay dirt, girls.” The poodle pulled a smaller, more oval box from her belt. One that looked a bit like a febrile egg but with clear breaks in strategic parts. Lines that would bust open when the throw came. “Better get ready, little raccoon cur. Because I confess I am looking quite forward to this.”\n\n\tThe two took position and sized each other up, growling and bracing as they looked each other in the eye.\n\n\t“Three… Two… one… For Elysium!”\n\n\tThe boxes popped open and instantly Eodom took her stance. The robed figure holding up the new clockwork staff as the sun danced and glistened against it.\n\n\tAt the same time, Peridots box opened to reveal a figure all its own. An odd feline head, wrapped in pink rubber with a shining, glistening golden mask situated over her face. She wore a beautiful, elaborate gown that covered her legs complete with pink and white filigree and matching golden accessories springing forth like some pampered noble of an era long gone by. The only other thing that Hye really noticed were the gloves. Long, thick rubber gloves going up the figures elbows in a shade similar to that of the head.\n\n\t“Princess.” Peridot giggled wickedly “Why don’t you show our friends here just what this wonderful new set has given us. I’m sure they’ll find it thrilling.”\n\n\tThe feline figure giggled and waved her hand as a simple pink dart of energy appeared before her, almost as if by magic. The thing shot off at a surprisingly slow pace. Not too horrible, but slow enough that Eodom was easily able to step out of the way.\n\n\tUnfortunately the dart seemed to home in on its target, and struck home quite easily.\n\n\tHye yelped in sudden shock as she felt some strange sensation hitting her body. At first she patted around on her jump suit, sure that an insect had decided to attack her or she’d somehow ended up injuring herself. This momentary distraction was alleviated only when another string of darts flew out from the opponents gloved hand and struck home on the equally dazed Eodom, causing her to yelp loudly.\n\n\t“Lovely, isn’t it?” Peridot giggled “I have to say this really is the best set ever. I’m sure you noticed the new meter up there. The one important enough the stick it near the HP and TP? Well, that’s for the new status effect. You see, Princess is a lady. She doesn’t really like to carry big hammers or fire huge guns. I admit I always kind of hated playing since it was all about who had the better stats or strategies. But now” she giggled ‘I can win for the one reason I should win. Because I’m better than you, as a person… and I can prove it”\n\n\tBefore Hye could process what was being said she’d feel another few stings of the darts striking Eodom and making her body tingle in the same places. She looked up to the meter I her HUD. A D on one side, an S on the other. Both sides flanking a simple purple outlined box, which was now almost halfway full on the S side, and falling very slowly.\n\n\t“Just because you have some kind of poison mechanic doesn’t mean you’re better than me, Peridot.” Hye protested “Eodom, throw down some cover, then use mine shot!”\n\n\tThe panda priestess waved her staff as a glittering wall of energy seemed to slice its way out of the ground, though naturally the projection did nothing to the ground itself. From that she conjured something that looked like a large hand grenade and lobbed it over the wall, the thing splitting and spinning as little mines were peppered around in the grass and dirt. Each one glowing brightly and making it clear it would be almost impossible to evade all of them if Princess decided to move much at all.\n\n\tPeridot simply laughed. “you can’t be serious.” she growled “So little Hye is just going to hide from my shots and hope she can throw out enough tricks that I will give up? I told you, that’s not how the game works anymore. It’s not about damage, or about tactics, or about spending hours building up some big important set of skills.” As the poodle ranted her words, her battler lifted up the ball gown and drew out an ornate blackwood hand crossbow, complete with gold leaf inlay. She pointed the thing directly at the manufactured cover and tilted her head as energy started to crackle and spiral around the small object. Swelling and growing by the second.\n\n\t“You can’t break my barrier, and I already know what that weapon can do” Hye insisted ‘There’s no way you can do any serious damage to me without an attack that can pierce my barrier, Peri. You’re not going to win this.”\n\n\tThe poodle simply laughed and shook her head. “Stupid girl. You still don’t’ get it. I win, because I am your superior. Because I will dominate you, and you will submit.”\n\n\tThe hand crossbow finally formed the golden energy into a proper arrow, the thing shooting out hard and slamming into the barrier. As Hye had noted the defensive summon had managed to block all but some minimal damage. It provided near total cover, only allowing tiny nicks and pinpricks to Eodoms HP bar.\n\n\tThe sensation, on the other hand, only got worse.\n\n\tHye stood there. Shivering, paralyzed, helpless. Her body washed over with this odd mix of sensations. Small, growing hints of physical pleasure, like a kind touch though a surgical glove, mixed with deep and nearly indescribable negative emotions which stirred and welled in her gut with each little nick of damage. Compounding on themselves while the girl struggled to keep her footing. She could feel her vision blur. Her thoughts cloud. Even the simple act of standing was becoming increasingly difficult, if not downright impossible.\n\n\tThe feelings finally became too much. Even in her addled state, Hye could see that she still had a chance. Her HP, her TP. While dwindling it was possible for her to pull something out of this mess.. She had some chance to win. Instead her knee hit the ground. She and Eodom both collapsing hard as her head seemed to swim and tremble. She looked up meekly to see Eodom falling on her face and shaking. Whining and groaning gently. “H-how.”\n\n\t“I thought so.” Peri chuckled “You don’t have any idea what you were doing, what we were doing, do you?” The poodle laughed haughtily and took another step closer. Her prim, proper Princess all but prancing up to the box on her own where Peri closed it up nice and tight.\n\n\t“What did you do?” She sputtered softly “No way this was in the new update. This… this was too much!” She struggled to get on her feet again. The strange feelings and her fuzzy head made her feel weak. Horribly weak, and it didn’t seem to clear as the fight ended.\n\n\t“I have to admit I love this new set.” Peri chuckled “No more losing to number crunching dweeb like you. All I have to do is use attacks that use the dominate status effect and before you know it, anyone weak enough to give in is on their knees, getting forced into a surrender.”\n\n\t“W-wait, so because my meter filed…”\n\n\t“Oh it doesn’t even have to fill. Jean and Martha both fell at about the half way point. Didn’t even last that long hovering there. They simply know their place. Oh, and by my estimations, based on where my bar was, you didn’t really get too much further before you just submitted. Did you Penske?” The wicked poodle laughed as she threw her head back. For some reason Hye was half expecting the girl to just step on her, though thankfully she didn’t. \n\n\t“You know girls, if she can’t even last this long against me, it makes me wonder if we shouldn’t simply see about snatching that Raven boy away from her after all. Not that I think we need to worry too much. I mean it might be a mercy to save him from such a loser.” Peridot growled as she leaned down over Hye “But then, who’d date a loser like you anyways?”\n\n\tHye wanted to scream, to sob, to take a swing at the cruel girl standing over her.\n\n\tInstead, the best she could do was crawl though the grass. Crawl over to Eodom on her hands and knees, feeling the hard dirt and dam grass stains etching themselves into her knees as she scooped up the beaten battler and stuffed her into her box with a shaking hand.\n\n\tAs soon as she got to her feet the defeated girl started to run. Dashing at a lilting near-limp and stumbling her way back towards home with fresh tears running down her cheeks and stinging her eyes.\n\n\tShe ran so quickly that the poor girl didn’t even notice as she rammed though a pair of people, nearly barreling one over. She looked back to see who it was, to apologize, and her heart sank. Raven and Riff. Happy, proud, seeing her like this. Seeing her for what she was.\n\n\tHye turned away quickly and resumed her mad dash down the grass towards her home. Her whole world feeling utterly shattered at that moment and no hope in sight of ever fixing it.\n\n--------------------\n\n\tA hard knocking thud hit the semi-hollow plastics of Hye’s bedroom door. The sobbing girl winced as she gripped one of the many purple covered pillows. Naturally the thud it made was all but imperceptible, but really Hye couldn’t bring herself to do more as she sobbed into the other pillows piled up on her bed.\n\n\t“Hey sweetie. You want to let me in? Want to talk?” her father asked from the to her side of the door.\n\n\t“No! Just, just go away. Please.” \n\n\tShe heard her father sigh from the to her side of the door. “Ok sweetie. Look I’m going to be out for a while at the load dock. Trying to get us caught up. If you need anything just don’t hesitate to message me, ok?”\n\n\tShe didn’t answer. She knew she should. Knew she should talk it out, should be rational. But she couldn’t. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. It was bad enough that some mean, nasty, selfish girl had figured things out before her. But then to lose so badly, so completely. Worse, to lose in front of Raven.\n\n\t“Hye?” a familiar voice called from up on her nightstand.\n\n\tThe Tanuki sat up and shivered as she wiped a few tears on the back of her arm. She looked at Eodom, sitting with her legs swinging off of the side of the dresser, looking dejectedly at the carpet. \n\n\t“I’m sorry.” Eodom muttered “I still had Hit Points left. I should have stayed standing. I let you down. I know how much you wanted to show those girls how bad they were being.”\n\n\t“Don’t.” Hye interrupted softly “Eodom, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. If I didn’t feel so funny, if I didn’t get so, so scared, then it would have been just fine. You did your job. I mean we’ve had the same parts for years now and you’ve been fine. You’re a great battler.”\n\n\tThe panda toy nodded her head a bit and sighed “I guess so. But that still doesn’t make it your fault. You’ve always pushed really hard. You’ve always been strong, and smart. E-especially when Raven is around. There’s no way that girl would have beaten you before now.” The toy actually sounded more than a bit bitter, a bit angry. Something she normally didn’t. It almost made Hye wonder if this was part of that increased emotional range that had been advertised.\n\n\tThe brown furred girl sat up slowly and pushed her overstuffed comforter off to the side. She sat on the edge of her bed in a near mirror of how Eodom was sitting and let out a small sigh of frustration. “It’s not fair. She probably figured this all out because she used her goons as test subjects. A-and it’s super unfair that it’s some new status thing that I have to feel too. You shouldn’t end up failing because I’m so weak.” Hye pouted.\n\n\t“But you’re not weak.” Eodom protested “You know you’re not weak. Not really. You were surprised, sure. But if you were weak then you wouldn’t have kept trying to stand up with all those things hitting me. You could have stopped any time. I mean it’s just a game. We don’t have to play with her.”\n\n\t“Yeah.” Hye sighed halfheartedly. “Yeah… Yeah!” her expression went from dejection, to curious thought, to raw inspiration. The Tanuki hopping up out of hear seat and grinning nice and wide as she made a beeline for the closet.\n\n\t“H-hye, what are you doing?” Eodom gasped as she barely stopped herself from falling over. Finally pulling herself up she blinked and jumped on to the bed, rushing up to get a closer look.\n\n\t“Borrowing a page from Ravens book.” Hye said happily “You gave me a brilliant idea, Eodom. I think I know just the kind of build that’s going to help us get past that new D/s mechanic thingie.”\n\n\t“W-wait, a new build? Already? Are you sure about this?” Eodom muttered nervously as she kept moving and craning to see past her controller and get some idea of what was happening.\n\n\t“Peridot thinks I’m the weak link in our team” Hye giggled ‘Well she’d better hope she’s right. Because I have no intention of falling to her a second time.”\n\n--------------------\n\n\tIt was overcast. It had been overcast for the past couple days. As far as Hye was concerned it was rather fitting.\n\n\tAs expected, the park was still as vacant as it had been, save for a few kids playing ball and a single rigger walking along as he followed the path of a landscaping drone, likely after the thing was repaired. It had been the same for the past few days, save for the one thing that mattered.\n\n\t“Hey! You three.” Hye called out as she strode down the plastic paved path. She still wore her jump suit, but had her normal gaming jacket over it. The trench coat looking almost out of place and clearly very awkward.\n\n\tThe trio looked up from their spot near the same park bench, giggling and snickering at whatever they had been watching before the dark furred girl showed up. Peri stepped away from the bench and smirked a bit as she sauntered herself over towards the already defeated girl. “I thought I told you not to come back around here, bitch. Or do you want us telling your friends how easy you surrendered to someone better than you?”\n\n\t“Maybe if I had, then I would” Hye said as she narrowed her eyes “as it stands I just lost to a mean girl whose bad attitude makes her a bit better with the new stuff..” \n\n\t“Isn’t that all what it’s about? Whoever is good with the new stuff is gonna win. An update this big and you and your friends are gonna be back to square one. Who knows. Maybe you’ll get lucky. I mean if Raven ends up that bad, I won’t have any reason to steal him from you.”\n\n\tEodoms box slipped into Hye’s hand and took a half step back, eyes narrowing and teeth gritting. “I came here to fight you, Peridot, not argue” she snapped “now are you going to fight me or are you afraid it was just a fluke?”\n\n\tPeri shook her head and started to walk forwards slowly. The poodle narrowed her eyes and took the egg shaped Battler box from her hip and snarled softly. “You should have just stayed gone, girl. I was kidding before, but now I’m going to have to snatch him away and spoil him enough so you just won’t do.” She laughed as she narrowed her eyes Not that you deserve him anyways. You’re up princess.” she said taking her stance\n\n\t“This isn’t about him.” Hye growled as she gritted her teeth. “Alright Eodom.”\n\n\t“Three, two, one. For Elysium!”\n\n\tThe two boxes popped open and princess all but floated to the ground, the figure landing gracefully with only the bare hem of her ballroom gown brushing against the dirt and resting on the simple short grass.\n\n\tPeridot looked on at her opponent, and struggled to hold back her laughter. “This is the upgrade you choose?” she laughed as she looked on.\n\n\tEodom stood up straight. The panda smirking and offering a polite, soft bow. Her former mage robes and heavy boots were long gone. In their place a pair of shining silver slippers and high stockings with a stripe pattern going up to a nice black and purple maid uniform. Skirt and blouse The arms were replaced with a simple pair of daintily cuffed silky elbow gloves. Indeed, only the battlers head and tail remained the same, though the lacey choker now seemed far more natural, and the color shift to black and silver for her staff was quite fitting.\n\n\t“Is this some kind of admission, bitch? I prove just how inferior you are, and you come back at me with some kind of silly little servant? I don’t know if I should be amused or slightly creeped out. Most people don‘t get that worked up on showing just how nice it was to get beaten.”\n\n\tHye narrowed her eyes a bit and smirked softly “Well then perhaps you will have to punish me, won’t you?” She laughed softly. “Eodom. ‘serve’ the princess, won’t you?”\n\n\tThe panda doll smirked and nodded. Once again she took a step back and held out her staff. Energy crackled and sparked near the tip. A sphere growing and building as it had before, this time sparking into a scintillating beam of green light that swept across the battlefield.\n\n\tPeridot blinked and quickly princess jumped over the beam. The gold faced feline barely avoiding the blast as before even as she waved her hand and once again assaulted with a volley of seeking darts.\n\n\tOnce again they hit. As before Hye yelped a bit and stumbled back as the odd sensations crept up over her spine. She then looked up at Peridot and smirked “Is that all you’ve got?” she laughed as she tilted her head and licked her lips, looking down and nodding.\n\n\t“Looks like you actually tried to think your build out a bit, hmm? Or were you just trying to pick something cute?” Princess raised that small hand crossbow again and started charging the bright golden arrow on it.\n\n\tOddly, Eodom stopped. She didn’t run. No complicated movements to dodge or find cover. The reforged battler standing at that odd, almost happy maid attention stance, a nice sincere grin on the toys face as she watched the attack charge up calmly. Hye standing quietly behind her with her fingers gripped tight as the attack went sailing towards the figure. The seeking attack not needing to bend a single inch as it landed.\n\n\tThe dart slammed into Eodoms chest. Glittering golden light sparking and swirling around the figure as her HP dropped, as her Submission meter filled. First by a quarter, then an eight, then a sixteenth, each blow seeming to do less and less this time.\n\n\t“W-what did you…” Peridot blinked as she watched the blast dissipate. Eodom stood in the same position, save for a very polite, maidly little smirk on her lips. The heavy damage that had been done last time now nearly nothing by comparison.\n\n\tBy contrast to the tanuki girl controlling her was barely standing. Panting, shivering, a smile starting to cross her muzzle. “Now. How about I teach you a lesson, Princess.” she all but growled as she looked the poodle in the eye.\n\n\tFirst thing’s first, an old classic. Silver slippers. I don’t’ know if you remember when I used to run them. But they’re maxed out, and since they’re near unique they have quite the effect. Each time Eodom takes damage or gets hit with a stat effect, she builds up a bit of resistance for the rest of the fight. Which I’m sure you can imagine” she giggled “works really well with DoT. And I kinda figured it might work well on this new mechanic too. Guess what. It does” she bit her lip and shivered hard as Eodom took a stance again. “Now Eodom, Let’s try this again. Energy lance!”\n\n\tThe staff charged up once more and for the second time the beam of scintillating green energy shot it’s way between the two and this time struck home against the gold masked battler. Chipping away at her life points much faster than it had before “oh, Also, these gloves have some nice benefits too.” Hye giggled “for example, the left one boosts attack for your party the way the shoes do, but only for teammates. The right one does the same with HP, healing your teammates each time you hit with an attack.”\n\n\t“B-but you don’t have teammates.” Peridot muttered\n\n\t“Nope! But the dress is great. That’s the fun part. Because see, ‘loyal maid’ has a level one ability that ensures I get the same benefits for anything imparted on my teammates. It’s supposed to be support… supposed to be.” \n\n\tEodom finally broke off the attack as her TP meter started to slowly climb again. The maid figure once again having near full hit points and with a good chunk shaved off of her opponent to boot.\n\n\t“That, that has to be cheating. It has to be.” Peridot snarled. “Fine. Whatever. I don’t care how well you do with your stats. I’m still better than you, and this new mechanic is going to make you end up on your knees regardless.”\n\n\t“You’re welcomed to try.” Hye smirked\n\n\tPrincess raised the hand crossbow once more a dart formed in the bow, and from it a cascade of identical bolts started to form around her, rising up in a peacock plum of spread. A massive swarm that lingered around her all pointing at the newly rebuilt battler. \n\n`\tHye simply smirked, gazing into the blue eyed canine with contempt.\n\n\t“Gilded quill” Peridot growled ‘Fire!”\n\n\tOnce again the darts started to rain down, hammering themselves down into Eodom and once again drowning the battler in a sea of golden-pink light. Each bolt replaced by another almost as soon as it fired, showering the little maid-mage battler in an unending assault until finally princess had all but depleted her TP. The little meter at the bottom of her readout just barely starting to tick upwards.\n\n\tThe light subsided once more. Eodom standing. She’d taken quite a bit of damage, but only up to a point. At least a quarter of her health left and the maid figure seeming totally unphased. Likewise, her controller stood tall and defiant despite a few uncomfortable fidgets and the barest start of an eye twitch. Hye felt like her knees were going to give out. Small pinpricks of phantom pain and even jolts of pleasure twisted along her stirred-up nerves as she forced herself to stay in place. \n\n\tAll around her a few voices started to whistle and applaud. Hye blinked and looked up from the fight to see a small crowd had gathered around them. A few fellow students and even some people walking to and from their jobs. A tiny sea of jump suited furs, almost as many as were at the town hall meeting, whistling and cheering her on as the smirk once again crossed her lips. “I told you, Eodom isn’t like she was before, and I won’t be either. You’re not going to beat me just by spamming some new status effect.” Hye looked up a moment to see the HUD of her battler in full. The Submission meter was almost maxed out. Her body trembling hard as she tried to fight off the effects. But she wasn’t going to stop now. Not with all these people watching, not with the way Peridot acted. Not with the way the poodle bitch had spoken about her friends.\n\n\t“You can boss around your stupid little cronies, but you won’t boss me around Peri. Not now. Not ever. I’ll stand up to you no matter what.” She held out her hand as Eodom held her staff up to the sky. A shining copper light spiraling upwards and coalescing as a shape started to take form where it ended. The figure was translucence. Bright and brassy with shining whitish robes and brass armor. That slowly formed from its feet slowly up a toned, heavily protected, feminine body. Hints of gears and wires appeared along the outside of the armor, and from the back sprouted an intricate pair of dazzling clockwork wings. The beautiful, angelic figure finally formed. It’s armored figure rather stock, though it’s head seeming like an older, and more svelte, more angelic version of Hye’s. the clockwork angel image opened her eyes to look down on the opponent figure with a judgmental glower. Her spear raised up to the sky in mimicry of Eodoms pose, even as the light connecting the figure and hologram dimmed to a thin thread.\n\n\t“Let’s finish this Eodom.” Hye called out “Clockwork Seraphim judge met!”\n\n\tThe holographic construct shifted the grip on her spear and threw the spear down at princess. Peridot yelped and covered her face with both arms. Too terrified to even think of moving out of the way.\n\n\tNot that it mattered. The spear streaked like lightning down upon the gold masked cat toy. The crowd gasping in awe as the blow shimmered with pure white light.\n\nBoth Princess and her controller were on their knees. Panting and trembling. When n Hye looked up she saw her meter now shifted firmly into the ‘dominant’ position and the collapsed foe with hers filled in submission. Not that it mattered. The strike had also wiped out her hit points.\n\n\tSomehow, that simple fact made the victory far, far better.\n\n\tShe barely noticed the cheering at first. All she could see was Peridot laying there, trembling and shivering. Hye had to wonder if she had made the same odd noises as Peridot during the last loss. All the dweeby girl could do was walk up to her opponent, grin and nudge her glasses up her nose “Next time, be nicer to people” she spat. A bit embarrassed by her rather lame line.\n\n\t“Wow, Hye! That was great!” \n\nThe familiar voice suddenly caused Hye to blush and spin around hard, almost knocking into Raven as he and Riff ran up to her. \n\n\t“W-wait, you guys watched?” Hye yelped as she looked between them. I didn’t notice. I mean I was just kinda absorbed a bit.”\n\n\t“It was a pretty intense fight. don’t’ worry about it.” Riff nodded \n\n\t“Yeah. Better than that, that was amazing. That combo was really cool.” Raven chuckled “When did you have the time to level up all those new parts?”\n\n\t“I didn’t.” Hye nodded bashfully “M-most of that stuff was still just using it’s level one stuff. I just knew she was using all the new parts, and I thought maybe it would help.”\n\n\tRaven smirked a bit at that and nodded “Well I knew you’d win. But I can’t wait to see just how you can tweak that build now. Seriously that was so cool! Hey, how about we go have something at the food stand. My treat” he said with a giggle \n\n\tHye blushed hard and nodded “I think I’d like that a lot. Thanks” she shivered and helped Eodom back into her box, grinning wide and slipping the purple box back on her belt.\n\n\t“Well then come on. Let’s go.” Raven giggled as he started to run off, Riff smirking as he walked coolly behind. \n\n\tHye looked back at her fallen foe. The poodle shivering on the ground as her cronies crowded around her and seeking to comfort her and shelter her from the dispersing crowds.. She allowed herself a small chuckle of joy at the sight of the mean girl laid out before her. Something deep down told her she could almost get used to this.\n\n\tShe turned to catch up with her friends, but was stopped by the girl from before. Standing in her path, holding a small slip of paper. “Oh, hi. Your name was Emily, right?” Hye asked nervously as she looked down at the small slip of paper. The tanuki girl took a moment to examine it, then took it carefully from the older girl and looked it over slowly. \n\n\t“My handle. Contact me when you are free. I can help you.” Before Hye could respond Emily had started to walk off slowly. Her cold, deadpan voice ringing in the ears of the newly triumphant tanuki girl.\n\n\t“Hey! Come on Hye!” Raven yelled from near the edge of the park space.\n\n\tHye looked at the card, sighed, and stuffed it in her pocket. She could figure this all out later. For now, she wanted some time with her friends.\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "By Design: New Game

By TerraMGP

\t“What was the name of the Terran emperor who led to the great Schism?”

\t“Alexander Rothford Kwalia. Last of the Kwalia.”

\t“What Megacorporation holds the largest amount of multimedia entertainment influence galaxy wide?”

\t“Third Sun”

\t“Who is the father of computing?”

\t“Modern computing or just computing?”

\t“Computing overall”

\t“Charles Babbage, though the argument can be made for Alan Turing.”

\tHye carefully arranged the new boxes along the walls of her closet. Each stack meticulously squared with the last and with the wall. She would re-open a pack, carefully place each new part in the proper part of the storage container and then put the pack itself on the stack. A ritual she’d been doing since she started out in the game.

\tNaturally most kids would usually recycle the packs to get back a couple ration points. Maybe keep one of each art style for the sake of collecting at best. To Hye though it was all special. Besides the most she could get out of this would probably be a handful of packs or so. Not nearly enough to justify giving up her little treasures.

\tThe slightly pudgy girl looked back to Eodom. Her battler back in her previous configuration at the moment. The battler sitting on her charge station with a link opened to the school text files. Her battler was her friend after all, and what said friendship more than helping with homework?

\t“As far as I can tell that should be sufficient coverage for today. In fact it should cover the majority of the information slated for the semester.” Eodom giggled “Not that I would expect much different.”

\t“Study is easy. Getting Riff and Raven to pay attention is the hard part.” The tanuki whined as she slumped a bit and rolled her shoulders.

\t“It will probably help if you are better able to keep pressure on them in fights. They generally don’t pay much attention if they haven’t been worn out on a good fight. Or at least Raven won’t.”

\t“So what, you think if I can beat them consistently I’ll be able to make them work or something? Because that would probably help them out a lot” she giggled teasingly.

\tEodom sighed and shook her head from her place on the desk. “No, I do not. It is doubtful that Raven or Riff will have any sort of desire to increase their educational goals regardless. At least that’s my take on things.”

\tPoor Hye just shook her head and nodded softly. As much as she hated to admit it, the little battler had a point. Well regardless, We do have to keep up. I think it may be time for a bit of an overhaul based on the offerings from the new set. We have a good deal of parts to play with, and based on what I read the neck slot items should help synergize things a bit. From the sounds of it, a lot of people think the meta is pointing towards older parts being more viable with a neck slot added, and removing the focus on using parts ‘intended’ to work together.”

\t“So Raven should be right at home then?” Eodom asked

\t“Yeah” Hye sighed a bit and smirked to herself. “He was always one to break the mold. Though it may mean we need to work harder in adaptation.” She finished getting the different parts arranged and organized exactly how she wanted them. There were quite a few doubles and triples. A nice chunk of commons she could trade or grind up and switch out for other things in the shop if need be.

\tShe started to thumb her way though the old sets of parts as she so often did when a new set came out. Without enough concrete info on the new meta it was going to be hard to get anything functional. Instead she looked over the weapon parts she possessed and glanced back at Eodom, opening up a tab for the new interface to look over the statistical enhancements given by the nice lacey choker currently set around the small toys neck.

\t“Do you think we will be able to adapt properly? I admit I’m not quite sure that your current setup will work very well with the new system. I think I have an idea atleast in how to start.but without any sort of data on the meta this is probably all we have to go on.” Hye sighed and slumped a bit as she started to look over her collection slowly.

\t“Well we have plenty of time to figure it out.” The small battler reassured her controller “Besides I’m sure our fights with Raven and Riff will help give us some idea of just what the new set is capable of. There is no point in stressing over anything prematurely, right?”

\tHye nodded and smirked a bit “I guess. I mean the new item looks nice, and we’ve been doing fine up until now. Worst thing that happens Riff busts out something brand new and we get some good data.”

\t“Speaking of which” Eodom chimed in. “you have a meeting with the boys in the park in half an hour to show off your new build.”

\tThe tanuki chuckled and grinned nice and wide as she picked up an older rare. A rather steampunkish staff probably almost as old as she was. “Well then I guess we better hurry then, huh?”

--------------------

\tConsidering the nearly idyllic nature of the planet, the colony had little shortage of well groomed parks. Indeed with the other bits of loamy soil around and abundance of indigenous life it was a small matter for the sparse prefab buildings to be set up amidst patches of drone-groomed grasses and trees each tailored to the whims of the current parks management supervisor. A job that was currently number forty seven on Hye’s list of desired career paths after her education was complete.

\tThe boys were late. Not that it was really a shock, nor should it be. The girl glanced the time from the corner of her eye as she split her time between pacing in front of a park bench and sitting in it scanning her favorite streams and channels for any new insights or uploaded media to help her wrap her head around the new set.

\tAfter the tenth short flatvid broadcast ended up doing little beyond naming the same parts list any number of fan sites could give her, Hye pushed herself back off of the bench and resigned herself once more to the simple nervous fidgeting she had been getting used to. So used to, in fact, that she didn’t even really notice as the squat tanuki managed to slam face first into someone else, her forehead thumping on chin bone and sending her stumbling back.

\t“Gah! Ow. Sorry! Sorry are you hurt?” Hye stumbled back into a nice thick oak and winced as her palm scraped tree bark. She looked up at the other girl. She was older, just her physical build and the state of her jump suit told her that. Long sleeves and pant legs even in the warming air and a small insignia of someone in training for a career path. Though admittedly memorizing all of the various minutia of career badges for the colony system was something even Hye was never bored enough or curious enough to attempt.

\t“Oh, Hello there.” The older girl said. She was a Tapir, a dusky furred thing with a rather simple conservative cut that went down to her neck and long spindly limbs that seemed to indicate she got almost no real exercise. The girl looked almost frail as she stood there.

\tTruth be told it made Hye wonder if the poor girl wasn’t sick or something.

\t“I, uh. It seems you may have dropped something.” The girl said as she bent down and snatched up Eodoms box, holding it up in her hands a moment to look it over. Her voice had a calm, papery tone that only added to the younger girls worry. Like she was some figurine in danger of snapping in two at a strong breeze.

\tHye nodded softly “Yep. I uh, could I have her back, please? I’m supposed to do some training here soon with my friends.”

\tThe older girl nodded softly and took one last look over the box before offering it to Hye graciously and nodding. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to inconvenience you. I was simply curious.” she said rather matter of factly.

\t“It’s no big deal. I’m the one who kinda rammed full force into you after all. It’s really my fault.” Hye said as she bowed politely “My name is Hye Penske. I am sorry if I harmed you in any way. I guess I just got a bit worked up.”

\t“Emily.” the older girl said with a small nod “and I really should be going.” It wasn’t an impolite brushoff. If anything the girls tone oozed soft matter-of-factness and calm. However it was still a very brisk reaction, almost a brush off. Leaving Hye standing there with Eodoms box in hand and jaw just a bit agape.

\tFortunately Hye had been raised well enough to keep her wits and manners about her even with something that strange. She waited until the older girl was gone from sight before popping it open. Not enough to wake the sleeping toy within, just a crack to quickly scan that all the parts were exactly in order.

\t“So, what do we have here?”

\tHye bristled at the voice and quickly shut her box back up. She turned heel as best as her clumsy feet could and narrowed her eyes at the trio of girls standing before her. “Peridot.” the caramel tanuki muttered with every angstrom of tact she could muster. Sadly they were few.

\t“Penske.” Peridot chuckled, almost oozed the words. The poodle girl was stuck up and superior even at her best of  times. Right now she seemed to be at one of her worst, the kind of moods that reeked of smug self assuredness. She was flanked by her cronies. A tabby and pit bull named Martha and Jean. Hye didn’t bother to learn which was which. Few people did she imagined. “Fancy seeing you here. The new set only released a short while ago. I figured you would be stuck at home trying to take care of things. Or perhaps doting on your father again.”

\tThe words made her bristle just a bit. It was something one got used to. Such a small colony and such a small school the bullies and thugs generally didn‘t put much effort in hiding themselves. “Do you want something?” Hye muttered softly “Because I have things I need to do today.” she bit her lip a bit and let out a frustrated little sigh.

\t“like what creeper?” the tabby laughed “Gonna hang out in the bushes again and spy on that little bunny you hang out with all the time?”

\t“Yeah” the pit-bull chuckled “Dumb bunny.”

\tA less pacifistic Hye might have been less diplomatic, and at the moment she was somewhat wishing she wasn’t quite so polite. “He is not dumb you… distasteful individuals. You all know very well I was simply getting the ball since our PE teacher insisted on kamph-ball and I was out first anyways.”

\t“Yeah, like always” the tabby sniggered

\tHye narrowed her eyes but let the slight go. “More importantly you should leave Raven alone. He’s the best in the whole colony, probably the best on world. Plus he’s quite intelligent, even if his vocabulary is a bit rough.” She smirked softly and shook her head “Not that present company fares much better.”

\tThe Tabby seemed to catch on, the pit bull simply laughed to herself clearly missing the barbs entirely.

\tPeri, on the other hand, was on point as always. “I suppose you may be right, Penske. I mean you do spend enough time fawning over him, and you are at least book smart for whatever good that’ll do you. I guess you’d know. Unless you let something mess with your objectivity. Like, say, his butt.” She smirked at what she presumed to be the height of wit, before those sharp blue eyes landed on Hye’s box.

\t“Ohhh, so that’s what this is. You guys got to nab the new set early because bunny boy fucked with authority and as always lucked into a reward instead of getting what he deserves. So now you’re going to sit out here and try to figure out how to make the new parts work. Am I warm?”

\t“Warm enough.” Hye said softly “It’s training. Raven and Riff need it if they’re going to improve. Especially since they insist on using their own… unique… build styles. Besides a good fight might further inspire me.”

\t“Inspire you to what, give up?” Peri laughed haughtily “What, are you expecting to suddenly get the perfect build list plopped into your jack memory because you hung around with two people dumb enough to keep going with the same thing? I mean if he really was as smart as you say, He’d be studying at the Battler Society Academy instead of stuck here taking the same boring classes as the rest of us. I bet he just doesn’t have the grades to get in though, huh?”

\tThe words grated on Hye as she gritted her hands into the best fists her weak hands could muster. Looking up and glowering at Peri over the rims of her glasses. “Leave Raven out of this.” She muttered

\t“oh, I struck a nerve. Is creepy stalker girl upset her crush isn’t off where she thinks he should be? Or maybe she’s happy he fucked up last time he tried to get in. that way she has him around and all to herself.”

\tHye flinched again and blushed hard “I’m not a stalker. I’m just his friend. What is wrong with you girls?”

\tThe poodle chuckled and ran a finger though her curls as she looked Hye over. “You know the bunny may be a joke, but he is ok enough this game. Very good. You got me thinking, princess. Maybe it’s time someone else started making the moves on him. I mean it would be a shame for such a good player to end up with someone who hurts his reputation. Who knows, maybe if he stops hanging with losers like you he’d even get better and get in the BSA. What do you girls think. Is little Hye an albatross?”

\t“Yeah, definitely.” The tabby giggled.

\t“I donno Peri. Isn’t she like, a Tanuki?” the pit-bull whimpered only to get smacked in the back of the head.

\tWithout a shred of warning Hye held her box out and took a confident step forwards, narrowing her eyes. “That’s it! You and me, right now. One on one, no help from your goons. That is unless you’re scared.”

\tPeri smirked at that and licked her chops slowly “oh now you’ve done it. I think I finally hit pay dirt, girls.” The poodle pulled a smaller, more oval box from her belt. One that looked a bit like a febrile egg but with clear breaks in strategic parts. Lines that would bust open when the throw came. “Better get ready, little raccoon cur. Because I confess I am looking quite forward to this.”

\tThe two took position and sized each other up, growling and bracing as they looked each other in the eye.

\t“Three… Two… one… For Elysium!”

\tThe boxes popped open and instantly Eodom took her stance. The robed figure holding up the new clockwork staff as the sun danced and glistened against it.

\tAt the same time, Peridots box opened to reveal a figure all its own. An odd feline head, wrapped in pink rubber with a shining, glistening golden mask situated over her face. She wore a beautiful, elaborate gown that covered her legs complete with pink and white filigree and matching golden accessories springing forth like some pampered noble of an era long gone by. The only other thing that Hye really noticed were the gloves. Long, thick rubber gloves going up the figures elbows in a shade similar to that of the head.

\t“Princess.” Peridot giggled wickedly “Why don’t you show our friends here just what this wonderful new set has given us. I’m sure they’ll find it thrilling.”

\tThe feline figure giggled and waved her hand as a simple pink dart of energy appeared before her, almost as if by magic. The thing shot off at a surprisingly slow pace. Not too horrible, but slow enough that Eodom was easily able to step out of the way.

\tUnfortunately the dart seemed to home in on its target, and struck home quite easily.

\tHye yelped in sudden shock as she felt some strange sensation hitting her body. At first she patted around on her jump suit, sure that an insect had decided to attack her or she’d somehow ended up injuring herself. This momentary distraction was alleviated only when another string of darts flew out from the opponents gloved hand and struck home on the equally dazed Eodom, causing her to yelp loudly.

\t“Lovely, isn’t it?” Peridot giggled “I have to say this really is the best set ever. I’m sure you noticed the new meter up there. The one important enough the stick it near the HP and TP? Well, that’s for the new status effect. You see, Princess is a lady. She doesn’t really like to carry big hammers or fire huge guns. I admit I always kind of hated playing since it was all about who had the better stats or strategies. But now” she giggled ‘I can win for the one reason I should win. Because I’m better than you, as a person… and I can prove it”

\tBefore Hye could process what was being said she’d feel another few stings of the darts striking Eodom and making her body tingle in the same places. She looked up to the meter I her HUD. A D on one side, an S on the other. Both sides flanking a simple purple outlined box, which was now almost halfway full on the S side, and falling very slowly.

\t“Just because you have some kind of poison mechanic doesn’t mean you’re better than me, Peridot.” Hye protested “Eodom, throw down some cover, then use mine shot!”

\tThe panda priestess waved her staff as a glittering wall of energy seemed to slice its way out of the ground, though naturally the projection did nothing to the ground itself. From that she conjured something that looked like a large hand grenade and lobbed it over the wall, the thing splitting and spinning as little mines were peppered around in the grass and dirt. Each one glowing brightly and making it clear it would be almost impossible to evade all of them if Princess decided to move much at all.

\tPeridot simply laughed. “you can’t be serious.” she growled “So little Hye is just going to hide from my shots and hope she can throw out enough tricks that I will give up? I told you, that’s not how the game works anymore. It’s not about damage, or about tactics, or about spending hours building up some big important set of skills.” As the poodle ranted her words, her battler lifted up the ball gown and drew out an ornate blackwood hand crossbow, complete with gold leaf inlay. She pointed the thing directly at the manufactured cover and tilted her head as energy started to crackle and spiral around the small object. Swelling and growing by the second.

\t“You can’t break my barrier, and I already know what that weapon can do” Hye insisted ‘There’s no way you can do any serious damage to me without an attack that can pierce my barrier, Peri. You’re not going to win this.”

\tThe poodle simply laughed and shook her head. “Stupid girl. You still don’t’ get it. I win, because I am your superior. Because I will dominate you, and you will submit.”

\tThe hand crossbow finally formed the golden energy into a proper arrow, the thing shooting out hard and slamming into the barrier. As Hye had noted the defensive summon had managed to block all but some minimal damage. It provided near total cover, only allowing tiny nicks and pinpricks to Eodoms HP bar.

\tThe sensation, on the other hand, only got worse.

\tHye stood there. Shivering, paralyzed, helpless. Her body washed over with this odd mix of sensations. Small, growing hints of physical pleasure, like a kind touch though a surgical glove, mixed with deep and nearly indescribable negative emotions which stirred and welled in her gut with each little nick of damage. Compounding on themselves while the girl struggled to keep her footing. She could feel her vision blur. Her thoughts cloud. Even the simple act of standing was becoming increasingly difficult, if not downright impossible.

\tThe feelings finally became too much. Even in her addled state, Hye could see that she still had a chance. Her HP, her TP. While dwindling it was possible for her to pull something out of this mess.. She had some chance to win. Instead her knee hit the ground. She and Eodom both collapsing hard as her head seemed to swim and tremble.  She looked up meekly to see Eodom falling on her face and shaking. Whining and groaning gently. “H-how.”

\t“I thought so.” Peri chuckled “You don’t have any idea what you were doing, what we were doing, do you?” The poodle laughed haughtily and took another step closer. Her prim, proper Princess all but prancing up to the box on her own where Peri closed it up nice and tight.

\t“What did you do?” She sputtered softly “No way this was in the new update. This… this was too much!” She struggled to get on her feet again. The strange feelings and her fuzzy head made her feel weak. Horribly weak, and it didn’t seem to clear as the fight ended.

\t“I have to admit I love this new set.” Peri chuckled “No more losing to number crunching dweeb like you. All I have to do is use attacks that use the dominate status effect and before you know it, anyone weak enough to give in is on their knees, getting forced into a surrender.”

\t“W-wait, so because my meter filed…”

\t“Oh it doesn’t even have to fill. Jean and Martha both fell at about the half way point. Didn’t even last that long hovering there. They simply know their place. Oh, and by my estimations, based on where my bar was, you didn’t really get too much further before you just submitted. Did you Penske?” The wicked poodle laughed as she threw her head back. For some reason Hye was half expecting the girl to just step on her, though thankfully she didn’t.

\t“You know girls, if she can’t even last this long against me, it makes me wonder if we shouldn’t simply see about snatching that Raven boy away from her after all. Not that I think we need to worry too much. I mean it might be a mercy to save him from such a loser.” Peridot growled as she leaned down over Hye “But then, who’d date a loser like you anyways?”

\tHye wanted to scream, to sob, to take a swing at the cruel girl standing over her.

\tInstead, the best she could do was crawl though the grass. Crawl over to Eodom on her hands and knees, feeling the hard dirt and dam grass stains etching themselves into her knees as she scooped up the beaten battler and stuffed her into her box with a shaking hand.

\tAs soon as she got to her feet the defeated girl started to run. Dashing at a lilting near-limp and stumbling her way back towards home with fresh tears running down her cheeks and stinging her eyes.

\tShe ran so quickly that the poor girl didn’t even notice as she rammed though a pair of people, nearly barreling one over. She looked back to see who it was, to apologize, and her heart sank. Raven and Riff. Happy, proud, seeing her like this. Seeing her for what she was.

\tHye turned away quickly and resumed her mad dash down the grass towards her home. Her whole world feeling utterly shattered at that moment and no hope in sight of ever fixing it.

--------------------

\tA hard knocking thud hit the semi-hollow plastics of Hye’s bedroom door. The sobbing girl winced as she gripped one of the many purple covered pillows. Naturally the thud it made was all but imperceptible, but really Hye couldn’t bring herself to do more as she sobbed into the other pillows piled up on her bed.

\t“Hey sweetie. You want to let me in? Want to talk?” her father asked from the to her side of the door.

\t“No! Just, just go away. Please.”

\tShe heard her father sigh from the to her side of the door. “Ok sweetie. Look I’m going to be out for a while at the load dock. Trying to get us caught up. If you need anything just don’t hesitate to message me, ok?”

\tShe didn’t answer. She knew she should. Knew she should talk it out, should be rational. But she couldn’t. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. It was bad enough that some mean, nasty, selfish girl had figured things out before her. But then to lose so badly, so completely. Worse, to lose in front of Raven.

\t“Hye?” a familiar voice called from up on her nightstand.

\tThe Tanuki sat up and shivered as she wiped a few tears on the back of her arm. She looked at Eodom, sitting with her legs swinging off of the side of the dresser, looking dejectedly at the carpet.

\t“I’m sorry.” Eodom muttered “I still had Hit Points left. I should have stayed standing. I let you down. I know how much you wanted to show those girls how bad they were being.”

\t“Don’t.” Hye interrupted softly “Eodom, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. If I didn’t feel so funny, if I didn’t get so, so scared, then it would have been just fine. You did your job. I mean we’ve had the same parts for years now and you’ve been fine. You’re a great battler.”

\tThe panda toy nodded her head a bit and sighed “I guess so. But that still doesn’t make it your fault. You’ve always pushed really hard. You’ve always been strong, and smart. E-especially when Raven is around. There’s no way that girl would have beaten you before now.” The toy actually sounded more than a bit bitter, a bit angry. Something she normally didn’t. It almost made Hye wonder if this was part of that increased emotional range that had been advertised.

\tThe brown furred girl sat up slowly and pushed her overstuffed comforter off to the side. She sat on the edge of her bed in a near mirror of how Eodom was sitting and let out a small sigh of frustration. “It’s not fair. She probably figured this all out because she used her goons as test subjects. A-and it’s super unfair that it’s some new status thing that I have to feel too. You shouldn’t end up failing because I’m so weak.” Hye pouted.

\t“But you’re not weak.” Eodom protested “You know you’re not weak. Not really. You were surprised, sure. But if you were weak then you wouldn’t have kept trying to stand up with all those things hitting me. You could have stopped any time. I mean it’s just a game. We don’t have to play with her.”

\t“Yeah.” Hye sighed halfheartedly. “Yeah… Yeah!” her expression went from dejection, to curious thought, to raw inspiration. The Tanuki hopping up out of hear seat and grinning nice and wide as she made a beeline for the closet.

\t“H-hye, what are you doing?” Eodom gasped as she barely stopped herself from falling over. Finally pulling herself up she blinked and jumped on to the bed, rushing up to get a closer look.

\t“Borrowing a page from Ravens book.” Hye said happily “You gave me a brilliant idea, Eodom. I think I know just the kind of build that’s going to help us get past that new D/s mechanic thingie.”

\t“W-wait, a new build? Already? Are you sure about this?” Eodom muttered nervously as she kept moving and craning to see past her controller and get some idea of what was happening.

\t“Peridot thinks I’m the weak link in our team” Hye giggled ‘Well she’d better hope she’s right. Because I have no intention of falling to her a second time.”

--------------------

\tIt was overcast. It had been overcast for the past couple days. As far as Hye was concerned it was rather fitting.

\tAs expected, the park was still as vacant as it had been, save for a few kids playing ball and a single rigger walking along as he followed the path of a landscaping drone, likely after the thing was repaired. It had been the same for the past few days, save for the one thing that mattered.

\t“Hey! You three.” Hye called out as she strode down the plastic paved path. She still wore her jump suit, but had her normal gaming jacket over it. The trench coat looking almost out of place and clearly very awkward.

\tThe trio looked up from their spot near the same park bench, giggling and snickering at whatever they had been watching before the dark furred girl showed up. Peri stepped away from the bench and smirked a bit as she sauntered herself over towards the already defeated girl. “I thought I told you not to come back around here, bitch. Or do you want us telling your friends how easy you surrendered to someone better than you?”

\t“Maybe if I had, then I would” Hye said as she narrowed her eyes “as it stands I just lost to a mean girl whose bad attitude makes her a bit better with the new stuff..”

\t“Isn’t that all what it’s about? Whoever is good with the new stuff is gonna win. An update this big and you and your friends are gonna be back to square one. Who knows. Maybe you’ll get lucky. I mean if Raven ends up that bad, I won’t have any reason to steal him from you.”

\tEodoms box slipped into Hye’s hand and took a half step back, eyes narrowing and teeth gritting. “I came here to fight you, Peridot, not argue” she snapped “now are you going to fight me or are you afraid it was just a fluke?”

\tPeri shook her head and started to walk forwards slowly. The poodle narrowed her eyes and took the egg shaped Battler box from her hip and snarled softly. “You should have just stayed gone, girl. I was kidding before, but now I’m going to have to snatch him away and spoil him enough so you just won’t do.” She laughed as she narrowed her eyes Not that you deserve him anyways. You’re up princess.” she said taking her stance

\t“This isn’t about him.” Hye growled as she gritted her teeth. “Alright Eodom.”

\t“Three, two, one. For Elysium!”

\tThe two boxes popped open and princess all but floated to the ground, the figure landing gracefully with only the bare hem of her ballroom gown brushing against the dirt and resting on the simple short grass.

\tPeridot looked on at her opponent, and struggled to hold back her laughter. “This is the upgrade you choose?” she laughed as she looked on.

\tEodom stood up straight. The panda smirking and offering a polite, soft bow. Her former mage robes and heavy boots were long gone. In their place a pair of shining silver slippers and high stockings with a stripe pattern going up to a nice black and purple maid uniform. Skirt and blouse The arms were replaced with a simple pair of daintily cuffed silky elbow gloves. Indeed, only the battlers head and tail remained the same, though the lacey choker now seemed far more natural, and the color shift to black and silver for her staff was quite fitting.

\t“Is this some kind of admission, bitch? I prove just how inferior you are, and you come back at me with some kind of silly little servant? I don’t know if I should be amused or slightly creeped out. Most people don‘t get that worked up on showing just how nice it was to get beaten.”

\tHye narrowed her eyes a bit and smirked softly “Well then perhaps you will have to punish me, won’t you?” She laughed softly. “Eodom. ‘serve’ the princess, won’t you?”

\tThe panda doll smirked and nodded. Once again she took a step back and held out her staff. Energy crackled and sparked near the tip. A sphere growing and building as it had before, this time sparking into a scintillating beam of green light that swept across the battlefield.

\tPeridot blinked and quickly princess jumped over the beam. The gold faced feline barely avoiding the blast as before even as she waved her hand and once again assaulted with a volley of seeking darts.

\tOnce again they hit. As before Hye yelped a bit and stumbled back as the odd sensations crept up over her spine. She then looked up at Peridot and smirked “Is that all you’ve got?” she laughed as she tilted her head and licked her lips, looking down and nodding.

\t“Looks like you actually tried to think your build out a bit, hmm? Or were you just trying to pick something cute?” Princess raised that small hand crossbow again and started charging the bright golden arrow on it.

\tOddly, Eodom stopped. She didn’t run. No complicated movements to dodge or find cover. The reforged battler standing at that odd, almost happy maid attention stance, a nice sincere grin on the toys face as she watched the attack charge up calmly. Hye standing quietly behind her with her fingers gripped tight as the attack went sailing towards the figure. The seeking attack not needing to bend a single inch as it landed.

\tThe dart slammed into Eodoms chest. Glittering golden light sparking and swirling around the figure as her HP dropped, as her Submission meter filled. First by a quarter, then an eight, then a sixteenth, each blow seeming to do less and less this time.

\t“W-what did you…” Peridot blinked as she watched the blast dissipate. Eodom stood in the same position, save for a very polite, maidly little smirk on her lips. The heavy damage that had been done last time now nearly nothing by comparison.

\tBy contrast to the tanuki girl controlling her was barely standing. Panting, shivering, a smile starting to cross her muzzle. “Now. How about I teach you a lesson, Princess.” she all but growled as she looked the poodle in the eye.

\tFirst thing’s first, an old classic. Silver slippers. I don’t’ know if you remember when I used to run them. But they’re maxed out, and since they’re near unique they have quite the effect. Each time Eodom takes damage or gets hit with a stat effect, she builds up a bit of resistance for the rest of the fight. Which I’m sure you can imagine” she giggled “works really well with DoT. And I kinda figured it might work well on this new mechanic too. Guess what. It does” she bit her lip and shivered hard as Eodom took a stance again. “Now Eodom, Let’s try this again. Energy lance!”

\tThe staff charged up once more and for the second time the beam of scintillating green energy shot it’s way between the two and this time struck home against the gold masked battler. Chipping away at her life points much faster than it had before “oh, Also, these gloves have some nice benefits too.” Hye giggled “for example, the left one boosts attack for your party the way the shoes do, but only for teammates. The right one does the same with HP, healing your teammates each time you hit with an attack.”

\t“B-but you don’t have teammates.” Peridot muttered

\t“Nope! But the dress is great. That’s the fun part. Because see, ‘loyal maid’ has a level one ability that ensures I get the same benefits for anything imparted on my teammates. It’s supposed to be support… supposed to be.”

\tEodom finally broke off the attack as her TP meter started to slowly climb again. The maid figure once again having near full hit points and with a good chunk shaved off of her opponent to boot.

\t“That, that has to be cheating. It has to be.” Peridot snarled. “Fine. Whatever. I don’t care how well you do with your stats. I’m still better than you, and this new mechanic is going to make you end up on your knees regardless.”

\t“You’re welcomed to try.” Hye smirked

\tPrincess raised the hand crossbow once more a dart formed in the bow, and from it a cascade of identical bolts started to form around her, rising up in a peacock plum of spread. A massive swarm that lingered around her all pointing at the newly rebuilt battler.

`\tHye simply smirked, gazing into the blue eyed canine with contempt.

\t“Gilded quill” Peridot growled ‘Fire!”

\tOnce again the darts started to rain down, hammering themselves down into Eodom and once again drowning the battler in a sea of golden-pink light. Each bolt replaced by another almost as soon as it fired, showering the little maid-mage battler in an unending assault until finally princess had all but depleted her TP. The little meter at the bottom of her readout just barely starting to tick upwards.

\tThe light subsided once more. Eodom standing. She’d taken quite a bit of damage, but only up to a point. At least a quarter of her health left and the maid figure seeming totally unphased. Likewise, her controller stood tall and defiant despite a few uncomfortable fidgets and the barest start of an eye twitch. Hye felt like her knees were going to give out. Small pinpricks of phantom pain and even jolts of pleasure twisted along her stirred-up nerves as she forced herself to stay in place.

\tAll around her a few voices started to whistle and applaud. Hye blinked and looked up from the fight to see a small crowd had gathered around them. A few fellow students and even some people walking to and from their jobs. A tiny sea of jump suited furs, almost as many as were at the town hall meeting, whistling and cheering her on as the smirk once again crossed her lips. “I told you, Eodom isn’t like she was before, and I won’t be either. You’re not going to beat me just by spamming some new status effect.” Hye looked up a moment to see the HUD of her battler in full. The Submission meter was almost maxed out. Her body trembling hard as she tried to fight off the effects. But she wasn’t going to stop now. Not with all these people watching, not with the way Peridot acted. Not with the way the poodle bitch had spoken about her friends.

\t“You can boss around your stupid little cronies, but you won’t boss me around Peri. Not now. Not ever. I’ll stand up to you no matter what.” She held out her hand as Eodom held her staff up to the sky. A shining copper light spiraling upwards and coalescing as a shape started to take form where it ended. The figure was translucence. Bright and brassy with shining whitish robes and brass armor. That slowly formed from its feet slowly up a toned, heavily protected, feminine body. Hints of gears and wires appeared along the outside of the armor, and from the back sprouted an intricate pair of dazzling clockwork wings. The beautiful, angelic figure finally formed. It’s armored figure rather stock, though it’s head seeming like an older, and more svelte, more angelic version of Hye’s. the clockwork angel image opened her eyes to look down on the opponent figure with a judgmental glower. Her spear raised up to the sky in mimicry of Eodoms pose, even as the light connecting the figure and hologram dimmed to a thin thread.

\t“Let’s finish this Eodom.” Hye called out “Clockwork Seraphim judge met!”

\tThe holographic construct shifted the grip on her spear and threw the spear down at princess. Peridot yelped and covered her face with both arms. Too terrified to even think of moving out of the way.

\tNot that it mattered. The spear streaked like lightning down upon the gold masked cat toy. The crowd gasping in awe as the blow shimmered with pure white light.

Both Princess and her controller were on their knees. Panting and trembling. When n Hye looked up she saw her meter now shifted firmly into the ‘dominant’ position and the collapsed foe with hers filled in submission. Not that it mattered. The strike had also wiped out her hit points.

\tSomehow, that simple fact made the victory far, far better.

\tShe barely noticed the cheering at first. All she could see was Peridot laying there, trembling and shivering. Hye had to wonder if she had made the same odd noises as Peridot during the last loss. All the dweeby girl could do was walk up to her opponent, grin and nudge her glasses up her nose “Next time, be nicer to people” she spat. A bit embarrassed by her rather lame line.

\t“Wow, Hye! That was great!”

The familiar voice suddenly caused Hye to blush and spin around hard, almost knocking into Raven as he and Riff ran up to her.

\t“W-wait, you guys watched?” Hye yelped as she looked between them. I didn’t notice. I mean I was just kinda absorbed a bit.”

\t“It was a pretty intense fight. don’t’ worry about it.” Riff nodded

\t“Yeah. Better than that, that was amazing. That combo was really cool.” Raven chuckled “When did you have the time to level up all those new parts?”

\t“I didn’t.” Hye nodded bashfully “M-most of that stuff was still just using it’s level one stuff. I just knew she was using all the new parts, and I thought maybe it would help.”

\tRaven smirked a bit at that and nodded “Well I knew you’d win. But I can’t wait to see just how you can tweak that build now. Seriously that was so cool! Hey, how about we go have something at the food stand. My treat” he said with a giggle

\tHye blushed hard and nodded “I think I’d like that a lot. Thanks” she shivered and helped Eodom back into her box, grinning wide and slipping the purple box back on her belt.

\t“Well then come on. Let’s go.” Raven giggled as he started to run off, Riff smirking as he walked coolly behind.

\tHye looked back at her fallen foe. The poodle shivering on the ground as her cronies crowded around her and seeking to comfort her and shelter her from the dispersing crowds.. She allowed herself a small chuckle of joy at the sight of the mean girl laid out before her. Something deep down told her she could almost get used to this.

\tShe turned to catch up with her friends, but was stopped by the girl from before. Standing in her path, holding a small slip of paper. “Oh, hi. Your name was Emily, right?” Hye asked nervously as she looked down at the small slip of paper. The tanuki girl took a moment to examine it, then took it carefully from the older girl and looked it over slowly.

\t“My handle. Contact me when you are free. I can help you.” Before Hye could respond Emily had started to walk off slowly. Her cold, deadpan voice ringing in the ears of the newly triumphant tanuki girl.

\t“Hey! Come on Hye!” Raven yelled from near the edge of the park space.

\tHye looked at the card, sighed, and stuffed it in her pocket. She could figure this all out later. For now, she wanted some time with her friends.

", "pools_count": 2, "title": "By Design: New Game", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "166" }