Re: Megaman Z(x) RWBY

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

"Why does it have a limit?"

[QuantumPizza]

"..."

Biometal energy.

"What?"

Tell her I've got a limit on how much energy I can use on shots like that! Model A, hissed, clearly agitated that his own Chosen One had no idea how the gameplay engine of his own world his own Biometal operated.

"Oh, well, Model A has a limit on how much energy he can expend. Too much, and we'd probably de-merge. Which... really isn't a good thing in the heat of a fight."

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

"Ohhhh good point..." She kept looking it over. "It's kinda strange-looking, but I guess it's from another world, so... Ashe was firing that lightning stuff before. Do they have Dust in your world, too? What kinds of bullets to they use?"

[QuantumPizza]

Now the questions were coming at a pretty rapid pace. Grey was honestly starting to feel just a touch overwhelmed. "O-oh, well, uh, her attacks are a bit different from mine, but... dust? I mean, it can get kinda dusty, but Mechaniloids usually take care of the cleaning pretty readily..."

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

"Cleaning? No, uh... Dust? It's like, uh... it's this really..." Ruby seemed genuinely stumped on how to explain the concept.

Weiss was there to fill them in. "Dust is a mineral substance charged with elemental power that's been around since the dawn of humankind, and it's one of the things that enabled our ancestors to survive the onslaught of Grimm. It's used in almost everything these days. I can't even imagine how people get along without it in your world."

[QuantumPizza]

"Elemental power?" Now there was something Grey was familiar with. Of course, the explanation of how he himself could use such abilities might freak out the others a tad. "Well, some Reploids years ago were built with the ability to control certain elements. Nowadays, from what I've seen, Reploids like myself are basically human, so we don't have powers of our own. That's why a select few of us use Biometal. Model A doesn't have any unique element of its own, but there are a few Biometals that specialize in one particular element or another."

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

"So, this "buster"... what kind of bullets does it fire? I mean, it looks like a gun. Er, do you call them bullets?"

[QuantumPizza]

This girl sure was insistent, wasn't she? "I'm... I'm fairly sure they just fire shots of plasma," he responded, a slight wave of embarrassment dusting his face with a light shade of pink. You'd think that a Mega Man would know his Biometal's weapons better. "Sorry I can't explain more - this whole thing is new to me."

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

Ruby didn't appear to understand it, either. She whispered to Weiss. "Heeeey... what's plasma?"

Weiss rolled her eyes a little, but she was smiling. Seemed like she didn't mind this kind of thing. "It's a substance that's neither a gas nor a liquid."

"Ohhhh... how does that work?"

They got quiet enough that Grey could no longer hear them, but Weiss clearly gave Ruby an unsatisfactory answer, and they went back-and-forth for a bit before Ruby casually returned to the conversation. "Um, so... does it fold out or anything?" She demonstrates by pulling out her folded-up scythe, extending it to full size and resting it on her shoulders.

[QuantumPizza]

"Whoa! Grey, look at that!" If anything, Model A was certainly impressed at the sight. "That slicer could give Prometheus a run for his money!"

The Biometal's friend was equally awed, taking a moment just to look the precisely crafted weapon over. As he processed Ruby's query, though, Grey just looked at both the A-Busters in his hands. "I mean, not really? I can call them out at will, but that's pretty much it."

"Hey, why don't you tell her about A-Trans?" suggested his Biometal excitedly, clearly eager to show off more of what it was capable of. But instead, Grey shook his head before responding. "I dunno if that'd be a good idea, Model A. These guys did say they were trying to keep a low profile..."

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

Ruby tilted her head, looking around for Model A before figuring that he must be part of the armor somehow and not floating alongside them. "Well, your busters are still pretty cool! I bet they're really good at the right range. A lot of weapons used by Huntsmen and Huntresses have guns built into them in different ways, but, uh... they're not as cool? Besides, you've- you've got two of them!" She returns her scythe to its folded-up shape and back into its holster, rubbing the back of her head.

"So, uh..." She opened up, trying to change the subject. "...You just talked with Model A, right? You and Ashe are the only ones who can do that? Must be weird to have a friend nobody else can hear."

[QuantumPizza]

Well, that made sense to the Reploid. Having a ranged option in battle always made the fighting easier, as one could be more flexible with their distance to their target. Releasing his A-Busters and allowing them to vanish a mere microsecond after they began to fall, Grey nodded as Ruby posed another question. "Well, Model A and I have been together for... a long time, really. Ashe and I met him about four years ago," he explained, allowing his thoughts to travel back to what was basically his second day alive. He and Ashe were riding a train to Legion, then Prometheus and Pandora attacked before Model A allowed the two kids to Mega Merge for the first time.

Talk about an explosive entrance.

Rubbing the back of his neck as he mentally drifted back to reality, Grey continued. "Since I really wasn't... well, alive for any real amount of time before meeting him, its been kinda normal for me. The whole telepathy thing, that is. Might be a little weird for Ashe, since she's human and all, but not as far as I can tell."

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

"Huh, so you're actually really young?" It looked like there were some gears turning in her head before she muttered to herself. "Hm, note to self, ask her how old she is... Nah, that's a terrible idea."

Ruby clapped her hands together. "So how did you become a Bounty Hunter? Does it have something to do with Ashe?"

[QuantumPizza]

"I mean, I... I guess?" Grey had honestly never given much thought to his actual 'age,' given the uniqueness of his situation and origin. After all, how could one begin to quantify his actual age? It wouldn't make sense to label him as a five-year-old, but one could scarcely call him anything else by chronological order alone. The next question, however, gave Grey pause. He had to step back a moment in time to recall. "Hm... well, that's a bit of an odd story..."

Blood. Blood and oil. Bodies laying strewn throughout the room. There was oil on his hands - some machine laying nearby had exsanguinated into a puddle nearby, the one which he had collapsed into, on his hands and knees. Where was he? Who was he? Just thinking hurt.

A woman with red, cold eyes. An emotionless voice. Overwhelming pain as lightning coursed over him, knocking him over. Feebly grasping at a weapon nearby, barely making his escape.

Combat. Fire. Lasers. The sound of heavy machinery churning to a halt as he somehow manages to defeat the giant Mechaniloid, the explosion ripping apart the bridge he stood on. A scream escaping him as he fell into the chilled water below.

Warmth. Soothing light. An encounter with a savior. Someone who didn't want him dead, but instead had compassion for him. An invitation and acceptance into their guild.

"...and that was really it. Billy was the first person I met who wasn't out to kill me, so... I trusted him. I wasn't sure about becoming a Hunter right then and there, but in the end, its done a lot more for me than I thought it would."

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

Ruby seemed pretty taken in by the story. "Wow... that's kind of like me. I was saved by a Huntress when I was really little, and I've wanted to be one ever since! Then again, I guess I already admired them for as long as I can remember..."

Yang leaned into the conversation to confirm. "Yeah, she's always been like that. She wants to be everyone's knight in shining armor, y'know? You don't seem like much of a romantic, yourself, but I bet you're the type who helps people out anyway."

[QuantumPizza]

"Ain't that the truth," Model A snorted, eliciting an amused giggle from Ashe up ahead. "Oh come on Model A! You have to admit that Grey at least looks oh so dashing, charging headlong into danger without giving any thought of the consequences. So fierce and focused, how could anyone not be amazed at his heroism?"

Ashe's taunting was mostly lost on the Reploid, who only had a vague sense that he was being made fun of. The Biometal, however, caught the point completely and resorted to grumbling an incoherent reply. This in turn caused Ashe to bust out laughing, nearly dropping her bazooka in the process. "Very funny, Ashe," Grey commented, finally catching up with the joke's context, long after it had departed. Shaking his head, Grey turned back to Ruby. "So, where are we heading, again?"

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

She just pointed in the general direction they were walking in. "We're supposed to search the city for a hideout, so it could be a while. Our plan was to let a pack of Beowolves lead us there, but they noticed us and we kinda had to cut 'em all down."

"The creatures of Grimm are drawn to negative emotions, you see." The professor started to explain. "Anger... resentment... loneliness... the sorts of feelings our White Fang friends would be brimming with."

"...So, yeah, we dunno where we're going too well. But their hideout's definitely out here somewhere."

[QuantumPizza]

Grey looked further down the road they were currently walking, his mouth twisted into a pinched, small frown of uncertainty. "Well, guess all we have for it is to keep walking then, huh?"

"Oh, lighten up, mister dour face!" Ashe exclaimed, lightly jabbing her friend's armored shoulder, a cheerful grin and a wink on her own face. "Its like a whole new adventure again! Just like old times, right? Now quit being such a bummer and cheer up!"

----

"Hold on, the results are coming in... These readings aren't normal... Ashe? Hey, can you hear me, Ashe!? Ashe, respond!"

From their airship in the skies above the wilderness outside of Innerpeace, the guild of Bounty Hunters that Ashe was part of - Nicol's Scrappers - her guildmates were beginning to panic over the sudden loss of communication. They knew that, as a Mega Man, Ashe was more than capable of handling herself. Same thing went for that odd Reploid kid she called her friend, named Grey. So if the comms had suddenly gone dead, the trio thought it reason enough to panic. Well, at least Red did.

"She's bitten off more than she can chew! Oh no, what if that Biometal rock finally got to her?! I knew those things were evil, I knew it!" Grabbing his blathering associate by the side of his helmet, Lazarus gave him a good shaking. "Look here, bolts-for-brains, she's probably just too deep down for us to keep a comm line open. So quit jabbering before I toss you out the cargo bay doors!"

"Would you guys put a lid on it?!" Nicol shouted, both hands on the communication console. "We've got top of the line comms equipment. If there's something powerful enough to interfere with keeping a link up with Ashe, then they're probably in need of help. Hold on, let me try to get a hold on someone..." Dialing in a unique set of coordinates, their blue airship's engines roared to life, speeding back towards Innerpeace with all due haste, all the while sending out a signal to a particularly pink airship nearby.

"Come in Guardians, this is Nicol of Nicol's Scrappers! We've got an emergency situation here, and we need your help, pronto! It's about Ashe!"

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

A calm female voice picked up at the other end.

"You've reached Marguerite, Guardian headquarters. We're reading you loud and clear, go ahead."

[QuantumPizza]

Swallowing to clear his throat and taking a quick breath, Nicol related all he knew about the situation. "Listen, our guildmember Ashe - she's one of those Mega Man folks - she and some friends went missing down in Area N, underneath the ruins of Area A. We lost contact with her about... five minutes ago. I think she was friends with those Mega Men aboard your airship - get this to them!"

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

"Understood, we'll relay it to whichever one we get in touch with first. In the meantime, we can send a squad to investigate. ...Commander?!"

Another, younger female voice answered. "If it was Ashe who went missing, then either she'll turn up just fine somewhere, or something very serious is going on."



On the bridge of Grand Nuage stood Prairie, current Commander of the Guardians, with a driven look on her face as she gave her orders.

"We'd better send our best people in there, and call those two back here immediately! We can investigate those leads when we're sure nobody is in danger."

[QuantumPizza]

"...and thanks for using Girouette Express!" Waving to a satisfied customer while walking back to his bike, Vent combed back a portion of his long brown hair to clear his vision. A momentary wave of nostalgia and sadness washed over the Model ZX Mega Man, his left hand brushing the motorcycle's handle in an almost wistful manner. "..."

"Vent, we should be going," came the stern voice of Model Z, his current Biometal companion. "We have more packages to deliver, and-" There was a sudden beeping from the bike's center console, interrupting the crimson Biometal. "Heh, guess not," Vent joked, pressing the console's accept button and listening to the message via his ear implants. The man's face went from amused, to perplexed, to dead serious concern in a matter of three seconds. Turning to Model Z floating besided him, Vent frowned. "Change of plans - Ashe is in danger. The package deliveries will have to wait."

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

Meanwhile, deep under the ocean, a Model LX-clad Aile zipped through the water, combing through a familiar circular wreck. They were deep enough down that almost no light could even reach them.

"We've already recovered the Biometal, what are we still looking for, Aile?" Model L inquired.

Pushing aside a fragment of the outer shell to reveal an unimportant junk heap, Aile answered. "We can't take the chance that even a little of Model W survived. Besides, there might be a leads down here about..." She trailed off, looking at a pile of shattered glass.

"...Our creator?" Model X finished for her. "You should've asked Model Z to accompany us, then. He'd hate to be kept in the dark about this."

"I don't want to get his hopes up if it turns out to be a dead end."

Model L wasted no time teasing her over it, though. "Awww, look who's being considerate to the poor ancient rock's feelings! ...Lucky that I was recovered so quickly, though. Without my help, it'd have taken the Guardians years to excavate the other Biometal down here."

"Don't you think we've done enough searching, though? Any leads we find down here would likely just point us to Slither Inc.'s ruins, or the frozen lake, or Area M's ruins. We haven't even detected a trace of Model W's influence, or Albert's consciousness. He's dead for good."

The female Mega Man sighed. "...Maybe you're right. We already recovered all the Biometal that went down with Ouroboros, and even if there is anything else down here, one person searching all alone isn't going to find it. Even if we found Prometheus and Pandora, they'd be in no state to tell us anything..."

Model X was there to reassure her. "There's still plenty of places to look for answers. We should start with-"

They were interrupted by a distorted transmission. Model X tried to tune in, but it was garbled by the ocean depths and the dense machinery all around them. "This is the Guardians' priority channel. We should get up to the surface so we can hear it."

"I hear you loud and clear." Aile cracked her neck, readying the ice halberd. She took aim and fired off an ice dragon, ripping through the hull between her and the surface before she darted after it, grabbing on and riding it up out of the depths.

"You didn't have to bust a new exit, the way we came in wasn't far." Model L said as they ascended.

Aile smiled. "Yeah, but I wanted to." She looked back down at the wreckage, mouthing 'Suck it, Albert' as it faded from view.

[QuantumPizza]

As the feeling of warping through the semi-digitalized space utilized by the Transserver faded, Vent stepped clear of the warping device. "Sure has been a hot minute since we were last here, eh, Model Z? Place hasn't changed much, though." Waving to each Guardian as he passed by, the male Model ZX Mega Man and his Biometal Companion rode the central elevator to the deck level and made their way towards the bridge. "I wonder how much longer Aile will be? She was out exploring the Ouroboros' remains, after all."

"I doubt she'll be long," Model Z commented. "She was always more punctual than you were."

"Ri---ight," Vent replied, rolling his eyes without sparing the dramatic flair of brushing his long, brown hair. "Like even she'd be able to beat me here from out in the ocean. ...even if we spent an hour looking for a functional Transserver..."

[NebulaGregarZXAdmin]

The door to the bridge slid open to reveal Aile, standing right behind it with her arms crossed, smugly looking Vent in the eyes. "...Funny running into you here, half an hour after I get back. Have some trouble making deliveries?"

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