Casual busting and Catching up

While Lyntael went back to trying to fix the speedy simulation, Aurora examined the setup with more than a glance, and Eternalis made some test shots with the toy gauntlets. The spheroid-like shooters responded with a bevy of heavily distorted scifi warbling sounds and the end lit up with a yellow glow. The garbled noises sounded vaguely familiar, but were too far gone to discern as anything but auditory pain. "I wonder why these shooting things look so tacky. It looks like a giant blue capsule for some reason," commented Aurora.

"They're supposed to look like buster arms, aren't they?" said Harke. "At least, they look like an older variant of them. I've seen them when I was studying basic anti-viral weapons a little while back."

"Really? Must be some ancient model of buster arm. Makes sense for how long ago this place looks like it's been abandoned, I guess," said Eternalis. Just then, the attraction came to life properly, or at least well enough to play. Sparky barked in excitement, as if his well-intentioned meddling had helped in some way. A scoreboard showed up on the side when Lyntael came in to test out the game for herself. Both Aurora and Eternalis spectated for the moment, even though it did seem like the game was set up for multiple players. Sparky came in to playfully fly around at the "viruses" that lit up the game area, though it was quickly cut short by Eternalis coming in to collect the overexcited pet in his arms.

Lyntael's play didn't seem to be affected much by the temporary distraction anyhow, as the game came to an end, before abruptly restarting. "Seems to work well enough now!" said Eternalis. A thought wandered through his mind, as to how she seemed to be very proficient in such an offbeat skill as messing with old game setups. Security penetration skills transfers over surprisingly well, he ventured a response, since it looked like she was bypassing the more broken parts of the system.

Meanwhile, Lyntael herself was musing on an unexpected part of the conversation they were having earlier. Aurora raised an eyebrow, as the implication went over her head. To her, it was simply reconfiguring herself to become another form; to her, it wasn't any different from her putting on a different dress on. "It's not any different from Sparky turning into a board to ride on, right?" she commented, as she went up to behind Lyntael, and playfully squeezed the smaller girl's shoulders. "If you want to see for yourself, do you want to try me on for size?" she mischievously teased from behind her shoulder.

To their side, Eternalis simply equipped the gauntlets to start up the game as a second player, with only an unvocalized message to Aurora telling her not to tease their friend too much.
Lyntael felt her senses prick up keenly as Aural slipped around behind her; listening with only half an ear to begin with, the hands on her shoulders along with the playful, mischievous tone brought an unexpected warmth to her cheeks that had nothing to do with her excitement for the game. It made a series of distorted sounds as she missed her next half dozen shots.

“I... I guess, I mean, it just feels different, when it's...” she struggled to articulate the thought, and why it seemed different thinking about it for someone like Aurora, compared to Sparky. It was hard to think of Aurora as a support program, when so much else treated the distinction as so pronounced. “I... I don't know,” she mumbled more quietly, her focus on the game slipping more completely. She shrugged softly, then suppressed a wince from the motion before forcing herself to relax and settle back against Aurora slightly. She could feel her heart in her chest, fluttering in a way that was distracted from the excitement of the game by something far more confusing. Was Aurora flirting with her? Eternalis was right there with them, and didn't seem to mind, but there weren't any... odd chips... involved, this time. She briefly stole a glance back over her shoulder, flashing the other woman a grin.

“I, um, I guess you could try, if you wanted... I mean, I could try it, that is... um... I should probably...” She hurriedly lowered the game's armatures and slipped her hands out of them, letting the blue busters clatter back to the counter in a slightly too hurried movement. Lyntael swallowed. Was she reading to much into this? Probably. But it felt like it was meaningful, didn't it? And they'd already discussed feeling a bit sorry for not doing more, during the game night... Was this a sign she was being given? The stream of partially unconscious flustered thoughts continued as she remained all too keenly aware of Aurora's presence behind her. She recalled, before, wondering how she felt about Aruroa, after that night, and she remembered that the idea of it hadn't really been... for her, not exactly, other than that she wanted to make Aurora happy, and that was fine... but then what was with the flustered sensation she had now; this was new.

“Wh- What do I need to do?” She glanced back over her shoulder again, venturing the question with a raised eyebrow. Across the counter, the game ended and restarted again with a screech of electronic noise and another violent gout of smoke and spraying sparks. There was every possibility that the various things that Lyntael had either cut off or told the system to ignore had been preventing the game running for very good reasons, but if it broke it broke, and right now her focus was far less on the game than other momentary distractions.
"You're missing a lot more shots. That's no good, keep your focus on the game," said Aurora with a cryptic smile. Without taking her hands off of her friend's shoulders, she pressed a finger to Lyntael's cheek to push her away from looking back over her shoulder. There was something strangely fun about the whole thing that she didn't quite expect--watching Lyntael's little mini-reactions and jumps, and the redness that she could see creeping up to her ears. She herself was getting a little excited.

"Don't be so nervous. It's nothing so strange. Think of it like holding hands, we've done plenty of that, haven't we?" Aurora whispered. Taking her hands off of Lyntael's shoulders, she reached her left hand in front, over Lyntael's hand, and clasping their fingers together. "Let's fix this up first, though." Her other hand traced two fingers to the sides of Lyntael's back wound, avoiding from touching it directly. Her hand gleamed dimly, a cool touch from her borrowed healing energy. It didn't take long before Aurora traced her finger in the opposite direction, tracing the small of Lyntael's back.

Before Lyntael knew it, the weight on her back would disappear, as if Aurora had leaned her hand entirely into the back of her body. Her hands would feel enveloped with a hefty weight, equipped on her left hand with half of a pair of jade-colored armored gauntlets, with yellow trimming. Intersecting blue lines pulsed with light down the fingers, and another one on the other side onto a circular hole in the middle of the palm. Her mind would feel another mental presence, foreign yet intimately familiar, just barely at the edge of her consciousness, telling her that she was now allowed to turn around.

Meanwhile, as Eternalis made decent work of the targets on the second around, he found the other half of his mind involuntarily pouring strange emotions into his half, and more than a couple of them distracted him from his shots. At the end of the round, he was still far ahead of Lyntael, who had missed the majority of her targets, no thanks to his partner's ministrations. Shaking his head slowly, he picked up Sparky and pointed him towards the blue buster arms. The toy implements surprisingly fit themselves onto the pup's tiny paws, most likely being designed to accommodate Navis of different body types.

"Maybe now it'll be more of a fair match," he said to nobody in particular, content to simply watch from the side as the game started back up again.
The feeling of playful contact as Aurora guided her face forward again; the teasing whisper. Lyntael swallowed and let her cheek be guided forward again, though her eyes watched the flickering movements of the shooting gallery without really seeing them. Being told to focus on the game left her doing anything but – she shivered and her breath caught in her throat with an audible hitch as the other woman murmured. Her back straightened further, her chin lifted up and she felt her lips remain parted slightly as a short breath escaped her. She said it wasn't a big thing, but the way Aurora was teasing her... it felt... it felt like her heart was in her throat all over again, and this time with thoughts that went a little bit further than just wanting the other woman to be happy. When had that changed?

“Ah-” Her scattered thoughts were interrupted by a short gasp as the cool sensation washed over the tenderness on her back and her senses followed the delicate trace of Aurora's fingers on the small of her back like lines of glowing neon. The dragging fingertips caused an almost reflexive tension in other muscles nearby, which in turn sent a fresh blush of heat to her cheeks.

A moment later, however, the sensation shifted and changed, and Aurora's presence changed – no longer standing behind her, but with her all the same. It was a little bit like when she's shared a connection with Eternalis, but not quite the same either. A sudden thread of panic shot through her amidst the veritable maelstrom of other private thoughts and feelings swirling around in her mind – things she definitely shouldn't be sharing with the other woman – but it quieted again a moment later; She could feel Aurora's presence, but there wasn't and flow of thoughts or emotions, like this... just presence, so...

“Oh... That's... strange. You can hear me, right?” She looked down at the new hand wear she had acquired, turning her palms over. What about this? She directed the thought towards the other woman's presence without speaking out loud, but as she did she began to move her hands, tracing her fingertips with a gentle, sensuous tease across the new gauntlets, exploring them thoroughly with long, soft strokes and drags. A sneaky grin crept across her features as she glanced back over her shoulder again but continued to focus on the explorative hand play she was engaging in – with herself in one sense, she supposed, but she didn't know if Aurora could feel what she was doing, or what it would feel like... so maybe... turnabout was fair play after all.

The game was mostly forgotten at this point, but as it ended and began a fresh cycle again, the strain on the short-hacked system was reaching some kind of obvious breaking point. One side of the display, a section that had already been broken and not working, now flared into technicolour light as its virus icons flashed on and flickered while several of its visuals shorted out and burned up. The score trackers no longer seemed to really have any connection to what was going on in the game, scrolling randomly, and individual targets would frequently 'delete' despite no shots going towards them, while others remained resolute to their paths even when hit. A laboured buzz and snap sound repeated at a slowly increasing rate from within the machine as more parts of the side show gave up the ghost bit by bit.

Thoroughly distracted, Lyntael was still looking at the gauntlets... Aurora? It was strange. She blinked and paused part way through her extensive hand foreplay, then snapped her fingers as a thought occurred to her. A moment later she started with another small flinch, glancing down at the action she'd just taken.

“Ah! Sorry! Um... I just remembered, I have seen something like this before, now that I'm looking at it... you... um... sorry! It was strange, but I kind of didn't think about it too much at the time, and I guess I just forgot...” She looked across to Eternalis and Sparky, and unconsciously raised one hand to wave gauntleted fingers at Sparky with a small grin for the pup. Her eyes flicked back to Eternalis a moment later.

“It was when I was getting help from the dragoniers, who work for the shogun... There was another recruit there, Nightshade, and one of them, um, Aya, she spent some time helping him out by acting as, I think, like, a set of protective armour for him? I kind of didn't really notice it to much... I was distracted, and then all the other stuff sort of pushed it out of my head.” She shook her head. “It's still strange though. I couldn't image what that must be like...” subconsciously, her fingers went back to gently stroking and fondling the contours of the gauntlets on her hands. She shrugged as she looked back to Eternalais and Sparky again.

“It kinda got lost underneath the whole dragons thing... they turn into dragons.” She let a second pass then raised her eyebrows, grinning. “Really, like, they all turn into literal, great big, flying, fire-breathing, dragons. We even went for a fly around the city! Everything else just kind of disappeared into the background after that...” Here she pouted briefly. “Seems like everyone turns into cool things but me.” She scuffed a foot against the ground, but as she did the side show gave another groan and a heavy burst of sparks. The acrid scent of the smoke began to pervade the area they were in as it spread – the game had become virtually unplayable at this point, with no real correlations left between the players and the display but it laboured on, growing rapidly more unstable with each passing moment.
As Lyntael was exploring with the new glove she was bestowed with, the sense of an external presence in her mind lingered, though she would feel it trying to communicate a kind of affirmation when she asked whether Aurora could hear her. She would be able to feel the foreign "electrical circuit" attached to her own, pulsing with its own activity, but still synchronizing with hers as much as it could. Unlike the experience with Eternalis of intermingling memories and sensations, it was merely as if something was following her at a distance.

"Right, there's no sense in communicating like this. I'll just project my voice so we can hear each other better," a familiar voice said, coming from her gauntlet. The blue lines lit up with each word, indicating that it was indeed Aurora. "It's not too heavy, right? You're a fair bit smaller than Eternalis, so I adjusted my size so it would be a better fit."

As Lyntael recalled her experience with DragonierMan's assistants, Sparky proceeded to "play" with the shooting game, where the pup's shots were mostly duds. After all, despite his agility, he wasn't quite trained to be able to hit any targets. When Lyntael waved to him, Sparky barked in excitement, proud of his clear display of prowess at the game, which was deteriorating at an accelerating rate. The sparks and the burst of sudden errors gave him a start, however, and Eternalis extracted his pet from the blue busters.

"Well, it's hard to change into anything more amazing when you're already this much to begin with," teased Aurora with a giggle.

Eternalis walked over with Sparky in his arms, and craned his head over to another part of the park. "Let's try to find something else to mess around with. The last attraction we were at fell down over our heads, so I'd rather not commit to being near this thing if it explodes on us," he said, leading the way towards what looked like the central area of the amusement park.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go, then, Lyntael, carry me!" said Aurora. After a brief pause, she added, "Oh, don't mind being a little rough if you need to be. It'd be strange if a piece of equipment could recoil from being knocked around a little, wouldn't you say?"
Aurora's explanation for her particular lack of awesome transformations did manage at least to bring an end to Lyntael's brief frown as she grinned again and flexed her fingers.

“Yeah, that's true. I am pretty awesome, right?” She poked her tongue out briefly, then giggled. She wasn't sure, exactly, if Aurora could 'see' properly while she was like this, but the intent probably came across regardless. She hoped so at least. Mostly she was relieved that the new situation wasn't going to give Aurora any immediate inroad to the conflicting mes of different thoughts that were currently scattered about her mind. She'd almost certainly think something she'd regret, at some point. A particularly loud cash of sound from the breaking machine brought her attention back to Eternalis as he rescued sparky from the increasingly haywire attraction, and she nodded to him. It probably was time to move on, after all. But first...

While the side show gave one last garbled screech of sound, several discordant crashes and bangs, and final belch of black, acrid smoke, Lyntael stepped back from the counter and moved cautiously around towards the side of the structure, fingertips of one and trailing along the aged display as she went. She glanced back over her shoulder, a playful glint in green eyes.

“Just a second... We've got to get our prizes first...” She winked at Eternalis and disappeared around the side, unless he decided to keep an eye on her. The console she'd fiddled with had needed to be cut off from the data storage responsible for dispensing prizes, but if she'd understood it correctly... “Yes... here it is... Hey Aurora, want a prize?” She paused in front of part of the structure's siding, near the back corner, and traced her fingertips over part of the explosion pattern marked out in the art there. It glitched and flickered, then attempted to resolve itself into a door frame. The image held for a moment, before fizzing edges of the transition crackled and shorted, then began to 'burn' out from the reveal door, as the rest of the exterior facing started to short out in chain reaction, rapidly leaving blank silver panelling in a spreading ripple from the door frame. It only took a handful of seconds before the bright colours and artistic patterns of zapped viruses had been stripped from the entire structure. Lyntael ducked her head briefly, then grinned and shook it off.

“This really is falling apart, hehe. Okay, let's see...” She reached out and ran the tips of her fingers along the seam, checking which side it was mean to open on, then shifted her lead hand to press two knuckles against it instead and twisted her body to a firmer, side-on stance, squaring up. Precise; controlled; she focused on the lessons she had learned from the first friend who had ever taught her to really stand up for herself and push back when it mattered.

As she took a long breath in and let it out slowly, the rough spikes of her hair softened and fell flat, and a rippling change filtered over her form along with the exhalation, beginning with a pale pink sweat band that caught her now loosely falling hair and kept it out of her face. In the other direction, her vest filled in and lengthened to form something close to a neat, sleeveless gi, with a diagonal seam from shoulder to hip, while its tone faded to an almost white, with a pink trim at the seams; it had a slightly higher neck tan her normal vest, but was still open enough to leave her lightning bolt emblem visible. The ripple of change filtered down to shift her skirt into a fitted set of matching leggings instead, in the same near white and pink-trimmed design. When she opened her eyes again, Lyntael felt her mischievous grin curling up further at one corner.

“Hold on tight...” She murmured towards Aurora, then moved. A series of four lightning quick strikes lashed out against the metal doorframe, each precise and measured. The seam buckled down its length with each strike, one below the next, before a solid fifth blow hammered in and burst the sealed hatch inwards with a crash. Unlike her usual chaotic bursts, these expenditures were different: Aurora's unique position would likely let her feel the flow of energy; the inner electric pulse was still there, but it was muted and dull, and the flow of power was cool and efficient instead, without waste or excess, and surprisingly little strain on the girl's body, compared to the output.

“Hahh...” Lyntael let out a happy sigh as she held position from the last punch for an extra moment, then stood straight. Where the doorway had ripped open, a dark space waited beyond, leading to a small square room, barley one person deep, lined with what looked like rows and racks of small green lights. Her thoughts felt calmer as she looked in; the frustration and anger bubbling underneath her subconscious had cooled and she rolled her shoulders, glancing up at the sky. “Thanks Martia...” After another moment she glanced down at her gauntlets again.

“That was okay, right? I know it's silly to ask.... but... it's still you, and hitting things makes me worry...” She flexed her fingers again, and rubbed gently at the Aurora-gauntlets as she spoke, then reached up to sweep the sweat band off her forehead. With it, her hair sprang back to its normal spikiness and a ripple of fabric shifts filtered down her body as the cross gently disengaged again, reverting to her usual outfit, though now with the gash in her vest reformed. She stepped up to the threshold of the door frame and peered into the darkness for a moment before reaching in to pluck at one of the green lights. It swirled in her fingers for a moment, before unpacking into a small soft toy of a heel-navi with a mean expression. The revelation was cause for a brief surge of excitement, and mild disappointment at the same time. She'd been hoping that the prize vault could be accessed directly like this but, cute as it was, the little heel doll was not what she was hoping for.

“Hey, Eternalis! Come get a prize!” She called out over her shoulder as she tossed the heel toy aside and reached for another light point, determined to raid the locker until she found one she liked. “Hey Aurora, what do you want? I want a big one!”

(( Ready for Battle 3; we've been making a lot of noise and smoke ^.^ ))
Watching Lyntael disappear around the corner, Eternalis stopped for a moment. Inwardly, he readied himself for another explosive reminder of how dilapidated the theme park around them was, as the game booth began to lose its decorative elements in a cascade of shorted-out reactions. He wandered over to the back of the booth where Lyntael was, somewhat concerned, but all he found was Lyntael ducking her head in front of a blank doorframe. "So they built in a developer backdoor, in a pretty literal sense," commented Harke with a chuckle, while Eternalis tilted his head and crossed his arms.

It was then followed by a drastic change in outfit, manifesting quite like Eternalis's own Soul Crosses. Despite her clear differences in base systems, she was still able to utilize the curious transformation ability. Suddenly, a series of blows against the door, and Eternalis drew a step back in reaction. He could hear the sound of a sharp intake of breath, that didn't seem to be Lyntael's. It took a while before Aurora responded to her wearer's worried question, but she eventually did.

"Yeah, no problem here, but I can definitely say it's a new experience, trying to get comfortable with another partner," said Aurora. "The way your hands move and feel is pretty different. It's more delicate, so I find myself holding back a bit more. Eternalis doesn't have electrical currents flowing through his, for one!" Though she mentioned the electrical flow, Aurora felt herself wondering how the flow of energy felt more streamlined, less chaotic, compared to when she felt it beforehand. The Soul Cross may be beneficial in assisting with her inner fluctuations, her other half reasoned.

As the cross disengaged, Aurora felt the erratic flow return, more or less lending credence to Eternalis's thoughts. Eternalis bent to peek into the tiny room behind the booth, seeing the rows of data orbs stacked up in the room. "Well, I hope they don't mind us looking through abandoned stock," he said, picking up one of the green lights and watching it coalesce in his hand, into a squeaky Mr. Prog squeezable toy. In his other arm, Sparky barked excitedly, reaching out for it rapidly. "Hahaha! Here, you can have this one, Sparky," he said, much to the pup's delight, as the squeaky green figure instantly became a chew toy.

Aurora, meanwhile, sounded a bit more unsure. "Hmmm... I don't know what they have, so I can't really say what I'd want," her voice said. "Oh! How about you two pick something out for me that you think I would like? Then I can see who got the better one. It'll be like a little fun challenge, you know?"

"Oh, sure," said Eternalis. Taking another light, it transformed into a small blue cylindrical container with a large "E" printed on the side. When he moved it about, he could hear some liquid sloshing about inside. "Mmm... I don't know what this is, but probably not this one. I'm curious to find out what it is, though, I'll take it myself," he said. Sifting through the other orbs, he found a few more toys of various Net-shows, some strange knick-knacks that looked like cast-off souvenirs, and even more of the earlier cylindrical tanks with varying other letters on them, though not one that he felt was suitable.

Finally, he came across one that seemed a little different from the others, and the prize unfurled into an angular-looking black device with a cylindrical lens protruding out the side, with a small slot at the bottom and a tiny button on the top. "What's this thing?" he said. Without thinking, his hand pressed on the button, and the device made a small click. Shortly after, a little piece of paper ejected itself from the slot.

"Oh, it's a kind of camera? That's interesting, I've never seen one that worked like this. Let's go with this one, then," he said.

[Battle 3 - Can go for now!]
(+14 FXP)

Whilst the navis and SPs were chatting and pattering about the wreckage of the amusement park, a loud guttural growl escaped into the air around them. Amongst the heaps of trash, broken, battered and mostly gone rides and attractions they had made their way to, the quartet would find themselves in the middle of a long, loud rumble in the area, trash and scrap. Atop a massive pile of metal scraps and amusement park attractions, a singular bipedal figure stood there, an upper "human" body with the lower body of what looked to be a Spikey, a rough amalgamation of various viruses as it stared down at the navis.

A hood wreathed in flames with eyes glowing with red and orange like charcoal, a flaming sword in one hand and a shield in the other (looking like it had ripped the former off one of the local Swordy viruses and the latter a blackened and burnt Metool helm) as the lower extremities were much the same as it's eyes, a pale red and orange glow pulsating and flickering atop the trash mountain, as the quartet would manage to make out, before a howl echoed around them in the area, leading to a soft rumbling...that steadily grew to an intense one, cracks pouring about the area in the shape of an X as the figure leapt away deeper into the area.

Before navi and SP could make after the figure, the cracks poured forth as molten magma from deep within seeped out and sent bits and broke away bits and pieces, sending paneling down into the molten waters as it filled in the area with dangerously hot liquids. Navis and SPs managing to scramble to safe land, but managing to wind up on opposite areas in panic or some sort of impromptu system, separated into pairs, with Eternalis and Aurora on the Northern quadrant, while Lyantel and Sparky wound up on the Eastern quadrant. Though getting back together in a single area wouldn't be impossible, it would take time on a fairly narrow walkway at the ends of every area...or they could always risk jumping to one another if they wanted to expedite getting back to each other.

OF COURSE, this was not without a viral presence making itself known, as a quartet would jump their way down from on high, landing in various ways and areas. A flaming sword wielding Swordy would wind up alone in the west, with a similar charcoal paint scheme to the mystery creature from on high. A Nailer, the more powerful sibling of the Needler family would wind up on the east with Aurora and Lyntael, seemingly blocking their safe way back to Eternalis and Sparky. All the while, a Spikey bearing coal-like markings would wind up in the south, a baneful howl coming from the flaming wolf. And if that wasn't bad enough, a pair of metallic boulders would wind up crashing upon the field, one right in the middle of the lava, splashing just a little onto each quadrant, whilst the second right behind Eternalis and Sparky, shrinking their already cramped area...and unfortunately, a Shooter would wind up landing right on top of the boulder, as if to spite the Spikey's unfortunate positioning. Battle Routines flared up...as well as premonitions of more viruses ready to make a splash in the meantime. All the quartet could do? Survive until an opening could be found for escape.

-- Viruses --
Spikey2Spikey2 (Spikey)

Spikey viruses are a little faster than the average virus, allowing them to cover more ground than normal with movements and dodges. They may attack while moving, but as normal, they cannot attack while dodging without expending a second action to do so. Spikey viruses are also able to use something called 'pack tactics' when 3 or more of them are present. Simply put, the Spikey viruses attack and dodge as a wolf pack. In addition, they are treated as having a reduced power Haste and Accuracy Enhancement effect which grants them a +5% bonus to evasion and accuracy while this effect is active. The effect is passive, and only expires when their numbers drop below 3.

Area: ACDC, Kotobuki Town, Yumland, Netfrica, Hades Isle

HP: 190
Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Fire + Spread 2
Attack Accuracy: A
Attack Description - Fires Heat-V
Element: Fire
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Heat-V, Zenny
Special: Uses pack tactics when with at least 2 other Spikeys
: 190 HP (Southern quadrant) (Normal)
NailerNailer (Needler)

Needlers only attack forward, left and right. They cannot attack targets above and below their position, nor can they shoot backwards. Needlers do not move (aside from aiming) aside from their secondary attack, though they will use it to reposition themselves if they find it necessary.

Area: Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town

HP: 170
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null x 2 Shots x 3 Targets
Primary Attack Accuracy: A
Primary Attack Description: Fires needles in 3 directions.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Null + Movement + Impact + Knockback / 15 Null x 3 targets
Secondary Attack Accuracy: C / A
Secondary Attack Description: Rams forward with surprising speed, then fires a burst of needles while the enemy is still startled.
Tertiary Attack Damage/Effect: 6 Wood x 8 Shots
Tertiary Attack Accuracy: C
Tertiary Attack Description: Shoots a storm of wooden needles at a single enemy.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Needler2, NeedleCannon2 (Rare), Zenny
: 170 HP (Eastern quadrant) (Normal)
Swordy-F2Swordy-F2 (Swordy-F)

Area: Kotobuki Town, Netfrica, Hades Isle

HP: 160
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Fire + Long Range Attack + Slashing
Primary Attack Accuracy: B
Primary Attack Description: When this virus is 2 panels away from the target, or its enemies are 2-deep, it will attack with Fire Blade.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Fire + Wide Range Attack + Slashing
Secondary Attack Accuracy: B
Secondary Attack Description: When this virus is standing directly adjacent to its target, or diagonally from it, it will attack with Fire Sword.
Element: Fire
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): FireSword, Zenny
Special: Swordy-F's are immune to Blind Status.
Special: Uses Area Grab to get into attack range.
: 160 HP (Western quadrant) (Soil)
ShooterShooter (Gunner)

Gunners attack every action, if able. They don't bother attacking enemies they can't hit or enemies they can't damage, but they can select Objects as targets. Their accuracy with the machinegun attack is bad because it scatters everywhere. They are aware of this. They are also aware of the fact that their Vulcan attack pierces objects.

Area: SciLab, Kotobuki Town, Dentech

HP: 120
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null + Spay Fire x 9 Shots
Primary Attack Accuracy: E
Primary Attack Description: Targets an enemy and sprays the area with twin machineguns.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null + Spread1 x 3 Shots
Secondary Attack Accuracy: A
Secondary Attack Description: Targets and enemy and attacks with Vulcan.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Vulcan2, MachineGun2, Zenny
Special: Immobile.
: 120 HP (Northern quadrant, atop the boulder) (Metal)

-- Navis --
Lyantel.EXE: 330 HP (On the Eastern quadrant with Aurora) (Soil)
Eternalis.EXE: 600 HP (On the Northern Quadrant with Sparky) (Normal)
Aurora.SP: 100 HP (On the Eastern quadrant with Lyantel) (Soil) (Semi-Equipped to Lyantael, but needs to spend an action to stay equipped)
Sparky.SP: 80 HP (On the Northern quadrant with Eternalis) (Normal)

-- Terrain -- (Terrain is divided into rough quarter-ish chunks. You and your enemies are always within melee distance of attacks, if on the same chunk of land due to tight fighting conditions. May attempt to move quadrants by way of narrow ledges connecting all four, but being hit while traveling may send you into the lava and stop your movement action, jumping is not guaranteed either with a higher chance of being sent into the lava's surface)

30% Soil
  • Wood Elementals get +10% Evasion.
  • Wood attacks: +100% Source Damage, change terrain hit to Grass.
  • 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Mud.
  • 100 Damage Fire attacks: change terrain hit to Coal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Wood.
(Grass that has been burned away from the Lava's heat, Northern and Western sections of the field)
30% Normal
  • No effects.
(Eastern and Southern quadrants of the field, lightly scorched, connects the outermost sections of the field)
40% Lava
  • Non-Fire Elementals lose 5 HP/action standing, 10 HP/action submerged. Doubled for Wood Elementals, nullified for Fire Elementals.
  • Aqua attacks: Panel explodes, +100% Source Aqua Damage, change terrain hit to Normal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Fire.
(A rough X-shape across the field, dividing the field into rough quarters with the outermost edges being untouched, about two panels worth of distance separating each quadrant diagonally and about three in the middle)

-- Objects -- (More boulders will fall at each turn, each is about the size of the two navis put together, with enough space on top to support a single entity, the tops are considered Metal terrain)

Trash "Boulder" A: 40 HP (Submerged in lava about half-way, can be used as a stepping stone to the other quarters of the field to avoid the Lava as a "safe" alternative to jumping over the lava or using the narrow ledges to get into a different quadrant) (Heatbody) (Lava)
Trash "Boulder" B: 40 HP (Situated on the Northern quadrant, roughly in the middle making tight quarters even tighter) (Soil)

Battle Mode: Survival
Survive 3 turns! Automatic, voluntary, escape for all PCs once Turn 3 ends and 4 begins.
+3 viruses per turn! A max of 7 on any given turn!
Unkilled viruses when escaping WILL NOT grant their rewards or chance at their chips

-- Rogue Battle 3 Ready? Start!! --
Survival turn 1, begins!
Flicking through prize chips with her friends, Lyntael wondered whether they even had any of the big ones that had been on display at the front. It would be just like fair games to over-advertise the possibilities. She plucked another, tossing the small toy it resolved into aside, then glanced across towards Eternalis.

“Oh, neat! That's so retro!” She giggled and poked her tongue out at him briefly, hesitating only for a short moment before giving voice to the thought that slipped into her mind, looking at the camera device. “Makes me think of doing calendar shoots and photo sets. Ooh! Ah-ha!” A moment later, she was distracted from the line of thinking as her next pull unpacked into a large, soft toy almost the size of her torso. It had a many-legged lower body and an upper body with massive hands; a huggable, squishy version of an old historical threat. Lyntael squeezed it with a happy squeal of delight. “Yes! Hehe, this is what I wanted!!” It was strange, in a way, she thought, about people's habit of turning terrible dangers into things like this, after the fact; violent monsters, destructive viruses, evil masterminds... they all eventually became action figures and soft toys, sooner or later. Maybe it was a way of taking away their power to scare? She hugged her giant, soft, life virus again and nuzzled her face against its chest, then swiftly converted it to a long string of delicate data that curled about her fingers briefly, before spiralling up her arm and under her vest, to reemerge at her chest, where it circled her emblem slowly.

“Okay, where— ” Just as she stepped back from the broken prize vault and looked towards her friends, the ground rumbled and shifted and a violent-sounding growl echoed around the area. A new figure emerged and as Lyntael looked up at it on its perch she felt a spike of tension; a thread of fear, yes, but more caution and... again, something more akin to anticipation. Whatever, whoever the being was, it seemed to be calling them out to a fight, and Lyntael felt her charge rise to a hum in her chest as her heart rate picked up.

Before they could engage the new threat, though, the rumbling in the ground became a splitting, tearing eruption of lava and broken ground. Lyntael skipped back a step from the first crack, then kicked off to one side as another split the ground near her, spreading lava in a bright orange glow. Her foot found a raised rock, catching on her toe tips and kicking back further in a smooth, fluid motion that arched her body back and away from the destruction. As she turned in the air, her eyes scanned the collapsing ground ahead of her and one hand reached ahead and down, catching her weight again on a broken bit of machinery that hadn't quite sunk into the lava. She let the arm bend, then flexed, springing off again and completing the flip, back to her feet on mercifully solid ground before looking around.

Somewhere in the sudden upheaval, the dark figure had disappeared, but now, in its wake, viruses were beginning to pour into the disturbed area from different directions while the cast-up debris channelled them into the split open terrain like some kind of arena. Eternalis and Sparky were fine too, she saw – across the fresh lava, but still fine. The nervous tension warred with the strange feeling of excitement and anticipation, and Lyntael felt a grin creep across her features, over clenched teeth.

“Alright... ready for this, Aurora?” Her body slid smoothly into a light combat stance, one foot circling back as she squared up on the balls of her feet and raised her hands. For a moment, her eyes lingered on the new gauntlets, and she felt a moment of concern for whether it was okay for them to be covering her strikers like they were. She dismissed the worry; there wasn't time and they'd find out soon enough.

As she readied herself and focused on the virus nearest her, Lyntael listened to the pulse of her charge rising through her body and slowly filling it with warmth. The sensation crackled outward, to the surface of her skin and tingled with the familiar light pattern and tension that was her charge ready to react. It was still basic instinct that mostly happened without her thinking about it, but now at least she could focus on embracing it and controlling the effect. From Aurora's perspective, the girl's body came alive with energy, straining at the surface of her skin, just a hair's breadth from exploding into uncontrolled chaos.

She began to move, light steps carrying her is quick, weaving motions towards the Nailer that had ended up closest to her. It would attack, and it might even hurt her; she knew that, but she could take it, and her friends were here to pick her up when she couldn't. Until then, though, they had work to do. Between one light-footed step and the next, Lyntael reached towards her chest with one hand, then pushed it out to the side, focusing. The growing chaotic mass of energy rippled inside her, drawing in on itself, then expanding out across her body and into the air beyond, stabilising as it gave and took energy from the strikers at her wrists and ankles as it needed, counter-balancing itself as it passed them.

A moment later, she reached her target and struck quickly, feinting left, faking with her right fist, and then turning into a back-handed spin the brought her left fist up and around to strike the underside of its chassis as her body moved back right along with it, adding to the momentum. Lightning surged as the heart of her charge pulsed, and the familiar feeling rushed thorough her; the screaming flood of energy that filled her, focusing in her strikers, drawing in to her chest, unifying into a single torrent of power that chased outward again, flaring with light as it crackled down her striking arm.

As she lashed out, the energy burst outward in a wave of shattering force, while a broad, chaotic back-draught of wild lightning blew back from the point of release, thundering around her as the streams arced north and south. A part of her registered a secondary feeling – something new that seemed to help control and stabilise the splitting streams of excess energy, adding to them and guiding them towards proper targets, but Lyntael didn't have any space to think about it properly.

The brief moment of relief as she let the energy expend fell away into the empty, void feeling for just a moment, before the next beat of her charge answered, filling her again, faster and more violent. It burned in every muscle, like always, but it was bearable for now and if she didn't push harder she'd always be afraid of it. She landed from the rising spin, completing the turn and lowering her stance with a grit-toothed growl in her throat and drew the same fist back. As the energy rebuilt she reached for it, drawing it on until it filled her skin again, then drove the fist forward, taking every scrap of power that coursed through her and pouring it into a second, harder strike. This time the energy seared at her as it flowed, making her muscles scream as it drew in, combined at her chest, then thundered outward through her leading striker in a second flare of light and crackling force.

The moment of release was an island of bliss amidst the scorching pain, and then the emptiness followed. She fought not to let it show; the emptiness took the wind from her for a moment, and she almost staggered, but then the cycle came again, faster, fiercer. Lyntael held her stance, making sure she was steady, first and foremost. A few months ago, she'd had let herself collapse under this sensation; it was too much, too fast, and she was rushing headlong towards a rapid burn out... but she had to press her limits; if she was going to help Rogan properly, she had to prove she wasn't a shrinking sunflower any more. She took a long, deep breath, resisting the urge to groan, and turned to look for other threats.

Summary
L*) Subtype: All attacks containing Knockback or Pull gain Wind-Type.
L*) First Armour: 20Hp Casing (as subtle outfit reinforcement)
L1) My Pain is Real (Multi-Stage: (On Set: Self-Slow2), Counter(On Hit): (45Elec, Knockback, Nova3, A)) (Overcharge +1 on Set, +2 on Trigger)
L2) And Beats Anew (40Elec Barrier, Buster Charge, Off-Target1) (Overcharge -1)
L3) (Feint towards Nailer)
L4) My Fear Rejected (45Elec, Knockback, Spread2 (Backward, north and south to Spiky and Shooter), Break, Shot-Type, A (Charge Burner1)) (Overcharge +3)
L*) Fast Armour: 20Hp Casing Refresh
L5) Buster Charge
L6) Half-charge Bust Strike (Nailer: 240elec, Disarm, A) (Overcharge +3)

Cooldowns and Overcharge

My Pain is Real: 3TCD
And Beat Anew: 2TCD
My Fear Rejected: 3TCD

Overcharge: Begin: 0 , My Pain is Real (+1), (Trigger) (+2), And Beats Anew (-1), My Fear Rejected (+3), Half-Charge Strike (+3), End: +6/+8
[LynFXP: 362 > 376]

"I've never seen any camera like that, either. Might be really old," said Aurora, though how she was able to even see the little prize wasn't immediately obvious. On the other end, turning around the camera in his hands, Eternalis inspected the item once more, his thoughts interspersed by mental instructions of which part to inspect next. Nothing too much of interest... except for a tiny hatch on its underside. Clicking the part open with a press, he found a small roll of film inside, and closed it back up, just in time for Lyntael to stumble on an enormous felt toy that looked like a recreation of a Scuttle virus, except less dangerous and more cuddly.

"Oh, that's pretty cute," he commented. "Odd that they'd be making these virus plushes when we're supposed to be deleting them when we find them."

His comment was punctuated by the introduction of a deep growl, and his head snapped up to attention, to be greeted by an enormous bipedal virus amalgamate. "What on earth--" he managed to blurt out, before it fled away, leaving behind a crack of lava that flooded the area. He scrambled backwards from the expanding lava flow in surprise, only to find himself separated from the girls. Viruses then began to pop up, fly in, and land from various areas of the field. The sound of approaching viruses did not die down with the first four; he could hear more on the outskirts.

"Lyn, careful!" said Aurora. Her partner's beat flowed through her; Aurora could sense the tension in Lyntael's electrical current. Curiously, Lyntael seemed to have a quicker grasp of the situation, almost excited for the fight. There was no time for psychoanalysis at the moment, however, and she replied promptly. "I'm here with you."

...

Staring down the Shooter, Eternalis made a snap decision. "Sparky, on me!" he called, prompting the pup to bark in affirmation, transforming into his carrier board form, and Eternalis to jump onto him. "Harke, I'm counting on you for chips!" he continued.

"On it, I'm sending in MediumCloud and ClusterShot," reported Harke. "Try to get a high point of view."

"That's the plan," replied Eternalis, as he eyed down the two Fire-type viruses on the field. As soon as the chip data was sent down, he took control and sent it down across the lava gap, quickly enough so he could have a chance at taking the Spikey and Swordy off guard. He then stepped back on his Sparky-board, and the microthrusters roared to life, sending him soaring upwards into the sky, trying to scope out where their earlier visitor had gone, along with any further viruses that might also be crashing their party.

...

Aurora felt Lyntael's body suddenly light up to life, and it was all she could do to withstand the strain she suddenly felt. It was unstable, very much so, but it hadn't gone out of control yet. The flood of energy made it feel like hairs standing on end. Lyntael moved, and she along with her. Without being fully integrated into Lyntael's system, Aurora wrestled with the unfamiliar energy distribution, right as she received some battlechip data from Harke. The data's energy flowed through her fingered form, supplying it with more capacity, extra circuitry.

"Okay!" she called out. Lyntael's strike went out, and simultaneously, Aurora danced with it, following up the crackling energy strike with a surge of multiple lightning jolts, which followed the initial attack and spread out in two directions. The second strike came immediately after the spin, and Aurora felt her systems overwhelmed, unable to respond to the larger surge. It almost stole her consciousness for a brief moment, before she received a mental tick from her other partner, higher in the sky.

She pulled herself together, but soon, she felt Lyntael's energy levels draining, and she internally kicked herself; the lapse in her assistance might have let the voltage fall down too quickly. Still, she saw that Lyntael was in no immediate danger - whether by instinct or intentionally, there was already a reactive barrier up in place. Shouldn't hurt to reinforce that herself, she thought, as she activated her own defensive module, but only on herself. She also took the cue from Eternalis to access his healing reserves, and funneled it into Lyntael, if only to numb out the pain somewhat.

"Heh, this is a little different in the co-pilot seat!" she said.

-- (Eternalis: 2 actions @ Aurora, 1 action @ Sparky)

[A1] Equip @ Lyntael
[E1] Take Aim
[S1] Equip @ Eternalis

[A2] (All for One) ClusterShot2Damage: 10 x 8 Shots + Variable Targeting
Accuracy: B
Description: Launches a volley of eight plasma spheres at targets designated by the user.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Special: Variable Targeting: Allows the user to select a target for each individual hit of an attack. This means they may strike the same target multiple times, multiple different targets, or a mix of the two as they wish.
Trader Rank: C
: 10 x 8 Shots + Variable Targeting (Acc: B) @ Nailer (3x), Spikey2 (3x), Swordy-F2 (2x) (+15 Element)
[S2] Move into High Alt (Overclock/High Gear: Evasion=50%+10%)
[E2] MediumCloudDamage: 90 + Wide Attack + Drop Attack
Accuracy: C
Description: Cloud moves up and down three enemies, raining on them for two turns. Enemies can move out from under it if possible.
Duration: Two turns
Element: Aqua
Special: Drop Attack: This attack originates above the battlefield, and falls to the ground. It gains one rank of accuracy against High Altitude targets.
Trader Rank: C
: 90 + Wide Attack + Drop Attack + 2-Turn (Acc: C) @ Spikey2, Swordy-F2 (+15 Element, 100% vs Fire, Take Aim: Acc+) (Turn 1/2)

[A3] Extraction Module @ Self: 20HP Barrier + 20HP Casing + 1-Hit Shield
[E3] Influx Aegis @ Self (Stage 1: Support Base x2 (40), Stage 2: Delay (3 Actions): Support Base x2 (40), Stage 3: Delay (6 Actions): Support Base x2 (40))
[S3] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[A4] (Unify: Eternalis) Influx Aegis @ Lyntael (Stage 1: Support Base x2 (40), Stage 2: Delay (3 Actions): Support Base x2 (40), Stage 3: Delay (6 Actions): Support Base x2 (40))
The two navis and SPs would be quick to ready themselves as their foes came raining down upon them, the Shooter adjusting it's aim at Eternalis as Sparky equipped himself onto his owner, whilst Aurora would take a secondary role in the fight this time as she wrapped around the electric navi's hands. Crackling with electricity, whilst Eternalis took aim, Lyantel was soon assaulted by the Spikey from the south, a blast of fire sending the navi reeling as she was struck on her side, stripping away her First Casing, only for her electricity to lash about in retaliation (45), causing the Nailer to be forcibly reeled back and, unfortunately for it, into the molten lava with a light splash. As this happened, the Nailer began to flail about in pain as it was quickly burning away within, causing it to give up it's original plan and instead quickly leaping from the lava onto the quadrant with the Swordy for the time being.

As this happened, Aurora was quick to launch some balls of lightning out towards the various viruses, two hits on the Nailer, two on the Spikey and one on the Swordy to help soften the targets up (50, 50, 25) as the Shooter finally took it's shot. A hail of bullets raining down upon Sparky and Eternalis as they began to ascend up to high altitude, several of the smaller shots managing to smack against Etrnalis unfortunately (60), as inaccurate as they were. But Etarnalis would make sure to rain upon the viruses parade as he sent out a cloud of heavy rain in turn, sending both Spikey and Swordy into a tizzy at the sight of water as well as the Nailer by accident due to it's close proximity with the Swordy, drowning both Swordy and Nailer in the rains as the Spikey quickly dodged away before the rains could put a damper on it, poor thing just didn't want a bath now did it? But as Eternalis made his way to higher altitudes, he could see traces of what seemed to be the charcoal burquete that was their assailant headed off towards the east, leaving behind melted slag wherever it had landed, making for an easy enough trail to follow when they could escape.

As things continued, Lyantael would make sure to refresh her defenses, fienting towards the edge of her quadrant as her intended target was torn apart by heavy rains on Eternalis' part, she was quick to strike out at the Spikey in turn, causing the dog-like virus to howl in pain as it was quickly struck in the side by the rejection of her fears, with some splashback smacking the Shooter in turn, knocking it off it's perch and tumble down behind the boulder of metal (45, 45). The Spikey would growl in turn as it launched another ball of fire at Lyntael, leading to her evading the attack deftly and causing the hound of hell to howl in anger at the navi. Whilst the Shooter took another potshot at Eternalis, using the more accurate Vulcan ammo this time, but fortunately for the blob, only one hit struck (15) as the battle slowed down briefly, Eternalis, Lyntael and the SPs taking a chance to patch themselves up. Eternalis' form slowly rehealing itself (+40) as Aurora would send the same kind of healing into Lyntael, allowing for both navis to stay healthy for the next wave...as Lyntael's original target had already been destroyed, she retained her charges for the time being, full and ready to strike at a moment's notice.

And then, as they took a breather and a chance to servey the field, the quartet would feel a loud rumbling, from on high another boulder worth of trash would begin to fall into their field...just between both the Southern and Eastern quadrants, lava spewing upwards and to the sides briefly as it rolled in, another figure from above could be seen towards the south, but it wasn't remotely close to the first figure, even at a brief glance. But that wasn't all, as another trio of viruses rained down upon them. A charcoal-black Pulsebat landing atop the boulder in the middle of the area, ready to strike, a firey colored Metool rolling down ass over teakettle and landing in front of the charged up Lyntael and Aurora, quickly making sure to hide within it's helmet...and a bog standard CannonGuard would land base down next to the Spikey, shuttering it's cannon quickly as it waited to strike in turn.

-- Viruses --
Spikey2Spikey2 (Spikey)

Spikey viruses are a little faster than the average virus, allowing them to cover more ground than normal with movements and dodges. They may attack while moving, but as normal, they cannot attack while dodging without expending a second action to do so. Spikey viruses are also able to use something called 'pack tactics' when 3 or more of them are present. Simply put, the Spikey viruses attack and dodge as a wolf pack. In addition, they are treated as having a reduced power Haste and Accuracy Enhancement effect which grants them a +5% bonus to evasion and accuracy while this effect is active. The effect is passive, and only expires when their numbers drop below 3.

Area: ACDC, Kotobuki Town, Yumland, Netfrica, Hades Isle

HP: 190
Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Fire + Spread 2
Attack Accuracy: A
Attack Description - Fires Heat-V
Element: Fire
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Heat-V, Zenny
Special: Uses pack tactics when with at least 2 other Spikeys
: 95 HP (Southern quadrant) (Normal) (Mid-Cloud attacking next turn)
NailerNailer (Needler)

Needlers only attack forward, left and right. They cannot attack targets above and below their position, nor can they shoot backwards. Needlers do not move (aside from aiming) aside from their secondary attack, though they will use it to reposition themselves if they find it necessary.

Area: Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town

HP: 170
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null x 2 Shots x 3 Targets
Primary Attack Accuracy: A
Primary Attack Description: Fires needles in 3 directions.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Null + Movement + Impact + Knockback / 15 Null x 3 targets
Secondary Attack Accuracy: C / A
Secondary Attack Description: Rams forward with surprising speed, then fires a burst of needles while the enemy is still startled.
Tertiary Attack Damage/Effect: 6 Wood x 8 Shots
Tertiary Attack Accuracy: C
Tertiary Attack Description: Shoots a storm of wooden needles at a single enemy.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Needler2, NeedleCannon2 (Rare), Zenny
: UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENTAL KILL! FOR IT!
Swordy-F2Swordy-F2 (Swordy-F)

Area: Kotobuki Town, Netfrica, Hades Isle

HP: 160
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Fire + Long Range Attack + Slashing
Primary Attack Accuracy: B
Primary Attack Description: When this virus is 2 panels away from the target, or its enemies are 2-deep, it will attack with Fire Blade.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Fire + Wide Range Attack + Slashing
Secondary Attack Accuracy: B
Secondary Attack Description: When this virus is standing directly adjacent to its target, or diagonally from it, it will attack with Fire Sword.
Element: Fire
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): FireSword, Zenny
Special: Swordy-F's are immune to Blind Status.
Special: Uses Area Grab to get into attack range.
: RAIN'D!
ShooterShooter (Gunner)

Gunners attack every action, if able. They don't bother attacking enemies they can't hit or enemies they can't damage, but they can select Objects as targets. Their accuracy with the machinegun attack is bad because it scatters everywhere. They are aware of this. They are also aware of the fact that their Vulcan attack pierces objects.

Area: SciLab, Kotobuki Town, Dentech

HP: 120
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null + Spay Fire x 9 Shots
Primary Attack Accuracy: E
Primary Attack Description: Targets an enemy and sprays the area with twin machineguns.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null + Spread1 x 3 Shots
Secondary Attack Accuracy: A
Secondary Attack Description: Targets and enemy and attacks with Vulcan.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Vulcan2, MachineGun2, Zenny
Special: Immobile.
: 30 HP (Northern quadrant, behind boulder) (Soil)
CannonGuard2CannonGuard2 (CannonGuard)

CannonGuards are automatically in guard mode unless they are attacking. When guarding, the turret is protected by a shutter that will stop any and all non-breaking attacks from the front. This shutter cannot be destroyed, even by a breaking attack, so long as the virus exists. The shutter does not protect the turret portion of the virus against attacks from the back or sides. The base of the virus is also immune to non-breaking damage.

Area: SciLab, Kotobuki Town, Netopia, NAXA

HP: 150
Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Null + Lockon
Accuracy: A
Attack Description: Locks on and attacks
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): MarkCannon2, Zenny
Special: Immobile.
Special: Target's evasion counts less against this virus.
Special: Can guard against attacks.
: 150 HP (Southern Quadrant, near Spikey) (Normal)
NeoMetool2NeoMetool2 (NeoMetool)

NeoMetool not currently attacking will guard. Entering guard mode requires an action. Exiting guard mode does not require an action.

Area: ACDC, Electown, Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town, Dentech, Beach

HP: 100
Attack Damage/Effect: 40 Null + Spread 2
Attack Accuracy: B
Attack Description: Spits out a bullet that penetrates an enemy to hit up to two other enemies behind and to the side of it, as if forming a V shape.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): V-Gun, HiGuard, Zenny
Special: Can hide in its helmet to negate damage.
Special: If hit while hiding, it will counter with a Microburst effect as a free action. This does not lower its defenses.
Special: Can use Recover50 on itself once.
: 100 HP (Next to Lyntael) (Soil) (Hiding)
PulseBat2PulseBat2 (PulseBat)

Area: ACDC, Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town, Sharo, NetVegas

HP: 160
Attack Damage/Effect: 70 + Seeking
Attack Accuracy: A
Attack Description: Uses a sonic screech to damage its opponents.
Secondary Attack Effect: EchoLocation
Secondary Attack Description: Launches a sonic pulse to reveal hidden or illusory targets.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Pulsar2, EchoLocation, Zenny.
Special: Airshoes. If PulseBat hits an object, its attack spreads to up to 8 other targets at half damage while dealing full damage to that object. Every other turn, this virus enters High Altitude (dropdown) status and does not attack.
: 160 HP (On top of Trash "Boulder" A) (Metal)

-- Navis --
Lyantel.EXE: 330 HP (On the Eastern quadrant with Aurora) (Soil) (Casing20)(ElecBarrier40) (Self-Slow2)(Off-target1)(Target destroyed before charge attack, half-charge retained) (Influx Aegis, Part 2, 3 actions left before trigger)
Eternalis.EXE: 565 HP (On the Northern Quadrant with Sparky) (Normal) (HA)(Influx Aegis, Part 2, 1 action left before trigger)
Aurora.SP: 100 HP (On the Eastern quadrant with Lyantel) (Soil) (Equipped to Lyantael)(Casing20)(Barrier20)(1-hit shield)
Sparky.SP: 80 HP (On the Northern quadrant with Eternalis) (Normal) (Equipped to Eternalis)(HA)

-- Terrain -- (Terrain is divided into rough quarter-ish chunks. You and your enemies are always within melee distance of attacks, if on the same chunk of land due to tight fighting conditions. May attempt to move quadrants by way of narrow ledges connecting all four, but being hit while traveling may send you into the lava and stop your movement action, jumping is not guaranteed either with a higher chance of being sent into the lava's surface)

30% Soil
  • Wood Elementals get +10% Evasion.
  • Wood attacks: +100% Source Damage, change terrain hit to Grass.
  • 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Mud.
  • 100 Damage Fire attacks: change terrain hit to Coal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Wood.
(Grass that has been burned away from the Lava's heat, Northern and Western sections of the field)
30% Normal
  • No effects.
(Eastern and Southern quadrants of the field, lightly scorched, connects the outermost sections of the field)
40% Lava
  • Non-Fire Elementals lose 5 HP/action standing, 10 HP/action submerged. Doubled for Wood Elementals, nullified for Fire Elementals.
  • Aqua attacks: Panel explodes, +100% Source Aqua Damage, change terrain hit to Normal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Fire.
(A rough X-shape across the field, dividing the field into rough quarters with the outermost edges being untouched, about two panels worth of distance separating each quadrant diagonally and about three in the middle)

-- Objects -- (More boulders will fall at each turn, each is about the size of the two navis put together, with enough space on top to support a single entity, the tops are considered Metal terrain)

Trash "Boulder" A: 40 HP (Submerged in lava about half-way, can be used as a stepping stone to the other quarters of the field to avoid the Lava as a "safe" alternative to jumping over the lava or using the narrow ledges to get into a different quadrant) (Heatbody) (Lava)
Trash "Boulder" B: 40 HP (Situated on the Northern quadrant, roughly in the middle making tight quarters even tighter) (Soil)
Trash "Boulder" C: 40 HP (Between the South and East quadrants, can use as a stepping stone to get between the two) (Heatbody) (Lava)
As the bolt of fire winged her, Lyntael was spun about part way from her stance, gasping as the protective structure in her clothes robbed it of stopping power but the feeling or heat and force splashed across her body all the same. She felt her body respond, gritting her teeth with just enough time to steady her footing and brace before the reflexive recoil burst from her body and scattered across the nearby quadrant. It was one release, drain and rebuild cycling within the greater pulse of her charge and it stole her breath and sight for a moment.

By the time she recovered, the viruses nearest her were already dispatched and she rounded instead, releasing the blast that yearned to escape back towards the one that had struck her. Somewhere nearby, Eternalis was raining his own attacks down on the field, but it was growing hard to keep track of everything through the building static that was already raised to breaking point again.

There was nothing close enough for her to release the pent up charge on and the girl stumbled back from the edge, hugging herself for moment instead while the charge pulsed again, demanding release on something, anything, before it scoured her away to nothing. Fighting it was futile; that was always the trouble. Embrace it instead, that was what she'd said. More viruses were pouring in; she rounded on the first one to catch her eye, barely registering any conscious through to the action as she turned. Both of her arms lifted towards it, wrists slamming together with a metallic clang that she didn't really register, before the rush of sudden, almost blissful release.

The full weight of her charge poured through her, draining from every part of her body in a self-obliterating sear of light, force and static; a broad beam of rending lighting flared from her strikers as the current unified between them and lanced outward across the field, towards the hapless turret that had only just arrived. The relief of the strain giving way to flow passed quickly as the energy coursed through her, taking everything and dragging a grit-tooothed growl of effort and pain from her along the way while it lit up the battlefield.

Then void again, and aching, desolate emptiness, for a heartbeat that let her body sag and almost stumble... then surging, roaring static as her inner charge answered the void with ever more rapid rebuild. Why did it have to hurt like this? The beat of her hear,t her pulse, her charge, filling her with enough power and enough energy to actually do something useful, and drowning out her ability to even think about anything worthwhile in the process. Hang on; fight. The thought pushed through the static as she struggled to clear her vision and take in her surroundings.

She couldn't keep this up; that would have normally been her next thought. She knew that. But as much as the strain seared at every fibre of her being, she wasn't whiting out yet; it wasn't as bad as it could get. She could still think, somewhat, and focus. She tried to take note of the viruses that surrounded them as she recovered her stance and her body fought to stabilise itself; where were her friends? They'd be fine; she had to hold onto this and keep pushing, and that meant letting all the little pulses free to balance her out. The others would be fine. As she stepped back towards the centre of the area, circling, her body pulsed with static again – the smaller, stabilising pulse – a more even scattering of electrical fall-off that balanced out the spikes, at least a little. Her eyes were already starting to sting badly and she tried to blink it away. Fight it; push through. She could do this.

As Lyntael took her stance again, firmer and more grounded now, rather than light and loose, her hair crackled and her skin shone and danced with lighting patterns, already straining under the surface again. It was burning in her muscles and making her skin ache like countless needles dragged across it, but something was helping keep her thoughts clear, at least a little, and she held back the next reflex pulse for as long as she could.

Maybe she was just getting used to it? Either way, she focused and extended one hand in front of her; the answering pulse of her barrier sprang up as she called it, expanding from her chest to cover her again and exchange energy with her strikers as it formed the protective shell that helped keep her more aggressive expenditures in check. She blinked the stinging sensation from her eyes and turned her attention on the virus closest to her – something like a metool, but not quite. She darted in the extra step to get close to it, measuring the distance between the virus, and the lava behind, then skidded low, twisting her body to the side and putting one hand down as her left foot swept around. The first kick was simple, aimed just at hooking and lifting the virus up enough to expose it to the thrusting follow-up kick that flowed through on the other end of her twisting motion. This one came with another release of energy; not the full force of everything that had rebuilt already, but much of it. The same torrent coursed through her, drawing in, unifying and racing out again to explode in a forceful flare of electricity that she oped might be enough to shove the silly thing into the lava. As the lighting burst, it flared back from her body as well, branching into lines of excess fall off that split and arced across the arena behind her, tracing destructive lines towards other unlucky viruses behind her, though Lyntael herself wasn't really able to pay attention to the splitting trails.

Even if it wasn't everything, the burst left her gasping air for a moment, before she could gather herself and spring back to her feet; the drain wasn't total, but the gap it left was filling in again rapidly as her charge cycled. By the time she turned her back on the metool-like virus to see what other threads there were, the ache was at breaking point again; despite whatever greater endurance was letting her keep focused here, it was still overwhelming her bit by bit; her steps were sluggish, almost numb, and though she couldn't see it herself, light trails of excess sparks were beginning to spill from the corners of her eyes as excess static began to obscure bright green with electric yellow. She had to put an end to the fight soon. Just make all of it go away, so they could say they'd won, and she'd done well. Sooner, rather than later; it had to be sooner.

Summary
L*) ((Failed to Expend and charge retained from previous turn) (Overcharge +1))
L*) Subtype: All attacks containing Knockback or Pull gain Wind-Type.
E*) Influx Aegis: (40 Healing)
L1) Action Precluded: Buster Charge
L2) My Anger Directed: (Take Aim, 180Elec, Knockback, Break, Impact, Slashing, Shot-type, A) (Charge-Burner 2) (Overcharge +6)) @ CannonGuard
L3) A Manifest Spirit: (Multi-Stage: (First: (15Elec, Nova2, A), Then: (Time Delayed (15Elec, Nova2, Per Turn, for 3 additional turns)), (Overcharge -1 per pulse)
L*) Fast Armour: 20Hp Casing Refresh
E*) Influx Aegis: (40 Healing)
L4) Lingers After: (Self-Slow1, Counter(On Hit): (45Elec, Nova2) (Overcharge +1 On Set, +1 On Trigger)
L5) My Heart Falters: (80Elec Barrier, Buster Charge, Off-Target1) (Overcharge -2)
L6) My Thoughts Collected: (45Elec, Knockback, Impact, Spread2, Shot-Type, A) (Charge Burner1)) (Overcharge +3) @ NeoMet, Spread to PulseBat and Shooter
E*) Influx Aegis: (40 Healing)

Cooldowns and Overcharge

My Pain is Real, (2TCD)
And Lingers After. (3TCD)
My Heart Falters, (3TCD)
And Beat Anew. (1TCD)

My Fear Rejected, (2TCD)
My Thoughts Collected, (3TCD)
My Anger Directed, (6TCD)

A Manifest Spirit. (3TCD)

Overcharge: Begin: +6 , A Manifest Spirit (-1), Lingers After (+1), Trigger (+1), My Anger Directed (+6), My Heart Falters (-2), My Thoughts Collected (+3), End: +14 (but it only feels like 10?)
With his vantage point, Eternalis was able to track the escape of the viral amalgamate, though with the approaching viruses around Aurora and Lyntael, he figured it would be best not to pursue by himself. "Guess we can deal with whatever that thing is later; seems to be leaving a pretty obvious trail to follow anyway," he mused by himself, though he was also interrupted by a brief salvo of gunfire coming from below. Absorbing a few bullets in the meantime was all in a day's work for him, though, with his slime body rippling in place where the bullets penetrated through.

While his body began to repair itself, Eternalis reported swiftly on the situation from above, only to receive a pained emotion in response, though it was soon followed up by Aurora's end reaffirming that she was okay. Trying to act as Lyntael's assistant directly was more taxing than she had anticipated, and Lyntael herself wasn't even talking back to her now, which didn't seem like a good sign. Eternalis's worrying cropped up, but Aurora rebuffed him with another affirmation that he should stay where he was, and provide aerial support for the moment.

"Everything good?" Harke's voice chimed in. "Looking at her status, Aurora seems to be trying to do a lot on her own."

"Seems like it's still fine... but I'll keep an eye out. Pass us a couple more chips while I keep watch, could you?" he requested, to which Harke replied with a pair of Battlechips. The closest one that he could see might be a threat was the PulseBat, perched atop one of the fallen metal boulders. He extended his hand out before him, and a chunk of his hand swirled about and split off into a blob that floated about above his palm. The separated blob shifted colors into a more yellowish tint, crackling with energy, before hurtling down towards the bat virus.

"Lyntael! I'll try to hold off a bit of the charge from going back into your body!" Aurora's efforts on the ground was trying to direct the chaotic spray of energy from Lyntael's haywire systems from feeding back into her own body. It was all she could do to do it once, but it was worth trying again. The Battlechip data from Harke came in, but she held it off momentarily. It had to be something different. Perhaps she could discharge the excess through her own innate strength.

One strike towards the CannonGuard turret. Seeing this, Aurora released some of her own charge towards the nearby PulseBat, but it didn't quite work--the attack only took from her own charge, and not much from Lyntael's run-off. Another attempt, this time trying to line up her discharge with Lyntael's self-accumulating charge--she aimed towards one of the chunks of iron that had broken off instead, perhaps something more grounded would work. No dice there either, but at least it was ruled out again.

Out of options, Aurora took the chip data that she had been entrusted with from Harke, and lined it up with another of Lyntael's breathless discharges. Come on, she prayed. This time, she was able to pull some of Lyntael's pent-up charge to augment the attack the latter was doing, and the burst of lightning that was arcing back into Lyntael's body was captured, and shot out with greater force. It was frustrating that she was only able to effectively assist with this runaway charge with Battlechip assistance, but it was a step in the right direction. More important was that Lyntael hadn't been responding to her much at all... They needed the viruses out of the picture, and fast, before it got out of hand.

-- (Eternalis: 3 actions @ Aurora)

[E1] Take Aim
[A1] Attack @ PulseBat2: 50 Elec (+100% Metal)
[S1] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[E2] Arrow2Damage: 130 + Homing
Accuracy: B
Description: Summons an Elewasp virus, and sends it flying at an enemy. The Elewasp is tenacious, and will hunt down its prey. It vanishes after stinging it's target, or after two turns.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Trader Rank: C
: 130 + Homing (Acc: B) @ PulseBat2 (+100% Metal)
[A2] Attack @ PulseBat2: 50 Elec (+100% Metal)
[S2] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[E3] No action
[A3] Attack @ Boulder B: 50 Elec (+100% Metal)

[A4] Take Aim
[A5] (All for One) ElecReel2Damage: 100 + Spread 3 (Side + Behind)
Accuracy: B
Description: A small bolt of lightning that spreads sideways and behind the target upon impact.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Trader Rank: C
: 100 + Spread 3 (Side + Behind) (Acc: B) @ NeoMetool2/PulseBat2/Shooter (+15 Element, +100% Metal, Take Aim: Acc+)
Battle continuing along, Lyntael was not as quick on the draw as her partner, Aurora sending off a shot of electricity at the resting Pulsebat before it could try to make a move, striking and shocking the creature (100!) as Eternalis' form slowly recooped it's mass (+40) as the viruses were firmly on the defensive against the navis. Twitching and stuttering from it hit, the Pulsebat retaliated against the navi wearing Aurora and launched a piercing shriek at the navi...which, Aurora managed to block in time with her shield, stopping the soundwave in it's tracks as the aformentioned navi finished her charge whilst Eternalis' MidCloud would drown the Spikey despite it's best efforts, breaking the flaming dog's resolve and eliminating it from the field (180!).

Between everything, the Shooter was still hot on Eternalis' trail, taking aim at the flying blob and taking it's shot again, using it's vulcan rounds for more accurate shots as two of the three managed to pierce Eternalis' goopy body (15x2) despite Sparky's best efforts. But Lyntael would quickly lash out at the guarding Cannonguard, the beam piercing through it's entire form without a second to think, a spectacular explosion erupting from it's body (360!) as it died, leaving only a trio of viruses left on the field.

Etarnalis would strike next, sending out an electrified blob out to hone in on the Pulsebat whilst it was still exposed, but despite his best efforts, the attack went wide and would have to try and hone in on the virus in a moment...or at least, that's what WOULD happen, if Aurora hadn't sniped it with a second well placed shot (100!), deleting the virus wholesale, as it sputtered from the electrical currents forced through it's body, falling into the lava as it broke apart. Her Spirit Manifested, Lyntael was right to set herself up, the NeoMetool would immediately take a potshot at her, not knowing what was about to happen, as it left it's defensive state...and blasted her barrier off, sending shockwaves roiling around her and countering it's attack (15) without a way to evade the explosive nova, restoring her own strength and refreshing her casing (+40).

As the NeoMetool stumbled back from it's shock therepy, Aurora would shoot her shoot at a boulder on Eternalis' part of the field and cause the junk to disperse and fall apart, scattering bits and bobs about the area. Whilst this happened, the Shooter would take aim at Lyntael without thinking about it's ally on her part of the field, the Metool trying in vain to stop the attack already set in motion, a peppering of shots exploding outwards as it tried in vain to hit Lyntael...and whilst a few shots got through (15x3), breaking her casing and partially damaging her in the process, Lyntael exploded outwards again, causing the Metool to shriek in pain as it stumbled back (45) in pain. Whilst Lyntael let her Heart Falter, barrier restored to working order and stronger than ever, Aurora took the kill shot at the Metool with a well placed ElecReel, elimiting it and the Shooter in short order, letting Lyn take a little breather and keeping her charged.

Of course, as per usual, another boulder fell onto the field, crashing between the north and east quadrants, another stepping stone for them to use. In addition, another trio of viruses fell from atop, looking to put an end to the quartet. Two falling gracefully on flaming wings, one being the Blazer variant of the Fishy family, the other a blue flame coated phoenix spreading it's wings widely atop the boulder in the middle of the area. Then a Swordy landed hard on it's bottom, holding it's sword aloft...even if it was barely able to move for a moment.

-- Viruses -- (Kill Count: Spikey2, Nailer, Swordy-F2, CannonGuard2, Pulsebat2, Shooter, NeoMetool2)
Blazer2Blazer2 (Blazer)

Blazers are a modified strain of Fishy virus made to fully exploit their previous possession of Burner battlechip data. While they retain, for the most part, the appearance of a Fishy virus, their fins are more heavily rounded and there are a set of specialized gills on either side of their underbelly that can spew flames. In addition, all Blazers are now a stark reddish color, with the intensity varying from a charcoal-ish gray-red at the first tier to a violent intensity with the Omegas.

Area: Kotobuki Town, Netopia, Netfrica, Hades Isle

HP: 140
Attack Damage/Effect: Movement + 45 Nova 2 Fire Damage
Attack Accuracy: C
Attack Description: Flies forward and then SPINS, unleashing a gout of flame from specialized vents on its' flanks.
Element: Fire
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Burner2, Zenny
Special: Omnishoes
: 140 HP (Southern Quadrant) (Soil) (Omnishoes)
Swordy-N2Swordy-N2 (Swordy-N)

Area: ACDC, Kotobuki Town, Netopia

HP: 120
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 60 Null + Long Range Attack + Slashing
Primary Attack Accuracy: B
Primary Attack Description: When this virus is 2 panels away from the target, or its enemies are 2-deep, it will attack with Long Sword.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Null + Wide Range Attack + Slashing
Secondary Attack Accuracy: B
Secondary Attack Description: When this virus is standing directly adjacent to its target, or diagonally from it, it will attack with Wide Sword.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): WideSword, Zenny
Special: Sword-N's are immune to Sleep Status.
Special: Uses Area Grab to get into attack range.
: 120 HP (Western Quadrant) (Normal)
BluePhoenixBluePhoenix (FirePhoenix)

FirePhoenixes are medium sized birds, constantly emitting fire from their body. Despite being able to fly, they lack some of the grace other flying viruses, and have only average dodging capability. Higher versions are truer to their name, and are capable of reviving themselves. However, a Wind-type attack will blow away their ashes before they can regenerate, and if they're deleted with an Aqua attack, the ashes don't form.

Area: Hades Isle, Kotobuki Town

HP: 180
Attack Damage/Effect: 50 Fire + Wide Attack
Attack Accuracy: A
Attack Description: Launches a wide wave of fire, shaped like a bird.
Element: Fire
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): PhoenixShot2, Zenny
Special: OmniShoes
Special: Rebirth: When this virus is deleted by a non-Aqua attack, it fades to ashes, then rises from them at the end of the turn at 70 HP. This effect only works once per virus. Does not trigger if the virus was deleted by a Wind-type attack, or if a Wind-type attack is used on the ashes prior to revival.
Special: Can use FireAura1 once.
: 180 HP (Atop Boulder A) (Metal) (Omnishoes)

-- Navis --
Lyntael.EXE: 350 HP (On the Eastern quadrant with Aurora) (Soil)(ElecBarrier80) (Self-Slow1)(Off-Target1)(A Manifest Spirit: 15 Elec in Nova 2 for 3 turns) (My Thoughts Collected unused, Half-Charge not used)
Eternalis.EXE: 600 HP (On the Northern Quadrant with Sparky) (Normal) (HA)(Influx Aegis, Part 3, 3 action left before trigger)
Aurora.SP: 100 HP (On the Eastern quadrant with Lyantel) (Soil) (Equipped to Lyantael)(Casing20)(Barrier20)(1-hit shield)
Sparky.SP: 80 HP (On the Northern quadrant with Eternalis) (Normal) (Equipped to Eternalis)(HA)

-- Terrain -- (Terrain is divided into rough quarter-ish chunks. You and your enemies are always within melee distance of attacks, if on the same chunk of land due to tight fighting conditions. May attempt to move quadrants by way of narrow ledges connecting all four, but being hit while traveling may send you into the lava and stop your movement action, jumping is not guaranteed either with a higher chance of being sent into the lava's surface)

30% Soil
  • Wood Elementals get +10% Evasion.
  • Wood attacks: +100% Source Damage, change terrain hit to Grass.
  • 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Mud.
  • 100 Damage Fire attacks: change terrain hit to Coal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Wood.
(Grass that has been burned away from the Lava's heat, Northern and Western sections of the field)
30% Normal
  • No effects.
(Eastern and Southern quadrants of the field, lightly scorched, connects the outermost sections of the field)
40% Lava
  • Non-Fire Elementals lose 5 HP/action standing, 10 HP/action submerged. Doubled for Wood Elementals, nullified for Fire Elementals.
  • Aqua attacks: Panel explodes, +100% Source Aqua Damage, change terrain hit to Normal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Fire.
(A rough X-shape across the field, dividing the field into rough quarters with the outermost edges being untouched, about two panels worth of distance separating each quadrant diagonally and about three in the middle)

-- Objects -- (More boulders will fall at each turn, each is about the size of the two navis put together, with enough space on top to support a single entity, the tops are considered Metal terrain)

Trash "Boulder" A: 40 HP (Submerged in lava about half-way, can be used as a stepping stone to the other quarters of the field to avoid the Lava as a "safe" alternative to jumping over the lava or using the narrow ledges to get into a different quadrant) (Heatbody) (Lava)
Trash "Boulder" B: TRASH'D
Trash "Boulder" C: 40 HP (Between the South and East quadrants, can use as a stepping stone to get between the two) (Heatbody) (Lava)
Trash "Boulder" D: 40 HP (Between North and East quadrants, can be used as a stepping stone to get between the two) (Heatbody) (Lava)

Survival Turn 3, survive for a voluntary escape from battle!
As each virus in turn shattered into broken data around her, and leaving her nothing to focus on, Lyntael dragged another step back towards the centre of the enclosed space holding back the prepared charge. The current in her body swelled and pulsed, drawn to the point of release and then stymied as she turned about, searching hurriedly for something else, anything else to release the charge upon before it burned her alive. A growl in her throat echoed the frustrated tension as another wave of of overflowing sparks washed off her body and scattered into the air around her.

“Rraghh.... Stop.. Stop breaking before I can... I can...” As she turned, she came face to flaming beak with the newly arrived phoenix and lifted both arms above her head. The charge surged then flowed as, palms together, she sliced her hands down to draw a broad line white lightning that leapt forward like a curved blade of crackling light towards the virus. As her hands came apart, excess flares from her fingertips continued to vent wild streams of less controlled power, thundering west and south in the rough direction of the other viruses.

It wasn't enough. The rending blast she'd been holding only put a dent in the rebuilding charge as it cycled every more rapidly low – the emptiness didn't even come after the short relief of release, and it was instead answered by the roar of the pulse from her chest. The pain and the strain made her teeth grit and she could feel it searing in her muscle sand up and down her spine – how was she even thinking clearly at this point? Aurora had to be helping, like she said. The bracers were warm against her wrists, but something in her flinched as she looked down at them and felt the coursing of her own current running through them. She shoved it down; there were only the enemies, and her charge, and she hadn't burned herself out yet. It had to be close; the searing pain in her limbs and the stinging in her eyes were so bad; almost worse than she recalled feeling, but the static filling her mind wasn't everywhere yet.

“Hey. Aurora... Whatever... Whatever you're doing... I'm okay... I'm good... I just... I can't stop.” The flow of small electric sparks from the stinging corners of her eyes made crackling motes in the air and the lace of electricity completely covered her eyes now, but she did her best to ignore it; each pulse only made the next come faster. Each release was temporary relief, and a worse return. She was past the point of slowing it down now; past the point of stopping. It strained to bursting again, filling every inch of her body with searing light. Thought itself would have been gone by this point. Should have been, but seeing what was happening to her didn't help to stop it. She moved a few more paces toot he very centre of the space, holding her combat stance as best she could.

“I can't... I can't slow it down, like this. I can't... can't control it like this!” With another shriek of effort, Lyntael let the charge flow again, already well beyond her ability to hold it back. This time there was no target, no direction, no thought towards who or what might be around – all that mattered was the need to release the force and spare herself the destructive burn of holding it all inside, even if only for a moment. A thunder-crack of sound accompanied the burst of arcing lightning lines that lanced out from her body in every direction as the release arched her body up on her toes and made her eyes roll upwards for the sudden relief of the power flowing freely through her; it was too much, too overwhelming, but it was relief all the same. Bolts of lighting cracked outward, striking the ground and dissipating into the air wildly, while others attempted to ground themselves on viruses, rocks, and anything else they could find.

Where the storm of bolts couldn't find targets to ground on, they cracked through the air, dancing back and forth as they intersected with each other and parted again, handing in the air and continuing to seek some other outlet, but after another second or two of holding her arched, flung-back pose, Lyntael felt her body sag and collapse, stumbling down to one knee as she clenched her fists and tried to force herself back up. The emptiness came, and the aching void, but it flashed by her without even giving the cold time to touch her – the beat of her heart, or her pulse, of her charge; it answered like a storm, lightning and rage incarnate in the heart of her being, swelling to fill her again and demanding needing more.

She couldn't focus, couldn't think; even with Aurora's help, her thoughts were overborne by the weight of static that was burning at her now. It was hurting her – a fragmented thought as she kept her eyes squeezed shut to block out the needle-like pain stabbing at them. It felt like she was about to burn out, but hadn't yet, and she was more aware of it than normal, now. She couldn't stop the build – couldn't hold it back enough to slow it down; it was going to happen again, she was sure of it, but maybe this time, she could handle it better. That was the goal, wasn't it? The thoughts chased one another as Lyntael fought to stand, her awareness of the battlefield around her reduced to a distant sense of light and sound.

Summary
L*) ((Failed to Expend and charge retained from previous turn) (Overcharge +1))
L*) Subtype: All attacks containing Knockback or Pull gain Wind-Type.
L1) Action Precluded: Buster Charge
L*) Manifest Spirit: (15Elec, Nova2, A) (Overcharge -1)
L2) My Thoughts Collected: (45Elec, Knockback, Impact, Spread2, Shot-Type, A) (Charge Burner1)) (Overcharge +3) @ BluePhoenix, Spread to Blazer, Swordy
L*) Fast Armour: 20Hp Casing Refresh
L3) Buster Charge
L4) Feint (to centre)
L5) As I look to the Sky: (45Elec, Knockback, Nova4, Homing, Shot-type, Charge-Burner 2)(Overcharge +6)
L6) Action Precluded: Buster Charge

Cooldowns and Overcharge

My Pain is Real, (1TCD)
And Lingers After. (2TCD)
My Heart Falters, (2TCD)
And Beat Anew. (Cooling)

My Fear Rejected, (1TCD)
My Thoughts Collected, (2TCD)

My Anger Directed, (5TCD)
As I Look to the Sky, (6TCD)

A Manifest Spirit. (2TCD)

Overcharge: Begin: +12(8) , A Manifest Spirit (-1), My Thoughts Collected (+3), As I look to the Sky (+6) End: +20(16)
Despite her now non-humanoid form, Aurora felt as if her chest was tightening. The viruses around them were disappearing, sure, but Lyntael wasn't going to hold up. There was something about this time that was different from their previous excursions now, she felt it in her heart of hearts. If the buildup she was sensing from Lyntael's body was going to go any higher, she felt it would not go well. "Lyntael, we've got to leave!" she shouted out.

Lyntael was saying something now--an improvement from before, but her condition still wasn't improving. It didn't look like she would be able to do much about the retained charge by expending it for her, but perhaps it would be better to store some of the wayward electrical potential inside of her instead. But to do so would simply be a stopgap measure. Aurora felt the only recourse now would be to pull out before the load inside of her would erupt, and recuperate somewhere where her internal core would stop its activity.

As she held in some of the charge that Lyntael was suffering from, Aurora felt her thoughts fill with indistinct pins and needles, evidence of the erratic energy that was running amok inside Lyntael. Then, from her mental link, a tick of concern. Amidst the mental static, she made out that the viruses that were coming in weren't letting up. She managed to return the thought, that they could clear out the remaining viruses, and he could swoop down to make a break for it, to let Sparky take their friend to safety--but they needed to wait for her signal. A short moment, in which they could come in without risking too much friendly fire from Lyntael's discharges.

"Gonna need some crowd control, Harke," said Eternalis. "These viruses keep on coming in with those boulders. We'll try to make a break for it. Some offense to thin them out, too."

"Got it, I'll send in the Timpani, and some AoE," replied Harke.

With the communication relayed, the empty space in the four corners of the field below glowed briefly, before a blob of blue rose from the ground, swirling into the shape of a Timpani virus. Its trumpet mouth sucked in the hot air before a deep, bassy tone that echoed throughout the artificial gorge that they were in. Aurora flinched slightly, but for the moment, she had to deal with the situation at hand. Lyntael was already directing some of her offense towards the newly-arrived blue bird, and in time with Harke's battlechip assistance. There was nowhere near enough output, she sensed through the crackling voltage racking her senses. A snap decision made, she let loose the DollThunder chip unto the BluePhoenix as well, but she only felt the energy inside Lyntael grow ever wilder.

"I'm trying to hold some part of it in myself, but we've got to leave!" she called out. Somewhere nearby, she saw a jet of water burst from underneath a nearby virus... or whatever it was, across the field from them. It looked vaguely greyish, but that's all she was able to make out. From the pulsing lights that went down her gauntlet form, current began leaking out indiscriminately, though she managed to direct them towards another part of the battlefield that seemed to have something on it. Whatever it was, it couldn't be friendly, as the only allies they had now were still up in the air.

There was something she had to do--what was it? In between the lightning storm that Lyntael was producing, and the Timpani's cacophony, and the uncontrollable static she was holding in, unawares, her mental process began to slip.

-- (Eternalis: 3 actions @ Aurora)

[E1] TimpaniHP: 50
Properties: Heavy
Object Damage: 50 + Impact
Damage Method: Throw, Telekinesis
Status Effect: Hold + To-All-Clause(Enemies)
Accuracy: S
Description: Stops all enemies from moving with a powerful sonic wave.
Duration: 1 turn or until destroyed.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: C
: 50HP Heavy Object, 1-Turn: Hold + To-All-Enemy (Acc: S) @ Northern Quadrant
[A1] Take Aim
[S1] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[E2] Take Aim
[A2] (All for One) DollThunder1Damage: 80 + Line-Attack5
Accuracy: B
Description: Fires a powerful bolt of lightning that pierces through objects and enemies alike.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Trader Rank: D
: 80 + Line-Attack5 (Acc: B) @ BluePhoenix (+15 Element, +100% Metal, Take Aim: Acc+)
[S2] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[E3] WaterLine2Damage: 130 + Ground Attack + Wide Attack
Accuracy: B
Description: A wall of water gushes from the ground, drowning up to 3 targets.
Duration: Once
Element: Aqua
Trader Rank: C
: 130 + Ground Attack + Wide Attack (Acc: B) @ Swordy-N2 (+15 Element, Take Aim: Acc+)
[A3] Attack @ Blazer2: 50 Elec

[A4] Attack @ Blazer2: 50 Elec
[A5] Attack @ Blazer2: 50 Elec
As Lyntael's spirit manifested, the nearby Phoenix would flap itself away out of the pulse, barely escaping the pulse as she struggled to hold the charge within her body. All the same, Eternalis would summon a helper in the form of a gooey Timpani, the viral helper quickly blasting out a deep, bass filled tone that quickly locked the viruses down, the air vibrating heavily from it's sounds. The Blazer and Phoenix trying their best to stay airborne whist the Swordy could barely keep it's arms up at the opressive noises.

As the two navis prepared themselves for attacks, the Phoenix would make an attempt at Lyntael's life by shooting forth a blast of azure flames, attempting to roast the electrical navi...and managing to strip away most of her barrier away in the blast as well as tearing apart Aurora's in the same breath (50). But was swiftly clocked by Aurora and Lyntael in return, ripping apart the Phoenix in a one-two punch of attacks, leading to it's demise, as well as hitting the Blazer and Swordy in the process, through the latter managed to avoid getting hit by the DollThunder as it passed through the Phoenix's body, falling to ashes atop the lava. (90!)(45)(45)(190!)

As the Timpani raged, the two living viruses tried their damnedist to try and destroy it, the Blazer raging fruitlessly around and around, flames exploding out of it's back as it was pinned down, whist the Swordy was in much the same perdicament, unable to teleport and fight where it needed to. Unfortunately for both, they were beset upon by navis and SPs, Eternalis quickly washing away the Swordy with a well placed waterline, deleting it outright (145) as Lyntael and Aurora made their way to the middle, with the latter firing off a shot towards the neutered Blazer, but her shot going wide as she took another shot and barely managing to hit (50) whilst the former sent out a massive blast of electicity around her atop the boulder, managing to send enough energy outwards to hit the Blazer as Aurora attacked it a third time, deleting it outright (45, perfect kill!) as the Phoenix's ashes were blown away in the explosion.

With the threat seemingly neutered, the quartet had a chance to breathe...before, once more, another Trio fell from the skies, slamming down onto the ground one after the other. Another Swordy-F2, Shooter and NeoMetool landing on the field in various ways, all primed to kill the quartet. And once more on cue, a boulder fell from on high, crashing into the East wall of the gorge, a seemingly recently dug tunnel being unearthed from the force as the boulder crumbled away from the impact and scattered junk electronics and parts across the soil. If the four wished to escape, now was the time. It seemed like they could get away before the viruses recovered from their fall from on high if they went now.

-- Viruses -- (Kill Count: Spikey2, Nailer, Swordy-F2, CannonGuard2, Pulsebat2, Shooter, NeoMetool2, Swordy-N2, Blazer2(ping!), BluePhoenix)
Swordy-F2Swordy-F2 (Swordy-F)

Area: Kotobuki Town, Netfrica, Hades Isle

HP: 160
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Fire + Long Range Attack + Slashing
Primary Attack Accuracy: B
Primary Attack Description: When this virus is 2 panels away from the target, or its enemies are 2-deep, it will attack with Fire Blade.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Fire + Wide Range Attack + Slashing
Secondary Attack Accuracy: B
Secondary Attack Description: When this virus is standing directly adjacent to its target, or diagonally from it, it will attack with Fire Sword.
Element: Fire
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): FireSword, Zenny
Special: Swordy-F's are immune to Blind Status.
Special: Uses Area Grab to get into attack range.
: 160 HP (Northern Quadrant) (Normal)
NeoMetool2NeoMetool2 (NeoMetool)

NeoMetool not currently attacking will guard. Entering guard mode requires an action. Exiting guard mode does not require an action.

Area: ACDC, Electown, Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town, Dentech, Beach

HP: 100
Attack Damage/Effect: 40 Null + Spread 2
Attack Accuracy: B
Attack Description: Spits out a bullet that penetrates an enemy to hit up to two other enemies behind and to the side of it, as if forming a V shape.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): V-Gun, HiGuard, Zenny
Special: Can hide in its helmet to negate damage.
Special: If hit while hiding, it will counter with a Microburst effect as a free action. This does not lower its defenses.
Special: Can use Recover50 on itself once.
: 100 HP (Western Quadrant) (Soil)
ShooterShooter (Gunner)

Gunners attack every action, if able. They don't bother attacking enemies they can't hit or enemies they can't damage, but they can select Objects as targets. Their accuracy with the machinegun attack is bad because it scatters everywhere. They are aware of this. They are also aware of the fact that their Vulcan attack pierces objects.

Area: SciLab, Kotobuki Town, Dentech

HP: 120
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null + Spay Fire x 9 Shots
Primary Attack Accuracy: E
Primary Attack Description: Targets an enemy and sprays the area with twin machineguns.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null + Spread1 x 3 Shots
Secondary Attack Accuracy: A
Secondary Attack Description: Targets and enemy and attacks with Vulcan.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Vulcan2, MachineGun2, Zenny
Special: Immobile.
: 120 HP (Eastern Quadrant) (Normal)

-- Navis --
Lyntael.EXE: 350 HP (On BoulderA with Aurora) (metal) (Casing20)(ElecBarrier30)(A Manifest Spirit: 15 Elec in Nova 2 for 2 turns)(Half-charge)
Eternalis.EXE: 600 HP (On the Northern Quadrant with Sparky) (Normal) (HA)
Aurora.SP: 100 HP (On BoulderA with Lyntael) (Metal)(Equipped to Lyantael)(Casing20)(1-hit shield)
Sparky.SP: 80 HP (On the Northern quadrant with Eternalis) (Normal) (Equipped to Eternalis)(HA)

-- Terrain -- (Terrain is divided into rough quarter-ish chunks. You and your enemies are always within melee distance of attacks, if on the same chunk of land due to tight fighting conditions. May attempt to move quadrants by way of narrow ledges connecting all four, but being hit while traveling may send you into the lava and stop your movement action, jumping is not guaranteed either with a higher chance of being sent into the lava's surface)

30% Soil
  • Wood Elementals get +10% Evasion.
  • Wood attacks: +100% Source Damage, change terrain hit to Grass.
  • 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Mud.
  • 100 Damage Fire attacks: change terrain hit to Coal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Wood.
(Grass that has been burned away from the Lava's heat, Northern and Western sections of the field)
30% Normal
  • No effects.
(Eastern and Southern quadrants of the field, lightly scorched, connects the outermost sections of the field)
40% Lava
  • Non-Fire Elementals lose 5 HP/action standing, 10 HP/action submerged. Doubled for Wood Elementals, nullified for Fire Elementals.
  • Aqua attacks: Panel explodes, +100% Source Aqua Damage, change terrain hit to Normal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Fire.
(A rough X-shape across the field, dividing the field into rough quarters with the outermost edges being untouched, about two panels worth of distance separating each quadrant diagonally and about three in the middle)

-- Objects -- (More boulders will fall at each turn, each is about the size of the two navis put together, with enough space on top to support a single entity, the tops are considered Metal terrain)

Trash "Boulder" A: 40 HP (Submerged in lava about half-way, can be used as a stepping stone to the other quarters of the field to avoid the Lava as a "safe" alternative to jumping over the lava or using the narrow ledges to get into a different quadrant) (Heatbody) (Lava)
Trash "Boulder" B: TRASH'D
Trash "Boulder" C: 40 HP (Between the South and East quadrants, can use as a stepping stone to get between the two) (Heatbody) (Lava)
Trash "Boulder" D: 40 HP (Between North and East quadrants, can be used as a stepping stone to get between the two) (Heatbody) (Lava)

Escape from battle avalible!

FXP from the fight so far from virus kills: 24
Bug Frags from the fight so far: 52
From Aurora's perspective, the shift to trying to syphon power from her friend came far more easily than her other efforts – too easily almost. The first beat of energy came rapidly and like the bridge of a willing conductor it flowed to her, and flowed, and didn't stop, beginning to override the rapid pulsing with this continuous connection; only when she couldn't hold any more would the flow relent. Somewhere close, Lyntael shrieked – a cry somewhere between pain and fury – and the pulse surged again.

For her part, Lyntael staggered, keeping her feet through grim determination more than anything else. There wasn't much thought or awareness left in a mind full of raw current and static – she should have burned out by now, a thread of thought struggled to reach through the fog; it was going to burn her alive. She couldn't stop; this one was more an impulse than a clear thought – there was still danger, so she had to keep going. She could feel the power flowing through her as a constant stream now; her wrists felt like they were on fire, and as she wheeled about, blinking through static-blind eyes, sympathetic flares and crackles of lightning spider-webbed madly from her ankle strikers.

Something moved, close by, and she rounded on it, letting her body move as the charge demanded. One step, a half turn and then both hands coming around together towards the blurry shape she could barely make out. Wild streaks of electricity trailed from her extremities as she lashed out and as the power surged through her she distantly heard it tear a shriek of pain and rage from her lungs. The release didn't feel good any more – it burned through her, lighting up the field again in a tempest that seared her sense of self to ash. There was no girl in the middle – just the source and the destination, and the conduit that the power flowed through. She screamed as the blast continued for a second, two, that took an age to pass, then, suddenly, like the crack of a circuit-breaker, emptiness.

Her cry cut off into the tapering end of a silent breath exhaling and Lyntael felt like she was falling, dragged into blackness by the leaden void in her chest. She didn't feel her body waver, or her knees hit the ground, nor even the harder impact that must have followed as she fell the rest of the way. The void of sensation consumed and enveloped her – a soothing cold that still felt like dying.

She felt herself blink; light and noise. Voices. The cold emptiness in her yawned where the comforting beat of her charge should be, but she'd been here before. A thought pushed its way through the black; they were still in danger. She had to move.

Lyntael struggled to push herself up; details were still elusive and the dead, emptiness dulled all of her senses down to the smallest of points – for now, get up. Focus on that. Her wrists hurt – small spikes of pain, like the skin was clinging to something and tugging any time she moved. She felt her body react, with a sudden viscerality she didn't quite understand; she shifted to begin reaching for the feeling of something metal against her strikers, sticking to her skin.

“Get it off... get it off get it off...” her fingers clawed, trying to get the metal away from her skin as the words came out in a barely legible slur. Somewhere in the motion, she had gotten to her feet – not her though, someone was helping. It was hard to focus, but her eyes slid across a figure that her mind suggested was almost certainly Aurora. They were moving, and she tried to help, but moving her limbs felt like lifting mountains – like the signals weren't even getting through. She had to focus; there was danger. A feeling like rough fur against her cheek; her eyes drifted to take in a very large sparky. She'd seen that before, hadn't she? Something like it. Yes. She'd seen Sparky get big before. Everyone had a special awesome 'get big' transformation but her. That was right. She gripped at the fur as other hands tried to help her on.

“Have to... keep going. 's danger. need to... need to fight.” It came out better that time; not quite a slur and more a weak mumble. That was improvement, right? She was improving. As she paused to be momentarily proud of this, another more urgent thought tried to battle its way to the front of her awareness, but it was still fuzzy, and it was hard to really feel like thinking of anything at all, when everything was so cold and empty and dead.


Summary
L1) Action Lost to Overcharge
L*) Manifest Spirit: (15Elec, Nova2, A) (Overcharge -1)
L2) Action Precluded: Buster Charge
L3) Full-charge Buster Strike (480Elec, Disarm, A) @ (Nearest Target; Lyntael can't tell) (Overcharge +6)
L4) Burn-Out Triggered
L5) Action Lost
L6) Trying to assist her friends in getting away for now. (Escape)

Cooldowns and Overcharge

My Pain is Real, (Cooling)
And Lingers After. (1TCD)
My Heart Falters, (1TCD)

My Fear Rejected, (Cooling)
My Thoughts Collected, (1TCD)

My Anger Directed, (4TCD)
As I Look to the Sky, (5TCD)

A Manifest Spirit. (1TCD)

Overcharge: Begin: +20 , A Manifest Spirit (-1), Full-Charge Strike (+6) End: +25; Burn-out triggered
"Aurora? Hey, Aurora!" yelled Eternalis. Whatever was coming through their mental link was devolving into a slurry of thoughts, and an intensifying haze of static. "Let's go, Sparky! Paws on the ground, size up!" he called out, tapping his heel onto the board. The pup's head barked in excitement immediately, and the board's thrusters whined in readiness. In the blink of an eye, the two vanished in a trail of light, leaving a brief afterimage of them as they moved too fast for the eye to catch. The trail zoomed down to the ground like a meteorite, but swerved right as it hit the ground, with Eternalis appearing from it in a rapid dismount.

At that moment, the viruses were landing all about, along with even more debris. Lyntael's instinctual discharge surged through her extremities. "Whoa, shit!" exclaimed Eternalis, taking all of his reflexes to try to move out of its way. An empty cry from his friend's lips, and he threw himself out to catch her before she hit the ground. Wayward static coursed through his hands as he made contact, but he held fast through the jolt. There were more pressing matters.

"Lyntael! Aurora!" he called out again.

Debris raining all about, one splashed into the lava, the splashback threatening to engulf the two. Suddenly, a sudden gust burst out in front of them, blasting the lava away in a show of force. Sparky's larger form shaded them, standing proud between the Navis and the newly-arrived viruses. "C'mon, let's get you two outta here," he said, hefting Lyntael as she struggled to remove Aurora's gauntlet form from her hands. Eternalis tried to restrain her from doing so, but it seems like there was no need; Lyntael was so weak she could barely muster any actual resistance.

This made it easier to help her onto Sparky's back. Right on cue, a boulder raining from above crashed down onto a nearby hill, revealing what seemed like an exit. "We'll go through that way, Sparky," he instructed. There was no affirmative bark from Sparky this time around, only the hound lowering his body to spring into action the moment they were ready, which wasn't too long after. Eternalis hopped on, holding tightly onto Lyntael's limply reacting figure, and gave the signal. "Go!" he called out, and Sparky's legs bounded forward as fast as he could carry them.

-- Eternalis: 1 action @ Sparky
[S1] Movement: Next to Lyntael (Overclock+High Gear: Evasion=60%)
[S*] GMO Change: Bloodhound
[E1] Help Lyntael to her feet

[S2] Equip: Lyntael
[E2] Mount onto Sparky

[E3-5] Escape!
Flying in as Lyntael and Aurora began to be completely consumed by the former's exertions, her inability to keep ip with everything as electric haze filled the area as the viruses looked on, unmoved...but smelling blood in the water so to speak, as the Swordy quickly capitalized on Lyntael's weakness, teleporting in towards her and sending a blast of fire down her body, cutting through her barrier with a longblade just missing Aurora as it was in turn blasted by her aura, sending shocks down it's spine towards the edge of the blast (15).

Shooter and Met looking on as the met would hide within it's helmet, the Shooter would rev up it's main turrets and begin shooting out towards Lyntael and the others, but it's inaccurate firing would only strike twice, once being blocked by Aurora's shield, the other by Lyntael's casing. Lyntael, on the other hand, would wind up striking the Swordy with little trouble, sending her attacks straight into it's chest and right through it, sending the Swordy to fall into the lava as it began to disentigrate. Sparky and Eternalis getting Aurora and Lyntael ready to escape, the quartet were able to make their move towards the makeshift exit, even if the Shooter tried to send a trio of more accurate bullets through Eternalis' form, but thankfully the quartet were out of there long before the shots could connect, ending the fight as they hurried through the passage into a wider plateau they could take a breath at, overseeing smaller trash mountains and some thin footpaths they could take towards...once Lyntael could properly move again.

-- Viruses -- (Kill Count: Spikey2, Nailer, Swordy-F2, CannonGuard2, Pulsebat2, Shooter, NeoMetool2, Swordy-N2, Blazer2(ping!), BluePhoenix)
Swordy-F2Swordy-F2 (Swordy-F)

Area: Kotobuki Town, Netfrica, Hades Isle

HP: 160
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Fire + Long Range Attack + Slashing
Primary Attack Accuracy: B
Primary Attack Description: When this virus is 2 panels away from the target, or its enemies are 2-deep, it will attack with Fire Blade.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Fire + Wide Range Attack + Slashing
Secondary Attack Accuracy: B
Secondary Attack Description: When this virus is standing directly adjacent to its target, or diagonally from it, it will attack with Fire Sword.
Element: Fire
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): FireSword, Zenny
Special: Swordy-F's are immune to Blind Status.
Special: Uses Area Grab to get into attack range.
: OVERKILL
NeoMetool2NeoMetool2 (NeoMetool)

NeoMetool not currently attacking will guard. Entering guard mode requires an action. Exiting guard mode does not require an action.

Area: ACDC, Electown, Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town, Dentech, Beach

HP: 100
Attack Damage/Effect: 40 Null + Spread 2
Attack Accuracy: B
Attack Description: Spits out a bullet that penetrates an enemy to hit up to two other enemies behind and to the side of it, as if forming a V shape.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): V-Gun, HiGuard, Zenny
Special: Can hide in its helmet to negate damage.
Special: If hit while hiding, it will counter with a Microburst effect as a free action. This does not lower its defenses.
Special: Can use Recover50 on itself once.
: 100 HP (Western Quadrant) (Soil) (Hiding)
ShooterShooter (Gunner)

Gunners attack every action, if able. They don't bother attacking enemies they can't hit or enemies they can't damage, but they can select Objects as targets. Their accuracy with the machinegun attack is bad because it scatters everywhere. They are aware of this. They are also aware of the fact that their Vulcan attack pierces objects.

Area: SciLab, Kotobuki Town, Dentech

HP: 120
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null + Spay Fire x 9 Shots
Primary Attack Accuracy: E
Primary Attack Description: Targets an enemy and sprays the area with twin machineguns.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Null + Spread1 x 3 Shots
Secondary Attack Accuracy: A
Secondary Attack Description: Targets and enemy and attacks with Vulcan.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Vulcan2, MachineGun2, Zenny
Special: Immobile.
: 120 HP (Eastern Quadrant) (Normal)

-- Navis --
Lyntael.EXE: 350 HP (On BoulderA with Aurora) (metal) (Casing20)(ElecBarrier30)(A Manifest Spirit: 15 Elec in Nova 2 for 2 turns)(Half-charge)
Eternalis.EXE: 600 HP (On the Northern Quadrant with Sparky) (Normal) (HA)
Aurora.SP: 100 HP (On BoulderA with Lyntael) (Metal)(Equipped to Lyantael)(Casing20)(1-hit shield)
Sparky.SP: 80 HP (On the Northern quadrant with Eternalis) (Normal) (Equipped to Eternalis)(HA)

-- Terrain -- (Terrain is divided into rough quarter-ish chunks. You and your enemies are always within melee distance of attacks, if on the same chunk of land due to tight fighting conditions. May attempt to move quadrants by way of narrow ledges connecting all four, but being hit while traveling may send you into the lava and stop your movement action, jumping is not guaranteed either with a higher chance of being sent into the lava's surface)

30% Soil
  • Wood Elementals get +10% Evasion.
  • Wood attacks: +100% Source Damage, change terrain hit to Grass.
  • 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Mud.
  • 100 Damage Fire attacks: change terrain hit to Coal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Wood.
(Grass that has been burned away from the Lava's heat, Northern and Western sections of the field)
30% Normal
  • No effects.
(Eastern and Southern quadrants of the field, lightly scorched, connects the outermost sections of the field)
40% Lava
  • Non-Fire Elementals lose 5 HP/action standing, 10 HP/action submerged. Doubled for Wood Elementals, nullified for Fire Elementals.
  • Aqua attacks: Panel explodes, +100% Source Aqua Damage, change terrain hit to Normal.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Fire.
(A rough X-shape across the field, dividing the field into rough quarters with the outermost edges being untouched, about two panels worth of distance separating each quadrant diagonally and about three in the middle)

-- Objects -- (More boulders will fall at each turn, each is about the size of the two navis put together, with enough space on top to support a single entity, the tops are considered Metal terrain)

Trash "Boulder" A: 40 HP (Submerged in lava about half-way, can be used as a stepping stone to the other quarters of the field to avoid the Lava as a "safe" alternative to jumping over the lava or using the narrow ledges to get into a different quadrant) (Heatbody) (Lava)
Trash "Boulder" B: TRASH'D
Trash "Boulder" C: 40 HP (Between the South and East quadrants, can use as a stepping stone to get between the two) (Heatbody) (Lava)
Trash "Boulder" D: 40 HP (Between North and East quadrants, can be used as a stepping stone to get between the two) (Heatbody) (Lava)

Battle 3, Escaped!

Rewards
3750z, 57 Bugfrags, 34 FXP (Between Lyntael and Aurora's teamwork and Eternalis and Sparky helping get Lyntael out)
Lyntael get: EchoLocationEffect: Nullifies Invis on all Enemies and Objects, and dispels illusion effects.
Accuracy: S
Description: Sends out a sonic wave to bounce off of objects, revealing hidden things and illusory targets as what they truly are.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Trader Rank: C

Eternalis get: FireSwordDamage: 80 + Slashing + Wide Attack
Accuracy: B
Description: Creates a sword imbued with flame energy, and capable of effective wide slashes. Can hit up to 3 targets per slash with good RP.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 3 swings.
Element: Fire
Trader Rank: C