Lyntael skidded to a halt in the sand as her chase gave way to a collection viruses on all sides facing down her approach. The shots had definitely come from some of them, but as she scanned the arrayed hostiles Lyntael glanced up to the ridge and caught sight of the figures above. Her eyes traced back from their gestures, to the viruses surrounding her, and the way the grizzled-looking creatures complied.
“Hey, stop!” She felt her charge rise, a hum glowing in her chest as she called out, but the other navis didn't seem to listen. She didn't know if they had anything to do with the upsurge of shell viruses in the area, but if they were using them to attack other navis for fun, that wasn't okay. With another quick glance to the hostile viruses, Lyntael began to give chase to the retreating heels, but another spear from a Shellnerd slammed into the sand across her path and she jumped back from it on instinct, her hair crackling and her hands coming up into a combat stance. All around her, it looked clear that the viruses weren't just going to let her run past. She grit her teeth.
“Alright... Fine...” She felt her own expression draw into a more serious frown as she faced them properly and embraced her charge. Her body sparked and crackled as a dancing scatter of sparks drifted from her skin in every direction and the lightly blowing breeze across the beach drew in and curled around her suddenly, kicking up sand and whisking the electrical fall-off into a briefly obscuring mesh of light. When it faded a moment later, Lyntael was gone.
She wasn't sure, exactly, what channelling her charge this way would do – just that the instinct for it was there, and as she felt the light bending around her with a distorted hum Lyntael only took a moment to glance down at her now occluded form. The memory of things that had happened in the depths of the net, and how the process had felt, came with it... She could work with this. She moved.
One quick step and then another shifted her to the side and then back around the star virus right in front of her until she was between it and the shell viruses, the only signs of her rapid motion slight shifts in the sand. The movement flowed by second nature first into a sweeping kick that carried her up onto one toe, then into a follow through with her second foot as the first landed. Wind ruffled through her clothes, adding to, then catching, her momentum so she could put power behind the elbow strike that followed, an over-head with her other fist and a final rising upper from the crouch it left her in. As her body spiralled, Lyntael let her charge pulse. A sharp series of bolts radiated from her body, seemingly from nothing, before dissipating; most reached towards the nearby starfish, though a few arced towards the two shell viruses, not far away.
Lyntael wasn't watching whether the bolts had the range to reach or not; still unseen, she raced on quickly – as long as the light twisting effect lasted, she meant to make the most of it. The faster this was done, the sooner she could catch up with the other navis and ask some questions. The brief emptiness left behind in the wake of her expenditure was filled by a growing surge, building up again, but it was almost strange how controlled it felt. She could handle far more than this pace, now.
Her dashing footsteps kicked up small puffs of sand as she darted towards the next starfish, on her left towards the hill. Don't give them time to react further. Even as she reached it the girl threw herself into a second rapid flurry of close-quarters strikes against her next target, flowing from one to the next with her toes barely touching the sand in between. From the outside, there was only a scuff of sand, followed by whatever impacts she could land, and a second radiating burst of electrical energy seeking to destroy the starfish and anything else in the handful of feet from its origin.
As the swift series of attacks ended, Lyntael glanced back towards the other viruses. Her charge cycled up again, a little faster still, and she could feel her heart rate rising along with it. Even if they weren't blocking her path from here, the shellnerds needed dealt with regardless. She kicked back off the sand lightly, the air currents carrying her an extra half step as she extended one arm and the shot came into line. Her charge flowed, drawing in from each of her strikers and combining into a maelstrom in her chest before flooding out again to her outstretched wrist. It burned as she embraced the release, and a searing flash of focused lightning lanced out from her with enough force to pierce through anything in its path. Lyntael tried to hold her focus on the strike, keeping it on target as best she could, until the drain of it left her empty and gasping a breath. If she could hold it steady, the flaring line of electricity ought to be enough to deal with both of them, closed and guarding or not, or at least she hoped so.
She landed in the sand after the strike tapered off, one knee down as she caught her breath. The void of emptiness was growing stronger each cycle, and the resurgence of her charge burning back through her faster and harsher, but even as it started to fill her being again Lyntael pushed back to her feet; still manageable. She kicked off the sand into a fresh dash, holding back her charge for now and letting it build. Instead, she chased down the line of her last attack, sliding into a rapid series of attacks with a grim determination that sought to finish off each and every virus that had endured her initial onslaught with as much precision and speed as she could manage; she could feel the haze keeping her form obscured beginning to thin. Best to get it done before they could see her again, if she could.
Summary
L*) First Armour: 20Hp Casing (as subtle outfit reinforcement)
L1) My Faith Trembles, and Forgets Laughter (Multi-Stage: (10Elec, Nova2), then (Invisibility, Dodge, Buster Charge)), Off-Target (2 Rounds, 1 Rank) (Overcharge -2)
L2) With Hopeful Stride (Multi-Stage: (Buster Strike: 30 x 5 hits, A), then (25Elec, Nova2)) (Overcharge +2) @ Starfish A (If in Nova range for Shellnerds, great, if not no problem)
L3) No More to Hide (Multi-Stage: (Buster Strike: 30 x 5 hits, A), then (25Elec, Nova2)) (Overcharge +2) @ Starfish B (If in Nova range for Shellnerd A, great, if not no problem)
L4) My anger Directed 'gainst Violent Threat (Multi-Stage: (Take Aim), then (ShotBase(50)Elec, Spread1, Splash1, Break, Impact, Slashing, Shot-type, A), then (Buster Shot: 30 x 5 hits, A) (Charge-Burner(1), 15Hp Sacrifice) (Overcharge +4) @ Shellnerd A, in line to Shellnerd B, and if possible to Starfish C if it's also in line (if not, no problem).
L*) Fast Armour: 20Hp Casing Refresh
L5) Basic Buster Strike (30 x 5 hits, A) to first in line along Shellnerd A, B or Starfish C
L6) Basic Buster Strike (30 x 5 hits, A) to first in line along Shellnerd A, B or Starfish C (Or I guess, bubbles if they are in the way)
Cooldowns and Overcharge
My Faith Trembles: 5TCD
With Hopeful Stride: 2TCD
No More to Hide: 2TCD
My Anger Directed: 4TCD
Overcharge: Begin: 0, My Faith Trembles (-2), With Hopeful Stride (+2), No More to Hide (+2), My Anger Directed (+4), End: +8