SINNBAD's Trials

Exploding into a burst of fire, SINN downloaded used chip data and blasted the Met mutant with a repertoire of flames, punches and searing heat. The Met was undeterred as it was hit by one of the punches, then threw yet another pickaxe, this time MUCH bigger than the last one, and brought SINN's health down to critical levels. (100) Then, as the Metool's implement gored his body, SINN executed a last-ditch attack on the mutant, blasting it with a Heatshot. When the battle was over, there was nothing left on the floor anymore... except for some tracks, and some reward data.

-tool: Fled?

Terrain: 100% Normal

SINNBAD: 1HP (Guard Destroyed)

-BOSS BATTLE, VICTORY!!-

Rewards: [ShockWave] Battlechip, 600z
SINNBAD slumped over almost-dead again, the reward data quickly uploaded to Destin's PET, and then Destin pulled the plug.

[SINNBAD LOGGED OUT!]

Chapter 2 - Descent into the Abyss



A beam of white-gray light crashed into the ACDC Netscape. It collapsed in on itself moments later and dissipated quickly in a way similar to a wind funnel. The energy spiraled away from a central point and broke down, fading into the aether. An armored navi remained, crouched down on one knee. He slowly got to his feet and shook the static cling from his body. Then went on a spree of adjusting the bands on his armor, making sure everything held snugly to his form.

"Another successful log-in SINNBAD."

SINNBAD's operator, Destin stated as he leaned back in a stretch. A few muscles popped loudly enough to hear as Destin tried to recoup in his room after a day of wondering around Electopia. He spun his chair a little as he took hold of his PET, turning to his table. He had his chips laid out on the table. He was ready for battle.

"Whenever you are ready."

Destin said as SINN finished adjusting the gauntlet on his left arm. Then he smoothed down the wrinkles of the parts of his under-suit that were visible, which wasn't much. Looking up afterward, he squared his shoulders, and marched off in search of viral busting. However, his steps were a lot lighter as he began to rise a foot above the ground. His boots were now inscribed with pictograms of tiny feathered wings.

"Oh, and I have also upgraded your program since last time. The Float Shoes NaviCust should allow you to fight in the harsher environments."

SINNBAD stopped as he began to float. His arms came out to try to help him balance. A minute passed in silence as SINN tried to get used to the new NaviCust. He began to 'walk' in a circle. After a moment of that he brought his arms down. Satisfied, SINN began to glide semi-steadily across the Netscape, like a moderate ice skater, toward his first battle of the day.

[Requesting Battle 1.]
The first roadblock SINNBAD came across was a group of three sleeping Metools. One of them lazily peeked out from under its helmet at the sound of his footsteps.

MetoolA: 40 HP
MetoolB: 40 HP [helmet]
MetoolC: 40 HP [helmet]

Terrain: 100% Normal

SINNBAD: 150 HP

[Battle 1 - Begin!]
Three Metools. At least they were normal ones and not huge creations of evil. SINNBAD planted his feet as firmly as he could a foot off the ground, raising his Buster arm. As he aims his weapon, he watches the 'awake' Metool wearily. If the Metool attacked, he would be ready to move out of the way of the resulting shockwave.

"Shotgun Battlechip Download."

Destin said as he loaded in his favorite battlechip. SINN's Buster transformed once again into a double-headed beast. He pointed the device of destruction toward the awake Metool, huddle with its friends. However, before SINN fired, he raised his left hand. His fingers turned inward, curling into a claw-like formation.

Seconds later sparks began crackling between his fingertips. He slowly outstretched his fingers and pointed at one of the sleeping Metools, hiding under their indestructible helmets. The energy collected to form a small sphere of semi-visible, swirling electromagnetism. The orb floating lazily in front of his gloved fingernails. The pellet of lightning shot forth from his hand and rocketed across the battlefield. If it struck the helmeted Metool, it could possibly upend the virus, breaking its protection.

After SINN's Repulse potentially struck the Metool, he fired his shotgun. His left hand hand returned to hold his Buster steady. The boisterous discharge of the firearm was like a clap of thunder as it launched its deadly barrage against the virii. The cone of white-gray buckshot sped across the intervening terrain just as quickly as SINN's last attack. Hopefully, it would proliferate two Metools instead of one.

SINN began to 'jog' slowly to his left after he fired the shotgun, skating on the air. He still kept a weary eye on the Metool(s), ready to dodge anything they threw at him. The barrels smoked red hot and steaming as it began its quick revert back into one aperture. His right hand came out as his Buster cooled fully. Hopefully, his new boots would keep him out of danger.

Summary
1: Get ready to Dodge attacks from Metools.
*Repulse [Signature]: Knockback to MetoolB, hoping to upend it.
2: Shotgun [Battlechip]: 50 Null Damage + Spread1 to Metools A and B.
3: Run/Dodge around battlefield in clockwise circle/strafe around group of virii.

Signature Cool Downs:
*Repulse: Passive.

Other Effects:
1: Float Shoes [NaviCust]: Ignores effects from panels except broken/missing.
Knocking up a Metool from under its helmet with his Repulse, SINN quickly took care of the first two viruses with his quick shotgun work. The other Metool was too much of a coward to come out of its hiding place, and stayed under its helmet, shivering in fear.

MetoolA: DELETED
MetoolB: DELETED
MetoolC: 40 HP [helmet]

Terrain: 100% Normal

SINNBAD: 150 HP
Destin was surprised again. Everything in the Netscape, virus and navi alike, seemed to exhibit human emotion. More than once a creation had acted in fear or hatred. Why was this happening? Like SINNBAD, was the code for everything evolving? Was there really 'a ghost in the machine' as so many philosophers had hypothesized?

"Why do you cower? You are a virus. You should be without fear. You should be fighting till the very end of your existence."

SINN called out to the Metool with the tiniest hint of irritation. The sudden abnormal commotion of SINN's voice, from his relative silence, interrupted Destin's train of thought. Destin turned to his PET's screen again. By the look on the navi's face, SINN seemed to be relatively confused. SINN's left hand fingers turned inward again, curling into the familiar claw-like configuration as he continued.

"If you will not fight, then you will meet your doom."

Sparks struck up again as the habitual crackling between his fingertips intensified. SINN outstretched his fingers and pointed at the frightened Metool. His Repulse power had charged much quicker this time, probably due to the lingering particles of the previous discharge. SINN's expression hadn't changed from the stoic expression he usually wore, regardless of the current intonation of his voice. His gaze had not left the virus, but it began to harden.

"You cannot escape... YOUR FAAAATE!"

SINN ended with a roar that shook the battlefield. The ground cracked underneath his floating form, spewing forth a torrent of black fire, as if a volcano had erupted. His electromagnetic bullet blasted across the field as he was wrapped in a cocoon of flames. If his Repulse struck the Metool, it would most likely upend the virus. Like his colleague, an upended Metool would be easy pickings once its impervious helmet was no longer a factor.

SINN leveled his Buster at the Metool. Twin cracks of thunder resounded as SINN's Buster pounded out each shell. Two white-hot energy slugs sailed toward the potentially upended Metool, burning with blazing rings of infused shadow. The blasts dispersed the air in their path with visible pockets, displaying their enhanced intensity. Destin sat in silence at SINN's words. He reached for his notepad and began to jot them down for future reference. Destin wondered if the Netscape had a deep, dark secret. A mind-bending revelation that SINNBAD was unknowingly giving away traces, hints of what that secret might be.

Summary
1: Speech + Codestring Augment [Signature]: Two instances of Strengthen 20.
*Repulse [Signature]: Knockback to MetoolC, hoping to upend it.
2: Shot1 [Signature]: (30+20) 50 Null Damage [Shot Type] to MetoolC.
3: Shot2 [Signature]: (30+20) 50 Null Damage [Shot Type] to MetoolC.

Signature Cool Downs:
*Repulse: Passive.
1: Codestring Augment: 1 Turn.
2: Shot1: 1 Turn.
3: Shot2: 1 Turn.

Other Effects:
1: Float Shoes [NaviCust]: Ignores effects from panels except broken/missing.
SINNBAD showed his more philosophical side as he lifted up the Metool from its hiding place with ease, blasting it away with a couple of well-placed shots. The Metool only managed to reply with a simple 'meep' before disintegrating into junk data. What that meep meant, he would never know.

MetoolA: DELETED
MetoolB: DELETED
MetoolC: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Normal

SINNBAD: 150 HP

-BATTLE ONE, VICTORY!!-

Rewards: 210z
The fires died down and the rift in the floor closed into an ugly scar. SINNBAD floated above the abrasion, still and silent, his eyes downcast. He didn't move for a few minutes. As the meager earnings uploaded to Destin's PET, Destin tapped the screen and pulled up SINN's system status. It showed all green.

"SINNBAD, report."

Destin ordered his navi to respond, to tell him what was going on. There was no response. SINN remained frozen. His body however was dipping slightly down and then up wonderingly, lazily. His new Float Shoes did not seem to hold him entirely stable.

"Transitioning to the next battlefield."

Came the emotionless reply of the Net warrior, returning to his less than colorful speaking patterns. SINN's feet began moving again though, lurching the armored figure into another semi-effortless glide. His head had come back up, his eyes set into a concentrated stare. The aggressiveness had not left his view, however. Destin was concerned about SINNBAD's state of being as the navi 'plodded' across the ACDC Netscape.

[Requesting Battle 2.]
Then, as SINN went on, he was suddenly halted in his tracks by a rather tall fence, about a couple feet taller than he was. It was made of barbed wire, and didn't look too inviting. Sparks flew off it, which suggested it was electrified as well. Then, when he was busy inspecting the fence, a shot rang out from behind him, which missed by inches to his head. Behind him, stood a few artillery-based viruses, two Beetanks, and two Kabutanks. He was cornered!

BeetankA: 50HP
BeetankB: 50HP
KabutankA: 80HP
KabutankB: 80HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

Electric Fence: 200HP
(Barbed wire, electrified, near SINN. Behind it is about 20% Normal terrain that leads further)

SINNBAD: 150HP

-BATTLE TWO, FIGHT!!-
[[I had to use the Search feature to find a thread that talked about Beetanks, because they are not listed in the viral database.]]

SINNBAD turned and ran... straight at the line of tanks. His expression was focused, though it did show the signs of his earlier irritation. It would probably take more time for his mind to cool. But he wasted little time before he brought up his left hand once more. He was about to test the limits of his signature move.

A crepitated scintillation began to sparkle between his fingertips once more. The quite recognizable pattern of his Repulse formed once more in his hand. The warrior's digits coiled around the circlet of electromagnetism instead of extending like normal. He held the charge like he held the Quake1 weapon several times before. Like a pitcher ready to lob a fastball, he pulled back his left arm.

His momentum carrying him, he slid to a stop, and hurled the crackling creation at the first Kabutank. The orb sped through the air towards the armored core, leaving a trail of minuscule atmospheric discharges in its wake. The hisses of the projectile seemed almost musical as it flew across the relative distance. The idea behind this action seemed to be to judge if, like the Metools, the heavier vehicles were susceptible to being overturned by SINN's power. At the very least it would probably cause the struck tank to miss, having been potentially shaken or knocked back by the noticeable blow.

"Shotgun Battlechip Download."

Destin said as if a broken record. It was nice that he possessed a useful chip that seemed strong enough to deal with the majority of the virii he encountered thus far. He seemed to love the chip so much that he managed to acquire another one from his friend Daegal; in exchange for a chip he received from the last run he had with SINN. He slotted the first of his two Shotguns into his PET.

SINNBAD's right Buster arm metamorphosed again into the iconic twin-barreled monster. The chimera that had crushed many a virus. He aimed the brutish contraption at the sightlier Beetanks. A mass of ashen munitions shrapneled speedily forth, traversing the broad territory in a flash, and collided with the virii division head on. The solid armored silhouettes were likely to be chewed into rubble by the brash assault.

"Guard1 Battlechip Download."

Destin stated as he slotted in their only defensive chip. A shimmering aegis popped up to screen SINNBAD from counter attack. The rampart would only ward off one strike, but it was better than taking the full blows of artillery shells. SINN braced himself behind the bulwark, as best as he could a foot off the ground. He looked through the golden-translucence of the shield in order to watch the tanks' assailment. With any luck, he would be able to redirect the position of the shield to deflect the first blow. Perhaps he would even be able to launch himself away from the proceeding barrages, and not into the electric fence behind him.

Summary
1: Run/Dodge toward the virii line.
*Repulse [Signature]: Knockback to KabutankA in a gamble to flip it over onto its back.
2: Shotgun [Battlechip]: 50 Null Damage + Spread1 to Beetank A and B.
3: Guard1 [Battlechip]: (1 Hit Shield) + (Reflect up to 60 + Piercing + Line Attack). Attempt to redirect the attack in such a way as to propel SINNBAD away, hopefully over the electric fence and not into it.

Signature Cool Downs:
*Repulse: Passive.

Other Effects:
1: Float Shoes [NaviCust]: Ignores effects from panels except broken/missing.
The tanks started their offenses just as SINN began his charge forward. As the Navi prepared his shotgun, they prepared their bomb launchers. As the first bomb was launched, so was SINN's firearm, which instantly deleted the first two Beetanks. Some of the bombs hit the fence, damaging its structure, and the others, well, one missed way over the fence, and one hit the Guard, propelling him up into the fence. Unfortunately, the very edge of his boots were caught on the barbed wire, which sent shocks over his body! Thankfully, the shock wasn't much, but it definitely hurt. (15) He landed on the other side of the fence, but he wasn't safe yet, as the tanks' bombs had already pierced a hole in the fencing!

BeetankA: DELETED
BeetankB: DELETED
KabutankA: 80HP
KabutankB: 50HP

Terrain: 100% Normal

Electric Fence: 180HP
(Barbed wire, electrified, near SINN. Behind it is about 20% Normal terrain that leads further. Has a hole in it)

SINNBAD: 135HP (Behind fence)
SINNBAD landed with a thud. His body steaming from being zapped by god knows how many volts. He quickly bounced back to his feet and began floating again. He looked through the hole in the fence, a yard or so from his position. The Kabutank seemed unharmed, impervious to the force of SINN's Repulse power. But the Beetanks were not so lucky with the Shotgun, becoming steaming piles of scrap metal.

"Shotgun Battlechip Download."

SINN cocked his Buster again as it retained its double-headed form. He stuck the weapon through the hole in the fence. His weapon roared once more as he blasted the Kabutanks. The cone of burning, sulfurous projectiles lanced outward toward the armored column, intent on disastrous retribution. SINN followed it up with his own shots, launching two more blows at the undamaged tank virus.

Summary
1: Shotgun [Battlechip]: 50 Null Damage + Spread1 to Kabutank A and B.
2: Shot1 [Signature]: 30 Null Damage [Shot Type] to KabutankA.
3: Shot2 [Signature]: 30 Null Damage [Shot Type] to KabutankA.

Signature Cool Downs:
1: Shot1: 1 Turn.
2: Shot2: 1 Turn.

Other Effects:
1: Float Shoes [NaviCust]: Ignores effects from panels except broken/missing.
Sticking his weapon proved to be a bad idea as it conducted electricity to SINN's body, but he didn't care. (15) He blasted the Kabutanks, which had the mind to move apart to avoid being destroyed equally by SINN's shotgun. However, it wasn't enough to avoid the shot, as one of them received the brunt of the attack, and the other got a taste of the Navi's buster. The other fired its bomb towards the fence, which exploded in SINN's face due to the blast radius! (30)

BeetankA: DELETED
BeetankB: DELETED
KabutankA: 20HP
KabutankB: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Normal

Electric Fence: 150HP
(Barbed wire, electrified, near SINN. Behind it is about 20% Normal terrain that leads further. Has a larger hole in it)

SINNBAD: 90HP (Behind fence)
"Cannon Battlechip Download."

Destin said as he uploaded the turreted face to SINNBAD. Now with a opening in the fence big enough that the navi didn't need to be sticking his arm through, SINN stepped back a little to brace his firing. His Buster took on the rectangular shape of the Cannondumb as he aimed it at the last virus. A clap of thunder rang out as the artillery shell seared across the field at the remaining tank. Then SINN stepped back even more, away from the potential blast radius, and began to run down the length of the fence.

Summary
1: Cannon [Battlechip]: 40 Null Damage + Knockback to KabutankA.
2-3: Run down length of fence, using it as cover, but hopefully far enough away from it to negate the blast radius.

Signature Cool Downs:
1: Shot1: 0 Turns.
2: Shot2: 0 Turns.

Other Effects:
1: Float Shoes [NaviCust]: Ignores effects from panels except broken/missing.
Kabutank dies of Cannon fire.

BeetankA: DELETED
BeetankB: DELETED
KabutankA: DELETED
KabutankB: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Normal

Electric Fence: 150HP
(Barbed wire, electrified, near SINN. Behind it is about 20% Normal terrain that leads further. Has a larger hole in it)

SINNBAD: 90HP (Behind fence)

-BATTLE TWO, VICTORY!!-

Rewards:
- 240z
- [DoubleBomb] Battlechip
The battle was over. What remained of the battlefield were broken machinery and a damaged fence... and a chip and a little pile of credits. SINNBAD took a knee. He floated there steadily as he regained his breath. He was in rough shape. During the battle he was hazed with thoughts of combat. But when the battle ended, so too did SINN become aware of his condition.

"MiniEnergyPack Subchip Download."

Destin stated as he slotted in the healing chip. The skirmishes had been getting much tougher lately. Perhaps the rumor about stronger datum drawing stronger virii had some truth to it. Destin thought about this as the restorative power coursed through the battle-worn navi. Cuts and burns began sealing into noticeable scars. Some bruises and scorch marks faded from SINN's form altogether.

Grabbing a second wind, SINN stood back up. He began adjusting his armor like all the other times. Some of the armored plates of his suit were broken in places, but had regrown with SINN's datum repair. He wasn't completely out of the woods, but he was sure close. Satisfied a minute later, SINN turned to his Buster arm and pulled up a window. Destin and SINN stared at each other for a moment through the vidscreens.

"Well... It looks like we might be in a darker part of the Netscape this time. The rewards so far have been small to say the least, but there might be a greater reward waiting for us if we can survive here. Plus these viruses are a little to close to the neighborhood for my liking. Do you think you can continue?"

Destin laid out his thoughts and his question to SINN, then waited for the response. SINNBAD's earlier irritation had fled after the viruses were eliminated, so he was back to his collected self. His expressionless expression nodded a little towards the window.

"I am a Battle Navi. This is what I was programed to do. We will continue with the operation."

Destin nodded back.

"Ok then. Let's do this."

He said as SINNBAD took off again. Leaving the scarred terrain and shattered electric fence behind him. Skating off into the horizon of the Net.

Summary
1. MiniEnergyPack [Subchip]: Heal 50 HP to SINNBAD.

SINNBAD is now at 140 HP.

[Requesting Battle 3.]
SINNBAD came across a strange sight when the next batch of virus appeared in front of the navi. There was three Swordies and a pair of Melodies...but two of the knight viruses happened to be riding on top of the melody. The Swordy in the center was holding a green crystal, and it was obvious that they were protecting it. As soon as they noticed SINNBAD's presence, the two melody riding viruses took the front while the one with the GMD slid back, all preparing their swords for combat!

-Front-
Swordy-NA: 60 HP [Riding MelodyA]
MelodyA: 80 HP
Swordy-NB: 60 HP [Riding MelodyB]
MelodyB: 80 HP

-Behind-
Swordy-NC: 60 HP [Holding GMD]

GMD: 30 HP [Held by Swordy-NC]

Terrain: 100% Normal

SINNBAD: 140 HP

-BATTLE THREE, START!-
All of the viruses now arrayed against SINNBAD were unknown. Destin and SINN had never encountered them before. However, that would not stop them from ridding the Net of these scoundrels. SINN brought up his Buster to aim at the front line of virii as they assembled themselves into a wall, ready to charge. Destin's voice at that moment cut to SINN and stopped him before he fired.

"Wait. I want to test our new battlechips. Aim for the front line and use this: DoubleBomb Battlechip Download."

SINN's Buster transformed into a grenade launcher. It bulked up a little and acquired a rotating, six-chambered ammunition clip. Each slot in the feed was the size of a tennis ball. Surely anything that would be armed in such a device would be larger than standard shells. Which was the case as two blue spheres materialized in SINN's left hand.

SINN took a moment to look at the bombs in the palm of his hand, held in place by his fingers. They looked innocently enough, but they probably packed some punch to even be considered useful weapons. SINN took his time in loading each shot into the first two chambers of the drum. With a click, the clip was locked in place, and SINN took up arms again. This time he pointed the barrel slightly above the targets' heads, as the launcher would probably lob the grenades, and squeezed the trigger in two quick successions.

The twin bursts of the DoubleBomb roared with all the intensity of a drinking fountain as the two explosives sailed out of the mortar and arced across the sky between the two sides. The dual cannonballs trailed one right after the other as they fell right before the mounted knights. The concussive blasts of the salvo's detonation spread napalm all over the place. It was a real mess. But there could only be one pseudo-knight in ACDC, and it was SINNBAD.

After that bout with the percussion section, SINNBAD had to start thinking of the counter. His Buster returned to normal and to his surprise there was no steam coming off of it. Truly the bombs did not eject from the cannon with much force. It was something of a relief to SINN as he readied himself for their charge. He would have to re-calibrated for close combat. His right hand came out of the Buster as he thought.

The majority virus' here seemed to possess swords. SINNBAD did not have a cutlass, but he did have something of similar worth. He sent a message to his operator requesting the Rageclaw. Within moments he felt the datum coursing through him. However, his hands did not take on the form of clawed paws like before. As he needed something different this time, they take the form of quad-bladed climbing gear for his hands. The blades extended out a foot from his wrist, laying over the back of his hands like a makeshift-shield.

He took on a classic navi fighting stance meant to allow his body to shift easily if need be. His hands with the modified knuckles took their own pose, with the left one out and the right one back towards his waist. If he could parry with one claw, and strike with the other, he should be able to hold on in this fight. Hopefully, he would also be fast enough to move out of the way of charging viruses. He shifted his feet to be a little more stable, in his position a foot off the ground. At a very good height for the Swordies to take his head off with.

Summary
1: DoubleBomb [Battlechip]: 20 Null Damage + Blast2 + x2 Bombs to virus group, aimed to try to hit the front line only (Swordy-NA, MelodyA, Swordy-NB, and MelodyB).
2-3: SINNBAD stands his ground and gets ready to dodge out of the way of/parry/counter attack the attacks that come his way. Rageclaw1 [Battlechip]: 40 Null Damage + Slashing to ???. [???/6 uses remaining]

Other Effects:
1: Float Shoes [NaviCust]: Ignores effects from panels except broken/missing.
2: Rageclaw1 [Battlechip]: ??? uses remaining.
Starting off with a bang, SINN fired a grenade launcher twice at the virus group, raining down with a couple of explosions, which hit both Melodies, and consequently, their Swordy riders. Obviously, they didn't like this and bounced their way to SINN, who valiantly defended himself with his long claws, parrying one of the blows to a virus and dodging slashes drawn to him. The struck virus immediately disengaged its rider, leaving it free to attack as well.

Meanwhile, the mystery data guard began to move a bit back, presumably in preparation to flee should his comrades be unable to defeat the Navi.

-Front-
Swordy-NA: 40 HP
MelodyA: 20 HP
Swordy-NB: 40 HP [Riding MelodyB]
MelodyB: 60 HP

-Behind-
Swordy-NC: 60 HP [Holding GMD]

GMD: 30 HP [Held by Swordy-NC]

Terrain: 100% Normal

SINNBAD: 140 HP [RageClaw 5/6]