First Encounters

As the battle finally ended, Ameliorate took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders a bit. The immediate threat was gone, now she could return to putting out the fires. Her aid was unnecessary, however, as the Metools had finished putting out the fires while she had been busy finishing off the wolf.

ENTITY INFORMATION UPDATED.

The command took her by surprise. Did this mean it was going to learn as she did? How could she be ready for every threat on the network if she didn't know what was coming her way? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of high-pitched chattering as she realised that the Metools had surrounded her. A smile appeared on her face, unable to stay hidden.

Meanwhile, Beth's attention was on a small patch of junk data left behind by one of the stoves. She got off the bed and straightened out her coat. I'll be back in 5 minutes she advised, and before Phil could ask why, she'd already left the room. He stared at the navi on the screen.

That. Was. Amazing. he spoke with admiration in his voice.

Ameliorate picked up on the first voice from before. she was about to reply about how he could have been more help when she realised that it was a compliment. Thanks, she replied, not sure what else to say to that. What's your name?

Phil. It's short for Phillip, but I like Phil better, he answered in a matter-of-factly tone. What's your name?

Ameliorate.

Phil struggled with that. A lot of syllables in a foreign order. He tried to replicate it. Melon-aid. No, that wasn't it. Mellate. Try again. Meloright.

Ameliorate may have been offended if she hadn't detected that the struggle was genuine and Phil really was struggling. It might be easier if you just call me Mel, she suggested.

This seemed good to Phil. At that moment Beth came back with more battlechips. She passed them to Phil, who was excited at first, but then got bored when he saw they were all just blank.

Not all battlechips start out the same, she laughed as she took one and placed it into the PET. Can you transfer that data? she requested.

"Mel" walked over to the random scraps and grabbed the glowing core. Activating a command that had suddenly come to life inside her, the data was melted into her hand and seemingly emitted away somewhere. Back in the PET a small chime sounded and the new FireBurn1 battlechip was ejected. This will help a little, Beth said as she began the recovery process on the other four chips.

Mel turned to see the region once more. Not content to explore, Mel decided to stay near the village. Surely those three viruses weren't alone, and her new companions may need backup.
Yes, she would wait to ensure their safety.

[VICTORY!]
0z => 180z
Get Battlechip: FireBurn1 (50 DMG + Line 3, A, Fire/Gun]
Level Up! Battlechips x5 | 0 => 1

[Requesting Battle #2: Defender of Metts]

While Ameliorate moved about the village commons collecting her spoils and transferring the new chip, the small gaggle of yellow helmets ambled after her, still making small enthusiastic chatter as they followed. The one that had been her first follower; the metool that had showed the most pluck and decisiveness in the recent conflict calmed from its celebration sooner than the others, its simplistic features returning to something more serious.

It broke off from the others and hopped up onto the lip of the well, so that it could look at Mel more clearly, though even then it was still looking up at her. It waved its pickaxe side to side, trying to get her attention, and provided it could, spoke something clearly meant as communication to her. It was in unintelligible viral sounds, but after a pause it tried again. The leader met realised this wasn't going to work, and closed its eyes, apparently concentrating, before a small text window popped up alongside it. Unfortunately, this attempt was little better: the dialogue box filled up with a couple of recognisable letters, but was mostly still scrambled and scattered with incomprehensible code and odd symbols. The little guy looked at the window then waved his pick through it in frustration.

It jumped to the ground, and put its pick to the dirt instead and began to draw simple straight lines, pausing to think every few letters. What it eventually wrote in careful, yet still crude, capital letters was: "LEARN" followed by a gap, then: "DEFEND". After that, it had shuffled backwards to drop a line, and added: " = > FOLLOW" When it was done, it turned back to Mel and tilted its head to one side at her, questioning. The action basically involved a tilt of his entire body, an was remarkably cute, despite his serious features, but in an effort to be succinct, the virus had perhaps been too much so; it was kind of vague exactly what he was asking.

While she was free to ponder this, the other metools settled down somewhat, and began moving about the village area, assessing the damage and bringing out some materials that they might be using to repair the more pronounced issues to their little domes. Several seemed to have exchanged their pick-axes for hammers instead.

A small amount of time passed easily while Ameliorate remained in the village, making sure nothing else came to threaten it. The other mets were apparently very quick to forget their past worries, and seemed generally more simple-minded than the leader one, which had remained on look-out with Mel. the sounds of happy industry filled the air, with many little viruses going about patching up their domes as though noting at all had happened. the clouds overhead had spread, though, and darkened, and the soft breeze was picking up into something more fit to be called wind. The first droplets of a soft spit of rain began to fall.

Remaining on watch seemed to be the smart move, though, because as the rain began to fall, more shapes could be seen moving towards them through the grass. The leader met looked towards them, then back towards the other villagers, apparently about to call them to arms, but he hesitated and looked up towards Mel. If he had had shoulders, he might have squared them resolutely. Instead, he nodded once to her, then headed out into the grass to meet them.

Provided Ameliorate went too, what she would find that the long grass did as good a job of obscuring her short-statured ally as it did the other viruses, though from her own perspective, she'd still be able to pick out the top of his pick-axe peeking about the grass. The less friendly shapes turned out to be a small bush-like virus that seemed far more at home in the obscuring grass than it would have in the open, as well as a pair of fish-like, streamlined creatures that dashed rapidly through the reeds, hovering a small way above the ground. The fourth shape cracked and sparked, then jumped up to look around, as though it couldn't see properly. It revealed itself to be a small rounded critter, with electrical prongs for ears.

-=With the Wind=-

Shrubby: 50Hp [Centre Field][Long-Grass]
Bunny: 50Hp [Centre Field, right][Long-Grass]
FishyA: 90hp [Back Right, 1 Movement away][Long-Grass]
FishyB: 90Hp[Back Left, 1Movement away][Long-Grass]

-=Toeing The Line=-

Ameliorate: 100Hp [Long-Grass]
LeaderMetool: 40Hp [Long-Grass]

-=The Field of Reeds=-

90% Grass
10% Normal [Edge of the village clearing, behind]

Notes:

Long-Grass: Grass terrain, but long enough that it can act as partial cover and concealment. dodging is a little bit harder in the grass, but accuracy is also slightly hampered. It is concealing enough that foes which rely on cover do not feel exposed while in it.

-=Battle 2, Start!=-

Mel couldn't understand the command. LEARN DEFEND => FOLLOW. Was it saying he would learn, or that he would be her teacher? Her confusion was broken by a few cold drops of water on her face. Looking up, she could see that it had begun to rain. She spread her arms back almost instinctively and aimed her face toward the sky as the rain began to descend from above. It felt natural, like it was better than the air, almost pleasurable.

What are you doing? That thought snapped her back to reality as she realised she had been daydreaming. She turned to face the Metool on the well, but he was not there. She glanced into the grass outside the village to see the helmet disappearing into the grass. At first Mel was curious as to his current action, but as four lines in the grass began to blur into sight and make their way towards the village, she began to have a bad feeling. She brushed her hair out of her face and began to run to catch up to the Metool, trying to see what was coming as she did so. I think we have incoming, she warned her operator duo.

Phil was staring at the grass while Beth was more concerned with the moving targets. Can you see what they are? she asked.

The long grass did well to hide the appearance of the new entities. Not yet, but I'm getting closer.

Beth turned her attention to Phil once more. You seem pretty hooked on this, am I right?

Phil nodded his head. This was the most exciting thing he'd been a part of since he could remember. Literally. Are you going to let me keep it? he asked, more begging than asking.

Beth wasn't sure it was the best idea, but then a thought rose in her: if the navi could train him to think logically, and act as a conscience of sorts, maybe she could get him certified as Competant, and I can get him out of this hospital. She handed the PET back to Phil. You can keep it, but on two conditions.

And they are? Phil asked hesitantly.

Number one, if the girl asks yo-Mel. The interruption caught Beth off-guard. What?

Her name is Mel, Phil repeated.

A little dumbfounded, Beth started again. Number one, if MEL asks you to do something, you do it. I'll teach you the basics of Netbattling, and you-What's Netbattling? Getting angry that she had been interrupted again, Beth kept her calm and tried once more. Netbattling is what we were just doing. Stop asking questions. And number two, you have to look after this, and she motioned to the PET, and Mel. Agreed?

Agreed.

Three quick beeps turned both their attention back to the screen. Mel had moved close enough that the virus sensors had picked up four new entities, and was searching Mel's database. Not to Beth's surprise, the database returned nothing but blanks. Actually, make that three conditions. The third condition is that you have to give this back to me so I can get Mel updated with the necessary information. My guess is that she doesn't even HAVE a database to glean from.

Mel was listening to this, and felt a little humiliated by this statement. It wasn't her fault, but she still felt stupid to hear those words out loud. Three sets of eyes (four if you counted the Metool by her side) surveyed the new viruses.

The first one to come into view was a small bush. Beth stared at its green foliage, but nothing came to mind about its strengths and weaknesses, other than the fact it was clearly a virus of the Wood element. Two fishes came into view next, and Beth was beginning to feel like she had no right to criticize Mel for her lack of virus knowledge, when she herself was clearly behind the times. These two looked to be fast moving, and looked to be of the Aqua element. Beth figured this was the same element as Mel, but hadn't had the opportunity to ask yet. When the final virus popped into view, that question needed an immediate answer. Mel, do you know what element base you are? she asked, very poorly masking her own concern.

Umm, I'm not sure, but I can find out...

CONFIRM ENQUIRY. What is my element? ERROR: INVALID SYNTAX. Not this rubbish again. CONFIRM ENQUIRY. ...Provide a detailed report about me?

That seemed to work, as line after line began to stream past her. What would have taken a human half an hour to process was processed and dissected within five seconds by our blue friend. The information she was looking for was right near the beginning though, so that was good. My elemental base is Aqua. That makes sense actually, why I'm enjoying the rain.

Beth was now worried about the final virus, a Bunny. Bunny was an Electric-based virus, Mel's bane. That made it the primary target of Beth's assault. You need to watch out for that yellow one. It's attacks will deal some massive damage to your core if you let it, Beth warned.

With the Metool by her side, Mel took a quick glance back at the village. Yes, it was making a straight line for the village. It couldn't have been up to good, as the Mett by her side was in a state of preparedness, as if it was waiting for Mel's first move. Noticing the first recovery disc had run out of power, she quickly removed another medical disc and applied it to the Metool's back, knowing that a four verses two battle would not go well in their favour, but even less so for the somewhat vulnerable pickaxe wielder. Alright Beth, what do you have that's fast?

Phil grabbed the Shotgun chip. This worked well last time, he suggested. Beth gave him a nod, and Phil passed it through the reader. Shotgun on its way.

The long silver tube nudged itself out slightly from her long sleeve as it took shape. A smaller target was going to be harder to hit, but if it really was the biggest threat, it had to be taken out first. Not liking to leave herself vulnerable, Mel took aim with the barrel stretched out, not wanting to waste the time or power given to her. Satisfied that her aim was true, she launched the energy blast of twisted metal, bouncing back slightly from the recoil.

The shotgun dissolved away from her arm and was quickly replaced by the fatter, shorter Cannon. Sending Cannon, Phil acknowledged, not aware his advice was way too late and therefore wasted. Mel once again lined her shoulder up with her gaze and targeted the next closest virus, which in this case was the small bush that had first burst onto the scene. Hopefully its quick entry would be followed by a quick exit, as Mel blasted the cannon fire towards its body.

Not knowing what to expect from the rest of the pack, Mel took her stand by the Metool who didn't have a name, and prepared for what may come next. The grass made for some good cover, but as they were all in this longer grass, the enemy had that advantage too.

Steady. Focus.

[TURNS]
*) [P-A] IV (Attach a healing pack to an ally, +5 HP per action until broken) => LeaderMetool
1) [BC] Shotgun (50 DMG + Spread 1, A, Normal/Gun) => Bunny
2) [BC] Cannon (60 DMG + Knockback, A, Normal/Gun) => Shrubby
3) [Act] Dodge

[CD]
None

Mel: 100 HP

As her operator and temporary assistant operator looked on and Mel surveyed the situation, the enemy viruses squared up and readied themselves to attack. Her little ally looked up as she attached a fresh IV to the back of his helmet, then let out a soft 'Meep!' of thanks. It was a sound more or less similar to the other viral noises he and his brethren had been making, but a little more naturalised, and less guarded. Perhaps he was growing more comfortable around Mel. Either way, He stepped forward to engage, just as the shrubby teleported closer and launched a long, broad log towards the pair. The Metool ducked, hunkering down under his helmet just as the log reached him, shattering to either side as it struck.

While her ally protected them both from the broad attack, Mel, was trying to line up a clean shot on the virus that presented the greatest danger to her Despite the difficulties of seeing clearly through the long grass and sighting on what was really quite a small target, she still managed to nail the sparky virus as it paused to charge its own attack. Fortunately for the aqua navi, it never got the chance to launch it. It wasn't the only one attacking, however, and both Fishies dashed in from either side, making frightfully rapid assaults on Ameliorate as they coursed through the grass. Lucky for Mel, though, a combination of their own haste, and the obscuring nature of the grass itself, led to them both missing her completely, by not insignificant margins.

The shrubby had taken a moment long than it might otherwise to survey the scene, feeling relatively safe and sheltered in the grass, and Mel took the opportunity to sent a cannon blast towards the virus. Unfortunately, the variables in the situation didn't go her way, and the heavy round veered to the side, missing the bush and causing it to scuttle back slightly with a start.


-=With the Wind=-

Shrubby: 50Hp [Centre Field][Long-Grass]
Bunny: DELETED
FishyA: 90hp [Near Mel, to the Left][Long-Grass]
FishyB: 90Hp[Near Mel, to the Right][Long-Grass]

-=Toeing The Line=-

Ameliorate: 100Hp [Long-Grass]
LeaderMetool: 40Hp [Just ahead of Mel][IV][Guarding][Long-Grass]

-=The Field of Reeds=-

90% Grass
10% Normal [Edge of the village clearing, behind]

Notes:

Long-Grass: Grass terrain, but long enough that it can act as partial cover and concealment. dodging is a little bit harder in the grass, but accuracy is also slightly hampered. It is concealing enough that foes which rely on cover do not feel exposed while in it.

Once again Mel found herself at the mercy of her partner's wit as it threw a shield up to protect them both from the rolling log. As it split to the side, Mel could see that her Shotgun blast had been true and destroyed its target, but the bush was still alive and very much kicking. The two fish had whirred past her, and while they had missed, Mel wasn't comforted by this fact. The grass was making it harder to tell what was happening in front of her.

What can we do with this? Phil asked as he handled the FireBurn1 battlechip. Beth looked at it and had an idea. Mel, we're sending you that chip you collected earlier. See if you can't hit one of those fish with it, she advised as Phil pushed it through the reader.

The resulting change on Mel's right arm seemed contradictory to her usual programming; instead of being calmingly cool, the heated canister that extended from her forearm heated up not just the rest of her arm, but the rest of her body as well. She'd seen what the stoves were capable of and didn't want the Mett to be a victim to the burn, so she moved two steps to the left and targeted the fish on the left. Dash your way through this, she taunted mentally as she unleashed a wave of burning fire at the target. As it travelled, it seemed to eat away at the grass in the area, fuelling its inferno and turning the simple flames into a rather nasty fireball. The heat took even the Mett by surprise. That was effective, she commented, as the heating element dissolved and her regular arm re-emerged. Wish we had more of those.

Phil was in awe from the destructive power of the FireBurn chip, and tried to reinsert it, but to no effect. A second and third swipe returned the same effect. Why can't we send it again? he whined.

You can't just resend a battlechip. It needs to be recalibrated by Mel's internal code, which can't be done while she's in battle mode, Beth explained. That's why you have to use them wisely.

The longer grass, while it had been helpful in increasing the effectiveness of her fire charge, was beginning to get on Mel's nerves. Let's try to clear some of this rubbish, she sneered as she began the restoration function. Once again her legs and feet began to glow a whitish colour (although through her dress you could only see the blue gown become lighter), and the sudden bursts of energy flowed forward from her feet, into the ground and towards the area with the surviving virii.

[TURNS]
1) [Act] Dodge (+two steps to the left)
2) [BC] FireBurn1 (50 100 DMG + Line 3, A, Fire/Gun) => FishyA <amplified by Grass panel>
3) [NC] ResetStage => Area in front of Mel and LeaderMetool

[CD]
Glaciator: 0 => 1 [Used]

Mel: 100 HP

The peculiar sensation of working with a chip that was so opposed to her own element wasn't enough to distract Ameliorate from trying her shot anyway. As she lined up with the Fishy just to her left, it looked as though it was preparing to attack a second time, but something else happened that the young navi hadn't been expecting: turning her back to the right fishy had given it all the impetus it needed to react just that little bit faster.

It shot past the girl, winging her hard with the wave of impact as it blew past, and stopped just shot of its all; try as she might, Mel's own quick manoeuvring hadn't been enough to get her out of the way this time, but it did have a more positive side effect. The second Fishy's over-zealous charge had left it right in line with the other one, and before either of them could react any further, the line of scorching fire that Mel had prepared washed over them both. the grass ignited raising a fierce pall of fire that was enough to char both fish viruses from the net before it faded, and the back-wash of heat would have been enough to make anyone wince.

Mel's little friend shuffled around under his domed helmet and peeked up, but when he saw the flames he immediately dropped the rim of his defence and stayed hidden with a barely audible 'Meep!'

The shrubby also reacted to the fire with shock, its features turning to clear and overt distress, but Mel wasn't done tormenting the little bush-thing. A moment later, the white wave of energy rippled across the ground from Mel's feet, clearing out not only the charred grass stubs consumed by the fire, but a large area in front of her as well, returning the ground to normal. This left the Shrubby exposed, and rather than attack again, it let out a small squeak and darted backwards with impressive speed to hide in the nearest edge of the grass instead.


-=With the Wind=-

Shrubby: 50Hp [Centre Back Field][Long-Grass]
Bunny: DELETED
FishyA: DELETED
FishyB: DELETED

-=Toeing The Line=-

Ameliorate: 85Hp [Normal]
LeaderMetool: 40Hp [Just ahead of Mel][IV][Guarding][Normal]

-=The Field of Reeds=-

50% Grass
50% Normal

Notes:

Long-Grass: Grass terrain, but long enough that it can act as partial cover and concealment. Dodging is a little bit harder in the grass, but accuracy is also slightly hampered. It is concealing enough that foes which rely on cover do not feel exposed while in it.

((You recorded your Glaciator signature as used there, but didn't use it; formatting miss? In case not, recall that all sigs reset between battles, regardless of their cooldown, so it's fine.))

((In a previous writeup I'd planned to go with Glaciator, but decided instead to go with Reset Stage (more and more I'm happy with that decision for NCP starter). Thought I erased it from the move summary, but forgot about the CD. :D))

The speed of the floating fish had been unexpected, and was too much for the poor girl's legs. She staggered and fell onto the ground. Unfortunately for Mel, said ground had just been restored back to its natural state, so it wasn't a soft landing into grass, but a harder landing onto flat ground.

Landing backside first, Mel got a taste of the other side of netbattling. Ow, was all she could muster up. As she got to her feet, she did a quick head count to see if her fireball had been successful, and was surprised to see only the bush and her Mett still standing. Did I scare its partner away? she asked.

Phil was quick to respond. You got both of them! That was awesome! he cheered.

While she hadn't been aiming for both, to get them was a good turn of events, as she was already panicking about her systems. How much of this can I take? she wondered to herself before getting back to the battle.

Only one target. Good. A snatch of hair later, followed by coding enhancements and another bolas snare was ready to be thrown. Gaining momentum, she set her sights on the green virus, hiding at the edge of the grass. I'd be better off taking this to him rather than attacking from a distance, she pondered out loud. Breaking into a run, Mel formed her next strategy. Have those blades ready! she called out.

Phil picked out the RageClaw chip and was just about to push it in before Beth's hand grabbed his wrist and held it away. She said have it ready, not do it straight away, Beth scolded. Realising his error, Phil stopped resisting and let his hand hover, chip ready to go.

As she sprinted forward, Mel took aim at the bush and threw the coil towards the edge of the grass, hoping the attack would stun him long enough for a follow-up. Now! she yelled, and almost instantly the giant claw burst forth from her right hand, ready to main. She lunged forward, slashing wildly at the foe in front of her.

[TURNS]
*) [SPA] Medical Mastery (All healing actions gain +20% HP healing)
1) [Act] Movement (run to edge of grass)
2) [Sig] Glaciator (20 Life Drain, C, Aqua/Thrown) => Shrubby
3) [BC] RageClaw1 (40 DMG + Slashing, {6 5 Uses Left}, B, Normal/Sword) => Shrubby

[CD]
Glaciator: 0 => 1 [Used]

Mel: 85 HP

((Just to confirm, the Medical Mastery subtype ability increases healing by 20%; in the example above, if Glaciator hits, it's 20 HP damage with 24 HP healing, correct? If Life Drain were to hit a shield/casing/barrier etc, does that still heal, or is that benefit negated because it didn't actually hit the enemy, just their defenses?))

While Mel recovered herself and picked herself up again, her allied Metool popped up and struck the ground with its pickaxe, sending a shockwave across the cleared space towards the Shrubby. Unfortunately, the little bush-monster darted to the side with a gliding swiftness, avoiding the wave and making her friend grumble something unintelligible.

By this point, though, Mel was readying her own attack, racing in to deliver her snare. By chance of the right breeze, good aim, and an opportune parting of the grass, the bolus whipped in and wrapped firm around its feet. The coils twisted and snared wrapping up and around its leafy body until the plant stumbled forward, out of the grass, getting progressively more tangled up until it ended up on its head with its back to Mel, feet kicking in the air while the vampiric nature of her attack drained it.

Ameliorate was on hand both to receive the bounty of stolen energy, and then to finish up the business with a quick slash of her claws on the vulnerable target. with that, the last of the hostiles had been eliminated, and Mel was free to gather the bits and pieces that had collapsed into usable zenny, while her little companion took some time to prod at the degrading data remains once or twice, cautiously.

Overhead, the light rain was growing steadily heavier as the wind picked up. There was a deep rumble overhead, from the darkest part of the cloud-covered sky and it was clear a storm was threatening. Beside her, the Metool Leader looked up towards Mel, then began to make its way back to the small village, hurrying the others to finish up their various repair work and take shelter for now. The others swiftly did, stowing hammers and brihgt yellow paint, and filing into the little domes quickly. With that done, however, the leader looked back towards Mel, to see what she intended to do.


-=With the Wind=-

Shrubby: DELETED
Bunny: DELETED
FishyA: DELETED
FishyB: DELETED

-=Toeing The Line=-

Ameliorate: 100Hp [Normal]
LeaderMetool: 40Hp [Just ahead of Mel][IV][Normal]

-=Batle 2, Victory!=-

Spoils: 400z

((In fact, Life Drain is counted as a separate effect to Healing; consider it this way: direct healing effects are pure restoration, but Life Drain, by its nature is absorption, so it doesn't work in quite the same way that recovery navis might be used to. As a result, the medical mastery bonus doesn't apply to Life Drain, I'm sorry to say. In regards to Life Drain itself, it acts as a vampiric drain, so this means that it will only restore at most the amount that you paid for in the signature (amplification can increase the damage dealt, but not the amount absorbed), OR the amount of damage actually done - Whichever of these is the lower value; if a target has a lower amount of HP left, or if you deal reduced or no damage for any other reason, you only receive that lesser amount back))

((Noted.))

Dispatching the last virus, Mel took a deep breath and pondered over the last few minutes. It's not enjoyable, but I guess the BIOS was right, most viruses need to be deleted, before they do damage. I refuse to believe they all need deleting though, she muttered as she gathered the loose zenny that had been distributed on the ground. She chuckled as Mett poked at the fragmented data. Did it realise that could be him one day...?

More noise from above. Mel looked to the skies as they darkened. The rain was getting harder and faster, and the low rumble from earlier was getting louder. Indeed, the once bright landscape had taken a turn, and was not so inviting as it was upon logon. Undeterred, she rushed back to the village to ensure that all was well with "her" Metools, and was shocked at first to see only her battle ally, but a second look revealed all the Metts hiding in their domes.

As she turned her attention to the weather again, she noticed an irregularity in its pattern. While her battling program was nonexistent, a file in her base coding must be attuned to anything water-based, because her internal systems were reporting that the storm was not natural, but rather a hybrid product, the work of a network function being abused by an external source, and Mel had a pretty good idea what "external source" meant: more viruses.

In the real world, Beth was showing Phil now to recondition battlechips in preparation for the next assault. Phil only needed to be shown once; after the first demonstration he fixed the second, third and fourth chips with no trouble at all. I think this was a good idea, Beth concluded silently.

Mel was now in the centre of the village, orbiting from side to side as she felt something closing in on her position. Something was different though, a new feeling rushed through her as she kept her surroundings in check. What was that?

BATTLE #2: ENEMY DEFEATED!
Get Zenny: 400 (180 => 580)

Battle #3: Unseen! Initiate!

By the time Ameliorate had searched the village and made sure everyone was accounted for, the rain had grown into a heavy downpour. Inside their homes, the villagers huddled together, and most dropped under their helmets in surprise the first time the sky split and a flare of lightning traced an ever-branching tree of white across the underside of the dark clouds. The heavy crackle of it followed a moment later; the heart of the brewing storm was very close.

It might have been a perfectly normal storm, saving for how quickly the weather had changed, but Mel wasn't the only one acting wary; the Metool Leader had remained outside, along with her on look-out while its brethren sheltered. Perhaps it was anticipation that Mel was feeling, or maybe trepidation. It might even have been anxiety; the sense of something in the air was almost tangible, and as it whipped through the long grass in the fields around them, the wind began to sound like it was howling.

Flickering shapes raced towards the village through the rain, weaving and twisting on the wind as they came. One shrieked, then the other, and the sounds echoed through with an almost physical sensation before the two bats-like reached the borders of the small settlement. They seemed to be wearing small metal visors, and one had to wonder if they were worried about lightning strikes.

At ground level, two shades in the dark wove through the grass and out into the open, making straight for Mel and her ally. They were small and vaguely spectral, but each sported an impressively long, wet tongue that waved with alarming dexterity as they approached.

Beneath their non-existent spectral feet, a dull tremor rumbled through the ground, passing under Mel with a shake, before stopping in the centre of the village. Another pair of rumbles came, then a crash, and finally a small explosion erupted from the well, tearing the wooden top clean off it and sending a spray of water everywhere. A Miner popped up holding into the edge of the well, and bearing a large plate landmine over its head as though wondering if it needed to place another one. Or maybe it was sheltering from the rain? Along with the spray of water, a dull glowing green crystal had been launched from the well, and rolled off to one side. It came to a halt towards the back edge of the village, then lifted up to hover and spin again, after the fashion of Mystery Datas.

One of the PulseBats wheeled over the village, then let out a shriek that rained down on the nearest dome house, sending reverberations through it to the two metool hiding within. They were still cowering from the lightning bolt, safe beneath their helmets, but that had been close: the Metool Leader let out a startled 'Meep!' then immediately flung its pickaxe at the attacking bat, nailing it with a clang that sent it peeling back towards its ally for the moment. The wind moaned and the rain poured, but the battle wasn't going to wait.

-=Riding the Storm-Front=-

PulseBatA: 80Hp [High Altitude]
PulseBatB: 70Hp [High Altitude]
SpookyA: 30Hp [Normal][Outskirts]
SpookyB: 30Hp [Normal][Outskirts]
Miner: 100Hp [Water][In the well at the centre of the village]

-=Standing in the Rain=-

Ameliorate: 100Hp [Normal]
Metool Leader: 50(!)Hp [Normal]

-=Village Hidden in the Reeds=-
80% Normal [The village commons]
15% Grass [The extreme edges around the village; the space Mel cleared is already creeping back in, strangely]
5% Water [The Well]

0% Mines! [The Miner likes to place Mines. Mind where you step]

-=Shelter from the Storm=-

DomeHouseA: 70Hp [Wood][2 Mets]
DomeHouseB: 100Hp [Wood][0 Mets]
DomehouseC: 100Hp [Wood][2 Mets]
DomeHouseD: 100Hp [Wood][1 Met]

Well: 199Hp [StoneBody][Centre of the area][1...Miner]

GMD: 25Hp [Near the back of the village, behind Mel, in relation to the bats and spooks]

-=Battle 3, Start!=-

Notes:
It's Pouring!: Needless to say, everything counts as Doused, just in case anyone starts throwing fire around.
Long Grass: Grass terrain, but long enough that it can act as partial cover and concealment. Dodging is a little bit harder in the grass, but accuracy is also slightly hampered. It is concealing enough that foes which rely on cover do not feel exposed while in it.