An electrifying return to combat

[From here]

A beam of light struck the ground from above as Voltman hit the net for the first time in entirely too long. Standing up he shook his arms and legs as if removing a fine coat of dust only he could see, and stopped just as suddenly. "Jules, I feel... lighter. Is there network interference? You getting me ok here?" He waved upwards towards where he had jacked in from, knowing full well that his operator could see him regardless.

A small screen opened up just in front of him, Julian's face looking sickly but slightly excited against the pale glow of the monitors. "Network connection is fine, but you may experience a bit of early weirdness with your combat capabilities. In the time since we've been virus busting I've significantly reduced your processing load-" a set of small graphs appeared on the monitor next to him "-which should result in an according uptick in your speed. This means your swordplay may be slightly more basic, but it should significantly open mobility options for you in battle."

Voltman turned his hands over, clenching and unclenching his fists and wiggling his fingers before letting off a few quick punches to the air. "Huh, alright. It'll take some getting used to, but I guess that's why we're here."

He wandered down the derelict net, eyes peeled, his footsteps making no sound but his armor lightly clattering as he proceeded towards combat for the first time in too long.

(Battle 1, 200 HP)
Venturing into the Rogue Yoka network to test his new performance upgrades, Voltman followed the main road through the area, coming across an arched bridge over a slowly flowing river. The bridge seemed somewhat in disrepair, being made out of rotting wood that was creaking loudly on every step. In the middle of the bridge stood a pair of viruses watching the river and chattering between the two of them. If Voltman were to look over to where they were looking at, it would appear that a little sleepy ghost had perched itself on top of a blue data crystal and fallen right asleep--while the crystal was floating along in the river. It was certainly an odd sight, to be sure, but it also seemed to have distracted the viruses from noticing him for the moment.

-- Viruses --
AquagearAquagear (Raingear)

This virus family is positively deadly when fighting on Ice Terrain, to the point where the players are at a severe disadvantage. Unless you just have it in for the player, try not to combine the two very often. I'm serious about this. -Pally

Area: Yoka, Beach, Sharo

HP: 160
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Aqua + Wide Attack + Ground Attack
Primary Attack Accuracy: B
Primary Attack Description: Blasts enemy with a geyser that bursts suddenly from the ground.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 60 Aqua + Group Attack + Ground Attack
Secondary Attack Accuracy: D
Secondary Attack Description: Blasts the enemy with a marching line of geysers.
Element: Aqua
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): WaterLine2, AquaTower2, Zenny
Special: This virus' attacks will freeze the target solid on ice terrain.
: 160 HP (Normal)
BarkBark (Lark)

Area: Electown, Yoka, Beach

HP: 200
Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Aqua + Wide Attack
Attack Accuracy: A
Attack Description: Fires wideshot.
Element: Aqua
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): WideShot2, Zenny
Special: Omnishoes
Special: Can blind one enemy once instead of attacking.
: 200 HP (Normal)
SnoozierSnoozier (Snoozy)

Snoozy are about 2 feet tall, and are shaped like a white translucent blob of goo, forming a basic head, body, and arm, with the body trailing behind. The head has an oversized nightcap covering most of it, colored dark blue, with white dots as stars. The end of the nightcap has a hanging moon from it. The lone arm carries a thick white pillow by the corner, with some down leaking out of a tear. The coloring scheme of its main body changes with its version. Snoozier are red, and Snooziest are blue. A menacing black Snoozy DS has an additional feature of serrated teeth forming a giant jaw. EX forms are darker shades of their originals. Snoozy attack by flailing their white pillows around and spreading their apparent sleepiness around. They start their attack by teleporting up to their targets. The teleport counts as a dodge if utilized correctly. They then teleport back to their original spot, and do not move otherwise. They may use their secondary full-heal at any time, though they are more likely to do so when they are injured. Snoozy viruses only appear when there is cover to hide behind, and will stay behind this cover for the entirety of the battle except to attack. They will not appear otherwise. If their cover is destroyed, they will attempt to flee starting next turn if they do not have a specified object chip to be dispensed first.

Area: Yoka, Dentech, Sharo

HP: 120
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: (Teleport) then (Aqua 35 + Sleep)
Primary Attack Accuracy: C
Primary Attack Description: Teleports near an enemy, and whacks its pillow at them. Teleports back to original position shortly after.
Secondary Attack Effect: Self Recover Max + Self Status Cure Max + Self Sleep (1)
Secondary Attack Accuracy: S
Secondary Attack Description: Goes to sleep, and recovers from all of its ailments and injuries. This attack may be used at any time, even when status effects would usually deny it, except for Sleep. This attack has a one turn cooldown after the virus wakes up.
Element: Aqua
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Pillow2, Zenny
Special: Will not attack sleeping targets.
Special: May use RockCube at any time once per battle as a standard action.
: 120 HP (Sleep, on top of BMD)

-- Navis --
Voltman.EXE: 200 HP (Normal)

-- Terrain --
45% Sea
  • Fire Elementals lose 10 HP/action standing, 20 HP/action submerged. Other Non-Aqua Elementals lose 5 HP/action submerged. Nullified for Aqua Elementals.
  • Ice attacks: 50% Freeze1 chance, Changes terrain hit to Ice.
  • Terrain changes between Sea and Onsen do not inflict damage upon submerged entities, nor do they eject submerged entities to the surface.
  • Elec attacks: +100% Source Damage.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Aqua.
(River, anything caught in it will move downstream by one movement per turn)
55% Normal
  • No effects.
(Bridge over said river)

-- Objects --
BMD: 15 HP (Drifting along in the river, 1 move to the left)

-- Rogue Battle 1 Ready? Start!! --
His footsteps silent, Yoka Rogue remained as still and quiet as any of the decommissioned networks as Voltman reached the bridge.

Jules didn't bring up a hologram live, instead projecting himself into the corner of Voltman's visor for purposes of remaining stealthy. ["Three enemies, all aqua, one asleep."] Voltman whispered, a small highlight on his HUD identifying the unopened BMD in the water. It wasn't but a moment more before the unintelligible speech of the nearby viruses broke the silence, though they appeared to not have noticed him yet.
"Voltman, the awake ones are grouped and distracted. It's... basically free, as long as you can approach without being seen or heard. The problem then is the enemy in the water. It's unconscious for now, but who knows how long that'll keep." As he spoke, he slotted in an Areagrab and Elecsword, the yellow blade's glow dulled to nearly nothing for purposes of remaining stealthy.
Voltman looked down slightly. ["If I land on that bridge, the Floatshoes might not be enough to prevent it from making significant amounts of noise under my weight..."] His eyes lit up ["...So I don't land. A teleporting strike, and another teleport before I ever hit the ground. The sound of the river under Floatshoes might be significantly less noticeable to the sleeping enemy, which would allow me to get close and save the data."]

The sound of several more chips being inserted came through his earpiece, and Voltman prepared his Elecsword for immediate dissolution after the initial strike. Closing his eyes as he let out a deep breath, he inhaled...

Visualize your target. Strike with force and precision both. Empty all else from your mind.

A ghost vanished from the edge of the clearing and appeared directly behind the pair of chattering foes. A single, silent, swift slice, with a twist of the blade to ensure the death of the Bark. And as quickly as it had appeared the sword vanished from the hilt outwards, barely leaving more evidence of its presence than the slight arc of light it had trailed a moment before. The ghost vanished again from the air above the bridge.

...and exhaled softly, landing on top of the river without disturbing the water below him. If his plan had worked he was safe, but realistically he had only moments. If either one of the bridge viruses had dodged his attack it could ruin his plan to catch the sleeping enemy unaware. Crouching forward as the Blue Mystery Data drifted toward him with sleeping passenger in tow, he summoned a much smaller blade and gripped the handle tightly.

The moment his hand gripped the data, he tore his arms simultaneously in both directions from the center. In his left, the Blue Mystery Data, taken to protect it from its dozing rider. In his right, the Elecknife, taking the dozing rider from this world.

And with that, if only for a moment, the clearing was deadly silent once more.

[Turn summary]
1) Offense of the Swordsmet (Accuracy Enhancement, Strengthen 40 [x2])
2) Areagrab to just behind/above the distracted viruses on the bridge
3) Elecsword to Aquagear, Bark (190 to Aquagear [95x2], 270 to Bark [(95+40)x2 (Accuracy enhanced)(Strengthen used on Bark hit)
4) Areagrab to beside Snoozier on the river
[Floatshoes function: Try to remain quiet on the water, standing 'on top' of the river]
5) Hold Blue Mystery Data steady (try to not disturb the Snoozier, BMD is held if snoozier moves)
6) Elecknife to Snoozier [75x2](Accuracy enhanced)
As Voltman began his attack the viruses, the snoozier...did absolutely nothing in the slightest due to it's sleeping inhibitions as it continued to drift out across the river, ever so slightly spinning around. Voltman would teleport and swipe at the unsuspecting Aquagear and Bark, managing to connect against both of them before they could move, slicing and electrifying them to death, causing spasm attacks in both viruses before they disappeared in a puff of dead virus data. And with another teleport he managed to stop the BMD from spinning about, but just before the virus' snot bubble burst, he assassinated the virus without hassle. Now he and the BMD were floating about the river, but the data was ready to be absorbed by Voltman before he could decide to open the BMD or not.

-- Viruses --
Aquagear: ZAAAAAAAAP
Bark: ZAPPITY
Snoozier: ASSASSINATED

-- Navis --
Voltman.EXE: 200 HP (Normal)

-- Terrain --
45% Sea (River, anything caught in it will move downstream by one movement per turn)
55% Normal (Bridge over said river)

-- Objects --
BMD: 15 HP (Drifting along in the river, 1 move to the left)

Battle 1 Victory

Rewards
Voltman: 24 Bugfrags, 900z, Pillow2Damage: 60 + Sleep
Accuracy: B
Description: A fluffy pillow that will make anyone drowsy when it hits.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks after 3 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: C


Open BMD? Y/N
Standing over the river, Voltman lifted the lightly damp mystery data and tapped the outside of the casing to crack it open.

[Y]
As the BMD began to fall away, a simple lightning bolt could be seen, pixelated but fully three-dimensional. Was it chip data? Or someone's attempt at a prank? VoltMan could feel power emanating from it, so maybe it was chip data.

Voltman Get: LightningDamage: 180 + Seeking + Drop Attack
Accuracy: B
Description: Utilizing a target as a lightning rod, the user drops a powerful thunderbolt on it. Rare
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
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
Voltman stretched as he stepped off of the river, listening to the gurgling of the water now that the viruses had been taken care of. The creaks of the wood broke the stillness of the scene as he went to cross the river properly, the dilapidated bridge managing to hold steady under his weight.
Beneath the facemask you could almost make out a small smile as he marked a brisk pace through the rest of the clearing. "You know there's something to be said for these outdated areas. It's practically wilderness. Like a, uh... a park, I guess?"
Julian's screen popped up, his expression deadpan. "A park? A literal walk in the park, you're comparing it to now." He shook his head, his mouse wheel clicking lightly as he scrolled through available data about the Yoka Rogue Net. "This place is more like an abandoned city than a park, Volt. Entire zones made obsolete years ahead of schedule. And instead of spending the time to work it together and just rebuild, they just thought it was cheaper to literally bury it and leave it be." His chair let out a groan as he sat back, his hands crossed behind his head. "It's a breeding ground. They just ignored the problem and moved on, and while I can appreciate an area to fish for viruses, this can't be healthy for the upper nets."
Voltman shrugged, absentmindedly kicking a rock as he kept walking. "I mean I get it, Jules, but most of our systems are just held up with sticks and wire behind the scenes anyway. That's how software's always been. It's just that before the net..." He kicked a nearby piece of wood, the rotted timber giving way and spreading a cloud of dust into the air "...we couldn't literally see the old stuff rotting away."

Minutes passed as they continued talking idly, making minor folder changes and walking a straight line across the abandoned network. There were always more viruses to find, more money to be made, more chips to collect, and Voltman was finally enjoying a chance to stretch and do all of it.

(Battle 2)
Voltman came to a Great Fountain in the middle of the road. This looks like a likely source of the fast-flowing river from the previous battle. The Great Fountain was solidly built and held a small lake of sea water within it. Splashing around inside the fountain were a sausage-shaped fish with a brown underbelly and a starfish. It looks like they were having a bath. On the other side of Great Fountain from Voltman was a large wind box, that started blowing towards him, spraying him with sea foam. Right in front of the Great Fountain opened up a hole and a dog popped out of it. But when it saw the navi, it barked and began to flee.

-- Viruses --
MuckfeeshMuckfeesh (Mudfeesh)

This virus looks like a sausage shaped fish with a brown underbelly, a blue/green/red/black back (depending on the version) with a wavy dorsal fin, a mouth that constantly gasps for air, beady little eyes and a large flat tail that it uses to propel itself. It moves by flopping around very erratically, granting the family a passive dodge effect.

Area: Yoka, Okuden Valley, Beach, Yumland

HP: 100
Attack Damage/Effect: 45 Wood + Impact + Blind
Attack Accuracy: B
Attack Description: It leaps at its target, attempting to slam into it with its slimy belly.
Element: Wood
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): MudFlop2, Zenny
Special: One passive dodge per turn.
-Creates mud terrain where it moves.
: 100 HP [Sea]
Starfish2Starfish2 (Starfish)

Area: Yoka, Beach

HP: 180
Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Aqua + Bubble Trap + 3 targets
Attack Accuracy: D
Attack Description: Launches three slow moving bubbles that trap the targets in a bubble prison, immobilizing them. These bubbles act as 10 HP objects, and can be shot before they make contact to pop them. Conversely, the virus can block incoming attacks with them.
Element: Aqua
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): BubbleStar2, Zenny
Special: Bubble Trap: Any target hit with this virus' attack will be instantly trapped in a 10 HP Aqua Element Bubble that can only be popped from the outside. Targets trapped within these bubbles will take 100% more damage from Elec element attacks. The Bubbles will expire at the end of the turn, or when hit.
Special: This attack can hit the same target multiple times (up to 3), or attack 3 separate targets.
Special: Targets trapped in Bubbles are easier to move with Wind Effects, Knockback, and Microburst than normal.
: 180 HP [Sea]
RareWindBoxRareWindBox (Wind & Fan)

All viruses in this family are immobile during combat, with the exception of being able to turn to face any direction it wishes. Later versions of this virus may switch between Wind and Fan effects, which requires one action, during which time all wind or fan effects cease. Bonuses and penalties do not stack if multiples of the same virus family exist on the field. Wind and Fan do not push or pull Objects, only creatures.

Area: SciLab, Yoka, Beach, Sharo, Netfrica, Hades Isle

HP: 200
Attack Damage/Effect: Wind Effect, Northwind
Attack Accuracy: S
Attack Description: Causes a large scale gale of wind to blow across the entire field in the direction the virus is facing. This gale will constantly move all targets this virus considers to be enemies in the direction the wind is blowing, which makes it difficult to land many kinds of attacks on it and allied viruses, such as thrown attacks and close ranged attacks. All those affected by the wind will also have their barriers and auras blown off by a constant Northwind effect.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Wind, Zenny
Special: Causes short ranged attacks, such as (but not limited to) swords, melee attacks, and flame thrower style weapons, to suffer from a 30% accuracy penalty against targets they are being pushed away from. Both sides of the engagement suffer a 30% accuracy penalty with direct attacks perpendicular to the direction of the wind, and all thrown attacks.
Special: Those allied with this virus may opt to take advantage of the wind to increase movement speed or evasion by going with the wind. They do not suffer any penalties, however. Conversely, anyone may move along with the wind to increase accuracy by 10% for close ranged attacks, assuming the target is in that direction.
Special: Northwind effect to all enemies once per virus action while maintaining wind effect.
: 200 HP [Normal] [Directly on the other side of the Great Fountain from the Navi]
Rush2Rush2 (Rush)

Will not appear for Navis lower level than 5.

Area: SciLab, Yoka, Netopia, NetVegas

HP: 100
Attack Damage/Effect: None
Attack Accuracy: N/A
Attack Description: N/A
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Popup, Any RARE chip for current network tier, Zenny (10x normal)
Special: Only ONE Rush may appear in any given battle. This virus is rare.
Special: Immune to terrain effects besides damage multiplication.
Special: One free dodge per turn.
Special: Will always survive with 1 HP no matter how much damage is done to it. If it has more than 1 HP at the end of a turn, it will automatically escape. After it checks for escape, it will be restored to full HP if still present in battle. When it is the last virus remaining in a battle, it will leave its rewards behind and flee the battle.
: 6 HP [Normal] [In front of the Great Fountain]

-- Navis --
Voltman.EXE: 200 HP [Normal]

-- Terrain --
30% Sea
  • Fire Elementals lose 10 HP/action standing, 20 HP/action submerged. Other Non-Aqua Elementals lose 5 HP/action submerged. Nullified for Aqua Elementals.
  • Ice attacks: 50% Freeze1 chance, Changes terrain hit to Ice.
  • Terrain changes between Sea and Onsen do not inflict damage upon submerged entities, nor do they eject submerged entities to the surface.
  • Elec attacks: +100% Source Damage.
  • PanelShot: Imbue Aqua.
[Inside Great Fountain]
70% Normal
  • No effects.


-- Objects --
Great Fountain: 100 HP [Anchored] [Heavy] [StoneBody] [Normal]

-- Rogue Battle 2 Ready? Start!! --