Coffee Time Busting

Holo landed from his mid-jump transmission in the middle of a brightly lit plaza. Navis and Mr. Progs went about on their business, minding nothing but their own tasks. This place was way too public, much too well policed to be a virus breeding ground. Loping off towards a less populated area, his happy mood at being back on the Net causing him to literally beam, bright lances of light dancing around his feet.

"Just keep in mind," Aelieth's voice cracked over the voice connection, followed by an audible sip of his coffee, "Cripes, that's hot... anyway, just remember that we haven't actually tested those upgrades out yet. At the first sign of trouble, jack out."

Holoß signaled an affirmative, keeping an eye out for a group of viruses to test his new equipment out on.

((Battle 1, please))
((BUMP))
Holoß's venture into the Electown network was not greeted with silence, as three Champu viruses approached the projection-based Navi. They punched their gloved fists together in a show of unbridled passion, the urge to fight and smack their way through whatever they found.

ChampuA: 60HP
ChampuB: 60HP
ChampuC: 60HP

Terrain: 100% Solar

Holoß.NET: 140HP

-BATTLE ONE, FIGHT!!-
"Huh... haven't seen those before..." Aelieth glibly commented, taking another sip of his coffee. It tasted really good, much better than the normal "fast food" version he was accustomed to drinking. Holoß slowed down his pace, buzzing both literally and figuratively as the viruses made challenging gestures to the Navi. In retaliation, Holo flashed into a new, more topical form. Where Holo once stood was now a stocky, muscular man featuring a huge lower jaw and a pair of boxing gloves. Slamming the new gloves together in a fashion similar to the viruses, he returned their call to battle in his own silent mime before reverting back to his original form. With that out of the way, he charged into battle, ready to beat some flaming virus face.

Throwing his arms forward, all of the projectors in the limbs exploded in light, creating a concentrated beam of dazzling light lancing across the battlefield straight for the lead Champu's eyes. "Sending chips your way," Aelieth stated as two dollops of data appeared within Holoß's data banks. Activating the first, a large square panel emblazoned with a small cross appeared before him, floating at speed to his sprint. The second chip ate the polygons of his arms, reforming them into a familiar wedge shaped casing.

"D.A.S.H. Attack online." A feminine voice reverberated from the depths of the metal Fishy now attached to his right forearm. "Oh, hello again Dave. Do you require my assistance today?" she asked, the trio of engines emerging from an inner cavity and humming as they idled. Holoß nodded, strafing as he ran, trying his best to line up the impending attack.

"Alright, then. Ignition in three... two... one..."

The triple engine acceleration system affixed to Holo's arm began to vomit gouts of flame, all of a sudden sending the Navi rocketing forward. And yet... for a half a second, another Holo still stood where once the navigational projectile had. However, it soon followed after the original and it, too, was followed by a copy. The trio of Holo's slammed into the area where the viruses stood, the lead Navi still preceded by the hovering Guard. Holo 2 and 3 broke off from the attack line, seeking out individual targets while the actual Navi cleared the gathering and skidded to a halt, spinning to face the flaming viruses. Those gloves gave them the appearance of wanting to get in close and mix it up, and Holo felt himself tensing at this realization, ready to throw himself out of the way of an incoming punch.

--Summary--
1. Projector Adaptation: "Deer in Headlights" (10 damage + Elec + Stun. Targeting ChampuA.)
2. Guard (Reflect up to 60 damage)
3. Dash Attack (90 damage + Impact. Targeting ChampuA-C.)
-VHP: MI (15 damage. Targeting ChampuB.)
-VHP: MII (5 damage. Targeting ChampuC.)
4. Dodge
The first Champu was not very happy to be blasted in the face with a shot of light, and covered its eyes in protest. The others warped up to the holographic Navi, only to have one punch slammed back in their face and the others not fast enough to escape the Fishy's wrath. Blown away by the massive forces, the two Champu were deleted instantly, leaving the lone boxer left in the ring. Blind, too.

ChampuA: 50HP (Stun!)
ChampuB: DELETED
ChampuC: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Solar

Holoß.NET: 140HP [Guard Broken]
Huh... only one left... Holo thought, appraising his handy work. Not bad... but then again, there were only three of 'em. He moved towards the virus, pinging the PeT to let Aelieth know that he was ready for more chips.

"Alright, chip data inbound," his operator managed to mumble through a mouth of liquid and foam. Swallowing his latest mouthful, Aelieth suddenly remembered one of the upgrades he had installed into Holo alongside the others. "Holo, don't forget that your projectors have those hard-light retrofits. They should give you a bit of padding when mixing it up with these guys." Holo, who had completely forgotten about this upgrade as well, lifted his arm and pressed down on it with a finger. Though it was minute, an invisible barrier stopped the finger from touching millimeters away from the arm, an invisible bubble creating a weightless cushion between the finger and the arm. As he wondered how he hadn't noticed it earlier, two more chips became available to Holo, causing him to throw the thought aside for the time being. He stopped his forward progression, slid his feet about shoulder length apart (his left slightly ahead of his right), and briefly illuminated as a new refresh line at his feet changed the projection Navi from a loose amalgam of projectors and body parts into the form of a hunter.

In his right hand was a 12 gage, pump-action shotgun, which he now brought up to his right shoulder. Sighting down the barrel, he pushed the gun into his shoulder with is left hand so he could adjust his hat with his right, then gripped the stock and squeezed the trigger. A raucous "BOOM!" exploded from the end of the barrel and shot across the battle field, shortly followed by a cloud of leaden pellets, making their way for the virus. Planning to use the wall of shot as a cover, Holo activated his next chip and promptly transformed into a Velociraptor.

Holo-raptor took off after the shot, his razor sharp claws scraping the ground as they dug in for traction. When he was within range, he leapt from the ground and began to rake at the virus with his wicked, sickle shaped claws, tearing at it (him?) with such speed that the two blows he tried to deal looked like four as an extra, lag produced strike followed the first. Unfortunately, Holo couldn't really look down while he was doing this, so for all he knew he was scratching at air since the hard-light bubble surrounding his body had dulled his sense of touch. Jumping away from the virus, Holoß remained in his current shape, circling his prey and glaring at it with feral eyes.

--Summary--
1. Shotgun (50 damage + spread 1. Targeting ChampuA.)
2. Rage Claw (40 damage + Slashing. Targeting ChampuA.)
-VHP:MI (15 damage. Targeting ChampuA.)
3. Rage Claw (40 damage + Slashing. Targeting ChampuA.)
-VHP:MII (5 damage. Targeting ChampuA.)
4. Dodge
*Hard-Light Retrofit (15 HP Barrier).
*Deer in Headlights: Ready Next Turn.
((Forgot all about the barrier last turn, and therefore didn't put it in the Summary. If you'd rather I spent an action to do it, then the dodge will be moved to the first action and replaced with activating the barrier.))
Superfluous was the raptor act, as the twelve-gauge was the only thing needed for a quick deletion, sending the Champu into la-la land, leaving reward data behind in the form of zenny packets.

ChampuA: DELETED
ChampuB: DELETED
ChampuC: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Solar

Holoß.NET: 140HP [15HP Barrier]

-BATTLE ONE, VICTORY!!-

Rewards: 420z
Switching back to his usual form, Holo collected the zenny left by the viruses, looked around for a moment, then continued further into the Net. Across their shared voice channel, Aelieth could be heard; it seemed he had accidentally left the PTT button depressed somehow.

"Mmm... Is that chicory I taste?"

((Battle 2, please))
As Holo progressed into the network, the Navi found that the floor was progressively getting less glowy and more metal-y. The glowing green floor moved on to magnetically-charged floor, which died down to plain metal paneling. Some viruses were waiting for the Navi, a couple of paper dolls. However, if one were to look further, some manta ray-like viruses were floating not too far ahead as well.

PowieA: 60HP (Solar, front)
PowieB: 60HP (Solar, front)
LarkA: 100HP (Metal, far back)
LarkB: 100HP (Metal, far back)

Terrain: 30% Solar, 30% Magnet, 40% Metal
(Progresses from Holo's position towards the viruses)

Holoß.NET: 140HP (Solar)

-BATTLE TWO, FIGHT!!-
"Wow..." Aelieth commented, looking through the PeT's view screen. "This network has a lot more diverse terrain than other Networks we've been in." These new panels, noted the details his PeT was displaying on them, were all beneficial to Electric Navis. Which meant that Holo was essentially playing on some kind of home turf. Unsure what all of these viruses could do, however, his current plan for chips followed a very basic line of thought.

"Holo, these guys are new to me, but the one's up front look scrawny enough to get out of the way quickly. The less we have to fight, the easier this'll be, so target them first, then take out the big ones," he said as he slotted in a couple of chips. Holo sent an affirmative to the PeT, the chirps buzzing out the chorus of "I'm Walking on Sunshine."

Two chips appeared, and Holo activated in such quick succession that they sort of... fused into a single weapon. Now in his hands Holo held a double barreled combat shotgun. On the underside of the barrel was a menacing block of metal, a gaping hole yawning at the end of a stubby secondary barrel. Cocking the weapon, he pointed the business end the duo of floppy dolls and brought the force of hundreds of minute leaden orbs to bear upon them. Amongst the flock was a smattering of semi-transparent bullets, flickering as they followed the flight path of their brethren.

Quickly sliding the stock of the weapon under his arm, his finger now rested upon a secondary trigger; one directly connected to the under barrel launcher. Angling up just slightly, he squeezed the trigger and launched a heavy slug that arced straight towards one of the viruses. Changing focus, he noticed that those larger viruses were still particularly mean looking. Rather than become fish food, he directed his projectors at an especially vile Lark and blasted a beam of dazzling light straight for its face. All that was left now was to anticipate what the viruses would do; staying mobile would be his best bet, so he began to quickly move from side to side in unpredictable methods, taking care to remain on the brightly glowing panels he found these viruses on. They felt warm, comfortable.

--Summary--
1. Shotgun (50 damage + spread 1. Targeting PowieA and PowieB)
-VHP:MI (15 damage. Targeting PowieA)
2. Cannon (40 damage + knockback. Targeting PowieB)
3. Deer in Headlights (10 damage +Elec + Stun. Targeting LarkA)
-VHP:MII (5 damage. Targeting LarkA)
4. Dodge
*Hard-Light Retrofit (15 HP Barrier)
*Deer in Headlights: 1 turn remaining.
((BUMP))
Holo's first shot hit both of the Powies quite easily, as they were at a close distance, the semi-transparent bullets taking out a Powie with it. However, the Powie that was left managed to dodge the heavy slug he fired next by sidestepping it. It smashed onto him, but was reflected by his hard light barrier. The Larks were a bit too far for his blinding light, and his projection didn't reach far enough either. They fired their Wideshots in retaliation, but Holo simply leapt over them easily.

PowieA: DELETED
PowieB: 10HP (Solar, front)
LarkA: 100HP (Metal, far back)
LarkB: 100HP (Metal, far back)

Terrain: 30% Solar, 30% Magnet, 40% Metal
(Progresses from Holo's position towards the viruses)

Holoß.NET: 140HP (Solar) (5HP Hard-Light)
Holo worried for a moment as he felt the Hard-Light bubble bow under the weight of the Powie. Luckily, it kicked back to full resilience as the virus suddenly reappeared at its original position, as floppy as ever. "Wait... what?" Aelieth fumbled as he re-watched exactly how the virus attacked. From what he'd seen so far, that was by far the most... random method of attack he'd seen so far. Luckily, it seemed that Holo's last battery of attacks had done a good deal of damage to it, so he should be able to take it out quickly. "Chips inbound. Keep an eye out for their attacks; The Powie looks easy enough to deal with, but the other ones have some pretty wide attacks." He advised as he slotted in a trio of chips.

Holo nodded, activating the first chip. A whirl of fur and fangs overtook him as the latest refresh bar left an 8'4", hyena-like humanoid bearing a wicked set of claws. Charging forward, Holo-Gnoll rushed the Powie with all of the fury of the fantastical creature, grasping with razor claws and clenching down in an iron grip. Lifting with his main hand and guiding with his off, Holo strained to heft the virus over his head, took a half-step forward, then thrust forward with all of his might, aiming for the same Lark as last time. A ghostly claw flew from his hand as he made his throw, following the arc of his attack to strike down upon the virus.

Not finished, Holo-Gnoll let loose a silent, primal roar and hunched forward, lurching as something began to burst from his back. Sharp steel angles, whirring turbines, blue flames, and a trio of engines.

"D.A.S.H. Attack online."

Holo lurched forward, each loping gait covering more and more ground, at greater and greater speed, as the engines roared to life and rocketed the Navi across the battlefield and into the cluster of viruses, using the momentum of the attack to add strength to his barrage. Hidden amongst the rest of the claws was a laggy one, striking out an extra time at the so far unscathed Lark. The speed he launched across the battlefield carried him past the viruses, leaving him standing on the hard, metal panels surrounding them. Spinning on the spot, Holo activated his third chip, causing the familiar Guard panel to appear before him as he awaited the virus's retaliation.

--Summary--
1. Rage Claw (20 damage + Impact. Throwing PowieB at Lark A)
-VHP: MI (15 damage. Targeting LarkA)
2. Dash Attack (90 Damage + Impact. Targeting LarkA and LarkB and PowieB(should it not be dead already))
-VHP:MII (5 damage. Targeting LarkB)
3. Guard (Reflect up to 60 damage)
4. Dodge
*Hard Light Retrofit (15 HP Barrier)
*Deer in Headlights: Ready Next Turn.
*Rage Claw: 5 Uses Remaining.
The Powie was hurled most unceremoniously off the floor, and hit the unsuspecting Lark, which had just fired off a shot. The shot hit the hard-light barrier Holo made, so he made sure to finish things off quickly. With a roar of his jets, away he went, riding off into the sunset. Dead was one of the Larks, but the other persevered, and shot Holo's back with a blue shot of its design. However, the hard-light barrier was back up, and it completely nullified the shot.

PowieA: DELETED
PowieB: DELETED
LarkA: 65HP (Metal, near)
LarkB: DELETED

Terrain: 30% Solar, 30% Magnet, 40% Metal
(Progresses from Holo's position towards the viruses)

Holoß.NET: 140HP (Metal) (Guard1)
Only one left... Holo thought, still wielding the Rage Claw chip. Luckily, this meant that he only had to focus on one target. Unfortunately, cornered enemies tended to be more desperate, and more powerful because of it. Best to disable it first... he thought, revving his projectors as he still displayed the feral visage of a Gnoll.

All of the projectors along Holoß's body turned as one to face the Lark, and focused a beam of intense light straight for the eyes. If one were to look close, a flickering beam could be seen dancing amongst its brighter brethren, striking not for the eyes, but for the body.

Moving hand over hand, Holo sprinted the gap between him and the virus, claws clacking against the metal ground beneath him. 10 feet out, Holo leapt the last of the distance, raking at the virus in a flurry of fangs and claws and fur. At least two strikes were more directed than the others, though the flickering arms of lag produced after images flew about the virus as well. After a furious scuffle, Holo detached himself from the virus, readying himself to throw himself out of the way of an attack. Floating between himself and the virus, the Guard panel still floated, ready to protect the one who summoned it.

--Summary--
1. Deer in Headlights (10 damage + Elec + Stun. Targeting LarkA)
-VHP:MI (15 damage. Targeting LarkA)
2. Rage Claw (40 damage + Slashing. Targeting LarkA)
-VHP: MII (5 damage. Targeting LarkA)
3. Rage Claw (40 damage + Slashing. Targeting LarkA)
4. Dodge
*Hard-Light Retrofit (15 HP Barrier)
*Deer in Headlights: 1 turn remaining
*Rage Claw: 3 uses remaining
Holo focused the many projectors on his body on the remaining Lark, damaging it multiple times and stunning it. He took the opportunity to rush the virus with his RageClaw(s) and set to work taking the stunned fish down. Numerous slashes landed direct hits on the Lark in addition to extra afterimages, and in the end the virus was thoroughly defeated with fragments of data scattered everywhere.

PowieA: DELETED
PowieB: DELETED
LarkA: DELETED
LarkB: DELETED

Terrain: 30% Solar, 30% Magnet, 40% Metal
(Progresses from Holo's position towards the viruses)

Battle 2 Complete!

Holoß.NET: 140HP (Metal)

Rewards: Wideshot1, 300z
"Good job, Holo," Aelieth congratulated his Navi, sipping at what was now almost certainly the dregs of his coffee. Holo dropped the Rage Claw, forcing a transformation back to his old self, then set about collecting the rewards for this venture, giving a cheery thumbs up towards the invisible "camera" through which Aelieth watched his Navi's exploits on the Net.

Then, something strange began to happen. Holo found that he couldn't rotate his arm anymore. For that matter, his fingers wouldn't uncurl. A heavy weight seemed to be growing on his arm as, to both Navi and Operator's confusion, the polygons composing Holo's arm began to distort, compressing as though some invisible vice were slowly tightening around the limb. Holo didn't panic, the sensation wasn't painful, but he shot a wary glance at Aelieth, his expression worriedly inquisitive.

"Ah, crap..." Aelieth muttered to himself, loading up the PeT's Navi Diagnostic just to verify what he thought was happening. "It looks like the Hard-Light Retrofit has become unstable. Tested it, but it must not have been ready for actual combat yet... We'll need some extra memory to house a patch..." Aelieth sighed. He was really looking forward to having a day that he didn't have to program. But alas, such was his life. He pulled out his wallet, paid (leaving a decent tip, of course), then logged Holoß off of the Net.