In Need of Rustoleum

Durandal moved on across the river and continued trekking across the network. He stopped when he came to an abundance of watery panels giving off plenty of steam. Before he could decide whether to avoid the cloud or press on, a giant puck shot out of the steam and forced the Navi to dodge out of the way. The puck managed to blow some of the steam away with its momentum, revealing the attacker and a partner along with two odd viruses that looked like semi-deflated blowfishes. To top it all off, two Spooky viruses popped into existence above the steam, sticking out their tongues mockingly.

Durandal watched as the Dharmas advanced forward, then began to prepare for battle.

DharmaA: 90HP (Normal)
DharmaB: 90HP (Normal)
SenbonA: 80HP (Onsen)
SenbonB: 80HP (Onsen)
SpookyA: 30HP (Onsen)
SpookyB: 30HP (Onsen)

Terrain:
70% Normal
30% Onsen (Large patch in middle of normal panels)

Durandal.EXE: 130HP (Normal)

Battle 4 Start!
Durandal wandered deeper into Yoka Net, moving away from the raging river and the large bridge. The area around him was wet, almost swampy, but the ground beneath him still offered firm footing. He noticed steam rising up from some of the swampy areas. This section of the Net was obviously connected with the onsen. He had had some experience with the water of the onsen. It was soothing, the heat seeping in to wash away the aches and pains of battle. He wasn't hesitant of this water as he had been of the freezing river.

Durandal strode forward, not bothering to find a way around the steamy pool. His eyes scanned the mists billowing up from the pool of water, searching for movement. The refreshing water and obscuring steam would make for a good ambush point. He didn't see any viruses within the pool, but that didn't mean that they weren't there.

As if on cue, a massive black disc shot out from within the mists. Durandal dodged aside, barely avoiding the speeding projectile. The knight tracked the projectile back to see four viruses, a pair of fish and a pair of strange red creatures. Two move viruses, ghost-like things, materialized above the other group.

"Well, that was oddly appropriate," Durandal muttered as he drew his blade.

"Ooh, that's a lot of them," Katherine mused. "How do you want to proceed?"

"It would be best to take charge of the battle and force their actions. Those fish lurk within the water. The ElecReel should be enough to deal with them. Perhaps we shall try our newest weapons as well? And the shield for defense."

"Sounds good," Katherine agreed.

The NetOp grabbed the requested BattleChips from her pouch, careful not to drop any of the items into the onsen, and slotted them into her PET. The three offensive chips were some of Durandal's most powerful weapons. The defensive chip was first tier at best, but was useful in its own right. It was a good set up, honestly.

Durandal could feel the surge of energy wash over him and he channeled that power into his blade. Sparks of electricity cascaded along the length of the sword, dancing from point to point. The knight gripped the hilt with both hands, tightening his fingers around the leather. He raised the sword above his head, causing the build up electrical force to billow outward into a corona of energy. Durandal chopped down, sending a bolt of lightning toward the two Senbon. With the two aquatic viruses near each other in the pool, Durandal was confident that the surge of electricity would arc from one to the next and fry them both.

Flames erupted around Durandal's right hand, engulfing his armored fist though he felt no heat. The Navi turned to the virus that had attempted to attack him and raised his fiery hand toward it. The flames gathered into a volatile sphere a few inches from his fingertips. Durandal willed the sphere forward, sending it hurdling toward the Dharma. He could feel the store of pent up energy within the sphere. It would explode if it made contact, hopefully engulfing all of the viruses lurking in and around the pool.

The knight dropped to his knees, slamming his free hand against the earth and channeling battlechip energy into the group around him. A form rose up from the earth, a beast of dirt and stone in the shape of a massive lizard. The stone figure shuddered and the outermost layer cracked. A second shudder caused the layer to shatter, revealing a large, lean figure covered in blood red scales. Wings unfurled along the sides of the creature and it leapt into the air. The creature, a dragon born from the very earth, beat its wings to carry it aloft. It roared in defiance, sending a blast of flame into the air. It circled the battlefield, eying the group of viruses, before strafing across the field. It unleashed a stream of fire, bathing anything that got in its way in a scorching inferno.

Durandal raised a shield, a massive tower of iron, between himself and the viruses. He could see through a slit in the shield and peered out at his remaining opponents. The shield was tough and, hopefully, would be able to protect him from whatever the viruses could throw at him.

Summary:
1. ElecReel: 80 Elec DMG to SenbonA (Spread to SenbonB)
2. HeatSpreader: 40 Fire DMG + Spread 8 directed at DharmaA
3. Summon AirRaid1 (100hp object, 10x10 DMG)
4. Iron Shield1 (2-hit shield)
Immediately turning to electricity to combat the viruses situated in the onsen, Durandal's blade began to crackle viciously. He swung the electrified blade downward, sending a bolt flying straight at the two Senbons. The bolt jumped from one to the other, and deleted them both in an instant. He continued his assault with HeatSpreader, the burning sphere flying forth from his hand and impacting the targeted Dharma. It exploded in a massive wave of flames, damaging all the remaining viruses and frying the ones above the onsen. Finally, Durandal called up a raging dragon to strafe the battlefield with copious amounts of flames. The searing attacks were too much for the weakened Dharmas, which only managed to launch their pucks in desperation before being deleted.

The pucks bounced harmlessly off Durandal's shield, leaving him unharmed and alone once again.

DharmaA: DELETED
DharmaB: DELETED
SenbonA: DELETED
SenbonB: DELETED
SpookyA: DELETED
SpookyB: DELETED

Terrain:
70% Normal
30% Onsen (Large patch in middle of normal panels)

OTKO/Battle 4 Complete!

Durandal.EXE: 130HP (Normal)

Rewards: AquaNeedle1, 650z
"Well," Durandal mused as he surveyed the destruction before him. "That went rather better than expected."

"Quite," Katherine agreed.

"Shall I continue on, Milady?"

"For a little longer, sure. I think I'll leave soon though."

Durandal nodded and sheathed his blade. It wouldn't be long now before he would be able to leave this wet environment. He had gained a few interesting upgrades and had battled a number of unique viruses; however, all of the water was getting tiresome. He would search for a bit longer and then head out.

((Battle 5?!))
As Durandal moved through the net, he eventually noticed a large tower... the tower seemed out of place because, rather than an Electopian design, the craftsmanship seemed like something from old Netopia. The tower was looming somewhat ominously, casting a large shadow across the net. A moat surrounded it and standing just at the base was a female navi.

The navi was dressed in rather revealing green leather armor, consisting only of gauntlets, boots, a bustier, and a bikini bottom. Several scars crisscrossed her muscular, fairly tan body. She wore a green eyepatch over her left eye; the other was narrow, intense, and bright blue. Her long brown hair waved in the wind as she glared at the tower irritably.

Turning to see Durandal, she sighed and stepped forward. "Gentleman or vermin; whichever you are, stay away from this tower. It seems to have a penchant for attempting to kidnap pretty women... and grabbing men instead. My subordinate's trapped up in its upper chambers as we speak," she warned him as he approached.

It sounded sort of confusing, but he had to wonder why the woman wasn't going to get her friend herself. She certainly looked fairly strong and capable, even if oddly dressed. A voice cackled from the top of the tower; it sounded a little fake when it spoke, as if the person putting it on wasn't quite confident of what they were saying. "Bahahaha! I've sealed your precious princess up inside of my tower! You're a knight, right? You can't resist saving her!"

"I've been instructed not to get into fights, so I'm waiting till this blows over. This is sort of a test; eventually that soldier's going to realize he can just jack out," she sighed. "Still, I don't care if you feel like you have to save him or whatever. Knights are always into this fake sense of justice business, I find," she muttered scornfully. It wasn't easy to tell why she'd be so critical of Durandal after just meeting him.

"My tower is an invincible prison! There's no getting inside! She's doomed for all eternity, mwuhahahaha!" the voice laughed in a diabolical way.

"That's a guy you've got, dumbass!" the woman called back out, then held her head in frustration. She seemed to be getting a headache.

"General Yasu? Are you there? Please, rescue me!" a pitiful male voice cried out. Yasu continued with her tough love, apparently having no interest in climbing up to rescue the guy. The tower in front of Durandal was separated by some sort of drawbridge, which was quickly drawing itself back in as if challenging him. A moat also surrounded it. The tower was about four stories high, he wagered, but he may be able to scale it... it'd be hard to do in armor. Alternatively, he may be able to break the door down and enter, but it may be hard if he didn't get to it before the drawbridge closed.

NS Footsoldier: 100 HP (top of tower)
Evil Navi: ??? HP (somewhere in the tower, probably at the top)
Evil Tower: ??? HP (1 movement away across moat)
Front Door: 80 HP (1 movement away across moat)
Drawbridge: 100 HP (drawing back up)

Yasu: 340 HP
Durandal: 130HP (Normal)

Terrain: 60% Normal, 40% Onsen (surrounding tower)
((Standing on tower, door, or drawbridge will count as normal terrain; if scaling the tower, it's 4 movements to the top after getting on))

--BATTLE 5 START--
The scene before Durandal was...Unexpected to say the least. Of all the things he had thought he would find deep within Yoka Net, an ominous stone tower complete with moat and drawbridge was not high on the list. Well, maybe the moat. Various forms of water were becoming second nature by now. A woman stood in front of the tower, glaring toward the tower with her one remaining eye. She was obviously a warrior woman, though perhaps her outfit offered a little more "fantasy" than was absolutely necessary.

"I assure thee madam," Durandal responded to the woman's warning. "I have no intention of interfering with thy business if mine aid is unneeded."

He turned to observe the tower once more as the cackling voice sounded from its peak. The abductor didn't sound terribly confident, which either spoke volumes about the skills of the woman or just how inept the abductor was. Either way, the situation didn't seem like something Durandal wanted to get involved in.

"So this whole thing is a sham?" Durandal asked. "There be no barrier or shell preventing his escape?"

Durandal waited for a answer, though he noticed the drawbridge begin to move.

"We should help him," Katherine chimed in.

"But Milady, he needs no real help."

"C'mon, Durandal. It could be fun storming a castle for once."

"I suppose I cannot leave an innocent to suffer in the hands of an abductor, no matter how inept said captor may be. If thou wilt excuse me, madam."

Durandal changed forward, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he advanced toward the tower. His boots slammed against the ground, each step hurdling him closer to the closing bridge. With luck, he would arrive before the drawbridge was too high to scale. He would leap over a small gap if it was required, but he wanted to avoid having to wade the moat or scale the tower wall.

Summary:

1-4. Make for the tower before the bridge closes.
The woman watched in interest as Durandal ran forward towards the tower. He easily made the bridge, but unfortunately, the door was locked. The bridge was a special kind; rather than double-functioning as a gate, it acted as a sort of guard in front of the door once retracted. This meant that when it full retracted, Durandal was smashed between the drawbridge and door. [50!] "I'm surrounded by fools!" Yasu groaned.

Durandal found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he could manage, the best solution would be to break in the door. However, it would also be possible to squeeze out and begin scaling the wall.

"Bahahaha! Do you understand now the power of my terrible tower?! I've got you in my clutches as well, brave knight!" the voice guffawed from the top of the tower.

NS Footsoldier: 100 HP (top of tower)
Evil Navi: ??? HP (somewhere in the tower, probably at the top)
Evil Tower: ??? HP (Durandal can climb up onto this, it's 4 movements tall)
Front Door: 80 HP (Durandal is smushed against this)
Drawbridge: 100 HP (drawn up)

Yasu: 340 HP
Durandal: 80HP (Normal)

Terrain: 60% Normal, 40% Onsen (surrounding tower)
((Standing on tower, door, or drawbridge will count as normal terrain; if scaling the tower, it's 4 movements to the top after getting on))
"Well that was silly," Katherine tried to stifle a laugh as she spoke. "You alright?"

"Aye," Durandal groaned. "I had thought there was more room between door and drawbridge. Obviously I was mistaken."

"Maybe I should take a look at your sensors later. I could have made a mistake when I installed that upgrade and your sense of perspective is off."

"Perhaps," the Navi muttered. "Though now I am indeed quite stuck."

"I'll send you the RageClaw. Perhaps you can use the strength boost to bust down the door."

"As you say, Milady. Next time I assail a castle, I shall be more mindful of the dimensions of said castle's fortifications."

Katherine slotted in the battlechip and Durandal could immediately feel the rush of energy invading his systems. Unable to draw his sword in the cramped confines, the Navi allowed the enhanced strength to flood his arms and legs. His armored gauntlets shifted, iron claws growing from the fingertips, and his boots each gained crampons for climbing.

Durandal set his back against the drawbridge with both hands and one foot propped against the door. He pushed, attempting to use his enhanced strength to gain a little space to deliver an armored punch to the wooden door. As he pushed, a second option occurred to him. With his enhanced strength and grip, perhaps he could climb the tower without much effort.

Durandal decided on the send option, attempting to crawl up between the door and drawbridge. His clawed gauntlets and boots should be able to find easy purchase on both the wooden door and the cracks between the stone slabs that made up the tower. His enhanced strength from the RageClaw battlechip should be enough to counteract the weight of his armor and sword. And so he climbed, moving as swiftly as possible to scale the side of the stone building. With luck, whatever opposition within the tower would think him trapped and not notice his movements.

Durandal wasn't sure if he could make it to the top of the tower without attracting notice; however, he planned to pause as he neared the edge. With luck, he would have the strength left to scout the roof of the tower and escape detection.

Summary:
1-4. Use RageClaw to scale the tower.
Another high-pitched cackle shot out from the top of the tower as Durandal began to scale the walls. "No no no, silly knight! I won't let you get up here!" the voice taunted him. As he'd warned, a tremendous, pitch-black shape appeared just over the top of the tower. Durandal recognized it as some sort of cauldron. From the distance he'd already reached, he heard whoever was up there panting with exertion as he readied the trap.

"You think you can simply scale my terrible tower? Let's see how brave you are when you're covered in boiling oil!" the captor laughed between wheezes. Before he could even tip it over, however, Durandal managed to finish scaling the wall. "What.... Rrrrgh!" the voice growled; looking around Durandal managed to assess the situation and match a voice to a person.

A navi with a troll-like face, green with a hooked nose and sharp fangs, was positioned behind the pot of oil that he'd mentioned earlier. His warty hands moved off of the pot, as if he was embarrassed he'd been caught using such an unsophisticated trap. The navi was dressed in a black cloak, which obscured most of his body from view.

Besides the troll, Durandal also spotted a Neo-Shogun footsoldier, dressed in the usual tunic and headband, tied to a chair. A really primitive looking giant boulder was sitting next to him; it seemed that if Durandal had come up the stairs, the troll was planning to roll that down on him, although the knight could easily imagine the troll having similar problems getting that rolling as he was encountering lifting up the pot. "I'm amazed you've come this far! However, I am the terrible TrollMan! No navi can escape my clutches!" the troll boasted, bringing out a wooden club and waving it semi-menacingly. For at roll, he didn't look very physically powerful.

The space was very confined; Durandal would need to take that into account as he fought. The way down was also pretty long, so it would be bad if he fell off. The navi that Durandal had climbed up to save seemed pretty speechless. It was hard to tell why, but it might be out of shame.

NS Footsoldier: 100 HP (top of tower)
TrollMan: 100 HP (top of tower)
Evil Tower: ??? HP (Durandal can climb up onto this, it's 4 movements tall)
Front Door: 80 HP
Drawbridge: 100 HP (drawn up)
Pot of Boiling Oil: 50 HP (at edge of tower)
Giant Boulder: 100 HP (at edge of staircase)

Yasu: 340 HP (at bottom of tower)
Durandal: 80HP (at top of tower) (rageclaw: 2 uses)

Terrain: 60% Normal, 40% Onsen (surrounding tower)
((Standing on tower, door, or drawbridge will count as normal terrain; if scaling the tower, it's 4 movements to the top after getting on))
Durandal had reached the top of the tower and come face to face with its master. The figure was standing near a large vat that no doubt held the aforementioned boiling oil. The abductor was a strange Navi wrapped in a voluminous black cloak. The skin of his face, the only part of his that was really visible, was a sickly green. His nose was a harsh hook and his teeth were dagger like fangs. All in all, the Navi was a vile thing who resorted to abduction and traps.

"A little too slow, I would say." Durandal quipped. "Perhaps thou should invest in a smaller cauldron?"

The knight shifted the flow of energy running through his body. The crampons melted back into his boots, the short hooks unneeded on the flat roof of the tower. Stiff steel spikes emerged from his gauntlets behind each knuckle, complementing his clawed fingertips. Durandal widened his stance, shifting his center of balance to allow for quicker movement. He wanted to assess his opponent's abilities before committing to a head on battle.

"Worry not," Durandal spoke to the captured "Thy general has contracted me to save thee." It was technically a lie, but Durandal didn't feel like taking the time to truly explain the situation.

The villain, TrollMan, had equipped himself with a wooden club. The Navi didn't look terribly intimidating, but Durandal didn't want to take any chances. He moved in warily, hands raised in a defensive position. He stepped into TrollMan's range, prepared to dodge the first swipe of the wooden club. He circle strafed toward TrollMan's sword arm, trying to cut off the Navi's ability to attack effectively.

Durandal swung out with a right hook, spiked gauntlet hurdling toward TrollMan's jaw. With luck, the Navi would be unable to dodge at close range and the impact would rattle his senses. The knight followed his attack with a quick dodge, moving further around TrollMan to get to the Navi's side. He struggled to grapple with the Navi in the black cloak, hoping to use the last of his enhanced strength to lift him into the air.

Durandal eyed the vat of boiling oil. He wanted to toss the Navi into the vat, using TrollMan's own traps against him. He hoped that he would be able to hurl TrollMan into the vat without incident, though he was prepared for the Navi's inevitable resistance.

Summary:

1. Dodge
2. Rage Claw (40 DMG, Slashing) to TrollMan
3. Dodge
4. Rage Claw (20 DMG, Impact) to throw TrollMan into oil
((Bump))
"Fah! What right do you have to tell a creature such as me what sort of horrible cauldron I ought to use for boiling knights? Know your place!" the troll growled in response, raising its club into the air menacingly. He swung his club towards Durandal, but came up short as the knight moved nimbly out of its path. Durandal's claw failed as well, however; TrollMan blocked it using his own club.

"R-Really? General Yasu sent you? Wow...!" the soldier responded with stars in his eyes. Apparently it would be considered a real honor for Yasu to give a crap about him.

TrollMan waved his gnarled club in the air and gnashed his teeth. "Be silent, Princess! Can you not see that even now, my battle with the foolish knight reaches its climax?!" the creature raved. Durandal caught TrollMan mid-rant and threw him face-first towards the cauldron. While he didn't quite land in it, he did strike his face against the metal. The cauldron itself tipped and released its load down the side of the tower.

Rubbing his hooked nose, the creature stumbled back up to his feet. "You put up a good fight, but I hold the cards!" the creature boasted, grabbing up his hostage and hoisting him above his head. "One more move and I'll send this maid tumbling over the side of the tower!" It occurred to Durandal that if the soldier was not bound, either he or the soldier could likely take out the troll with only a single man's power.

Durandal's own claw had blunted through overuse; he would have to find a new weapon.

NS Footsoldier: 100 HP (top of tower) (bound and held)
TrollMan: 30 HP (top of tower) (rageclaw: 5 uses) (carrying soldier)
Evil Tower: ??? HP (Durandal can climb up onto this, it's 4 movements tall)
Front Door: 30 HP
Drawbridge: 50 HP (drawn up)
Pot of Boiling Oil: DELETED!
Giant Boulder: 100 HP (at edge of staircase)

Yasu: 340 HP (at bottom of tower)
Durandal: 80HP (at top of tower)

Terrain: 60% Normal, 40% Onsen (surrounding tower)
((Standing on tower, door, or drawbridge will count as normal terrain; if scaling the tower, it's 4 movements to the top after getting on))
"Halt," Durandal spoke as Trollman hefted the soldier above his head. "I yield." He sheathed his sword to emphasize his statement.

"You do?" Katherine asked over their private line.

"Of course not," Durandal answered over the same line. "However, I cannot let that soldier come to harm. I need to buy time to form a plan."

"Aye," Durandal continued so that the troll could hear him. "Thou art formidable indeed. I can see why yonder battle maiden has tasked me with rescuing her subordinate. I was meant to attempt to free him while she worked on undoing thy evil magics. Aye, know this foul Trollman, Yasu has weakened thine influence. If thou toss the soldier from thine tower, he can simply jack out to be free of thy clutches. Thou may hold power within this ruin, but thy strength means naught once past its walls."

"Good thinking," Katherine said privately. "Now, if the troll tosses the soldier, he knows that he can just jack out. I'm going to send you the MagBolt just in case. Maybe you can use it to pull the soldier toward you if things go south. I'm also sending a few other chips as well."

Durandal activated the MagBolt, allowing invisible lines of magnetic force to leech out from his body as he talked.

"Thou are quite clever, tis true. In single combat, I have no doubt that thy prowess would overcome most men. However, thou have little chance of escaping thy tower now. General Yasu has weakened thy power and, even know, her armies are marching forth to reclaim their lost one."

As he spoke, the tendrils of force slithered across the space between Durandal and the captive soldier. The ropes of magnetism slid over the soldier, encompassing him and linking him to Durandal's armored frame. Durandal was the heavier of the two and so, logically, the soldier would be drawn toward the knight instead of the other way around.

"Thou have no chance of true victory. Release thy captive if thou wish to avoid punishment."

Durandal readied himself to make his move. If he had miscalculated, the captive would go tumbling over the side of the tower. Durandal hoped that the Navi would be smart enough to jack out before he hit the ground, but there was no guarantee.

Durandal made his move. The knight tugged on the invisible strands of force, hopefully pulling the soldier from Trollman's grasp and through the air toward Durandal. The Navi tried not to hurt the soldier, but there was no guarantee when improvising battlechips. He tried to catch the soldier with the curve of his left arm, leaving his right arm free to attack Trollman.

Durandal channeled the energy from his next battlechip into his right hand, forming a trio of iron daggers covered in a layer of frost. The Navi swung his arm up toward Trollman, releasing the daggers in the process. Hopefully, the arcing projectiles would catch his opponent off-guard and finish the battle.

Durandal was prepared for a continued assault. He raised his right arm, forming a massive tower shield that warded him and the soldier from Trollman. He was confident that the shield would absorb at least a couple of slams from the troll's club. It needed to last long enough for him to get between the soldier and the troll; to mount some sort of defense until he could defeat his opponent and rescue the captive.

Summary:
1. Inform Soldier/attempt to talk down Trollman
2. Use MagBolt1 to snatch soldier away while trying not to kill him
3. AquaNeedle1 (20x3 Aqua DMG) to Trollman
4. Ironshield1 (2-hit Shield + Status Guard) to protect self
The Neo-Shogun soldier, upon hearing all of this, groaned and realized how stupid he'd been. "Forgot I could do that, sorry," he apologized quickly to Durandal, then promptly disappeared from TrollMan's hands.

"Braaah! How dare you allow my princess to escape and threaten me with your reinforcements? You may win today, but soon I shall bring forth a dark horde of my troll brethren and-!" the navi started, then raised his fists into the air. Unfortunately, the steel braces he wore around his wrists attracted him forward towards Durandal mid-speech, which resulted in TrollMan being flung off the tower as Durandal had once feared the soldier might be. "A pox upon your hoooooooome!"

The creature fell into its own moat with a satisfying splash, then EJO'd.

Durandal was left with many questions, but no answers. The Neo-Shogun Army general had already left the scene and all other parties involved had either ejected or jacked out.

NS Footsoldier: JACK OUT
TrollMan: EJO
Evil Tower: ??? HP (Durandal can climb up onto this, it's 4 movements tall)
Front Door: 30 HP
Drawbridge: 50 HP (drawn up)
Pot of Boiling Oil: DELETED!
Giant Boulder: 100 HP (at edge of staircase)

Yasu: JACK OUT
Durandal: 80HP (at top of tower)

Terrain: 60% Normal, 40% Onsen (surrounding tower)
((Standing on tower, door, or drawbridge will count as normal terrain; if scaling the tower, it's 4 movements to the top after getting on))

--BATTLE 5 COMPLETE--

GET: 700 Zenny, MudSeed x1
"What just happened?" Katherine asked, slightly flabbergasted at the turn of events.

"I know not," Durandal admitted. "Though, to be honest, I no longer really care."

"Well, at least that soldier got out alright, I guess."

"The troll seems to have left behind a few items. We might as well make us of them."

"Might as well. Anyway, I'm done here. Go ahead and jack out."

"Aye."

Durandal gathered up his reward and vanished from the top of the tower in a flash of light.

[Jack-Out]