Late Night Busting

A small orb of light descended to the surface of a darkened Dentech net, then grew outward into the shape of a humanoid navi, solidifying into the form of Rachna.EXE. As soon as she finished materializing, a pair of leather boots wove themselves onto her feet, followed by a pair of silken gloves matching her robes over her hands. She paused for a moment then, apparently deciding she was satisfied, held out one hand. In it a black staff materialized, with unseen carvings wrapping around the surface and a simple crystal head adorning the top.

Rachna pointed the staff ahead of her, and the crystal head glowed brightly, illuminating the path ahead to a faint degree. "Eh, close enough," she said.

"Don't take too long, I'd like to get back to bed soon," Ellen muttered from her room in the real world.

"No, no, that's not what you're supposed to say," Rachna answered lightly. "You'e supposed to be like 'take your time and have fun.' Come on, try it."

There was no response from Ellen's end, save for a tired and disapproving groan.

"Oh, fine," Rachna pouted.

((Battle 1. Let's have some fun here))

Backed by her unenthusiastic operator, Rachna began to explore the late night version of Dentech Net. There were no Navis around, which wasn't surprising given the time. A few minutes of walking later, Rachna came across her first prospective challenge. A completely ordinary trio of Metools stood before the robed Navi unaware of her presence. The three viruses seemed too preoccupied with something: one Met was trying to balance on a stack of RockCubes while the other two watched with amazement from below.

MetoolA: 40HP (Balancing on precarious stack of RockCubes)
MetoolB: 40HP (Watching MetoolA)
MetoolC: 40HP (Watching MetoolA)

Terrain: 100% Normal

Objects:
RockCubeA: 100HP
RockCubeB: 100HP
RockCubeC: 100HP
(All are stacked on top of one another, C at the bottom and A on the top.)

Rachna.EXE: 100HP (Currently unnoticed)

Battle 1 Start!

"Hm...nobody around," Rachna observed as she made her way through the residence hall's network. "I wonder why that is..."

"Maybe because it's two in the morning?" Ellen mumbled sleepily.

"Well maybe, but this is a college campus. People stay up all hours here. Weird people, but that doesn't mean they're not there," Rachna countered. Before Ellen could articulate a response, however, the navi finally stumbled upon some form of activity: a metool performing a balancing act atop a stack of rockcubes and two others on the ground, watching.

"Ooh," she whispered, looking up at the balancing metool and...well, watching.

Ellen yawned through the radio. "Aren't you going to fight them or something?"

Rachna shrugged, switching to a private line so as not to disturb the mets. "Nah. I wanna see how this turns out." She heard another groan through the line, but ignored it and continued watching.
___

1-3: Watch the mets

Opting to do nothing and watch how the balancing Metool's show played out, Rachna simply stayed where she was. About half a minute of teetering back and forth later, the Met's show came to an abrupt end when the RockCubes finally caved and the virus came tumbling down. The other two had to hop back and run away to avoid the tower's collapse and nearly ran into Rachna. Seeing an opportunity, the Metools panicked in the other direction, taking cover behind the fallen cubes with their disoriented performing friend.

Launching an attack, one of the coherent Metools quickly realized their attacks traveled under the cubes and presumably onward toward their enemy. Said attack was easily sidestepped by Rachna, but this discovery likely meant she'd have to go get the viruses behind their cover instead of waiting for a chance.

MetoolA: 40HP (Upside down behind RockCubeB, disoriented)
MetoolB: 40HP (Hostile, behind RockCubeB)
MetoolC: 40HP (Hostile, behind RockCubeA)

Terrain: 100% Normal

Objects:
RockCubeA: 100HP
RockCubeB: 100HP
RockCubeC: 100HP
(All are in a general left-to-right line with small spaces between the cubes.)

Rachna.EXE: 100HP

"Aww," Rachna said, watching the rockcubes fall. It was a good show, right up until gravity won out and brought it to a close. Curse that gravity. One of these days, Rachna would...

The thought was cut off as the other two mets finally noticed her by means of almost bumping into her, then retreated behind the fallen cubes. One attacked through the newly-formed rock wall with a slow-moving shockwave that Rachna avoided with such wonderful evasive maneuvers as taking a step to the left.

"You three wanna play then?" she asked, twirling her staff and pointing it at the cube on the left. The head glowed, and the cube was blown back by a gust of wind.

"You're going to be serious now, then?" Ellen asked, watching the cube get forced toward the met hiding behind it.

"For a bit, sure," Rachna conceded. "Chips?"

Ellen fumbled in the dark for a few seconds, looking for her chip folder before finding it and loading up the first two her fingers found. Fortunately, with only three chips to choose from, the selection was fairly good.

Rachna activated the first, materializing a twelve-gauge shotgun in her hands. Loading it, she took aim at the center cube and let loose a shot at the rock and whatever else was behind it. Satisfied, she dismissed the shotgun and made a dash at the third cube, activating the second chip as she ran. A glove materialized over her hand, with steel talons extending from it that forced her to switch her staff to the other hand. She reached the third cube and dug her new claw-glove into it, lifting it off the ground and spinning in place before half-slamming, half-throwing it at the third metool.
___

*Gust: Knockback RockCubeA into MetoolC (I dunno. I'd assume 100 but I'm not sure if knockback is strong enough)
1. Shotgun RockCubeB - Spread to MetoolA (50+spread)
2. Move toward RockCubeC
3. RageClaw throw RockCubeC at MetoolB (20 to cube, 100 to Metool)

Getting serious with the disgruntled Metools, Rachna initiated her attack by using their cover against them. The targeted cube launched backward a few feet, smacking into the Met behind it and deleting it in transit. She then equipped herself with an intimidating Shotgun, blasting the center RockCube with it and swiftly dispatching the unfortunate performing Metool. Rachna proceeded to finish the battle by charging at the cubes (avoiding another shockwave in the process) and sinking a claw into one of them.

Lifting it up, she ended the battle the same way it had started: with falling objects.

MetoolA: DELETED
MetoolB: DELETED
MetoolC: DELETED

Terrain: 100% Normal

Objects:
RockCubeA: 100HP
RockCubeB: 100HP
RockCubeC: 80HP
(All are in a general left-to-right line with small spaces between the cubes.)

Battle 1 Complete!

Rachna.EXE: 100HP
Rewards: Guard1, 200z

"Aaand, rock falls, everyone dies," Rachna quipped, stepping past the rockcube wreckage to collect the spoils. "What was I doing again?"

Ellen groaned. "You were trying to find what caused that blackout. But if anything was still there when you got there it's probably long gone by now." She yawned. "You should really just jack ou-"

"Blackout, right!" Rachna interrupted, bouncing a little as she continued past the cubes and deeper into the dormitory network.

((Battle 2))

As Rachna delved deeper into the dorm's network, she happened upon a group of viruses jumping around each other, looking like they were playing some kind of game. They were playing on a very large field of glass, with a green diamond glowing smack in the middle of the field. From the looks of the one virus chasing every other one, it probably was tag, or some viral derivative of it. Rachna could just make out a Melody out in the distance, along with a trio of Bunnies being chased by it.

They seemed to be having quite the time. Should she interrupt or anything?

(Viruses are about 2 movements away.)
Melody A: 80HP
Bunny A: 50HP
Bunny B: 50HP
Bunny C: 50HP

Green Mystery Data: 20HP [Middle of viruses/field]

Rachna.EXE: 100HP (Ignored/unnoticed in favour of game of tag)

Terrain: 70% Glass, 30% Normal

-BATTLE TWO, START!!-

Rachna's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the green diamond ahead of her. "Hey hey, I know what that is~" she sang, only barely noticing the viruses playing tag around it. She started toward it, only to be stopped by Ellen's response.

"A trap?"

"No, a present for me," Rachna countered, waving off Ellen's suspicions. The pause did, however, get her to notice and pay more mind to the viruses. There were four of them, and only three of them were likely to go down easily. Of course, Rachna didn't want to take them down. She just wanted her mystery data, and the viruses could go on with their game as if she was never there. Assuming, of course, that they didn't object to her taking it.

It seemed a distraction was in order.

As she thought this, Rachna realized that she had closed a good portion of the distance between her and the green diamond. Smiling, she summoned a gust of wind to drag it close, at which point she grabbed it and conjured a copy of herself between the data and the viruses, making it twirl around to seem like she was actually turning to put herself between the viruses and the mystery data.

As an extra treat, she conjured an extra object in her own hands, using the mystery data she had just grabbed to model her new creation after it, then slung it over her decoy at the virus group. Satisfied, she turned and ran like hell.
___

1. Move toward GMD
*Gust: Pull GMD to self
2. Copy: Summon decoy between self and viruses
*Sundry: Through object looking like a GMD at viruses (aimed to distract rather than hit, but 5 null if it hits something)
3. Grab GMD and run like hell

The Melody had just tagged one of the Bunnies, when it realized that the GMD in the middle was moving. It hopped around the green diamond to ascertain the motion, and was promptly rewarded with the data flying in its face, to be drawn up to Rachna. Getting up, it saw the decoy put up by Rachna, and leapt at it angrily, as did the Bunnies, which fired their electrical ringsat it as well. They were even more enraged to find the attacked to be a fake, and started to chase after the real one. They were swiftly placated, however, when the fake GMD dropped in front of them, and let the fleeing Navi go.

In Rachna's hands, the data slowly started to decode itself...

(Viruses are about 3 movements away.)
Melody A: 80HP
Bunny A: 50HP
Bunny B: 50HP
Bunny C: 50HP

Green Mystery Data: 20HP [Obtained!]

Rachna.EXE: 100HP (Ignored/unnoticed in favour of game of tag)

Terrain: 70% Glass, 30% Normal

-BATTLE TWO, NOT-VICTORY!!-

Rewards:
GMD: [WhiteWeb1] Battlechip

The data decoded as Rachna escaped from the viruses, unwrapping a brand new and, to her, fun-looking chip for her to play with later.

"See, Ellen? Coming here this late at night isn't so bad after all," she said, only to get a groan in response. "Try to stay awake there," the navi added, "We're not done just yet."

((Battle 3? Maybe?))

A ways from the site of Rachna's last encounter, she came across a series of bookshelves lined up in aisles. It was probably some sort of electronic library for the network. It couldn't have been a very important library though, as numerous viruses were currently inhabiting the spaces between and around the shelves. A metallic insect shuffled around in one of the aisles, while several floating viruses circled the bookshelves aimlessly.

One of the floating Boomer viruses noticed Rachna standing a fair distance away and headed in her direction to find out what she was. The viruses probably wouldn't take too kindly to someone infringing on their stolen territory.

BoomerA: 60HP (Approaching Rachna, not quite hostile yet)
BoomerB: 60HP (Circling shelves)
BoomerC: 60HP (Circling shelves)
Magneaker: 70HP (Between two bookshelves)

Terrain: 100% Normal

Rachna.EXE: 100HP

Battle 3, Semi-Start!

Rachna continued toward the set of bookcases, hunching over and creeping in a manner that Ellen could only assume was supposed to appear sneaky until she reached the nearest one. The bookcase rose only around twice her height from the floor, an easy enough height to clear if she were up for an obstacle course. Meanwhile, she could sense a small number of viruses creeping around the small electronic library, viruses that hadn't seemed to have recognized her for what she was just yet.

Like the last group, she cared little for these viruses. Though there was no mystery data present for her to claim and run off with, there were still many fun things to be done on her way to whatever source or after-effects of the blackout she might find.

This in mind, she took a leap for the top of the bookcase, magically propelling herself the ten or so feet needed to clear and land on the top.

"Goodnight," she whispered down to the virus group. "Have fun lurking."

That said, she took off across the tops of the bookshelves, jumping between each one as she hopefully left the viruses behind.
___

1. Airstep-assisted jump to top of bookcase.
2-3. Run off and leave the viruses behind/escape attempt

Propelling herself up to one of the bookshelves, Rachna attempted to make herself scarce and ran around on top of the wooden surface quietly, her robe silently fluttering as she went. The earlier Boomer, having reached her previous location, was confused to find nothing there, and assumed it was seeing things. The other viruses did not hear or see her in the dark, and her escape was unhindered.

Terrain: 100% Normal

Rachna.EXE: 100HP [Escape Successful!]

Once far enough away that she could be sure the viruses were left in the dust far behind, Rachna stopped running across the tops of the shelves. She lowered herself slowly down one side, then dropped the rest of the way to the floor.

"Erm...are you sure you even need me now?" Ellen asked, her slowed, tired mind having only just fully processed that her navi had just run off and abandoned another situation that might potentially require her assistance.

Rachna shrugged. "No idea." She added, teasing, "Better stay up just in case."

((Next battle. I think Twi calls it from here.))

[Modlocked]

Rachna continues her jaunt along the bookcases, robes fluttering in the wind behind her as she runs. It's almost a little hard to keep balanced up here, even with how wide the bookshelves are.
-fzzt-
Rachna stops for a moment after she loses the viruses. Did she hear something just now...?
-fZZt-
There is it again. The noise, closer now, sounds like a strange, dissonant mix between the wind and a beehive. Rachna gets the feeling that she's heard it before, but can't quite place it-
-FZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT-
-CHKCHKCHKCHKCHKCHKCHHHHHHHHHHHSH-
The noise changes again, this time blasting her ears with a loud burst of static, followed by something that sounds peculiarly like a stove failing to start up. The latter noise eventually devolves into a sea of static-
-Chhhhhhssssssshhhshshhhhhhh-
-that continues even now.

Listening closely, Rachna figures out that the noise is coming from dead ahead... despite the strange way it seems to be coming from everywhere at once, she definitely gets the feeling that the source is ahead of her.

As Rachna stepped forward, continuing to walk again, Ellen began grumbling from the real world once more. "Listen, Rachna, there's nothing here, there's not going to be anything here anymore, and you're not doing anything productive, so can we please just call it a night so I can go back to sleep? I promise I'll let you explore here as much as you want after class tomorrow, just not-" She stopped talking as the navi raised a hand and made a sharp "shh" noise.

Rachna had stopped walking halfway through Ellen's complaint, slowly turning around on the spot. Now that the killjoy of a human was no longer talking, she could hear more clearly. But hear what? There was nothing now...
-fZZt-
The conjurer turned slowly in another 360 as the sound made itself known again, faint but still clearly audible. Static, some form of static, probably. "Did you hear that?" By the time she asked, however, the noise had gone out again.

"Hear what?" Of course she'd say that. Rachna opened her mouth to respond when the noise returned, steadily increasing in intensity. Definitely static. Though she could hear it all around, she found herself walking, slowly, straight ahead. One step later and she visibly recoiled as the noise escalated into a piercing blast then gave way into something even more unpleasant for several seconds before fading once more into static.

"Nothing going to be here, was it?" she asked Ellen, continuing to take slow, cautious steps forward.

Rachna continues forward, taking slow, halting steps. The static grows louder as she moves onward, and trepidation begins to creep up within her for no discernable reason, almost as if she is inherently rejecting this place... or it is rejecting her.
Kshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.............
Creaaaaaaaaaaaaaak....

Rachna hears a sound that is distinct even among the static, stopping just in time to see the bookcase she was about to step on drift lazily upward. Rachna sees movement out of the corner of her eye- and then everywhere at once as the bookcases all around her continue their gravity-defying display, twirling slowly about as they rise through the air-
turn back
-Rachna is snapped out of her reverie when she spots something... odd in the air above, almost like a tear or a rip in the space. The inside of it is pure static.
don't come in here
It would appear Rachna has found the source of the strange noise.

Rachna's already halting movements slowed even more as she pushed forward into the network, unease dragging on her steps. The static, gradually increasing in intensity, felt like it was trying to push her away, to force her back out of the dormitory network's library.

And for some reason the bookcases had just started floating.

Rachna's gaze slowly drifted upward, lazily following the ascent of the bookshelves-
what was that
Her eyes locked onto a single point above her, occupying which was a rip in netspace, open enough for her to see a sea of static within, contrasting sharply with the dulled and darkened late night network. The noise, as well, seemed to be coming from this anomaly.

As she watched, she was overcome with the urge to touch it, to poke it with a stick, to do something other than simply staring at it. Acting on this, she raised her staff and stretched it toward the rip, to no effect. As if in response to this failure, however, the head of the staff began to glow.

"Don't shoot it!" Ellen hissed from the real world, but too late. As she spoke, a small burst of raw magic erupted from the tip of the staff and shot at the tear.

The blast sails through the air, banks off of two bookcases, and then sails straight into the 'tear'.
KsssSHHHHTshhhhh
While the static gets louder for the split second that the blast passes through, it would appear that the 'tear' is more portal than object. Nothing else of importance really happens afterward... although it wouldn't be an entirely unfair bet to wager that there's more bookcase than air in the space above Rachna now.
No no no no no no no