Sea and Sand

The Shotgun finished off one of the Dynamites while the other one laid down another bomb. It didn't matter because it was also quickly deleted by a MarkCannon. With all the viruses defeated, the remaining bombs seemed to deactivate themselves and fade away. The group also left behind a tidy sum of zenny. Viralman also healed himself a lot before the battle routine completely ended.

DynamiteA: DELETED
DynamiteB: DELETED
DynamiteC: DELETED
KillPlantA: DELETED
KillPlantB: DELETED
KillPlantC: DELETED

Terrain: 55% Mud, 15% Soil, 20% Sea (scattered), 5% Grass, 5% Normal

Viralman.EXE: 80 HP [soil]

[Battle 6 - Victory!]

Get: 1200z
And finally it was over. ViralMan breathed a silent sigh of relief as he escaped the sea of mud and wiped off as much as he could. "It's official. I hate mud," he complained, stretching. "We need some way to change the lay of the land if it isn't working out for us."

Zeo appeared thoughtful. "There's probably some way to do it. I'll run a search on changing the terrain the Net serves up." ViralMan nodded in agreement. "Check mud first, please," the Navi ordered with a grimace. "While you're doing that, mind if I keep going?" ViralMan collected the tidy sum of zenny while he waited for a reply.

Closing the browser he had opened, Zeo adopted a look of concern. "If you run into more mud, it could turn out badly. But considering that you hated the stuff and you don't look too worried, I suppose you're ready." The boy closed his eyes in thought. "Fine, go. Just watch where you step."

ViralMan didn't need to be told twice as he walked away from the mud.

((Battle 7, 80HP))
Viralman found a large cluster of something as he entered a particularly sandy area of the network. It was hard to tell and the haze from the desert made it seem like an oasis. When he drew closer, he we delighted to find a mystery data. However, it was heavily, HEAVILY guarded by three windboxes aimed in different directions with several Elmperors situated between the cracks. The mystery data sat in the middle of their formation. As he drew closer, the windboxes activated and began to create a massive sandstorm, obscuring vision and practically preventing Viralman from getting any closer.

ElmperorA: 100 HP [lava]
ElmperorB: 100 HP [lava]
ElmperorEXA: 140 HP [ice]
ElmperorEXB: 140 HP [ice]
WindBoxA: 100 HP [sand]
WindBoxB: 100 HP [sand]
WindBoxC: 100 HP [sand]

GMD: 35 HP [sand]

Terrain: 80% Sand, 10% Ice, 10% Lava [sandstorm]

Viralman.EXE: 80 HP [sand]

[Battle 7 - Begin!]
"Shit."

"Took the words right out of my mouth. Those don't look fun," Zeo sighed. "I'm going to run a search on how we can make this situation better. See what you can gather from watching them." A soft beep informed ViralMan that his operator had opened another window. On my own... with viruses I've never seen in the middle of a sandstorm. Suicide mission, go.

ViralMan tried to focus on some of the viruses to get some inkling of what they were capable of. Through the sandstorm, that was a bit difficult. He had caught sight of a Mystery Data beyond the viruses, but at this point even reaching it was out of the question. I doubt they'll go after it specifically. Even if they did, I'll be happy to escape this battle alive, ViralMan thought.

"Okay!" Zeo shouted as he closed a browser. "Fire will remove that sand!" His Navi remained silent. "...what's up? We know, so we can fight now." ViralMan threw his hands up in frustration. "Sure! Let's use our many large area fire chips to remove the sand! Please think before speaking," he admonished. "Well, try your best then," Zeo said somewhat dejectedly, sliding both of his Heatshot chips into the PET.

ViralMan looked down at the sand around his feet, then up at the storm before him. It was like someone had made a lighter version of hell. Like his op had said though, he had to try. Holding up both arms, he began to walk to the side with some effort through the sand. His arms were soon formed into twin gray cannons radiating pure heat. He pointed one at the center WindBox and one at another. At least, I think I have them targeted... The sandstorm was playing havoc with his vision, visor or no visor. He angled his arms down a bit from their original positions before firing. Hitting the ground may do something even if I miss completely, ViralMan thought optimistically. Both shots rocketed off through the sandstorm, hopefully not affected too much by the torrent.

"There's only one chip that could be really effective in this storm," ViralMan said aloud. Zeo glanced upward in thought. "BlackBomb?" he guessed. Shaking his head, ViralMan began moving again. "Other than that. MarkCannon, please."

Understanding his Navi's obvious reasoning, Zeo sent the chip as soon as he had located it in his stash of battlechips. "Good luck, marksman," the boy laughed, trying to keep the mood positive. ViralMan picked up on his operator's intentions but gave no indication of it, save for a small hidden smile. Before the MarkCannon had even manifested on his arm, ViralMan was pointing his outstretched hand at one of the WindBoxes he'd shot at before. Taking out one of the viruses causing the sandstorm would likely cause it to lessen. Whether it actually would ViralMan had no idea. The targeting reticule flashed briefly before giving a relatively loud beeping noise. Just a second after the sound rang out, the cannon fired with an even louder bang. Godspeed, bullet or whatever this thing fires. ViralMan shook his head to clear it and wiped some congealed sand off his helmet.

He moved back from the viruses to increase his odds of avoiding whatever the lamp things had to throw at him. With his feet nearly trapped in the sand however, ViralMan was unsure just how good his odds were. It was this or a Guard, and ViralMan wanted to see what the viruses were capable of with no obstructions. His healing program kicked in as he waited, repairing damage to his body that he had wouldn't worsen in the next half minute.

1. Heatshot angled towards ground at WindBoxB (40, Spread 1, change Sand panels to Glass on contact)
2. Heatshot angled towards ground at WindBoxC (40, Spread 1, change Sand panels to Glass on contact)
3. MarkCannon1 to WindBoxC (70, Lock-on, Seeking)
4. Dodge
Passive: Data Absorption (+15HP heal)
One Heatshot scorched through the Windbox it was aimed at and struck one of the larger Elmperor viruses, melting sand and ice (40, 40). The second Heatshot, slightly blown off target, only struck the virus though it also melted more of the sand into glass (40). Viralman's MarkCannon locked on despite the sandy conditions and deleted one of the giant fans. The sandstorm continued to rage, albeit slightly less violently. A jet of red flame blasted through the sand veil and hit Viralman (30) prompting him to move out of the way right before a second blue wave washed over where he was just standing. The viruses' attacks had converted more of the sand to lava and sea panels. The damaged Elmperor then healed itself (+70) as Viralman did the same (+15). At least the mystery data was unharmed.

ElmperorA: 100 HP [lava]
ElmperorB: 100 HP [lava]
ElmperorEXA: 140 HP [ice]
ElmperorEXB: 140 HP [sea]
WindBoxA: 100 HP [sand]
WindBoxB: 60 HP [glass]
WindBoxC: DELETED

GMD: 35 HP [sand]

Terrain: 55% Sand, 5% Ice, 15% Sea, 15% Lava, 10% Glass [sandstorm]

Viralman.EXE: 65 HP [sand]
"Alright, we're in business... and pain," ViralMan groaned, gingerly rubbing a burn on his arm. "They use fire, and they heal themselves somehow. If those ones shooting blue stuff are aqua type, they shouldn't pose a problem once we can actually get in a good shot."

"The Heatshots didn't work out too terribly. Why not try to fry them now?" Zeo proposed, studying the terrain the fire both his Navi and the enemy had created. "It's shiny... glass. There could be some way to use it to our advantage, but I'd rather focus on other things now. Let's start off with some covering fire, less likely to get affected by the storm." He navigated some menus on the PET, initiating a transformation of ViralMan's right arm.

Examining his Viral Vulcan, the armed Navi squinted through the sandstorm to locate his targets. The one WindBox was gone, but it didn't appear to have much effect on his visibility. ViralMan was surprised he'd gotten hit by a flamethrower in this. Then again, I was standing in sand, his mind argued. "Moot point anyway," he grumbled to himself sternly, aiming at the weakened WindBox. First target. ViralMan let loose a burst of gunfire at the previously damaged virus before shifting his fire across the battlefield to focus on the other annoying blowhard. Unsure of where to aim his next burst, he picked one of the red lamps and continued the assault. The main target had been the WindBoxes anyway.

With that attack still not being enough to remove the enemies, ViralMan scanned his database of chips for something else appropriate. He didn't find anything particularly useful. "Lacking in appropriate firepower here," he alerted his operator. "I know," Zeo replied. "The least you can do is try to finish off one of those WindBoxes. Shotgun inbound."

True to his word, Zeo sent the simple weapon a second later. ViralMan wasn't too concerned about aiming the shot; he would do it like any other... in a raging sandstorm. "No problem, right?" he asked rhetorically. Wiping more sand off his helmet, he pointed his Shotgun arm at the other WindBox he'd hit with a Heatshot. Provided that enough of his vulcan had made contact, this would end it. ViralMan fired, sending the yellowish energy shot flying at the virus. He briefly wondered how much luck he was going to get in this situation. Not much more, I'd bet, he thought. Now how to add something worthwhile to this terrible attack...?

An unexpected answer came in the form of a random ElecReel appearing on ViralMan's arm. The weight pained his arm for a moment before he got his other hand on it to support the orange crackling device. "It's going to miss, you know," he stated firmly to Zeo. Zeo made an obviously fake smile in return. "Whatever you say," he replied, making it clear he disagreed.

Even doubting his chances of making a hit, ViralMan knew what he wanted to target with the hefty electric weapon. A particularly dense bit of sand forced him to search harder until the larger lamps were in sight and targeted. ViralMan waited for the ElecReel to charge up by walking slowly to his said, wary of another fire attack. When the end of the reel began to crackle with wild electricity, he lifted it up higher and checked his aim again. There wasn't much to it; either the bolt came close enough and fried things, or the sandstorm somehow threw it off. ViralMan didn't know if lightning did anything to sand, but he hoped it was nothing bad if anything. Less pessimistic thinking, more optimistic firing!" his mind cried out. The ElecReel proceeded to launch a steady stream of raw electricity across the field. The beam gave out just as a wave of sand obstructed his view.

"And the rest is up to chance, I suppose. I don't like chance," ViralMan said. Even with a more optimistic outlook, Zeo frowned. "Come on, it can work." He avoided being any more positive for fear (and no need) of a rebuttal by his Navi, who seemed more preoccupied with healing himself at the moment.

1. Viral Vulcan to ElmperorA, WindBoxA, WindBoxB (30)
2. Shotgun to WindBoxB (50, Spread 1)
3. ElecReel1 to ElmperorEXA, ElmperorEXB, WindBoxA (80, +100% to ElmperorEXs due to terrain)
4. Dodge
Passive: Data Absorption (+15HP heal)
A combination of blind attacks through the storm struck a bunch of targets and when the wind began to die down, Viralman could see the results of his attack. The majority of viruses had been wiped out, but sadly the GMD had also been caught in one of his attacks. It was impossible to tell what destroyed it, but the damage was done. Only two Elmperors were left standing. One of them launched a flamethrower that Viralman could see coming a mile away, but he found dodging on sand was tiring and couldn't find the strength to avoid a second fiery jet from the other virus (30). The floor between Viralman and the virus that had attacked him changed to a stream of fresh magma as they both healed from their respective damages (+50) (+15).

ElmperorA: 100 HP [lava]
ElmperorB: 100 HP [lava]
ElmperorEXA: DELETED
ElmperorEXB: DELETED
WindBoxA: DELETED
WindBoxB: DELETED
WindBoxC: DELETED

GMD: DELETED

Terrain: 35% Sand, 5% Ice, 15% Sea, 35% Lava, 10% Glass

Viralman.EXE: 50 HP [lava]
As an aside, ViralMan noticed the Mystery Data had been blown up by something or other. He was more focused on how he'd gotten his wish for different terrain. Painfully hot terrain. "Ack, that's hot," he cried out, the relief from being free of the sand lessening the pain somewhat. "Out of the counter and into the frying pan, or whatever it is. Leaving now," he said.

ViralMan began to sprint off the lava. There was quite a bit of it. "Hold on, ViralMan," Zeo called. "I have an idea." Busy being burnt, the Navi kept moving. "Fine, I'll do it," the boy said after realizing ViralMan wouldn't listen. "DashAttack, slot in, for what it's worth."

Instantly ViralMan noticed a change. Rather than sprinting across the searing patch, he was now barely feeling it as he glided along, an odd green object attached to his hand. "What the he-" he broke off as moving his hand caused him to turn drastically. Zeo sighed. "Steer! Steer!" he shouted. "Go for those lamps!" ViralMan refrained from nodding and throwing off his balance he had going. Instead he barely adjusted his hand and flew straight for the Elmperors. By some miracle, he was able to come in from the side and line them up relatively well. After that it was a simple matter of flying at them, which he did. Once he'd made a direct tackle through them, the object on his arm disappeared.

He guessed he didn't have long before the viruses either attacked him or healed. Not too keen on either one, ViralMan picked an appropriate chip and ordered it. "BubbleStar! Let's end it!" he yelled to Zeo. Zeo smiled and responded by enthusiastically sliding the chip into the PET. "Go get 'em!" he encouraged his Navi.

Smirking, ViralMan drew back his right hand. He waited until the starfish beside him had fully materialized before speaking. "Thanks for the terrain change, but you have to go," he taunted. Swinging his arm out to point at the two lamp viruses, he indicated the starfish's targets. Said fish proceeded to produce multiple bubbles and fire them off in rapid succession. ViralMan hadn't seen the viruses move yet, and hoped he was right in guessing that they couldn't. If they couldn't, the only one he could blame for missing was the starfish. And that would be hard, seeing as the thing just disappeared, he thought. ViralMan backed away from where the Elmperors had been, making sure he wasn't standing on any more hazardous terrain.

"That DashAttack chip was fun, huh?" Zeo laughed. "You have Albatross to thank for that." Sighing heavily, ViralMan crossed his arms while his healing program took effect. "I got the feeling that was the case while I was flying around a few seconds ago."

1. DashAttack off of lava to ElmperorA, B (90)
2. BubbleStar1 to ElmperorA, B (20, +100% due to terrain, element)
3. Move back to Sand if on Lava
4. Dodge
Passive: Data Absorption (+15HP heal)
DashAttacking over a line of lava probably wasn't the most pleasant experience Viralman ever had (5), but he did manage to strike both his targets with the high speed charge (90, 90). His close proximity to the two viruses ensured his Bubblestar's accuracy as the two viruses were deleted (40, 40). However, close proximity also meant stopping in a large pool of lava (5). At least he was able to find the time to get off and heal the damage from his minor burns and then some (+15).

ElmperorA: DELETED
ElmperorB: DELETED
ElmperorEXA: DELETED
ElmperorEXB: DELETED
WindBoxA: DELETED
WindBoxB: DELETED
WindBoxC: DELETED

GMD: DELETED

Terrain: 35% Sand, 5% Ice, 15% Sea, 35% Lava, 10% Glass

Viralman.EXE: 55 HP [sand]

[Battle 7 - Victory!]

Get: 1300z
"Welp, that's that," ViralMan said wearily. "Too bad about the Mystery Data, but that's a nice sum of zenny there," he pointed out, walking over to the remains of the viruses to collect it.

As he did, Zeo checked over the Navi's condition. "I think I'll be getting you out of there, ViralMan. We've done enough for one run." After collecting the zenny data, ViralMan stood up straight and nodded. "Fine, I've had enough of these annoying viruses anyway." With that agreement, Zeo pressed a button on his PET.

In a flash, ViralMan beamed upward and out of the network.