Crisis/Ice

Picking up the Zenny data from the waters, Eternalis transferred it to the PET and went along with Aurora to explore the depths of Sharo even further.

[Battle 4 - Start!]
As if on cue, a small group of viruses appeared, like many times, before. Unlike many times before, however, this involved watery...things, and what resembled giant piles of rocks with heads. And fists. Oh, those fists. If one was hit by them, that would probably lead to a seriously wrecked day. Might be something to keep in mind. Or not. Whichever works.

RaingearA: 80 HP
RaingearB: 80 HP
RaingearC: 80 HP
CraggerA: 120 HP
CraggerB: 120 HP

Eternalis: 140 HP
Aurora: 40 HP

Terrain: 100% Ice

=====BATTLE 4, A BATTLE OF FISTS...AND NON-FISTS=====
-----BEGIN!-----
Viruses, Harke. All new, all very dangerous-looking. Information up, please, Eternalis requested as he eyed the group. This battle didn't look too hard, and he'd be able to finish them off in a quick blast or two. Nothing to it, easy pickings, clean, he thought. That last battle was a sort of hit-in-the-dark, surprise-laden affair, and he would like to avoid that kind of thing for the near future.

Harke broke his Navi's line of thought with the readings from the Virus database, reciting it as he'd done before. All right, what we've got here are Raingears, which blast water at you, 80HP, and those golem things are Craggers, 120HP. They do things golems do and bash you. The Raingears should be dealt with promptly by a quick WindRacket, and the Wideshot can potentially freeze the Craggers till we can do something better with them.

Alright, that seems good. Anything else for the road? Eternalis inquired before getting ready to approach the viruses.

Can I have the shotgun again, please? Aurora chimed in, eager to join in the action as well.

Don't see why not, Harke replied as he grabbed the appropriate chips and slotted them in. Let's go! Windracket, Wideshot, slot in! Shotgun, SP transfer!

Both of them having received their respective weaponry, Eternalis and Aurora both turned to each other and nodded with a small 'hm' as an affirmative. Eternalis began to gather the winds at his hands once more as he began to dissipate into it. A small gale of wind blew through where he stood as he took himself with it, superheating into steam and speeding off towards the viruses. The gale dropped him off behind the viruses as he returned to his normal form, right fist drawn back.

Surprise.

The fist was brought forward in a swift motion and released as he traced the virus' arrangement with a pointed finger, directing an invisible blade of air through their ranks. Then, not wasting any time, his hand quickly reconfigured itself for a cannon shot. The triple-barreled WideShot roared mightily in his arm-output as he charged the energy cannon to its peak threshold. Aiming for the Cragger next, the blue barrel was pointed directly in their way, firing three blasts of pressurised water towards the viruses' unsuspecting backsides. With his work done, Eternalis then set upon a defensive position, ready to dash away in any direction, should the viruses decide to turn back in his.

Meanwhile, Aurora loaded her shotgun for a good shot. Her visor began to pick up on the most likely targets for deletion, the Raingears. Raising the firearm, she put the barrel to her cheek as the gun's energyshots primed themselves for firing, the end of the barrel glowing a faint white. Aided by the targeting reticules of her visor, Aurora set her sights on her targets and let loose a shot towards her prey.

< Damage Shared >
= Eternalis.EXE =
(*) Aquatic Defense: Aurora (5HP Barrier)
(1) Vapor Reassimilation: Self (Teleport) to behind virus group
(2) WindRacket: RaingearA/B/C (100, Wide, Microburst)
(3) WideShot: CraggerA/B/RaingearC (Aqua 60, Freeze?)
(4) Dodge
(*) Aegean Water: Any if necessary (Heal 10 x7)

= Aurora.SP =
(1) Shotgun: RaingearA/B (50, Spread1)
Eternalis turned into a steam, barely maintaining its shape as the frigid air nearly froze the navi shut, and appeared behind the Raingears. Waving its chip-infused arm, it was almost a sure-kill with his WindRacket...However, swinging his arm changed the navi's balanced slightly, sending his footing all over the place and misplaced the blade of air. The attack only destroyed the center Raingear while the rest was perfectly fine. In retaliation, the viruses fired a torrent of water, only to be dodged and re-countered by the wideshot. The three-way cannon hit against two targets and only froze one. The cragger that managed to evade the attack swung his arm straight down, creating a small quake that shattered the barrier. Aurora, on the sideline, readied her shotgun and fired, harming the Raingear on the far left.

RaingearA: 30 HP
RaingearB: DELETED
RaingearC: 20 HP
CraggerA: 120 HP
CraggerB: 90 HP [Frozen]

Eternalis: 140 HP [Barrier Destroyed] [Broken]
Aurora: 40 HP

Terrain: 60% Ice, 20% Normal, 20% Broken
The situation wasn't looking good as Eternalis saw himself above broken terrain. Quickly reacting, he directed himself towards better footing, and hopefully avoiding a fall. The Raingears, which should rightly have been destroyed by the WindRacket attack, were still standing, two strong. And there was something about that WideShot attack... it seemed to damage the Cragger for a lot less damage than he'd expect from the rather powerful burst of water. He turned to Aurora for confirmation by way of private link, and she complied, assessing the damage done to the integrity of the golem virus. True enough, she replied in the affirmative. Half the damage seemed to have been absorbed somehow by the golem, probably as a result of its tough body.

This looks like it's going to be a tougher fight than I thought before, Eternalis said, as if to himself, but really addressing his operator and SP. The ice was making it particularly hard to hit anything, since the enemies simply slipped out of range. Plus, there was the problem of the damage reduction ability the Craggers seemed to have.

Meanwhile, Aurora requested a chip quietly from Harke, and the operator responded. Loading the electrical chip into her data queue, she could feel that the ZapRing increased her attack's damage output, and she wasn't afraid to use it. Her yellow eyes flashed as her emblem self-illuminated, sending light down the lines of her bodysuit. She came alive as she pointed a finger towards the frozen Cragger, concentrating the damage into the tip of the finger. Then, she released the energy like a gunshot, firing the tiny energy bullet towards the golem as quiet as a mouse.

His mind stumped, Eternalis chose to go on the fly instead, requesting, FireHit, Zapring.

His hands formed into clenched fists, Eternalis activated the Firehit, engulfing both of them in graphical fire. The water seemed to boil over as he eyed potential deletions. First, he turned towards a wounded Raingear, and went for that first, throwing a hard right towards the virus. The burn from his right hand disappeared and was sent towards the Gear. Then, he turned towards a Cragger, ignoring the other Raingear. Perhaps he could at least weaken this one, if not delete it. His left fist still burning, he loaded the Zapring into it as well.

When he was finished, the fist was engulfed in a sickly yellow-coloured flame, its light reflecting off his face and accentuating his shining yellow eyes. Sparks flew off the fist, both electrical and thermal, as he threw it in a dazzling uppercut, sending the flaming fist careening towards the virus, flickering between hues of red and yellow.

= Eternalis.EXE =
(*) Aquatic Defense: Aurora (5HP Barrier)
(1) Dodge/Move off Broken Terrain
(2) FireHit1: RaingearA (Fire 60, Impact)
(3) FireHit1: CraggerA (Fire 60, Impact) - Ice Melt?
(4) ZapRing1: CraggerA (Elec 40, Stun1) (x2 Element, x2 Terrain?)
(*) Aegean Water: Any if necessary (Heal 10 x7)

= Aurora.SP =
(1) ZapRing1: CraggerB (Elec 40+5, Stun1) (x2 Terrain?, x2 Freeze?)
((You need to include when your SP executes its actions relative to your navi's actions in the summary.))

Aurora's Zapring hit its mark and stunned the frozen Cragger just as it broke free from its icy bindings. Eternalis's first Firehit bashed one of the Raingears into deletion while the second made a small dent against one of the Cragger's stony hides. The attack also had the added effect of melting the ice below it and caused the Cragger to sink slightly in a pool of water. Taking advantage of the situation, the navi launched a Zapring against the wet virus and gave it a heavy shock. The surviving Raingear moved closer to Aurora and unleashed an aquatower that blasted away the barrier while the wild flailing of the Cragger landed a powerful smash that struck both the Navi and his support program. Eternalis was able to shrug off the blow but Aurora's systems were unable to handle the damage and she was forced to EJO.

RaingearA: DELETED
RaingearB: DELETED
RaingearC: 20 HP [normal]
CraggerA: 50 HP [sea] [stun]
CraggerB: 50 HP [ice] [stun]

Eternalis: 140 HP [ice]
Aurora: EJO

Terrain: 55% Ice, 5% Sea, 20% Normal, 20% Broken
((The number on the SP action already corresponds to the time of the Navi's actions.))

Eternalis was having a ball of a time, hitting his enemies and blasting them away into the depths of the hole they called deletion. His situation was getting better, having reduced the enemy count to three and damaging the remaining enemies enough that he was confident about beating them easily. It was, he admitted, a bit slow, but still, one couldn't refuse results.

Then, his reverie was interrupted by a scream. Aaaaaahhhh!

Realization struck him. He'd left Aurora without protection! Swerving around, he managed to look at the flailing Cragger as it slammed down onto the ground, creating massive shockwaves. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the golem's desperate moves sent a particular circular wave. He could even see the yellow color of the sparks from the wave as it flew in both their directions.

As the wave reached him, he reached out in her direction, but it was all too late. The attack had reached her, and prompted her to emit that soul-scratching shriek. A call for help, denied by her master. He could only watch as the wave ravaged her still-weak frame in delayed movement, almost frame-by-frame. Then, her body hit the floor with an augmented, resounding 'thump'. It wasn't anything but a small bump.

He could only watch as his companion tried vainly to struggle back up, to keep on fighting, but succumbed to the system and disappeared off into a body of light that disappeared into nowhere. Gone.

No.

NO.

NO!!


The aquatic Navi's mental processes screamed for justification, something to balance out the horrifying scene he'd just seen. Even though he'd only really known her for an hour or so, he felt some deeper connection that he didn't know about, something he could grasp to keep himself sane. He brought the images to his memory, her smile, her attitude, her essence. Then...

Vengeance.

His yellow eyes grew dimmer as his armor thinned down, turning slowly darker and darker, settling on a deep black. The protection then changed into thread, clothing, a shirt and pants. His watery composition solidified into fair skin, his head taking on a human shape. Hair, dark blue, formed on his newly-born scalp, swept itself back as a wind blew about him, lifting the edges of his clothing as well in its wake. A grin formed itself, uncalled, unbidden, on his face. His eyes were downcast, devoid of their light.

As the transformation finished, some message was received from his operator, but his instincts ignored it. Only the data that was brought with it was considered to be useful, and the note was discarded, left to rot into junk data and fester into immaterial form, or perhaps found by some enterprising soul that happened to come across it in the wasteland of a network. Whichever came first, he didn't care.

I've got some things to deal with. Sword and RageClaw2 are attached, should be able to take out the opposition easily. Godspeed, Harke.

Energy began to radiate from his Crystal Gauntlets, except it didn't seem to look very good. Jet-black tentacles of the energetic data from the chips began to envelop both of his hands, further augmenting his anger. The gauntlets slowly shifted and slid into a much more deadly form. Enormous claws that reached the floor, rising up and down with Eternalis' slow breathing. Then, the Sword data kicked in, causing the claws to glow with an eerie blue presence, materializing in a dark sheen that showed off the raw power contained in the weapons. The presence was shrouded at first, but as the Navi's eyes met the viruses, it was starkly clear what the presence was.

It was the presence of a wild beast, hungry, nay, ravenous, for blood.

Brown hair began to emerge from Eternalis' "skin", covering him in a thin coat of fur. His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils in the yellow irises focusing solely on his prey, a Cragger golem. He cared not about his safety, nor his objectives, or even Aurora at this point. His entire conscious had been temporarily downgraded into full-instinct mode. Howling savagely, the Navi's claws extended themselves in anticipation of a kill as he lunged towards his target and unleashed his fury on the hapless stone entity.

After a few well-placed hacks and slices, he turned his attention to the other two. His saliva was beginning to flow freely between his now-sharpened canines, his breaths short and huffed. Hunched forward and legs spread out, he truly looked like he had lost his mind, and he had. Eternalis made for his other enemies quickly with a graceful leap into the air, his claws closing in on the Cragger and clamping in to deliver maximum hurt. Landing quickly on the ground, Eternalis heaved what he presumed to be his heavy load and slammed it directly onto the Gear virus, savagely growling all the while.

= Eternalis.EXE =
(*) Aquatic Defense: Self (5HP Barrier)
(*) Activate GMO [Implicity]
(*) Merge Sword/RageClaw2 - FeralClaw2: Both hands
(1/2) FeralClaw2: CraggerB (80 Slash/70 Slash)
(3/4) FeralClaw2: CraggerA/RaingearC (80 Slash: Cragger/35 Impact: Both)
(*) Aegean Water: Self if necessary (Heal 70)
Bumping?
The viruses witnessed a terrifying transformation of their enemies, but both the Craggers were stunned from the previous attack and helplessly watch as they stood still. The Raingear fired a line of water at the navi, but it was only blocked off by the barrier. Eternalis began his relentless attack with his fused claw, instantly deleting the three viruses in a blink of an eye...

RaingearA: DELETED
RaingearB: DELETED
RaingearC: DELETED
CraggerA: DELETED
CraggerB: DELETED

Eternalis: 140 HP [ice]
Aurora: EJO

Terrain: 55% Ice, 5% Sea, 20% Normal, 20% Broken

-BATTLE WON!-
600z + [WaterLine1] Battlechip
WaterLine1
Damage: 80 + Ground Attack + Line Attack
Accuracy: B
Description: Attacks with a wall of water, drowning up to 3 targets.
Duration: Once
Element: Aqua
Eternalis' breathing was still heavy and strained, the data fragments of the viruses dripping and flaking off of his gigantic claws. His maw, filled with sharpened teeth, was now stained with black viral data, fresh from the kills. Then, the rage slowly receded from his consciousness as his breathing slowed down, the feral furs disappearing back into his skin. The black claws began to unravel their dark grip on his hands, allowing them to fall off and drop onto the floors with a resounding clanking noise. The Navi fell onto the ground, knees first, tears from his formerly-bloodshot eyes wetting the icy floor. He didn't care whether he froze to death, though that was highly unlikely, given his Aqua alignment.

Then, a voice sounded from within him. E-Elly? Shock coursed through Eternalis' internal programs as he processed the source of the voice. It was kind of faint, yet he felt the voice close by.

Elly? The voice repeated, obviously wanting his attention.

A-Aurora? That you? The Navi managed to squeak out an answer to the invisible voice, dearly hoping that it wasn't some kind of hallucination side-effect or just a figment of his imagination.

Elly! I knew it was you! The voice replied, a tone of elatedness in its call. His spirits lifted, Eternalis heaved himself up from his face-down position on the floor hurriedly and took a glance around. There was nobody in sight. Was it just his imagination? If so, his subconscious processes certainly knew how to screw around with him.

Aurora? Where are you?

I'm down here! The voice was right, it did came from below his position. Surely he hadn't fallen on Aurora? If so, she'd lost a lot of weight. He looked down, and surprise, there was nobody there.

Not down there, silly! Over here! His arms. He looked at the gauntlets he was wearing, and sure enough, the blue ocean-wave pattern was lighting up in accordance to the voice. So, okay, he was holding, no, wait, wearing her. This sure made for some awkward.

How... did you get in these? He dared to inquire.

I don't know! After I got hit by that Cragger thing everything turned dark, and next thing I knew I was in here! His SP replied. Seems she was in the dark about the whole thing, too.

Um, Elly. Can we take a break from all this fighting stuff? I'm kind of tired, the SP sighed, the emblem dimming as if to confirm her statement.

Hmm, good idea, the Navi replied. How's about we take a walk into the NetSquare?

Sounds good to me! Aurora replied, excited. Let's go!

Suddenly, he felt himself being dragged towards a nearby portal and promptly disappeared into the light. Aurora, wai- And that was the end of it.