I Kotobuki, it weighed 28.3 ounces

A beam of light struck from the heavens, forming Divina right outside her temple's entrance warp. "...This is a little odd, now that I think about it. I'm usually in a home page, or your PET...to be out here where I could be attacked at any moment? It's a strange feeling..."

"Worry not, your grace, I'm here and ready to support you to the best of my ability."

"Very true. Now, let's see who we have for neighbors!" After picking a direction, she started floating forward, getting started on checking Kotobuki Area out.

(Searching for 'Battle' #1)
Upon making her debut into the wilds of the Kotobuki nets, Divina would soon find herself wandering into a region with a slightly unusual atmosphere. It was open for the most part, with a few rises and dips, and the area itself seemed to be mostly grassy underfoot. The peculiarity came in the form of several pools of scorching lava, as well as a few elongated strips of it, each surrounded by just enough heat-exuding furnace to create a buffer that stopped the grass from burning up. It gave the odd effect that meant the soft grass would feel cool and gentle underfoot, if Divina decided to walk on it, while the air temperature just a foot or two above the ground swiftly began to feel hot and sweltering.

Picking their way through this odd assortment of terrain, coming at a cross angle to the way Divina herself was travelling, was a trio of viruses moving close together. In the lead, a swordy seemed to be doing the path-finding, burning blade held out in front of it. Just behind, a second swordy, this one with a normal metal weapon, was travelling alongside a figure in a brown robe that completely obscured its other features, save for a vaguely mystical looking staff with a round crystal on one end.

Their slow travel across the field came to a halt when the lead swordy saw Divina. It chattered something sharply, pointing the word towards her, and the other sword moved up alongside it, putting the two of them between the navi and the robed virus. The fire sword virus pointed its weapon at Divina again, and chatted something else unintelligible, shaking the weapon once more for emphasis. The tone sounded more warning, or possibly threatening, than outright violent, and they hadn't moved to attack just yet. If one were to look closely at the behaviour, it would be quite possible to read it more akin to body-guarding than actual aggression. For its part, the brown-cloaked virus behind had moved back slightly, holding its staff across its body cautiously.

-=Pilgrims=-

Swordy-F: 80Hp [Between Divina and the MettFire][Grass]
Swordy-N: 60Hp [Between Divina and hte MettFire][Grass]
MettFire: 100Hp [Just behind the two Swordies][Grass]

-=Divinity=-

Divina: 100Hp [Grass]

-=Terrain=-

40% Grass [The majority of the area]
40% Lava [Several pools and strips.]
20% Furnace [Rings surrounding each lava pool]

From Divina's position, there is an ovular pool to her left, and a thin, narrow on going forward on her right. there is a small round pool in about the middle of the area, directly ahead of Divina, and on forming a crescent just beyond that and slightly to the right. Other pools are further out and will be covered if needed.

-=Battle 1, Start=-
"...So this is what Kotobuki Area is like?" Grass and lava side by side wasn't quite what Divina had expected to find. "I feel like this is more Jawaii Island than Kotobuki Town..."

"The Net's a strange place, all right. Even harmless areas in real life are suddenly bizarre deathtraps in the cyberworld..."

"Yes, I can see that. And feel it. This is going to sound incredibly obvious, but it feels like a furnace!" She hadn't even run into anything yet, and she was already sweating. "Now, if only I was a goddess of air conditioning, and not a goddess of happiness..."

"...I suppose it's a good thing no one else is watching...if you get sweaty enough, well...you might, um...you don't wear a bra under your dress, so..."

"...We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess. Preferably, the bridge isn't over boiling lava, though I don't think there's any guarantees in a place like this...hmm?" The arrival of fellow travelers instantly drew the goddess's attention. "Ah, and there's some of the local viruses. Hopefully they're not malicious..." She hovered forward a bit, waving with her non-staff holding arm. "Hello there!"

The viruses didn't seem overly thrilled with the Navi, seemingly preparing for battle. "Oh no...they don't seem very friendly for Kotobuki denizens, Lady Divina."

The Navi deity, however, took a harder look at them. "I wouldn't necessarily say that. I admittedly don't have a whole lot of experience with viruses, or swordfighting, but I dare say those are defensive stances."

"Defensive? So they aren't going to attack?"

"Not right this moment...so long as I do nothing to agitate them, I think I'll be fine."

"You know, now that I take a better look at them...why is that Swordy's blade metal? I seem to recall from virus busting class that they use energy based swords, like that fiery one over there."

"Can't say that I know." She found her gaze shifting, however, to the non-sword wielder of the group. "Hey, um...MettFire, seems to be your name? That's a very nice rod you have there! I'm a magic staff user myself, so I can tell!""

Hikari pressed a hand into her cheek at the greeting. Did she really need to phrase it like that?

[Order of Turn:
1-Size up the situation
2-Sweat
3-Compliment MettFire's rad staff]
If the rising heat was making Divina feel like slipping her raiment and enjoying the feel of the fresh, cool grass on her skin instead, then presumably she would retain the decorum to wait until after the current situation was resolved. The current situation, for the present, was a little tense and fairly cautious on both sides. It was probably helpful that Divina didn't actually move towards the small group before waving and calling out her greeting, keeping a safe distance instead. The lead Swordy seemed very protective, and it kept its burning blade poised and towards the goddess, holding its stance while she spoke. Beside it, the normal Swordy seemed less certain in its guarding, but maintained a bared weapon anyway.

Behind them, the cloak-shrouded MettFire glanced between Divina and its own staff... probably. it was a bit hard to tell exactly, but it nodded what was presumably its head slowly, then lifted its staff high to show off. What followed might have been predicted by an experienced netbattler, but seemed to surprise even the viruses present.... The staff glowed and a short shower of burning meteorites rained down on the field quite alarmingly close to Divina herself. Fortunately, none of them actually hit her, and the MettFire gave off what couldn't really be anything other than a surprised sound of dismay. It clutched its staff in both hands again, holding it low, and seemed to bow its head in embarrassment for a moment. In front of it, the fire Swordy took a moment to let its eyes slide across to its colleague then... sighed? With the hand not holding its own sword, it reached over and shifted the weapon and hand of the other, fixing its stance and position with firm tweaks, before returning to its own guarding pose. They weren't moving on just yet, it seemed - not having quite assessed Divina as safe yet, but it seemed as though, between the trio at least, they more or less knew she wasn't going to attack them. The more competent swordy glanced back over its shoulder, turning slightly to do so, and seemed to nod in a way that suggested to the MettFire that they ought to keep going, though it was still keeping its sword pointed towards Divina as it did.

-=Pilgrims=-

Swordy-F: 80Hp [Between Divina and the MettFire][Grass]
Swordy-N: 60Hp [Between Divina and the MettFire][Grass]
MettFire: 100Hp [Just behind the two Swordies][Grass]

-=Divinity=-

Divina: 100Hp [Grass]

-=Terrain=-

30% Grass [The majority of the area]
40% Lava [Several pools and strips.]
20% Furnace [Rings surrounding each lava pool]
10% Soil [Three spots near to Divina, where meteors hit grass]

From Divina's position, there is an ovular pool to her left, and a thin, narrow on going forward on her right. There is a small round pool in about the middle of the area, directly ahead of Divina, and on forming a crescent just beyond that and slightly to the right. Other pools are further out and will be covered if needed.
Divina remained in good spirits, happy to see the MettFire show off its staff...but the resulting meteors caught her just a tiny bit off guard. "Yaaaaaahhh!!!" None of them actually hit her, at least...actually, based on their trajectories, she suspected they weren't intended to do so to begin with. It seemed to be repentant, which only solidified her theory. "Don't worry, these things happen. It sure startled me, though!"

"Me, too! I honestly thought you were about to die or something, with that scream..."

"Well, I'm clearly still here, fortunately. Though, if it wants to show me its magic, why don't I show it mine in return?" The goddess raised her staff, causing it to shine a bit. Like the virus, something fell down from the heavens in response...but her version had the opposite effect. A soothing light shone on the fiery wizard, with the power to heal wounds, even those that didn't simply reduce HP. Of course, by all accounts, it was just fine anyway, but it was more an example than any actual patching up. "I prefer healing to harming, as you've just witnessed. But, if you enjoy raining fire from the sky, by all means!"

Hmm. Speaking of not harming...they seemed to be ready to head off. It seemed wrong to not give them the chance to do more than just trekking around. "Say, I don't know where you three are headed, but if it's a safe haven, I could always send you to the Virus Zoo. They take care of viruses that seek a more peaceful life there...I think it's a wonderful idea, myself, and would love to see it continue on its path to fruition. It's entirely your call, though. If you don't want to, I won't keep you, and you can go on your merry way. Either way, you seem like decent enough viruses, so I wish you good fortune on your endeavor, whatever it may be!" Either way, she'd wait to see if anyone wanted to take her up on her offer.

[Order of Turn:
1-Goddess's Blessing sig attack on MettFire (Recover 30, Status Cure)
2-Make quick pitch for zoo
3-See the viruses off]
Thanks to some kind words from a goddess, the MettFire pilgrim seemed to recover from its mortification well enough. When Divina did something with her own staff in turn, however, this seemed to startle the apparent body-guards into action. In a flash, the fire swordy was gone and reappeared in front of Divina, sword ready to swing, and it was only a sharp sound from the cloak-wrapped virus that saved her from... well, a clothing malfunction at the least. As it was, the swordy froze where it was, sword raised, and turned its eyes back towards its charge briefly, then began to retreat once more. If anything, it seemed to be growing frustrated that it was the only entity present that was treating this as a potentially dangerous situation. It muttered under its breath in its own unintelligible viral chatter, but there was no disguising that it felt its companions weren't taking things seriously enough. The other swordy, apparently bored of sword stance practice, had let its metal sword droop to the point that the tip was nestled in the grass, relaxed now.

Already vexed at its charge's relaxed attitude to the navi present, the more experienced Swordy exclaimed in overt frustration when it caught sight of the relaxed stance, and darted back to cuff the other virus over the back of the helmet with its spare hand. Divina could probably hear the loud clang from where she was. Despite its best efforts, the training swordy didn't seem eager or interested in returning to battle stations, and after a few more tries, the flame swordy gave up with a long sigh. It got something that was probably a comforting pat from the old MettFire though. This led the trio to Divina's offer of sanctuary. The fire swordy, probably predictably, shook its head, but the MettFire contemplated for longer. It stretched a bit, then nodded sagely, but then waved its staff back and forth briefly and turned to look off into the distance in the direction they'd been headed. It seemed interested in in taking Divina's offer, but apparently it had a long journey to make and some task still to do before it could rest. the group formed up and prepared to move on, but after a few moments, the MettFire tapped the swordy that was probably it's only proper body-guard with its staff, then looked across to the other one. There was a brief exchange of chatter while the fire Swordy sighed and shook its head again, then raised its hands in a helpless gesture. Eventually it nodded and turned to give the other swordy a shove towards Divina. Apparently, it was pleaded enough to be off the hook, and it drifted over to present itself to the goddess, dragging its over-weighted training sword behind it. Upon assisting the willing virus with the transportation, Divina would find herself the recipient of a small rescuer's reward.


-=Pilgrims=-

Swordy-F: 80Hp [Between Divina and the MettFire][Grass][HAS A JOB TO DO]
Swordy-N: 60Hp [Between Divina and the MettFire][Grass][AGREEING TO TRANSPORT]
MettFire: 100Hp [Just behind the two Swordies][Grass][STILL HAS UNFINISHED DUTIES]

-=Divinity=-

Divina: 100Hp [Grass]

-=Terrain=-

30% Grass [The majority of the area]
40% Lava [Several pools and strips.]
20% Furnace [Rings surrounding each lava pool]
10% Soil [Three spots near to Divina, where meteors hit grass]

From Divina's position, there is an ovular pool to her left, and a thin, narrow on going forward on her right. There is a small round pool in about the middle of the area, directly ahead of Divina, and on forming a crescent just beyond that and slightly to the right. Other pools are further out and will be covered if needed.

-=Battle 1, Concluded!=-

Reward: 600z
And here came the responses. The fiery Swordy...she didn't expect it to agree, considering how it'd acted, so no surprise there. The MettFire's reply didn't especially surprise her either. They did seem like they were headed somewhere specific when she found them; it must be something important to them. Yet, not too important to the purple Swordy, who managed to be freed from the group, and accepting of the offer. "As you wish!" A beam of light was fired from the heavens, though its softness made it quite clear it was for teleporting, and not a deathbring laser beam. As the Swordy-N disappeared, so too did the beam. She didn't say anything about the transfer, but did smile and nod as it finished up.

"Once you're finished with your journey, and you'd still like to be transported there, I'd be more than happy to assist you! That goes for both of you, of course." She smiled once more at each virus, even the one that had nearly expanded her belly button by a foot. "Well, I won't take up any more of your time. Until we meet again!"

"Excuse me, Lady Divina?"

"Yes, Hikari?"

"Well, you seemed like you were about to head off, and-"

"Very astute of you!"

"Er, it's just...look over to where the Swordy you transported was."

"Mmm?" Divina made a quick inspection...oh. "...Can't say I expected to get anything for that, but if that's what fate dictates, who am I to say no?" Divina, goddess of happiness, that's who. But then the goddess of fate might get pouty, and that was definitely against her job description, so she gently waved her staff, and transferred the money over to the PET. "No chip...though, I can't say I'm all that distraught at that. As far as I know, they only drop offensive BattleChips, correct?"

"I think so..."

"Then, it's as I thought. Of course, even if there HAD been a chip, it's more than what I thought would happen, anyway. ...You know where I'm going with this, so I'll stop now."

"That I do! So, would you like to keep going?"

"Very much so! At this rate, I'm going to be able to douse those lava pools, just from my sweat..."

"...That'd, um, be quite a sight to see..."

"And not one I want to provide!" She punctated this by quickly moving on...but after a few seconds, found herself stopping. "..."

"Are you wanting to do what I think you want to?"

"Probably...it's just, leaving those two to their fates, doesn't really sit right with me. Even if their journey is too long for me to see through to the end, I can still aid them for a while, and make it as safe as possible."

"I understand, and I agree wholeheartedly. I imagine they're still nearby."

"And I know what direction they went in...but I'll need to hurry!" The goddess hovered as fast as she could muster, seeking the wizard and swordsman before it was too late. As she neared them, she slowed down (but still floated), and bowed. "I'm sorry...I supposed I lied about the whole not bothering you anymore thing. It's just, I don't like to just leave anyone that has troubles looming, and if you're on a journey, that seems pretty likely for the two of you. I can't guarantee I can stay with you until the end, but if you'll have me, I'll aid you as long as I'm able! My offensive capability is...well, zero, quite frankly, but as you noticed before, I'm not bad at patching up wounded, and I can also aid you with different forms of defense, should we be forced to fight!" She awaited a response, not entirely sure if she'd be allowed. The MettFire seemed okay with her, but that Swordy...it was clearly on the cautious side. If it won out, there'd be little she could do but head elsewhere, and see what else the area had to offer.

(TRYING TO JOIN TEAM METTFIRE; if Divina's services are declined, there will be a regular search for Battle #2)
The MettFire and its guard had begun to move along while Divina worked out what she wanted to do, but fortunately they hadn't gone very far at all by the time she made up her mind. Catching them up only took a few extra moments and the two viruses looked back to listen to her with varying levels of caution. Unfortunately, it seemed like the direction they were heading, the presence of overly warm lava pits was only growing more pronounced.

For now, the swordy seemed less than pleased about Divina volunteering her services to the pair, and came about as close to grumbling about it as a swordy practically could, but the aged MettFire shifted in a way that suggested another gentle pat for its companion, before nodding its cowl sagely towards Divina. The swordy sighed, then turned back to taking point on their pathfinding. While they moved forward, picking their way around the lava pools and avoiding the patches of super-heated furnace that were starting to crop up, the Mettfite chattered amiably towards Divina; like as not she wouldn't be able to understand a word of it though. The 'voice', such as it was, certainly sounded like it was in the territory of 'old man', though.

A sharp sound from the swordy in front brought an end to the pseudo conversation, and a look forward would reveal another group of viruses not far ahead, who were blocking the way between two fairly large pools of magma. The narrow strip between the pools was occupied primarily by a large Heavy, positioned ready to roll them out, though that meant it wasn't looking directly at them either. Standing on top of the Heavy's bar, a much smaller BigHat virus was radiating a cocky, self-sure air as it called out a greeting chatter towards the trio. There was apparently an even smaller Ratty just by its foot, which it was casually stroking with a spare hand.

The swordy answered something in a single short, terse sound, and the BigHat chattered back, pulling out on of its trademark flash bombs and turning it over in a suggestive way. On either side, the heat haze in the air shifted, revealing a pair of spooky ghost viruses that giggled to one another then waved their over-sized tongues at the group. The swordy spoke again, brandishing its weapon now, which seemed to make the BigHat... laugh? Either way it seemed like some kind of line was being drawn in the proverbial sand. The heavy rolled forward slightly as the hat-wearing one, along with its rat pet, jumped back and down, while the Swordy looked back long enough to say something that sounded cautionary to its charge, who nodded again. As much as Divina might have a second or two to decide how she was going to respond to this shake-down situation, that was all she'd get; the BigHat snapped something sharp, then flung its bomb. The swordy cut it out of the air before it could land amongst them, but it didn't seem like there would be much time for words now.

-=Unregistered Toll Collectors=-

BigHat: 100Hp [Normal][Behind Heavy, beside Ratty]
Ratty: 60Hp [Normal][Behind Heavy, beside BigHat]
Heavy: 75Hp [Normal][Middle of the Causeway]
SpookyA: 30Hp [Furnace][Right side of the causeway, halfway]
SpookyB: 30Hp [Furnace][Left side of the causeway, halfway]

-=Journeying Pilgrims=-

Swordy-F: 80hp [Normal][In front, Divina's end of the causeway]
MettFire: 100hp [Normal][Next to Divina, slightly behind the Swordy]

-=Divine Assistance=-

Divina.Exe: 100Hp [Normal][Next to the MettFire, behind the Swordy]

-=Not a Real Toll Bridge=-

40% Normal: Two broader seconds, connected by a narrow causeway
20% Furnace: Several patches in the lava pools. Can be jumped to, if you really want to.
40% Lava: Large pools, taking up the majority space either side of the causeway.

-=Battle 2, Start!=-
Much to Divina's relief, the MettFire managed to convince the Swordy to let her join. She immediately smiled and curtsied. "Why, thank you! I'll do all I can to make sure your trust in me is well-founded!" And they said all viruses were evil. Well, that was one massive lie, from where she was standing right now.

Speaking of lie, this particular area didn't seem all that well-suited for most Navis...she was sweating like a pig, and she wasn't even directly over anything super hot. She was going to have to do something to alleviate it. And so she did...fortunately, she had attire that wouldn't cause any indecent exposure if removed, and so off her gloves and boots came. The exposure of her limbs definitely helped...though it essentially meant she was permanently in floating mode, since she wasn't exactly well-prepared for walking around places like this barefoot. A small price to pay for some relief, though.

As they moved, the MettFire started to chat with her. Unfortunately, she didn't speak virus, so all she could do was smile as she entirely failed to understand what was being said. Too bad there weren't any books on that subject...she'd read the ones for MettFire and Swordy right now.

But, that thought was cut short, as a group of viruses barred them all from crossing, and whatever the Swordy was saying, wasn't making things any more pleasant. Maybe she should step in? ...Metaphorically, anyway. "Hold on, I-" ...But that was all she got out before the battle, for all intents and purposes, got underway. "...Oh dear. I suppose this is my first true battle..."

"I believe in you, Lady Divina! Just ask if you need anything, okay?"

"Well, for now, I should focus on preventing harm to my traveling companions. ...Actually, now that she thought about it, she seemed to remember something about one of her allies. ...MettFire like objects, correct? Perhaps I should bring one into the fray, as well!" She raised her staff high, shooting a ray of light high into the sky. Almost as instantly as it vanished from sight, three small beams came down from the same spot, striking their intended targets. Both fire wizard and fire knight would find themselves with ways to deflect attacks; the former was now encased in a sphere of light (though its vision would manage to be entirely unaffected), while the latter's had formed into a buckler that could be easily held in its free hand. The third assumed the shape of a small wall in front of the MettFire, to give it a (terrible, since it was translucent) hiding place, if it was so inclined. With everything formed, the goddess brought her staff down, and eyed the less friendly viruses. As much as she'd like to make peace with them, her intuition told her that wasn't going to be possible now...all she could do was make sure her newest friends didn't suffer for it.

Of course, she hadn't actually done anything to herself. She was going to take up a different method of preventing damage, one she had heard was quite effective. The way...of sidestepping. Or sidefloating, in this case. Stepping would probably just burn her foot right now.

[Order of Turn:
1-Radiant Partition sig in front of MettFire (10 HP Object)
2-Shining Aegis sig on Swordy-F (3-hit shield)
3-Aether Guard sig on MettFire (Barrier 40)
4-Dodge]
With the battle lines drawn and the fight beginning, Divina began to throw up some light-themed defences. She got the wall up first, as the BigHat's pet ratty scuttled backwards, firing a missile in her direction. The projectile missed, fortunately, but it spiralled slightly and began to curve around for a second pass at her. The old MettFire, however, seemed grateful for the temporary cover, given how sparse the current landscape was, and took the opportunity to raise its own staff in a manner not dissimilar to the goddess' own action before. The results were equally bright, but also comprised of notably more burning destruction. Three meteors burned down from the sky above, and though it was hard to tell exactly who or what the virus may have been guiding them towards, the result was that one collided with the skittering Ratty, while a second landed squarely on one of the laughing spooky viruses, obliterating it instantly with a hot splash of magma on steel. The third meteor crashed into the lava with a heavy splash, but the thrown off magma didn't manage to strike any other targets.

Divina continued to offer defences to her allies, gifting the serious-minded Swordy with a complimentary shield of light, next. To its credit, the virus accepted the shield in is other hand with relative ease, and even if it wasn't used to wielding such implements, seemed to know what he was doing with it regardless; the other Spooky had teleported up in an attempt to slap him with its tongue, but the defender deftly put the shield between itself and gross tongue. For its own part, the Swordy didn't seem to have the small fry of the fight on its mind; it ignored the ghost, in favour of teleporting to the spot directly behind the taunting BigHat and making a fierce stab at it with his scorching blade. He may have been trying to catch the Heavy in the strike as well, but only managed a solid hit on the leader of the shake-down, causing it to recoil from the thrust with an angered sound.

Still busy bringing up protection, Divina next offered a barrier of light to her other ally, and none too soon, as it turned out; the Heavy had worked itself up to attacking, and in a moment had warped just to the side of where Divina and the MettFire still stood, before ramming violently across the area. Divina might possibly consider saving some defences for herself, too; there was nothing to save her from the Heavy's assault but her own nimbleness. Fortunately, this time that was enough, and she managed to deftly avoid getting hit by the careening virus. It did manage to thoroughly destroy her light wall, but seemed to run out of steam before it managed to connect with the elderly MettFire, who, interestingly enough, hadn't so much as flinched the entire time. With another irate-sounding snap, the BigHat produced another flash bomb from its coat and flung it into the middle of the area. Seemed as though it was expecting most of the other viruses to do the actual fighting for it, for the most part.

-=Unregistered Toll Collectors=-

BigHat: 85Hp [Normal][Mid Back, in front of Ratty]
Ratty: 30Hp [Normal][Burn(5)][Behind BigHat]
Heavy: 75Hp [Normal][Middle of the Causeway]
SpookyA: METEORED
SpookyB: 30Hp [Normal][Near Divina]

-=Journeying Pilgrims=-

Swordy-F: 80hp [Normal][2-Hit shield][Near BigHat]
MettFire: 100hp [Normal][Barrier(40)][Next to Divina]

-=Divine Assistance=-

Divina.Exe: 100Hp [Normal][Next to the MettFire]

-=Not a Real Toll Bridge=-

40% Normal: Two broader seconds, connected by a narrow causeway
20% Furnace: Several patches in the lava pools. Can be jumped to, if you really want to.
40% Lava: Large pools, taking up the majority space either side of the causeway.

-=Objects=-

Ratton Missile: 30Hp [Homing on Divina]
Radiant Partition: DELETED
Flash Bomb: 20Hp [Centre][Detonates next turn]
So far, so good. But some things didn't change...she knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but Divina still winced as the Spooky met its demise from the skies. Death-or rather, deletion in this case-was just not something she cared for. And yet, if it wasn't inflicted on this group of malcontents, the ones that had established themselves as benevolent would face it themselves. Killing, just to avoid getting others killed...what a cruel irony.

Fortunately, the goddess had the sense to not get too lost in her thoughts, as she eyed the rat-shaped bomb turning to try and hit her again. She had an idea, however, using the enemy viruses' own tricks against them. It was a very simple idea; she hovered over to the FlashBomb, and got behind it, so that if the Ratton sped towards her, it wouldn't be able to hit her without hitting the bang first. If she was lucky, that would be it...but what if it wasn't? She looked down at her staff, and started to power a bit of energy into its head...then, once it was clear whether the rodent based attack would hit it or not, whacked the bomb (or where it was, or possibly even a spot near the bomb), to try and ensure its destruction. It was the closest thing to battlefield violence she'd ever so much as attempted...

Even though it was only an inanimate object she'd struck, she moved back slightly, distancing herself from the recent event. She...didn't really like how that felt. If she didn't have to do it again any time soon, that'd be great. She was more than happy to leave her fiery friends the task of actually bringing harm to their foes. "...That's about all the offense I have to bring to the table...and if I had to do that to any of the others...no thank you. Still, give 'em heck, you guys!" If only because they were far better at it than she was. At least they were unharmed, and seemed to be in no obvious danger of such...that was worth some peace of mind. Enough that she could instead concentrate on avoid attacks, instead of worrying.

[Order of Turn:
1-Get FlashBomb between Divina and Ratty attack (Movement)
2-Buster charge
3-Half-charged buster attack on FlashBomb (20)
4-Dodge]
Hesitant to get her divine hands dirty, Divina did her best to turn the forces of the enemy against themselves. For a moment, it looked like it was going to work, too, but the tricky, skittering path of the launched ratton zig-zaged around the flash bomb on its way to its target, missing it by a hair. It seemed to be on course for the Goddess, but she managed to get out of its way, causing the missile to spiral off and fizzle as it ran out of power.

Meanwhile, the Ratty that had launched it scuttled in closer to its master, and proceeded to release a new missile, this time at the swordy that was harassing them. Still preparing for his next attack, the ever-watchful swordy would have been hit, if not for Divina's shield. It caught the projectile neatly, the small explosion making the shield shake, before the veteran responded swiftly, warping to the small rat virus and stabbing with its blade. It was a long strike, and the Swordy had been clever enough to position it so that the blade passed through and caught the BigHat off guard as well. with an itate cry, the hatted virus reeled away, then swiftly delved in its pockets, looking for another flash.

Divina was busy trying to safely dispose of the first one, but her inexperience with violence was showing; her pure bolt of light energy missed the stationary flash bang completely, scoring across the lava nearby instep with little effect. A moment late,r the flash itself detonated, searing the entire area with a blinding light. Oddly enough, however, the flash didn't seem to have any effect at all on the viruses, regardless of their allegiance — Divina herself was thus the only one rendered dazed, stunned and blinded by the light. The BigHat chuckled and finally found another bomb, throwing it out to replace the first.

Ever slow off the mark, the Heavy had wound itself up to have another go, teleporting to the other side this time in an effort to side-swipe Divina and the aged MettFire again. The older virus was busy blowing on his staff; apparently it wasn't ready to go again yet, and though he tried to dodge the careening virus at the last moment, he wasn't fast enough. Luckily, even with its heavy impact, the barrier Divina had provided him earlier was enough to protect him from harm. for her own part, Divina also avoided the heavy weight's surprisingly accurate ram; whether by divine providence or blind luck, she managed to get out of its way, even through her dazzled state.

Seeing its chance, the Spooky cackled and teleported up to Divina, aiming to give her an indecently thorough licking... somehow, though, it's flailing tongue missed her as well, and she remained unmolested, for now.


-=Unregistered Toll Collectors=-

Ratty: 10Hp [Normal][Behind BigHat]
BigHat: 70Hp [Normal][Mid Back, in front of Ratty]
Heavy: 75Hp [Normal][Middle of the Causeway]
SpookyA: METEORED
SpookyB: 30Hp [Normal][Near Divina]

-=Journeying Pilgrims=-

MettFire: 100hp [Normal][Barrier(10)][Next to Divina]
Swordy-F: 80hp [Normal][1-Hit shield][Behind Ratty]

-=Divine Assistance=-

Divina.Exe: 90Hp [Normal][Blind!][Stunned!][Next to the MettFire]

-=Not a Real Toll Bridge=-

40% Normal: Two broader seconds, connected by a narrow causeway
20% Furnace: Several patches in the lava pools. Can be jumped to, if you really want to.
40% Lava: Large pools, taking up the majority space either side of the causeway.

-=Objects=-

Flash BombB: 20Hp [Centre][Detonates next turn]
Normally, when Divina was around, light tended to herald good things. This time, however, all it did was render her unable to see through the massive spots before her eyes...not to mention the pain, and sudden difficulty of movement. "Ugh...I hate to use this on myself, but..." It wouldn't do to have one of her new friends get themselves badly hurt. She fought off her sudden immobility to call upon another ray of light from above...a more gentle beam this time, which, instead of taking a solid form, was content to glow on the goddess. Any and all side effects of the bomb, from the damage, to her near-blindness, and even the shock, quickly faded, until they were simply a bad memory. She let out a sigh of relief, and took quick inventory of the fight. Looked like the others were okay, at least. ...Wait, what? Did that mean the bomb was specifically attuned to affect Navis' systems? How odd. A bit of a relief that not everyone would have to deal with that, but odd.

"Lady Divina! I just figured out how we can completely ignore that bomb!"

"Oh? Well, it'd be wonderful to have one less virus to functionally not worry about, so let's hear it."

"I think it'd be easier to just show you." Hmm, wasn't very often she used BattleChips. Hikari just hoped she wouldn't miss or anything. ...Phew, in it went. "BattleChip, IronShield! Slot in!"

For a brief instant, a large metal shield formed in front of Divina...but that'd be rather hard for her to move around, so she quickly reconfigured it to take on a more ethereal appearance, much like the one she'd provided the Swordy earlier. It maintained the base shape, however, to differentiate it. "Oh, I see. These sorts of chips can block defenses, can't they? Good thinking, HIkari!"

"You know I live to serve!"

Now that she didn't have to worry about getting blinded or stunned again for the time being, the goddess Navi raised her staff, and let two more light rays shine downward. One enveloped the fiery Swordy in a bubble, to give it even more protection, and the other formed into a small wall in front of the MettFire. It seemed to like that the last time, so why not give it another one? Sadly, that was the extent of what she could do for now, so she'd have to sit back and see how things played out...

[Order of Turn:
1-Goddess's Blessing sig on Divina (Recover 30, Status Cure)
2-IronShield1 chip on Divina (S, 2-hit shield)
3-Aether Guard sig on Swordy-F (Barrier 40)
4-Radiant Partition sig in front of MettFire (10 HP Obstacle)]
As the only one on the field effected by the invasive flash bomb, Divina was swift in restoring her senses so she could monitor the continuing battle properly. As it was, the tiny Ratty in the back seemed to take exception to her healing ways, launching another missile in her direction. Once again, however, its aim proved poor, and it zig-zagged across the field and past her before beginning to arc about for another go.

Readying herself for the next flash, Divina brought her shield to bear, and just in time, no less: the spooky, unhappy with its initial failure, took another try to give the goddess some tongue. Its aim was better now, but the unlucky ghost only managed to slobber all over her newly positioned defence instead. It was probably a good thing it hadn't licked her though; the outer layer of the shield seemed to corrode with alarming swiftness under the enthusiastic tonguing. Safely protected, Divina sent another layer of defence out to her Swordy ally, just as the Heavy virus changed tack, teleporting to the side this time in an effort to launch a surprise attack at the group's front-liner instead.

The body-guard's helm turned just a fraction, and if anything, Divina might just have caught a glint of confidence behind the grill. As the heavy swung in, the Swordy warped, changing his position just a little bit and reappearing on the far side of the attacking heavy with a quick sweep of its sword. The blow cut broadly, slicing through the ratty with a shocked squeak, tearing at the ever-more agitated BigHat, and passing just within a hair's breadth of the Heavy as it completed its attack run.

While this exchange took place, Divina gave the MettFire another handy wall to shelter behind so he could raise his staff and call down another swarm of meteors to the field. Rather unlike his earlier embarrassing accident, the old virus seemed to do surprisingly well under pressure; all three of the meteors that fell to ground found their marks on hostile viruses, pummelling the Heavy and the BigHat first, before a third one crashed down just inches from Divina herself, obliterating the spooky in front of her shield with precision.

A second later, the flash bang in the middle of the area went off, though as before Divina herself was the only one it seemed to affect. Hiding her vision behind her shield, however, the shearing light didn't manage to do her any ills this time — thought he shield itself did collapse. Stamping its foot, the BigHat hurled another bomb, but it was beginning to run out of thugs and cronies now.


-=Unregistered Toll Collectors=-

Ratty: SLICED
BigHat: 30Hp [Normal][Burn (5)][Mid Back, in front of Ratty]
Heavy: 45Hp [Normal][Burn (5)][Middle of the Causeway]
SpookyA: METEORED
SpookyB: METEORED

-=Journeying Pilgrims=-

MettFire: 100hp [Normal][Barrier(10)][Next to Divina]
Swordy-F: 80hp [Normal][1-Hit shield][Barrier (40)][Beside BigHat]

-=Divine Assistance=-

Divina.Exe: 100Hp [Normal][2-hit shield: Broken!][Next to the MettFire]

-=Not a Real Toll Bridge=-

40% Normal: Two broader seconds, connected by a narrow causeway
20% Furnace: Several patches in the lava pools. Can be jumped to, if you really want to.
40% Lava: Large pools, taking up the majority space either side of the causeway.

-=Objects=-

Flash BombC: 20Hp [Centre][Detonates next turn]
Radiant PartitionB: DELETED
Ratton Missile: 30Hp [Behind Divina][Homing on Divina]


Slowly but surely, the list of things trying to kill the group was getting smaller. The Ratty was gone (though it had left behind a present), and though Divina had to admit she'd been worried about the incoming meteor for a moment, it turned out to have perfect aim, and wiped out the other Spooky. "Phew, that's some aim! Even I felt that one!" Considering all the other heat sources around, that said something. It also said something that, even though her dress wasn't exactly loose, it was definitely contouring more to the shape of her body than it normally did. If she noticed it, however, she wasn't showing any signs of it.

Instead, she was content to try to cause a bomb collision again, and floated over such that the immobile flash bang was between her and the Ratton. "I hope this works this time..."

"Um, just in case, how about some more protection? We have another one of those, after all..."

"Well, I was hoping I could save that for one of the others...but at this point, I suppose there's no harm in it. Go ahead."

"Okay, then! BattleChip, IronShield2, slot in!"

Once again, a slab of metal appeared, only to quickly be transformed into solidified light, almost like glass. It was far sturdier than it looked, though, and rat bombs, light bombs, and dumbbells combined would only barely shatter it. Now sufficiently protected, she quickly took stock of her fire-based companions...and, by her calculations, they were incapable of being harmed right now. That was a relief...and it meant that, should the worst happen, she could simply try swerving out of the way, without an ounce of guilt over whether it was worth doing that instead of buffing her allies. That, at least, was a nice feeling in the midst of heated battle.

[Order of Turn:
1-Get FlashBomb between Divina and Ratton (Movement)
2-IronShield2 chip on Divina (S, 4-hit shield)
3-Dodge
4-Dodge]
With the battlefield cleared up a lot more, now, Divina was able to successfully manoeuvre herself enough to run her trailing friend into the waiting flash bomb this time. They popped and fizzled together, neither device reaching its life goal of causing harm to other entities. The BigHat was practically steaming now, tiny fists clenched as it jumped and stamped its feet. The next flash bomb it pulled out of its pocket got pelted directly at the Swordy nearby but, almost as if to spite the would-be highway-virus, the Swordy had already warped, and the flash went sailing into the lava where it slowly began to sink and melt.

The Swordy added injury to insult a moment later, its areagrab leaving it in the perfect position to drive its sword clean through the top of the BigHat's Big Hat, leaving a hole that smouldered and burned. The other virus staggered away and turned, uttering what could only be a string of viral expletives at it.

The Heavy was still doing its own thing, by and large, and seemed oblivious to its leader's dire straits. It shifted its aim back towards Divina and the MettFire and took another shake at them. From Divina's perspective, it might seem as though it was really having a hard time aiming itself as it swung violently across the causeway, but even as it missed her, one edge of the dumbbell clipped into the Mettfire next to her. What remained of its protective barrier couldn't stand up to the full weight of the larger virus and the older one stumbled backwards, slightly winded by the blow. He didn't seem too worse off, honestly, but even so small a scrape was something Divina would probably have rather avoided.


-=Unregistered Toll Collectors=-

Ratty: SLICED
BigHat: 10Hp [Normal][Mid Back, in front of Swordy]
Heavy: 40Hp [Normal][Middle of the Causeway]
SpookyA: METEORED
SpookyB: METEORED

-=Journeying Pilgrims=-

MettFire: 90hp [Normal][Barrier Broken!][Next to Divina]
Swordy-F: 80hp [Normal][1-Hit shield][Barrier (40)][Behind BigHat]

-=Divine Assistance=-

Divina.Exe: 100Hp [Normal][4-hit shield][Next to the MettFire]

-=Not a Real Toll Bridge=-

40% Normal: Two broader seconds, connected by a narrow causeway
20% Furnace: Several patches in the lava pools. Can be jumped to, if you really want to.
40% Lava: Large pools, taking up the majority space either side of the causeway.

-=Objects=-

Flash BombD: 15Hp [Right lava pool][Sinking][Detonates next turn... but will probably melt before then]

"Wh-what?!" Divina was a goddess, but she wasn't all-seeing. And she clearly hadn't foreseen the Heavy managing to bust through the barrier like that. "How in the world...?"

"Um, now that I think about it, don't a lot of attacks that involve physically striking the enemy have that attribute? I remember something like that from virus busting class, all those years ago..."

"...And Heavy physically strikes...I see. ...Forgive me, MettFire. That was a very foolish mistake on my part."

"I don't think you need to worry too much about it. If nothing else, it's certainly a reversable mistake."

"That's true, but that's also what happens when you get overconfident, even when you're not the one harming the enemy..." Still, Hikari was right, and it was certainly something she could correct. Once more, she allowed several beams of light to shine down, all of which were either upon or near her slightly wounded ally. One appeared to be a bit larger than the others, however, and even seemed to shine a bit brighter. But its effect seemed to take slightly longer, allowing the others to form a new barrier of light, and set a new light wall in front of the meteoric virus. The other one had just as simple, but probably not unappreciated effect: the removal of all blunt force trauma from the wizard's body. It'd be as good as new, now.

Knowing that her ally was truly safe now, Divina was able to concentrate on avoiding a similar fate, should it try to bring harm to her. She noticed the flash bang in the lava, but chose to ignore it, since what little inconvenience it could do to the team was negated by her own shield. She was better off worrying about getting her bell rung by the dumbbell.

[Order of Turn:
1-Aether Guard sig on MettFire (Barrier 40)
2-Radiant Partition sig in front of MettFire (10 HP object)
3-Heavenly Light sig on MettFire (Recover 60)
4-Dodge]
In the lava pool, the flash bang fizzled out, too damaged to detonate, but before the virus running the shake-down could try anything else, the veteran Swordy had blinked again, sweeping a final, almost disdainful slice of his blade through the would-be highwayman. The BigHat fell, swiftly breaking down and fading away is its code dispersed.

The swordy swiftly turned its attention back to the Heavy and his companions, but the largest virus seemed to be hesitating. It had turned to see its leader fall, and now seemed uncertain, rocking back and forth slowly as though not really sure what it should be doing now. Freshly healed up and protected, the MettFire had nodded both its thanks and forgiveness to Divina before raising up is staff again from behind its fresh wall, but it too, now stopped. This drew a short snap of warning from the Swordy, but it earned him only a slow 'calm down' wave from the older virus with one hand taken off its staff for a moment. Even so, it looked like it was meaning to begin working on finishing of the last virus quickly for the sake of protecting its colleague, but there was, nevertheless, a moment of stillness right now, before the violence resumed, if Divina felt like making something of it.


-=Unregistered Toll Collectors=-

Ratty: SLICED
BigHat: DELETED
Heavy: 40Hp [Normal][Middle of the Causeway][Hesitating]
SpookyA: METEORED
SpookyB: METEORED

-=Journeying Pilgrims=-

MettFire: 100hp [Normal][Barrier (40)][Next to Divina]
Swordy-F: 80hp [Normal][1-Hit shield][Barrier (40)][Eyeing Heavy]

-=Divine Assistance=-

Divina.Exe: 100Hp [Normal][4-hit shield][Next to the MettFire]

-=Not a Real Toll Bridge=-

40% Normal: Two broader seconds, connected by a narrow causeway
20% Furnace: Several patches in the lava pools. Can be jumped to, if you really want to.
40% Lava: Large pools, taking up the majority space either side of the causeway.

-=Objects=-

Radiant Partition: 10Hp [In Front of MettFire]

"Wait!!!"

As soon as the MettFire proceeded to not get to work on destroying the last virus, Divina had a very good idea of what was going through its mind. It was something going through her mind, as well. "Heavy is your name, correct? It seems you needn't take orders from that horrid BigHat any more. But, if you dislike being on your own, why not come along with us? I'm sure your smashing abilities would be a big help to our little team. As you perhaps noticed, I'm in charge of making sure everyone stays in tip top shape! Here, let me show you! ...Hikari, some assistance, please!"

Assistance? Hmm, she probably wanted it fully healed, so she should probably give her a stronger chip...healing viruses. She had to wonder how many people would look at her like she had two heads if they knew she was condoning this sort of thing. "Here you are, Lady Divina! BattleChip, Recover50! Slot in!"

The goddess Navi extended her free hand, forming a pink ball of light in it...this was not for self-use, however, and by pointing her finger at the dumbbell, it quickly shot out, causing the virus to glow a similar color for a moment, as the tolls of battle were quickly and unceremoniously erased. "I believe that should acquaint you with everyone's talents. So, what do you think? Care to join us?" Oh, please say yes. Enough data had been spilled over this whole situation already...

[Order of Turn:
1-Recover50 chip on Heavy (50, Recovery)
2-Convince Heavy to join team
3-Like really
4-Super convincing]
In the tense few seconds before the veteran Swordy took matters into its own hands, Divina joined her plea to the reassurance of the MettFire virus, forestalling it. Instead of attacking, the Swordy teleported back to wait alongside its wizened companion, but it didn't seem at all happy about all of this.

The Heavy seemed surprised at first, and moved to get out of the way when Divina sent a beam of light towards it. fortunately it wasn't nearly nimble enough, and was struck by what turned out to be healing energy. Surprises upon surprises! The heavy didn't, in all honesty, seem like the brightest specimen of its type, but it was, at the least, good-natured now that it wasn't being attacked and wasn't attacking anyone else. It was hard to tell if it understood Divina's words, but in either case the elder MettFire picked up after she finished with some viral chatter of its own. The Swordy grumbled. Perhaps Divina had been around it long enough to get the gist of things, but it seemed as though it was mostly considering the new addition to their team as another duckling that would need looking after and protecting. It was a pity that it didn't have a nice big moustache, because, as the Heavy drifted over to join them, it gave what was undeniably a substantial 'Harumph' at the situation.

At any rate, it seemed that the overtures towards recruiting another member to the strange pilgrimage were successful. all that was left now was for Divina to collect her other non-companion rewards, and they could move onwards. As it happened, the spooky that had been next to Divina when it met its demise had left behind some convertible chip data, although it wasn't exactly the strongest version she might have hoped to find.

-=Unregistered Toll Collectors=-

Ratty: SLICED
BigHat: DELETED
Heavy: 75Hp [Normal] JOINED THE PARTY
SpookyA: METEORED
SpookyB: METEORED

-=Journeying Pilgrims=-

MettFire: 100hp [Normal]
Swordy-F: 80hp [Normal]

-=Divine Assistance=-

Divina.Exe: 100Hp [Normal]

-=Not a Real Toll Bridge=-

40% Normal: Two broader seconds, connected by a narrow causeway
20% Furnace: Several patches in the lava pools. Can be jumped to, if you really want to.
40% Lava: Large pools, taking up the majority space either side of the causeway.

-=Battle 2, Victory!=-

Spoils: 810z, Recover10, (And a Heavy)