Wrapping Up Practice

With round two beginning in earnest, Martia's bubble restored itself, and she restored her buddy. Scourge paid it forward sending a hefty debuff out over the lava and affecting the weaponry of their seldom-seen foe. That done, it was game time again and Martia opened up with a triplicate of herself; oh the things young investigative navis might say! One thing might be: 'How did you hit the two moving targets, and miss the anchored one?' Martia might never know, but that is indeed what her meteor strikes did.

The CannonGuard that she missed aimed well and fired a return shot at Martia, but she darted out of the way of the shot before it could pop her bubble. Hovering over the lava, the invisible weapons platform might have made another attempt on it, but the faint sounds of clicking and hissing could be heard, and nothing actually happened. Unseen, the GunGeist finished analysing itself and realised that its systems were compromised beyond use; it prepared to flee back deeper into the entryway.

While this was going on, Scourge moved up, taking her own fury out on the cannon that had attacked her before, and her bandage whip successfully tore the firing piece from its housing with the sound of wrenching metal. The data fed and sustained her.

As much as she didn't know that her invisible foe was preparing to flee, Martia took a shot at it anyway. She couldn't see it, but had enough other information from her senses to make an educated guess. the mist convergence blasted out across the lava, and a moment later there came a massive explosion of hissing steam, creating a cloud that covered a whole patch of the pool. There was a crash, and a thump, followed by the sounds of bubbling magma. When the mist cleared, she would be able to see the broken remains of the floating platform they'd first seen, half on a patch of stable terrain, while the surrounding lava eroded other pieces of it. That had been some lucky shot.

So impressive was it, that Martia herself failed completely to get out of the way of the Drixol which took the opportunity to begin a fresh attack run at her. It struck, but only managed to pop her bubble for the second time. the other Drixol rammed towards Scourge, but it failed to aim its first assault properly. At the end of their runs, the two viruses passed through portals, appearing at the far end of the field, aimed as though they were about to cross over each other and make another pass at their respective targets.

At least, they might have done, if Martia hadn't swiftly dropped sizable ice balls on both of them, while Scourge finished up the business with her devastating Electric shock.

That's all there was; there wasn't any more. While inspecting the remains and scooping up their winnings, however, the two navis would also find a mystery data crystal, just a short way down the stairs leading under the lava pool.

-=Over-Sensitive Security=-

CannonGuard A: DELETED
CannonGuard B: DELETED
Gunner A: DELETED
Gunner B: DELETED
Drixol A: DELETED
Drixol B: DELETED
Gungeist V1: DELETED

-=Navis at Odds=-

Martia: 240Hp [BubbleWrap1: Broken! 1/3 Turns Remaining.][Grass]
Scourge: 170Hp [Metal][Near where the second CannonGuard was]

-=Secret Base...?=-

20% Metal [Two broad strips of metal panels run away from Martia and Scourge, on their left, forming the suggestion of an entry path]
35% Lava [Large pools exist in this area. A particularly broad one dominates much of the area to the navis' left, in a crescent shape that allows the metal 'path' to reach out into it]
15% Grass [Some grassy patches remain on where the navis are, and to their right]
20% Normal [The grass fades to normal hard earth before reaching the lava]
10% Furnace [Some of the metal panels, especially near the entrance to the passage, are quite super-heated.]

-=Battle 2, Victory!=-

Spoils:
Scourge Gets: 785z, DrillArm1Damage: 60 + Break + Knockback + Long Attack
Accuracy: B
Description: A long drill is created to bore through enemies. It can hit one enemy twice, and a second enemy once.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Special: Knockback paired with Long Attack causes the drill to hit close ranged targets twice, instead of once. This is because it pushes the closest target through both hit zones. Knockback only triggers once.
Trader Rank: D
Martia Gets: 910 z

Both Get 5 mutual FXP (3 base + 2 for interactions and teamwork)

Open GMD?

"Hahaha! Now that's more like it!" laughed Scourge, as she drew back the bandages from her attack. Turning to Martia, she grinned, and smacked her fist into her palm. "You can fight after all! Those were some pretty lit up moves, heh heh." Sofia exhaled in relief, though she did see that some pink ball had flown out from Martia's hand to Scourge. Turning to Leslie, she said, "Um, thanks for the assist, Leslie," with a slightly sheepish smile.

"Right, let's get going, then," said Scourge, before walking out towards the pool slightly. "Oh, wait, what's this thing here?" she said, as she stumbled on the Green Mystery Data crystal, touching it to decrypt it.

[Open GMD]

Scourge opens the GMD. As soon as she did, she got the distinct feeling of being watched by a very disgruntled observer. It was gone a moment later, though, and she collected a sweet prize.

GET: CurseShield1Damage: (1 Hit Shield) + (Counter(160): On-Hit)
Accuracy: A
Description: Blocks one attack, teleports to face the attacker, and then charges the target to deliver a crushing bite attack. Break attacks will pierce the defense, but only Impact will stop the Dominerd's Counter.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Trader Rank: D one each

"Oh, this looks good," said Scourge, as she picked up the chip data, and tossed half of it over to Martia. There was a bit of a weird feeling, where she felt like someone was watching her, but it disappeared as quickly as it came, so she shrugged it off. She then glanced further down the steps, and grinned. "Hmm... this looks like it leads somewhere. You wanna bet it has more stuff we can beat up, Martia?"

[Z > 2005, F > 15]
[Battle 3 - Ready.]
[Scourge.EXE: 170 HP.]

"All right, we did it!" Martia placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest a bit, still rather proud of herself for hitting an enemy she couldn't even see. "You did pretty good yourself, you know!" But amazing shot aside, she couldn't take all the credit. Scourge wasn't exactly cheerleading, after all.

"Heh, don't worry about it." Not like Martia needed TLC then. "Hang on. What's that over there? Is that a...?"

"Mystery Data? I think so." Scourge was already at it, though, and opened it before she could say anything. Still, she walked over, curious as to what was inside. "So, what's in it?" She got her answer in the form of chip data, which she quickly sent over along with the money she'd gotten from the fight. "CurseShield? It looks powerful, but I dunno if something cursed is really my style..."

"It's just a name, relax!"

"I guess so..." It did look like a powerful chip, at least. No need to avoid using it because of the name, anyway. Now, where to go from here? Her busting partner seemed to have an idea in mind, and she looked down the stairs for herself. "Down there, huh? Sure, but be careful. If it was guarded by all those viruses, who knows how many might be inside?" That said, she started head down first, as the more experienced of the two. ...That was kind of a rare thing for her, come to think of it.

(Searching for Battle #3)

(+1 bonus FXP)

Curious the two exploring navis decided that the best way to explore was, indeed, down into the apparently guarded structure beneath the boiling lake of lava. Who wanted to go to a fair when something as creepy and sinister like this was on offer, after all?

The steps down were a short flight that ended in a large steel doorway. Fortunately for the navis, it hadn't been sealed shut, and there was enough space between the doors to slip through. The entry tunnel was stifling — a dry heat that made it hard to breath, and the flagstones felt hot underfoot, though not enough to be uncomfortable. It seemed as though the structure was mostly made of carve,d reinforced stone, as the passage led forward, occasionally taking another small set of steps downwards as it passed beneath the lava lake.

It was only a short walk before they passed into a larger entry chamber. The ceiling was higher now, giving them both several body-lengths above themselves worth of space to work with, and the room itself seemed to be a large oval shape. A series of six columns, three on each side, maintained the impression of a thoroughfare through the middle of the room, but they were each draped with banners bearing a stylised flame emblem, crossed over by a staff with a crystal ball on the tip.

The lighting was, in fact, a rather intimidating affair: there were no lights, save for the ceiling, which was made of glass. The first layer of glass was several body heights above them, and covered the entire ceiling of the chamber. This appeared to be a false layer, however, because a secondary space clearly existed above it; a number of panels dotted the glass, with lights on them, looking suspiciously like buttons. Above that, a second glass ceiling was all that kept this hidden structure from the lake full of lava above; the navis would be able to see it through the glass, casting an orange glow over the room.

This was about all they had time to take in before company arrived. It arrived in the form of two Swordys, flaming swords held ready, and two Champy viruses accompanying them, emerging from the doorway at the far end of the oval space. None of the four looked friendly, and the Swordys quickly warped to more offensive positions while the Champy's approached head on. This likely wouldn't have been much stress for Martia and Scourge together, but as their opponents were forming up, a musical chime sounded. Up above, in the smaller ceiling space, two side passages opened, and threw a selection of three confused-looking Melody viruses into the space. They picked themselves up, and then began jumping about to explore the space, as Melodies are wont to do, until one of them landed, by chance, on one of the glowing panels. It let out a musical note, which made the Melody stop still, before jumping up and down on the spot a few more times with a pleased expression. More notes played, while down below a series of slits opened in the walls, emitting a group of ground-anchored viruses, low-slung and spinning as they moved, kitted out with dangerous-looking spiked protrusions that rotated as the viruses spun along their courses.

-=The Second Line=-

Swordy-F: 80Hp [Normal][Forward and left, between two columns]
Swordy-F: 80Hp [Normal][Forward and right, between tow columns]
Champu: 60Hp [Metal][Directly ahead]
Champu: 60Hp [Metal][Directly ahead]

Gabyoall: 70Hp [Normal][Directly right of Martia and Scourge]
Gabyoall: 70Hp [Normal][Far back left — More than 1 movement away]
Gabyoall: 70Hp [Normal][Directly left of Martia And scourge]
Gabyoall: 70Hp [Normal][Far back right — More than 1 movement away]

Melody: 80Hp [Glass][On the upper floor]
Melody: 80Hp [Glass][On the upper floor]
Melody: 80Hp [Glass][On the upper floor]

-=Investigative Partners=-

Martia: 240Hp [Metal][Near the entrance, front and centre]
Scourge: 170Hp [Metal][Near the entrance, front and centre]

-=Load-Bearing Supports=-

ColumnA: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][First left]
ColumnB: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Second Left]
ColumnC: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Third Left]
ColumnD: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][First Right]
ColumnE: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Second Right]
ColumnF: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Third Right]

-=Base?=-

40% Glass [The upper floor, also the ceiling, no direct access visible]
20% Metal [Broad strip leading up the centre of the chamber]
40% Normal [Floor of the oval chamber]

Space is a large, long oval chamber, with a strip of metal panelling up the centre, escorted on either side by a set of six stone pillars. The ceiling is glass, and reveals an upper space, also ceilinged by glass, which in turn reveals the bottom of the lava lake. There is no visible access to the upper space from here.

-=Battle 3, Start!=-

"Heh, if you don't want anything cursed you can pass it off to me. I could use something like that!" laughed Scourge, as she followed Martia down the stairs. Rather disappointingly, the flight of steps was a bit short before they were halted in their tracks by the large steel doorway. "Aw, stupid doors."

"Looks like it's closed off," said Sofia. "Maybe you could find viruses somewhere else? It looks kind of bad anyway, it might be someone else's property or something."

Scourge's brow furrowed slightly, though under the bandages it wasn't exactly visible. She laid her hand on the steel door, shifting her weight onto it. Creaking heavily, the door swung itself open with the push, much to her surprise. Though it didn't open entirely, it was enough space for both of them to squeeze through the opening that had been made. "Well! Doesn't look closed off to me. Should've locked their doors if they didn't want anyone coming in," chuckled Scourge, as she let herself in.

"Jeez... be careful!"

"Come on, you worry way too much. We'll just apologize to anyone if we come across them, say we got lost or something. Ugh, this place looks kind of stuffy, though," said Scourge, slightly disgruntled at the stone passageway's small area as they passed through the steel door. However, despite her earlier comment, her senses were rather muted to the heat that was going through the area, though whether the same could be said for Martia, she didn't know, and didn't want to know. She certainly wasn't going to sweat the details herself.

Not long after, they encountered the larger chamber, with some weird decor everywhere. Above them, the lava pool provided some eerie orange lighting above a suspicious glassy second floor. The columns with all the flame-emblazoned banners made it look very grandiose, and both Sofia and Scourge gawked at the area. It seemed that someone spent quite some time outfitting the place.

"Wow, that looks so cool!" commented Sofia.

"Yeah, I guess. Doesn't look like any viruses are coming in, though," continued Scourge, slight disappointment in her voice.

Suddenly, Scourge's wish was granted, as all of their escorts shifted into the room, and she instinctively adjusted her stance with a grin on her face. It didn't look like there were any weird viruses this time around, either, which was good. "Well, I stand corrected! Sofia, send me a sword with that new chip we just got, would ya?" said Scourge, as her bandages were already unfurling themselves wildly in preparation for what was to come.

"O-Okay! Stay safe!" said Sofia, as she slotted in the two chips, this time with a lot less fumbling around. She was getting used to it, but she was a bit sad that she couldn't do more. For now, though, she tried to keep an eye on both her Navi and Martia, who was mostly the entire reason she was persuaded to jack Scourge into the net in the first place. The girl watched as Scourge's bandages began to go wild from the chips they were supplied, starting with the CurseShield. A large amount of bandages started to sprout from Scourge's left arm, which started to dye themselves a jet black color, and formed an enormous gauntlet, shaped like a monster's jagged maw. Her other arm formed the standard sharpened bandage blade, which she was used to by now.

"W-Whoa, that looks pretty impressive," said Scourge, as she inspected the gauntlet. Turning to Martia, she flashed her busting partner a thumbs up. "Okay, I'm going for the right side of those things. You do whatever it is that you do!" she said, grinning wide. Strangely enough, Martia would feel Scourge's words slightly more motivational than usual, though it would be a short-lived feeling as Scourge dashed off. Heading first towards one of the small spinning spike discs, she drew her bandage sword, and brought it down towards the virus in a heavy strike, before dashing off towards the Swordy knight between the pillars. Her body twisted in a spiral as she leapt for the virus with her blade, aiming to bisect it entirely from shoulder to waist. Lastly, her attention was focused towards one of the boxing Champu, ending her movement by planting her feet firmly onto the white floor paneling, and stabbing forward at the virus.

// Summary
[Sc.1] Chip: CurseShield1Damage: (1 Hit Shield) + (Counter(160): On-Hit)
Accuracy: A
Description: Blocks one attack, teleports to face the attacker, and then charges the target to deliver a crushing bite attack. Break attacks will pierce the defense, but only Impact will stop the Dominerd's Counter.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Trader Rank: D: (1 Hit Shield) + (Counter(160): On-Hit) (Acc: A) @ Self
[Sc.*] Act: Variable Buff: +16 Damage @ Martia
[Sc.2] Chip: SwordDamage: 80 + Slashing
Accuracy: B
Description: Creates a sword made of solidified energy, with a very short blade. Hits one target per slash
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D: 80 + Slashing (Acc: B) to Gabyoall A (Use 1/6)
[Sc.3] Chip: SwordDamage: 80 + Slashing
Accuracy: B
Description: Creates a sword made of solidified energy, with a very short blade. Hits one target per slash
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D: 80 + Slashing (Acc: B) to Swordy-F B (Use 2/6)
[Sc.4] Chip: SwordDamage: 80 + Slashing
Accuracy: B
Description: Creates a sword made of solidified energy, with a very short blade. Hits one target per slash
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D: 80 + Slashing (Acc: B) to Champu on the right (Use 3/6)

"Hmm..." It didn't take long to reach a road block, and Martia stopped at the door. "That's quite a door. If it's locked, we'd have to break it down, and I'm not sure that's a good idea-" Naturally, Scourge went right in and tried to open it up...and succeeded? Huh. Guess it wasn't locked. She noted Sofia's concerns, but... "I dunno...given how the area looks, I think it's safe to say this is a derelict location, which means there shouldn't be a problem. And if there is, we honestly didn't know, so we wouldn't have to lie about anything."

"Just be careful. If there's lava at the surface, who knows what's down there at the bottom?"

"Point taken...but just think of it as an occupational hazard!" And in she went. And almost instantly regretted it. "Ick. You weren't kidding. I'll be lucky if I'm not completely glued to my clothes by the time this is over..."

"Well, there's always your swimsuit..."

"...No thanks. I'll tough it out. Fully covered." Note to self: try to make your outfit more breathable sometime soon. But until then, she'd have to suffer through it. But it wasn't for too long, at least, before entering a large room. It...sure was something, though that there was only glass and air between her and a lava lake was a little nerve wracking. Still, she was getting an evil lair vibe from it, that aside. "It almost looks like some madman's lair, huh?"

"Huh? Sorry, I was too busy noticing the LAKE OF LAVA ABOVE YOU. Good thing cyberglass is sturdier stuff than the real thing..."

"Yeah. I'm kinda glad there's nothing here...imagine if something broke that uppermost glass." Almost as soon as she said it, Martia looked back ahead, half-expecting to see a small virus horde come out to fight. ...And, sure enough. "...Me and my big mouth."

"Okay, let's see...Swordy, Champy...Gabyoall? What the hell kind of a name is that?"

"I dunno, but it's pretty obvious what it is." It was...a disc thing, with spikes. That seemed...fun? "At least we don't have to worry about those guys...for the time being." She looked back up, at the Melody above them. They seemed harmless for the moment, but she didn't like how they were happily bouncing on the large button-like areas..."...Okay, no sense in worrying about them right now. Let's focus on the ones in front of us!...And the side! ...Looks like Scourge is handling the right, so let's get the left!"

"All right. So, how do you wanna do this?"

"Let's just go full bore, without worrying about too much strategy! GutsPunch'll do the trick for now!"

"Full bore, got it!" Not worrying about strategy would be nice. Just sit back and let her Navi do the work. "BattleChip, GutsPunch! Slot in!"

Curiously, despite the name, both Martia's gloves and boots started to glow, turning yellow, with her fingers becoming black. With the chip data spread throughout her limbs, she could use it just about however she wanted...hmm, who first? How about...the one with the stylish headgear? She brought her fists up in front of her, and burst forward, running it down...and performing a speedy uppercut as she neared it, aimed precisely for the chin. There was definitely a satisfaction in watching the boxer virus recoil from the force of the blow, even though it'd be erased from the Net as it did so. Yeah...she did miss this. Being able to fight without worrying about whether something was sentient. These were just guardian viruses, who only existed to remove intruders. ...Wait, what? That meant there was something worth guarding down here. Maybe it wasn't as abandoned as she thought...

She could think more later, though. Deciding to go counterclockwise, next up was...that Swordy. Without hesitation, she...turned her back to the virus? But the reason was clear, as she started backflipping towards it. And backflipping. And backflipping...but as she drew close, she leapt high into the air, still spinning from her momentum. This didn't last, for as she approached impact with the knight virus, she spun around, and attempted to plant her heel into its head via aerial axe kick. There were plenty of swords in the net, but not many axes. Might as well change that a little.

Now, time to check out that new one...Gabyoall, Leslie said it was called? Weird name...but she was more interested in how well it could take a hit. And so, she ran towards her target one more time, but soon performed a jumping kick. Against either of her previous foes, it would've been a bit too soon, and would've fallen short. But they floated, and lacked legs. This virus was quite bound to the ground. And so, her kick would fall right down onto it...if her timing was right. If she struck true, she would feel some sort of resistance from it at first...then suddenly that would fade, even before the virus did.

...All right, that was everything in the nearby area. There were still those Gabyoall in the distance, but even she'd need a bit to run over there. She needed a more...ranged solution.

Luckily for her, her operator was already thinking along those lines. "Wanna weaken those guys, I'm guessing? Pretty sure I can help you out there!" Incidentally, that involved a chip involving one of the viruses Martia had previously gone womano y mano with. What were the odds? ...Probably higher than she thought, considering how much they used it. "BattleChip, FireHit! Slot in!"

The martial artist Navi's right hand became its normal pink, only for it to instantly light up on fire. She eyed the two disc viruses off in the distance, too far away to reasonably punch...but this was the internet. If you had the tools, punching knew no distance. And so, she let loose with a flurry of punches, almost too fast for the eye to see. During this, two fist-like fireballs shot forth, each of which appeared to be headed towards a Gabyoall in the distance. It might not get them in one shot, but they'd be weakened enough that pretty much anything could finish them off.

...Unfortunately for Martia, in her focus to go full bore, she had entirely forgot to make any kind of defensive or evasive maneuver. Oh well, at least she got to show off some moves.

(NOTE: Assuming that each virus is A/B/C/D, from top to bottom in the listing.)

[Order of Turn:
1- GutsPunchDamage: 70 + Impact + Knockback
Accuracy: A
Description: Creates a large fist for the user to punch with. Anything it hits is knocked back a sizable distance, even objects.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D on ChampyA (+1 accuracy rank)
2- GutsPunchDamage: 70 + Impact + Knockback
Accuracy: A
Description: Creates a large fist for the user to punch with. Anything it hits is knocked back a sizable distance, even objects.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D on Swordy-FA (+16 from Buff) (+1 accuracy rank)
3- GutsPunchDamage: 70 + Impact + Knockback
Accuracy: A
Description: Creates a large fist for the user to punch with. Anything it hits is knocked back a sizable distance, even objects.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D on GabyoallC (+1 accuracy rank)
4- FireHit1Damage: 60 + Impact + Double Attack
Accuracy: A
Description: Throws a blazing punch from a distance, Hadoken style.
Duration: Up to 2 uses before the end of the turn
Element: Fire
Special: Double Attack: After spending an action to attack with this chip, you may choose to spend a second action and attack with it again before the end of the turn.
Trader Rank: D on GabyoallB (+1 accuracy rank)
5- FireHit1Damage: 60 + Impact + Double Attack
Accuracy: A
Description: Throws a blazing punch from a distance, Hadoken style.
Duration: Up to 2 uses before the end of the turn
Element: Fire
Special: Double Attack: After spending an action to attack with this chip, you may choose to spend a second action and attack with it again before the end of the turn.
Trader Rank: D on GabyoallD (+1 accuracy rank)]

With new viruses showing up and bearing arms, the two navis quickly jumped into action, each beginning with one side of the room and getting to work. While Scourge readied her new shield, Martia was first off the mark, delivering a solid strike to the boxer in front of her before it could react, and removing it from the scene. A moment later the two sword-bearers retaliated; one warped the short distance to take a swing at Martia's exposed back, but missed the strike, while the other had already decided to have a go at Scourge. It stabbed, as though trying to thrust clean through her defence, but the cursed shield was having none of that, and promptly opened its maw to devour the attacking virus whole.

The shield vanished after its meal, but this only left Scourge light and free, and able to make her next strike on the low bearing spine virus that was racing towards her. Her sword put it out of action before it could make contact. Barely a second or two had passed, but already the two navis were thinning the field. Martia turned back to deliver a second brutal strike, buffed up by her ally, to eliminate the second Swordy, and continued on to crush the Gabyoall that had rushed close to her a moment after.

Up above, the Melodies were still bouncing about. One of them landed on another switch, which cased each of the pillars in the room to grind and begin shifting their position; as they moved the remaining Gabyoall were diverted, bouncing off in an erratic pattern that threatened to slip in for a drive by on the two navis any moment. A second one landed on a different panel, and a series of vents opened up on either side of the chamber. One by one, in rows, the panels at the sides of the room dropped inwards to allow a steady flow of glowing magma to begin filling them as it flowed out at ground level. the Melody in question paused in what it was doing to look down through the glass, clearly fascinated by what had happened below.

As this happened, the remaining champy virus managed to get a subtle drop on Martia, teleporting in for a quick double strike. They both hit, but to a trained martial artist like her, it didn't really hurt that much. In response, Scourge bore down on it, and managed to swiftly remove its threat with her own weapon. Another switch was landed on overhead, and a short few steps to Martia's left a panel blinked. the melody jumped again, and the blinking panel erupted in a column of fire that roared up to the glass ceiling. The sound of shattering glass sounded through the chamber as it blasted a hole in the first ceiling, but thankfully didn't reach the second.

Despite this, the two navis were still delaying with the immediately hostile viruses, and Martia let lose some of her much favoured FireHits. The movement of the pillars and the rapid redirection of her targets made it difficult to strike, but she scored a solid blow on one of them at least. The other happened to pass behind one of the shifted pillars, and her fireball crashed against the stone instead.

Above, one of the melodies was now examining the shattered hole in their play pen, but the others still seemed quite content to bounce around aimlessly — and potentially dangerously.


-=The Second Line=-

Swordy-FA: DELETED
Swordy-FB: DELETED
ChampuA: DELETED
ChampuB: DELETED

GabyoallA: DELETED
GabyoallB: DELETED
GabyoallC: DELETED
GabyoallD: 70Hp [Normal][Near right Behind Column E]

MelodyA: 80Hp [Glass][On the upper floor][Looking at the hole]
MelodyB: 80Hp [Glass][On the upper floor]
MelodyC: 80Hp [Glass][On the upper floor]

-=Investigative Partners=-

Martia: 220Hp [Metal][Middle of room]
Scourge: 170Hp [Metal][Towards the far end, central]

-=Load-Bearing Supports=-

ColumnA: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Far End, Centre]
ColumnB: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Mid Back, Left]
ColumnC: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Mid Back, Right]
ColumnD: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Near Left]
ColumnE: 49Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Near Right]
ColumnF: 50Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Centre of Chamber]

-=Base?=-

40% Glass [The upper floor, also the ceiling, no direct access visible]
20% Metal [Broad strip leading up the centre of the chamber]
20% Normal [Floor of the oval chamber]
20% Lava [Creeping in evenly from both sides of the chamber]

Space is a large, long oval chamber, with a strip of metal panelling up the centre, escorted on either side by a set of six stone pillars. The pillars are now in the shape of a five-pointed star, with one in the centre. The ceiling is glass, and reveals an upper space, also ceilinged by glass, which in turn reveals the bottom of the lava lake. There is no visible access to the upper space from here, save for a small hole that has been made in the glass.

As the sound of the switches clicking went through the chamber, Scourge jumped slightly as things began to change inside the chamber. The pillars moving around made her raise her eyebrow a little, but it wasn't much cause for alarm; it looked kind of cool even, if not for the spiky Gabyoall viruses bouncing around madly to try and land a hit on them. The second switch was a bit more pressing, however, as one of the glass panels opened up, and the glowing lava started to pour in.

"Oh no. Oh no nonono," she said, as she drew back against a pillar away from the pouring lava. If she hadn't been feeling any regret from wandering in earlier, she was now. Even as she was unable to feel any of the smouldering heat that the lava was exuding, she knew enough that molten rock generally equated to a bad time.

"S-Scourge?! Is that the lava pouring in?!" exclaimed Sofia.

"Um, uh, it's okay! I got this! Just... just give me the blue chips again! I'll make it work!" blurted out Scourge, to an "O-OK!" from her operator. The chips that came in were one more than she had expected, though, with a stray Synapse chip slotted into the chip queue. Most likely that Sofia just shoved it in without thinking, perhaps looking out for her to put in as many strong chips as she saw fit. It wasn't the time to worry about that, though, as she materialized the AquaKnife in her free hand as a stumpy-looking blue knife. Without much thought, she lobbed it towards the hole in the glass ceiling, hopefully stemming the flow somewhat for a moment.

The next chip passed unconsciously through her system, as a nearly imperceptible energy pulsed out from her. The remaining Gabyoall hiding behind the nearby pillar would most likely be the recipient of the energy pulse, which would cause its offensive functions to malfunction. Meanwhile, Scourge herself was rather focused on the viruses that had caused the mess in the first place. The Synapse loaded into her system as her brow furrowed intensely. She cried out in a bellow, before releasing a heavy bolt of energy towards the bouncing black blob.

// Summary
[Sc.1] Chip: Throw AquaKnifeDamage: 60 + Slashing
Accuracy: B
Description: Creates a sword imbued with water energy, with a blade comparible to a large knife. Hits one target per slash.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Aqua
Trader Rank: D: 60 + Slashing (Acc: B) @ Hole with Lava
[Sc.2] Chip: Aqua+20Status: Aqua Element UP 20, Stackable
Accuracy: S
Description: Adds 20 Damage to all hits of an Aqua Element attack chip, before any external environment-related or target-related damage modifiers apply.
Duration: Once
Element: Aqua
Trader Rank: D: Aqua Element UP 20, Stackable (Acc: S) @ GabyoallD (Convert to Debuff)
[Sc.3] Act: Line up the shot (Take Aim)
[Sc.4] Chip: Synapse1Damage: 80 + Piercing + Chain 2
Accuracy: B
Description: Produces a powerful ray through sheer force of thought, which arcs towards nearby enemies when it hits a target.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Special: Chain 2: This attack, upon striking a target, may change directions towards a new target. This may be done up to 2 times in one attack.
Trader Rank: D: 80 + Piercing + Chain 2 (Acc: B) @ MelodyA/B/C (Take Aim: Acc+)

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! ...Not bam! Darn, if it wasn't for that moving pillar, she'd be batting a thousand. ...Wait, moving pillar? Why was it moving? Martia took a quick look around, becoming extremely alarmed by the fact there was suddenly now lava seeping into the area. "Um, that's a problem...!"

"...Hold up. They built an area underneath a lava lake, then they added a way to flood it? Now I KNOW there's something up with this place."

"That's great and all, but I'd like to reiterate that THE AREA IS FILLING WITH LAVA. You know, like, liquid rock? Because it's so hot that the rock melts?"

"...Actually, isn't it magma right now? It's only lava if it goes above the surface. ...Heh, look at me, getting all science nerd."

"Yeah, real frickin' impressive. I'd rather not get baked here...and I don't see any stairs...and I know there's a hole there, but I can't exactly jump up through it, that's way too high..." Normally, she was pretty level headed, but the idea of swimming in lava was REALLY not appealing.

"Too bad you can't fly. That'd make it real easy." ...Hmm. Fly? Maybe there actually was a way for Martia to do that. "...Oh, I just got a great idea. Go grab Scourge."

"...You do? Great! I'll go get her!" The martial artist Navi moved over to her partner in busting, let her do her thing. The AquaKnife wasn't a bad idea, but considering there were two vents, and odds were they wouldn't be deterred forever...well, at any rate, it looked like Scourge was done. "Scourge! We need to get up there before we're swallowed up! But don't worry, Leslie has a plan!"

"Damn right I do! Now, step one! Grab her!"

Uhh...well, that did make sense. Without giving the other girl a chance to decline, Martia wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. "Okay, now what?"

"Now, we go up!" And that required two chips. One to protect Martia, and one to provide the lift. "BattleChip, BubbleWrap! FootStomp! Double slot in!"

A giant bubble suddenly surrounded the Navis, though thanks to the general quirkiness of the internet, she wasn't really sure if it protected both Navis, or just her. She then felt a sudden, but very powerful, burst of energy in her feet, which signaled what she needed to do. She looked up, making sure there was glass above her, tried to cover Scourge up as much as possible, and jumped. Normally, this would have managed to cover a good deal of distance, due to her physical prowess. But, augmented by the chip, she found herself leaping extremely high. So high, she'd go crashing through the first glass ceiling, and come very close to doing the same for the second...but thankfully, she hadn't done it as hard as she possibly could. But there was still a problem. With the chip still in effect, she'd probably just break through the glass again and land where she started. Leslie had thought of something for that, right...?

The answer, as it turned out...was 'not at first'. But once her Navi started her ascent, it dawned on her that, yeah, glass was not the most stable of materials to land on. But, once she was at the upper level, there was something she could do about that. "Now! BattleChip, ElecDragon! Slot in!"

A pot formed next to the hole Martia had created with her unorthodox method of climbing, and immediately tipped over. A ThunderDragon raced forward, but instead of actively seeking out viruses, seemed content to move in a spiral pattern, causing the glass beneath it to become altered and magnetized. It wouldn't stop if a Melody bounced into its path, though. Regardless, the important thing was the newly non-glass area, which the martial artist Navi landed on with a hard thud. There was no way the BubbleWrap was still on her, but with any luck, the Navis were safe.

--------

...Yep, that'd be perfect to not get them burned to a crisp. Just had to execute it, and they'd be safe. "...Oh, I just got a great idea. Go grab Scourge!"

[Order of Turn:
0-Let Scourge use all her actions
1-Go over to Scourge and grab her (Movement)
2- BubbleWrap1Protection: 1-hit Aqua element barrier, per turn, for 3 turns
Accuracy: S
Description: Encases the user in a protective bubble, which can take a single hit before bursting. The bubble reforms at the beginning of each turn. Elec attacks completely destroy the bubble and damage the user.
Duration: Until end of battle, hit with an Elec attack, or overridden.
Element: Aqua
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Special: If an Elec element attack hits BubbleWrap, it is destroyed, and will no longer regenerate. The user will also take full damage from the attack.
Special: The bubble regeneration stops after 3 turns. An existing bubble will remain in place until broken, however.
Trader Rank: D on Martia
3- FootStompDamage: 180 + Impact
Accuracy: D
Description: The user jumps into the air, acquiring High Altitude status for one action. Then, on the next action, they land on an enemy. Rare
Duration: Two actions
Element: Null
Special: Attacking with this chip counts as a dodge, and quite a lot of movement.
Trader Rank: B up into the upper level (ALSO: protect Scourge from incoming glass)
4- ElecDragon1Damage: 100 + Ground Attack + Medium Area Magnet Terrain Change + Terrain Changer
Accuracy: C
Description: Summons a ThunderDragon that attacks enemies as it glides across the ground. Changes terrain to Magnet as it passes.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Special: Terrain Changer: Ceases attacking when the Terrain Change effect is completed (once 25% of the terrain is changed).
Trader Rank: D on area around where Martia enters upper level (WILL NOT go after enemies unless they're right in its path)
5- FootStompDamage: 180 + Impact
Accuracy: D
Description: The user jumps into the air, acquiring High Altitude status for one action. Then, on the next action, they land on an enemy. Rare
Duration: Two actions
Element: Null
Special: Attacking with this chip counts as a dodge, and quite a lot of movement.
Trader Rank: B onto empty Magnet terrain]

With lava pouring into the lower half of the chamber rapidly, and filling the floor panel by Panel, Martia took a moment to assess the situation while her operator took time to assess the nature of molten rock in a more philosophical manner. Scourge was not nearly so patient, and made an attempt at stemming the flow. While her thrown knife did indeed cause one of the vents to harden over, stopping the progress of the lava on that tile, there were a goodly number of vents around the edges of the ground floor level, so it only hindered the spread very slightly. If they wanted to stop the lava that way, they'd need to block up about a dozen more such vents in similar fashion.

Next, she weakened the one hostile virus remaining to the point that it was no threat, and directed her ire upwards, towards the obliviously bouncing Melodies. the first arc of the bolt struck cleanly on the Melody that was stationary, peering down through the broken glass hole, but as it arced to the next on, the virus hopped away, and the bold simply struck the upper layer of glass overhead.... fortunately, not hard enough to do it damage.

Down Below, the gabyoall bounced off the inner side of the pillars, doing its best to avoid the encroaching lava, which spread further and further each moment. this brought it into even tighter quarters with Martia and Scourge, but even when it bounced off one of them briefly, it failed to achieve anything, and continue to ricochet.

Martia then decided that now was the time for hugs. Let's be honest though, when is it not the time for hugs? In this case, it was an effort to try and encase her ally in her protective bubble, and as much as it was a fairly tight squeeze, it seemed like enough compromise of personal space would do the trick to keep them both safe from what was to come. What was to come, in this particular case, was a thunderous jump that launched them both upwards and shattered the glass overhead as they passed through. The jump itself held more power than any of them were probably prepared for in the enclosed chamber, and Martia found her leading shoulder crashing hard against the upper layer of glass as well. Cracks appeared in the surface, inches away from the lake of lava above, and began to spider outwards.

In a panic, the remaining tow Melodies jumped wildly, accidentally striking more buttons even as Martia made a small platform of magnetic terrain for them to land on as they came down. One button opened a vent above the door they'd entered from, adding another curtain of flowing magma to their worries, while another made several more panels on the floor below blink, then erupt in columns of fire. The lava had almost filled the room below, and the sounds of cracking and breaking glass were spreading; the fire columns had risen up near the door end, and they seemed to have exacerbated the spreading cracks in the uppermost ceiling as well as shattering the midway floor.

Martias dragon finished its work, having created a circle of terrain directly around the hole in the glass she'd popped them up through, and the two navis landed on it with a heavy thump. the thump was followed by another, louder crack, then another, before finally the whole mid section floor gave out, glass shattering all around them, as their ring of magnetic land crashed back down into what was now a complete floor of lava. The gabyoall was down there somewhere, and it popped up a moment late,r trapped in the single panel hole in the centre of the magnets, unable to move and being scorched by the lava... though it was probably better than being submerged in it. In the fall, one of the melodies had tumbled headlong into the lava, and was no nowhere to be seen, but the other had come down at the edge of the magnet platform, which bobbed slightly as it floated in the still-rising magma. It looked, for want of a better description, terrified and confused. It was also stuck to the magnets, and couldn't seem to move.

With a moment to take stock, the girls would see that they were now on a circular platform of magnet tiles, with a single hole in the exact centre, containing a stuck Gabyoall. This platform was floating, bobbing slightly, on a bed of lava, which rose further as the room filled. The pillars seemed to have either fallen down, or else collapsed on their own deliberately, and were gone now... which made it all the clearer to see that the only remaining glass ceiling above them was cracking and crazing badly, and probably wouldn't last much longer. The entry hall, behind them, was now obscured by a falling curtain of lava, and the hall ahead seemed to tilt downwards slightly, making the lave start, gradually, to flow in that direction.


-=The Second Line=-

Swordy-FA: DELETED
Swordy-FB: DELETED
ChampuA: DELETED
ChampuB: DELETED

GabyoallA: DELETED
GabyoallB: DELETED
GabyoallC: DELETED
GabyoallD: 70Hp [Lava][Debuffed][In centre of the Magnet platform, unable to get out.]

MelodyA: DELETED
MelodyB: 80Hp [Magnet][Edge of magnet platform][Scared and confused]
MelodyC: DELETED

-=Investigative Partners=-

Martia: 220Hp [Magnet][BubbleWrap][Still hugging Scourge?][Middle Magnet Platform]
Scourge: 170Hp [Magnet][Being hugged?]

-=Load-Bearing Supports=-

ColumnA-F: GONE

-=Base?=-

70% Lava [It's all awash now]
30% Magnet [Circular ring of tiles, with a hole in the centre, floating in the lava]

Space is a large, long oval chamber, which has now been flooded with lava. The midway ceiling has been utterly shattered, while the upper ceiling of glass revealing the bottom of the lava lake, is beginning to go.

"Wha-- hey, what the hell?!" yelled out Scourge, as she was involuntarily pulled along into an embrace with Martia, before being enveloped by her bubble barrier. The explosive jump that followed caused her to shriek out, with the powerful attack shattering through the glass ceiling over their heads, and busting her shoulder into the second half's ceiling as well. However, they did manage to stick a landing onto some paneling, which Martia's dragon had so kindly made for them. Unfortunately, it also sort of made her skin run prickly with electrical zaps every now and then. The following crash back down into the pool of lava was... interesting, to say the least, as Scourge had the breath knocked out of her.

"Grah!" Scourge choked out, as she managed to get her bearings back. The bubble protection had served them well, at least, but she'd had no affection for the suffocating hug that Martia was currently giving her. "Let-- let me go!" she grunted, planting her hand on Martia's cheek to pry herself off. Fortunately, that managed to work well, and she was free from her partner's embrace for the moment. Looking around the area, the shaking and the cracking and everything that was happening around them made her sweat a little. Or, well, it would have, if she didn't take on the appearance of a mummified person.

"This is a huge mess we're in..." she said to nobody in particular. Looking around, she saw the glass ceiling threatening to cave in, with the lava just above it. She turned away, and saw that further in, there was a hall that was tilted slightly downwards, where all the lava was flowing. Two pathways, and neither seemed very promising. Though... another thought came to her mind, as she looked around a little more.

"A-Are you gonna be okay?! T-That's a lot of lava!" panicked Sofia, interrupting Scourge's train of thought, as she sifted through the chips that she had. Unfortunately, there was no "get out of jail quick" card for this one, but Sofia didn't know that. An image of a flying Drixol virus stood out to her. Perhaps she could fly out, like the drill viruses she saw earlier! "W-Wait, okay, hold on, what about this one?!" she said, and she hurriedly slotted it in.

The large drill materialized in Scourge's hand just as she escaped from Martia, taking the form of an enormous bandage-made drill. The bandages had a metallic sheen to them. Unfortunately, the chip's displayed image was a rather misleading advertisement, as she did not experience any ability nor desire to fly off with the drill in hand, as the Drixol had done. The sight of the chip caused her to scream out in frustration. "What the hell am I supposed to do wi--" she yelled out, before the thought came to her again. Her eyes were drawn to a certain area of the wall, which was now obscured behind a curtain of lava. It was directly across the hallway that all the lava was pouring into... She looked at her partner again, who was currently being enveloped again by the BubbleWrap barrier.

The workings of a plan grinded within her mind, but where it led to wasn't something she particularly liked. Still, desperate times called for desperate measures. First off, though, she had to get rid of something. Her bandage sword-equipped arm was getting in the way, as she unbound it with a fleeting mental command. The sharpened bandage detached itself from her arm, at which point she whipped it off to the side towards the remaining Melody off-handedly. If it hit the virus, that was fine; it was one less potentially annoying factor. That left the second part of her plan, where her eyes drifted back to Martia, whose embrace she had just escaped from. Her eye twitched slightly, before she shook her head. Desperate times called for desperate measures! She repeated it to herself in her mind.

"Grrrrrngh... Hang on to me!" she said, as she pulled Martia towards her with a tight hug of her own, now that her free hand was no longer occupied by a sharpened cloth blade. She then stuck her enormous drill-equipped arm into the lava, and activated the chip. Molten rock was thrown up all over as she did so, and the platform began to jostle slightly. With enough luck, she would be able to use Martia's BubbleWrap barrier as a buffer between them and the falling lava, as she attempted to propel the makeshift raft they had gotten themselves on towards the entry hall, still obscured behind the lava curtain.

// Summary
[Sc.1] Act: Push Martia away to escape from hug (RP)
[Sc.2] Discard Chip: SwordDamage: 80 + Slashing
Accuracy: B
Description: Creates a sword made of solidified energy, with a very short blade. Hits one target per slash
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D: 80 + Slashing (Acc: B) @ MelodyB (Use 5/6)
[Sc.3] Act: Draw Martia back into the hug (RP)
[Sc.4] Chip: DrillArm1Damage: 60 + Break + Knockback + Long Attack
Accuracy: B
Description: A long drill is created to bore through enemies. It can hit one enemy twice, and a second enemy once.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Special: Knockback paired with Long Attack causes the drill to hit close ranged targets twice, instead of once. This is because it pushes the closest target through both hit zones. Knockback only triggers once.
Trader Rank: D: 60 + Break + Knockback + Long Attack (Acc: B) @ Lava behind Magnet Platform, to attempt to propel towards earlier entry hall

Phew. Looked like Leslie's plan went off without a hitch...too bad she was having trouble moving her feet with the Magnet terrain. "Whoa!" Before she could think about anything else, Scourge resisted to free herself from her grasp, which she was happy to oblige. Though, another second or two and she would've done that anyway...more importantly, there was quite a bit of lava around now. As much as a pain as it was to move around, the electrical ground beneath them was probably the one thing keeping them from taking a swim right now.

"Oh, this is bad...really bad...incredibly bad...!" The worst part was, she didn't have any ideas...no, she needed to think of something. She just needed to cool it for a moment, and th...wait, cool? That gave her an idea. It might only delay the inevitable, but even that would be more than enough. "Leslie! We've gotta do something about this lava!"

"...Uh, no shit?"

"I mean we can do something about it, at least temporarily! Send me that...uh...the kettle one I can't think of the name for!"

"Kettle?...OH. I think I get it." If she did get it, it was definitely worth a try. Time to grab it, and send it through. "BattleChip, LilBoiler! Slot in!"

The makeshift raft got a new occupant, as what looked like a Kettle virus formed in front of Martia. It evilly grinned at its mere existence, excited at the prospect of-ow! Did...did she just punch it on top of its head? That hurt! Oh, it didn't care if she was the one responsible for its being, she was going to-huh? It suddenly felt some pain lower down, and now she was getting smaller? As it turned out, yep, she had kicked her object off the boat, and right towards the ceiling as it prepared to blow.

BOOM!

And that would hopefully dampen the lava's spirits a bit.

"That oughta cool things off a little. And I bet this'll work, too! BattleChip, Avalanche! Slot in!"

The Navi could feel her gloves cool a bit, as they became infused with icy energy. It didn't last, though, as she pointed to three still lava spots in the ceiling, for the purpose of letting the snow and ice form inside it...and then they'd cancel each other out and make things safer. Hopefully her finger was as good at shooting as her fist.

It was here when she noticed that Scourge was, in fact, hugging her now, using a drill to try and move through the lava. That...wasn't a bad idea at all, really. She could try her MistConvergence to work on the ceiling even more, but that wouldn't change much...she might as well enjoy the ride for now.

[Order of Turn:
1- LilBoiler1HP: 1
Properties: Light
Object Damage: (100 Aqua + Damage Absorbed) + Blast 3
Damage Method: Throw, Knockback, Microburst, Telekinesis, Gust
Attack Damage: (100 Aqua + Damage Absorbed) + Blast 3
Accuracy: E (thrown) / B (trigger)
Description: Throws a boiling kettle 3 panels ahead that boils over when hit once, dealing aqua damage to everything around it without regard to who or what that may be. The damage of the attack that strikes it is added to the blast.
Duration: Until destroyed.
Element: Wood
Special: Time Delay: Upon taking damage, there is a 2 action time delay before the attack triggers.
Special: For the purposes of Elemental Bonuses, this chip is counts as Aqua Element.
Trader Rank: D, to form in front of Martia
2-Buster attack on LilBoiler1 (10)
3-Punt LilBoiler1 into Lava ceiling (AKA throwing it)
4- Avalanche1Damage: 50 x 3 Targets + Drop Attack + Freeze 10%
Accuracy: C
Description: The navi slams their fists together to make a loud noise. A shower of snow drops down on up to 3 targets. There's normally a 10% chance of freezing a target on-hit, but a guarantee if the target is on Snow Terrain.
Duration: Once
Element: Aqua
Special: Ice Type: This chip counts as Ice Type for the purposes of potentially freezing targets on Aqua Element Terrain or environments, as applicable.
Special: Drop Attack: This attack originates above the battlefield, and falls to the ground. It gains one rank of accuracy against High Altitude targets.
Trader Rank: D on Lava ceiling
5-See where the magnet boat takes them]

As the ceiling above began to crack more and more, and the lava rose, the doors leading further not the complex warped and twisted, bulging under the pressure and heat. Ominous creaking, cracking and screeching of stone, glass and metal accompanied everything now. The Gabyoall rattled wildly in its central hole, spinning and struggling as the lava ate away at it, while the Melody, on the edge tried again, without success, to leap up away from the magnets. It wobbled in place, stuck firm.

At about that moment, Scourge tossed away her sword, casually flicking it away in away that the Melody would likely have jumped out of the way of, had it not been rooted to the spot. The blade pierced it cleanly before splashing into the lava on the other side, leaving both to swiftly melt away into nothing. Terror and confusion were the last expressions to register on the musical note's features.

There were, in fairness, bigger problems for the two navis to worry about. Martia set about her own plan after a small amount of personal space had been opened up between them again. She set up her surprise, primed it, and sent it shooting upwards to thud against the already compromised glass. No sooner had she performed her kick, than Scourge had reached out to rejoin the oddly-timed hug... though perhaps she was just crowding back under Martia's bubble again for safety.

The kettle had struck the glass ceiling, and started to fall; Scourge had converted her bandages into an improvised propulsion system for their raft; the lava was rising, the doors leading deeper into the compound groaned and buckled. Then, with a roar, the explosive little boiler erupted, shattering the glass overhead and flash hardening a large chunk of the lava beyond. The sound of tinkling glass fragments was lost in the shock-wave of the super-heated water, but Sheltering under Martia's regenerating bubble, the two navis were safe enough — from that, any way. In the middle of their raft, the trapped Gabyoall was not so fortunate, but there was little time to celebrate their victory over the remaining frightened and helpless foes.

Mainly, this was because a very large chunk of solid black stone was now falling towards them. with the glass shattered around the explosion point, the rest had swiftly crumbled away as the lava began to wash down towards them, led by the still rather scalding chunk of rock created by the explosion. Martia's further attempts to slow things down helped a little, but not enough to prevent the inevitable crash down. It did, however, buy them enough time for Scourge's drill to scoot the raft of panels out of the way of the imminent rock fall.

As the stone hit the lava behind them, it hissed and started to sink, sending a great swell outwards in the lava and bearing the raft with it. A moment later, the double doors, now almost fully submerged in magma, finally burst their hinges and Martia and Scourge were washed inwards, picking up sudden speed as the lava flowed, and the entire weight of the molten lake flowed down behind them. The passage quickly began to slope downwards more dramatically than before as their speed increased; Scourge could probably help control their direction and steady the raft a bit, but stopping it altogether was swiftly dropping out of the question.

-=The Second Line=-

Swordy-FA: DELETED
Swordy-FB: DELETED
ChampuA: DELETED
ChampuB: DELETED

GabyoallA: DELETED
GabyoallB: DELETED
GabyoallC: DELETED
GabyoallD: DELETED

MelodyA: DELETED
MelodyB: DELETED
MelodyC: DELETED

-=Investigative Partners=-

Martia: 220Hp [Magnet][BubbleWrap (Last Turn)][Sharing Personal Space][One side of Magnet Platform]
Scourge: 170Hp [Magnet][Sharing Personal Space]

-=Base?=-

70% Lava [It's all awash now]
30% Magnet [Circular ring of tiles, with a hole in the centre, floating in the lava]

-=Battle 3, Victory!=-

Martia Gets: 990z, Binder1Damage: 60 x 4 possible hits.
Accuracy: D
Description: Summons a Melody virus to stomp on random enemies. After the first target is attacked, the virus will bounce around the field randomly, possibly hitting other enemies or the same enemy again, up to 4 times total.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Special: Though the user has no control over the virus beyond the first attack, this chip cannot harm the user.
Trader Rank: D, 21 BugFrags
Scourge Gets: 990z, UnderGuard1Protection: Damage Reduction 20
Accuracy: S
Description: Reduces the damage of all non-Impact attacks taken by 20. Impact ignores the effect and deals double damage.
Duration: 2 turns
Element: Null
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Trader Rank: D, 21 BugFrags

Both Get: 8 mutual FXP (4 Base, +4 for teamwork and interactions)

As everything began to rumble and explode all around them, Scourge attempted to keep herself coherent as she tried to steady their makeshift raft with her DrillArm. Unfortunately, as all the viruses around them had been deleted, her battle routines were slowly winding down, as well as the BattleChip on her arm. The tightly wound up bandages slowly receded into her arm, leaving it as normal as it was before. With their direction slowly slipping further into the building on the lava ride, it should've been hard to calm down, but strangely enough, Scourge found herself exhaling in relief. For a moment, anyway, before she realized she still had Martia pulled into uncomfortably close proximity. Pushing her busting partner away immediately, she shook her head hard. There was a moment of silence as the raft headed on its way, with its two occupants still relatively intact.

It would have been a little more awkward, had Sofia not interrupted with an excited blurting of words. "I-I don't know what that was about but that was so cool! Everything was like, falling apart, and you guys were like-- Kapow! Bam!" she said, punching enthusiastically into thin air.

Scourge's face incomprehensibly scrunched up, before she rolled her eyes. "... I'm so glad I don't actually have you for an operator," she muttered.

"Eh, did you say something, Scourge?"

"No, nothing," the Navi said, sighing before pulling her arm back from the edge of the boat, and manually tightening the bandages idly. "Well, I guess that went kind of okay. I'm guessing this raft is heading nowhere good though. What do you think?" Scourge said, turning to her partner.

[Z > 2995, BF > 21, F > 16]
[Battle 4 - Ready?]
[Scourge.EXE: 170 HP.]

Well, for better or worse, things more or less worked out. Unfortunately, they now had the problem of not actually having any way to steer their makeshift boat. Guess they didn't have much choice but to see where the lava flow took th-oof! The shove didn't send Martia too far back, thanks to the magnetic effect of the panels, but it did surprise her quite a bit. "Hey, if you wanted some space, you could've just said something!" Well, she wasn't getting fried by the lava, so no harm done, at least. She took the lull in action to gather up her half of the reward data, and sent it over. She didn't take the time to check what was in it, though...she was too focused on whatever might come up.

"Oh, nice! New chip!...Binder? Sounds more like Scourge's type of thing...but it has that music note thing on it. That's just weird..." Leslie shrugged, but popped the chip into her collection anyway. A chip was a chip, after all.

The martial artist Navi folded her arms as she looked on ahead, but Sofia's energetic comment broke her gaze for a moment. She was about to make a remark that it was easy for someone NOT on a raft in a lava river to say that, but Scourge's comment drew her focus first. Did she just say...? Why would she...? ...She opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it, and let it go for now. Even if she asked, the other Navi would probably get defensive about it or something.

Instead, she was content to answer her busting partner's 'actually intended for others' ears' remark. "Coulda gone worse, but...we could also be not drifting down a lava flow, either. If only we knew before we came in, huh?" Her worry was that there was, in fact, nothing up ahead. As in, no free space, just a wall, lava, and no way to proceed. Though, if someone built such an elaborate place here to begin with, surely they had known something like this could happen. Maybe there was a lava drain? She sure hoped so...the last thing she wanted was a fight on this raft, and she just KNEW there was going to be a fight upcoming. Her intuition and experience told her that.

(Searching for Battle #4)

A moment free of viruses didn't exactly provide a romantic bonding experience for the two navis, when it was less a tunnel of love, and more an inferno river rapid. The molten rock washed their magnetised raft down the slope and deeper underground at a dangerous pace, though the flowing river itself seemed heavy enough that it wasn't splashing up at them, at least. the swell of lava pushing them didn't let up, but the tunnel itself did begin to broaden slightly and the ceiling rose away from them as they descended. Tall columns rushed by now instead of solid walls, but as the magma flowed out and around them, joining up with many other downward flows, the raft began to spin. It bumped off the side of one column and rotated rapidly around, like a ball in a peg board.

It was hard to see much of anything, but the red glow of the lava continued to angle down, while more and more space opened up, creating a dark, black space and a feeling of cavernous open air, supported by dozens of reaching pillars. Far, far ahead now, they could see the descending glow of lava coming from other directions, almost like they were heading towards a giant drain. that was a worry for later, however — it would still be a long while before they reached it, even at their current pace, and right now, there were other concerns. Namely, the crazed shrieks and whooping that were coming out of the darkness all around them.

The loudest and most obviously insane shrieking was coming from a pair of fighter planes that loomed out of the darkness on either side of the navi's raft, weaving in between the columns with reckless abandon. They appeared highly manoeuvrable, sporting jet thrusters on their back wings as well as stability hover fan engines on tips of the main wings. Each seemed to have a virally corrupted pilot wearing a modern flight goggle and oxygen mask, though they could both still be heard alternately laughing with maniacal fervour and shrieking for all they were worth despite this. The planes were also clearly packing arsenal, with wing-mounted machine turrets and open bomb bay doors beneath.

As well as these two planes keeping pace either side of the raft and preparing to attack, the domed shaped of a Megalian came into view ahead of them, dropping down from the darkness above. It continued to back off while facing the spiralling raft, trying to stay ahead of it, but the raft was moving faster and it would catch up soon regardless. A humming sound announced a pair of needler platforms also drawing level with the raft as it coursed through the lava, these ones much closer, and bearing HardHead viruses on their flat tops.

Finally, and perhaps strangest of all, a short distance off to the left, beyond the Needler on that side, the sound of a determined 'Meep!' threaded through the other sounds. It came from a metool riding at the prow of what looked almost certainly like a very wooden log boat... Sturdy enough, but still, made of wood. The boat had two more passengers, who looked more or less like metools as well, but without the usual pickaxes. The one in the lead pointed its pickaxe towards Martia and scourge's raft while the other two hopped up and down in their seats with excitement, then promptly ducked under their helmets. The metool at the prow looked back at them, confused briefly, they shrugged and arched back its weapon as though it was preparing to throw it. fire was, without doubt, beginning to lick at the edges of their wooden log boat as it coasted through the molten lava.


-=River Raiders=-
FighterBomber V1FighterBomber V1 (FighterBomber)

FighterBombers are a combination of FighterPlane, Ratty, and Kabutank viruses. They appear to be a miniature model of an A-10 fighter-bomber that has had the tips of the wings replaced with large ducted fans that it uses to stay airborne with. There are two smaller ducted fans on the tops of the rear wings as well. This virus moves about using thrust from two small jet engines mounted on the upper side of the craft's rear wings. The crazed viral pilot of the FighterPlane virus is present here as well, although the pilot now wears a modern visored fighter pilot's helmet and oxygen mask.

Area: All

HP: 290
Element: Null

Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 5 Null + Spreadfire x 9 shots
Primary Attack Accuracy: D
Primary Attack Description: Strafes the enemy with autocannon fire.

Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 10 Null + Blast2 x 4 Bombs
Secondary Attack Accuracy: C
Secondary Attack Description: Drops a rack of bombs on a line of targets. The bombs target panels, not enemies. Each bomb must be dropped on a new panel, as the attack is executed while moving only.

Tertiary Attack Damage/Effect: 20 Null + Seeking + Homing + Ground Attack + Blast 3
Tertiary Attack Accuracy: B
Tertiary Attack Description: Drops a ground torpedo to seek out and destroy targets.

Special: OmniShoes
Special: Cornered Panic: When HP drops below half, this virus gains permanent Haste.

Possible Rewards (Per Virus): AirRaid1, DoubleBomb, SeekerBomb1, Ratton1, FastGauge, Zenny.A: 290 Hp [Over lava, more than one movement away, to the left, keeping pace with the raft]
FighterBomber V1FighterBomber V1 (FighterBomber)

FighterBombers are a combination of FighterPlane, Ratty, and Kabutank viruses. They appear to be a miniature model of an A-10 fighter-bomber that has had the tips of the wings replaced with large ducted fans that it uses to stay airborne with. There are two smaller ducted fans on the tops of the rear wings as well. This virus moves about using thrust from two small jet engines mounted on the upper side of the craft's rear wings. The crazed viral pilot of the FighterPlane virus is present here as well, although the pilot now wears a modern visored fighter pilot's helmet and oxygen mask.

Area: All

HP: 290
Element: Null

Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 5 Null + Spreadfire x 9 shots
Primary Attack Accuracy: D
Primary Attack Description: Strafes the enemy with autocannon fire.

Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 10 Null + Blast2 x 4 Bombs
Secondary Attack Accuracy: C
Secondary Attack Description: Drops a rack of bombs on a line of targets. The bombs target panels, not enemies. Each bomb must be dropped on a new panel, as the attack is executed while moving only.

Tertiary Attack Damage/Effect: 20 Null + Seeking + Homing + Ground Attack + Blast 3
Tertiary Attack Accuracy: B
Tertiary Attack Description: Drops a ground torpedo to seek out and destroy targets.

Special: OmniShoes
Special: Cornered Panic: When HP drops below half, this virus gains permanent Haste.

Possible Rewards (Per Virus): AirRaid1, DoubleBomb, SeekerBomb1, Ratton1, FastGauge, Zenny.B: 290 Hp [Over lava, more than one movement away, to the right, keeping pace with the raft]

NeedlerNeedler (Needler)

Needlers only attack forward, left and right. They cannot attack targets above and below their position, nor can they shoot backwards. Needlers do not move (aside from aiming) aside from their secondary attack, though they will use it to reposition themselves if they find it necessary.

Area: Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town

HP: 90
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 5 Null x 2 Shots x 3 Targets
Primary Attack Accuracy: A
Primary Attack Description: Fires needles in 3 directions.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 10 Null + Movement + Impact + Knockback / 5 Null x 3 targets
Secondary Attack Accuracy: C / A
Secondary Attack Description: Rams forward with surprising speed, then fires a burst of needles while the enemy is still startled.
Tertiary Attack Damage/Effect: 2 Wood x 8 Shots
Tertiary Attack Accuracy: C
Tertiary Attack Description: Shoots a storm of wooden needles at a single enemy.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Needler1, NeedleCannon1 (Rare), ZennyA: 70 Hp [Lava][Next to the raft, left]
NeedlerNeedler (Needler)

Needlers only attack forward, left and right. They cannot attack targets above and below their position, nor can they shoot backwards. Needlers do not move (aside from aiming) aside from their secondary attack, though they will use it to reposition themselves if they find it necessary.

Area: Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town

HP: 90
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 5 Null x 2 Shots x 3 Targets
Primary Attack Accuracy: A
Primary Attack Description: Fires needles in 3 directions.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 10 Null + Movement + Impact + Knockback / 5 Null x 3 targets
Secondary Attack Accuracy: C / A
Secondary Attack Description: Rams forward with surprising speed, then fires a burst of needles while the enemy is still startled.
Tertiary Attack Damage/Effect: 2 Wood x 8 Shots
Tertiary Attack Accuracy: C
Tertiary Attack Description: Shoots a storm of wooden needles at a single enemy.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Needler1, NeedleCannon1 (Rare), ZennyB: 70 Hp [Lava][Next to the raft, right]
HardheadHardhead (HardHead)

HardHeads alternate actions between attacking and guarding. These are the only actions HardHeads may perform, and the first action of every battle is always guarding. Hardheads will not break from this pattern unless forced to by status effects. HardHeads cannot be lifted or thrown, even with Rageclaw.

Area: Electown, Kotobuki Town, Dentech

HP: 60
Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Null + Break + Panel Break
Attack Accuracy: C
Attack Description: Fires Cannonball. Breaking. Breaks Panels.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Wrecker, Zenny
Special: Immobile.
- Iron Body when not attacking.A: 60 Hp [On NeedlerA]
HardheadHardhead (HardHead)

HardHeads alternate actions between attacking and guarding. These are the only actions HardHeads may perform, and the first action of every battle is always guarding. Hardheads will not break from this pattern unless forced to by status effects. HardHeads cannot be lifted or thrown, even with Rageclaw.

Area: Electown, Kotobuki Town, Dentech

HP: 60
Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Null + Break + Panel Break
Attack Accuracy: C
Attack Description: Fires Cannonball. Breaking. Breaks Panels.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Wrecker, Zenny
Special: Immobile.
- Iron Body when not attacking.B: 60 Hp [On NeedlerB]

Megalian-FMegalian-F (Megalian-F)

All Megalian-F viruses are equipped with Omnishoes, and fight from the air. This virus type will spend an Action Dodging, and then Attack the following Action. If there are more than one Megalian (family does not matter) the viruses will work together, alternating their attack Actions or attacking as a group (mod's discretion). When attacking, both the head and the base can be damaged separately (if the Aura protecting the base has been destroyed).

Area: Netfrica, Hades Isle

HP: 130
Attack Damage/Effect: 40 Fire + Break + Piercing + Group attack.
Attack Accuracy: B (special)
Attack Description: Lines up with a target and launches its head at the enemy. Accuracy decreases with each hit.
Element: Fire
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): AuraHead1, Barrier, Zenny
Special: Omnishoes: capable of free flight.
- Dodges every other Action. Attacks when not dodging.
- Has a 10HP Fire Aura (Pierced and destroyed by Aqua attacks).
- Can be attacked while head is extended.: 130 Hp [Lava][Directly Ahead]

MetoolMetool (Metool)

Metools not currently attacking will guard. Entering guard mode requires an action. Exiting guard mode does not require an action.

Area: ACDC, Electown, Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town, Dentech, Beach

HP: 40
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 10 Null + Piercing + Ground Attack
Primary Attack Accuracy: C
Primary Attack Description: Whacks ground with pickaxe, sending forth a shockwave.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 10 Null
Secondary Attack Accuracy: B
Secondary Attack Description: Throws a mattock at an enemy.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Guard1, ShockWave, Zenny
Special: Can hide in its helmet to negate damage.: 40 Hp [Wood][Head of the log boat]
NeoMetoolNeoMetool (NeoMetool)

NeoMetool not currently attacking will guard. Entering guard mode requires an action. Exiting guard mode does not require an action.

Area: ACDC, Electown, Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town, Dentech, Beach

HP: 40
Attack Damage/Effect: 10 Null + Spread 1
Attack Accuracy: B
Attack Description: Spits out a bullet that penetrates an enemy to hit another one directly behind it.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Shotgun, ShieldGuard, Zenny
Special: Can hide in its helmet to negate damage.
Special: If hit while hiding with a non-Break attack, its next attack will do 30 damage instead of 10. This effect does not stack across multiple hits.A: 40 Hp [Wood][Behind Metool, on boat]
NeoMetoolNeoMetool (NeoMetool)

NeoMetool not currently attacking will guard. Entering guard mode requires an action. Exiting guard mode does not require an action.

Area: ACDC, Electown, Okuden Valley, Kotobuki Town, Dentech, Beach

HP: 40
Attack Damage/Effect: 10 Null + Spread 1
Attack Accuracy: B
Attack Description: Spits out a bullet that penetrates an enemy to hit another one directly behind it.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Shotgun, ShieldGuard, Zenny
Special: Can hide in its helmet to negate damage.
Special: If hit while hiding with a non-Break attack, its next attack will do 30 damage instead of 10. This effect does not stack across multiple hits.B: 40 Hp [Wood][Behind NeoMetoolA, on boat]

-=Raft Riders=-
Martia: 220Hp [Magnet][On the Magnet Raft]
Scourge: 170Hp [Magnet][On the Magnet Raft]

-=Rough Recourse=-

15% Wood [Metool boat — to the left of the raft]
20% Magnet [Martia and Scourge's raft — circular with a hole in the middle]
65% Lava [So Much Lava]

Wood terrain: Acts in most ways like Grass terrain, but does not provide damage multiplication to fire attacks directed at targets standing on it. Instead, fire attacks striking the terrain, or targets standing on the terrain will set it on fire, at which point it will deal 5Hp Fire damage (Thus 10 for Wood elementals) to each target remaining on it per action taken (For the purposes of this effect, objects resting on wood terrain, or made out of it, will take this damage once per turn). Fire will spread to all connected Wood terrain tiles at the end of the turn. After burning for two turns, the wood panel will convert to Coal. Being hit by a second fire attack while it is on fire will cause this conversion to take effect immediately. This is a terrain effect, and the appropriate shoe programs will allow the user to avoid damage.

Forrest of Pillars: stone pillars pass by swiftly as the battle flows down the lava river. All ranged attacks (ally and enemy) have a very small chance to strike a pillar on their way to the intended target

Out of Control: the magnet raft that Scourge and Martia are on is spinning around. Not terribly fast, but fast enough to making aiming attacks at things off the raft a bit more difficult.

-=Objects=-

Metool Boat: 60Hp [Wood][On Fire!]

Assorted Columns: ??Hp [StoneBody][Anchored][Moving by quickly, all around]

-=Battle 4, Start!=-

Scourge looked around at the tunnel they were currently riding down as the raft accelerated under her, and shook her head. "You know, I wish we weren't surrounded by all this lava. It might be actually relaxing on this--" she said, before being interrupted by a bump in the ride. Realizing that they were on some rather electrocuted chunk of land that kind of made her butt a little scratchy for some reason, Scourge clicked her tongue. "-- Never mind."

"You'll find a way out, I think. At least the lava's probably gonna clear up sooner or later from that lake," chimed in Sofia, trying to inject some optimism.

"Yeah, but who knows how deep the lake was?" sighed Scourge, as she tried to keep her centre of gravity low. The tunnel was starting to widen up a bit, which was nice, though it still didn't mean they were getting off their wild ride. Watching tall stone pillars hurtle by, Scourge was starting to feel a bit dizzy. In fact, she was feeling a little bit of vertigo; it felt like the world was spinning slightly. Upon closer inspection, however, it seems that her senses were right, and they were, in fact, spinning slowly as they hurtled down the lava rapids.

Worse still, a few viruses were coming along for the ride, it seemed, as they started to be surrounded on three fronts by viruses. The howling laughter of the fighter plane pilots rang through her head as the Megalian approached, its huge mug taking up the bulk of Scourge's field of view. Somehow, its serene face rather pissed her off, what with the cackling in the background, and Scourge gritted her teeth in anger.

"Gaaaah! I've had it! Sofia, give me something to cut up that stupid face with!" barked Scourge, pointing at the Megalian with contempt.

"Okay! Hold on, um," said Sofia, nudging a barely recently ejected battlechip from the previous battle back into the slot. Sofia jumped a little, but it seemed like the chip registered anyway, so she just kept on searching for the chip that she wanted originally. "Oops-- oh, right, here we go," she said, slotting in some of Scourge's favorites. Usually things worked out whatever she accidentally gave anyway, but she didn't want to get on Scourge's bad side.

The additional chip data infused Scourge with a strange feeling; the skin underneath her bandages felt smoother, softer for some reason. So much softer that it almost felt like an attack would just slide right off. Scourge herself only noticed it for a short while before the next one came in, familiarly registering to her as the best in her arsenal for shutting viruses down. She glanced towards one of the cackling pilots, and willed as strongly as she could for it to shut its trap. An imperceptible blue laser escaped from her eyes, as she nodded to herself in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, in her right hand, her bandages had already unfurled into what would become her new weapon. The sharpened piece of bandage glowed blue through her fingers as she leapt forward towards the giant Megalian head, and struck at it twice. Her first strike was accompanied with a particularly savage cry, intent on simply taking it out in one single move, but if it wasn't sufficient, then her second would at least cripple it enough for it to hopefully back off.

// Summary
[Sc.1] Chip: UnderGuard1Protection: Damage Reduction 20
Accuracy: S
Description: Reduces the damage of all non-Impact attacks taken by 20. Impact ignores the effect and deals double damage.
Duration: 2 turns
Element: Null
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Trader Rank: D: Damage Reduction 20 + Status 2-Turn (Acc: S) @ Self
[Sc.2] Chip: Aqua+20Status: Aqua Element UP 20, Stackable
Accuracy: S
Description: Adds 20 Damage to all hits of an Aqua Element attack chip, before any external environment-related or target-related damage modifiers apply.
Duration: Once
Element: Aqua
Trader Rank: D: Aqua Element UP 20, Stackable (Acc: S) @ FighterBomber V1A (Convert to Debuff)
[Sc.3] Chip: AquaKnifeDamage: 60 + Slashing
Accuracy: B
Description: Creates a sword imbued with water energy, with a blade comparible to a large knife. Hits one target per slash.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Aqua
Trader Rank: D: 60 + Slashing (Acc: B) @ Megalian-F (Use 1/6) (Buff +16, +100% Element)
[Sc.4] Chip: AquaKnifeDamage: 60 + Slashing
Accuracy: B
Description: Creates a sword imbued with water energy, with a blade comparible to a large knife. Hits one target per slash.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 swings.
Element: Aqua
Trader Rank: D: 60 + Slashing (Acc: B) @ Megalian-F (Use 2/6) (+100% Element)

And there they were, floating down a lava river on a magnetically charged raft. Only in the internet. Martia took a seat, seeing no reason to not take a quick break at that moment. It...didn't last, as it made her rear end itch something fierce from contact. "Weird. You'd think it'd feel like a giant magnet, but it makes me feel like I'm wearing underwear made out of wool..."

"...If wool underwear isn't outlawed as a torture device, it really should be." Just the thought made her itch in undesirable places. "Anyway, don't worry too much. We can always jack you guys out if it looks like you're in too much danger."

"That's true, I guess." ...This situation didn't count as being in too much danger? Again, only in the internet. Scourge took a moment to lament on not knowing the depths of the lake, but... "Actually, we could probably guesstimate that. We saw the surface, and we can guess how far we went down earlier...and that'll tell us how deep it is. Although I can't say I was paying much attention to how deep in we were going..." Though she could always just access that particular memory file and guess. A perk of being a Navi.

But before she could, the sound of shrieking startled her, and made her look around. "Great, now what?!" She was answered with two planes showing up, acting all around insane. "Hoo boy...I think someone's oxygen masks are malfunctioning. ...Wait, how'd planes even get down here?" Instead of answers, she got only more viruses from above. "That just raises even more questions!"

"I think we oughta worry more about deleting them than that..."

"Yeah, but-huh?" What was that, just past that Needler? ...Were those Mettaur? Well, one definitely was, but the others seemed different, somehow...oh, they seemed to not have pickaxes. ...The questions just kept piling up. Why didn't some of them have their trademark weapon? How did they even get a log raft in here? And, was it just her, or was everything spinning a little bit? Yeah, Leslie was right, this was just making her head hurt. "What are they even...ugh, whatever. But I'm not sensing any malice coming from them, so I think we oughta try and save them!"

"All right, but what about the viruses that ARE trying to kill you?"

"Hmm..." ...Heh. Maybe it was Scourge rubbing off on her, but she was getting an idea. An awful, really mean idea. "I know how I can thin the numbers! Send me MeteorKnuckle!"

"Really?...Well, if you've got an idea, I guess. BattleChip, MeteorKnuckle! Slot in!"

The martial artist's gloves began to glow white, as she looked to each side. If her guess was right, those HardHeads probably weren't actually attached, and being primarily made of metal, they'd sink like stones. She just needed to separate the two viruses. And so, she punched once with her left hand, causing a fist shaped projection to launch from it, headed for the platform the cannon launching virus was on. If her guess was right, if it hit its mark, that'd knock the Needler back...and its passenger off, into the lava below. ...If it melted, would it end up becoming lava? It was metal and not rock, but...argh, not the time to think about that. She shook her head and looked to the right, and punched with her right arm twice in rapid succession, causing two more fists to shoot out. She'd be double sure to hit that one...not like she had anything to lose by not using the last shot.

With that done, her attention shifted to the Mets. With any luck, she'd have a clearer view of them now. "Now let's pick up some passengers! ElecDragon, please!"

"Comin' up! ...BattleChip, ElecDragon! Slot in!"

A large pot formed near the left edge of the raft, and immediately tipped over. A ThunderDragon peered out, immediately noting the lava and looking exasperated at its summoner. Martia placed her hands on her hips and gave it a similar look back. "Don't give me that look! I want you to make a line from here to that other raft, so they can scurry over. Don't hurt the Mets, but if something else gets in your way, let 'em have it! Then, I want you to come back, and if you have any energy left after that, make the place a little bigger! Less lava is good lava!" The dragon sighed, then shot out as though it had been in a cannon. The bridge it would create would go right near the edge of the wooden raft, though it would do everything it could to not run into any Mettaur, as per instructions. It'd then return, and use whatever magnetic energy it had left to enlarge the electrical raft before fading.

As she watched, Leslie took a moment to think. It'd really suck, going through all the effort to put together a rescue mission, just to have them get offed by a stray attack or two. They should probably try and do something about that. "Oh, I just got an idea to protect the Mets! ...It'll leave you a bit exposed, though. ...In that you probably won't have any time to avoid enemy fire, not that it'll rip your clothes off or anything." Sadly. Though, at the same time, it was a little sad that this was an actual distinction she probably needed to make to her Navi.

"...Okay then! Lay it on me!" Somewhere, in the deepest recesses of her heart, Martia felt immense relief at the clarification. So. Much. Relief.

"Okay, send these to Mets! CurseShield! BubbleWrap! Barrier! All headed your way!" Sure, it wasn't how she usually shouted it, but this was a special situation. And special situations meant special ways to say stuff.

"Oh, I see. Use our defensive chips on the Mets, so they can move over to our raft in relative safety!" ...Somehow, she had the feeling her busting partner wouldn't be 100% on board with this. "...And, uh, serve as armored decoys for us! They'll definitely be able to take a hit or two for us!" As the BattleChip data started to reach her, white balls of light formed in the pink Navi's hands, which she gently tossed at the Mets. Each one would find themself with a different form of defense; the leader would end up with a simple energy barrier. One of the pickaxeless ones would get a large bubble, that could reform even after being popped. The other would get a more intimidating method, as a Dominerd would form and guard. If that one got hit, the offender would be in for a nasty surprise...one that would result in very deep teeth marks. But by doing this, it left her wide open for anything the planes, or anything else still alive, could muster. But, that's where recovery chips were handiest, she supposed. Though she wasn't overly enthusiastic about that prospect.

[Order of Turn:
1- MeteorKnuckle1Damage: 30 + Impact + Break + Knockback + Variable Targeting x 3 Fists
Accuracy: B
Description: Launches a triple rocket punch. Each fist targets separately.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Variable Targeting: Allows the user to select a target for each individual hit of an attack. This means they may strike the same target multiple times, multiple different targets, or a mix of the two as they wish.
Trader Rank: D on NeedlerA (x1) and NeedlerB (x2) (+1 accuracy rank)
2- ElecDragon1Damage: 100 + Ground Attack + Medium Area Magnet Terrain Change + Terrain Changer
Accuracy: C
Description: Summons a ThunderDragon that attacks enemies as it glides across the ground. Changes terrain to Magnet as it passes.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Special: Terrain Changer: Ceases attacking when the Terrain Change effect is completed (once 25% of the terrain is changed).
Trader Rank: D on area between the magnetic raft and wooden raft (emphasis will be placed on NOT hitting the Mets)
3- CurseShield1Damage: (1 Hit Shield) + (Counter(160): On-Hit)
Accuracy: A
Description: Blocks one attack, teleports to face the attacker, and then charges the target to deliver a crushing bite attack. Break attacks will pierce the defense, but only Impact will stop the Dominerd's Counter.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Trader Rank: D on NeoMettaurA
4- BubbleWrap1Protection: 1-hit Aqua element barrier, per turn, for 3 turns
Accuracy: S
Description: Encases the user in a protective bubble, which can take a single hit before bursting. The bubble reforms at the beginning of each turn. Elec attacks completely destroy the bubble and damage the user.
Duration: Until end of battle, hit with an Elec attack, or overridden.
Element: Aqua
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Special: If an Elec element attack hits BubbleWrap, it is destroyed, and will no longer regenerate. The user will also take full damage from the attack.
Special: The bubble regeneration stops after 3 turns. An existing bubble will remain in place until broken, however.
Trader Rank: D on NeoMettaurB
5- BarrierProtection: Combined Damage up to 10HP
Accuracy: S
Description: Defensive field that prevents damage up to 10HP.
Duration: Until Destroyed
Element: Null
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Trader Rank: E on Mettaur]