Posts made by Frelia

TO: undefined (undefined@undefined.ides)
FROM: Aurora.EXE (HSEzarith@HrSharo.org)
SUBJECT: Re: Safe
MESSAGE:

Hey, Lyntael!

Glad to see you made it home safe. Sorry we didn't manage to reply to the email as soon as we could. Apparently, the power outage ran a lot longer than we thought it would, the power substation that goes to our area straight up exploded for some reason. Like, it actually went up in flames! Seems like it didn't get enough maintenance... It took a few days to get some power restored to our place, but thankfully everyone's fine, and nothing else seemed to be destroyed. We had some emergency power running soon after the initial cut, but not enough to run our servers, including our email server.

I'm really sorry if we worried you or anything! You said you argued with Rogan again? Honestly, I've got to be there with you to give him a talking-to next time. He's lucky to have someone as sweet as you are, but it does sound like he's worrying more about you...

That said, the training area looks really cool! I really like how it looks like it's carved out of the wilderness. I uh, didn't show Eternalis this since you're... a little less dressed, and I pushed him off it, but he's in the room waving to me. Tells me to wish you well, and all that. We'll definitely able to visit you again soon! We're going through everything here to make sure everything in our servers are fine, which should just take today. Looking forward to seeing you again! Kisses!

- Aurora

Looks good, approved. Some sad lines though :(

Sparky's reaction to Lyntael's petting was vigorously licking her cheek, happily returning the affection several fold. "Hey! I try to let everyone share the goo, but not everyone's receptive to it," laughed Eternalis. His mental link received a ribbing from the shared implication, but it was interrupted by their friend's hug. Aurora felt the crackling energy and warmth from the small frame; it was such a difference from when they had first met her. Returning the hug in kind tightly, Aurora gave Lyntael a small peck on the cheek before releasing. Eternalis's response meanwhile was to briefly lift the girl off of the ground with his hug, though his jellylike composition meant Lyntael's body slid down his arms even through the hug.

Her next request earned a raised eyebrow from both of them, with a small nod following soon after. While she poured her feelings of gratitude out, Aurora felt a lump form in her throat, squeezing Lyntael's offered hand in turn. "Oh, Lyntael, you're welcome too, for--" her previous thoughts came to mind, before she shook her head to banish them out of sight, "--for being our friend. My friend." Eternalis watched over them with a wry smile. "Mine too!" he chimed in, before being punctuated by a small yap near their feet--Sparky wanted a part as well, though who knows whether he actually understood.

As they parted, their bodies shimmered with the jackout process starting. "Mail me and let me know when you've gotten back home!" said Aurora, waving back at Lyntael, before they vanished into the ether.

[Jack out.]

[LynFXP > 440]
[Z: 64345 > 68845]
[BF: 952 > 964]

Unsurprisingly, there was little resistance once the ringleader of viruses had been taken out, and the rest scattered to the winds. The Mashy that had thrown in one last angry chittering at Eternalis received an empty swipe gesture towards it, not so much using the blade as much as simply shooing it away. The sudden built-up tension from the fight drained away, as most of them relaxed, save Aurora, who was still scanning the area.

"Well... I can't say I can explain how different it is..." answered Aurora towards Lyntael, scratching the back of her neck idly as she continued to scan the place. "I've been a full-fledged Navi before, so this is just using old routines I haven't used in a while, you know?" Her tongue clicked as there didn't seem to be traces of their quarry. Perhaps they simply had to head further in.

Before she could say anything else, however, she and Eternalis both became aware of something, and jerked their heads in unison. "Wh--the operator connection got severed?" blurted out Eternalis. Shortly after, Harke's voice came in through their comms, broadcasting it to Lyntael as well.

"Hey, everyone, bad news. Power seems to be out in the area suddenly, and we don't have much emergency power running. Like, less than a minute's worth, I think," he said worriedly.

"Wait, what? How long is the power going to be out?"
"No clue, it hasn't gone out like this in a long time--I've got to jack you guys out."

Both Eternalis and Aurora turned towards Lyntael with sadness and worry clearly all over their expressions. Eternalis, however, shook his head, and made an effort for a positive smile instead.

"Hey... You get out safely, all right?" said Aurora.
"She'll be fine. It's just a short walk back," Eternalis chimed in, flashing a thumbs up.

[LynFXP > 432]

"Considering how abandoned this place is, I don't know if there's even anyone to be rude to, but it's probably best if we did take care of it," commented Eternalis. The twisted metal of abandoned park equipment continued forward, with the dimly tunnels going through them branching out into numerous smaller, rather crudely bore through tunnels. Perhaps they were the thoroughfare of some viruses that made the place their home. Wide enough to explore through, but definitely not any kind of intended pathway from deliberate hands. Some of the tunnels were small enough that Sparky had to forego his larger form, and simply trotted beside Eternalis in his puppy size. Amidst the girders and rebar, the little corner of greenery tucked away was a sorely needed change of pace.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like they were going to have much of a reprieve, with the creature that had been causing them some amount of trouble showing up--only to be replaced by a rather territorial pack of viruses. The MegaCorn that dropped down with its entourage of viral ne'er-do-wells threatened them with their posturing, while their elusive stalker slipped away once more. Despite how menacing some of them looked, the Corn was clearly in charge, with the crown atop its head and the rest surrounding it to protect it.

"That creature sure is slippery. I'm going to take out that one in the back... Shouldn't take too much," said Eternalis, tilting his head back slightly towards his comrades. "I'll trust you guys to back me up with the other viruses, okay?"

His arm warped into a long, thin sword, and his body evaporated rapidly, rematerializing into solid form immediately in front of the Corn virus to slash at it with a lightning-quick wide strike. Behind him, Aurora clenched her fists, and breathed in quickly to steady herself, before channeling the chip data that was provided to her. Her hand went out, in front of which a KillerEye's singular eyeball formed, emitting a dim red light in front of it directly at Eternalis's back. Of course, it wasn't aimed at him, and with their unspoken communication between them, Eternalis sidestepped it quickly, starting up his recovery processes to absorb the aggression that would surely come his way.

-- Eternalis: 1 action @ Aurora
[S*] GMO Change: Default

[E1] StepSwordDamage: 120 + Slashing + Wide Attack + Teleport
Accuracy: S for primary target, A for additional targets.
Description: The user warps in front of an enemy, then swings with a strong sword. Can hit up to 3 targets with good RP. Rare
Duration: Once.
Element: Null
Special: Teleport: When RP Quality is excellent, this attack also counts as a free dodge.
Trader Rank: C: 120 + Slashing + Wide Attack + Teleport (Acc: S for primary target, A for additional targets.) @ King!MegaCorn
[A1] Dodge
[S1] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[E2] Dodge
[A2] (All for One) Sensor2HP: 100
Properties: Anchored, ElecBody
Object Damage: 100 + Impact
Damage Method: Telekinesis
Attack Damage: 130 Elec + Beam Attack + Stun 1
Accuracy: S
Description: Summons a Killereye to search for enemies. Fires an eye-beam when it detects them. It can see through invisibility.
Duration: Until destroyed or until it attacks.
Element: Elec
Special: ElecBody: Immune to Elec damage. Special: Laser TAG: Attack triggers when something moves through the targeting laser beam, no matter who or what that may be.
Trader Rank: C: 100HP Anchored ElecBody Object: (130 + Beam Attack + Stun + Self-Destruct): Laser TAG (Acc: S) @ King!MegaCorn (+15 Elec)

[E3] Influx Aegis: 40 Support Base Heal/40 Support Base Heal (after 3 actions)/40 Support Base Heal (after 6 actions)
[E4-5] Dodge

The fevered pitch at which Aurora delivered her declaration served to convince herself as much as it was for Lyntael, and when Lyntael came in to embrace her, she leaned into the smaller girl's frame. If Sparky hadn't been behind Lyntael, Aurora most likely would have accidentally pushed her down, as heavy as her load felt. Still, that was what friends were for, to rely on each other, was it not? The errant thoughts rattling around her head were forcefully put down, and Aurora took a deep breath before letting go.

Both of them would feel a hand on their heads as they separated. "Everyone alright now?" Eternalis asked. Aurora ducked her way out of the patting, grinning as she did so. "I don't need to be petted on the head like a kid," she laughed. However, Eternalis would feel their mental link reopen, with a message of thanks sent unbeknownst to their friend, who was now asking about her condition. She closed her eyes and drew another deep breath, and looked back at Lyntael. The eye contact assured her that it was right.

"Neither me. I can't say I've never been better, but we'll work it out," she said. "Yeah, let's head out. Let's both try not to push too hard? I don't think Eternalis wants to pull us out of something like that again."
"Given the choice, I wouldn't!"

[Battle 4 - Ready.]

Lyntael's explanation of how she had never been to Yumland's networks further confused Eternalis, with how she went on about her operator's physical circumstances instead. It was almost as if they shared being in the same physical space? That couldn't be right, but it certainly sounded like the case. Every time they met, something new about their friend continued to surprise him. The little detail made him nearly miss the rest of the story that Lyntael was putting out. For the moment, it seemed like the operator-Navi stakeout duo's mission went somewhat sour, but her memory of it was also quite foggy.

He stole a glance at Aurora next to him. The woman appeared to be recovering more and more, she seemed to be focusing on Lyntael. However, he could see her tightening her balled-up fists periodically, and there was little to no shared mental activity between them; she was walling herself off from him. He shook his head, one issue at a time. Was it a similar situation to her voluntary memory erasure? It was hard to tell, since their memories were stored in a much more tangible form than humans, but Lyntael's little quirks here and there made him think it could simply be another thing that made her more "human-like". The other alternative was... simply that she really had no recollection to begin with?

Once the possibility surfaced, it was hard to deny that it was the most likely one. A backup copy would retain memories, up to the point after the backup was made. The spotty memories could simply have been fabricated from listening to her operator speak, or from trying to piece together what had happened by way of circumstantial evidence, or from pieced-together data from... a previous copy. He shuddered; he had not thought of backups much in general, at least not with emergency jackout procedures long been mandated in PETs. Lyntael's distress grew more and more, until it reached a crescendo, peaking at her screaming out her woes, and Aurora was still silent beside him, unwilling to share their usual discreet mental channel. Alone, what was he to do?

...

The cacophony of thoughts inside of Aurora's mind was letting up slowly. However, it wasn't quite like she could simply banish them away, at least not by simply having her thoughts to herself. She looked back at Lyntael, telling her tale of some air-gapped facility in Yumland, and how she felt the rain and wind on her. That's right, she thought, she needed to reaffirm that Lyntael was, through it all, still their, her friend. She focused her efforts on listening to Lyntael's story, and only that; there was to be no interruptions on the side.

Here was a girl who was just as distressed as her, before she had been interrupted by her own selfish experiences. Yelling out at her friends, at the ones she could trust to listen. Aurora gripped her fists, as if to dig her fingers into her own palm. What kind of silly situations had been conjured up in her mind before? Of course they, she was Lyntael's friend, and what else? She wrested herself from Eternalis's arm, who seemed a little surprised, but allowed her free quickly, while she marched up to Lyntael.

Taking hold of Lyntael's shoulders tightly, Aurora realized how shaky her own hands were. Nevertheless, she pressed onwards. "Of course you're Lyntael! There's no one else that could be. You're my friend. Our friend!" she declared as best as she could. "If there's something broken then we'll just find out how to fix it. If you don't know how to help then we can put our heads together to see how we can! If Rogan has something about you that he thinks isn't you then we'll go up and ask him what it is, and we'll be there with you!"

Behind Aurora, Eternalis came up at a walk, giving a nod to his partner's own fevered pitch. A furred nose brushed up against Lyntael's back as well, as Sparky's large head came up from around her.

As Aurora had thought, Lyntael's reaction to her confession of past misdeeds was fairly expected. There was the look in her eyes, that same look that she saw in so much of her "previous life", when someone perceived her as a threat. A knot formed in her chest, expecting a hard rebuke. The proper reaction to someone of her vocation, and the correct one, she thought. Unlike how Eternalis was obviously her partner and would be on her side, Lyntael was just a friend--and one in exactly the kind of position to want to revoke trust in her, and to demand her be chained up, and locked off to the world once more.

The rebuke never came, and Aurora was instead presented with her friend sympathizing with her. Relief washed over her. At the very least, Lyntael seemed to trust her. At least externally, she was putting on a smile, and she wasn't running away. The relief drained away just as quickly, however, sifting away through her like sand between one's fingers. The myriad possibilities of how it could have gone wrong still swirled about in her head, showing no sign of calming down. What if continuing to talk was a diversionary tactic and she was merely stalling for time before she was going to leave? What if, now that she was definitely getting stronger, she was going to turn that strength back on her? Despondency began its hold once more, and she began to shiver despite her surroundings.

However, she then felt a weight around her shoulder, and looked up--it was Eternalis, who had came up to her, and held her close to him. The lack of warmth of his body as she felt a grip on her arm seemed to steady her, and she took some breaths. Eternalis took a moment to transmit a thought to her, and she returned it with a shaky affirmative, before he started talking. "Do Yumland's networks simulate real-life storms? That sounds like it'd be fun to trek through, though I can't imagine a deep jungle having servers out there," he commented, mostly unawares. "Did you really stay out for three whole days straight, or was it split up into visits or something?"

Despite being pushed away, Eternalis stood between Aurora and Lyntael. Of course, any attempt at pulling her down when she was determined like this was going to result in this reaction. Was there any reason why he had pointed out Lyntael's state to her? Surely, the more prudent way was to appeal Aurora's current state, which was more evidently in need of attention. It wouldn't be any good to switch directions now, and now he'd just deal with the fallout and kick himself for it later. Unexpectedly, however, Lyntael sat back down, and asked Aurora herself about what was bothering her.

At this point, Aurora had her eyes closed, trying to block out the world around her, encased in flashbacks of times long past. Her limbs began to shake, the sweltering Kotobuki network's temperatures replaced with the biting frost of the Sharo network in her mind. A female support program, pointing her buster arm at her, whose identity she had long forgotten. Only the vitriol, the rage, and the words cursing her, a chained dog of Sharo. The gunmetal-colored barrel of the anti-Navi weapon in her hand was pointed squarely at the support program's forehead. And in the midst of her memory, the long-forgotten face in her sights slowly melted into a familiar face, of that of a young blonde girl of sixteen.

Aurora pressed her fingers into the bridge of her nose forcefully. It felt slick, from beaded sweat. She sharply inhaled before opening her eyes. The same face was before her, sitting cross-legged across from her, asking if she was alright. "Sorry, I... it's nothing, I'm fine," she replied. Next to Lyntael, Eternalis knelt down; a concerned query reached her mental border. She looked back up at him for a moment, shook her head, and turned back to Lyntael. "No, alright, I probably shouldn't keep it from you."

She inhaled slowly again. The air felt humid. There was no frost against her face. "Truthfully, I... used to work for that part of the Sharo family. Assassinations, against Navis that crossed their interests," she said. She tried to make eye contact with Lyntael, but her eyes darted away just as quickly. "A few things happened, and my operator and I retired, I swear, but... you telling me that just now, and... I just thought, I could have been sent against you, and I... it hadn't occurred to me. You've told us about Rogan before, and we even met him here."

"If we're--I'm here with you, I don't know if I should be here. I'm sorry, it shouldn't be your problem. It's mine." Words were failing her now, and she half-hugged herself with one of her arms.

Eternalis's fears were confirmed as he saw the drawn out response to his outwardly cheerful question, and Lyntael began to expand on what had happened since they last met. From what they had already gotten out of meeting the operator in question, there was no doubt that he was investigating some people that would have no qualms taking drastic steps to keep things under wraps. Knowledge on NetNavi weaponry research was something the Ezarith facility was well-equipped in, and there had been no shortage of incidents in the past where she had been entrusted with prototypes to test out. Still, she knew Reverus, and he had kept live tests out of the equation--until they were to be "field-tested".

Eventually, as Lyntael went on, at the mention of Sharo itself, Aurora shifted in her posture slightly. From the angle she was at, Lyntael wasn't in her line of sight, but she turned her face away from the sound of her voice nonetheless. It was true that she was no longer a part of those kinds of operations, but the more frustrated and angry Lyntael's tone got, the more her inner voice reminded her of memories she had, of those that crossed Sharo's path.

Eternalis's gaze switched between the two girls. Lyntael relaying her fears and thoughts externally, and Aurora to him, unconsciously. It was a maelstrom of emotion that he was caught in the middle of. Before he knew it, Lyntael had stopped talking, and the sound of crackling sparks resulting from her agitated motions had paused. She was stopped in the middle of the area, taking stock of Aurora's condition. By all accounts, Aurora's physical condition had recovered mostly, but as she saw Lyntael bearing down on her, she felt a lump in her throat.

"I-- Well..." her voice cracked. She made eye contact, and her fists unconsciously clenched. "That is-- I'm-- I'm fine to, but..."

Her stretched out stutters were interrupted by someone walking up to Lyntael from behind, and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Lyntael, I'm sorry, but... let's sit back down for a bit. Okay?" said Eternalis, a complicated expression over his simple-looking monster-like face. "I know you think you can handle yourself, but... if you go out looking for blood like you are now, I don't want to see you hurting yourself--or us--being too reckless."

He paused for a moment, looking over at Aurora. The latter nodded, and he turned back to Lyntael, offering a hand to her, which he would take to pull her back down to sit if she accepted.

As Aurora made her condition known, Eternalis went from completely wound up in worry to nearly falling down in relief. While the girls were taking their places on Sparky's fur, however, he made do with simply sitting where he was while listening to Lyntael expand on what Aurora had tried to do from her end. "Guess trying to help pick up some of the charge is a bad idea, then..." he murmured, looking over to Aurora. There didn't seem to be any lasting external effects, at least, but that might be due to the different form she had taken.

"Yeah, it's a good thing I didn't conduct any more than I did. I don't think I'm physically melting, but my legs sure feel real tingly right about now," joked Aurora, running her hands down her thighs. Small sparks of static crackled between her fingers as she did so, though the little jolt now couldn't compare to what she had just gone through not a minute ago. Her eyes went over to Lyntael, who had taken to resting her head on her shoulder. Aurora then pulled her hand away, waving it about to dispel any errant charge, before giving her a rough tousle on her hair. "You've been handling all that current yourself, dummy! I can't even do nearly that much! Way too strong for your own good!"

Meanwhile, Eternalis watched the two girls rest and recuperate. He shifted his sitting about, resting his arm on his knee, just as Lyntael informed them about something else. It was good news, for once! Yet somehow, it felt like the kind that was given before the bad variety came after. Lyntael still smiled before them, but there was a hint of worry still in her expression. If the news was so good, why had it taken her this long to tell them? He read the mental currents between him and Aurora--nothing from her end. She was still recovering from her ordeal, most likely. Still, he prayed that there was nothing more to it and it was overthinking.

"Oh, that's great news! Did anything happen that made him change his mind?"

When Lyntael started to show signs of movement, Eternalis drew backwards slightly, stopping the flow of healing, and the glow from the emblem on his back grew dim again. He noticed Lyntael fiddling with her gauntlets idly again. The pulsing glow that normally ran down its length in lines was very dim, he saw, but they began to move once more. Sparky started to sniff at Lyntael, but was interrupted by Lyntael sitting up, and the beastly-sized pup gave her a small lick to greet her.

"Come on, boy, give her some room," said Eternalis, to which Sparky obediently stepped backwards as well, resting his head on his paws, waiting while Lyntael got her bearings.

"Well, glad you're okay, at least." Eternalis looked around, down the tunnel through which they had escaped. Nothing was following them, but he hadn't quite judged how far they had gone. He recalled the path that the strange creature had taken, at a different angle from their escape tunnel, and tried to hazard a guess at the general direction.

"The thing that made that crater should've gone about that way, I suppose." Out of the corner of his eyes, he glanced at Lyntael's hands, which had been carefully pulled out of the gauntlets. As soon as they were removed, the glowing lines going down them dimmed once more. Trying not to let the worry show on his expression, he turned back properly to face Lyntael. "Well, she says she's fine, she just needs some time to catch her breath."

Lyntael's explanation of her "burnout" seemed to sail over his head, his eyes kept wandering to the gauntlets that were now cradled in Lyntael's hands. There was an acute awareness of how much he had gotten used to sharing his mental space, and now there was a sense of something missing. Before he realized it, Lyntael was reaching towards Sparky, who was all too happy to receive snuggles from the recovered girl, tail wagging hard with licks generously offered.

At that moment, Lyntael would feel the weight in her hands vanish, and a mote of light would appear next to her, landing firmly on Sparky's fluffy underside. Aurora's form solidified shortly after, and Sparky wasted no time in giving the girl a happy lick. She tiredly laughed, wriggling away slightly from the pup's affections to little use.

"Aurora! Are you okay?" said Eternalis, getting up to his feet quickly.

"Ahaha, hey, don't look so worried, you two" said Aurora with a smile, waving her hand about. However, she didn't seem to do much more than that, choosing to continue to lie in Sparky's bed of fur. "I... think I bit off a bit more than I could handle, though. Let me just sit here for now, okay?"

[LynFXP > 414] (Recalculated from scratch.)
[Z: 60595 > 64345]
[BF: 895 > 952]

Even though Sparky's speed was almost second to none, time felt slowed down as Eternalis spurred him onwards to safety. The shots fired at them from the back didn't even register to him, as fast as they were going, until light came at the end of the passageway, opening up to another clearing, this time looking like it would be clear of uninvited guests. "Up ahead there, boy," said Eternalis, and his ride smoothly came to an end, circling around the plateau a couple of times to slow down before fully stopping.

"Alright... seems safe here, at least," he said, looking around. "Rest up, Sparky."

On command, their enlarged canine companion knelt down, allowing Eternalis to dismount with Lyntael and Aurora in tow, the latter still attached as the former's equipment. After allowing Lyntael to lie on the ground, Eternalis hesitated to inspect her, and eventually settled with simply sitting next to her. The girl looked quite worn out, but there was no more static running across her skin as there was before. The latter's condition was more opaque, as there was no external indicator of any damage. The undercurrent from their mental link was silent, but there was a lingering bit of activity, little murmurs of thoughts as if he was simply watching her sleep.

"I hope they're gonna be okay... I'll check on Aurora," said Harke.

"Alright, I'll try to heal them up," he said. Holding his hands over Lyntael's body, a cool blue glow wrapped around her, working his restorative functions as best as he could. But there were no clear wounds or anything that he could patch up, so it was simply to settle his running mind. The silence was palpable as he could hear Harke's keyboard typing from their communication link.

"Seems like Aurora's signals are nominal, just that her core electrical-handling routine got seriously overworked. She'll probably wake up soon."

Then, a response from the recesses of his mind. It was weak, but it was there, saying that it hurt, and that it hurt a lot more than she thought it would. His side came through with feelings of relief, and a little bit of worried anger. Some bit of quiet followed, before a sense of amusement came back to him, and a feeling of warmth. Let her rest for a bit, she replied, and tend to their friend. Eternalis's healing had not stopped, of course. Unbeknownst to him, and everyone else, the Navi emblem in his back began to glow...

"Aurora? Hey, Aurora!" yelled Eternalis. Whatever was coming through their mental link was devolving into a slurry of thoughts, and an intensifying haze of static. "Let's go, Sparky! Paws on the ground, size up!" he called out, tapping his heel onto the board. The pup's head barked in excitement immediately, and the board's thrusters whined in readiness. In the blink of an eye, the two vanished in a trail of light, leaving a brief afterimage of them as they moved too fast for the eye to catch. The trail zoomed down to the ground like a meteorite, but swerved right as it hit the ground, with Eternalis appearing from it in a rapid dismount.

At that moment, the viruses were landing all about, along with even more debris. Lyntael's instinctual discharge surged through her extremities. "Whoa, shit!" exclaimed Eternalis, taking all of his reflexes to try to move out of its way. An empty cry from his friend's lips, and he threw himself out to catch her before she hit the ground. Wayward static coursed through his hands as he made contact, but he held fast through the jolt. There were more pressing matters.

"Lyntael! Aurora!" he called out again.

Debris raining all about, one splashed into the lava, the splashback threatening to engulf the two. Suddenly, a sudden gust burst out in front of them, blasting the lava away in a show of force. Sparky's larger form shaded them, standing proud between the Navis and the newly-arrived viruses. "C'mon, let's get you two outta here," he said, hefting Lyntael as she struggled to remove Aurora's gauntlet form from her hands. Eternalis tried to restrain her from doing so, but it seems like there was no need; Lyntael was so weak she could barely muster any actual resistance.

This made it easier to help her onto Sparky's back. Right on cue, a boulder raining from above crashed down onto a nearby hill, revealing what seemed like an exit. "We'll go through that way, Sparky," he instructed. There was no affirmative bark from Sparky this time around, only the hound lowering his body to spring into action the moment they were ready, which wasn't too long after. Eternalis hopped on, holding tightly onto Lyntael's limply reacting figure, and gave the signal. "Go!" he called out, and Sparky's legs bounded forward as fast as he could carry them.

-- Eternalis: 1 action @ Sparky
[S1] Movement: Next to Lyntael (Overclock+High Gear: Evasion=60%)
[S*] GMO Change: Bloodhound
[E1] Help Lyntael to her feet

[S2] Equip: Lyntael
[E2] Mount onto Sparky

[E3-5] Escape!

Despite her now non-humanoid form, Aurora felt as if her chest was tightening. The viruses around them were disappearing, sure, but Lyntael wasn't going to hold up. There was something about this time that was different from their previous excursions now, she felt it in her heart of hearts. If the buildup she was sensing from Lyntael's body was going to go any higher, she felt it would not go well. "Lyntael, we've got to leave!" she shouted out.

Lyntael was saying something now--an improvement from before, but her condition still wasn't improving. It didn't look like she would be able to do much about the retained charge by expending it for her, but perhaps it would be better to store some of the wayward electrical potential inside of her instead. But to do so would simply be a stopgap measure. Aurora felt the only recourse now would be to pull out before the load inside of her would erupt, and recuperate somewhere where her internal core would stop its activity.

As she held in some of the charge that Lyntael was suffering from, Aurora felt her thoughts fill with indistinct pins and needles, evidence of the erratic energy that was running amok inside Lyntael. Then, from her mental link, a tick of concern. Amidst the mental static, she made out that the viruses that were coming in weren't letting up. She managed to return the thought, that they could clear out the remaining viruses, and he could swoop down to make a break for it, to let Sparky take their friend to safety--but they needed to wait for her signal. A short moment, in which they could come in without risking too much friendly fire from Lyntael's discharges.

"Gonna need some crowd control, Harke," said Eternalis. "These viruses keep on coming in with those boulders. We'll try to make a break for it. Some offense to thin them out, too."

"Got it, I'll send in the Timpani, and some AoE," replied Harke.

With the communication relayed, the empty space in the four corners of the field below glowed briefly, before a blob of blue rose from the ground, swirling into the shape of a Timpani virus. Its trumpet mouth sucked in the hot air before a deep, bassy tone that echoed throughout the artificial gorge that they were in. Aurora flinched slightly, but for the moment, she had to deal with the situation at hand. Lyntael was already directing some of her offense towards the newly-arrived blue bird, and in time with Harke's battlechip assistance. There was nowhere near enough output, she sensed through the crackling voltage racking her senses. A snap decision made, she let loose the DollThunder chip unto the BluePhoenix as well, but she only felt the energy inside Lyntael grow ever wilder.

"I'm trying to hold some part of it in myself, but we've got to leave!" she called out. Somewhere nearby, she saw a jet of water burst from underneath a nearby virus... or whatever it was, across the field from them. It looked vaguely greyish, but that's all she was able to make out. From the pulsing lights that went down her gauntlet form, current began leaking out indiscriminately, though she managed to direct them towards another part of the battlefield that seemed to have something on it. Whatever it was, it couldn't be friendly, as the only allies they had now were still up in the air.

There was something she had to do--what was it? In between the lightning storm that Lyntael was producing, and the Timpani's cacophony, and the uncontrollable static she was holding in, unawares, her mental process began to slip.

-- (Eternalis: 3 actions @ Aurora)

[E1] TimpaniHP: 50
Properties: Heavy
Object Damage: 50 + Impact
Damage Method: Throw, Telekinesis
Status Effect: Hold + To-All-Clause(Enemies)
Accuracy: S
Description: Stops all enemies from moving with a powerful sonic wave.
Duration: 1 turn or until destroyed.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: C: 50HP Heavy Object, 1-Turn: Hold + To-All-Enemy (Acc: S) @ Northern Quadrant
[A1] Take Aim
[S1] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[E2] Take Aim
[A2] (All for One) DollThunder1Damage: 80 + Line-Attack5
Accuracy: B
Description: Fires a powerful bolt of lightning that pierces through objects and enemies alike.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Trader Rank: D: 80 + Line-Attack5 (Acc: B) @ BluePhoenix (+15 Element, +100% Metal, Take Aim: Acc+)
[S2] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[E3] WaterLine2Damage: 130 + Ground Attack + Wide Attack
Accuracy: B
Description: A wall of water gushes from the ground, drowning up to 3 targets.
Duration: Once
Element: Aqua
Trader Rank: C: 130 + Ground Attack + Wide Attack (Acc: B) @ Swordy-N2 (+15 Element, Take Aim: Acc+)
[A3] Attack @ Blazer2: 50 Elec

[A4] Attack @ Blazer2: 50 Elec
[A5] Attack @ Blazer2: 50 Elec

With his vantage point, Eternalis was able to track the escape of the viral amalgamate, though with the approaching viruses around Aurora and Lyntael, he figured it would be best not to pursue by himself. "Guess we can deal with whatever that thing is later; seems to be leaving a pretty obvious trail to follow anyway," he mused by himself, though he was also interrupted by a brief salvo of gunfire coming from below. Absorbing a few bullets in the meantime was all in a day's work for him, though, with his slime body rippling in place where the bullets penetrated through.

While his body began to repair itself, Eternalis reported swiftly on the situation from above, only to receive a pained emotion in response, though it was soon followed up by Aurora's end reaffirming that she was okay. Trying to act as Lyntael's assistant directly was more taxing than she had anticipated, and Lyntael herself wasn't even talking back to her now, which didn't seem like a good sign. Eternalis's worrying cropped up, but Aurora rebuffed him with another affirmation that he should stay where he was, and provide aerial support for the moment.

"Everything good?" Harke's voice chimed in. "Looking at her status, Aurora seems to be trying to do a lot on her own."

"Seems like it's still fine... but I'll keep an eye out. Pass us a couple more chips while I keep watch, could you?" he requested, to which Harke replied with a pair of Battlechips. The closest one that he could see might be a threat was the PulseBat, perched atop one of the fallen metal boulders. He extended his hand out before him, and a chunk of his hand swirled about and split off into a blob that floated about above his palm. The separated blob shifted colors into a more yellowish tint, crackling with energy, before hurtling down towards the bat virus.

"Lyntael! I'll try to hold off a bit of the charge from going back into your body!" Aurora's efforts on the ground was trying to direct the chaotic spray of energy from Lyntael's haywire systems from feeding back into her own body. It was all she could do to do it once, but it was worth trying again. The Battlechip data from Harke came in, but she held it off momentarily. It had to be something different. Perhaps she could discharge the excess through her own innate strength.

One strike towards the CannonGuard turret. Seeing this, Aurora released some of her own charge towards the nearby PulseBat, but it didn't quite work--the attack only took from her own charge, and not much from Lyntael's run-off. Another attempt, this time trying to line up her discharge with Lyntael's self-accumulating charge--she aimed towards one of the chunks of iron that had broken off instead, perhaps something more grounded would work. No dice there either, but at least it was ruled out again.

Out of options, Aurora took the chip data that she had been entrusted with from Harke, and lined it up with another of Lyntael's breathless discharges. Come on, she prayed. This time, she was able to pull some of Lyntael's pent-up charge to augment the attack the latter was doing, and the burst of lightning that was arcing back into Lyntael's body was captured, and shot out with greater force. It was frustrating that she was only able to effectively assist with this runaway charge with Battlechip assistance, but it was a step in the right direction. More important was that Lyntael hadn't been responding to her much at all... They needed the viruses out of the picture, and fast, before it got out of hand.

-- (Eternalis: 3 actions @ Aurora)

[E1] Take Aim
[A1] Attack @ PulseBat2: 50 Elec (+100% Metal)
[S1] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[E2] Arrow2Damage: 130 + Homing
Accuracy: B
Description: Summons an Elewasp virus, and sends it flying at an enemy. The Elewasp is tenacious, and will hunt down its prey. It vanishes after stinging it's target, or after two turns.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Trader Rank: C: 130 + Homing (Acc: B) @ PulseBat2 (+100% Metal)
[A2] Attack @ PulseBat2: 50 Elec (+100% Metal)
[S2] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[E3] No action
[A3] Attack @ Boulder B: 50 Elec (+100% Metal)

[A4] Take Aim
[A5] (All for One) ElecReel2Damage: 100 + Spread 3 (Side + Behind)
Accuracy: B
Description: A small bolt of lightning that spreads sideways and behind the target upon impact.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Trader Rank: C: 100 + Spread 3 (Side + Behind) (Acc: B) @ NeoMetool2/PulseBat2/Shooter (+15 Element, +100% Metal, Take Aim: Acc+)

[LynFXP: 362 > 376]

"I've never seen any camera like that, either. Might be really old," said Aurora, though how she was able to even see the little prize wasn't immediately obvious. On the other end, turning around the camera in his hands, Eternalis inspected the item once more, his thoughts interspersed by mental instructions of which part to inspect next. Nothing too much of interest... except for a tiny hatch on its underside. Clicking the part open with a press, he found a small roll of film inside, and closed it back up, just in time for Lyntael to stumble on an enormous felt toy that looked like a recreation of a Scuttle virus, except less dangerous and more cuddly.

"Oh, that's pretty cute," he commented. "Odd that they'd be making these virus plushes when we're supposed to be deleting them when we find them."

His comment was punctuated by the introduction of a deep growl, and his head snapped up to attention, to be greeted by an enormous bipedal virus amalgamate. "What on earth--" he managed to blurt out, before it fled away, leaving behind a crack of lava that flooded the area. He scrambled backwards from the expanding lava flow in surprise, only to find himself separated from the girls. Viruses then began to pop up, fly in, and land from various areas of the field. The sound of approaching viruses did not die down with the first four; he could hear more on the outskirts.

"Lyn, careful!" said Aurora. Her partner's beat flowed through her; Aurora could sense the tension in Lyntael's electrical current. Curiously, Lyntael seemed to have a quicker grasp of the situation, almost excited for the fight. There was no time for psychoanalysis at the moment, however, and she replied promptly. "I'm here with you."

...

Staring down the Shooter, Eternalis made a snap decision. "Sparky, on me!" he called, prompting the pup to bark in affirmation, transforming into his carrier board form, and Eternalis to jump onto him. "Harke, I'm counting on you for chips!" he continued.

"On it, I'm sending in MediumCloud and ClusterShot," reported Harke. "Try to get a high point of view."

"That's the plan," replied Eternalis, as he eyed down the two Fire-type viruses on the field. As soon as the chip data was sent down, he took control and sent it down across the lava gap, quickly enough so he could have a chance at taking the Spikey and Swordy off guard. He then stepped back on his Sparky-board, and the microthrusters roared to life, sending him soaring upwards into the sky, trying to scope out where their earlier visitor had gone, along with any further viruses that might also be crashing their party.

...

Aurora felt Lyntael's body suddenly light up to life, and it was all she could do to withstand the strain she suddenly felt. It was unstable, very much so, but it hadn't gone out of control yet. The flood of energy made it feel like hairs standing on end. Lyntael moved, and she along with her. Without being fully integrated into Lyntael's system, Aurora wrestled with the unfamiliar energy distribution, right as she received some battlechip data from Harke. The data's energy flowed through her fingered form, supplying it with more capacity, extra circuitry.

"Okay!" she called out. Lyntael's strike went out, and simultaneously, Aurora danced with it, following up the crackling energy strike with a surge of multiple lightning jolts, which followed the initial attack and spread out in two directions. The second strike came immediately after the spin, and Aurora felt her systems overwhelmed, unable to respond to the larger surge. It almost stole her consciousness for a brief moment, before she received a mental tick from her other partner, higher in the sky.

She pulled herself together, but soon, she felt Lyntael's energy levels draining, and she internally kicked herself; the lapse in her assistance might have let the voltage fall down too quickly. Still, she saw that Lyntael was in no immediate danger - whether by instinct or intentionally, there was already a reactive barrier up in place. Shouldn't hurt to reinforce that herself, she thought, as she activated her own defensive module, but only on herself. She also took the cue from Eternalis to access his healing reserves, and funneled it into Lyntael, if only to numb out the pain somewhat.

"Heh, this is a little different in the co-pilot seat!" she said.

-- (Eternalis: 2 actions @ Aurora, 1 action @ Sparky)

[A1] Equip @ Lyntael
[E1] Take Aim
[S1] Equip @ Eternalis

[A2] (All for One) ClusterShot2Damage: 10 x 8 Shots + Variable Targeting
Accuracy: B
Description: Launches a volley of eight plasma spheres at targets designated by the user.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Special: 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: C: 10 x 8 Shots + Variable Targeting (Acc: B) @ Nailer (3x), Spikey2 (3x), Swordy-F2 (2x) (+15 Element)
[S2] Move into High Alt (Overclock/High Gear: Evasion=50%+10%)
[E2] MediumCloudDamage: 90 + Wide Attack + Drop Attack
Accuracy: C
Description: Cloud moves up and down three enemies, raining on them for two turns. Enemies can move out from under it if possible.
Duration: Two turns
Element: Aqua
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: C: 90 + Wide Attack + Drop Attack + 2-Turn (Acc: C) @ Spikey2, Swordy-F2 (+15 Element, 100% vs Fire, Take Aim: Acc+) (Turn 1/2)

[A3] Extraction Module @ Self: 20HP Barrier + 20HP Casing + 1-Hit Shield
[E3] Influx Aegis @ Self (Stage 1: Support Base x2 (40), Stage 2: Delay (3 Actions): Support Base x2 (40), Stage 3: Delay (6 Actions): Support Base x2 (40))
[S3] Dodge (High Gear: Evasion+10%)

[A4] (Unify: Eternalis) Influx Aegis @ Lyntael (Stage 1: Support Base x2 (40), Stage 2: Delay (3 Actions): Support Base x2 (40), Stage 3: Delay (6 Actions): Support Base x2 (40))

Watching Lyntael disappear around the corner, Eternalis stopped for a moment. Inwardly, he readied himself for another explosive reminder of how dilapidated the theme park around them was, as the game booth began to lose its decorative elements in a cascade of shorted-out reactions. He wandered over to the back of the booth where Lyntael was, somewhat concerned, but all he found was Lyntael ducking her head in front of a blank doorframe. "So they built in a developer backdoor, in a pretty literal sense," commented Harke with a chuckle, while Eternalis tilted his head and crossed his arms.

It was then followed by a drastic change in outfit, manifesting quite like Eternalis's own Soul Crosses. Despite her clear differences in base systems, she was still able to utilize the curious transformation ability. Suddenly, a series of blows against the door, and Eternalis drew a step back in reaction. He could hear the sound of a sharp intake of breath, that didn't seem to be Lyntael's. It took a while before Aurora responded to her wearer's worried question, but she eventually did.

"Yeah, no problem here, but I can definitely say it's a new experience, trying to get comfortable with another partner," said Aurora. "The way your hands move and feel is pretty different. It's more delicate, so I find myself holding back a bit more. Eternalis doesn't have electrical currents flowing through his, for one!" Though she mentioned the electrical flow, Aurora felt herself wondering how the flow of energy felt more streamlined, less chaotic, compared to when she felt it beforehand. The Soul Cross may be beneficial in assisting with her inner fluctuations, her other half reasoned.

As the cross disengaged, Aurora felt the erratic flow return, more or less lending credence to Eternalis's thoughts. Eternalis bent to peek into the tiny room behind the booth, seeing the rows of data orbs stacked up in the room. "Well, I hope they don't mind us looking through abandoned stock," he said, picking up one of the green lights and watching it coalesce in his hand, into a squeaky Mr. Prog squeezable toy. In his other arm, Sparky barked excitedly, reaching out for it rapidly. "Hahaha! Here, you can have this one, Sparky," he said, much to the pup's delight, as the squeaky green figure instantly became a chew toy.

Aurora, meanwhile, sounded a bit more unsure. "Hmmm... I don't know what they have, so I can't really say what I'd want," her voice said. "Oh! How about you two pick something out for me that you think I would like? Then I can see who got the better one. It'll be like a little fun challenge, you know?"

"Oh, sure," said Eternalis. Taking another light, it transformed into a small blue cylindrical container with a large "E" printed on the side. When he moved it about, he could hear some liquid sloshing about inside. "Mmm... I don't know what this is, but probably not this one. I'm curious to find out what it is, though, I'll take it myself," he said. Sifting through the other orbs, he found a few more toys of various Net-shows, some strange knick-knacks that looked like cast-off souvenirs, and even more of the earlier cylindrical tanks with varying other letters on them, though not one that he felt was suitable.

Finally, he came across one that seemed a little different from the others, and the prize unfurled into an angular-looking black device with a cylindrical lens protruding out the side, with a small slot at the bottom and a tiny button on the top. "What's this thing?" he said. Without thinking, his hand pressed on the button, and the device made a small click. Shortly after, a little piece of paper ejected itself from the slot.

"Oh, it's a kind of camera? That's interesting, I've never seen one that worked like this. Let's go with this one, then," he said.

[Battle 3 - Can go for now!]

As Lyntael was exploring with the new glove she was bestowed with, the sense of an external presence in her mind lingered, though she would feel it trying to communicate a kind of affirmation when she asked whether Aurora could hear her. She would be able to feel the foreign "electrical circuit" attached to her own, pulsing with its own activity, but still synchronizing with hers as much as it could. Unlike the experience with Eternalis of intermingling memories and sensations, it was merely as if something was following her at a distance.

"Right, there's no sense in communicating like this. I'll just project my voice so we can hear each other better," a familiar voice said, coming from her gauntlet. The blue lines lit up with each word, indicating that it was indeed Aurora. "It's not too heavy, right? You're a fair bit smaller than Eternalis, so I adjusted my size so it would be a better fit."

As Lyntael recalled her experience with DragonierMan's assistants, Sparky proceeded to "play" with the shooting game, where the pup's shots were mostly duds. After all, despite his agility, he wasn't quite trained to be able to hit any targets. When Lyntael waved to him, Sparky barked in excitement, proud of his clear display of prowess at the game, which was deteriorating at an accelerating rate. The sparks and the burst of sudden errors gave him a start, however, and Eternalis extracted his pet from the blue busters.

"Well, it's hard to change into anything more amazing when you're already this much to begin with," teased Aurora with a giggle.

Eternalis walked over with Sparky in his arms, and craned his head over to another part of the park. "Let's try to find something else to mess around with. The last attraction we were at fell down over our heads, so I'd rather not commit to being near this thing if it explodes on us," he said, leading the way towards what looked like the central area of the amusement park.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go, then, Lyntael, carry me!" said Aurora. After a brief pause, she added, "Oh, don't mind being a little rough if you need to be. It'd be strange if a piece of equipment could recoil from being knocked around a little, wouldn't you say?"

"You're missing a lot more shots. That's no good, keep your focus on the game," said Aurora with a cryptic smile. Without taking her hands off of her friend's shoulders, she pressed a finger to Lyntael's cheek to push her away from looking back over her shoulder. There was something strangely fun about the whole thing that she didn't quite expect--watching Lyntael's little mini-reactions and jumps, and the redness that she could see creeping up to her ears. She herself was getting a little excited.

"Don't be so nervous. It's nothing so strange. Think of it like holding hands, we've done plenty of that, haven't we?" Aurora whispered. Taking her hands off of Lyntael's shoulders, she reached her left hand in front, over Lyntael's hand, and clasping their fingers together. "Let's fix this up first, though." Her other hand traced two fingers to the sides of Lyntael's back wound, avoiding from touching it directly. Her hand gleamed dimly, a cool touch from her borrowed healing energy. It didn't take long before Aurora traced her finger in the opposite direction, tracing the small of Lyntael's back.

Before Lyntael knew it, the weight on her back would disappear, as if Aurora had leaned her hand entirely into the back of her body. Her hands would feel enveloped with a hefty weight, equipped on her left hand with half of a pair of jade-colored armored gauntlets, with yellow trimming. Intersecting blue lines pulsed with light down the fingers, and another one on the other side onto a circular hole in the middle of the palm. Her mind would feel another mental presence, foreign yet intimately familiar, just barely at the edge of her consciousness, telling her that she was now allowed to turn around.

Meanwhile, as Eternalis made decent work of the targets on the second around, he found the other half of his mind involuntarily pouring strange emotions into his half, and more than a couple of them distracted him from his shots. At the end of the round, he was still far ahead of Lyntael, who had missed the majority of her targets, no thanks to his partner's ministrations. Shaking his head slowly, he picked up Sparky and pointed him towards the blue buster arms. The toy implements surprisingly fit themselves onto the pup's tiny paws, most likely being designed to accommodate Navis of different body types.

"Maybe now it'll be more of a fair match," he said to nobody in particular, content to simply watch from the side as the game started back up again.