As soon as Sylk unpacked the compressed files, the batch program started running. A window appeared:

Quote (System Notice)

- Signatures Locked
- GMOs Locked
- Crosses Locked
- Chip Data Input Locked
- Support Programs Locked
- Folder Preset Loaded
- Manual JackOut Locked
----

Greetings. Here is a selection of free chips for you to enjoy, and a selection of viruses for you to test them out on. Should anything unfortunate occur, we will of course take care of your old chips for you.

Have fun with your free chips.

-- Anonymous

The new folder proceeded to load itself directly into Sylk's memory, which was not something a Navi was designed to deal with. Put simply, most Navis had a memory buffer just large enough for five, maybe six chips, with some specialist models being to load as many as 8 at a time.... But this was 30. No Navigator was designed to buffer load 30 battlechips at once. However, how they had planned to make this possible became apparent when the chip data started loading itself into the space normally reserved for Sylk's signature abilities. When it was done overwriting that, it started loading into the space she normally kept her GMO data, and even into the memory buffer reserved for Cross data. When it overrode all of that, and still needed more space, it just filled most of her nearly empty Navi Customizer with the rest. Luckily, there was enough room, and it didn't overwrite that, too. She was going to need to load backups of all this data when she got back to the PET.

The viruses hiding out amid the mess of jumbled terrain, rocks, and radiator controllers suddenly got bolder as they realized something was wrong with the Navi. Three red metools popped out of hiding, and started moving toward Sylk.... They stopped short as the small network platform rumbled, and the terrain shifted. Panels shuffled about, flipped over, of even slid aside to allow objects to fall away or rise into place. When it was over, a 12x12 quadrilaterally symmetrical arena had formed with a 2 rockcube high wall surrounding it on all sides. Each quadrant featured a 3x3 raised area of grass panels in the outer corner, and the surrounding inner area meeting to form a giant plus sign. The central 6x6 area was a checker pattern of grass and cracked panels with four big rocks at the center of each of the 3x3 areas it was composed of. The side areas were pairs of 3x3 panel zones centered made of radiator panels around a 5 rockcube tall radiator tower that stretched off into the sky above. There were 8 towers in all, four rocks in the middle, and four rocks on the raised grass platforms.

The viruses had all panicked, and stood perfectly still while their little world had gone mad around them. Luckily, that had saved their little lives from being dropped into the abyss, crushed, launched into the sky, burned to death, or any one of a number of other things the massive terrain makeover had threatened to do to them... and failed to follow up on. They snapped out of it, and bolted for cover immediately.

Sylk was, likewise, spared, if having your innards replaced with other things could be considered spared. Regardless, she found herself on one of the raised grass plateaus in a corner. The table was still nearby when all the shuffling about was over... it had ended up crushed under a boulder that had rolled over on it. That boulder now rested atop its mangled remains.

--Battle Start!--

Each file contained a batch executable, a tiny library file, and a ridiculously massive data file in a text format, along side a folder full of thirty script files of varying sizes. As the contents were compressed, opening the files to glean further details was impossible. The compressed packages were all identical, it seemed.

There were definitely sounds of life. Several somethings were out there amid the rocks and radiators... However, they seemed content to just hide and whisper amongst themselves, rather than come out and confront the increasingly agitated spider-ish Navi. At least, the noises might be whispers?

Sylk's visual scan of her surroundings revealed a small table, one of the cheap plastic folding variety, with a white tablecloth draped over it. Rows of compressed data files were neatly arranged atop it, and a small sign hung from the front of the table with what looked like packing tape: [[b]TAKE ONE[/b]]

In a quiet corner of KotoNet, amongst the heat and hum of someone's apartment heating unit control system, things scurry about in anticipation of visitors....

TO: Adrian & Sylk (Arachnids_Lair@yumland.org)
FROM: Tobdayhctekseno (ArtisticMerchandizing@Electown.net)
SUBJECT: FREE QUALITY CHIPS
MESSAGE:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Sketchiest Link Ever (You click this. You know you want to.)

The numbers can be changed. Oh, and more will appear here later. Have fun~♪

HomeRun1
Damage: (40 + Impact + Microburst) then (40 + Impact collission damage)
Accuracy: B / B
Description: Summons a baseball bat to strike a target with, and send them flying. If the struck target hits something, it and whatever it hits take damage. Can eject the target from battle if not careful.
Duration: Once
Element: Wood

HomeRun2
Damage: (60 + Impact + Microburst) then (60 + Impact collission damage)
Accuracy: B / B
Description: Summons a baseball bat to strike a target with, and send them flying. If the struck target hits something, it and whatever it hits take damage. Can eject the target from battle if not careful.
Duration: Once
Element: Wood

HomeRun3
Damage: (80 + Impact + Microburst) then (80 + Impact collission damage)
Accuracy: B / B
Description: Summons a baseball bat to strike a target with, and send them flying. If the struck target hits something, it and whatever it hits take damage. Can eject the target from battle if not careful.
Duration: Once
Element: Wood

------

FlameLash1
Damage: 20 + Slashing + Reach(3) + Burn(10) + Bind(3) / Throw: 20 + Impact
Accuracy: B / B
Description: A flaming whip with long reach and the ability to capture a foe with skilled use. Burns on contact, and for two turns after contact is broken. A captured target remains bound for 3 turns, until thrown, or the flamelash is destroyed by aqua or slashing. Can be dropped, and still function.
Duration: 3 turns or until broken/dismissed.
Element: Fire
Special: Bind: A combination of Hold and Grapple.
Special: Burn(10): Status effect. Deals 10 fire damage to target per turn for 3 turns. Can be doused or cured with status cure.
Special: Has many applications.

FlameLash2
Damage: 30 + Slashing + Reach(3) + Burn(15) + Bind(3) / Throw: 40 + Impact
Accuracy: B / B
Description: A flaming whip with long reach and the ability to capture a foe with skilled use. Burns on contact, and for two turns after contact is broken. A captured target remains bound for 3 turns, until thrown, or the flamelash is destroyed by aqua or slashing. Can be dropped, and still function.
Duration: 3 turns or until broken/dismissed.
Element: Fire
Special: Bind: A combination of Hold and Grapple.
Special: Burn(15): Status effect. Deals 15 fire damage to target per turn for 3 turns. Can be doused or cured with status cure.
Special: Has many applications.

FlameLash3
Damage: 40 + Slashing + Reach(3) + Burn(20) + Bind(3) / Throw: 60 + Impact
Accuracy: B / B
Description: A flaming whip with long reach and the ability to capture a foe with skilled use. Burns on contact, and for two turns after contact is broken. A captured target remains bound for 3 turns, until thrown, or the flamelash is destroyed by aqua or slashing. Can be dropped, and still function.
Duration: 3 turns or until broken/dismissed.
Element: Fire
Special: Bind: A combination of Hold and Grapple.
Special: Burn(20): Status effect. Deals 20 fire damage to target per turn for 3 turns. Can be doused or cured with status cure.
Special: Has many applications.

------

WebShot1
Damage: 20 + Reach(3) + Snare / Throw: 50 + Impact
Accuracy: B / B
Description: Shoots a spidersilk net on the end of a spidersilk rope with the ability to capture a target. A snared target is held in the webbing for 3 turns or until the web is destroyed by fire, slashing, or flailing the target into something else. Can be dropped, and still function.
Duration: 3 turns or until broken/dismissed.
Element: Wood
Special: Snare: A combination of Hold, Grapple, and Trap effects. However, in exchange for RP versatility, the chip can backfire depending upon RP. Nullify cancels Snare. Snared targets can be set on fire for an extra 1x base fire damage, though the target will be free of Snare the following turn.
Special: Has many applications.

WebShot2
Damage: 30 + Reach(3) + Snare / Throw: 80 + Impact
Accuracy: B / B
Description: Shoots a spidersilk net on the end of a spidersilk rope with the ability to capture a target. A snared target is held in the webbing for 3 turns or until the web is destroyed by fire, slashing, or flailing the target into something else. Can be dropped, and still function.
Duration: 3 turns or until broken/dismissed.
Element: Wood
Special: Snare: A combination of Hold, Grapple, and Trap effects. However, in exchange for RP versatility, the chip can backfire depending upon RP. Nullify cancels Snare. Snared targets can be set on fire for an extra 1x base fire damage, though the target will be free of Snare the following turn.
Special: Has many applications.

WebShot3
Damage: 40 + Reach(3) + Snare / Throw: 110 + Impact
Accuracy: B / B
Description: Shoots a spidersilk net on the end of a spidersilk rope with the ability to capture a target. A snared target is held in the webbing for 3 turns or until the web is destroyed by fire, slashing, or flailing the target into something else. Can be dropped, and still function.
Duration: 3 turns or until broken/dismissed.
Element: Wood
Special: Snare: A combination of Hold, Grapple, and Trap effects. However, in exchange for RP versatility, the chip can backfire depending upon RP. Nullify cancels Snare. Snared targets can be set on fire for an extra 1x base fire damage, though the target will be free of Snare the following turn.
Special: Has many applications.

-----

TornadoHold1
HP: 100
Properties: Mobile, Tamper Guard, Floatshoes, Shadowshoes.
Object Damage: 10 Null + Slashing x 3 hits
Damage Method: Touch, Telekinesis
Attack Damage: Airlift + Northwind + Hold / Fall: (30 Null x # of turns held) + Impact
Accuracy: C
Description: Throws a metal tengu fan that turns into a giant turbine that blows things into the sky as it slowly spins forward at a rate of one panel per turn. Anything too heavy for it to lift gets brutally shredded instead as it moves past. Targets launched into the air take fall damage proportional to the height they were raised to before falling.
Duration: 3 turns or until destroyed.
Element: Null
Special: Airlift: Lifts non-ancored, non-heavy objects and mediuem or lighter weight entities into the air above.
Special: Wind Type: This chip counts as Wind Type for the purposes of Wind triggered effects, such as traps and terrain.
Special: Tamper Guard: This object is naturally resistant to being directly tampered with. Other, more indirect methods of dealing with it will need to be explored.

TornadoHold2
HP: 150
Properties: Mobile, Tamper Guard, Floatshoes, Shadowshoes.
Object Damage: 10 Null + Slashing x 5 hits
Damage Method: Touch, Telekinesis
Attack Damage: Airlift + Northwind + Hold / Fall: (50 Null x # of turns held) + Impact
Accuracy: C
Description: Throws a metal tengu fan that turns into a giant turbine that blows things into the sky as it slowly spins forward at a rate of one panel per turn. Anything too heavy for it to lift gets brutally shredded instead as it moves past. Targets launched into the air take fall damage proportional to the height they were raised to before falling.
Duration: 3 turns or until destroyed.
Element: Null
Special: Airlift: Lifts non-ancored, non-heavy objects and mediuem or lighter weight entities into the air above.
Special: Wind Type: This chip counts as Wind Type for the purposes of Wind triggered effects, such as traps and terrain.
Special: Tamper Guard: This object is naturally resistant to being directly tampered with. Other, more indirect methods of dealing with it will need to be explored.

TornadoHold3
HP: 200
Properties: Mobile, Tamper Guard, Floatshoes, Shadowshoes.
Object Damage: 10 Null + Slashing x 7 hits
Damage Method: Touch, Telekinesis
Attack Damage: Airlift + Northwind + Hold / Fall: (70 Null x # of turns held) + Impact
Accuracy: C
Description: Throws a metal tengu fan that turns into a giant turbine that blows things into the sky as it slowly spins forward at a rate of one panel per turn. Anything too heavy for it to lift gets brutally shredded instead as it moves past. Targets launched into the air take fall damage proportional to the height they were raised to before falling.
Duration: 3 turns or until destroyed.
Element: Null
Special: Airlift: Lifts non-ancored, non-heavy objects and mediuem or lighter weight entities into the air above.
Special: Wind Type: This chip counts as Wind Type for the purposes of Wind triggered effects, such as traps and terrain.
Special: Tamper Guard: This object is naturally resistant to being directly tampered with. Other, more indirect methods of dealing with it will need to be explored.

Winter came to a stop near the pool of water in the center of the arena, and with a slightly calmer state of mind now that she was a decent distance from Varunavalry. She glanced around at her surroundings from her new vantage point, and quickly realized she was not going to accomplish much by staying in this room. Her adversary could fly, and this expansive arena gave it plenty of room to avoid capture. If she stayed here, should would be forced to delete her foe, if it didn't turn her into a messy wall graphic first, that is. And judging by the horrific level of destruction this supervirus had wrought upon Sharo's network environment, it was perfectly capable of doing so... with ease. She needed to lure it out of this room somehow.

With no time to plan, Winter decided to wing it based on past experience. She concentrated for a moment on chanting a spell, but delayed uttering the last words until she had gathered enough power to do the things she was about to do. As soon as she felt ready, Winter darted towards the tunnel, sent a copy of herself running to the left towards the wall on the other side of Varunavalry, and fired off an AquaWhirl1 with the last of her chant.

The two Winters sprinted ahead, each chasing a fast moving water tornado towards either side of Varunavalry. They darted and dodged as they went, ducking and even jumping as needed... whatever it took to make themselves difficult targets for the supervirus during their approach. Once the sorceresses were halfway to their destinations, the two gestured at Varunavalry, and a large mass of extremely dense cold air formed over the flaming hot supervirus. The difference in temperature and air pressure did the rest, and a great gale pulled the AquaWhirl tornadoes towards the flaming metavirus as high speed.

From here, all Winter needed to do was make it into the tunnel, and she focused all her efforts on achieving that goal.