Careful to keep his footing amidst the heavy landings of the giant eye virus, Courser squinted up at it with a frown. The Sharo ice was being belligerently temperate for the moment, it seemed. He shook his head and glided back a step, shaking out his arm and refreshing the strength of water current flowing off his shield. For the time being he kept a wary eye towards the moon virus, keeping the guard directed towards it and working to let his shadowy form take anything else more directly.

“Courser! I'm back! Got everything, just... Okay, got to get these updates sorted... What is that?” Courser smirked despite himself.

“A giant eyeball. On a crushing piston. It seems to want to jump around and squash things. Beyond that, I've no idea, Jen. Welcome back. Want to help me blow it up now?” He cleared his throat and held up a finger to the massive virus, as though asking for its patience. Just behind it, on the opposite side, a fresh CourseMan slipped into view from the icy tundra.

“Alright, gather in folks, we've got a treat for you today. Step right up and test your mettle here and now. Only the strongest can hope to push the button on this plunger. Who will take the prize today, I wonder!” For some reason, the decoy had appeared with his usual long coat replaced by a short showman's jacket, and a decorated top hat. Courser, meanwhile folded his arms as a large square object took shape in front of him, between himself and the big eye, It was dressed up like waves burst upward against rocks, and topped by an impressive red button. The side of it extended for a few extra feet upwards, to a small, round bell.

Ignoring the other viruses, save only to keep his shield cautiously towards the Lunarite, Courser nodded and raised a hand, feigning to roll up his sleeves and casting a grinning expression at his gathered audience; the wispy shadows made him hard to make out, save for the toothy grin. His presenter decoy pointed back, waving him to stand up to the platform with a cheer. A long-handled block-buster mallet appeared in front of him and Courser spat on his hands, then took hold of it, hefting the weapon and sizing up his target. He paused, glancing back at the eye virus and gestured with one hand, to see if it would prefer to have a crack at the game first – but before or after the eye had a bounce – on him or the bomb – Courser winked at it, then stepped in, swinging the mallet overhead in a long arc that brought both hands down to the very and of the shaft and slamming the head of it into the button.

In the aftermath that followed, Courser paused, listening for the expected wild cheering and applause, but when it didn't come he looked round to see what the problem was.

-=Summary=-

C*) ((TrapMaster: Courser is aware of any traps present in the situation and their triggering conditions, and (until further notice) denies their ability to activate on him or his clones))
C*) Shadow: (Hype Man)
C1) Shield NCP: (2-Hit Shield) (Refresh current; held towards Lunaroid, and only Lunaroid)
C2) BoyBomb1HP: 100
Properties: Normal
Object Damage: 220 + Blast3
Damage Method: Throw, Knockback, Microburst, Pull, Gravity, Telekinesis
Attack Damage: 220 + Blast3
Accuracy: Not Applicable
Description: Creates a BoyBomb1 on the field directly before you. The bomb may be pushed around until the end of the turn. The bomb will explode at the beginning of the following turn, dealing extremely heavy damage to anything nearby. Be somewhere else when that happens....
Duration: Until destroyed or the beginning of next turn.
Element: Null
Special: If enough damage is dealt to this object to destroy it, it will immediately explode instead.
Trader Rank: D (220, Blast3) In front of BigEye
C3) BigHammer1Damage: 160 + Impact + Break
Accuracy: B
Description: Summons a giant metal hammer to utterly crush one enemy that stands before you.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D (160 Break, Impact) on BoyBomb

-=Turn Splice=-

Jazz's backward shouts were met only with the sounds of snapping electricity and discordant, buggy crackling... though to a cynical ear it sounded almost like amused, or possibly curious, laughter. He didn't have time for more than a quip though, dashing on through the bunk rooms and keeping ahead of the on-coming swarm. Shooting on the run was something Jazz was no stranger to, and his pistol shot burst into radiant light down the hallway head of him, vaporising one of the recently turned snoozy viruses; it had tried to pull its pillow over its head, but a pillow was not met helmet. The one beside it, as the light faded, let out a barely audible squeak, flinching back, as suddenly a massive rock cube appeared in front of it, obscuring the virus from Jazz's sight.

Behind him, the swarm twisted around the corridor, sending forward-racing lines of magnetic panels arcing and looping through the mish-mash of other terrain, but the hum and crackle made an appreciate sound for Jazz's light-show. The scarecrow pulses with electricity and blasted a line towards Jazz as he approached, but the hare was faster, dodging under it as he passed the ceiling-mounted virus and keeping his shield ready for the remaining Snoozy instead. Glancing back as he passed it, the virus was forced to realise that its new rocky piece of cover was no use now that Jazz was further ahead. It tried to teleport forward as Jazz sent his own bolt of lighting back towards it, but its timing was poor, and the beam was long enough that it still caught the brunt of the blast, even as it appeared by Jazz, pillow swinging.

Smoking and barely alive, the virus struck, only for its pillow to flop softly against Jazz's waiting shield which glowed briefly before responding with a recoil of energy that obliterated the beleaguered creature. The scarecrow shot again from its anchored position, but Jazz was well past the virus now and the crackling bolt sank into the panels behind him while he prepared more defences on the fly.

In the middle of this hectic running battle, Stephine tapped the small envelope and her PET opened a window in the bottom corner. It looked like a video message. The image showed the figure of Prose, though she seemed to be falling, or perhaps simply drifting downward through black empty space, on her back, curled up slightly. Her wings gave off a soft red glow of light, but they were small again, barely visible at her back. She was holding what looked like a small red data crystal in her hands as her body floated, and the light revealed a mess of tears and wet fur on her cheeks and face. She looked up from the crystal as the message started and the focus pulled in to her face and shoulders more clearly. The bright blue of her eyes looked all the brighter in contrast with the bloodshot red soreness. She opened her mouth the speak, paused, closed it again, then started over.

“Stephine... Sorry's no use right now, I know that. You're smart... I'm... I'm a lot of things, but... but you've probably worked out one of them. I...” she paused and swallowed, struggling for breath. “I didn't want to lie. I tried hard, not to... but now that I'm here, it feels like splitting hairs. I didn't technically lie, but... so what? I still deceived you both, I put Jazz in danger, for selfish reasons. I'm even doing it now, damnit...” She stopped again for a moment and took a longer breath. Whatever black void space she was falling slowly through, dark red crackles laced through it in the background.

“I was even going to send this to you while I was till all banged up and bloodied, because I thought it might sway you... but that was dishonest too. I'm fine. I'm very hard to hurt.” She sniffed and scrubbed at her face again, rubbing her eyes; physically perhaps, but she seemed to be struggling on other levels. After a moment, squared her shoulders and shifted so it seemed like she was floating upright now.

“I'm stealing a moment now... not long, but I needed to say something. I'm going to fix this. I will. I promise you that. I know you can't trust me, but I promise, I will. All of the other stuff... your network pass, the mandated stipend, all of that, it's already done. You got it when you opened this message. It's taken care of. Please... Get Jazz out of there. I have to fix this. I can't get back right away. Asteca is in the facility somewhere, messing everything up and I can't stop her right now... she's a beast, like Cresheth... don't fight her. Don't try. Please keep Jazz safe! You have to! If he gets hurt because of me, I don't...” Her voice wavered and broke as her plea grew more and more tremulous with each word. Her body was tense and her shoulders shook, and her head dropped to hide her eyes. The black void crackled as more lances of red forked across it and a sound like rushing wind and screeching static started to creep in in the background. Prose tensed and her wings pulsed. She didn't look up any more, but her voice was hard as she spoke.

“I'm going to fix this. I'm going to make it right. When it's done... I... I don't know how to face him. Everything changes, now that you've seen. I can't undo it, or put that secret back in the bag. I know he promised, but... but it's a big secret.” Head down, away from the view, it was still clear that she was crying, despite her best efforts. “If he doesn't want to see me... it's my own fault. I know that. I understand. I couldn't ever blame him, not over this. Please keep him safe. He doesn't deserve any of this mess I've dredged up for him. Please look after him, and... even if he's angry, or... or horrified, or... just... tell him I'm sorry, for all of this.” The black void shuddered and Prose flexed her wings. As they burst into full radiance, spreading out dozens of feet in both directions, the black shattered and gave way to a discordant mass of scrambled data, light, colour and sound drawing into a perception of wild rushing that Prose herself looked towards, bloodshot eyes on a tear-streaked face and a grim expression. Her wings beat and the video cut out as her form became a crimson blur of motion, lost in the wild static.

By the time Stephine turned her focus back to the battle that Jazz was facing, he had outpaced the scarecrow, which had itself blinked out of existence on her screen, engulfed by the anomaly that she couldn't see clearly. A side notification claimed that her and Jazz's network access qualifications had been updated, as well as listing a summary reward pay out. [Stephine Received: Rogue Network Access Permit, 6000z]

Up ahead for Jazz, the hall was joined into by several others, growing into a wider thoroughfare. Just ahead, only a short way now, he could see the square-arched security checkpoint that seemed to indicate a gathering area. Three scanning devices swept the corridor ahead as it came into sight, one on either side of the arch, and one in the ceiling. An errant eleball skittered across the space from aside corridor, crossed one of the sensor beams, and was rapidly rendered down into safe data. The panels under the arch glowed like a welcome beacon, leading into the large, circular chamber beyond. To his right, the walls melted inward, distorting into a transparent slime that split and bubble,d leaving a roaring static of unformed network behind it, uninhabitable for any program, probably. More lances of magnet panelling circled and spiralled up the corridor under his feet and past him, then, with a crackling hiss, the three anti-virus sensors sparked and warped. Behind him, the swarm meandered after him, a screechy giggle echoing through its multitude of motes. The three sensors remained, continuing to sweep, but they looked different now, malformed and with extra, unnecessary pieces of metal and diode sticking out at peculiar angles.

-=In The Way-=
Satellite3Satellite3 (Satellite)

Area: Netopia, Sharo, NAXA

HP: 300
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: Trap(Enemy in Targeting Cursor) + Seeking: Movement (High-Alt) + Dodge + Lock-On + Nullify Invis
Primary Attack Accuracy: C
Primary Attack Description: Generates a targeting cursor that sweeps back and forth across the field, looking for a target. The cursor ignores decoys, objects, illusions, and invisibility. If the cursor intersects with an actual enemy, Lock-On is achieved, and the virus launches itself into the sky at High Altitude.
Secondary Attack Attack Damage/Effect: (15 Null + Seeking + Enhanced Accuracy) x 10 Shots
Secondary Attack Attack Accuracy: A
Secondary Attack Attack Description: When Lock-On is achieved, this virus fires a barrage of 10 highly accurate shots at its chosen target before landing in its original position. Accuracy debuffs on the Satellite while using this attack are reduced in severity by one rank.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Lock-On3, Zenny
Special: Immobile outside of its primary attack.
Special: This virus will repeat its primary attack until it finds a target, after which it will be able to use its secondary attack once. When it changes targets, either of its own volition or its current target's death, or uses its Secondary Attack and lands in its original position, it must repeat its primary attack until it finds a new target.
Notes: Triggering invisibility or an illusion, or moving the Satellite forcefully after Lock-On is achieved does not allow a target to escape Lock-On. Lock-On is a shift in the Satellite's state, not a status inflicted on its target, and thus cannot be removed. A: 300Hp [Metal] [Left of Checkpoint]
Satellite3Satellite3 (Satellite)

Area: Netopia, Sharo, NAXA

HP: 300
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: Trap(Enemy in Targeting Cursor) + Seeking: Movement (High-Alt) + Dodge + Lock-On + Nullify Invis
Primary Attack Accuracy: C
Primary Attack Description: Generates a targeting cursor that sweeps back and forth across the field, looking for a target. The cursor ignores decoys, objects, illusions, and invisibility. If the cursor intersects with an actual enemy, Lock-On is achieved, and the virus launches itself into the sky at High Altitude.
Secondary Attack Attack Damage/Effect: (15 Null + Seeking + Enhanced Accuracy) x 10 Shots
Secondary Attack Attack Accuracy: A
Secondary Attack Attack Description: When Lock-On is achieved, this virus fires a barrage of 10 highly accurate shots at its chosen target before landing in its original position. Accuracy debuffs on the Satellite while using this attack are reduced in severity by one rank.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Lock-On3, Zenny
Special: Immobile outside of its primary attack.
Special: This virus will repeat its primary attack until it finds a target, after which it will be able to use its secondary attack once. When it changes targets, either of its own volition or its current target's death, or uses its Secondary Attack and lands in its original position, it must repeat its primary attack until it finds a new target.
Notes: Triggering invisibility or an illusion, or moving the Satellite forcefully after Lock-On is achieved does not allow a target to escape Lock-On. Lock-On is a shift in the Satellite's state, not a status inflicted on its target, and thus cannot be removed. B: 300Hp [Metal] [Right of Checkpoint]
Satellite3Satellite3 (Satellite)

Area: Netopia, Sharo, NAXA

HP: 300
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: Trap(Enemy in Targeting Cursor) + Seeking: Movement (High-Alt) + Dodge + Lock-On + Nullify Invis
Primary Attack Accuracy: C
Primary Attack Description: Generates a targeting cursor that sweeps back and forth across the field, looking for a target. The cursor ignores decoys, objects, illusions, and invisibility. If the cursor intersects with an actual enemy, Lock-On is achieved, and the virus launches itself into the sky at High Altitude.
Secondary Attack Attack Damage/Effect: (15 Null + Seeking + Enhanced Accuracy) x 10 Shots
Secondary Attack Attack Accuracy: A
Secondary Attack Attack Description: When Lock-On is achieved, this virus fires a barrage of 10 highly accurate shots at its chosen target before landing in its original position. Accuracy debuffs on the Satellite while using this attack are reduced in severity by one rank.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Lock-On3, Zenny
Special: Immobile outside of its primary attack.
Special: This virus will repeat its primary attack until it finds a target, after which it will be able to use its secondary attack once. When it changes targets, either of its own volition or its current target's death, or uses its Secondary Attack and lands in its original position, it must repeat its primary attack until it finds a new target.
Notes: Triggering invisibility or an illusion, or moving the Satellite forcefully after Lock-On is achieved does not allow a target to escape Lock-On. Lock-On is a shift in the Satellite's state, not a status inflicted on its target, and thus cannot be removed. C: 300Hp [Metal] [In ceiling above Checkpoint]

-=Getting Out of Here=-
Jazz.Exe: 200Hp [Normal][Middle of the main corridor][ProseCross][Casing: 40Hp][Barrier: 40Hp][ImbueWood x3]

-=Compromised Containment=-
40% Metal

• Cannot be Broken or Cracked except with Geddon/PanelShot, cannot be Burrowed into.
• Elec attacks: +100% Source Damage.
• 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Cracked.
• 100 Damage Fire attacks: Change terrain hit to Furnace.
• PanelShot: Imbue Elec + Break.

[Around the checkpoint, ahead]
20% Normal

• No effects.

[Corridor that Jazz is running through]
15% Magnet

• Non-Elec Elementals get -30% Evasion, and 50% (+/- 25% RP) chance to fail movement off the panel.
• Only Elec Elementals can burrow.
• Wood attacks: Change terrain hit to Normal.
• PanelShot: Imbue Elec + Seeking.

[Spiralling strips running through the other terrain]
15% Missing

• Permanent bottomless hole.
• Doubles dodge penalties for bad RP.
• EJO if you fall in.

[Large chunks of the right wall and flooring]
10% Solar

• Elec Elementals get +5 HP/action.
• Wood attacks: +100% Source Damage, change terrain hit to Cracked.
• PanelShot: Imbue Elec + Stun1.

[Panels across the checkpoint threshold]

Terrain Quick-Slip: Things mare moving quickly; terrain changes to the area will not last, as the battlefield moves past them.

-=Battle Mode=-
Chase:
- Jazz is Fleeing. Stay ahead of your pursuer for three rounds to get away.
- Dedicating actions to movement is not required, unless you're doing something that would warrant it on a stationary map; you're presumed to be moving forward to the best of your abilities as you fight.
- Each round, the present viruses will have the opportunity to attack as you pass them by, and Jazz will be able to attack them if he wishes.
- These viruses will be left behind at the end of the round, and three new viruses will join the battle instead as you move forward.
- The chase ends early if Jazz is prevented from moving forward or is caught by the pursuer.
- All deleted viruses will give full rewards at battles' end.

-=Virus Delete Count=-
DemonEye x2
Snooziest x2

With the swarming, electrical mass filling the corridor behind him and spiralling around the walls as it came on, Jazz would feel the extra speed of his sometime lover giving him the boost he needed to keep ahead of it as the containment facility tore itself apart all around him. Just ahead, one of the eyeballs blinked and laid out a pin-point laser line, partially bisecting the corridor at a steep angle, but Jazz saw it in time amidst his quick hops. With an artful spring, cleared the beam without breaking it, while behind him, a moment later, the on-rushing swarm of sparking motes interrupted the line and provoked a searing laser beam that got lost on the mass of chaos. With an audible hiss, the swarm diverted, racing into the right hand chamber while Jazz pushed ahead.

There was no time to look behind him, but the sounds of breaking and distorting equipment painted an uncomfortable soundscape for the fleeing hare. Feet barely touching the solid surfaces around him, Jazz ducked and dived past the next two laser beam; an ear just barely clipped one of them, but Jazz was already past it an instant later, the heat of it made him feel like the fur at the tips of his ears was probably curled and singed, but he was past the immediate threats. Turning and unleashing an electromagnetic wave of his own, Jazz's attack shuddered the two eyeballs into heaps of junk data and prevented them from sending any further lasers up the hall after him.

The hall branched and Jazz knew, following instinct for the right lines on the ground, that left was the right way to go; behind him, the swarm flooded out of the side room, accompanied by what sounded like distorted carnival music and a mass of lashing, watery tendrils. The panels directly under where it passed all remained highly magnetised, but it was once again briefly distracted by the piles of glitched out junk data that Jazz had left behind in the left workshop. It lasted only a precious extra few seconds before the entity turned its head back up the hall, eyes blinking open and then away again as it flowed after him once more.

Ahead, Jazz was passing into areas that bore a great many smaller doorways, some open ,msot shut. One that was open gave a brief glimpse of a fairly compact, yet cosy living space with multiple bunk beds and small furniture. A swordy virus was busy hacking at a mattress and sending fluff everywhere, too preoccupied to notice Jazz pass by.

Just ahead, however, a pair of grey-helmed metools trooped out of a bed chamber, carrying pillows proudly above their heads. They turned to look at Jazz, but before they could react further, a pulse of screeching static raced up the hallway, changing panels and making the lights burst. The two metools quaked with some kind of sudden shock, before their forms seemed to melt and sag, then soften. As the pulse cleared, it now looked like a pair of very out-of-place snoozy viruses instead, still clutching their stolen pillows tightly. One of them yawned. The corridor was a mess of different panels now, but one in the ceiling had flipped over, extending a metal scarecrow out of it which was now crackling with electricity of its own, unperturbed by its unusual angle.

While she fought to operate for Jazz, and work on the other myriad of problems assailing her in the moment, a small, unfamiliar icon blinked into existence in the bottom right corner of Stephine's PET screen. It was tiny, and looked like a little envelope, with cutely stylised red wings, and a red dot sealing the fold. That wasn't where mail notifications usually appeared, but it blinked at her, flashing slowly all the same, waiting to be selected.

-=In The Way-=
SnooziestSnooziest (Snoozy)

Snoozy are about 2 feet tall, and are shaped like a white translucent blob of goo, forming a basic head, body, and arm, with the body trailing behind. The head has an oversized nightcap covering most of it, colored dark blue, with white dots as stars. The end of the nightcap has a hanging moon from it. The lone arm carries a thick white pillow by the corner, with some down leaking out of a tear. The coloring scheme of its main body changes with its version. Snoozier are red, and Snooziest are blue. A menacing black Snoozy DS has an additional feature of serrated teeth forming a giant jaw. EX forms are darker shades of their originals. Snoozy attack by flailing their white pillows around and spreading their apparent sleepiness around. They start their attack by teleporting up to their targets. The teleport counts as a dodge if utilized correctly. They then teleport back to their original spot, and do not move otherwise. They may use their secondary full-heal at any time, though they are more likely to do so when they are injured. Snoozy viruses only appear when there is cover to hide behind, and will stay behind this cover for the entirety of the battle except to attack. They will not appear otherwise. If their cover is destroyed, they will attempt to flee starting next turn if they do not have a specified object chip to be dispensed first.

Area: Yoka, Dentech, Sharo

HP: 180
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: (Teleport) then (Aqua 55 + Sleep)
Primary Attack Accuracy: C
Primary Attack Description: Teleports near an enemy, and whacks its pillow at them. Teleports back to original position shortly after.
Secondary Attack Effect: Self Recover Max + Self Status Cure Max + Self Sleep (1)
Secondary Attack Accuracy: S
Secondary Attack Description: Goes to sleep, and recovers from all of its ailments and injuries. This attack may be used at any time, even when status effects would usually deny it, except for Sleep. This attack has a one turn cooldown after the virus wakes up.
Element: Aqua
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Pillow3, Zenny
Special: Will not attack sleeping targets.
Special: May use RockCube at any time twice per battle as a standard action.: 180Hp [Sand][Left side of the hall, ahead of Jazz, in front of the scarecrow]
SnooziestSnooziest (Snoozy)

Snoozy are about 2 feet tall, and are shaped like a white translucent blob of goo, forming a basic head, body, and arm, with the body trailing behind. The head has an oversized nightcap covering most of it, colored dark blue, with white dots as stars. The end of the nightcap has a hanging moon from it. The lone arm carries a thick white pillow by the corner, with some down leaking out of a tear. The coloring scheme of its main body changes with its version. Snoozier are red, and Snooziest are blue. A menacing black Snoozy DS has an additional feature of serrated teeth forming a giant jaw. EX forms are darker shades of their originals. Snoozy attack by flailing their white pillows around and spreading their apparent sleepiness around. They start their attack by teleporting up to their targets. The teleport counts as a dodge if utilized correctly. They then teleport back to their original spot, and do not move otherwise. They may use their secondary full-heal at any time, though they are more likely to do so when they are injured. Snoozy viruses only appear when there is cover to hide behind, and will stay behind this cover for the entirety of the battle except to attack. They will not appear otherwise. If their cover is destroyed, they will attempt to flee starting next turn if they do not have a specified object chip to be dispensed first.

Area: Yoka, Dentech, Sharo

HP: 180
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: (Teleport) then (Aqua 55 + Sleep)
Primary Attack Accuracy: C
Primary Attack Description: Teleports near an enemy, and whacks its pillow at them. Teleports back to original position shortly after.
Secondary Attack Effect: Self Recover Max + Self Status Cure Max + Self Sleep (1)
Secondary Attack Accuracy: S
Secondary Attack Description: Goes to sleep, and recovers from all of its ailments and injuries. This attack may be used at any time, even when status effects would usually deny it, except for Sleep. This attack has a one turn cooldown after the virus wakes up.
Element: Aqua
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Pillow3, Zenny
Special: Will not attack sleeping targets.
Special: May use RockCube at any time twice per battle as a standard action.: 180Hp [Grass][Middle of the hall, next to the other [s]metool[/s] Snooziest]
Scarecrow3Scarecrow3 (Scarecrow)

Scarecrow attack every action, if able. Every time they attack, they recover HP equal to their attack power regardless of whether or not they hit anything. This virus type also has the rare ability to absorb Elec element damage as healing for the same amount. They are immune to any status effects associated with Elec element damage/attacks. Scarecrows are anchored to the ground, and thus enjoy the effects of SuperArmor. Scarecrow are never encountered underground or indoors.

Area: Electown, Dentech, NAXA

HP: 260
Attack Damage/Effect: 100 Elec + Piercing + Recover100
Attack Accuracy: A
Attack Description: Conducts thunder, healing itself.
Element: Elec
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): DollThunder3, Zenny
Special: Immobile.
Special: SuperArmor: Immunity to Knockback, Microburst, Pull, Gravity, and similar effects.
Special: Lightning Rod: This virus absorbs Elec attacks as Healing.: 260Hp [Metal][In the ceiling, directly ahead of Jazz]

-=Getting Out of Here=-
Jazz.Exe: 200Hp [Soil][Middle of the main corridor][ProseCross]

-=Compromised Containment=-
10% Sand

• -20% Evasion and reduced movement speed to all.
• Can Burrow as standard action, incurable Blind1 until turn after exiting Burrow.
• Wind attacks: +100% Source Damage + Blind1, change terrain hit to Normal, trigger Sandstorm for 3 turns: Lose 5 HP/action, Blind1, Fire attacks gain Slashing.
• Fire attacks: Change terrain hit to Glass.
• Terrain changes between Sand and QuickSand do not inflict damage upon burrowed entities, nor do they eject burrowed entities to the surface.
• PanelShot: Blind1.

[A patch in the doorway the mets came from]
15% Lava

• Non-Fire Elementals lose 5 HP/action standing, 10 HP/action submerged. Doubled for Wood Elementals, nullified for Fire Elementals.
• Aqua attacks: Panel explodes, +100% Source Aqua Damage, change terrain hit to Normal.
• PanelShot: Imbue Fire.

[Section in the mid right, and part of the wall, and some of the ceiling]
30% Magnet

• Non-Elec Elementals get -30% Evasion, and 50% (+/- 25% RP) chance to fail movement off the panel.
• Only Elec Elementals can burrow.
• Wood attacks: Change terrain hit to Normal.
• PanelShot: Imbue Elec + Seeking.

[Most of the space behind Jazz, and a strip leading up the left hand wall]
10% Poison

• -10 HP/action standing, -20 HP/action submerged.
• Zombie nullifies damage, heals 10 HP/action on contact.
• Cannot be in Sigs.
• PanelShot: Poison(20).

[Round puddle just past the snooziest]
5% Ice

• +10% Evasion to all. Non-Aqua Elementals get -20% Accuracy.
• Aqua attacks: 25% Freeze chance, change terrain hit to Normal if triggered. Boost chance to 100% if Ice-type.
• Elec attacks: +100% Source Damage.
• Fire attacks: Change terrain hit to Sea.
• PanelShot: Imbue Aqua + Freeze1.

[A spot just to Jazz's right]
15% Cracked

• Changes to Broken when stepped on, chance to fall in when triggered.
• Burrow: Change terrain to Broken, Null 50 to burrower.
• Panel Crack attacks, >100 Damage Break/Impact/Drop attacks: Change terrain hit to Broken.
• PanelShot: Splash1.

[Scattered chunks]
10% Grass

• Wood Elementals get +5 HP/action.
• Fire attacks: +100% Source Damage, change terrain hit to Soil.
• PanelShot: Imbue Wood.

[Middle of the hall, leading to the poison beyond, and the soil nearby]
5% Soil

• Wood Elementals get +10% Evasion.
• Wood attacks: +100% Source Damage, change terrain hit to Grass.
• 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Mud.
• 100 Damage Fire attacks: change terrain hit to Coal.
• PanelShot: Imbue Wood.

[Small patch directly under Jazz's feet]

Terrain Quick-Slip: Things mare moving quickly; terrain changes to the area will not last, as the battlefield moves past them.

-=Battle Mode=-
Chase:
- Jazz is Fleeing. Stay ahead of your pursuer for three rounds to get away.
- Dedicating actions to movement is not required, unless you're doing something that would warrant it on a stationary map; you're presumed to be moving forward to the best of your abilities as you fight.
- Each round, the present viruses will have the opportunity to attack as you pass them by, and Jazz will be able to attack them if he wishes.
- These viruses will be left behind at the end of the round, and three new viruses will join the battle instead as you move forward.
- The chase ends early if Jazz is prevented from moving forward or is caught by the pursuer.
- All deleted viruses will give full rewards at battles' end.

-=Virus Delete Count=-
DemonEye x2

The giant creature sounds of something in the water drew one set of Courser's eyes as he pushed on; massive waves amidst the ice flows and craggy glaciers gave glimpses of a form thrashing and moving and Courser steeled himself. Alongside him, the clone looking out over the water whistled.

Who'd have thought we'd end up all the way out here? Sane folks know better than to come here. You know that, right?” It laughed, derisive, while Courser kept his own eyes forward, focused on following the tracks. Even so, he grimaced.

“It's a good thing Jen isn't seeing this right now, or she'd probably pull the plug before I could talk. Am I feeling up to tangling with the beast of the seas today? Really?” Alongside him as they glided forward, his clone shrugged.

“Seems that way. I guess. It's pretty dumb. You know that... but you're going to, if it comes to it... aren't you?” Courser hesitated, but only had a small nod in response. They were definitely heading towards the darkest point in the ice flows; the main lair was in that direction, there was little questioning it. What wasn't certain yet was whether Hevari was intending to go around, or through. It sounded like through, but Squalo, if that was the beast itself, didn't seem nearly as pacified as the doctor had intended.

He began to catch sight of the retreating pair as he drew closer, tailing them, ut before he could spring a proper surprise, a new challenger took note of him firs,t and the sound gave the game away. Courser looked to Hevari as she spun around, and then to the new virus.

“Go.” He uncoiled his whips and let the powder mist from the snow wrap up around his body as his decoy faded out and reemerged from the white powder not too far from Hevari's left, gliding alongside her. Courser was busy sizing up the virus that was before him, but the Decoy looked at Hevari directly as she vented her frustration.

“Sorry's not much use when you aren't, doctor. Sometimes a balance has to get paid. How's your new family treating you?” The clone smirked, tilting his head as she muttered about her limiters. “If that Leash you've got was meant to keep you hidden... it didn't work. Lots of folks don't care much for ship-jumpers, you know... Hope it was worth it for you...” The decoy turned back, stretching both arms out as its wave-whips extended back towards the collection of viruses, sending a spray of watery micro-pellets back towards the group in a hail storm just as Courser spun about once in a similar motion, bathing the field in a hail of small shots, fishing for a quick freeze on his new foes. The put its hands behind its head; it wasn't making any aggressive moves towards Hevari herself, but it glanced across to her massive Spikey-like companion as well.

“Aye, Cerb! Feeling better? That's a good boy. Maybe when this is done you'll come play with us instead? You're a good boy, aren't you? Yeah...” The decoy turned a winning grin to Hevari and winked. “Think about your options, doctor. We'll catch you up and come talk in a minute, if you're still about.” It stopped moving and let the woman go – not that it could stop her, of course, and instead focused back on the battlefield that Courser had sent it past.

Courser himself had reached out to the darkness in the water again as he sized up the new arrivals; his focus was primarily on the moon-shaped one for now; that one he knew could be problematic. The big red one, he was less sure about, but it didn't look like it would be an issue his favoured defence... probably. As she shadows took hold, he drew up on wave whip and forced the water outward into a flatter shield, water rushing out to a raised boss in the centre, and spreading sideways to form the semi-solid structure. He disregarded most of his other assailants and kept the shield directed solely toward the moon virus for now, even letting his murky form weave enough to keep the guard out of the way of any other viral attempts to strike at him.

When the moon did make its offence towards him, Courser intended to be ready; shield or not, his other arm whipped forward in response to to the virus' attack, sending a dark stream of inky water back int its direction at the same time; as long as he could ping it, the black fluid was infused with shadow just enough to blind and potentially even disable the virus, if he was lucky. The moment of disorientation, however, was also enough space for him to roll his shoulder as he struck back, spinning away from himself and leaving two Coursers in the mix, each shifting to face other viruses.

One darted towards the sun and moon, whip curling up again to strike, while the other veered back and broke towards the much larger eye virus, dark form shifting as he aimed to strike it around its piston base and hopefully freeze it to the floor with a pair of rapid lashes from his own wave whip.

-=Summary=-

C*) ((TrapMaster: Courser is aware of any traps present in the situation and their triggering conditions, and (until further notice) denies their ability to activate on him or his clones))
C*) First Barrier: (40Hp Barrier)
C*) First Armour: (10Hp Casing)
C*) Shadow: (Sent forward past the viruses to answer Hevari, before turning back towards the fight)
C1) Solo Teamwork: (10Aqua, x 2 Hits, x 4 Targets, Shot-Type, A) All targets
C2) Murky Deception: (Shadow, Self, 2 Rounds, Self-Slow2 (1 round, 2 instances))
C3) Shield NCP: (2-Hit Shield) (held towards Lunaroid, and only Lunaroid)
C4) No Peeking!: (Counter(Nullify or Seeking Attack directed against CourseMan or any of his decoys): (First: (Blind + Disarm, Shot-Type), Then (Decoy(1 round))
C*) 2nd Decoy Behaviour if triggered: Rush to assault the Lunaroid after it attacks
C*) Fast Barrier: (40Hp Barrier)
C*) Fast Armour: (10Hp Casing)
C5) BusterStrike (10Aqua, Nullify, A) BigEye
C6) BusterStrike (10Aqua, Nullify, A) BigEye

Level 21: Cap is 220 (330). Pool is 880

Unchanged: Forked Streams:

Taking a moment to scope out the situation around him and prepare for likely eventualities, CourseMan can respond with near pre-emptive alacrity to an attack directed at him. He dodges, most commonly with a dive-roll, in two opposite directions. Despite being designed without a manual dexterity preference, the real CourseMan usually (though not always) favours moving to his left, while the decoy goes right. The decoy will respond independently to CourseMan as it dodges away; if the terrain should be different, it can and will respond intelligently.

In the same moment as beginning his deception, CourseMan begins to prepare a quick-shot retaliation, charging tiny water pulses in each hand, yet, as he splits, his decoy carries one of the shots with it, safely englobed in its own wave-whip. As the navi and decoy come out of their respective evasions, they both release the tiny shots at the target that attacked them. The decoy will generally then smirk and flick his coat front with both hands or else make some manner of self-assured comment, gloating; CourseMan himself will often do the same, taunting his foe, but sometimes he'll remain quiet and simply allow the spotlight to go to his copy.

Courser has improved his response time with this trick, and is much more used to using it now, so he no longer suffers any kind of slow down post evasion, and he can make the retaliation shots just a little bit stronger than before. Even so, they're still nothing more than teasing flick.

Trap(Incoming Attack against CourseMan): Multi-Stage: First (Dodge + Decoy(1 round)), Then (10Aqua, Shot-Type x2 Hits). (Total Value: 80, Pool Points Used: 80) 2TCD

Unchanged: Mist and Shadow:

Following along with his philosophy of trying at all times to be where the damage is not, Courser has more than one trick up his sleeve for getting out of the way of harm. Not just a simple dodge, this trick sees Courseman doing a swift shadow blend that creates a double of himself rolling out of the way, while the navi himself warps quickly behind the attacking target.

The decoy will roll, then rise and taunt the target that attacked him, mockingly, while Courser will try to place a hand against the attacker directly as he comes out of his teleport, drawing off a partition of data through his wave-whip to help restore himself. Usually, when he does this, Courser is a bit slow on the recovery; he's still getting used to the disorientation of the sudden teleport, combined with the split in perspective with seeing back and forth through his clones.

Trap(Incoming Attack against CourseMan): Multi-Stage: First (Teleport + Decoy(1 round)), Then ((Aqua)LifeDrain 10, Shot-Type), Then (Self-Slow). (Total Value: 120, Pool Points Used: 80) 3 TCD

Modified: Solo Teamwork:

With both wave whips out and a wide variety of foes, Courser will sometimes gather up a large amount of miniature water pulses inside the streams, before unleashing a scattering volley of micro shots about the battlefield. Any and all clones he currently has out will participate in this activity, with the shots coming equally spread from all active clones and Courser himself. If he has no clones when he does this, then Courser will just fire the whole barrage himself, but that will look a lot more sad and lonely.

Frequent practice with this ability have helped Courser improve the density of shots spread around by his barrage, pelting his foes more thoroughly than before, although the increased effort makes him unlikely to use this trick more than once a fight.

(10Aqua, x 4 Hits, x 4 Targets, Shot-Type (Total Value: 160, Pool Points Used: 160)) 4TCD

Unchanged: No Peeking!

It takes the fun out of it if someone cheats and looks through all the deocys and illusions. That's just plain unsporting, isn't it? Courser has a special trick that lies in wait for anyone who attempts to bypass his normal games, and can release a whip shot of darkened water, either from his own whips, or blind-siding from a decoy, intended not only to temporarily blind the attacker and ruin their sight, but also to deprive them of whatever weapon they had been about to use, that would have spoiled his fun. If he's very lucky or skilled, he might even manage to take control of the attack himself, for future use, but that's not the primary intention, which is to rob his opponent of it.

Counter(Nullify or Seeking Attack directed against CourseMan or any of his decoys): (First: (Blind + Disarm, Shot-Type), Then (Decoy(1 round)) (Total Value: 120, Pool Points Used: 120) 3TCD

Unchanged: Murky Deception:

If the clones and the shielding and the fields and his general slippery nature aren't enough to keep Courser in places where the pain is not, he can, for short periods of time, create a misty, shadowed field of darkness and obscurity about himself that tricks the eye and makes him even harder to hit. The effect doesn't have any obvious visual tell, unless someone can already see through the deception; it mostly works by making it seem like he's just a bit displaced from where he actually is.

It lasts a little longer now, but delving into a shadow form for longer makes him less physically nimble while it is in effect.

(Shadow, Self, 2 Rounds, Self-Slow2 (1 round, 2 instances) (Total Value: 160, Pool Points Used: 160, Nerf as Cooldown reduction)) 2TCD

New: River's Silver:

The river flows and gives, sliding around or parting for force directed against it without being diminished. When the most tactical solution to a situation demands a forward-facing approach, or hiding and shadows aren't an option, Courser can instead focus on his more playfully mercurial aspects, quite literally. His form further embraces the waters that surround him and he becomes almost entirely made of flowing quicksilver instead; highly visible and yet nearly invulnerable to most attacks; rather than overt deflection, in this form attacks that strike Courser find no real resistance as his shape twists and parts fluidly around them, while he tends to behave with more showmanship and flair, randomly interspersed with brief flashes of unpredictable savagery in his retaliations.

(Steelbody, Self, 2 Rounds, Self-Slow2 (1 round, 2 instances) (Total Value: 160, Pool Points Used: 160, Nerf as Cooldown Reduction)) 2TCD

Unchanged: Wave Refresh:

Sometimes, no amount of trickery or deception, or clones, or decoys, or dodging, or illusions, or shields, or wave auras will be quite enough to stop the competent and suave adventurer from getting a few scrapes and bruises. Fortunately for CourseMan, just being surrounded by rushing water is enough to keep him feeling fit and fresh and ready for more. Moderately regularly, he can pull a quick wave wash over himself to freshen up and shake off his previous little mistakes.

(Healing 30 (Total Value: 40, Pool Points Used: 40)) 1TCD

Unchanged Ebb and Flow:

Small mistakes can sometimes lead to larger problems if they aren't dealt with quickly. When minor mishaps throw Courser off his game in a more pronounced way, he is able to roll with the ebb and flow of the battle, falling back with whatever affliction has landed on him, before returning to the fray with a renewing pulse and increased force.

Multi-Stage(First: Status Cure, Healing 5, Strengthen 10), (Then: Healing 5, Per Action, for 5 additional actions) (Total Value: 80, Pool Points Used: 80)) 2TCD

Total: 880/880

Jenny shuffled the new parts into her pack as quickly as she could, fumbling with her purse as she put her card away and waved with one hand as she made for the door.

"Hopefully! Thanks again!" She slipped her bag back over one shoulder and darted out of the shop, taking off running again.

((Return to -> The Cafe))

Her muscle burned and her charge roared in her senses as she held herself at the edge of the next release and gradually pulled back from it; another ripple of sparks cascaded out from her body as she let out along breath and tried to focus on calming down again, while she listened to the others talk. The angry thoughts that had flooded up in the middle of her expenditures still vied for attention, and she realised her fists were clenched tight, her teeth gritted.

She nodded to Aya at first, relaxing her body as best she could and walking few steps closer, just to move in away that wasn't immediately combative. Like this, the charge wasn't searing pain, but holding herself at this level of tension was discomfort that was growing into a building ache and burn. If she released now, it would give her a couple of seconds of blessed calm from the feeling, she knew that, and longed for it, but it was still too close to the edge, or.. or what she felt it must be. She'd almost gone further than she could pull back form the first time, and it frustrated her how much she was still guessing at the instincts and sensations that accompanied the process.

“I can hold it here... for a while. It'll calm, slowly, on its own... and if I expend again... it'll bounce high again... but I think I could keep that balance... a little longer. It's not painful right now, but... but the longer I maintain this feeling, without letting it go further or recover... it's like... like strain. It's starting to feel like it's tension that turning to fatigue... you know? My whole body feels like a muscle that's been carrying something for too long.” She kept her distance, at least part way as she tried to answer Aya's questions with small nods and shakes of her head, listening to her body as she did.

“No... no it's different.... The charge has a beat to it... harsh, strong, rough... gets more... jagged the worse it gets, and it gets faster. The lower pulse, the softer one... that's there too...” her body crackled with another circle of dancing sparks that fanned out from her as she spoke. “It's always the same... a stable beat... Slow. When my charge is calm, they're the same... like a hum inside that's always there.... when I burn out, and they're both just gone... I feel like I'm dying, if I'm conscious... like there's a hollow in my chest... But when the charge is high, it gets fast, and rough, and jagged, and painful, and it sears, and burns, and just when I think it's about to burn me away to nothing... snap... it all goes.” She tried a grin, though it was a bit strained and ragged as she looked towards Aya and the others, putting one hand to her chest as she did.

“My heart... light my heart is beating so fast right now. I feel like I've run a mile already... that's just my heart beat... it doesn't seem like it's really lined up with any of that... except maybe, when I'm really calm, and it slows right down...” Closing her eyes briefly, her other hand came up to the first and she cupped them over the centre of her chest, feeling the different forces rising and falling within her. The core of it all, she felt sure, was here, in her chest... “It starts... here... I think.” Her hands patted and pressed; it was a warm glow and a fierce hum, right there; externally her hands had covered her emblem, though mostly without realising it; Lyntael was focused on the sensation in the middle of her chest instead. How to make the soft pulse... do more...? It was still a question she didn't have much of a feeling for how to solve yet, but even so, just taking a calmer moment to examine everything she felt a she felt it was helpful, and spending this time with Aya and Suzume, and Drago and Nightshade, she added to herself, was still worthwhile.

As Nightshade came close,r she focused on the smaller boy, while watching him cautiously to make sure he didn't come within the range of her pulses. She was feeling the force of her charge beginning to settle back now; she could probably expend again safely, push herself back to that edge without going over, and come down again, she thought. Probably. The strain of keeping her focus and not expending early was getting taxing though, and she didn't want to lose her concentration on that at the wrong moment. She gave the energetic cat boy a smile, amidst the light show on her skin and the crackling in her hair.

“Yeah... it's weird... really weird. But it's me, so...” she shrugged and made a small gesture to either side with her hands; another small pulse rolled out and she took a longer, slower breath, trying to ignore the strain of holding the charge while her body slowly calmed. He was trying to show her something, she was sure – the way the boy talked, it made it sound as though he had keener senses for the energy flow that moved within each of them, but her eyes only showed the same eager and enthusiastic boy as always. When he reached out, she pulled back in response, hesitant. He'd seen the way she'd been expending before... Lyntael bit her lip, brow furrowing, then glanced across to Aya and Suzume. Suzume's answer was more directed to Nightshade about causing problems for her, so... Perhaps he was something like Ion had been. The dragoniers didn't seem worried, so she nodded and gave Nightshade another, more nervous grin.

“Okay... but, just be careful, alright? I can store some of this, about as much as I can hold at once right now... so... Are you sure?” His continued enthusiasm was almost overbearing, considering the boy was asking her to shock him. Her nerves fluttered but she nodded and stepped forward. “If... if it's too much, just pull back, okay. I'll do the same...”

With one more nod and a deep breath, Lyntael relaxed and shook out her hands, then reached out to take Nightshade's grip in her own. At first, he'd feel a strong electrical tingle; the kind of static shock that might make a normal person pull away, and underneath her skin was very warm. Nightshade's sense would probably tip him off moments before it happened, but after only a moment of contact, a straining surge of energy pressed forward through Lyntael. Too long holding the one charge, desperate for release and too much time under strain, aching at the tension. Lyntael felt it too; she'd tried, initially to just spend off a portion of her charge to Nightshade, cautiously, but as she began to let the energy flow it all rushed at once. Her other hand snapped up, clutching onto the other side of his hand so she was pressing both of her wrists to him. The charge coalesced in her chest, drawing in from every part of her body, then exploded down both arms in a fierce torrent of destructive lightning. Lyntael's eyes flew open as she lost control to the release and she started trying to pull away, a shocked cry of denial on her lips, but there wasn't time to stop it once if started.

Rather than an arcing beam, the burst expended itself in a bright chaotic flare of light and crackling sound, as the force of the beam passed directly across to Nighty. A second later, Lyntael pulled herself away, stumbling backwards and gasping for air as her limbs shook, momentarily weak.

“Nightshade!” The girl hurried to pick herself up again, blinking her eyes past the fading flare of light as she moved towards her friend on instinct, then stopped out of equal fear. “Nighty, are you okay? I... I'm sorry, I lost it. I didn't mean to! I just tried to give you a little, I... It was just all there, and I couldn't stop it when it started! I'm sorry!”

As she gasped for breath and tried to make sure the young boy was alright without getting close, Lyntael looked to the others in a panic. It was only a moment later that she noticed what hadn't happened. Her charge was there, already swiftly rebuilt, but... that level of expend should have set her body screaming. The resurgence had only been small, though. Softer. She was still in control, albeit barely, and part of that was being helped by the desperate panic over her mistake. They could sort it out later... Nightshade was more important right now.

In the immediate aftermath Nighshade's casual enthusiasm was a good break to the frustration that Lyntael had been staving off as the others tried to help her, to the point that even his juvenile bluntness only made her flick her eyes skyward for a second and offer him a grin.

“Gee, thanks... Nice to know I'm weird and also rubbish at being me, Nightshade... you're such a charming young man... ” It caught her by surprise, but the droll grin that accompanied her response was a genuine one and she felt the good humour seep into her just a little more as she stretched and rolled her shoulders. “Just wait until you see the really flashy bits...” The smile became a small giggle. A part of her almost wanted to reach out and ruffle his ears, but part way through raising and lowering her charge as she was, with the feeling of it in her body and under her skin, she didn't want to risk it, even if the boy was comfortable with electricity. The charge wanted release but she took a breath and held it back, then stepped away from the others for a moment and let the pulse wash out from her again, sending a small ripple of fresh sparks into her immediate space and cooling off the urge to build just a little bit more. Even though they hadn't done much yet, just practising like this and feeling it in a focused way, deliberately and not in any danger... maybe comfort like this was more important than she'd let herself think. She concentrated on slow breaths and calm as she looked at the smaller boy. There was always a chance he was like Ion, she supposed... He'd been able to absorb her charge without getting hurt... but it wasn't something you just thrust on another person without being sure.

“Your costume is adorable. I didn't realise you were a dragonier too.” Gradually, the charge she was still holding began to decay and subside back towards her baseline warm glow. “Did you make it yourself? I love making costumes. I-” Lyntael thought about the variety of clothing and costumes she'd made and found a small pink flush creeping towards her cheeks. She changed what she'd been about to say to the boy. “I'd love to see any others you've got!”

Eventually, Lyntael realised she was putting off the whole reason for this trip to the training area, again. She made herself turn back to Aya and Suzume with a slightly self-conscious grin, and resumed their discussion about what she could do. At length she nodded to Aya's suggestion.

“I think that would help a lot. If I had more control over the stability effects, that would really help. So far, it's all just instinct, and in the early days I couldn't even tell them apart. I'd suppress the stabilising pulses, thinking they were just going to make it worse, and that just made me burn out faster. At least now I can tell what's balancing and what isn't... But I'm not any close to being able to control it, or do it more often yet... I think it's something I could work on though! Though, um...” The blush crept back and she found herself looking down rather than at either of them. “I, um... this is silly, but, I think of it as expending, or expends... can we say that? Saying 'expel' makes it sound like something gross...” For a moment, she rubbed at her neck, trying to shrug off the embarrassment, before clearing her throat softly and pushing on with a nod.

“Right. I can do that. I'll need some space to being with... if I'm touching the rod, the stabilising pulses just get drawn away, like everything else, and it's almost like it's pulling the charge out of me, almost. I had a hard time resisting giving it a full expend before, once the connection was made... So, I'll try to put the main expends towards it, but I'll need space to pull away, for the pulses, okay?” She cast her gaze to the others, giving a mildly nervous glance towards where Drago was watching on as well as a brighter grin for Nightshade.

Once she was sure the others were far enough away that her pulses wouldn't reach them, Lyntael took a longer breath and focused her attention on the lighting rod. This wasn't scary; she repeated it to herself. Build and release until she was just before if began to hurt, then balance out. Don't let it go too high after that, try not to let it decay either. Concentrate. She took a step forward, then let her feet move in the way that felt right, sliding into a neat, high line combat stance without thinking about it. As her charge reached full she shifted and struck, bringing one foot up and around with precision to meet the end of the rod, as the charge cycled in, combined and rushed out again in a discharge that glowed bright around the point of contact.

For an extra moment, Lyntael felt her ankle tugged at, held to the rod by the continuing discharge when the flow didn't break right away and she had to pull hard to regain her stance and force her striker free. A moment late,r the softer pulse answered as her charge started to rebuild, sending a fresh scattering of sparks off her skin and hair. It was okay; just keep going, nothing big, until it was uncomfortable, but not painful. She moved again, striking out twice more in quick succession once with each hand this time in a pair of rapid jabs; again, her strikers made the connection to the grounding rod and held fast as the charge drained itself and two more bright flares of energy filled the space immediately around Lyntael. Her strikers didn't come free as she tried to draw back, and even as her charge cycled up again, the connection remained, pouring the current into the drawing rod. Lyntael grunted, and grit her teeth; another stabilising pulse came but it was drawn away into the rod as well before it could help.

“I can't do it this way...” she began, trying to break the circuit again. “It's... ah!” The glow of light being charged through her strikers hadn't diminished and at the core of it, the lightning rod had rapidly grown orange, then white. It started to warp and deform, until it bent and came away from the base in a melted mass. Lyntael felt the circuit break and pulled back with a bitten-off shout, yanking her hands away and dropping the destroyed end of the rod before the molten metal could get on her. She stepped back, staring at the remains with a wince before they began to break down into data.

“Sorry! Um... Just... Just give me...” Her body pulsed again and she tried to shake her hands out, her breath heavy and her heart beating fast as she resisted the growing charge that was becoming more insistent and more searing with each cycle. She looked across to where DragonierMan was watching near the side of the room.

“Hahh... this is for training, right? Can... Can you just give us some targets, maybe? Something I can spend on, and it won't actively try to ground or conduct? Just dummies or targets or something?” With a self-conscious grin, broken by her slight panting, Lyntael waited a moment before the open space in the middle of their training field was populated with a variety of standing targets and marked wooden poles. She gave a grateful grin towards her friend for picking options that were comfortably inanimate.

“Take three...” As she focused this time, looking around the different objects she could use and all of her friends far enough back to feel safe, she felt more comfortable. When she lifted her head and took a breath this time, it was accompanies by a gust of wind rising and swirling about the area, tousling the short grass and making her clothes flutter. Her already wild hair began to snap as a light pattern like the caustic refraction scatter of light in water began to dance across the surface of her skin. As before, the more trained eyes of Drago and the twins would see a certain element of refinement in the stance she adopted; a light-footed stance, on the balls of her feet, with a high balance, but her line was clean, her guard precise. She began to move.

A small amount of lingering charge was already with her, but she pushed it to build now, moving towards the point where it would rise without her. The target right in front of her received the first expend in the form of a low sweeping kick as she ducked in close; a now familiar flare of bright electrical light burst as her striker reached her target. The drain left a brief sense of emptiness inside her chest as the current rushed out, then rapidly started to rebuild again. Keep going; it was still calm enough.

As she corrected, spinning around the first target and striking it in the back with a succession of two more quick blows that seemed to follow on naturally while her charge rebuilt. These ones didn't contain any clear charge, but still had enough force to make the dummy shudder. She stepped through, turning with a light step that carried her back a few more feet, curling winds wrapping about her as she manoeuvred. She felt the first pulse and welcomed it, sparks cascading off her form and stinging the closest targets as she skipped back once more, then kicked off the ground into a small leap that took her arcing over the top of the dummy she'd almost stepped back into. Instead of colliding, her body twisted in the air, passing it and as she came down on the other side her right foot whipped around in a flash, connected with what passed for the dummy's head; this explosion of light and sparks was enough to knock the new target down entirely.

As she landed, Lyntael scanned the objects surrounding now and put out one hand, palm flat; her barrier answered, expanding with a static reverb before stabilising itself as it passed each of her strikers and fading from sight. Her charge rose on its own, though without her drawing to it it was still sluggish; she could push further than this before stopping. Get to the uncomfortable point, but not out of control. It was okay. Maybe if she'd been able to fight in the first place, Rogan wouldn't have needed to go to that stupid compound...

She rounded on the next nearest target as she stood from the landing, a back-handed sweep with her leading hand that was only a light blow, in feint of the driving punch that followed, blasting a hold in the middle of the wooden dummy amidst a burst of lightning and wind. Her body pulsed with sparks but she reached past it, drawing harder on her charge, encouraging it. If Rogan hadn't had to go to that stupid place, then none of it would have happened at all. He wouldn't have made any stupid mistakes, wouldn't have had to kill anyone...

Her charge rushed up to meet the distracted train of thought as it bubbled inside her and Lyntael grit her teeth as it filled her to bursting again. With a small growl in her throat she lunged in close to one of the larger shapes, and pressed her hand up against it; the charge flowed without thought, coalescing in her chest and racing down to her hand in a burst that made the dummy quake and crack; a gale of wind lifted it up into the air, even as two further streams of lightning thundered out from the far side of it, piercing through to blast into two other distant targets. She hadn't even done anything wrong! She'd done it all right, for once. It wasn't even her fault, so why had it all gone wrong?

Lyntael jumped, springing lightly into the air and passing the thrown dummy as it reached the top of its arc. Her charge raced back and she turned over, her body making a graceful twist that finished with her left heel slamming back down on the object and obliterating it into wood chips before it could fall to ground. The charge burst through it and split, arcing down to smite two more targets below, just as Lyntael landed in between them, one hand on the grass in a crouch, winds of a circling updraught calming slowly around her. Despite the acrobatics, her skirt had managed to defy all gravity and physics to maintain her modesty, ever valiant in its base code, and far better at it than any of the girl's own personal designs.

Each expend had been a searing sensation, wild and ragged, and already as she stood it was there again, filling the void and aching inside her, straining for the relief of just one more release. Lyntael stood, panting hard, and wavered. Too much. Maybe too much. She could feel it, the anger that wanted expression in wild blasts, and the way her body felt tense and strained just holding it back. She stopped in the middle of the area, head down, and wrapped her arms about herself, hugging tight and trying to concentrate. No more; this was the limit. Hold it. Don't let it go too far.

Her form pulsed again, one more cascade of smaller, softer electricity that danced as it scattered away. Her eyes stung, but she blinked it back and tried to breath.

“Aya! This is... this...” She gasped, struggling against the aching sensation. It wasn't truly painful, but it wasn't good either. The charge continued trying to swell within her, but she held on, not giving it any release; her body convulsed instead and she grit her teeth but pushed through it. “Like this... I can't stop it building up now... If... If I spend any more, It'll be... ah... if I spend more, I won't be able to stop from spending more... ahh...” The pulse came, and she drew a breath, in between the swell making her hunch and fight off the need to let the charge burst. She could hold it here, probably... maybe... Again, her body pulsed off the excess electricity while her inner charge strained. She looked up, trying to focus on breathing and holding back the instinct to release.

“Okay... Okay... Aya, this is... I think this is... ah... stable, maybe. I can hold this... doesn't hurt, but... if I lose focus I'll probably lost it entirely...” As she found the eyes of the others, they'd each see the beginnings of a sparking glow just starting to cover over the green of her eyes with yellow static, but it wasn't obscuring them yet. “I can... I can feel when the pulse comes. It's regular, like... like a slow heart beat, underneath... ah... underneath the harsher one of my charge...” Light, her actual heart was beating like she'd run a marathon already, wild and rapid as she panted for air. “I... I don't know how to make it come quicker... but if I hold like this, I think I could...” Wincing, she focused and extended a hand, pulling out a fresh barrier that drew some of the vigour from her charge as it did. As it passed her strikers, she felt her wrists and ankles throb uncomfortably and a further swell fed back through her body. Too much charge already here without release. It had still helped, a little bit though. More than it had hurt.

“I... I could calm down from here... I could. But no further.” She closed her eyes again ,trying to focus on the stabilising pulses; each one was a slow tension and then relief sensation that she could feel coming just before it arrived, but how to stabilise her charge more often... or perhaps she could strengthen the pulse itself, to balance her out more per pulse? Would that work, or would it just lessen the effect? She wished she knew. The urge to release properly wasn't going to go away as long as she held on like this; even as she tried to stand straight and forced her body to relax, her hair was still wild with crackling static, and her skin still dances with light. There was more she could do; brighter, fiercer, more forceful and violent; her body wanted to and she resisted it.

“I'm... I'm okay, I think. What do you want me to do now?” She didn't have to raise her voice too much, so she stayed where she was, a safe distance from her friends for now as she called out. Maybe Aya or Suzume would reach a conclusion and she could stop this again. Just work out something she could practice on her own, maybe, and then she could do it later, and not bother all of her new friends with her personal issues. She tried to relax her body properly, despite the way it felt; panting and flushed, smooth features giving way to uncomfortable expressions every few moments. From an outside perspective, it looked – and sounded – almost like someone edging, though only a certain type of mind would see it that way; for her part, the thought never occurred to Lyntael.

The moment hung, briefly, as he caught site of the brilliant eyes within the swarm, seeming to draw their lustre and luminescence from the rest of the flickering light motes around them, but when they blinked closed Jazz was moving again, breaking down the central hall towards the exit point. Behind hi, a sound followed him, like pulling a static sheet off a carpet, but magnified a hundred fold in a chorus of micro snaps and clicks. Jazz ran, and behind him, the swarm of light motes flowed out into the lobby, amassing up one wall and curving back around to circle on itself for a moment. Something that looked almost like a head lifted up and craned around to the screens behind the desk, and the eyes blinked again before they both crackled and changed – one began to grow grow thick vines that looked like they were made of sponge and belched fire across the ceiling, while the other turned blue and starting ringing like a distressed telephone from ages past. The entity seemed briefly amused, but soon lost interest, and turned her gaze back towards Jazz's retreating tail.

Further up ahead, Jazz had to follow his instincts, tracing the symbols and turning once where the main thoroughfare forked. The side rooms contained what looked like labs that were more for theoretics than actual tests; terminals and models on the work spaces, with large digital boards containing complex reasoning or formulae in styles he didn't recognise. He started to move past them, following the line on the floor that he was reasonably sure was leading toward the emergency gathering point, but behind him a crackling sound gave him a glimpse of a long, snaking entity composed entirely of individual light motes and electrical crackles seething and pulsing through the hallways behind him. Sometimes it diverted into a side room, then emerged for another one a little further on, perhaps on the ceiling, or climbing across the wall, but it definitely seemed to be pursuing him through the pulsing red light, warning sirens and wild, erratic sounds of viruses tearing the facility apart.

Ahead, a rumbling and a crackling of lighting panels heralded a section of the walls bursting inward on both sides as a trio of heated electrical plasma beams sliced across the hallway. As more of the wall gave in, it revealed two testing labs on either side, in a shambles, with a trio of floating eyeballs floating amidst the ruins – two on the left and one on the right. They turned their gazes towards the on-rushing hare, but Jazz didn't have time to slow down.

-=In The Way-=
DemonEyeDemonEye (KillerEye)

KillerEyes do not move or dodge during battle, though they can move under their own power between battles. They can, however, turn in place. KillerEyes are a passive threat, not an active one. They direct their sensor eye in the general direction of a sensed threat, and emit a laser trip beam for the enemy to run across. If the enemy does run into the beam, they fire their Sensor Beam attack at the speed of light, which is practically guaranteed to hit, before recharging for an action.

Area: NAXA, NetVegas

HP: 180
Attack Damage/Effect: Trap(Movement In Laser Beam's Path) + Seeking: (75 Elec + Stun 1 + Beam Attack + Recovery Time 1)
Attack Accuracy: S
Attack Description: The KillerEye emits a visible Sensor Laser beam from its eye. The Sensor Laser ignores all forms of stealth, but cannot see through or be triggered by stationary objects. Any object or creature that actively moves through the Sensor Laser breaks it, where there is a fraction of a second time delay before the KillerEye responds with a plasma beam that zaps everything along the path the Sensor Laser occupied previously. The KillerEye must recharge for an action after firing its plasma beam before creating another Sensor Laser.
Element: Elec
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Sensor2, Zenny
Special: Immobile. Can use Barrier on itself once.
Special: KillerEyes cannot beam sweep with either the Sensor Laser or the plasma beam attack. Every time it is moved, whether by its own rotating to direct its beam, by outside force, or by any other means, the beam it emits deactivates until it is stationary again. A: 180Hp [Metal][Left lab]
DemonEyeDemonEye (KillerEye)

KillerEyes do not move or dodge during battle, though they can move under their own power between battles. They can, however, turn in place. KillerEyes are a passive threat, not an active one. They direct their sensor eye in the general direction of a sensed threat, and emit a laser trip beam for the enemy to run across. If the enemy does run into the beam, they fire their Sensor Beam attack at the speed of light, which is practically guaranteed to hit, before recharging for an action.

Area: NAXA, NetVegas

HP: 180
Attack Damage/Effect: Trap(Movement In Laser Beam's Path) + Seeking: (75 Elec + Stun 1 + Beam Attack + Recovery Time 1)
Attack Accuracy: S
Attack Description: The KillerEye emits a visible Sensor Laser beam from its eye. The Sensor Laser ignores all forms of stealth, but cannot see through or be triggered by stationary objects. Any object or creature that actively moves through the Sensor Laser breaks it, where there is a fraction of a second time delay before the KillerEye responds with a plasma beam that zaps everything along the path the Sensor Laser occupied previously. The KillerEye must recharge for an action after firing its plasma beam before creating another Sensor Laser.
Element: Elec
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Sensor2, Zenny
Special: Immobile. Can use Barrier on itself once.
Special: KillerEyes cannot beam sweep with either the Sensor Laser or the plasma beam attack. Every time it is moved, whether by its own rotating to direct its beam, by outside force, or by any other means, the beam it emits deactivates until it is stationary again. B: 180Hp [Metal][Right Lab]
DemonEyeDemonEye (KillerEye)

KillerEyes do not move or dodge during battle, though they can move under their own power between battles. They can, however, turn in place. KillerEyes are a passive threat, not an active one. They direct their sensor eye in the general direction of a sensed threat, and emit a laser trip beam for the enemy to run across. If the enemy does run into the beam, they fire their Sensor Beam attack at the speed of light, which is practically guaranteed to hit, before recharging for an action.

Area: NAXA, NetVegas

HP: 180
Attack Damage/Effect: Trap(Movement In Laser Beam's Path) + Seeking: (75 Elec + Stun 1 + Beam Attack + Recovery Time 1)
Attack Accuracy: S
Attack Description: The KillerEye emits a visible Sensor Laser beam from its eye. The Sensor Laser ignores all forms of stealth, but cannot see through or be triggered by stationary objects. Any object or creature that actively moves through the Sensor Laser breaks it, where there is a fraction of a second time delay before the KillerEye responds with a plasma beam that zaps everything along the path the Sensor Laser occupied previously. The KillerEye must recharge for an action after firing its plasma beam before creating another Sensor Laser.
Element: Elec
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Sensor2, Zenny
Special: Immobile. Can use Barrier on itself once.
Special: KillerEyes cannot beam sweep with either the Sensor Laser or the plasma beam attack. Every time it is moved, whether by its own rotating to direct its beam, by outside force, or by any other means, the beam it emits deactivates until it is stationary again. C: 180Hp [Metal][Left Lab]

-=Getting Out of Here=-
Jazz.Exe: 200Hp [Metal] [Middle of the main corridor]

-=Compromised Containment=-
100% Metal

• Cannot be Broken or Cracked except with Geddon/PanelShot, cannot be Burrowed into.
• Elec attacks: +100% Source Damage.
• 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Cracked.
• 100 Damage Fire attacks: Change terrain hit to Furnace.
• PanelShot: Imbue Elec + Break.

(A long main corridor, with occasional turns. Doorways open at regular intervals into other rooms of different sorts; most are labs or bunk rooms)

Terrain Quick-Slip: Things mare moving quickly; terrain changes to the area will not last, as the battlefield moves past them.

-=Battle Mode=-
Chase:
- Jazz is Fleeing. Stay ahead of your pursuer for three rounds to get away.
- Dedicating actions to movement is not required, unless you're doing something that would warrant it on a stationary map; you're presumed to be moving forward to the best of your abilities as you fight.
- Each round, the present viruses will have the opportunity to attack as you pass them by, and Jazz will be able to attack them if he wishes.
- These viruses will be left behind at the end of the round, and three new viruses will join the battle instead as you move forward.
- The chase ends early if Jazz is prevented from moving forward or is caught by the pursuer.
- All deleted viruses will give full rewards at battles' end.

-=Battle 5, Start!=-

As the dragon fell, Courser glided back and turned about, shaking out both hands and letting the shadows fall away from him again. With a small grin he hooked the crown with one foot and kicked it up to catch and turn over in his hands once, before sending it away with the rest of the battle's spoils. Further off, his decoy was looking out towards the sea.

“You about done there? Come on, time's wasting!” It called back to him as Courser himself gave a last pass over the field and moved to follow. Instinct told him she'd come this way, but where to from here. He approached the ice-shelf, looking for some sign of his target, or her passage. She'd been coming this way at least, and she'd been talking about a cybeast, so if that was blocking her main route for descending, that was the way to look. A second figure split away from him as multiple sets of eyes began searching quickly for signs of the doctor's passage.

“Courser, this new chip looks pretty decent, want me to put it in? It's lightning damage, pretty high numbers, says it comes from the sky rather than you though.” He could her Jenny's voice in its number-crunching tone as she worked out details, and he nodded to himself before answering.

“Sure. Replace the other drop-style one – the golem hit. I'm not happy about how unwieldy it is anyway. I've got enough tools to work around losing the break options for now. How are the funds looking?” He moved to the edge of the ice and scanned, but at least it didn't look like she'd taken any kind of landing craft, or gone straight out to sea, so that was probably positive. Hear heard Jenny make an uncertain noise behind her lips.

“Just shy of the next figure you set out for me before. Only by a hair, but I don't think Suitachi does credit or favours. Oh, well... I mean, I could go now, and just skip the last process update until next time, if you think I should?” He thought about it as he searched, eyes darting over the different parts of scenery as his clones checked along with him. There.

“Hey boss, got something! Looks recent. Hard to tell what, but it's fresh!” From further down the coastal shelf, the shout reached his ears even as he examined the imprints through the decoy's eyes and nodded to himself. There wasn't any time to waste, and he wasn't going to get a second shop run in before catching up, at this rate.

“Go for it, Jan Quickly. I'll get the registrations done while you're away, just be ready to lock it all as soon as we reconnect. Go.” He heard a short affirmative and the scrape of furniture, then felt Jenny's signal go dull again. No time to waste and no sense waiting around. He kicked off and began heading along the coast, towards where the craggy glaciers grew ever rougher and more stark against the ice and the water.

((Giving chase, 1st post without operation))