In between weaving the tracking laser shots from the twisted entity, its surprise head slam stole her breath as the force drove her back into the mud, arms braced to hold it off long enough to deflect the rest of its thrust. It gave her a clearer chance to strike at the core, but the buffeting blast that pushed her back again scraped against her wind sense like screeching wires. Not good.

She could feel her own charge burning in her skin as the hands reconnected themselves and she steadied her own stance. The electricity filled her, straining beneath her skin before she could even think of slowing it down and she grit her teeth as the warm tingle began to pickle into a stinging burn all through her muscles.

“Lyntael, breath.” Rogan's voice just behind her made the girl blink for a moment, and she resisted the urge to turn her head to the sound. “You know you need to stay calm and in control, Lyntael. It starts with your breath. Always. Breath deeply, slowly, let your body use the air you give it.”

She nodded, watching the creature before as she took a longer breath and pushed the burning in he limbs away. If anyone knew about staying calm in a fight, it was Rogan, she knew that. It felt... strange, but comforting, to hear him now.

There was no time to stand still; she had to keep moving as long as those bolts of energy were still pursuing her but as she kicked off the mud again and darted around the creature, she did her best to focus. Stabilise, and keep in balance; don't let it go too far at once. This was the lesson she needed to learn. Her eyes glanced down at the converted blade of energy in her hand. It would do to keep the arms at bay while she balanced herself out, at least.

A fresh gust of wind encircled her body as she dashed inward again towards the centre of the creature. As she drew close to the arms, she leapt upwards towards the glowing core, sparks flaring in crackling waves from her body. At the last moment, she spiralled her body in the air, the wind twisting with her, and made a pair of swift cuts with her borrowed blade in an upward arcing cross cut. Each strike was aimed at the core, but made with preemptive precision to strike the hands she was sure would come in to protect it as well – first the left, then the right.

She twisted over in the air, curling her body to complete the turn and land on her feet in the mud directly below the creature's core. A sheen of crackling energy lines coursed the outside of her suit as she let some of her overflowing charge filter out to her barrier, but resisted the need to release properly.

Instead she let out the breath she'd drawn a moment ago and drew another in a stolen moment of stillness, then reached up with her now empty hand. There might not be anything there, but the point was to try.

“If there is more than rage and death there...” Her voice came as a soft whisper as her fingertips touched the sphere, the crackles of its own energy spiking at her hand. “If there's any part of you that wants calm, and peace... I see you, and I am here.” She held her position, one hand stretched up to it and closed her eyes to listen as she braced the rest of her body for the counter-attack she knew was probably coming.

Summary

L*) Turbulence (Auto-deflect on shot or lobbed attack)
L*) Gust (Knockback effects are Double Strength, and attacks with them gain Wind type)
L1) Precluded Action: Buster Charge
L2) A Manifest Spirit, and eyes that dance: (10Elec Nova2, Take Aim, Dodge, Movement) (Off-Target (1 Rank, 1 Round)), 3CD, (Overcharge -1)
L3) LongSword: (100 Slash, 2 targets, B), Diagonal cut, targeting Left Hand and Core
L4) LongSword: (100 Slash, 2 targets, B), Diagonal cut, targeting Right Hand and Core
L*) Fast Armour: 20Hp Casing Refresh
L5) My Heart May Break, but I live on yet: (40Hp Barrier, SupportBase(20), Time Delay (Per Turn, 2 Turns): (40Hp Barrier, SupportBase(20))), (Charge-Burner (1 charge), Charge Time (1 Action)), 5CD, (Overcharge -1 initially, -1 per pulse)
L6) A Scarred Soul, with love to give: (Damage Reduction (10, 1 Round), 40Hp Casing, Stun (1 Action)), (Self-Slow (1 Rank, 1 Round)), 3CD, (Overcharge -2)

Cooldowns and Overcharge

A Burning Ache, for laughter recalled (2TCD)
My Fear Swells, but I hold tight (1TCD)
My Faith Can Heal, with time for laughter (1TCD)
My Heart Falters, yet beats anew (2TCD)
My Thoughts Collected, no more to hide (2TCD)
My Fear Rejected, with hopeful stride (2TCD)
My Torment Rebels, I will not break (2TCD)
A Manifest Spirit, and eyes that dance (3TCD)
My Heart May Break, but I live on yet (5TCD)
A Scarred Soul, with love to give (3TCD)

Overcharge: Begin: +11, A Manifest Spirit (-1), My Heart May Break (-1), A Scarred Soul (-2), End: +7

Lyntael braced, gritting her teeth as one of the lashing limbs managed to catch her before she could duck away. As much as her barrier robbed the attack of most of its power, the impact of it against her raised arms still drove her back a few feet through the mud before she managed to keep moving. Not something she wanted to take another hit form, that was for sure. Her eyes scanned the field as she continued to weave around her target, light steps splashing across the surface of the muddy sludge to keep ahead of its mercifully slow turning circle.

She reached out, one hand grasping the exposed hilt of the standing blade as she passed it by. The weapon came with her as her steps carried her past it, and she could feel the foreign code that constructed it in her hand. Some of the weapons here looked older, like they'd been discarded here for a while, but several of them definitely looked far more recent. She hoped again that the shouts he'd heard before were navis that had gotten out safely, or at least managed to hide themselves for the moment.

Her charge crackled beneath her skin, eager to release, but Lyntael kept her focus and drew the energy through her body with a firm control that kept it from lashing out. As she concentrated, the beat of her heart became the pulse of her charge and a shell of dense energy expanded from within her into the familiar protective field of her barrier. It stabilised at the edge of her strikers, balancing the power in her body evenly before fading from sight. A few sparks remained crackling in her right hand as she held the blade and Lyntael turned a distracted thought towards reconfiguring the data it was made from to something she could use more easily. It only took a second for the blade to convert itself to a long, thin edge of pure energy that extended beneath her now open palm to end at a stabilising ring of light that circled her right wrist striker. Much better. Her hand trailed back behind her, held low and to the side, ready to strike when the moment presented itself.

Circling winds kicked up the mud and sent small splatters of it in every direction as she repositioned; in a brief moment, Lyntael was glad of the strange new outfit she'd been given, and the protection it was affording her from another mess. As her small form coasted in a tight circle around the creature, she bent low as her eyes picked out a rock raised up in the mud high enough for her to get a proper grip on. She grabbed on with her left hand and twisted the rest of her body to let the momentum whip her around the sudden anchor point. She pulled the wind currents with her into a supporting rush that helped pivot her circle inward and swing her straight towards her target at a sharp angle. Lighting crackled across her skin as she led with first one low sweeping kick, then another. Her charge rushed, drawing in towards her chest to unify then down towards each of her strikers in turn, but Lyntael grit her teeth, fighting to keep the expend of energy stable and controlled. As her body speared towards the monster, each kick was aimed towards the glowing core of the entity, but as electricity flared from each strike, arcs of branching lightning split away from each kick to lance towards each of the protecting arms as well.

The feeling of drain didn't last long as Lyntael landed in the mud again, feet sliding as her momentum carried her beneath the floating forms of the entity and past it to the other side. She could feel her charge cycling up and refilling her body faster and more furious than before and part of it seemed to send a rippling sheen across her new body suit, reinforcing it. As she drew a fresh breath, Lyntael let the end of her movement compact down into a tight crouch before pushing hard off her bent knee and springing back up in a leap that spiralled her body in the same direction her momentum was already spinning her. As she rose and turned towards the creature, her right hand whipped across her body, arm extended with the glowing edge of the reclaimed blade scything through the air with her main focus on removing the arms it kept shielding its core with. She had no idea how long the blade would hold out, but for now it was a tool she could use without over-exerting her own charge.

The leaping twist took the last of her momentum and as she landed beneath the creature's core half-turned from it her legs bent again, gathering into a driving jump that led with her left fist this time. Power flowed, harsher than before as the freshly generated charge flooded her, drew in then burst upwards through her leading striker into a flaring lightning bolt that bore up into the darkening clouds above, and hopefully might blast the core of the creature back away from her a little to let her reassess its reaction as she landed in the mud again.

Her balance faltered in he mud for an extra moment before she could steady herself. The feeling of drain after the third release in a row dragged at her and sent a momentary numbness through her limbs, followed by a tingling prickle as she recovered. Her charge cycled up again, rebuilding in response to the series of rapid expenditures but she took a breath, held it, and tried to focus the sensation as she let it out again. Still a lot to do; she had to pace herself.

Summary

L*) Turbulence (Auto-deflect on shot or lobbed attack)
L*) Gust (Knockback effects are Double Strength, and attacks with them gain Wind type)
L1) Movement (Continue circling the creature to hopefully slow down is ability to track with her, grab the upright blade as she circles past it.)
L2) My Heart Falters, yet beats anew: (Buster Charge, 80Hp Elec Barrier) (Off-Target (1 Rank, 1 Round)), 3CD (Overcharge -3)
L3) My Thoughts Collected, no more to hide: (Take Aim, ShotBase(50)Elec, Acc: A, Spread2, Impact, Knockback (Wind Type)) (Self-Slow (1 Rank, 1 Round)), 3CD (Overcharge +4) (Towards Core, Spread V-forward to both arms)
L4) My Fear Rejected, with hopeful stride: (Take Aim, ShotBase(50)Elec, Acc: A, Spread2, Break, Knockback (Wind Type)) (Self-Slow (1 Rank, 1 Round)), 3CD (Overcharge +4) (Towards Core, Spread V-forward to both arms)
L*) Fast Armour: 20Hp Casing Refresh
L5) Reclaimed LongSword: (Details unknown; aimed horizontally at the two arms if they are still active, or just the core if they're down (I figure she's committing to a horizontal slash, so head isn't really an option)
L6) My torment Rebels, I will not break: (ShotBase(50)Elec, Acc A, Break, Impact, Slashing, Knockback) (Charge-Burner), 3CD (Overcharge +3)

Cooldowns and Overcharge

A Burning Ache, for laughter recalled (3TCD)
My Fear Swells, but I hold tight (2TCD)
My Faith Can Heal, with time for laughter (2TCD)
My Heart Falters, yet beats anew (3TCD)
My Thoughts Collected, no more to hide (3TCD)
My Fear Rejected, with hopeful stride (3TCD)
My Torment Rebels, I will not break (3TCD)

Overcharge: Begin: +0, My Heart Falters (-3), My Thoughts Collected (+4), My Fear Rejected (+4), My Torment Rebels (+3), End: +11

At the sound of shouts – navigator shouts – Lyntael's attention snapped forward and her breath caught. Without thinking, she darted forward, one foot kicking off a solid rock and launching her swiftly on over the mud as a curling tailwind lengthened her stride and raced her towards the sounds.

As the scene came into view between the landscape, her eyes locked first to the floating skull shape, and then briefly all around; fallen weapons, churned ground, but no sign of any other navis. The creature began to take note of her, more pieces of its form rising from the mud, and Lyntael skidded to a brief halt a short way from it. Her heart beat had spiked up sharply in her chest and her charge hummed in adrenalin-spurred instinct as she grit her teeth, trying to assess.

“Lyntael, it's reading here as another one of those... abominations that Eurayle was contending with.” Rogan's voice sounded cold and unamused. “I wonder if this is truly the source of the viral issues, or if she took the opportunity to point us at another of her problems instead...”

“Doesn't matter.” Lyntael drew herself up and ready, pulling in the tailwind that had come with her to form a protective shell as her inner charge began to suffuse her skin and send glowing light caustics across her body. As the charge flooded her skin, the same pulse expanded outward into a familiar shell of energy that stabilised as it passed her strikers then faded from sight. If it was another one, like the one she'd had to fight before, it was probably in pain as well, and confronting it was the right thing to do, no matter how she'd ended up here. Louder than her soft response to Rogan, she called out.

“I'm here to help, if anyone can hear me!” She doubted the creature itself would respond, but she definitely heard the shouts of other navis before. Hopefully they they made it out alright, if they weren't here any more. Lyntael tried to keep her steps light as she circled cautiously, making small darting steps and jumps as she traversed the mud and remained wary of what the creature was going to do.

“If there's any part of you in there that can be calm; any part of you that doesn't want to fight, please... we can find someone to help you.” she kept her guard up as she called to it, and her body was primed to retaliate if it managed to strike her, but she held off on attacking in full, at least for the moment.

“Lyntael, you know that won't have any effect on a program like this.” Rogan wasn't scolding her, or really chastising her with his words; she knew he felt compelled to speak them, just as much as he knew she would do as she had to regardless. He sounded serious and patient, and Lyntael nodded in turn.

“I know... I know, but I have to try; I could be wrong. It matters.” She murmured her response and listened to the soft sigh that followed.
“I know it does, Lyntael. Just be careful... this looks very dangerous.”

With his warning given, Rogan relented into silence as Lyntael moved around the creature, doing her best to avoid and evade any hostilities while she sought to learn what kind of threat it posed. The central core looked like a more obvious target, but she doubted whoever had performed the horrible experiments to create creatures like this would have left it exposed and undefended. Her eyes darted to the scattered weapons lying about the muddy area. They seemed like disarmed or disconnected chip data, maybe something the other navis had been trying to use. If blocking or breaking chips was a part of the creature's method, at least she'd be safe from that...



Summary

L*) Turbulence (Auto-deflect on shot or lobbed attack)
L*) Gust (Knockback effects are Double Strength, and attacks with them gain Wind type)
L*) First Armour: (20Hp Casing)
L1) A Burning Ache, for laughter recalled (Buster Charge, 40Hp Barrier, SupportBase(20), Counter(On Hit): (20Elec Nova2, Knockback)), 15Hp Sacrifice, Off-Target (1 Rank, 1 Round), 4CD (Overcharge -1)
L2) My Fear Swells, but I hold tight (Dodge, 20Elec Nova2, Knockback), Charge-Burner, 3CD (Overcharge +1)
L3) My Faith Can Heal, with time for laughter (Buster Charge, Feint, Movement, 10Elec Nova2, Knockback), Self-Slow (1 Rank, 1 round), 3CD (Overcharge -2)
L*) Fast Armour: 20Hp Casing Refresh
L4) Dodge (with the movement above, circling the creature, trying to get a good look at all of it, and the surrounding battlefield)
L5) Dodge (Assess the battlefield weapons; do they look like they've been here long; are some more recently discarded than others?)
L6) Dodge (Assess the creature; try to learn what she can about how it moves, and what dangers it poses)

Cooldowns and Overcharge

A Burning Ache, for laughter recalled
My Fear Swells, but I hold tight
My Faith Can Heal, with time for laughter

Overcharge: Begin: +0, A Burning Ache (-1), My Fear Swells (+1), My Faith Can Heal (-2), End: +0

As she caught her breath, Lyntael wobbled slightly, steadying her footing on the unstable ground and panting hard. The rushing swell of her charge replenishing itself made her wince and grit her teeth but she held it back and began forcing herself to cool down again, gradual small pulses of sparks crackling and rolling from her skin as the bursting need to expend again gradually calmed. Around her, the remaining other viruses had indeed decided to leave her alone, with the defeat of the violent bird of prey and Lyntael swallowed, watching its metallic parts breaking down rapidly. She probably could have run, instead of destroying it... probably, though it had been fast... but who else would it have preyed on if she hadn't stood her ground? It didn't feel good, but... maybe that was how it should be. She didn't want it to feel good.

“You know, Lyntael...” A dry and wryly amused Rogan spoke up, his voice emanating from just behind her as it usually did. “I suspect you'd have a very hard time convincing anyone that you 'weren't made for fighting' these days.” She heard him give a soft laugh at the comment, but there was a weight behind it that he was hiding as well, and she nodded slowly. With one hand she reached out, gathering the fragmented data and letting it coalesce into faint green strings that curled around her wrist and arm before trailing away.

“Maybe... But I wasn't, Rogan. You know that. I wasn't made for this, but I've learned, and I've grown...” She drew a deeper breath, letting the last of her sparks scatter and fade as her heart rate returned to a resting pace. “No matter what else has happened, I've always wanted to be what you... Hm...” She paused, drifting to silence for a moment as her thoughts corrected themselves and her footsteps began to gradually push her forward again, across the mud and muck and towards her destination. “Not... Not to be what you want, Rogan... we've argued enough about that... but to be able to do what you need me to do. There's a difference there that I think I didn't quite understand, in the early days.” She glanced out towards the sea, then forward again as she heard Rogan sigh.

“If I may confess, Lyntael... I suspect that what I thought I wanted of you, and what you wanted to be, were very distinctly different things.” He was quiet for another moment, but Lyntael let the silence hold until he continued. “They might still be, now, if I'm honest...” She heard him draw a breath, hesitating across the connection. “Lyntael, I...” He breathed out again with a short sigh. “Later. You should be almost there...”

As she pushed forward, looking around for further signs of whatever it was that Eurayle had pointed them towards, Lyntael didn't press Rogan to continue. There were plenty of things they probably needed to talk about before it was time for the next mission, and several things besides that she... wasn't really letting herself process with until after she was back home and could unpack it more. Her body was aching by this point, and as much as Rogan had reported that her vitals were stable, according to the PET and its readings of her, she felt exhausted and worn down from the day's training. If they could just take care of whatever the threat was here, that would be enough... she needed tea and a shower, and ideally a bathroom, and was very much ready for this outing to be completed.

((Ready for Battle 15))

As she focused on the map, eyes closed, Seafoam felt almost like she could hear the roll and crash of waves, and the scent of salty brine. The ground seemed to lurch underneath for for a moment, and as her eyes snapped open to catch her balance, the inquisitive navi found herself on what looked like the deck of a small raft, crudely cobbled together with a shallow keel and low guard rails all around. Tall waves dwarfed the tiny raft, lifting and dropping it again while a black storm rumbled and cracked overhead. Huddled in the centre of the raft, a familiar-looking trio of metools hid under their helmets, bopped around like beans in a basket while the storm battered at them. Far off, a rocky cliffside was just visible off the bow of the raft and its single-mast sail was straining in the storm winds as it tugged the tiny craft gradually towards the land.

Shapes moved in between the dark waves, and the raft seemed to be taking on water; one of the trio had begun attempting to bail water, while another fought to keep the sail straight, but they each ended up ducking for cover beneath their helmets again any time the raft lurched badly. It seemed like it might make land, just... or it might not, and that was without dealing with whatever danger lurked in the waters.

For a moment or two, Seafoam was aware of the sense of this being some kind of memory or vision, but then the sense faded and the world around her began to feel and seem real in every way that mattered... though it didn't seem as though the trio of metools cold see her or were aware of her presence in their unfolding story. The question was, what seemed more important for Seafoam to do in this moment?

A quick check failed to reveal any extra features on the badge Prose had given him, unfortunately. It was convincing enough visually, and it would probably get him past and staff or security doors that needed an ID scan, but there didn't appear to be any higher order functions to the tag... it seemed like Delta might be on his own for now.

His shouts caught the attention of the playing navigators who each looked around in confusion for a moment, before beginning to make a hasty retreat towards the sand while Delta approached the shape below the waters. The reaching tentacles lunged upward but their ambush was spoiled; most of the grabbing tendrils missed their marks and the one that managed to catch at a navi's ankle only held for a moment before she slipped free with a shriek of panic and swiftly rushed to join her friends. Frustrated, however, the dark shaped turned its attention to the noisy navi interrupting its schemes. At least it seemed like Delta had something of a clear space to operate in for the moment.

-=Beach Invaders=-
JellyJelly (Jelly)

Jelly are floating, jellyfish-like viruses, that seem to simply float nonchalantly, yet are deceptively difficult to combat. Fortunately, their rarity ensures they they never appear before a Battle 6, and there are never more than 2 in a single battle. While their horizontal movement is terrible at best, they can easily adjust their altitude as needed. By default, however, they tend to hover a couple of feet above the ground. The exception to this is when they attack. Jelly attack by launching large waves of water at enemies The attack cycle of Jelly is 2 actions long. It requires one action to charge before firing. If they are stunned or otherwise temporarily disabled, they resume their attack cycle where it was halted once the stun wears off. When they attack, they drop to the ground in order to pump out as much liquid as possible. This allows them to harness the power of certain kinds of terrain to boost their attacks, but it also makes them immobile and vulnerable to ground-based attacks for the duration.

Area: Beach

HP: 220
Attack Damage/Effect: 30 Aqua + Ground Attack + Wide Attack + Sea Terrain Boost 20 + 1 action charge
Attack Accuracy: A
Attack Description: It charges itself with innate elemental energy, then launches a hard-to-avoid wall of water at enemies. The attack is stronger if performed over Sea terrain.
Element: Aqua
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Wave1 (Rare), Zenny
Special: OmniShoes
Special: This virus can move forward, backward, or to the side, but it does this so slowly that it cannot evade attacks this way.
Special: This virus can move up and down at high speed in order to avoid attacks while charging. While they can float fairly high, they cannot achieve High Altitude status.
Special: This virus is anchored and cannot move when attacking.??: 220Hp [Sea][Submerged; near the bottom, about a movement deep]
StarfishStarfish (Starfish)

Area: Yoka, Beach

HP: 60
Attack Damage/Effect: 10 Aqua + Bubble Trap + 3 targets
Attack Accuracy: D
Attack Description: Launches three slow moving bubbles that trap the targets in a bubble prison, immobilizing them. These bubbles act as 10 HP objects, and can be shot before they make contact to pop them. Conversely, the virus can block incoming attacks with them.
Element: Aqua
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): BubbleStar1, Zenny
Special: Bubble Trap: Any target hit with this virus' attack will be instantly trapped in a 10 HP Aqua Element Bubble that can only be popped from the outside. Targets trapped within these bubbles will take 100% more damage from Elec element attacks. The Bubbles will expire at the end of the turn, or when hit.
Special: This attack can hit the same target multiple times (up to 3), or attack 3 separate targets.
Special: Targets trapped in Bubbles are easier to move with Wind Effects, Knockback, and Microburst than normal.: 60Hp [Sea][Submerged; on the bottom, about a movement deep]
SlimeySlimey (Slimey)

Slimey viruses were produced to be sources of major traffic lag. While a Slimey virus is on the battlefield, all Navis and SPs suffer from a passive Slow-like effect that imposes a -10% Evasion AND Movement Speed penalty. This effect is not a status ailment, and cannot be cured. This effect does not stack with itself if more than one Slimey is on the field at once. As this does not count as a true Slow effect, up to two instances of Slow may stack on top of this effect for a total penalty of -30% Evasion/Movement Speed. This effect expires when all Slimey viruses on the field are deleted or flee. Slimey viruses are very slow to move and dodge, but every move they make that is not a dodge counts as an attack. Slimeys deal damage by touching an opponent, thus touching a Slimey directly results in damage to any non-Slimey the virus considers hostile.

Area: Sharo, NetVegas, Beach

HP: 90
Attack Damage/Effect: 15 Aqua + Slow
Attack Accuracy: A
Attack Description: Body slams its foes. Any foes hit are slowed the following turn. Must be within melee range to attack a foe.
Element: Aqua
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): MetaGel1, Zenny
Special: While this enemy is on the field, dodge effectiveness is reduced by 1 Rank.: 90Hp [Sea][Submerged; on the bottom, about a movement deep]

-=Beach Inspector=-
Delta.Exe: 200Hp [Sea]

-=Beach Resort=-
70% Sea

• Fire Elementals lose 10 HP/action standing, 20 HP/action submerged. Other Non-Aqua Elementals lose 5 HP/action submerged. Nullified for Aqua Elementals.
• Ice attacks: 50% Freeze1 chance, Changes terrain hit to Ice.
• Terrain changes between Sea and Onsen do not inflict damage upon submerged entities, nor do they eject submerged entities to the surface.
• Elec attacks: +100% Source Damage.
• PanelShot: Imbue Aqua.

Most of the area
10% Normal

• No effects.

Outer perimeter, a floating walkway between the resort waters and the rest of the ocean
20% 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.

The distant shore, about two movements away.

-=Beach Battle, Start!=-

Delta's initial patrol along the main beachfront seemed peaceful and safe, for the most part. Beach-going navis didn't pay him much heed and everything seemed calm for now. The early-morning resort guests were now just beginning to be joined by the more relaxed starters and navis of all types were dotted about sunbathing, playing in the sand, swimming or surfing.

An outer ring encompassed a large body of the sea directly off the beach, with a floating walkway ringing the outside. This seemed like it might effectively e the resort boundary, on the seaward side of things and marked the limit for where swimmers could expect to be safe from the normal perils of beach net. As delta made a trip along the gently bobbing perimeter path, the sea inside the boundary appeared clear of any mysterious anomalies, until he reached a point about two thirds of the way around his sweep.

A dark shape moved slowly, blending in with the sandy sea floor at the very bottom of the water - a large shape that was easy to miss at a glance. Upon closer inspection, Delta could make out that the creature, whatever it was, was hard to spot because it was largely transparent as it edged along the sandy bottom, but once he had seen it, Delta began to pick out what looked like a mass of thinner, longer tendrils and tentacles reaching forward and upwards, every so slowly and carefully, towards a group of navis playing games in the water, splashing each other and seemingly unaware of what approached from below.

While there didn't seem to be any obviously lurking viruses in his immediate vicinity, who knew what lingered in the unseen places of the resort? Prose, for her part just nodded again, seemingly satisfied with Delta's down-to-business demeanour. She pulled a small trinket, seemingly from the chest band of her swim suit, and handed it up to him. It looked like a small pager, except that it was white and circular, with a single red button on the front, a stylised red wing design on the back and a short antenna that ended in a fuzzy red tip.

"Just give that a press if you need to get in touch, no problem and good luck. I think you'll be fine!" As she stepped back again the small bunny-girl gave Delta another grin and a wave then seem to jump backwards as though hopping off the edge of a cliff. There was a terrible screeching static sound like tearing code or the fabric of the nearby net complaining, and then her form was simply gone from sight.

This left Delta with a few choices, on his own and with a mission to do. A sweep of the beach itself didn't seem likely to turn up any viruses that the civilians frequenting the area hadn't already found... though if there was something lurking unseen beneath the sparkling waters, there would be a lot of navis potentially in danger. He could also start by heading towards the more structured areas of the resort; there was the main resort lodge that presumably housed the private rooms and other accommodations for guests, a secondary series of smaller buildings that looked like they were mainly designed as restaurants and cosmetic beautification opportunities...

He could also try clearing out the pool and spa zones where were apart from the main buildings between the formal structures and the beach itself. Finally there was the partitioned off section of the beach at the opposite end of the resort from where he was now, and there was a door between the main buildings that looked like it would probably lead into the more 'behind the scenes' inner workings of the resort - staff rooms, storage areas and the like. Where he decided to start was mostly up to Delta now.

Sure enough, after a few moments of decoding and recompiling, the crystal opened up to present Seafoam with an additional chip for her troubles.

((GMD: FanHP: 100
Properties: Anchored
Object Damage: 100 + Impact
Damage Method: Telekinesis
Status Effect: Fan Effect + To-All-Clause (Enemies)
Accuracy: S
Description: Creates a VacuumFan to pull enemies closer and reduce their evasion.
Duration: 3 turns or until destroyed.
Element: Null
Special: Wind Type: This chip counts as Wind Type for the purposes of Wind triggered effects, such as traps and terrain.
Trader Rank: D))

The sudden swooping dive of the flying metavirus buffeted Lyntael as she twisted aside just in time and tried to steady her footing, a small gasp of surprise bitten off in the moment. Even as she tried to turn her sight to track the massive creature, her body was already responding ahead of her, her instinctive barrier crackling into shape as it spread out from her chest, stabilised as it passed beyond her strikers and faded from sight. Her charge lifted with the sudden spike of adrenalin, tingling beneath her skin as Lyntael herself drew a breath and took quick stock of the development.

Another metavirus; probably one of the largest ones she'd seen in person and clearly out for blood... the strange sensation struck her again as she watched it bank back towards her, just how calm she was in the face of the threat. She had no doubt those talons would rip her in two if they cold latch onto her properly, and the odds of reasoning with the creature seemed remote at best, but still... She let out a slower breath, setting her stance even as her heart rate rose to match her swelling charge. At the peripheral of her vision, she took note of the other viruses that had shown themselves – either disturbed by the larger one, or summoned by it to assist; either way, they weren't her enemies unless they made a point of it... but the large one certainly seemed to be barring her way forward, maybe even guarding it deliberately.

A small scattering of sparks fanned out from her body in between rising pulses of the charge in her chest and she focused on the hawk, tracking its movements and staying light enough on her feet to avoid any errant aggression from the surrounding viruses. She could feel the way the air curled around the flying virus, eddying about its wings as it arced in the sky... it almost felt like she could reach out to those same currents and pull them back from the creature... almost... around her a fresh flurry of cycling winds sprang up to enshroud her form and lift her steps as another pulse of electricity crackled from her skin into the surrounding mud and water.

She didn't strike out at anything actively, keeping her focus on the main virus and weaving in place as she needed to to track with its movements and avoid harm from other sources – any virus that got too close at the wrong time might get a sting, but Lyntael was focused on the more dangerous target alone, waiting for the right moment. She'd given it a chance to back off, but the hawk was making it clear that its first swoop was more than a warning shot, so dealing with it swiftly was the safest course now, to save herself and anyone else who passed by.

Her charge continued to build and she embraced it as another ripple of sparks washed off her form and her strikers began to glow brighter and brighter. Anything that managed to land a strike on her body at this point would receive a more thunderous cascade of electricity for its trouble, but Lyntael turned with the Hawk while the electric current filling her body made every part of her buzz with heat. She narrowed her stance and brought her hands close together on her central line, then let herself drop to one knee with her toes digging hard into the mud until she found the purchase of solid ground to brace against. Her own air currents circled, warding off attempts at ranged assault and she took a long breath then let it out slowly.

When the hawk dived for her again Lyntael held still, watching it, then sprang as it closed in. She leapt up and forward, driving with her braced leg to give the rising strike from her following foot as much speed and force as her small frame could put behind it. The power flooding her body flowed in a rush that gave sudden relief to its burning pressure, drawing in to her chest from every extremity then thundering outward through her ankle striker as her kick reached its peak. The flare of lightning obliterated all sense for a moment as Lyntael followed through. Her body arced over in a graceful turn that followed the momentum of her strike and trailed spiralling wind currents with her until she landed one foot after the other, a few feet back from where she'd leapt.

Her form held for a moment in perfect grace before the drain feeling dragged her to buckle and the empty void of charge gnawed at her. A pulse answered from somewhere deeper within her, and then the charge was surging back again, circling up inside her and filling her lungs with fresh breath as she blinked through the fading light of the blast to see if the aggressive virus had survived her response.

Summary

L*) Turbulence (Auto-deflect on shot or lobbed attack)
L*) Gust (Knock Back effects are Double Strength, and attacks with them gain Wind type)
L*) First Armour: (20Hp Casing)
L1) A Burning Ache, for laughter recalled (Buster Charge, 40Hp Barrier, SupportBase(20), Counter(On Hit): (20Elec Nova2, Knockback), 15Hp Sacrifice, Off-Target (1 Rank, 1 Round)), 4CD (Overcharge -1)
L2) A Manifest Spirit, and eyes that dance (10Elec Nova2, Take Aim, Dodge, Movement, Off-Target (1 Rank, 1 Round)), 3CD (Overcharge -1)
L3) A Single Ember, for a life once stalled (Buster Charge, Status Cure, SupportBase(20), 10Elec Nova2, Knockback, Self-Slow (1 Rank, 1 Round)), 3CD (Overcharge -1)
L*) Fast Armour: 20Hp Casing Refresh
L4) My Fear Swells, but I hold tight (Dodge, 20Elec Nova2, Knockback, Charge-Burner), 3CD (Overcharge +1)
L5) My Faith Can Heal, with time for laughter (Buster Charge, Feint, Movement, 10Elec Nova2, Knockback, Self-Slow (1 Rank, 1 round)), 3CD (Overcharge -2)
L6) Full-Charge Buster Strike (600Elec, Disarm, A (+Take Aim in case of negatives)), (Overcharge +12) @ TinHawk (meeting it if/when it comes for another fly-by)

Cooldowns and Overcharge

Overcharge: Begin: +0, A Burning Ache (-1), A Manifest Spirit (-1), A Single Ember (-1), My Fear Swells (+1), My Faith Can Heal (-2), Full-Charge Strike (+12), End: +12