Kill the Numbers [Dark Data]

[Summer]

“Ebony. Keep Morene standing.” Sonny spoke firmly, standing taller in the face of the beast, eyes affixed to the orange flames sparking to life within its maw. A crackling glow fell across the battlefield, casting new shadows even though it hadn’t yet left the dragon’s mouth. Powerful magic stirred around the spirit, condensing and coalescing with a glow that, no matter how radiant it was, didn’t match the sheer fury of the dragonfire. “Unleash everything you have at it. Don’t let up. And most importantly. Don’t draw it’s ire. Got it?”

“Y-ye-” An earth-shaking roar cut off the young mage before she had done so much as finish her first word. Sonny grimaced as the pure power behind the bellow forced him back a step, and he shifted his weight, twisting so his side faced the beast and extending his ruined arm out towards it. The dragon’s head twisted down, and along with the roar came a tremendous, crackling conflagration. Magmatic heat rushed across the mountaintop, pushed along by the colossal gout of orange-yellow plasma. Pure, white-hot agony suffused the sun spirit as the inferno struck him head-on, fire roaring past his ears. His aura split the stream even as it engulfed him, the fringes of the blaze shoved aside and creating a V-shaped safe zone just behind him.

The fires faded away quickly, leaving behind only the youkai, the scorched earth around him, and the two Liberators, Morene and Ebony, safely behind him. His left hand, once a mangled lump of flesh, was now only a charred lump, screaming with fiery torment. Half of his sleeve was gone, small embers ate at his coat, and he was quite certain that his left eyebrow was gone. But he was still standing. Gunfire and actual fire shot out from his allies, slamming against the beast’s face. It’s golden scales shimmered as it recoiled, and it quickly turned to face those who had dared to attack it. 

“You call that a fire!?” Sonny taunted the dragon, storming forward with an aggressive gait in spite of his normal, relaxed pace. “That’s nothing compared to the heat of the sun!”

For his troubles, the spirit was reward with another deafening roar, one which shook him down to his very core. The beast took two tremor-inducing steps forward, stone shattering beneath its feet, and swiped at the nuisance with one golden paw. Sonny threw himself to the ground, managing to barely avoid getting clobbered by the giant, meaty mitt thanks to his aura. Wind slammed into his side as he hit the ground, a slipstream created by the dragon’s claws as it tore through the air. A dizzying amalgamation of various browns filled the youkai’s vision as he bounced along the ground, rolling over sharp volcanic glass and rock without so much as a scratch. He quickly skidded to a halt and, vision still spinning, rose back to his feet.

“Come on! You can do better than that!” He shouted with all his might, voice hoarse from all the dust and debris in the air. “I’m still standing!” The frenzied Darkloid lurched forward, a deep, rumbling growl escaping from its chest as it eyed the spirit. Before it fully committed to its leap however, a burst of red blood blossomed out of its golden golden neck, pierced by one of Morene’s bullets. With a bellowing cry, it swung its head to look. Sonny gritted his teeth, digging his one good and into his pocket and wresting the whip free.

CRACK

“HEY!” With a snap of the whip and a bellow, he started stomping forward, picking up the pace as the ethereal, motivational music started up. “What kind of pathetic lizard are you that you can’t kill me with one swipe! Come on you copper-plated piece of shit!” Its reptilian eyes shifted back to the taunting spirit. With a spectacular level of disdain, it flicked its tail. The massive, meaty whip raced over the rocks, leaving a huge dust cloud in its wake. Before Sonny could even think about dropping down to avoid it, the golden bludgeon slammed into his ribs. His whole body rattled as all that force diffused through him, and suddenly he was tumbling across the mountain top. Before he knew what was going on, he’d rolled to a stop, treacherously close to the cliffside he might add.

“I’m fine! Keep attacking!” He shouted as he pushed himself up yet again, lungs burning. Shimmering gold filled his vision, and suddenly his right arm was engulfed by an enormous, toothy maw. His entire body was yanked upwards with ungodly force, straining his shoulder and threatening to dislocate it. The dragon flung him up into the air like a ragdoll and opened its mouth, just waiting for the spirit to inevitably fall in. Just like an oversized crocodile. Oh fuck no. Was the only thought echoing through Sonny’s mind. He was not getting eaten today. That was firmly off the table as an option. His eyes flicked over everything he could possibly affix his bullwhip to. He needed something, anything, to grab hold of.

A pinprick of electrical pain erupted in the youkai’s side, which was quickly followed by a  small, whip-like cracking noise, and suddenly he found himself pushed off course, and closer to the dragon’s horns. Sonny silently thanked everyone he could think to thank in that moment, Omni, the Old Gods, divine intervention, and most importantly, the sharpshooter who thought quickly enough to save him. Thinking fast, the sun spirit wound the handle-end of the bullwhip tightly around his right hand, shortening it a fair bit but giving him an unbreakable grip. 

The sourceless music rose to a crescendo, and he lashed the whip out as he plummeted just behind the dragon’s right horn, catching it just as he fell past. The whip wrapped up around the horn, and snapped taut in an instant. Sonny’s arm strained in his socket as all that vertical momentum was diverted, and suddenly he was thrown knee-deep into the beast’s eye like some sort of fleshy missile. The sun spirit cringed as the organ ruptured beneath his boots, subjecting lower half to a sensation he could only describe as “utterly disturbing.”

The beast let loose an ear-splitting caterwaul and started whipping its head around as it tried to shake loose the foreign object. The bullwhip’s grip on the horn slipped loose, and Sonny was immediately slammed into the ground, wind ejected from lungs with tremendous force and stone shattering beneath his back. His entire body froze up for a desperate second before he was able to suck up one painful, burning breath.

“I’m good!” He tiredly yelled, slowly rising up to his feet as the beast rampaged above him. He shook out his legs, dispersive aura doing wonders to help clean the eye juice off of him. Something massive and heavy slammed against his entire back and suddenly his world went black. Warm stone scratched at all of his exposed skin, and the youkai carefully peeled himself out of the him-shaped hole in the ground. “I’m good!” He shouted with much less enthusiasm than he had the last, if that was even possible. 

Another massive weight batted against Sonny’s back just as he finished those words, and he was once again tumbling across the mountaintop. His vision shook and spun, rocks and spikes tore at his clothes, and no sooner had it started that he ground to a halt, lying on the ground and staring up at the ash-filled sky. Black flitted in the fringes of his vision, and the spirit tilted his head tiredly to get a better look.

“Oh, hi Eb.” He said calmly, eyes falling on the young mage, who stood not more than a few meters away. She looked around a bit in a dazed confusion, as if wondering where the voice had come from, before finding Sonny, lying on his back. 

“Er.... Hi.” She responded cautiously, more baffled than anything. “Are... P-please don’t be hurt.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve suffered worse. Also, hi Morene.” His eyes flicked over to the soldier leaning on Ebony’s shoulder. “I owe you like five for that. Thanks.”

“Thank me later,” she said back, obviously trying to suppress the pain in her voice. “Right now, we have a fight to win.” 

“Right.” A small level of strain entered Sonny’s voice as he slowly forced himself up. His muscles were sore and shaky, and his body was bruised and battered, but he wasn’t overly injured. He could still take plenty of hits. He turned back towards the direction he’d been flung from, immediately finding the bright, golden form of the dragon, who was currently preoccupied with Miranda and Claptrap. 

Alright, let’s try this again. He mentally hyped himself up as he made his way back across the battlefield, whip in hand.

1473 Words. (1472 if you don't count the quoted word. Played it safe. Didn't know if linking a url in a word would fuck shit up >.>)
Sonny activated High Pressure System and then went on a very painful adventure in which he almost got vored and proceeded to Indiana Jones the dragon's right eye into mush.
Presumably people were attacking the dragon while he was being swatted about.
He’s trying to keep dragon focused on him. He’s more than willing to be batted around a lot if it means that everyone else gets free reign to wail on it.

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

It's not fair.

Ebony wasn't sure how long the fighting had continued, she just wanted it to end. Her head ached, her ears were sore, and the wounds on her chest made it hard to breathe. Even through the crusty blood blocking her nose, she could still smell the rancid blood of the darklings and the searing of flesh - the stench was etched into her at this point. Finally given the freedom to examine her condition, she retched, covering her mouth with a palm as a thin trail of vomit trickled out. Following that, a small cough escaped her lips. Ebony gasped for breath, unable to inhale through her nose without clawing at the blood. Looking down at the ruined glove, she gagged, bent forwards, heaving; slimy chunks thudded against the floor. 

Hastily, she shuffled backwards, tearing off her glove with magic and tossing it as far as she could to the side. She was already accustomed to Morene leaning on her, opting to keep her right arm supporting the woman where possible.

Vaguely aware of the sound of metal clashing against scales and the booming of gun barrels in the distance, Ebony glanced at Sonny as he headed back towards it.

She opened her mouth as if to call out, to yell at Sonny to come back. Only a dry cough came out, forcing her to bring her free hand back to her chest - jerky movements were painful. She wanted him with her. Not over there, not where he could get hurt.

Another set of vibrations ran through Ebony's body as Morene fired a burst of bullets from her gun. Each small jolt from the recoil left a sting in her gut, but none were potent enough override the overwhelming ache of the wound.

Ebony squealed and the unprotected hand gripping her chest slipped into a particularly sticky patch of darkling gore. She shook, trying to flick it off her hand to no avail. Her magic wasn't refined enough to ply it off, so with a shudder, she resorted to wiping it onto her cloak. Her head turned towards Morene while Morene looked back, sensing the whimpers and shaking from the girl. Determined and bloodshot eyes met briefly, before Ebony looked down, eyes rolling over Morene's freshest injury. It's my fault.

If I...

I could have...

She's hurt because of me.

A pang of guilt stung Ebony's mind. Morene was hit by the full force of the strike, and yet Ebony had still considered her own injuries and pain first. I'm so selfish. She flinched as Morene pulled her an inch closer. Ebony could feel the woman trying not to lean on her, but she inevitably did. What was I supposed to do?

She may have longed for home, but at this point, Ebony would have settled for almost anything: anything but this.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice was quiet, and while projected down at the floor, Morene heard it clearly.

It wasn't specifically aimed at her - it was for Sonny too, even if it didn't reach his ears. For everyone. I can't do this anymore.

She looked up, meeting her friend's eyes again. Opening her mouth once more, Ebony tried to speak, to apologise further, to show she really meant it. She couldn't. It was too much. Ebony stumbled, leaning into Morene's chest while still supporting her weight. Her muscles burned, but without the choker stopping it, her magic surrounded them, providing strength she didn't know how to use. The metal was warm and blood covering it smeared onto Ebony's face. Morene flinched from the sudden pressure against her injury, but nonetheless, Ebony arms wrapped around her, fingers weakly intertwined on Morene's back, bringing her into a one-sided hug.

Faint mutterings met Morene's ears, "I just wanna go home," and after a short pause, Morene reciprocated her gesture, gripping the mage's back as tightly as she dared. Despite her firm hold, she could still feel the shaking continue. "I'm useless."

"Honey, if you weren't carrying me right now, I wouldn't be alive."

Ebony mumbled, trying to speak through the wetness trickling down her face. "I-it's my... my f-f-fault. You're hurt because of m-meee-ee." Her voice cracked at the end, opening the floodgates. She trembled, sobbing into Morene's chest.

"Hey now, I didn't want to see the teen not wearing power armour get stabbed."

"...s n-not fai-" She moaned, lips quivering too much to talk coherently. "...t you t-to... huu-urrt." Her head dipped, looking straight down at the bloody floor. Black and red splatters swirled together in the dips between the harsh rocks.

It was too vivid.

Her stomach rumbled, and a hacking cough followed. 

Another acidic string of bile trickled down to the floor, meshing with the other pool of fluids. 

Disgust. Fear. Pain. She felt hot, faint, dizzy, oblivious to Morene's embrace.

Get away from me.

She pushed, shoving herself away from Morene and landing on a pile of rocks with a crash. Morene winced, not anticipating Ebony's actions and having to drop down to her knees to support her own weight.

Don't touch me.

Ebony leant back, bringing her gloved hand up to her face, frantically trying to wipe away the gore. Small clumps of sticky black blood fell to her sides, but much remained, only being smeared and displaced. 

Get off me.

She shook, pushing herself up into a sitting position and trying to brush it off her arms with jerky, erratic movements. It was about as successful as trying to clean a dish with a dirty dishcloth. 

I don't want this.

One last tear dripped from a bloodshot emerald eye, leaving a trail down her cheek before dropping down onto her bare leg. Ebony coughed, shaking her arms, trying to flick off the blood. A few specks flew off, some splashed into Morene or the surroundings, and others crashed back into Ebony. She yelped, swinging her head side to side.

A faint glint of metal caught her eye, distracting her for a split second, causing her gaze to linger. 

A corpse, a bloody sword held perpendicular to the ground by its chest. 

She screamed silently, scuttling backwards out of instinct, flailing her legs to push herself away. An armoured hand waved in front of her vision, groping at the air in front of her. She didn't stop, continuing to grind against the rocky ground.

Her back slammed into a sharp outcrop, grazing one of her shoulders and forcing her to a halt. She winced, heart pumping. The systematic thumping filled her ears.

For a moment she thought she heard someone call her name, someone talking to her. She forgot about it swiftly, placing both palms against her chest wound in an effort to stop the continuing bleeding. It may be been blocked off before, but her movements had ruined the quick fix.

It hurts.

Each breath delivered more pain than the last. Quick breaths, short breaths, long breaths, slow breaths, they were all the same. And in her panic, Ebony had shifted towards the first two. 

Make it stop.

Her jaw lay slack as faint gusts of air rushed in and out. Again, she made the mistake of glancing around the battlefield, looking for friends. She could almost see Cap'n's bushy beard, hear his hearty laugh, smell his 'sailor essence' - yet the illusion was lost the moment her eyes strayed over yet another accumulation of carcasses. She jolted back, pushing herself into the outcropping rock in an attempt to move further away. Waving her arm, she willed them away. Wished such things didn't exist.

Her magic heeded her demands, sending a burst of mana spiralling towards the cluster, disintegrating all that remained in a shower of dust and rock.

Ebony stared down at her gloveless palm in shock, before clawing at her neck.

It's gone.

Grime quickly filled the gaps under her nails as the revelation as what she'd done hit her mind.

I'm dangerous.

She'd removed the one thing helping her control her magic.

It hurt to think. She'd carried Morene. One slightly unlucky motion could have...

Ebony didn't want to consider it.

Thoughts, concepts, emotions, feelings, pain. Everything swam through her mind, making it impossible to pick a singular thing out.

She looked around, idly watching a large lizard bat about small people. It looked cool, in a strange way.

Where am I?

She rubbed her temple with clammy hands. She knew where she was, but her most recent memories escaped her.

What happened?

Frowning, she leant back, pulling her knees tight against her chest. Her boots scraped against the floor, belts and buckles jangling. A nagging feeling pushed itself to the front of her addled brain, but even in her lapse of panic, she couldn't decipher its origin. She knew there was something she should be doing, but not what. Not why. Nor when or how.

Or who for.

Everything was too confusing.

Gripping with her arms, she pulled her cloak around her, tightly.

Squelch.

A bone-shattering scream echoed throughout the mountaintop.

1500 words.

Eb cries, then panicks after noticing she's literally covered in darkling blood (away from the fight).
Scrambles about, and leaves Morene while panicking.
Blows up some rocks and dead darklings (away from the fight).
Continues panicking.
Screams super loud.

n.b. Don't write her being useful. (Although if she gets attacked I don't mind you using an OP to make her use either of her super moves, as long as Blink is chill with it)

[Kuzuru]

“Damnit,” Kuzuru groaned.

Every breath filled his lungs with fire and every exhale brought a blood-filled coughing fit. His heart pulsed with a heavy haphazard staccato, the kind of uneven rhythm that even a pacemaker couldn’t fix. Muscle fibers shredded themselves and his bones cracked. This was the exquisite kind of pain usually reserved for those in the Underverse. Kuzuru screamed and raged and thrashed about until his screaming and raging and thrashing brought splatters of blood and fractured bones. He tried to stand but felt something in his abdomen tear, forcing him back to his knees. With each passing moment another agony made itself known with ferocious vigor.

Kuzuru crawled to the edge of his perch and examined the battlefield. White splotches, like cigarette burns in a film reel, dotted his vision as the darkchips assailed his sight. He squeezed his eyes shut and sniffed the air. A wave of ecstasy washed over his body. He smiled and sighed dreamily. There was so much blood. The tide of pleasure was quickly swallowed as anguish gripped him once again. He reopened his eyes and did his best to absorb the conflict. A new wave of excitement crashed over his body. They were all fighting, it was as profoundly beautiful to him as any Van Gogh or Monet piece. Were he not already crying the sight would have brought a tear to his eyes. The lad with the whip was standing toe-to-toe with their monstrous adversary. Morene was still fighting despite the fist-sized hole in her gut; God, how he did admire her perseverance. Claptrap and Miranda brought a smile to his face, they were adding their own strokes to this masterpiece of violence and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t proud. Even the girl, who he had mentally likened to a baby gazelle, seemed to finally get some pep and vinegar in her. So much fun was being had and he was too fucked up to participate. That, that, was a damn shame.

Using his wings as a brace he crawled to his feet. His whole body teetered back and forth as his muscles quivered under the strain. For a moment he was afraid he was going to be sent toppling over the edge. An uncomfortable warmth filled a cavity in his chest and he began to retch. An invisible nailgun was plugging him with rusty shafts of metal and once again he buckled over, falling onto his ass. He moaned and writhed, rolling onto his side and clutching at the fresh wounds appearing across his flesh. His organs were liquefying and his bones were splintering. He closed his eyes and turned his thoughts inward.

Nebula, nebula, talk to me baby.

No response.

Nebby, you bitch, don’t ignore me, answer me.

Again, no answer. Kuzuru chuckled.

You know what’s fucked up Nebby darling? What’s real fucked up is that I know you’re playing me; I know for a fact you’re playing me hard, and yet your offer is so damned tantalizing.

The silence was deafening. He fished around in his pocket for the three remaining darkchips and clamped his hand around them. For a while he laid there suffering.

But you know what? If I accepted your candy and got in your van I’d be no better than that wuss Renji. I’d be a God damned parasite Nebby. I can’t do that to myself, I’ve got too much of this damned pride.

He laughed for a few moments and sat up. He looked down at the darkchips in his palm. His hand refused to stop shaking.

But, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to keep the candy you've given me.

With that he threw the chips down his gullet and swallowed. The results were immediate and terrible. Veins ruptured in his body, spilling their red payload into any available cavity. The marrow in his bones turned to molten lead and his teeth screamed with a piercing resonance. A razor blade was taken to his joints and his muscles snapped like old rubber bands. The liquid in his eyes boiled and his mouth filled with blood. He screamed and stood up. Violet lightning enveloped his body as he stumbled to the cliff’s edge.

Without breaking stride he stepped over the precipice and plummeted. His wings snapped open and caught him halfway down. He landed next to his abandoned guitar. With strained movements he grabbed the instrument and threw the strap over his shoulder. Taking a moment to compose himself he raised his arm and brought it down across the strings. A horrible chord squealed across the battlefield, drawing the dragon’s attention to the dying demon.

Kuzuru shouted in a distorted and pained voice, “that’s right you bastard! Look upon me and weep you worthless excuse for a Darkloid!”

The twisted dragon roared and lumbered towards its new target. Kuzuru glanced to his sides, regarding the other liberators.

“Take notes kiddos!” he shouted, his voice becoming more and more fractured, “when faced with your death, do not hide and cry for help like this coward, stare it down and make them remember your name!”

With that said Kuzuru slung the guitar across his back and sprouted a fresh set of blades from his forearms. By now his body had begun to disintegrate. hunks of flesh were missing, having been devoured by the darkness. His eyes were filled with violet marbles and his vision was constricted to a narrow field of grey. He slapped his wings against the ground and launched into the air. The dragon roared and licks of flame danced in its throat. Kuzuru turned sharply, aiming himself straight for the beast’s open maw. With a scream the demon rocketed towards the gaping abyss, slamming through a wall of flames on his way in. The last the liberators saw of Kuzuru was that dark silhouette being swallowed by an inferno.

WITNESS ME!
Kuzuru has activated his three remaining darkchips, DARK RECOVERY, DARK DRIVER, and GIGA THUNDER.

He has thrown himself down the dragon’s gullet to questionable effect.

If it is possible I’d like to activate my tier one defensive super move “Demon Lotus” while in its stomach. Not for the purpose of avoiding damage, but I think in this instance it’d be used well as a damaging tool. If Blink allows it we have 3 OP left.

[Miranda Frost]

This was it. Everything had led up to this point. As the Golden Dragon stepped foreward, its mighty maw radiating with flames. Miranda merely stood there, her fists clenched in defiance. She had killed many dragons up to this point. Granted most of them were small, but they all seemed to have similar tendecies. This thing however, was by far the most powerful she'd face. The great beast would step foreward and let loose a mighty roar, jets of golden flame spewing from its maw. The jet of fire crashed over Miranda.

 "F-fuck..", she'd murmber, her teeth gritting as the rain of fire hammered down upon her. She'd dive foreward just under the jet, her body beginning to form its own flames. Her eye glanced to the side, catching the overly cheerful hums of the overly eccentric Claptrap, brandishing his shotgun and firing it wildly against the dragon. "Claptrap, to me!", she called, her claw outstretched to the bot. Claptrap's poor wheel rolled as fast as it could, his body dodging through the flames. Once close to her, Her claw gripped under his front face, lifting him from the ground.

 "You're lighter than I thought.", Miranda commented her eye glancing up at the golden behemoth before her. It looked to heavy to fly and her punches alone would do little, but if she could ground it or impair its movement, the group could take their time in felling this beast.

 "Haha, well I am on a diet, mademoiselle", the little bot quipped.

 "You're pretty distracting. Keep his attention off me would ya?"

 "Aye aye Cap-i-tan!"

 Miranda would nod, her body now completely engulfed in her crimson aura. Her false wings stretched and flexed as her arm dropped back. Kuzu had opened a door for them earlier, even if she thought it was incredibly stupid to get himself eaten. She could only hope he wouldn't sit well in the beast's stomach. In any case, the  beast eyes were not on her but on the pretty boy Summer. This opportunity couldn't have been any more ripe than it was at this moment. Her arm's hydrolics pumped, crimson steam jetting out the side of her forearm as she sent it foreward, sending forth the talking, shotgun wielding bucket foreward. Claptrap merely expressed and exhilerated "Yahooooooo".

 Perhaps Miranda's aim was exceptionally good today or perhaps claptrap was quite good at being thrown at giant, prime eating objects, but in either case the bot landed upon the  Golden Dragon's snout, his wheel dancing to keep his balance on the scaled surface.

 "Puff the magic dragon, you know sitting too close to the television is pretty bad for your eye sight! Just imagine what shell packed full of good ol' Hyperion glory can do for ya!", he'd cry out, blasting shell after shell into the face of this beast.

 The beast , well, took exception to this.

 The dragon let loose a mighty, roar, its head whipping side to side to dislodge this grand annoyance from its life. Eventually Claptrap's grip was not enough to hold on and thus his body was flung off into the distance. 

"It was totally wooorth itttt!", Miranda could hear the bot said as he soared through the air. The distraction was a success and Miranda began her move. She'd run , ducking and weaving around the dragon's panicked flails. She dove beneath the beast, her fist clenched as her eye narrowed on her target. Its hind legs seemed to be the stronger of the four, hindering their use was essential. She knew well her strength could test a metal worth. She also knew first hand how tough a dragon's scales were. She cried out in exhertion as she sent her powerful blow into the hindlegs kneecap, its scales shattering from the direct hit. She heard something snap, the dragon's balance becoming compromised. 

 She had forgotten about the tail until it whipped about, crashing into her midsection, sending her tumbling over the rubble covered flooring.

 She'd start to recover, her breath becoming heavier and heavier as the fighting went on. This air wasn't good for her, nor was all this fighting. She could feel it in her bones with every blow she delivered. Her body's remaining organic parts were being put into an enormous amount of stress. She looked around at the others with Summer struggling to control the battle, Morene fighting to stay conscious, and Ebony losing her sanity. This couldn't keep going for much longer. They were putting the beast in a good amount of pain, but it was also returning that same pain twofold.

 Miranda struggled to her feet, her hand falling to her side. A jolt of pain wracked her body. Aye, it would seem a good rib or few had been broken.

 "Fuck."

[Claptrap]

Afte being thrown from the dragon, Claptrap landed head-first a good distance away from the fight. Pulling himself to his feet, Claptrap rubbed his head. "Computer." Claptrap said to himself. "Can you run a diagnosis." 

"Of course, Claptrap." The cheery Hyperion voice responded. Claptrap began wheeling himself back to the fight as the diagnostic program did its work, picking up his thankfully intact shotgun on the way there. "Diagnosis complete." The computer chimed. A graphic displaying Claptrap's body appeared in his vision. Several areas were marked in red, showing varying levels of damage, mostly just scratches but some was serious.

"Jeez." Claptrap groaned. "That doesn't look to good." He could easily patch himself up if he had the time, the tools and the metal, but none of those were available right now. He'd just have to fix himself up at the fortress. Reaching the fight, Claptrap began unloading his shotgun into the beast once more. Each shot was only doing a little, but progress was progress, and the dragon was already considerably weakened.

Not satisfied with slowly wearing the dragon down, Claptrap hatched a plan. Miranda's punch had left the dragon's hind leg limp, and a perfect ramp to get back onto the dragon. Taking his opportunity when the dragon was distracted by Summer, Claptrap discarded his shotgun and rushed towards its broken leg, before riding up the calf. When he got to the thigh, it became too steep to go up with his wheel, so he had to climb with his arms instead. 

The dragon's scales made effective handholds, but progress was slow as Claptrap's power reserves were starting to run low, making him similarly sluggish to an exhausted human. Lifting himself to the dragon's back, Claptrap was once again on relatively flat ground, and could move towards the dragon's head. Suddenly aware of the presence of something on its back, however, the dragon had other ideas. 

Just as he had passed the wings, Claptrap was nearly thrown off by the massive, torn wings suddenly swinging wildly. Although they couldn't really get an lift, the wings still created near gale force wings, threatening to send Claptrap airborne once more as he clung onto the golden scales of the dragon's flank for dear life. Slowly and not too steadily, Claptrap climbed from one scale to another, inching towards the head. Finally, Claptrap reached beginning of the neck and pulled himself up, mostly out of the reach of the wings. 

Claptrap wheeled towards the crown of the dragon's head, catching a glimpse of his surroundings as he did so. The view would have been strangely beautiful if Claptrap wasn't hanging from the head of a maddened corrupted dragon. Getting back to work, Claptrap carefully lowered himself down towards the dragon's left eye. It would have undoubtedly tried to shake him lose, but it was currently preoccupied by the group of liberators below. Getting a firm grip of the scales just above the high, Claptrap released his grip with one hand to summon his shotgun. 

The eye was partially damaged from the robot's last attack, but was still able to meet Claptrap's single eye for a moment. Only fury burned in the beast's eye, no traces of any other emotion remained. "Sorry not-sorry, guy, you look like you'll drop some SWEET loot." Claptrap said before blasting the dragon's last half-good eye with his shotgun. Just as it had when it's right eye had been destroyed by Sonny, the dragon screamed in pain and anger. Claptrap yelped as it shook wildly, now fully blind, and was thrown to the ground for the second time. Thankfully, Claptrap only dropped down instead of being tossed away, and landed mostly in one piece.

"Did... Did I do it?" Claptrap said in a daze, before scrambling for his shotgun in case his plan went awry. Thanfully, when he turned back to the beast, blood dripped from both eyes and it bathed the battlefield in flame randomly, missing the liberators by a large margin. "Yeah! Critical hit!" Claptrap cried, fist pumping as he did so.

700 words

[Morene Fellon]

Morene was almost impressed at how easily she was shoved onto her duff by Ebony. The huntress didn't mind that as much as she did having to painfully stand herself upright only a moment later. 

That action alone was almost too much to bear. Coughing with an audible wheeze, Morene almost instinctively pulled her poleaxe from her limited pool of Omnilium, smashing it's pommel onto the floor to assist herself. Her fingers gripped around the top of the handle, feeling herself slipping back onto the floor. A groan escapes the woman's lips, staring at the rough ground beneath her as she listened to the cries of battle. 

She winced upon hearing Ebony's cries however, finding that one to be the worst of them all. Despite the destruction and chaos unfurling behind her, Morene couldn't help but look up to Ebony hiding in her cloak. It was almost exactly like how they met in the Nexus, except this time was much worse. 

Some awful temptations in Morene's mind wanted to go back and fight, knowing Ebony would be safe at least, but... She knew better than that. Of course she wouldn't. Neither would Morene, had she thought about it for more than a single second. 

Morene grit her teeth, grabbing at her poleaxe again. She needed to get to Ebony.

Breathing in as hard as she could, the huntress slowly picked herself up off the floor using the same method as she did last time.

In this instance however, she did not fall. It didn't take long at all for the woman to find herself taking another short, pained breath. Either way, she lifted the polearm from off the floor, caring about nothing but getting to her ally. That dragon would have to wait.

Taking a single step forwards, Morene yelped as the wound in her stomach stung further. Still, she breathed in once more, staring on at the Liberator Aid on her wrist now inches to her face. 

A slow sigh escaped the woman's lips.

Sorry, doctor, Morene thought, I'm having a crisis at the moment.

The huntress took another step, this time ever so slightly quicker. It was effective, but nonetheless even more excruciating than last time. Thinking about it, Morene worried as her internal clock estimated it had been nearly half a minute and she'd only taken two steps forwards. Despite all of her augmentations and physical training, the woman wanted to throw up like mad. Something about this wretched void, she thought once more, almost more annoyed than pained. 

Another step. Slightly less painful this time. 

Confident in her ability to maybe begin walking again, Morene put her right foot forward. 

Gravity took control this time, her muscles too weak to even hold her body upright, let alone her armor. Gasping, she fell onto the floor again. Her consciousness was giving in, but she had the will to make sure that didn't happen. Slamming her fist onto the rocks below her, Morene looked up to find herself halfway to Ebony. 

Perhaps walking wasn't going to be her solution, but she'd be damned if she wouldn't at least crawl. 

The huntress didn't hesitate to begin doing just that; her gauntlets ripping into the ground as if she was climbing a mountain. 

One hand went forward. Pulling herself, her left hand followed. Morene couldn't have cared less about the gaping hole in her stomach at the moment. Still, she could almost feel the danger behind her gaining up on her and Ebony if she didn't hurry up.

Another breath. This was not the worst thing she's dealt with, and Morene would make sure it wouldn't be the last. The Liberator Aid on the woman's wrist served to remind her that yes, she was in the Omniverse, and even in Nebula space, she'd come back after death, but allowing that fate to be inflicted upon a child was the least of her priorities. 

Crawling forward, Morene gained somewhat of a momentum, slowly developing a pattern to lessen the godawful pain in her stomach.

Breathe, one hand forward, breathe out, another.

At this rate, Morene finally got into arm's reach of Ebony Hellscythe, and the woman took no time at all to reach an arm out to her. 

Raising a palm upwards, Morene touched at the girl's cheek, using her thumb to wipe the blood from her face. She didn't look much presentable as it is, but Morene kept her position as Ebony tried to reel back from the sudden affection. 

The child stopped, thankfully enough, realizing who was in front of her. 

"Put more pressure on your wound," Morene solemnly ordered, placing another one of her hands on Ebony's to give her an idea as to the force required to stanch the bleeding. 

Slowly, Morene groaned in pain as she got herself up, sitting next to the slightly injured child. At least, slightly in comparison to her. 

More sobbing from Ebony followed. Morene's heart ached to hear it, even if it was a perfectly reasonable response to the events currently transpiring. Both of them had a nice view some distance away of the dragon fighting, but Morene could only bear to watch it. As Ebony lowered her head, the knightly woman beside her continued to spiel.

"Honey, please get up. I need you to help me, or else I won't make it." 

Ebony's sobs stopped, and for a moment, Morene could almost hear the child's heart do the same for a split second.

"That Kuzuru boy has the monster's attention, and Sonny will be sure to protect us."

Another pause, Ebony still not moving an inch. Carefully, Morene wrapped a single arm over Ebony's shoulders as she continued to silently weep.


"Be strong, please."

954 words.

Morene uses just about all of her stamina to stumble and crawl over to Ebony, possibly taking minor damage in the process or at the very least preventing her from recovering any faster.
She then decides to solace the child away from the fight, ever so slightly cleaning off the gore present on her skin.
Morene then asks of Ebony to get up just this once.

Whether Ebony decides to listen or stubbornly stay put is up to her.

[Nebula]

When Kuzuru made contact with the maw of the Dragon Darkloid, the explosion was immediate. He had soared through the air in a streak of purple lightning, sparking from his bloodied body as he flew straight across the battlefield. Everyone had paused for a moment as they watched, but they didn't have to wait for long. As the screaming swordsman connected with the winged terror, all of his emotion and pain burst out in one single defiant eruption. The violet flames that blasted from the dragon's mouth sent him sprawling backwards on its hind leg, towards the cliff he had been close to.

His claws held tightly to the natural stone underneath it, holding tightly until it came screeching to a halt just before the edge. For a moment, it looked like the Darkloid, who was too drunk on the power Nebula had given him to begin with, would save himself. But just as the smoke above him began to clear, the swordsman came down for one last strike with his blade, slicing straight through the thick scaly armor of the monster below him. The Dragonborn Spellcaster roared as the weapon cut through his throat and down towards his chest, and then sent him back once again. This time, his wings flapped once and both he and Kuzuru flew backwards into the sky.

The Darkloid's eyes looked down as Kuzuru's looked up. He was dangling from his sword, all of his darkchips active and working against each other in his body. They were both corrupted. Changed. But one was full of worry and regret for the decisions made, while the other was excited and fulfilled. Two different paths through Nebula's Darkness. Both led to this place, here in the air above this lone mountain in the Ashen Steppes Nebula Verse. Then, the explosion of dark energy from both Darkloids erupted in the sky, engulfing them both.

Down below, there was a pause in the action as both hostile combatants were eliminated in one burst. Summer (who was currently Sonny), Miranda and Syn Shenron were standing at the edge of the cliff the dragon was just on. Behind them, in the middle of what was their battlefield was Claptrap. He was surrounded by the bodies of the darkspawn they had slain. He had missed a good portion of what happened, and had both of his hands up in the air as if he had just struck a home run. Further behind him, on the other side of the peak, was Morene and Ebony. Ebony had stood up next to her kneeling friend, who was holding her torso where she was severely injured earlier in the fight.

"We have to get out of here," Sonny declared out loud. It was stern. He turned around to face the group. His eyes fell on Ebony and Morene, who he was relieved to see still alive.

"If you have any ideas, I'm listening," Miranda responded. She seemed grumpy. The fight did not do much for her mood.

The two of them looked at Syn Shenron, as if expecting the big man to contribute something to the conversation. Instead, he remained silent with his arms across his broad chest. He looked worse for wear from the fight, as he had taken a lot of damage for being the largest target, but he was hiding his pain well.

Just as it seemed like Sonny was going to respond, there was a loud booming noise in the distance. Followed by another, louder. Then another. "Uh, guys?" Claptrap's high, squeaky voice chimed in. "Is that orange glowing thing supposed to...glow orange, like that?"

Off in the distance was another mountain, though it had in the blink of an eye erupted what could only be described as deadly lava. Then, another one, closer to them blasted. There were little craters down on the surface of the verse then began to erupt. Soon, what was once a barren, dark wasteland lit up like it was covered in bug traps. They were covered on all sides by volcanic eruptions until, predictably, the mountain they had been fighting on this whole time began to shake.

The cliff that three of the group were standing up began to crumble under their weight. Sonny, Miranda and Syn all tensed as they felt the ground underneath them give way. "Summer!" Ebony screamed, but it was too late. The trio disappeared from sight.

Claptrap spun around to face Ebony and Morene. Then back to where the other three were standing. He did this 360 spin about three times before he stopped at 90 degrees at one point and realized there was a large flow of lava that had been blasted from the nearest crater onto the peak. "Look out!" One of the females had shouted, presumably Morene. His wheels sent him towards the voice even as his body and eyes faced on the lava. He barely avoided it.

"Time to go!" He declared as he rolled up to the two. He gaze focused on Morene. "You gotta get up!"

"I can't," Morene told him, but she was already making an attempt to. She knew that regardless of how hurt she was, she was going to have to make an effort just so Ebony could as well, otherwise the girl might stay.

"You look fine to me! Let's go!" Claptrap declared and moved to pull her by one arm. He looked over at the young girl. "You gotta help!"

Ebonywood Hellscythe was momentarily distracted. While being led astray by shiny objects was not something new to her, this time it was different. It felt like this small little dataverse chip resting there on the ground was calling to her. She quickly snagged it and pocketed it. "Ebony, we have to go," Morene said, sternly but sweetly.

"I'm ready," Ebony nodded to her and she moved to help Morene down the path of the mountain.

Renji has died, but is free from the corruption of the darkchips. Nebula has gained power from him. Use this page for information on what happens after death.
The Dragonborn Spellcaster is dead.

Claptrap takes 5 points of damage. He's in bad shape.
Syn Shenron takes 10 points of damage. He's in bad shape.
Sonny takes 8 points of damage. He's in bad shape.
Miranda takes 3 points of damage. She's ok.
Ebony is ok.
Morene is dying. She will die at the end of this round without healing.

Ebony gains DARKCHIP: DARK RECOVERY. She does not know what it does, only the title of it (which is written on it).

The Nebula Verse is collapsing on itself, destroying itself from within. Craters and volcanos all around are erupting lava and the mountains are breaking apart. The party is now split, on paths on separate sides. You'll need to get down to the base to find a portal outta there. Sonny, Miranda and Syn are on one side, after falling a bit, and Ebony, Morene and Claptrap are on the other.

You have until Monday night 11:59 EST to get one roleplay, no word limit. As usual, if you need an extension then feel free to let me know.

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

The chip weighed down on Ebony’s pocket. While small, she could feel its swaying side to side from inside her cloak. She frowned, flicking off the crusty gore with her magic while talking Morene’s arm around her shoulder. Her legs bent as she forced them to move, one step at a time. Rocks crushed under the additional weight behind her steps, fragments adding to the ash saturated air.

Claptrap did little to assist. While definitely full of spirit, the boxy robot lacked the ability to do anything more than drag Morene’s arm.

The ground rumbled and Ebony yelped, clenching onto Morene tightly. A faint wisp of burning magic flickered around Ebony’s free arm, singeing her cloak. Her throat burned, and her head spun as the magic freely crashed throughout her body. Near-endless reserves of power, but a body and mind too frail to use it. Right now – without the necklace - it was nothing more than a danger, another obstruction in the trio’s road to safety. Slowing down for a second, Ebony glanced around, looking for the black piece of leather. 

Morene looked at her with worry, sensing the change in pace. "Ebony, we have to go."

Amidst the charred ground and mounds of ash, the item was camouflaged. Lost for good. She frowned before breaking into a string of coughs. Her wounds seemed to inhibit her less than her magic itself. It helped a bit, but while uncooperative for the most part, the main issue was how uncontrollable the swarming mass of mana was - especially when unrestrained. The wrong gesture or impulse could catalyse a chain reaction of spells; that's what the mages always told her.

She stopped, breathing in and then breathing out, eyes closed. Dust picked up at her feet, loosely swirling around her and Morene. Feeling a faint squeeze on her shoulder, Ebony opened her eyes. The crusty residue of tears littered her face, as did the faint red of smeared blood. Ebony's gaze turned to Morene. Concern. Even now, she was putting Ebony first.

"W-w-why?" Turning her head away, she hid the tears under her hood. "It's not fair. Why c-c-couldn't everything just go right? But n-now you're hurt and my magic w-w-won't w-work right and Sonny's gone and it's all my fault and I don't know what to dooo-oo." She shivered.

If Claptrap was planning on saying anything, Morene's look silenced it. "Breathe. Just breathe Ebony. And keep moving forward." She coughed, clutching her chest, before straining her voice to continue speaking. "I'll be fine. And Sonny is strong."

"I'm scared."

A loud rumble echoed across the sky, followed by a thunderous crack - like lightning. The shockwaves sent shivers down Ebony's spine, but Morene steadied her grip and began guiding the girl forwards once more. No sooner had they started moving again, a fissure split the ground behind them, exposing the harsh orange light of magma. Morene was quick to react, making sure Ebony didn't stop despite the pain it caused due to her condition.

"I know, dear. I know. But you've got to stay strong."

Ebony's subconscious returned to the dark chip in her pocket. Those had provided a lot of strength to Kuzuru. If she gave it to Morene, then maybe her friend would stop being hurt. 

She shook her head. I can't trust it. Not after what they did to that... sword demon.

It confused her why he accepted the Darkloid's offer. He only wanted to use the chip, or get power, or something like that. Yet had no intent in joining Nebula. It made no sense. Was he evil? He'd helped them at the end, though. And on some of the journey. 

I can't think about this right now.

She had to keep moving. She had to save Morene. One final challenge, then she could go home with Sonny and Summer.

Her back straightened with a jolt, but she maintained her grip on Morene. Ebony glared at the sea of destruction weaved across their path, willing it to cease. Of course, nothing did happen, although she did continue moving again. Wordlessly.

Morene was hurt. She needed to hurry up, to move, quickly. The steadily increasing weight on her shoulders was a continuous reminder of that fact. Nonetheless, Ebony ploughed on, acting as though she was carrying nought but a feather. She had to. Her legs moved mechanically. She refused to let them stop. Her friend was hurt because of her, and she wasn't going rest until Morene was safe.

A football-sized rock slammed into the ground to the side of Ebony's feet. She didn't flinch, only noticing it from the slight vibration through the ground. Grabbing it with her magic, she flung it forwards aggressively. It sailed straight over Claptrap's head, pulverising a pile of rocks blocking an unforeseen path. Ebony continued, unphased as more stone slid down the mountain to refill the blockage. If they pushed through it, from what she saw through the temporary gap, it seemed to lead down much faster than the route on the left Claptrap was leading them.

Claptrap, spinning around in surprise and spotting Ebony's determined gaze, was quick to make a judgement. "Whoah, whoah, whoah. We're not going through there." The route was treacherous. There was no telling when more rubble, or even lava, would slide down the cliff face it followed down.

Ebony didn't reply, choosing only to speed up her pace, almost dragging Morene along with her as she moved to the other route.

She slowed down, hearing Morene say something but not quite catching the first few words. "...ahead. Make sure we've got a way to the exit."

"On it boss!" The robot saluted, spinning around and moving down the decline.

"Wait!" Ebony called out. Claptrap slowed to a stop. "If you see Summer and Sonny, tell them... tell them they better stay safe, alright?"

Claptrap shrugged his metal arms, replying as he sped off. "Sure thing."

Mere seconds later, lava bubbled, erupting to the surface a short distance behind Ebony and Morene. The thick liquid slowly pooled across the rock. They had time to move, even with Morene's slow pace, but it did serve as a reminder to hurry up. It wouldn't be long before the whole mountain collapsed in on itself, and if they didn't reach the exit by then, it was unlikely they'd make it out alive.

Ebony tried to speed up, taking on more of Morene's weight in an attempt to assist her friend as much as she could. Her heart thumped in her chest, pumping adrenaline throughout her body. Sweaty matted hair clumped together, dangling down her shoulders.

In a strange way, it reminded Ebony of that one time she caught one of the many strands of flu. That achy, tired, burning sensation lingered throughout her body - but instead of sleeping it off, she had to walk down an unstable mountain carrying her wounded friend. Doubts, fears, worry clung to her mind. She couldn't give up. 

Morene slowed, leaning on Ebony even more than before despite her gradually decreasing grip. 

Ebony ignored it. Morene was strong, she wouldn't stop. She couldn't stop. She was going to be fine - she had to be.

Grunting in exertion, Ebony tightened her arm around Morene's waist and brought her other free hand up to hold Morene's arm more firmly around her shoulders. At this point, she was almost dragging the woman, but Ebony refused to stop. Her friend had saved her, and she was going to stop at nothing to return the favour.

Scrape.

The grating sound of metal skidding against rock reverberated through her skull, snapping her out of her thoughts. There were few things that Ebony hated, made her unconditionally angry, frustrated, or even scared. That horrific noise was one of them. She shuddered, only to snap her head to the side upon noticing Morene's lax grip. One of the woman's legs lay limp, armour etching into the floor as she drifted, barely staying attached to Ebony.

No.

No. 

This wasn't happening.

"No..." Ebony looked down at her friend in dismay. 

"Ebony, I can't-" she broke down, coughing, and then wincing in pain. "Go on ahead. I'll be... fine."

Morene relaxed her grip, sliding onto a heap on the ground while Ebony fought to keep her steady. Being potentially five times heavier than Ebony while in her armour, she wasn't going to make it back up without work from both of them. Regardless, Ebony managed to hold on long enough lean Morene back against a rock. To one side, Claptraps tracks were clearly visible. To the other, the lava was slowly following them down the winding path, often joined by clumps of ash and rock. They couldn't afford to wait for long.

"No! You promised! You have to come with me. I'm not leaving you." A literal fire burnt behind her eyes as her magic fluctuated in tune with her emotions. Fortunately, it was stifled almost immediately, doing nothing but warming the air. "Pleeease."

Reaching out, Morene clasped Ebony's hand between her palms. "Ebony, go ahead... I'll catch up later-" Specks of blood dripped down from her mouth, coughed up by her body.

Grimacing, Ebony held still, shuddering. Buried under ash. Crushed under rocks. Incinerated by lava. Bleeding to death by the side of the road. She had to do something, anything, otherwise, that would be Morene's fate.

She gave one last heave, trying to pull Morene to her feet. She sensed she might have even had she used her magic to assist at full strength, but that would only have made her friend's injuries worse.

Relaxing her grip, she let go, letting her hand trail near her pocket - near the chip. She didn't trust it. There had to be a catch, but right now, this was the only option she had. The only way for Morene to come with her was with the use of such a small little chip. And evil chip, one made by a monster, yet right now, that was out of her control. She had to use it, and hope Morene would be receptive. If there was even the slightest chance it would work, Ebony vowed to take it.

Shakily, her fist closed around it, then opened in front of Morene. "I f-found this. And I d-don't know if it'll w-work but we have to try." She dreaded Morene's response. Her friend probably didn't trust the chip either, but Ebony forced it into her hands.

The mountain trembled, sending layers of hot rock and ash tumbling towards the two.

Ebony's magic tore through the ground, groping at the nearby outcrops, tearing through them, and holding the pieces in the way - like a rocky shield. A V-shaped wall to divert the onslaught. Without thinking, she held stalwart in front of Morene, bracing and counting down the seconds before the collision.

"Okay."

Morene's croaky voice was barely audible over the deep rumbling, and quickly suppressed by a loud- 

SLAM.

Ebony winced, sharp shards and fragmented stones cut through the gaps in her hastily made defence, spraying against her. She blinked, trying to clear the dust from her eyes while straining under to force. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Morene move, but couldn't focus on it. All her willpower went towards halting the landslide, diverting it.

The rockslide split, a devastating mass curling around the fork in its path, yet still trying to force its way forwards.

Legs bending, Ebony closed her eyes, tightening her magical vice around the rocks. 

Alas, she had limits. Everyone, and everything, did.

She convulsed, blood trickling down her chin as she continued to strain further.

Crack.

Her wall split, central rock broken into fragments.

She looked up, eyes widening upon noticing the proximity of the lava, with more spurting to the surface to join it.

Without giving her time to react, it shot towards her viciously, like a snake.

"NO!"

Ebony screamed, her magic exploding outwards in a mist of icy blue smoke, pushing back the barrage an instant before it met her skin. Molten rock arced into the sky, freezing and glueing its neighbouring rocks together. Within a second, a dam had formed, growing outwards and merging with the landslide.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ebony flopped, falling back into Morene's arms.

2054 words (MS Word).

Claptrap splits off and goes ahead to scout/make sure Morene and Eb have a clear route.

Ebony gives "DARKCHIP: DARK RECOVERY" to Morene, which Morene uses.

All of Morene's injuries have been healed (offscreen, letting Morene write that).

Ebony makes a wall of rocks with telekinesis and uses T1SD - Super Mega Awesome Explosion to halt a landslide of rock and lava and stuff.

Eb flops (not unconsious, just tired, it's past her bed time)

2 OP left, I think. (Eb used 1 just now)

[Claptrap]

Claptrap trundled down the mountain path carefully, occasionally unblocking pathways and generally just making sure he didn't rush into any lava puddles. He couldn't spare much time, though. The mountain was obviously collapsing, and the Liberators only had a little time left. The Hyperion voiced chimed in while he peeked around a corner, only to find it empty. 

"Claptrap." It said. "You have sustained serious damage. It is recommended that you begin repairs as soon as possible." Claptrap didn't respond. Even if he had the materials to repair himself, he didn't have a moment to spare. Claptrap groaned, his head was killing him, which is a big deal when you're mostly head. 

He turned another corner, expecting there to be nothing, but saw a darkling at the end of the hall. The robot gasped and ducked back behind the wall. Had the dragonling seen him? Claptrap poked his head out once more, trying to stay as hidden as possible. The darkling was looking his direction but seemed to be in a blind panic. The darkloid's death, plus the verse crumbling around them had disoriented the beast. 

Slowly, Claptrap approached it, shotgun drawn. It barely even noticed the robot as he wheeled up and aimed the barrel at the darkling's head. The bang resounded through the dark halls of the mountain, but if the others had heard it they didn't make it known. Moving around the darkling's corpse, Claptrap continued down the mountain. Gradually, the path began to flatten out. Sensing that he was nearing the bottom, Claptrap sped up.

Finally, the tight corridor opened up into a wider space. There were a number of other doorways, presumably following other paths up the mountain. There was also a larger doorway standing alone at the opposite side of the room. "That must be our ticket out of here." Claptrap mumbled to himself. Hell, he could leave right now. Claptrap almost considered doing just that, this was some heavy stuff. But he didn't entertain the thought for more than a moment. He still had a job to do. Claptrap turned to go back towards the others when he remembered Ebony's request. 

He wasn't sure which tunnel would lead to their allies, so he went from corridor to corridor, shout in the same message down each one. "Hey guys, it's me, Claptrap! I bet you're glad I'm alive! The coast is clear down here. Also, Summer and or Sonny, Ebony says to be safe." With that, Claptrap returned the the doorway he entered the room from and made his way back up the mountain. 

As he climbed, there were occasional tremors, which ranged from slight to pants-wetting in intensity. After a particularly scary rumble, Claptrap heard a sound which out a freight train to shame, followed by a loud crash from above. "Oh, skagsack!" Claptrap shouted as he increased his pace. "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead." When he reached the other two, he froze at the scene. A wall of rock had been erected, protecting them from the landslide. Ebony, presumably the one responsible, was lying in Morene's arms. "So, uh." Claptrap scratched his head awkwardly. "She's not dead, right?"

554 words

[Morene Fellon]

A pure feeling of remedy coursed through Morene's body as the Dark Chip activated, yet it was anything but pure. 

If the huntress wasn't motivated enough, that Dark Chip did the trick just fine. It was almost too good to be true, and if she was honest, the way the item was discovered by Ebony seemed all too... coincidental. As savvy as Morene was in situations like this, her concern was getting Ebony out safely. As the woman thought it over, she scoffed as she had to include Claptrap in the priority list, helping keep the two of them alive after all.

Breathing with a full chest of air, Morene looked down at Ebony now resting in her arms. A liability, most would say.

Morene shook her head, gently slinging the child over her shoulders, running as the rocks slowly continued to fall between the cracks of the magical dam behind her.

"She's not dead, right?"

Turning around, the armored woman was almost pleased to see the squeaky robot so concerned for their well-being. A hearty chuckle escaped her lips, distorted behind her helmet. 

"You think I'd let that happen?" Morene emphasized the question by leaping forward, the thrusters on her armor activating shortly afterwards. Claptrap yelled in seeming distress, but Morene paid no mind; the little guy took care of himself surprisingly effectively. She continued to run, listening to his tiny wheel close in from behind as she stuck to landing. Morene paid much care to keeping her back straight as Ebony rested on her shoulders.

It didn't take long for Morene to frantically begin looking out for an exit, seeing only a few available as the rocks slid from behind, debris coating the air like a toxic gas. 

Claptrap spoke up, "Slow down!" 

Morene rolled at her eyes, slowing down to a slight jog as Claptrap rushed ahead, imitating sounds of exhaustion. The woman could only assume the tiny robot wasn't doing so hot either.

However narrowly the Primes avoided the now collapsing rocks, Morene was thankful she slowed down for the tiny bot rushing ahead; Claptrap making sharp turns every corridor and fork in the road, a memory befitting for a bot such as him. 

Morene ran and ran, slowing down and picking up her pace depending on whether or not she was currently threatened by death or Claptrap needing a "breather," so to speak. She could almost feel fresh air from the outside world. Even if the woman could sure point the finger to the Dark Chip working it's dark magics upon her, she felt awkwardly safe at the moment. Too safe, even.


Shaking her head, the huntress paid no mind, for the end of this quest would come soon. 

450 words, short post this time.

Morene takes the Dark Chip, feeling rejuvenated. 

She then feels a bit insecure about how coincidental that Dark Chip seemed to fall upon Ebony's hands.

Caring not, Morene waits a single second for Claptrap as the rocks begin to fall, making her way out of the collapsing void.

[Summer]

The dull clatter of volcanic rock echoed around Sonny. Amidst the blackness of his stony burial, this was the only clue he had that he was, in fact, alive. With a shallow groan, all that he could manage with the great weight pressing down on him, he attempted to wiggle a bit in his spot. The entire world shifted with a dreadful rumble, and the stone around him collapsed and compressed even harder onto his body. He breathed in a weak breath, chest aching as he pulled it in with all his might, and he began to channel his magics, strengthening his dispersive aura.

Even as it ramped up to full power, the boulders crushing him refused to move, but that much was to be expected. The sun spirit wriggled again, shifting and throwing himself to the side with all his might. Everything around him shuddered, and suddenly his ears were filled with a thunderous roar as the very foundation of the pile collapsed. The boulders that once would have only fallen into a more stable grave instead rolled to the side, pushed just enough off course by his aura. Light swiftly began to flood in irregularly through the fleeting cracks and crevices that formed, showing longer and longer glimpses of daylight, before he was suddenly free, staring blankly at the ashen sky above, a great weight lifted off his chest.

“Summer...” Sonny said, a splitting pain coursing through his chest as he sucked in a mighty breath of air. “Switch.”

“Sure, leave me with the panicked fleeing...” the storm spirit mumbled under his breath. Despite his protests, he abided by the request, and soon one body was dissolved away and replaced with the other.
Summer slowly pushed up to his feet. His ribs stung with every breath he took and his entire body feeling something like tenderized beef. That had been one hell of a ride he really would rather not have been passenger to, and he really wanted to tell off his other half for putting him through that bullshit. But then again, one slap from the lizard probably would have put him out of commission entirely, he did at least need to give Sonny some commendation for being such an effective punching bag.

Alright...

The storm spirit cast a quick, unconcerned glance around the rubble pile surrounding him, wondering if anyone had taken the tumble with him. He soon found an answer to that question, in the form of a white limb jutting out of a jumble of rocks, and the tall Blades person, whose name he didn’t catch and didn’t particularly care to, throwing aside boulders with as much haste as she could manage. Summer hobbled up on sore legs, and without so much as a word, began unceremoniously shoving aside what debris he could. With the two of them working not so much together as vaguely adjacent, the white dragon was quickly unearthed, and with the help of the metal assassin, hauled unsteadily to his feet.

The dragon man’s baritone voice echoed across the mountainside as he uttered some kind of half-assed thanks, a sort of tsundere expression of gratitude that Summer tuned out as he took a quick gander across the mountainside. Small rocks and pebbles bounced down the cliffs with a light clatter. A small frown spread over the monster’s face. He was half tempted to ask Sonny to hurl himself off the cliff face. He’d probably be able to handle the tumble, but that could kick off a landslide that’d bury him too. It just wasn’t worth the risk. Looked like he was going to have to take the fun way down. Still as obstinately silent as ever, he set off down the most stable path he could see, paying no mind as to whether the other two followed.

637 Words

[Miranda Frost]

The battle seemed to be growing stale and then Kuzu-boy happened.

 Whatever he did to the dragon went into effect. The result was something that never bode well, the splitting of the party. Miranda braced herself as the explosion ruptured the cliff-face, sending Frost and the magical pretty boy of the other group sliding down the cliff face. To that end, she'd thrust her claws into the slope, slowing her descent tremendously. Boulders would pound against her body, attempting to persuade her otherwise.  Eventually she'd hit the bottom, her feet sliding to a stop.

 She'd dust herself off, her dark coat stained with the white of this realm's ash. For the first time in  what seemed an eternity, quiet washed over her, a moment's reprieve after that intense battle. She wasn't the only one  that had fallen from this cliff face. That pretty boy had not been the only one to fall, she had sensed it. Her eye glanced about the rubble, her crimson light falling upon a single white limb. 

 "Syn...", she mumbled, her claws gripping at the rubble atop of him, ripping and tossing it from atop the tall bastard. His resemblence to a dragon was uncanny, and revealing that ugly face of his only served to piss her off. She had enough of dragons for a lifetime and now she'd have to make sure this one didn't drop dead. The other didn't seem in that good of a shape either. Miranda wasn't sure if this was either stupidity or sheer bravado, but Summer seemed to have the right idea with moving on. However, simply the act of leaving in such bad shape left a bad taste in her mouth.

 With that the earth began to tremble, the ground bursting and exploding not to far in the distance.  They needed to get out of here and quick. Miranda would close the distance between the two, her claw gripping onto the person's shoulder, halting him.

 "I don't give a flying rat's ass if you arn't feeling warm about us, but you are in shitty shape. This place is falling apart at the seems and yet you have the nerve not to ask for assistance?", Miranda would say, her voice heavy with irritation. She'd circle around him, her shadow casting over him.

 "Miranda Frost,", she'd introduce herself, beginning to lead the small injured group down the winding, jagged path.

 "...Summer...", The guy would reply, crossing his arms close to his chest.

 "So you do speak. You'd leave me to believe I was working with a mute.", she'd say with a laugh, bringing her leg about to kick a boulder from their path. The ground would tremor once more, the path behind the beginning to collapse in on itself. Miranda turned, her crimson eye watching as the path began to fall and took off, her claw gripping a tight hold upon Summer's wrist. "Time to move."

 This reminded the white haired blade of the day she first came to the Ashen. She had taken refuge in a cave to rest herself from the then unbearable heat. The cave ruptured, with burning spouts of lava chasing her from her refuge. She wasn't the only one of course, as two other primes there were running from the same thing. It was because of their skills and abilities that she was able to escape. 

 Back to the present, they were faced with a similar issue. 

 Her feet pounded over the path with Summer in tow and the dragon man, Syn following close behind.  The end of the path lie just ahead.

[Nebula]

The ground shook violently as another crater erupted in the distance, causing the trio of Summer Murdoch, Miranda Frost and Syn Shenron to stop and catch their balance. "We have to keep going!" Summer shouted over the sounds of the mountain literally crumbling around them. He made eye contact with Miranda, who nodded her head. They both began to move again, using their hands on the various fallen rocks to keep them standing. Another loud cracking sound came behind them and they spun just in time to see a huge boulder falling straight down.

Syn Shenron had his hands up and he caught it with enough force to push him down towards the earth underneath him. He grunted, both strong arms above his head, growling in pain as he sank a bit into the broken path.

"Syn!" Miranda shouted. She didn't know this strange dragon man from anyone else, but she certainly didn't want to see him crushed.

"Don't!" Summer reached out to stop her from moving towards him. From nearby, a huge crater blasted its glowing orange liquid and completely covered where Syn Shenron had been standing under the boulder. The tough man didn't scream for help or show any sign of panic, but he was in too deep underneath the weight to do anything about it. Summer yanked Miranda backwards and they both rolled a dozen feet back before catching themselves. When they looked up, the only thing that remained there was the lava oozing its way towards them.

The only option was down. They couldn't stop to think about what had happened to Syn Shenron. They continued the trek down the mountain path.

Towards the bottom of the mountain, they heard a familiar voice. "Summer!" Both of them looked up to see Morene Fellon, who seemed much more alive and well then the last time they saw her. Behind her was the young mage known as Ebony Hellscythe.

"Summer!" She repeated, and proceeded to glomp her blonde friend. He laughed and hugged her, clearly relieved to see his friends.

"Where is Claptrap?" Miranda asked. There was no concern in her voice, only curiosity. Or at least, that's how she attempted to sound.

"Wait for meeeeee!" Claptrap was screaming as he rolled over a ramp-like structure of rocks and boulders to fly through the air. Everyone stopped and paused  to admire the sight of him soaring through the dangerous skies, until he  came crashing down suddenly into Miranda's arms. He looked up. "Hi Miranda!" He said cheerfully. She dropped him in a huff.

The five had convened at a crossroads towards the bottom of the crumbling mountain. The volcano itself was bursting above them at a constant state, which was a big reason they had moved as fast as they did. Lava continued to envelop the top of the structure above them, and they could see glowing red dots in the distance to signify the rest of the corrupted verse was destroying itself as well.

"Heeeeey!" They heard a high-pitched voice scream at them. "Hey, come on! This way!" Wendy Koopa stood in front of a small, floating portal. She was hovering as well in her egg-liked vehicle, using her magic wand to keep the portal open. "The Darkspawn are all gone! This is the only way out!"

Full of questions and but no time to actually ask them, the five Liberators of the Ashen Steppes bolted for the exit.

Summer Murdoch! Miranda Frost! Morene Fellon! Ebony Hellscythe! Claptrap! You are all now Liberators of the Ashen Steppes and have gained positive recognition in the entire verse, but especially with the Koopa Kingdom.

Upon arriving at Wendy Garrison, the group finds that the darkspawn are being pushed from the verse and the Koopas are starting to regain their foothold on the surface (while still thriving underground). They are welcome to stay at Wendy's and get fully rested and healed.

Syn Shenron is dead. Please see this page for what happens now.

Morene has a brand of Nebula somewhere on her body. Location is up to you.

Everyone needs to post an exit roleplay before continuing about their journey in the Omniverse. No deadline or word limit.

Thank you all for the awesome thread, hope to see you in the finale when it eventually happens.

[Morene Fellon]

Morene opened her eyes after exiting the portal. 

Fresh air.

At least, as fresh as ash could be. Still, it was much more bearable than the awful aura of the Nebula space she had been in only five minutes previously. Planting her feet directly onto the ground, Morene shifted her weight to observe her surroundings easier. Looking over, the scenery didn't change much in terms of comfort. That was none of her concern at the moment however, as her comrades either lay or stand upon the rocky ground beneath them now. 

Breathing in, Morene felt a slight sting on her back. She sighed, already figuring where the source of the pain was, and she paid no mind. The Dark Chip would surely have it's effects on her later. Unless...

The woman shook her head, unwilling to accept that she perhaps avoided any side-effects as due result of dealing with haunted artifacts of power for so long. 

Screeching of molten rock could be heard in the distance, but other than that, it was silent for a moment. A moment Morene could relish.


As expected, the quiet didn't last long. 

Sounds of tiny propellers came into earshot. Wendy, Morene assumed, remembering the battlecries of the strange turtle-like creatures from before having to do with her. 

Turning around, Morene awaited for the Koopaling to speak her piece, as the woman figured she had much to say. 


"Well," she chirped ever so suddenly, "you all coming? It's hot out here!"

"You could say that again!" Claptrap responded almost instantly. Morene could already feel a headache going on listening to those two exchanges of high-pitched words alone. After having a near-death experience in the middle of a dark energy void, the huntress didn't really want to deal with two gremlins getting to know each other. In a way, she thought, it was sort of endearing. 

Morene realized eventually that she'd have to deal with it either way. Her priorities were focused on her allies, and as she turned to face the other direction to hide a scoff, the woman saw Summer relatively injured nearby, kneeling on the jagged rocks. Ebony was clutching onto him, exhausted and dozing off. Jogging over, Morene took no time at all to outstretch her arms and begin speaking. 

"You two, please get into my arms. I'll carry you to the garrison; we'll sure to get treatment there," Morene gently ordered of them. 

Ebony was already looking like she was going to fall over, and Summer had to admit, he wasn't in the best of shapes either, despite being joyous that his friends were still alive. 

"Wait, just...? In your arms? Are you sure about that?" Summer groaned in slight pain. Surely, he doubted the woman would be able to carry both of them at once, but then again, he was in no position to turn down an offer to not walk for an elongated amount of time. Morene signaled further for them to get up, crouching down as she did so.

"Come on now, hun. I'm in better shape than both of you combined, which isn't saying much, but I want you two rested."

Without much thought, Ebony looked over with a very slight smile, her eyes fluttering in exhaustion. Slumbering over, the scythe-wielding girl fell into Morene's right arm, the huntress not even flinching as she did so. Making sure the girl was in a comfortable position, or at least as comfortable as sleeping in the arm of a power armored knight-errant could be, the woman tilted her head towards Summer. Rolling his eyes, Summer finally decided to walk over to the towering girl offering him an actual piggyback ride, hopping into her left arm with relative ease. 

Almost immediately, Morene hoisted the two upwards along with the rest of her body weight, turning over to Wendy to see her still chatting up the robot. The huntress couldn't exactly hear what was being said at the moment, but she couldn't help but not care all that much. It was strange feeling how warm Ebony's magical presence was in her arm, especially in contrast with Summer, almost feeling... cold. Though, that could have been him being flustered; he was trying his best not to make eyesight with the vanguard carrying him. 


For now, Morene enjoyed the calm. She could not anticipate the hardships to come in regards to completing her quest, but making it this far gave her a slight boost in confidence, if she didn't have enough already. 

With her newfound health, Morene carries her two new besties Summer and Ebony like newborn twins in anticipation to go rest at Wendy's Garrison for a moment before the finale. 

[Summer]

Sweet success...

Summer closed his eyes and tilted his head back, taking in a deep breath of the overly ashy air, welcoming the more natural sensations he got from it, even as it burned his lungs. He was just glad to finally be free of that other, slightly worse hellhole. It was nice to be out of that constructed world and it’s false air, and back in with the real wind and weather. Or at least, real insofar as it was constructed by a force that wasn’t suffocatingly dark and dreary. Omni at least had a decent sense of what atmosphere should be like. Just another thing to be thankful for, he supposed.

His entire body ached with every small jostle in Morene’s step, as she carried him and Ebony back to the Wendy Garrison in the distance. That was another thing he was tentatively grateful for. On one hand, that dragon had done a number on him, even despite his other half’s impressive defenses. Once the adrenaline wore off, he doubted he’d have been able to walk with his injuries, or have the energy to do so without resorting to consuming the magic of his body to get there. His body was unstable enough as is, he didn’t need to destabilize it any more.

Of course on the other hand, being carried like a child was an odd feeling to say the least. Especially in his current form. It just felt... awkward.... That wasn’t to say he felt embarrassed or the like, it just felt like his body wasn’t small enough for this to not look weird. But since his body wasn’t yet stable enough to try shifting his size, it was just going to stay that way.

His mind wandered idly, vaguely recounting the day’s events before he inevitably passed out. All the killing he did, all the wounds he received.... Thinking back, there was a lot he could have done better with, had he not been so excited in the heat of the moment. One big thing that occurred to him was how quickly he rushed into it all. He didn’t even give himself a chance to stabilize his body, make it so that a ‘mortal’ wound, such as a stake through his heart, wouldn’t just dissolve his body. Nor had he taken a moment to connect himself with the local climate, give him something to draw from and heal. Both were necessary tools for him, they were what kept him alive so long back in his home world. Going without them was tantamount to suicide.

At least this time he hadn’t been so shortsighted as to go without allies. Admittedly, just that mere thought was odd; that in this world he needed allies. But that was how it worked, and if he had to adapt, so be it. They’d certainly saved his hide more than once. Not just Ebony and Morene, but also Jim and Sun, who had rescued him from the sandman.

“...Thanks, Morene,” the storm spirit mumbled almost silently, staying limp in her arms, making no effort to open his eyes or lift his head to face her. “It may have been my other half active, but you saved both of us. If you ever need a favor, from one or both, just let us know.”

“Naturally!” The amount of cheer in the soldier’s voice caught Summer off guard. “Anything for a man who bled on my side of combat!” It almost felt like she was shooting him down, really. A ‘you’ve already staked your life on this, so don’t expect anything huge’ sort of thing.

Well, at least it was out of the way and off the table. Summer turned his mind back to deliberating on what came next, which honestly wasn’t that hard of a decision, or so he thought. Right now, he wasn’t in any shape to fight. If Nebula reared up and showed their ugly mug once again, there wasn’t a lot he could do. While returning to his monstrous glory and going back to those times where he’d take a spear through the throat just to freak someone out sounded infinitely more fun, he needed to think logically. He couldn’t just take spears through the throat willy-nilly without first being in the shape to take spears through the throat. That made the decision all the more clear.

He concentrated, reaching down into his far too drained pool of mana, and more importantly, the very magic of his own being. All he needed to do was tie it to the weather itself and...

“You better not be doing what I thi-” his other half’s voice, and indeed his own consciousness, simply cut off as nothingness enveloped them.

Summer hitches a ride.
And passes the fuck out.
He's got regen now so his wounds should start stitching up slowly, if you want to be caught off guard by that or something.

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Ebony murmured gently to herself, pressing up against Morene and trying to sleep. Her eyelids drooped, fluttering open every so often, only to close a few seconds. She wasn't fully lucid, but nor had she fallen into rest. Each small movement produced by Morene's walking felt like an earthquake, and while she tried to ignore it, eventually one would break through her mental defences, causing her to flinch. In one such motion, she'd reached out, grasping one of Summer's arms and clutching it. It was just there, a cold, friendly, squishy object. Hugging it against her chest, she sighed, leaning back into Morene. With each advance, they moved closer to the castle, closer to beds, and closer to comfort...

Falling.
Slipping.
Ebony grasped, reaching out for something, anything, to halt her descent. 
Sluggish arms flailed in the still air.
Bare legs kicked out.
Silent screaming.
Crashing, plunging down into the sea.
Thick liquid lapped at her, unseen tendrils claiming her legs, pulling her,
down
down
into the depths.
Hands fanned through water, phasing through it as if it wasn't there.
Mouth gaping in desperation, not even bubbles escaped.
Magic, power, strength.
Could she take it?
Could it help her?
She steadied, channelling her might.
Nothing.
Failure.
She tried to stomp, 
legs unmoving.
Immobile.
Ice. Cold. Freezing.
Cubes, blocks of it fell with her, dragged to the endless depths.
People. Shocked. Motionless.
Friends trapped inside them.
Captain.
The Crew.
She reached out.
Shattering fragments. Blinding light. Broken.
gone
A hand reached through.

She took it, letting it pull her into the harsh light. Shakily, Ebony steadied herself. Her saviour shifted, first a woman - Morene. Later developing an appearance she recognised as Sonny, and then Summer. He smiled, ruffling her hair with his other hand. She couldn't. She missed home, wanted to go back. Taking his wrist, she moved his arm between the two of them. Solemnly, he nodded, understanding, and offered his hand yet again, planning to show the way. She thought for a moment, thinking before reaching out with her own. Fingers curled, ready to grip, lightly brushing against his skin.

It fell off.

The hand flopped, dropping out of Ebony's lax grip, leaving a charred stump behind on its owner's arm.

Falling.

Ebony sat up with a jolt, still clenching Summer. The sudden movement made Morene fumble as the petite girl's head almost met her chin. Tipping, they were a slowly capsizing boat in the waves, tilted just a little bit too far past equilibrium. Accelerating, velocity increasing over time as the seemingly minor motion built up.

Her back hit the floor, rocks dug in through her cloak. In her fall, she'd gripped tighter, pulling Summer with her in an effort to avoid meeting the floor. With a soft thump, the unconscious man had landed on her, legs dangling off to the side, and while he was cushioned from the fall in part, it made the experience a lot worse for Ebony. Back pressed against the floor deeper than before, Ebony shuffled, still shaking in fear. The scene lingered in her mind.

Morene looked down in worry and guilt, reaching to hoist Summer back into her arms. "Ebony, dear I am so sorry."

Summer's comatose body limped against Morene, and while balancing him, she bent down offering Ebony her other hand.

Still unthinking, Ebony lay there, slowly inching her back off the rugged ground.

"Ebony?"

She flinched, looking at the hand before hastily pushing herself back. Away from it. She shuddered, coughing. Slowly coming to her senses.

"...um."

Mumbling, Ebony's gaze ran over Summer. Before she hadn't gotten a proper look at his wounds, but now. Now she could see how grave they were. Almost as bad as Morene's when she almost...

That didn't matter. What did matter, was that Summer was hurt, and unconscious.

Attempting to ignore Morene's... offer. Ebony pried herself to her feet, summoning her scythe to do so. She stumbled on numb legs initially, before making her way to Summer.

Poke.

Lightly, Ebony gripped the sleeve of his shirt, giving it a faint tug. "Summer... Please be okay." She slurred the words slightly, mind returning to sleep mode. They were near to the castle now, but she hadn't rested long.

"Shh, he's recovering. Look closely dear," Morene spoke, attempting to calm Ebony.

Sure enough, the smaller cuts were slowly stitching themselves together. And the larger ones, while they looked bag, seemed to be healing underneath all the scabbing and blood.

"Oh." She wobbled, leaning on her scythe while Morene lifted Summer into her arms.

Making a vague gesture, she attempted to prompt Ebony to join him.

"I-I'm okay..." She looked down, idly kicking a small rock. The remaining walk was short, but she was tired, barely staying awake yet clinging on with the tips of her fingers.

The pair travelled onwards, Morene perhaps guessing why Ebony had chosen to stay awake, and offering token conversation. Nothing much, just short, idle, passing questions. Like favourite foods, to which Ebony had muttered cake. Nonetheless, they eventually made it to the castle, Ebony barely paying enough attention to realise they were indoors, nearly falling when they made it to a set of stairs. Lightly, she'd been petting Summer's head. His dumb messy black hair was kinda silly to her.

She giggled, before quickly stifling it as it turned into a cough, again reminded of the wound on her chest.

Primes can heal, can't they? Didn't someone say that?

Or maybe she was just being hopeful. Nonetheless, she didn't know how, and the mages back home had never taught her healing magic.

At Morene's indication, Ebony tiredly pushed another door open with her magic. It led into a small room with a single bed and standard furnishings - about the size of her one back at the tower. Carefully, Morene released Summer, laying him down on the comforter. "Come on, dear, let's get you to bed."

"B-but Summer-"

"Will be fine." The older women looked down at her, shadowy circles visible under her eyes. "We both need sleep."

Not wanting to argue, Ebony obeyed, letting Morene carry her to the bed in another room, before tucking her in after her cloak, boots, and gloves were removed. She did so quickly, while slowed by fatigue, it had been a long day - no need to drag it out.

Yet, impulsively, like a child on Christmas night, Ebony listened, ears attentively trained down the hall.

Click.

That would be Morene's door closing, she assumed.

As stealthily as she could, she tiptoed out of her room and back down the hall.

She had to keep an eye on Summer. What if he needed something? What if his wounds stopped healing?

And, in truth, Ebony didn't want to sleep. She subconsciously dreaded what would happen if she closed her eyes.

Reaching out with her magic, she pulled a cushioned chair to the side of his bed, looking at the goofy sleeping expression on his face. Mouth agape. Drooling. Tounge almost spilling out the side, and eyebrows furrowed, as if in thought.

She sat there for a while, almost giddy about breaking unspoken rules. She was sure Morene would understand though.

She blinked. Eyes closing for a bit longer than a second.

Shaking her head, causing loose hair to splay down her sides and onto Summer's face, she tried to keep herself awake. Just a little bit longer.

His nose scrunched, sniffling.

She almost laughed but had to stop herself. Besides the faint noises of breathing, and the rumbling in the distance, it was eerily silent. Shuffling to the side to prevent the same thing happening again, she examined his burns in the dim light. They'd healed and didn't look as sore as before. That was good, she thought.

Blinking one last time, Ebony slumped back in the chair, head tilted forwards slightly - just enough to put her in danger of falling forwards. This time, however, her rest was unplagued with fear, her body and mind both being too tired to even dream.

1337 words.

Eb, Morene, and Summer at all resting at Wendy Castle. Eb is being a rebel. Row row fite da powah!

Going to start a new thread next. Anyone else from the Ashen DD is welcome to join that - when we make it - and rp with us. And anyone who wasn't can just shoot me a PM.

P.S. Thanks for running this Blink, and thanks to everyone else who participated. Even if you attacked Eb and almost killed Morene. It was a blast guys. Dunno who's doing the finale with me, but hopefully that'll be just as awesome.

[Claptrap]

Claptrap tumbled from the portal, trying to balance himself before slipping and landing flat on his face. Miranda followed from the portal, keeping her footing perfectly, and peered at the robot with a semi-concerned look on her face. "Claptrap?" She asked. Before she could continue, however, Claptrap interrupted her with a sound that halfway between a laugh and a sob. "Aaaagh we almost died!" Claptrap wailed. "But we didn't! We're alive! Can you believe, it, Miranda, we're alive!" Jumping to his 'feet' Claptrap spun in place and pumped his fist in the air. "No one can kill us!" 

Miranda was obviously a little concerned with the robots newfound invincibility complex, but her thoughts were interrupted by Wendy Koopa. "Are you coming?" The koopa asked. "You can recover in Wendy Garrison." Miranda considered for a moment, but was interrupted by Claptrap. "Actually, we'll head back to our own base. The boss will want to see us." Wendy shrugged and turned to leave. "Whatever you say. I'll see you around." The two blades watched the koopa and the other liberators leave. As left their view, Claptrap turned to Miranda. "Don't worry, I know you can't stand her voice either." The irony was not lost on Miranda.

"Oh man, I'm so glad that we survived. I think this calls for a hi-five, eh?" Claptrap said, raising his hand for the ultimate celebration of victory. Miranda simply stared blankly at the robot' hand for a moment, before tilting her head downwards to meet his gaze. "A hi-what?" Claptrap gasped, his metaphorical jaw dropping to the floor. "You don't know - you - y - how do you not know what a hi-five is?" Claptrap sputtered like a dying car engine, which was an apt description of him at the moment. Miranda simply shrugged. 

"I guess I have to teach you, then." Claptrap said. "Just put your arm up like mine." Miranda responded by raising her arm like she wanted to ask a question. "What is it?" Claptrap asked. "This is what you told me to do, isn't it?" Miranda responded, confused and a little irritated. Claptrap was baffled for a moment, before realising that he did, indeed, have his arm straight up, as he was too short to hold his arm normally. "No, no, I'm just, uh, vertically challenged. Bend your arm so it's about shoulder height." Miranda complied, holding her arm in the optimum hi-five position. "Now, here comes the good part. Slap my hand, with feeling!" Claptrap shouted excitedly, as if he was reaching the climax of an action movie. Miranda did as he asked, and the two performed the woman's first hi-five. 

"Pretty good for a first timer." Claptrap remarked. "Remember that for next time." Miranda nodded exhaustedly, too tired to argue with the robot. "Can we just go back to the fortress, I feel like I'll drop dead any moment." "Sure thing!" Claptrap chirped. As the two made their way to a more open area to summon a vehicle, Miranda turned to Claptrap. "Did you record the fight?" Claptrap blinked, caught off guard by the question slightly, but did his best nod. "Yeah, I got it all. The bossman would kill us if I didn't." Miranda simply nodded back. It was probably true.

       .

[Miranda Frost]

"Oh?", Miranda would muse, her crimson eye glancing down upon  the bot. The female cyborg would kneel behind the clunky hunk of metal and circuits, her claws travelling over the bot's backside as to take  a few minor measurements of the robot's frame. Her claws would glow in a myriad of vibrant colors. Her eye narrowed, focusing the harness omnilinium against the backside of the bot, her hands shifting to a flaming crimson. Miranda had begun crafting leather straps upon Claptrap's backside, fastened down by a few choice screws, careful not to accidentally damage the already hurt bot.

 "What are you doing back there? I'll have you know that I'm not programmed for that kind of smut!"

 Miranda merely shook her head and gripped the straps, tugging on them to test their durability. She'd smirk with satisfaction before hoisting the bot up, her arms looping  through the straps, tightening the mildly amusing piece of machinery to her back. She'd begin her march back up to the blade's fortress. 

 "You need to go on a diet, big boy", Miranda would tease, her eyes narrowing upon the path before her. 

 It was fortunate, though, that Claptrap was able to make a recording of the battle they had just fought. The ordeal with the older woman of that other group bothered her. Miranda saw Renji put a sizable hole in her and put her out of commission for the rest of the fight, yet there she was in the aftermath, undamaged. She hadn't shown any regenitive properties before then, so how the hell was she able to be in the condition, let alone stand.

 The whole ordeal, made her head spin and sickened her core.

 "Claptrap, You saw Morene get hit by the Boss, right? How do you think she recovered so quickly?"