Day 2 Morning

[The Spirit]

“Greetings Hero! Congratulations on killing the Guardian! Beware! That area of the map is disappearing! Run while you can Hero’s! I also have some good news! The Earthquake has caused a guardian to come out of it’s hiding place, it’s right by th----” His voice was interrupted.

--------------
All the champions were going about their business when suddenly the sky was showing a strange green glow was weaved across the clouds. A strange voice echoed through the morning sky, "Ow what a boring little game this is, your scramble for a mere crumb of power is pathetic. But no more, no longer shall my power be suppressed by this measly wizard, once more I shall rise and take my place as ruler, as king,..as a god! I shall put an end to this theatre." The fierce unknown voice echoed loudly, almost as if someone was speaking into the heaven's microphone.

"Alas, there is still the nuisance of being trapped here with the likes of you, an inconvenience that will soon come to change. Within my possession I hold a piece of your precious armor. If you wish to obtain it you shall come to me like the obedient little dogs you are and beg me for it. Pledge your allegiance to me and the object is yours, I might even spare your miserable little lives when this is all over. Also, you do know the unspoken truth about heroes don't you? They die young..."

The strange green light that was dancing through the air marked the way to go, as if inviting the heroes to follow the path that was being drawn into the sky.

Storm has disappeared
A9-13 to E9-13 is disappearing forever
There is an Easter Egg for a Relic. PM the Spirit if you wish to participate and a separate queue to be used for the EE. I do not do take backs for Easter Eggs.
You will be returning to the same spot after said easter egg
Guardian Difficulty- ???

[The Spirit]

WARLOCK MAGIC
MICKEY MOUSE, BELLE, WEISS, RUBY, PROTO MAN

The freshly beaten primes walk out of the cave to see a floating, purple apparition. The bony finger pointed at the tired primes. His fresh skin holding tight to the bones. His face scowled at the primes before speaking.

“Stop this foolishness at once! You shall not release him! You shall pay the price!” The purple figure made a pulling motion and the from the primes wounds, blood began flowing into his skin. His body glowed with a much less pale color and seemed a bit fuller rather than just a skeleton. He let out a weasley laughter as he disappeared from their sight.

Warlock Magic Triggered
This cannot trigger for these primes until the next phase
Rolled a 7+2 = 9 Minor Penalty
All primes listed lost 2 HP

[Ururu Kyuuei]

-=:|Early Evening|:=-

Night had settled as Ururu walked a trail by moonlight, a blur in the darkness though caught her attention and heart to perk up. With little fanfare a purple blob of skin like clothes and tentacles came running at her at the speed of a snail running for its life. At first she thought it had been the supposed foes she was supposed to face. Her heart racing but then she could count on her left hand the number of times she had faced something the color. She was about ready to launch herself at it with her strongest punch when she saw pale skin interconnecting the purple in the most distinctive way…

If she had been a little bit older, the look would have been fetching, even sexy. But as it was it was cute and only one thing was that cute and adorable.

“Desco!” Ururu barked in surprise.

The girl’s charge broke more into a natural run as she flung herself into a proper greeting befitting her age. A bear hug that left Ururu’s waist aching.

-=:|Late Last Night|:=-

The firelight burned quietly compared to the rumble of thunder in the distance. Still the otherworldly feeling ached in her chest, point at some place. Here though it was different, she could feel it pointing some place new, some place different from when she had been nearer to the city. Maybe it was the sight of the disappearing sky that had her most at peace, almost like being out on a mission with Hikaru raiding some ruin.

“So what’s in the bag, one of those relics?” Dante asked carefully before adding, “or is the bag a relic?” Turnabout apparently was indeed fair play in this case. Obviously her interrogation of his person had earned her much the same.

It only gave her a moment’s pause before she chuckled scratchily while revealing her loot. One was a book she had been studying regarding this culture’s gods and religion. Several others were resting on her pilfered bedroll.

“More books, I raided them from a manor. Bit of every subject I could find.” Plus an empty journal and a rather classic quill and ink set she planned to get as much use out of as possible. This was a proper collection of knowledge, unlike that sterile Coruscant library.

The man grunted, “Anything about weapons?”

Ururu looked up long enough to give him a searching stare before pulling the book second from the bottom from her stack and handed it over. “Ye forging of military weapons.” Ururu said with a mockingly antiquated accent. She had after all dabbed in such things enough to make her own gloves, but it was still a valued tome if outdated. History like no other.

As Dante learned over to grab it Ururu’s hand latched onto his with a look, “Its old, damage it and you’ll be waking up in the Nexus.”

His only reply was a reassuring nod.

[Albert Wesker]

Before Day 1 Evening Warlock Magic

He'd thought at first to stay off the road, and keep out of immediate sight. Take what time he could to let his damage management systems cope with the severity of his injuries. He'd taken his fair share of beatings in the past, some of which had even been more severe than this one, but he'd always had the option to fall back and jack out; retreat back to his operator's PET for recompiling and repair. All but the most grievous of damage could be repaired within a short time. And even if he should fall in battle...he always had a real-time uplink to his backup. He would be missing minutes of memory at most, and be back in action within a few days of work from his operator.

But he didn't have that luxury now. Baryl wasn't here. There was no cyber world to retreat from. Any repairs would need to be done on his own.

B-B-ZZzzzT-SSHKRRzzzTtt....

The mangled remains of his stomach sent out a cascade of sparks, another fragment of his armored exterior falling loose, his face twisting in pain. Even with his systems minimizing the impairment to his overall performance as best they could, nulling the pain and re-routing damaged functions to bypass the damage to his motor control systems, it didn't completely block any of it out. His legs were still sluggish to respond, making even this leisurely walk through the thick brush along the roadside a tough chore. His left arm was still warped and damaged from being knocked out of its socket. He had managed to reseat it, but... Well, if nothing else, Its range of motion was still mostly in effect...if he'd had a firearm he could possibly still have fired it from the hip. He could probably use it as a sword arm if he had to, but it wouldn't be pleasant. It sent waves of numb cold and pain down the length of his arm and spine to move it more than a little, both things he hadn't felt so intensely in a long time.

Back onto the road, out in the open, just to ease his travel he went...

————————————

He had come across mountains, looming ahead in his aimless path. There was no way he was going to have an easy time climbing them, if he could even manage it at all. There was really no point in climbing them. There was always the chance that one of the Guardians might be lurking up there, making its lair among the peaks, but... The climb was for someone else to make. The relic would be found either way, and it could be retrieved at some later time.

Colonel would go around.

And he went around, skirting the peaks in a long, slow trek. He encountered surprisingly little difficulty, trudging through the dusty environs. A thick covering of ash and dust soon settled over him, along with everything else in the area, and made his already labored breathing all the more haggard. The winding, meandering trail he left behind him was shortly enough covered over once again in a thick layer of grit, as if he'd never been there at all.

At some point he began to feel a familiar sensation, prodding lightly but insistently at his mind, drawing his attention. It took him a long while to recognize it, but it finally dawned on him where he'd felt it before: when he had been ambushed by one of the Guardians. One of them was nearby.

That train of thought was pushed out of his mind by the sound of voices. Two of them, one much more audible than the other. Whoever they were, they didn't seem much like they were on the best of terms. It didn't seem like outright violence was on the schedule, but... Well they certainly weren't going to be working together longer than necessary. Mention of a "virus" brought a little bit of extra spring to Colonel's step, deep-ingrained instincts in his primary coding kicking to life abruptly, and the reflexive act of readying his saber being met with the expected results.

...which was to say, no results. Only the increasingly familiar Function OFFLINE message across his HUD.

He scowled at the sheer irritation of being robbed at his familiar weaponry yet again. The weapons had been coded along with him, they were part of him. To be just outright denied their use was a source of great irritation. Not not as great, it seemed, as the irritation for the suited individual that a certain green-skinned man held.

The crackle of his exposed internal circuitry once again made itself known, betraying his presence. His expression tightened as the pair of his fellow 'champions' turned to regard him — one with an icy, calculating expression, the other with a disgruntled, angry one. Their gaze zeroed in on the bracers he wore, then on him as a whole. "If you're going to make a move for these..." he started, his voice much stronger than his condition might have indicated, "...save it. Until all of them have been found they're not worth wasting energy over. Save it for the guardians of the rest of them."

The man in the suit merely gave a slight nod of his head. "That would be the most logical course of action."

After a moment, in which his eye had let off a rather disquieting glow as it zeroed in intently on the newcomer, the green individual let out a disgruntled sigh. "Yeah, yeah...strength in numbers. Whatever."

At least they hadn't attacked on sight, Colonel thought wryly.

The other new arrival went unnoticed for the moment, his lax demeanor hiding him better than any intentional effort could have done.

After the Warlock Magic

A ragged cough went up from the cyber soldier, sparks flickering and crackling from every joint and wound in his body for several seconds. Unknown affliction; system not compromised, function not impaired. .....power reserves drained. Unknown cause. The message flickered rapidly across his HUD, in bright, obnoxious red. "That...would be a good thing to avoid in the future..." he muttered, to no one in particular.

[The Spirit]

CHALLENGE
CENOBIA vs. LINK, MAKOTO YUKI, ERIK VRELL

Cornered by the trio of primes Cenobiaa was backed against a wall. The shuddering rise and fall of its chest belied its fearsome stare. The stone-plated guardian was on the verge of collapsing, stubbornly clinging to life as a mortally wounded animal would. The three warriors looked as battered and beaten as their quarry, but they stood defiantly against the beast. With a thunderous roar the ancient bull rushed towards the psychic. Erik taunted the beast once more, forcing it to commit to its devastating charge. His injured body strained itself to the limit as he dove to try and avoid the oncoming blow. Cenobia rampaged closer, tearing through an archway and sending massive chunks of stone through the air. One of the blocks smashed into Erik’s legs, shattering one and pinning him to the ground. He screamed in agony as his bones snapped like twigs.
　　
Link yelled in fury as he leaped high into the air. In his hands a weighted hammer, nearly the size of the boy manifested. Cenobia turned to charge the sling-wielding high-schooler. Heavy hoofbeats thundered forth with intent to trample Yuki. The green-clad youth hurtled from the heavens like an earth-bound star, hammer ready to strike. The earth shook and a thunderclap rattled the ancient ruins as he nailed Cenobia’s skull into the ground. The stone mask cracked and began to crumble as the guardian behind the visage went limp.
　　
“Got him!” Link laughed as he jumped to the side of the broken beast.
　　
The sound of creaking bones and cracking ice emanated from the dying guardian. Its deathrattle was both horrid and loud, but it also meant that it was not quite exterminated. With a shuddering surge a dinner-plate sized hoof thrashed outward, slamming into Link’s sternum forcing him from his feet. A dying star, Cenobia thrashed violently and scrambled to its shaking legs. Stumbling and swaying like a drunkard the guardian rushed forward like a runaway car. Unbearable force slammed into Yuki and sent him flying into a nearby wall. The back of his head rebounded with a sickening crack off the stone building. He fell to his knees, blood pouring from the large wound on the back of his head. His vision was blurred, but he could hear the approaching train threatening to end his life here and now.
　　
　　Do or die.
　　
　　Sink or swim.
　　
Cenobia slammed into the poor youth, but even the monstrous creature’s prodigous momentum was halted in the face of the Omnipotent orb. The pale purple aura had save Yuki’s life and now held the beast frozen. But even the powerful orb had its limits, the flickering and waning of Makoto’s aura resigned him to a painful death. He closed his eyes and accepted his death.
　　
　　But it did not come.
　　
No, a massive shaft of pure psionic energy skewered the beast’s heart. Erik had mustered a devastatingly precise strike to the monster’s vitals. With a final shuddering breath Cenobia collapsed under its own weight, leaving the gleaming breastplate to whoever would chose to accept its mantle
　　
[spoiler]　　GUARDIAN SLAIN
　　
Erik Vrell has a broken femur. 8 damage (Major Wound)
　　
Makoto Yuki has a vicious concussion. 7 damage (Moderate Wound)
　　
Link has a cracked sternum and will have difficulty breathing. 6 damage (Moderate Wound)
　　
Relic has been recovered.

All three have spent 1 SP respectively
　　
Erik, Link and Yuki check your PMS[/spoiler]

[Ada Wong]

Weird light-shows in the sky, a few odd voices booming over the island, it was all rather spectacular. It really was too bad that Crowley wasn’t in a position to appreciate the particular vein of masterminding behind this whole unpleasant twist of fate, because he just might have enjoyed it otherwise.

The rain had let up several long hours before, a fact which Crowley was very glad for. A few chance droplets of rain lightly peppered against the sand, mingling easily with the lathery, cotton-white folds of sea foam washing against the shore, but it was nowhere near the scriptural deluge it had been before. The rainstorm appeared to have lifted, at least for now, and was surely moving off from his little patch of visible shoreline.

When he looked out to sea, the fallen angel was able to see how, in-keeping with the beliefs of centuries long past in Earth years, the world simply dropped off into an abyss of climbing vapors and pale, indistinctly flowing fairy lights. They flickered and willowed through the greenish-blue surface shine of the glassy waves, almost as if there were hundreds of ships signaling to the island through the curtain of fog. The intermingled, shuddering sounds of pattering rain and coursing saltwater was almost deafening.

With his head bowed and his eyes swiveling this way and that so as to better scan every inch of the sandy dunes around him, Crowley swiftly began to grow bored. If there was a guardian of some kind here, looking after one of Hero Teucer’s relics, then surely he would have encountered it by now. Yet, wherever he looked, not a single stone had been notably disturbed and the telling impressions of footprints were nowhere to be found.

“This is ridiculous,” Crowley sniffed, overturning a rock with his shoe. A tiny sand crab skittered out from under it, pinching ineffectually at the open breeze. “You’d think there might be a teensy hint around here somewhere, but no. Unlessss……” he trailed off, staring out at the choppy, dark-tipped waves.

Could there be something lurking out in those abyssal depths? A kraken, perhaps, or some other colossal cephalopod? Leviathan?

No. No, of course not. Crowley shook his head as if to clear it of such preposterous thinking. There was absolutely no conceivable way that would work. He didn’t recall Teucer passing out diving equipment, after all, and it would seem like a pretty enormous oversight not to mention some gargantuan aquatic beast skulking along the island’s shores.

An irritated huff slipped past his lips as his trusty weapon let out some absolutely unearthly wail. He had stopped nearly leaping out of his skin every time that happened, but he could certainly tell that the gun was still trying to get a rise out of him. At every passing moment, Crowley steeled himself for any unexpectedly loud blares.

Something further along the peninsula and leaning into the cliff-side’s dreary shadow caught his eye. It was a shack, loosely thrown together and with all manners of seaweed and dried-up oceanic matter clinging to the wooden planks in abundant, nose-rankling heaps, sitting with a most inviting gap in its southernmost flank facing the sea. Wary in his approach, Crowley wandered towards it to get a better look and maybe to find some much-needed supplies.

The interior of the slapdash arrangement of planks and congealed mud was bone dry, but not in an entirely pleasant way. Arid salt trickling down from the rafters stung at his eyes as the demon shouldered his way in, a single shaft of soft, weeping indigo shadow drifting in after him, silent as a ghost.

It was tall enough that an adult human of average height could stand comfortably inside, and so Crowley straightened smartly up and took a quick peek around. He sought to snoop around the edges of the room first, for there wasn’t much of substance in its drafty center. A few discarded, rickety benches sat propped against the wall below a porthole through which the tossing sea could just barely be glimpsed.

Crowley scratched lightly at the underside of his chin. It was awfully dusty, that shack. Cobwebs crawling all over the place, dribbling icy blue strings of dew— a soft crrnch alerted him to a few scattered pieces of broken glass underfoot.

“Someone has a lot of cleaning to do.” Crowley murmured under his breath, the few words unspeakably loud in the quiet twisting around him, and then shuddered. It felt like a dozen spiders crawling down his spine, that wind. The whole house seemed to sway with it, light patters of rain strumming against the timber like the plucking of a harp’s strings.

Suddenly, the firearm in his arms practically leaped with sound and motion as it let out a sharp, synthetic whoop, prompting Crowley to perform a masterful pirouette far better than any dancer could ever hope to pull off. A beam of soft, dust-laden light wafted down from above, and at its focus stood a little old lady.

“Oh,” the demon said, looking only somewhat apologetic. “I’m terribly sorry; I hadn’t realized anyone lived here.” He appeared suitably embarrassed, his proud posture wilting and a courteous deference lowering his guns barrel towards the floor.

He received no immediate reply as the night waned, the last vestiges of moonlight struggling to pierce the shade of foggy gloom wavering out in the open air. A moment flitted by, soft like moth dust, and then the old woman seemed to mumble. No sound trickled out from her wrinkled, prune-colored lips, as if she were contained in a silent film.

“What’s that?” the demon tested the waters, head tilted inquisitively to the side.

Her lips twitched, appearing to almost form audible words before a widening sickle of blue-black sluiced its way directly through the center of her locked jaws into a cavernous, dripping maw. Long, curved pincers adorned with wickedly sharp tips dropped from the ceiling, covered in hundreds of fine, silvery-hued hairs in the waxing moonlight. Eight gleaming fragments of pale light, deceptively sly like a butcher’s knife, glinted from the spindly, voluminous curves of rounded shadow streaking down from above.

“Nnngk,” Crowley stammered, back-pedaling faster than an Olympic cyclist 'til his shoulder blades struck the wall.

Thankfully, his gun was not so unresponsive in the snarling, long-jawed face of mortal peril. It fired off two quick rounds into the beast’s hairy mandibles and pear-shaped abdomen, a corona of bluish-gold fire flaring up in an earsplitting whine of devastating, hurtling rhythms that reverberated against the trembling walls with terrifying command.

With an absolutely unholy shriek that sent a bone-chilling shimmy through Crowley’s limbs as he took off at a dead sprint, the spidery creature hoisted itself back up into the rafters. Harsh scuttling noises like nails dragging across a chalkboard chased at his heels all the way out, right up until he was out on the damp sands, wheezing like a steam engine, and then not much further than that as the demon simply kept on running.

Twenty minutes later saw Crowley once again wandering the marshy floodplain from before. He dropped to his knees with a sharp wheeze, shuddering waves of adrenaline coursing in his blood. He didn’t even know he still had that much energy to run from things with, at least not since the Apocalypse That Never Was, when the Duke Hastur was looking to turn him into maggot meat.

But the most credit for his continued survival didn’t rest with himself alone. After several moments of pawing around blindly in the mud and stickily wet grass, Crowley heralded the true hero of the hour.

“Oh, honey,” he almost sobbed, pulling the gun into a tender, heartfelt embrace. “I take back every wrong thing I ever said about you. You’re one of the best things that has ever happened to me, you better believe it.”

Hzzzzznn, the musical contraption buzzed, its insides blazing briefly up into a cylindrical plume of bluish-white shine before receding again into coy smugness.

Regaining his composure quite abruptly, Crowley shuffled to his feet. “Don’t get cocky, now,” he warned, giving a derisive sniff as he dusted off his pants. “I might have stood a fair enough chance on my own.”

Dzzzzzzrrng. Yeah, right.

“Yes, well.” Crowley looked around, his chest still heaving in little rabbit-y kicks. The morning air was muggy and a distinctly olive tinge painted the grass in deep swathes of oily color. Crickets and various birds called into the dawn air as the last of the dreamily dusky-hued shadow receded over the horizon.

There didn’t appear to be much to do but keep on walking, although he still wished for nothing more than a brief nap. Not a dirt nap, mind you— just a regular old nap with a horizontally-aligned surface for Crowley to make sweet, sweet dreams to. Perhaps he could have slept a wink an hour or two earlier, when nightfall had settled in and a little brushwood could easily serve as a pillow. Now the sun was sitting high and proud in the sky, mocking him.

Yes, Crowley thought, setting off at a brisk, somewhat drowsy tread. That’ll do.

[Ruby Rose]

Before Jupiter

The snow was certainly a trickster on the eyes; the structure Ruby had gazed upon simply turned out to be an inconspicuous rock formation off of the mountains. Wasted effort, climbing that. Now frustrated, Ruby stormed towards the mini Stonehenge-style formation, blade cleaving the earth behind her as she went. After having to carry it for so long, it seemed to lose its hefty weight, proving to burden the petite girl no more than a backpack. "I'm hungry again..." The girl complained once more, whipping her mop of crimson shadow around as she scoured her vision for food.

A tall tree, hosting a plethora of apples in its viridian embrace stood a mere hundred meters, give or take, from Ruby's position. With ravenous eyes and a roaring gut, she strode off, occasionally lifting the hulking weapon from the dirt sheath to give her some freedom to speed up. Before long, shiny redness sparkled in Ruby's silver orbs, her tongue attempting an escape from her mouth. "They look so delicious..." She mused hungrily, before complaining, "I wish I could get cookies though." Her frown only fleeting, Ruby reached up to the heavens with her oversized sword, the thick undersides of her boots the only thing stopping her from tipping over and falling ass-over-heels. The girl tipped the lowest gem - since all the others were an unholy distance from the teen - and it popped smoothly from its perch, neatly nesting in a gentle palm. Setting on her way once more, Ruby began devouring the rose apple.

---

Chucking the core of her meal aside, Ruby froze as she laid eyes upon a stumbling, alabaster figure. I... I found her! Ruby cried inwardly, heart racing like the wheels of a steam train. She had absoolutely no conviction in using her trademark speed, dashing forwards like a whirling crimson vortex, the buster sword nothing compared to when she had carried Penny. Dropping stated blade into the earth, the girl dropped out of her spiral and touched down to the grass, skidding forwards and wrapping her small arms around her partner's thin waist. "Weiss!" She squeaked into the girl's dress, before feeling how weak her muscles were.

"Weiss... what happened to you?" She whimpered, pulling way and noticing Weiss's roughhoused dress. "J-just fell down a hill is all..." She muttered, keeping a relieved smile across her lips; the Heiress didn't want to lose the precious moment, but Ruby thought otherwise as she stabbed a small digit into Weiss's chest. "The Weiss I know wouldn't have let herself fall down a hill." She objected, receiving an uneasy shrug from her partner... before silver eyes locked onto a pair of silhouettes in the distance. "Weiss..." Ruby muttered, backpedalling a few steps to retrieve her blade. She didn't utter a further word as she simply strode past Weiss towards the figures. No one hurts Weiss and gets away with it.

Ruby stopped short when she noticed something though; the pair had become a trio, tending to a wounded, robotic contestant. "What..." She whispered, the exhausted and sore Weiss catching up. Only one seemed to be normal; a girl with flaming hair and holding an awkwardly coloured crowbar. The last member was some kind of mouse that stood on two feet... who noticed the duo further up the hill. "Uh-oh..." Ruby squeaked, beginning to back away, but was too late, as the mouse began to run somewhat comically towards them. Turning to run, the two were halted by the squeaking of 'Hey! Don't run!' Usually, in such a case the words might have been uttered with sarcasm and sadism, but spoken by the mouse? They actually meant something. Taking a chance, Ruby and Weiss turned to see what the rodent had to say.

"Oh! I see you found your friend!" The mouse squeaked excitedly. "I've very sorry about my friend's behaviour from before. She kinda..." He seemed to not want to insult the redhead. "Does things before she thinks?" Weiss suggested, shooting a look and jesting smile at Ruby to which she crumpled in pain inside. "Well... I guess. I think it would be good for all of us if maybe we stuck together. The more the merrier, right?" He offered, extending a gloved palm out. "I'm Mickey Mouse." He introduced himself. As protective as ever, Weiss simply took Mickey's hand, leaving her name out. In Ruby's turn, Mickey chirped, "Nice to meetcha, Ruby!"

The girl cocked her head in confusion. How does he know my name?!

Before more introductions could be made though, a sixth lumbering figure joined the fray, but this one seemed nothing short of hostile. "Girls, we need to protect the man in the red armour." He ordered, running off with the females in his wake. "He's taken quite a beating, you see." His usually chipper voice seemed to have lowered to a much more serious tone; obviously the red man meant something to him. The three stragglers quickly took point in front of the superhero-looking guy, joining up with the redhead as a wall against the blond arrival. "Get ready..." The redhead growled lowly, bringing her blunt, rosy weapon to bear.

The fight with Jupiter and later the Guardian follows.

After the Guardian fight

Ruby tipped backwards and tumbled onto her back, laying there and breathing heavily, buster sword at her side. "We got him..." She muttered, shutting her eyes. "That was a good call, Ruby." The armored mouse called across the cavern, hidden behind the gnarled tree. Too tired to form a cohesive response, Ruby raised her tiny fist and gave him a thumbs up. "Well... a shield's up for grabs. I guess you, er-" Weiss had to correct herself as she remembered that the Mouse-robot was an amalgamation of two people. "Either of you can take it. You finished the big guy off, after all." She offered, obviously not giving a care in the world about the Relic. She just wanted to get out of there, and get out of there they did...

Warlock Magic

...but not before some skeletal asshole began to sap their blood like a deranged vampire. "O-oh..." Ruby squeaked as her head began to spin from the sudden blood loss, an anaemic feeling washing over her. "I... fell weird..." She groaned, before collapsing to the earth, unconscious.

Note for Spirit: Ruby will start off still quite dizzy before the Easter Egg fight, due to walking such a distance while still feeling anaemic.

[Mickey Mouse]

Deep underneath the island, Proto Mouse let out a sigh of relief: the guardian was dead.

Neither of his two parts enjoyed killing. For the gargantuan beast that formerly laid claim to one of Teucer’s lost relics, the amalgamated robot-mouse had a hunch they would make an exception. Especially when they saw how beautiful the cavern had become in his wake; a great tree, brimming with life, had sprouted instantly in his absence. A glimmering shield hung loosely on one of the higher branches. Proto Mouse could not take his eyes off of it.

The girl known as Ruby—garbed in red, just like the armored mouse—called out to him, signaling that the prize belonged to him. He smirked a little bit; he had scored the finishing blow, hadn’t he? His parts normally wouldn’t have relished in the bloodlust, but he could not help but be a little proud.

As he began to walk toward his prize, however, another bright light began to engulf his moving frame, and within seconds, the Proto Mouse had dissolved, leaving two much more humble pint-sized heroes in its wake. The remainder of their group seemed a bit shocked by the sudden reappearance of the two—Belle, in particular, wore a puzzled expression. “…what the hell,” she muttered, just loud enough to be heard.

Blues stopped short of the tree, but Mickey kept going. Something about the relic drew the mouse to it, and he continued until he reached the trunk and began to climb.

His white gloves dug into the gnarly bark, clamoring ever higher until at last, he grasped the perfectly round shield. His acrobatics ever impressive, the former King backflipped off of the tree’s surface and landed squarely on the ground. He held in his hands the piece of armor that had defended Teucer back in… well, he didn’t exactly know where the spirit’s origins lay, but certainly they seemed glorious. This buckler seemed glorious; much too glorious to take his hands off of. Proto Man could see the spark in Mickey Mouse’s eyes and placed a hand on his shorter friend’s shoulder.

“Take it,” the preteen machine told him, “I’m sure it’ll serve you well till we get it back to the big guy.”

Mickey looked up at him, his eyes swelling with tears for whatever reason, and without thinking, he engulfed the Robot Master in a huge, whopping hug. Hesitantly—but not without warmth—Proto Man hugged him back.

“Uh, boys,” the voice of Belle called out from a few yards away, “I’m glad we won and everything, but we’ve got some problems.”

Mickey Mouse and Proto Man glanced over to see that the redheaded girl was right. Weiss lay flat on her back, groaning ever so slightly from the immense pain she’d suffered at the Last Giant’s hands. Next to her, Belle wobbled on her feet, looking incredibly dizzy and clutching the side of her head with one of her pale hands. Blood oozed through her fingers and the remaining trio became alerted to their teammates’ dire conditions.

“Weiss!” Ruby called, rushing to Weiss’ side.

“Belle!” Mickey echoed, sliding up next to his own new companion.

“Let’s get out of here,” Proto Man followed them both. “We can serve them much better in the light of day—and I think it’s almost morning.”

* * *

“This isn’t the abyss. We’re not monsters.”

His words returned to him as the Warlock’s magic made him double over in pain. Belle let out a screech. Proto Man tried to activate his defenses, but still nothing worked. Mickey held up Teucer’s shield—the magic passed through it as if it were nothing more than air.

“I will make you monsters,” a low, growling voice rang inside the mouse’s ears. He felt himself grow weak at the knees and quickly shoved the shield into the ground, using it to hold himself up.

“Bl—Blues,” he stammered, “B—Belle. Something… something’s not right.” He could sense a negative energy pulsing through the shield, emanating into his very arms. The redheaded girl staggered over to him, grabbing him by the shoulder.

“We’ve gotta get away, Mickey,” Belle urged. The mouse and his robot friend glanced over at the unconscious Ruby and struggling Weiss.

He didn’t want to leave them. But it seemed they had no choice. They could do nothing to help the pair of girls—and certainly, this relic would draw others to them. As much as Mickey hated the fact that a myriad of primes were competing to find the six pieces of Teucer’s armor, he had to accept that owning one made them sure to meet more hostility, and the mouse didn’t know what he would do if their presence caused Ruby or Weiss any further pain than they had already encountered on their behalf.

Mickey took a few steps toward the white-haired girl. She looked up at him from where she knelt by her friend, though Mickey didn’t know if the redness on her face came from fear or determination. She had proven a strong woman, and a strong ally, and the King had no doubt she would help her friend and they would make it out of this alright.

“We have to go,” he said apologetically, “but—it’s been great to meet ya, pal.”

Weiss swallowed a little blood before responding. “Go,” she nodded, “I’ll take care of Ruby—I always do.”

Mickey smiled. “Let’s meet again someday, okay?”

The girl silently affirmed that proposal. They were not done being friends, even if they had gotten off to a little bit of a rough start. Mickey spun around and ran back to Belle and Proto Man as fast as he could, before he remembered a passage from Play, Boy that he felt he needed to urgently share with Weiss.

“Oh!” he shouted as he turned back to her, “Your leg—wrap it, then tap it! Should fix all your problems!”

Blues yanked him away as Belle’s voice rang through the forest: “MICKEY.”

…“member” does mean “leg,” right?

* * *

“So,” Belle broke the silence once they’d found a safe place to camp until sunrise, “What’s your name?” Proto Man looked over at her, not completely sure how that had been glossed over in the hours they’d spent together.

“Um, Blues,” he shrugged, watching as Mickey sat next to his friend and dabbed her head wound with his vest.

“Well, this is completely ruined,” the mouse complained, lifting it from her wound and looking at it. The blood blended in with the red fabric, but any sucker would notice the dampness. Resigned, he tossed it on the ground. “And it won’t make for a good wrap either. But we’ve gotta bandage you up.”

Belle grunted. Being concussed did not sit well with her.

“Maybe that thing in your pocket will do it?” Blues offered, pointing at the rolled up Play, Boy sticking out of the back pocket of Mickey’s shorts. The mouse pulled the magazine out and stared at it for a moment.

His survival guide? Surely they could find something else. Belle glanced down at it, and then met eyes with Mickey. Her expression almost telegraphed her thoughts:

So much pain.

Mickey reached down and ripped out one of the pages. Slowly, he tore out page after page and tied them together until he made a makeshift bandage that fit snugly around Belle’s head. She reached up and touched it when he was done, a scowl forming on her face.

“Is it obvious my wound is being dressed by several nude women?”

Proto Man bit his lip but stayed silent.

Mickey smirked. “See,” he said triumphantly, “It did help after all!”

[The Spirit]

CHALLENGE
THE CYBERDEMON VS. COLONEL, SMITH, ENZO, RYNER.

 Humanoid in figure, asides from a cybernetic pair of goat legs the cyberdemon stands several feet taller than any man. Metal plates and electronic augments cover the demon’s red-skinned flesh. Attached to the monster’s right arm is a menacing missile-launcher capable of raining explosive hell upon any unprepared prime. The beast’s head is covered by a horned helmet, no doubt equipped with the latest and greatest in optical augmentation. One would be well-advised to just leave the demon alone, but gleaming in its left hand is the Hero’s Sword. Good luck prying it from the hellspawn’s sulfuric corpse.

All participants are in a challenge and may not post unless it is a response to the challenge.
Guardian Difficulty- 6

[Link]

After the F2F

Link groaned once again as he hoisted Erik up, supporting him with a shoulder once more as the trio made their way back towards the Guardian’s lair. The three of them were battered, bruised and exhausted. Not only had they taken on the Guardian a few hours prior, they’d now been ambushed. And the result was not pretty. Especially not for the Psychic, Erik. Were it not for his lack of -real- weapon, Link was all too sure he would have come out of this a little better off, at the very least.

“I should’ve gone with you, I’m sorry.” The Hylian broke the tangible tension that hung in the air, surrounding the group as they hauled themselves away, “And I’m also sorry that we have to go after the Guardian again. We can’t let those three get a hold of that breastplate. They’ll find us again and we’ll definitely be worse off than we are now.” Link grunted, blood still trickling from his nose in a soft, yet definite stream. He wiped it away with a gauntleted hand and looked over to the newest member of the trio.

“You really saved me back there.. thank you.” the young Hero of Time dipped his head, beaming a grateful, yet bloody, smile towards the high schooler. Yuki merely wafted a hand dismissively.

“We’ll get this guy and start heading south, we need to meet up with the others.” Link spoke, a strange tone filled his voice, perhaps it was to reassure himself or the others, perhaps there was genuine fear brimming behind the Hylians stoney visage.

After the Guardian Fight

“That.. could’ve gone.. better..” Link wheezed. The Hylian stumbled out of the lair and collapsed to the ground, clutching at his chest, a shiny new breastplate clamped in his other. The Hylian stammered as he caught a glimpse of his partners. They were far worse for wear than he and yet he was complaining. He shook his head idly before pushing himself to his feet with a loud groan. The cracked sternum he sustained was going to be more of a pain than he figured. Regardless, he made his way over towards Erik, tearing a long strip from the sleeve of his tunic off. He moved to tie the piece of fabric over Erik’s injured eye.

“We’ll need to make a splint for his leg,” Link spoke as he observed the psychic nursing his injured leg, hobbling over to a resting spot, “Keep an eye on him alright?” The Hylian spoke to his concussed partner as he set off, tracing a cobblestone road once again.

Link threw his newfound armor over his head, strapping it in place. It was an odd piece of armor, fitting quite well, despite not being made for the Hylian. He sighed quietly, glancing down at himself. All of this for the sake of a few pieces of armor. They were clawing at each other, tooth and nail, for the sake of some relic at the heed of an unknown entity. How could they be sure the Spirit was good for its word? Link shook his head, dismissing the thought. That’s all he needed right now, doubt. He had wandered for a small while, until he came across what appeared to be a derelict farmhouse. The well outside of it, however, remained somewhat intact. A God send in this hellish verse. Link tugged at the rope that carried the water filled bucket back to the surface. With little hesitation, the green-garbed fighter greedly stuck his hands into the bucket and brought water to his lips, lapping away at the refreshing liquid. He splashed a handful over his head, clearing his mind of the thoughts that betrayed him.

[Schwi Dola]

Code:

Time passes so quickly

Soon enough it was time to stop for the night. Desco had fun trying to hunt down those heroes with Ururu and Dante. Ururu had a bunch of weird books and she managed to start a campfire. Desco knew she needed her around, she couldn't start a fire herself! Maybe Dante could do it too. Desco didn't know much about either of them really. It wouldn't surprise anyone that knew her but Ururu liked books and was some kind of history expert. A field of study that was probably meaningless in the Omniverse. Everyone came from all different universes so it was impossible to know the history of them all!

Desco yawned. She was getting tired. "Its late and Desco needs to get to sleep. Girls need their beauty sleep!" It might actually sound odd coming from Desco but Big Sis a long time ago told Desco to act girly even as she was a Final Boss. That was hard to figure out how to really do, but it came out as random things at different times. "I think I'll stay up and watch. Those guys are still out there..." "No I'll take the first watch. You get some rest for now." Desco could tell something bothered Dante but as for what it was she was clueless. His tone did get really scary sometimes which made Desco keep her distance when he changed voices.

Desco set up Yogsothoth as a bed. She extended the tentacles all down to raise up his main body as a platform. Desco used to hands to push her self up and scramble onto him. It might seem like an odd way to sleep, but Yogsothoth's skin was pretty tough. He was designed to protect her which included sleeping. Yog's eyes never closed. As she fell off, she remembered the last time she had done this in Dante's Abyss with Guu. Guu had unexpectedly climbed in too. Desco didn't object because it was Guu, but she wouldn't want to share with someone else. Except maybe Big Sis but she was too tall.

[Erik Vrell]

Erik was outright depressed as he looked at his cracked leg. Not only did it hurt like hell, but what use would he be like this? He was nothing but a liability. After moping for a short while, Erik realised that he hadn't eaten since he had arrived in the island. There was no way that he could hunt an animal in this state, but at least berries wouldn't run from him. After fashioning a temporary crutch made of twigs, Erik hobbled over to some nearby bushes. He found a small amount of berries which he quickly gathered together. There was only a dozen or so berries, but it would suffice. Erik downed then all in one mouthful, thankful to have something in his stomach. Erik turned to address the relative newcomer.


"Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself yet." Erik said. Even with a broken leg he was still one for formal greetings. "I am Erik. Pleased to meet you." The psychic held out his hand for the teenager, who shook it weakly. Erik could tell that although the boy was still healthier than him, he was far from full strength. The boy introduced himself as Yuki.
"Well Yuki, and you too Link." Erik began. "I'm obviously not going to last much longer in this state. But, if I should die, I want you to remember our time here, so that if we meet again we may look back on it as friends." The psychic sighed. "Until then, I wish you luck in your endeavours. If you're wondering why I'm telling you this now, it's because, should I call in the midst of battle, I'll undoubtedly be silenced before I can say anything." Erik rose up to his foot, supported by his crutch.
"And Link." Erik said, looking his friend in the eye. "You'd better win this." Erik grinned.

[Weiss Schnee]

The Evening Before

________________:
“Ruby…” Weiss whispered, checking her partner’s pulse - again - as she checked the makeshift wrappings she’d made over her comrade’s wounds. there wasn’t exactly a lot of material in the snowy mountains that was soft - unless you counted all the snow, Weiss supposed - so Weiss’s shoulders were quite chilly at the moment. It was hard cutting through high-quality silk properly with your tools amounting to “rocks and sticks.” But with some maneuvering Weiss had managed to prop Ruby’s gigantic new sword up at a suitable angle to cut her vest into usable strips.. It was sharper than something it’s size really needed to be, or even should have been given how durable the thing was - which was good given just how often Weiss had dropped it.

Having to crawl around on one leg really affected your ability to handle objects with care.


Weiss growled to herself at her own stupidity, thinking back to the fight. She still had the ability to move faster with her aura, and instead of actually using it, she’d taken a bad hit to the leg like a complete amateur. And then Ruby-
And then Ruby got hurt rushing in over you.
the wounded huntress winced, and not because of her leg. Her blunder had left her best friend unconscious in the cold, and while Weiss had managed to take care of her friend’s wounds as best she could, she knew that there was no way she could move her without opening them up again.

Weiss was scared. Blood loss could be fatal, and while she knew the basics of first aid, she wasn’t a doctor. What if there was more internal damage? What if she was still bleeding heavily on the inside? What if this was a coma and Weiss had unknowingly helped substantiate it. What if-
Weiss took a choked breath.

She refused to think about that. There was plenty of other, more important things she needed to be thinking and doing right now. Grabbing the last scraps of her vest, and a stick she’d managed to find that was suitable enough for her needs, Weiss grunted as she started the relatively less painful task of making a splint for her leg. She’d need to find something that could pass for a cane after that, clear the area enough for a fire...

Hopefully it would keep her too busy to think, until she grew tired enough that the dirt and rock underneath them would finally be an acceptable bed to her aching body.

After weiss falls asleep

“Weiss!” A small voice echoed through the training chamber. Weiss didn’t even look back to see her partner. She knew her voice well enough, and she knew better than to look away in a spar - especially against robots she didn’t trust nearly as much since the incident where her home nation’s own roboticized military was used against her .
“Ruby.” Weiss answered with a controlled tone. “I’m busy. What do you want?”

She could almost feel the frustration emanating from the redhead. “Weiss, everyone else is out celebrating after the mission, and you just came in here to train? You’ve said barely a word since we got back! What’s up with you?”

A robotic hand came for Weiss’s head with a vicious hook, and she backflipped with barely a care. At this point, even beacon’s hardest robotic trainers were less than challenging for her, so they were used more for perfecting her form than actually testing Weiss’s limits. This specific set of programmed armor was based on Atlas models, and actually emulated Yang’s style… though rather poorly.



“So why aren’t you celebrating? If I recall correctly, you couldn’t stop talking about how you’d beat that Deathstalker with your clever planning, while we handled that group of Ursae by ourselves.” Weiss replied with venom, parrying the bullets the dummy fired into the reinforced concrete beneath them with a quick flick of Myrtenaster.

“W… well I mean, it was pretty impressive, even by your standards, Weiss. I haven’t seen a Deathstalker that big before. I think it was even bigger than-”
“Yes, Ruby!” Weiss cut her leader’s ramble off. “I could see it just fine!”
“Weiss… what the heck...” Her partner mumbled, and Weiss sighed as she realized that with the same breath she’d yelled at Ruby, she’d impaled the training dummy.

So much for distraction. With the sparks shooting out of it’s damaged torso, she figured it wasn’t likely she was going to get to train with it again anytime soon. Not to mention how much smaller her paycheck was going to become with the repair costs.



“Now look what you made me do…” Weiss muttered, before sheathing Myrtenaster, the bright lighting of the training chamber reflecting off of Myrtenaster’s polished surface.
“Weiss… you haven’t been like this since we started off as Huntresses… what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Weiss asked blandly. “What’s wrong is that I stopped thinking you’d change from the little girl that I met in the forest.”
“What?!” Ruby squeaked.

“When you attacked the Deathstalker, did you even have a plan of attack? You caused a landslide. It happened to pin it down long enough for you to get a good shot. That’s not clever planning. That’s blind luck.” Weiss spat, and Ruby’s face changed to anger.

“Oh, so I didn’t do it right, and now you’re mad, Weiss?” The petite girl asked as Weiss finally turned to face her, her cheeks glowing red as her own fists clenched.

“You ran off in the middle of a fight, through a group of Ursae, to engage a giant Deathstalker, all by yourself.”


“We were near a village! It was heading straight for them! Someone needed to distract-”
“Villages have defenses of their own!” Weiss cut Ruby off again, practically yelling. “More than enough to distract a Deathstalker while we caught up! But then you wouldn’t be able to brag about being the hero, right?”

“Oh, so I’m not allowed to do anything, is that it, Princess?” Ruby asked, one hand practically shaking.

“I thought things had changed since the forest!” Weiss spat back. “But it’s always the same!”
“What the heck are you even talking about?” Ruby clutched her head in exasperation.

“The first time I met you, you charged at the nastiest Grimm I had ever seen.” Weiss stated sharply. “Then you decided to go investigate a lead all alone in Mountain Glenn! And since that just wasn’t exciting enough for you, you go ahead and attack Ironwood’s stolen flagship, all by yourself!”

“Well… yeah, I mean, maybe those weren’t the most well thought-out plans, but… I mean, Vale’s a better place because of them, right?”

Weiss snorted. “And I’m sure none of your teammates would have been helpful in any of those situations, right?”

Ruby’s eyes avoided Weiss at that mention. “Well, I mean, I learned after the first time-”
“You didn’t!” Weiss snapped. “You’re supposed to be a leader, and you train like you actually mean that, and then you leave your team to fend for itself constantly, just so that you can try and do everything yourself!” Weiss yelled, and part of her wanted to stop there. Part of her realized that she was going beyond just shocking her teammate and was starting to bring her to tears.

“Two years.” Weiss added suddenly.
“W-w-what?”

“That’s the time until you graduate, assuming you don’t fail any courses. And that’s all I’m asking from you. As soon as we graduate, you’re no longer bound to lead team RWBY. Once you’ve hit that point, go, be a solo huntress! There’s a high mortality rate, but I’m sure that’s no problem for the great Ruby Rose! You’re better than all of those run-of-the-mill Huntresses, right?”
“Th-that’s not what I-”

“All I’m asking for is two years where you pretend you want to be a leader, and try to act like one. Then after beacon I’ll let you do what you want. Maybe I’ll go find a new team myself. It’d be nice to have a leader that thinks of their teammate as more than a hindrance.” Weiss spat.

“I.... I just…” A sniffling voice started, and stopped. “Weiss… am I… just a teammate to you?”


Weiss sighed, her face softening, before she spoke with an icy cold tone, adjusting her skirt as she turned her back to the girl. “Teammates are supposed to trust each other. You won’t let me watch your back, and all I can trust from you lately is that you’ll be gone when I turn around. That’s not really even a teammate, is it?”

Weiss walked out of the training chamber with her heels clicking in tune to Ruby’s sobbing.

Her own tears were silent, but no less numerous.

The Next Morning

Weiss woke up with tears in her eyes, the memory still feeling so vivid despite feeling like a lifetime ago. She remembered that fight - it happened just before the last school term ended. But she didn’t know why it was bothering her now. It was definitely not Weiss’s finest moment, but she’d apologized with ice cream and hugs the very next day, and it ended up being just another terrible argument they’d moved past.
So why was she remembering it now?
Her eyes opened blearily as the sound of a tiny sigh escaped her partner, and Weiss was relieved to see that her face had regained its color. She wasn’t awake, but she was definitely more peaceful than she was last night. Weiss put a hand to Ruby’s face to check her temperature, only to realize she was still crying.

With a sigh, she pulled her hand away, glad to see her best friend safe, even as she managed to push herself up to an awkward sitting position. A gurgling in her stomach informed Weiss she was hungry, and she couldn’t imagine her anemic leader was doing that much better.

Weiss didn’t know if she could find much in the mountainous area they were in, but they definitely needed to find some food. It’d be good if she could find something before Ruby woke up. Had she seen any bushes or anything closer to the-

A flash of recollection hit Weiss as she smiled. She got up to her feet with a shaky hand as she put most of her weight on her cane, her smile not leaving even as she winced with every step.
She may not be able to do everything for her leader… but she knew she could at least make her pretty happy in just a little while.

----------------------

Weiss smiled as Ruby finally, just a few hours later, opened her eyes, groaning loudly. “No drinking at the birthday party Uncle…” She mumbled, before her eyes opened suddenly. “Weiss! Are you okay! Am I okay? Where are we? What happened with the Creepy guy? Should I be keeping my voice down?” Ruby asked in a panic.
Weiss sighed. “Yes!” she said with a grimace. “We’re fine. I’m not going to be walking properly anytime soon, but it’s nothing life-threatening.
“Unless I pinch a leg nerve or something like I’m risking everytime I walk, but let’s not bring that up.[/i] The damaged huntress thought to herself, limping over to Ruby from the fire. “There’s a bowl behind your head. I’ve already ate, so the rest is yours. We’re not in a rush for once, so take your time.” Weiss said, as she watched Ruby slowly get up, her face scrunching up. “I don’t suppose we could track down a cookie tree or-”
“Hush. Eat.” Weiss stated shortly.

It was all Weiss could do not to grin as Ruby’s face lit up, looking in the bowl-shaped rock Weiss had managed to gather everything into.
“Strawberries! Oh my gosh! I don’t think I’ve had any since I got here!”
“To the omniverse or here spe-” Weiss started to ask, before realizing her partners mouth was far too full of berry to be answering any questions for the time being. Instead she leaned back onto the nearby cliff face with a slight smile sneaking its way onto her expression.

“Fangh you Weissh!” Ruby slurred through her overstuffed cheeks.

“Finish what’s in your mouth before trying to talk, you dolt!”

“Hee!”

[The Spirit]

FACE TO FACE
LINK, YUKI, ERIK VS. AMATERASU, SOMERLED.

The strange trio was exhausted from their battle with the guardian, it took nearly everything they had to fight this strange beast guarding the relic. At the cost of grave injuries they were able to obtain Teuser's relic. Resting and refreshing, the three heroes were relieved and tending to their wounds. Erik was hurt bad, and was laying on his back as Link tended to his comrade's wounds. Yuki was still in a bit of a shock, that was one terrifying monster they faced. Little did they know a new danger had entered their territory.

Through the ruined city Somerled and Amaterasu were making their way, searching for one of the spirit's relics. Amaterasu figured this would be a great place to hide a relic. The duo finally reached a battlefield, everywhere there was debris, blood and of course the body of a freshly slain guardian.

"We must be close ! Whoever did this can't be far" The monster spoke to his comrade. Amaterasu nodded in silence, something about this just didn't feel right, but she couldn't just leave her ally going to face potential enemies alone. They moved silently through the ruins when suddenly Somerled stopped and ducked for cover, signaling the goddess to do the same. She followed his lead and moved up, upon reaching the cover she noticed a few men down below her, some of them were hurt. Somerled grinned towards his partner, "Look at that one." He pointed out "Look at the armor he is wearing, I'm sure that's what they took from that beast."

Amaterasu nodded, "I am sure you are right, but what are we going to do about it ? I mean we can't just-.." But it was too late, Somerled led the charge and jumped down at the unsuspecting heroes. The goddess couldn't let him go in alone and get himself hurt, she followed him to make sure he stayed safe.
"That relic is mine!" The monster shouted, his eyes set on Link's breastplate with a monstrous gaze within them. All three of the champions looked up as Somerled came at them like a wild animal. Yuki was the first to react, reaching for his weapon, his hand was stopped by Somerled's whip which had a firm grasp on the young boy's wrist. The dangerous monster pulled Yuki in for a head but, dropping to the ground.

Link had to leave Erik's side to defend his group, once more his mysterious box was thrown into the air followed by a punch. It hasn't failed him yet, and it did not this time either. The magical cube provided link with a Bo staff like weapon. Like previous weapons he instinctively knew what to do. Aiming the wooden weapon forward it extended for several meters, hitting the attacker right between his eyes. Forcing him down on his back. The hero of time saw an opening and went for it, with his new weapon at the ready he once again moved in to strike the now downed opponent. His attack however did not reach the temporarily downed monster, a woman got in between them and blocked Links move. "Not so fast, he's got friends to you know." The female warrior spoke as she pushed Link back.

Erik couldn't just lay idle by and reached for his own weapon, he picked up Teuser's gift, "Don't fail me this time." And with all his might he threw it at the woman that was fighting Link. The mysterious stick was flung through the air, making it's way to its target. As if time moved slow for a moment Erik saw his weapon flying through the sky, the unsure expression of the goddess as it got closer. This was it, Erik's moment to shine. The mighty stick struck the woman in her chest, right before it fell to the floor like the piece of wood that it was. The anti-climatic event had everyone stumped for a second before the fight continued. Amaterasu moved in to link, trying to move him back from her companion. She underestimated the staff wielding man's skill in battle, with every strike she attempted to guide her opponent over the battlefield but was met with a strike from the Hylian's weapon instead. The staff was unpredictable, it extended at will, making Amaterasu taking more hits than she was intending to, with bruises on her face she took two steps back, creating space between the two. She still had her guard up, but wasn't aware Yuki made his move, releasing his aimed weapon he shot her with two deku nuts. The unexpected attack distracted the goddess long enough for Link to make a proper attack.

"HEIYAAAA!"

With Link's battle cry he extended the staff and swung it full force at the female opponent, striking her at her right upper arm. Screaming in pain she had to take a few more steps back, holding the wound.

"NO ! No, no, no, no ! You will pay for this!" The monster screamed as he got up, turning red with rage he started to gather energy for an unknown attack. The trio knew something bad was coming.

"Link, Run!" Erik shouted towards his friend. Next to Somerled, sonny appeared. For a moment sonny stood still, starting to shine brighter and brighter. The wounded soldiers wanted to take cover but it was too late. The by Somerled created corporal being exploded in a great ball of fire, expanding in every direction. The young hero of time saw the great flaming sphere coming right at him, he had nowhere to go, when Erik threw himself on top of him. The moment before the explosion hit them he spoke his final words to Link, "Run, and finish this for all of us."

The dust of the explosion started to settle, Both Somerled and Amaterasu were standing over the two bodies that were lifeless on the ground. "They are alive, barely."The goddess spoke, "They live to fight another day, just not this day. They are brave warriors, and shouldn't lose their lives over this." The merciful goddess moved one of pieces of cloth lying round over their wounded bodies.

"I couldn't kill them, i had to held back. Should we go after the one that got away?" Somerled asked his partner in a cold tone of voice.

Amaterasu did not respond and stood still, thinking about what happened.

[spoiler]Somerled : 4 damage A round mark is noticeable on your forehead where the staff hit, you have a splitting headache.
Super move: Spirit of the Sun used, -1SP
Yuki : 4 damage. Burned all over due to the explosion, Yuki has never felt being close to death like this. He will bleed out within 48 OOC hours.
Erik: 4 damage Burned all over due to the explosion. Passed out due to the pain. He is still alive, and he as well will bleed out within 48 hours.
Amaterau : 9 damage Her right arm has a contusion, her muscles are swollen and can barely lift her arm."
Link: 1 damage His old wounds hurt slightly more
Rolled 4 for link's box Received Son Goku's staff
Rolled 33 for the stick of truth, nothing happened

Both the Slingshot as the stick of truth are near their previous owners bodies.[/spoiler]

[Jak Mar]

Jak felt it again, the pulsing waves of the sun. Even though the mountains were cold as ice, there was something more driving him. He could of been asleep on a coach with Daxter, fighting with the Horsemen.

But every step of the fight seemed to be getting harder for the knife-eared anti-hero, or so they called him.

A soft voice in Jak's head tried to wince and calm Jak's anger giving him more to think about then his suffering and hurt. He squeezed his fists and his weapons seemed to also seem alive at the moment. Every moment Jak used it, the weapons in his hands could feel his pain, even though he didn't know it.

What was these he was actually holding in his hands? If these weapons truly were alive, why were these things glowing with the power of eco?

He had to find his allies, but it made him sick to watch Victor his rival getting satisfaction from his hurt. He couldn't allow Victor to see him physically like that anymore, weakness was hard enough. Instead of shunning the man, however Jak gritted his teeth to force his way out toward the dark hooded man and his allies and frowned "Victor, if you can control your urge to kill me, perhaps a partnership might be better off than we think..."

The voice growled in his head
"Working with Vic? That's crazy?! How do you know he won't go back on his promise?!

Jak appeared to be talking to himself "My dark side tends to single out threats... however If we work together, I promise my dark side won't go off."

[Okor]

Okor looked up from his gruesome meal, crimson staining his blackened beard as a torn ribbon of horseflesh slipped behind bloodied fangs. The derisive declarations of this new deception still rung around the clearing, echoing off titanic trees and the newly revealed bones of his prey.

Why did their captor insist on this charade? Sorcerers, Warlocks, Heroes. All of these meant something, back when they still dwelled in reality. Psykers bent the fabric of the universe to their will, manipulating the aether to borrow the powers of The Gods themselves. They were Demiurges, warping the world to their whims, burning down the expired edifice of the Imperium.

The only thing comparable to this sacred power, this Theurgy of the tempestuous winds of Chaos was the poor excuse for magic The Smiling One had cursed them with. He had heard tales of a sorcerer within the twisted strands of fate that composed the Cat’s Cradle who had forged a labyrinth to torment those unfortunates who stumbled across him.

He savoured the coppery taste of blood on his torn tongue as he reflected on this. Perhaps there was a fragment of truth to Teucer’s tale. Two powerful primes, turning their field of battle into an eternal prison, both unaware that their own scheming had trapped them within a web of their design. The only mystery was the seeming defiance of all that constrained them: the ‘Hero’ was unable to return to the fountain, unable to receive the blessed release of death, but was somehow powerful enough to reach out across the Omniverse and steal Primes. It was an enigma.

He did not deal in enigmas. He tore himself from his respite, carious phalanges clasping at the decayed environmental seal of his discarded helmet, raising the putrescent-green wargear to his jaundiced skull. With a hiss of his poisoned atmosphere pressurizing, he hid his malformed, horned visage from the world once more.

His ceramite-clad cranium turned to the east, fixating his gaze upon the cracked earth spawned by the latest release of this purported Warlock’s magic. Rents had torn themselves into existence upon the distant hills, great boulders thrown across the landscape like mere playthings, pounded into pebbles, and shattered into shards.

This world was dying. With every step they took, every mystical lock they broke, they tore apart the essence of this prison. It was a realm constructed to torture and trap, and with every instrument of agony, with every guardian, the primes destroyed, it fell apart.

An entire reality was crumbling beneath his very feet, and he had nothing to do with it.

Was that the reason he had been brought here? To participate in some farcical parody of his true purpose, to wander aimlessly until he became mere collateral damage? From what he had gathered of The Smiling One’s sinister designs, that was a definite possibility. Was he watching him now? His eyeless mask spread into that manic grin, an all-consuming howl of laughter echoing across the nothingness it inhabited?

He refused. If Omni wished him to die a meaningless death in the dark, then that ivory bastard would be sorely disappointed.

He took a lurching step forward, crushing the detritus of leaves and shed bark covering the forest floor under his weight.

The ‘Warlock’ had a relic. It was foolish to announce such a thing to an island of treasury-hungry primes, desperate for glory. He needed this, his every neuron burned with the desire for violence, with the ever-burning hunger for recognition.

He refused to have a repeat of that damnable Abyss, to be butchered amongst his dead allies as he became a mere victim in every battle he encountered. He would leave his mark, brand the rune of Nurgle onto the flesh of the heretics, and turn their dreams of conquest to ashes in their mouth.

He stared into the thin black trail of smoke rising into the sky, a distant taint to the otherwise pure blue of the sky.

He may be Damned, but he was far from lost.

[Kopaka]

The rest of the night passed rather uneventfully, as the ruined city in the distance became gradually larger. Kopaka kept trying to figure out what it was that he was seeing in the distance, near the shimmering veil that marked the section of the island that was in the final stages of disintigration. Kopaka narrowed his ocular indicator. The island was tearing itself apart as the Primes which scurried around its surface collected the Spirit's beloved trinkets. Seeing such cataclysm may have normally sent Kopaka into a righteous fury, but in this destitute land, such a display of destruction only signified how artificial this entire land was.

When the pair finally stopped for the night to rest, Kopaka took the opportunity to gather the food both for himself and Magus, although, most of what Kopaka found was instantly shoved down his nutritional processing array. It tended to be such fare as grubs, mosses, and other such edible detritus that, while perfectly healthy, was also markedly unappetizing. Kopaka didn't know a great deal about humans and their ilk, but the Toa had researched the fundamentals of their society.

As such, Magus was pleasantly surprised when Kopaka came back to their secluded camp site with and armful of tubers, fruits, and a variety of small fauna that hung limp. The wizard would not have guessed that the robot would be so resourceful in a natural setting, but perhaps he had been augmented to survive specifically in this sort of environment. It would have been even better if all of the food wasn't almost frozen solid.

What was even more surprising was that Magus would be treated to a full night's sleep, due to the fact that Kopaka only only needed to sleep once every few days, and even then he was able to keep the electronic areas of his brain active. Unfortunately, just a few hours before the dawn broke, there came an immense rumbling. Peeking out from the scrub they had concealed themselves in, the Primes only slightly gawked as they witnessed a majority of the mountain chain on the island splitting up into indescribably huge megaliths which rose preposterously into a blank sky.

A moment later, said sky turned a sinister green, and a disembodied challenge echoed across the dissolving landscape. Arcing, vibrant leylines traced themselves in the sky, all meeting at an obscure area on the western side of the island. Two things were certain; there were at least a few Primes who had already found a guardian in the mountains, and there would be a few Primes that would eagerly respond to the taunting voice. Kopaka turned to Magus, his white carapace glinting viridian in the pervasive light that blasphemed the heavens. He spoke, his tone measured and professional.

"What say you?"

Magus crossed his arms and let out a noise somewhere between a growl and a sigh.

"Let the fools dash themselves against the rocks; easier to pry the armor from their bleeding fingers than what hand may be grasping it now."

Kopaka nodded. He didn't have a problem with that philosophy; it was smart and efficient. It was clear that Magus valued planning in the long term. For all their measured caution in interacting with one another, Kopaka had to admit the wizard was legitimately growing on him. Eliciting a buzzing sigh of his own, Kopaka retreated back into their leafy sanctuary and began to clean up evidence of their presence. After glaring at the sky for a few more moments, Magus began to gather up his things as well.

It was an unspoken agreement. No sense in trying to go back to sleep when the mountains were flying away. The wizard seemed determined to get to the ruined city, just over a few more hills, and now that Kopaka no longer had a native environment to retreat to, there was no sense in disputing it.

The Toa just hoped that someone else hadn't killed that damn rodent yet.

[Jak Mar]

The island was falling apart as Jak almost literally moved just in time to save his own ass, that of his new allies were close as well.

The man took a deep sigh and took one look over at Victor, just turning to grit his teeth while he studied the blue haired man and the red-haired woman. He held the piece of clothing near his small wound, which he glared at Victor for.

He'd have to hunt again soon, he realized.

[Red]

Trunks' coat repelled much of mother Nature's beating, but merely to the brink of ensuring his survival. Frigid drafts swept under it, and spilled into every unconstricted piece of his garments.

His face fared no better; though he had fashioned the blue blanket from earlier into an impromptu veil, the howling wind carried razors with it, which cut through fabric of his makeshift mask. He kept his chin tucked, but the torrent of snow and sleet diagonally stampeded into his visage, trampling his eyes with darts of ice. The rare opportunities he had to look head he stole, but they salvaged nothing more than the same foreground of whipping white dust. All that remained visible was the groove of the trail, suffocated with snow, but still there. His feet chomped through it, leaving craters in their wake.



Earlier, the path up the mountain had been exceedingly less tumultuous. Snow fell, but in fluffy flakes that drifted down in night sky like weightless feathers; other than a few cotton-balls caught in the faux-fur of his coat collar, the flurries dissolved upon contact. The wind was stolid, only outspoken enough to sift pleasant whispers through Trunks' lavender hair.

He had taken a brief stop in his travel to scan the landscape. While finishing a leftover turtle leg—lukewarm but still good!—, he surveyed the escalation of his trail. It split into two routes, forty meters up. One prong of the fork dipped into a lush valley between two of the summits. A family of pine trees had reproduced well there, and undoubtedly supported a vast abundance of game. The opposite prong continued its snake path up the mountain, extending into the snow-caps. The swordsman could see caves carved into mountains.

What were the chances one of them led to a Guardian's lair? What were the chances that all of them were empty, or worse: geological enigmas (in the Omniverse, anything was in play)? He mulled over the mystery, and filed through the potential consequences. Every snow-capped mountain brought the instinctive unease of worry; avalanche stories were always recorded on Earth, often coupled with tragic endings—Billy and Sue died under the white rubble, never to be found.

Scared money never made no money, or however the saying went. Trunks gnawed the turtle leg to the naked bone, and chucked it over the side of the trail.



He made it to the first cave, and hunkered into it. No Guardian's lair. On the edge of where darkness thwarted visibility, a skeleton stolidly leaned against the right wall of the cave. His head sat in his lap with both hands clasped around the bronze helmet encasing it. Trunks's eyes dashed around for a sword—he figured that was the warrior's preference, given the era of his headgear—but none lain anywhere.

The corpse showcased a troubled image to the swordsman. A message perhaps? No way in hell could a man remove his own head, especially without a weapon. The true inquiry dove into the pool of WHO configured this haunting display, not WHAT. Trunks' impression of Teucer was a long jog from benevolent, but he doubted the spirit would send passive signals.

Trunks went to proceed further into the cave, but a rumble churned from the intestines of the mountain, rattling him backwards. He pounced to the nearest wall and gripped the rough texture of it to maintain his balance. The skeleton vibrated as if becoming reanimated, but fell over instead. His head bounced free as the rest of him disarranged into a pile of bones, doubling over before coming to a rest. Its hollowed eye sockets beamed despair into Trunks' heart. The swordsman looked at the entrance to the cave. Snow flowed over it like a waterfall, slowly walling the opening shut. He had to escape, and fast. With a final glance back at the skeleton's head, Trunks' exited the cave.

“Fuck me,” Trunks said as his mind apprehended what his sight confirmed.

The rumbling came from a huge tide of snow rolling down the face of the summit. As the wave steamed towards him, it amassed in size and velocity, overthrowing the howl of the wind with a perpetual lion's roar. It was an avalanche, no uncertainty about it.

If avalanches wielded the same devastation in the Omniverse as they did in his own universe, he just hit the jackpot of misfortune.

[The Spirit]

EASTER EGG CHALLENGE
Ruby, Weiss, Dante, Trixie, Okor, Desco ,Link.

The heroes who accepted the voice's strange invitation followed the green light that was showing them the way. For some it was a longer travel than the others, but everyone made it in one piece. The closer they got the more fog appeared, setting the scenery more grim that it would've been. The woman from hell, Trixie was the first to arrive, glancing around she saw nothing but the mixture of white and green fog all around her. She waited patiently for whatever was to happen. It wasn't long before others started to show up. Two young women arrived together, Weiss and Ruby stopped when they saw the strange woman ahead of them. Ruby did not hesitate for a moment, "That wasn't you shouting out from the sky was it ?" Weiss shook her head as it was obviously a male's voice they heard.

"No, I am pretty sure it wasn't." Ruby startled as Dante, who suddenly appeared on her right, answered her question. From a distance a young girl approached the group carefully, Desco was no fool, whatever was going to happen, she was still unsure who to trust. The girl kept at a distance, observing the group. Weiss noticed a familiar face walking up to her, it was Okor, he had also found his way to the location of which the mysterious voice spoke. Due to the tension in the air, Weiss was only able to nod in acknowledgement of the warrior that was amongst them.

One final person showed up, who caught everyone's attention. The breastplate Link was wearing glistened in the morning sun. "Wow is that one of the relic's ?!" Ruby excitingly yet bluntly blurted out. Her good friend Weiss was there to stop her before Ruby got worse by poking her in the side. Link felt uneasy with all these unknown eyes focused on him. The tension rose between champions, when suddenly an familiar yet unknown voice filled the area once more.

" Look what we have here, at even the notion of power you come crawling out like measly worms, how entertaining. I have been trapped in this boring realm long enough and simply wish to leave this cursed island, just like you. You will however have to compensate me for time that is lost, so for tonight's entertainment, I bring you,....You." From the mist a man in gold and green armor appeared, large horns were on top of his helmet and a staff in his hand, Loki the god of mischief had appeared.

GUARDIAN LOKI CHALLENGE, FREE FOR ALL
Ruby Vs. Weiss Vs. Dante Vs. Trixie Vs. Okor Vs. Desco Vs. Link

Guardian Difficulty- ???

All the champions drew their weapons at the guardian who did nothing in response but laugh. " Your mortal weapons cannot harm a god! You are all my little slaves, you just don't know it yet." The stone in his staff began to glow and the mist surrounding the group of champions rose quickly and grew thicker than ever before. Before anyone knew what was happening they found themselves in the mist. "Weiss ?! Weiss where are you Weiss ?!" Ruby shouted through the mist. Behind her she heard Loki's voice, " She's not here." The young warrior startled once more and quickly turned, holding her ridiculously large sword at the ready, but Loki was faster. The tip of his staff touched the young woman, leaving her standing as her eyes took a strange shade of green. Loki disappeared into the fog once more, visiting each of the mist inhabitants and infecting them with his magic. Finishing his handiwork on Desco he controlled all the champions foolish enough to come to him.

Releasing his magic that created the fog all contesters finally saw each other once more, yet no one was the same, staring in front of them like mindless zombies they awaited the god's order. Loki showed his charismatic smile as a throne was summoned for him to sit on. The god sat down comfortably, "Let it begin."

With those words every champion went berserk and entered a mindless battle mode. Link threw his weapon at his side and smashed into the cube, from the magical weapon emerged an enormous bamboo like snake with a hilt at the end. Once more the box provided him with the knowledge of the weapon. The creature was 4 meters high, towering over all as Link grabbed hold of the strange sword, "let's go Zabimaru."

Weiss turned to her left and saw the Devil hunter. With a flash of lightning and a burst of demonic runes, Dante unleashed the devil within and mutated his form into that of a vicious demon. Weiss immediately responded with her own power, white runes started to appear on her arms before she charged the demonic creature that moments ago was Dante. The devil himself threw himself at Weiss, attempting to counter her powerful attack, but her sudden increase of speed surprised him. Her punch landed right into his stomach, blowing the Demon back with force.

Weiss was preparing a second attack when she herself got jumped by none other than her friend Ruby. The buster sword was covered with the red shadow Weiss had seen many times before, yet never on the receiving end. Ruthlessly Ruby swung her sword at Weiss, the red shadow followed the weapon's movement as it cut through her friend's side, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. Weiss stood for a few seconds before collapsing. With her eyes still open she saw ruby Dash off towards Zombie Trixie and Okor who were caught in a fist fight. Okor was being pushed back by the sheer force of her current state, pushing the space marine into the ground followed by several strong punches to bury him deeper in the ground. She then brought back her hands with a primal growl, a black orb gathering in her hands. Lightening spewed into every direction until Zombie tribe slammed her hands into Okor's chest. Trixie would not have the time to enjoy this meal.


A blur of red passed by Trixie, along with a large force of wind that berated and flung back Trixie. Ruby's charge stopped and took advantage of Trixie's misfortune.The warrior in red charged into the zombified woman and once more swung her sword. Trixie responded purely on battle instincts and stopped the sword with her bare hands, cutting both of them pretty deep. Ruby looked surprised the woman from hell actually stopped it and was met with a fist right on her nose. Being forced back Ruby tried to hold off Trixie by swinging the mighty weapon at her, but the creature kept on coming.

Behind them Okor slowly got up and was done playing games, with a brief hand motion the plague knife appeared within his hand. The marine stepped towards the clashing duo and forced his blade into Trixie's back. The woman screamed in pain as she started to reach for the blade in her back, unable to reach she started to make strange movements before Ruby helped her with another strike of the buster sword, dropping the woman from hell as her skin started to show many symptoms like fever, buboes, boils, necrosis, hemorrhaging, it was a horrible sight.

Okor did not waste any time and now that he was close by he used his weapon to start bashing in on Ruby. Three punches to the face and one to the stomach dropped the sword wielding youngster to the floor, her face covered in blood and dirt. Before Okor stepped over her he kicked her once more in her stomach, forcing her to cough up blood before passing out.

Link send his sword soaring through the sky, the mighty beast weapon roared loudly as it descended towards Desco. The small girl did not held back either, she Desco emanated a dark aura around her body with blue energy bolts on her back. She braced for impact right before Link's weapon's teeth sunk into the little girl, lifting her from the ground and throwing her into the air, followed by the weapons signature weapon, the energy beam. With all its might it blasted Desco even further into the sky, Until no one saw her. Link got ready to move on to the next enemy, he turned around and nearly tripped over a box that was randomly standing in the middle of the battle field. Link did not waste any time, he kicked the box out of his way, yet, by doing so he revealed the Devil inside the box. From underneath the cardboard weapon he jumped Link and started hitting away, several hits on the armor did not faze him much, yet the ones he caught with his face left a trail of blood.

As soon as Links eyes started to shut the Devil found no more use for him and got up, finding Okor standing in front of him. The devil felt a strange sensation of fear going through his body when the mighty marine was standing this close to him. The brass knuckles felt cold on Dante's cheek as they were trying to force their way into Dante's skull. The demon however did not hold back either and started his own barrage of punches.

The boxing duo were having at each other when from the sky several sharp metal objects were thrown towards them, one of them forcing its way into Dante's shoulder. Okor looked up and saw the girl Desco descent with high speed. Aiming for a softer landing she aimed straight for Okor, and like a missile she impacted on top of the might marine. Creating a curtain of dust around the battlefield.

Many champions were on the ground, wounded, unconscious, as Loki was laughing in his throne, "well done, well done all. This was highly amusing. And I am a god of my word. Come forth and collect your reward, Desco." Amongst the many wounded bodies the small girl emerged and walked towards the god. Loki threw the greaves onto the ground, "Enjoy that, may our paths never cross again" With those words he vanished into the mist, undoing his magic he had on the champions. Leaving Desco with her prize amongst the wreckage of a battlefield.

[spoiler]Weiss 9 damage, a large open wound on her right side makes it very hard to move. the wound has to be tended to.
Ruby 8 damage, Broken nose, a cut near her right eye, swollen cheeks and bleeding internally ( though not life threatening ) she will cough up blood for a while
Okor 8 damage, Light concussion from the impact of a little girl rocket and being forced into the ground by zombie Trixie, his chest also has a light burning sensation
Desco 5 damage, The landing of the fall and the beam attack did a number on Desco's body even through her defense. the landing messed with both her shoulders who are now hurting allot and more difficult to move.
Link 5 damage, his face has cuts and bruises, his armor protected his body from more injuries.
Trixie 12 damage, her body is covered by the symptoms of Odor's blade.
Dante 8 damage, Cut into his shoulder, there is a piece of metal stuck in there. His stomach is hurting internally, Weiss's super attack did a number on him and will be coughing blood as well.
Ruby used T1 Eclipse Rage -1 SP
Weiss used T1 Super Move White -1SP
Dante used T1 Power up Devil Trigger -1Sp
Okor used T1 Super move Septic Shiv -1 SP
Desc used T1 Power Up Battle Aura -1 SP
Trixie used T1 Super Move -1 SP
Ruby used T1 Super Move Vortex Sprint -1 SP

Rolled a 6 for Link's box : Zabimaru bankai form[/spoiler]