Kill the Numbers [Dark Data]

[Kuzuru]

Well, now it was a party. Every competent member of the Blades was present for this glorious calamity, and were it not for the fusillade of magic directed at him, Kuzuru would’ve paused to savor the moment. However, the tempestuous sorceries set against him proved to be a sobering reality check. The two coals that served as his eyes darted frantically in their sockets. Up until now the duo’s attacks had been relatively predictable and avoidable. But now there were simply too many threats for even his doped up mind to process.

Pangs of self-preservation forced him to take a step backwards. Kuzuru’s retreat was rewarded with solid blow to the back of his head; the attack pushed him forward and fizzled his thoughts. Another burst slammed into his gut and ripped the wind from his lungs. He fell to his knees. The ruddy flames that served as his vicious countenance flickered and died out. He looked towards the sky and closed his eyes.

One moment his flesh trembled as if a hundred scarabs had wormed their way beneath his skin, and in the next, his body became nothing more than a blooming cascade of sharp edges. Blades sprouted from every available inch of skin, forming something that resembled a blossoming flower. Like some sort of twisted art installation the spire of metal sat stalwart against the oncoming barrage.

Ebony’s magic clashed against the bulwark. Large chunks of metal snapped free on impact and tumbled end over end across the battlefield. She managed to shave away a good portion of the defensive sabres, but before an opening could be exploited her magic ran dry.

With a stuttering sizzle, the girl’s magic relinquished control of her body and she buckled over. Blood trickled from her nose, staining the trampled ground. Morene stepped forward and leveled her rifle at Kuzuru’s shield.

The remaining metallic fronds twitched and shifted and crumbled. A cacophony, not unlike that of an earthquake raging through a china shop, filled the air as the blade grew brittle and fell to pieces.

From the sarcophagus of swords emerged a triumphant Kuzuru, largely unharmed by Ebony’s assault. He smiled and shot a pair of finger guns at the recovering teenager.

“Now that has to hurt the pride, huh dar-?” he began to taunt, but the words never got the chance to leave his mouth.

Morene pulled the trigger and fired a slug of electricity at the boasting demon. Dead center. Kuzuru gasped as the projectile pounded his chest. His heart skipped a beat and his lungs ignited. The demon sucked air.

“Well,” Kuzuru spoke, took another gulp of air, and continued, “that was rude, interrupting me while-”

Once again Morene fired. This time the slug slammed against his leg and Kuzuru yelped in pain. She readied another bolt and fired before he could gather himself. The third projectile shanked to the right and whizzed past his head, leaving a trail of ionized air behind. Taking this half-second of respite, he sprouted a blade from his shin. Sinking the talon-like protrusion into the earth, he kicked in an arc and rustled up a smokescreen of dust, soot, and dirt. The Liberator stayed her fire and glanced over at the recovering magician beside her. Ebony’s body trembled as she climbed atop a shaky pair of legs. Morene frowned and turned her attention back to the cloud of dust.

By now the leading edge of the battle had pushed past them. The Koopas had fallen back to a more defensible area, leaving a tide of darkspawn in their wake. The shambling, ink-covered masses seemed perfectly content to allow Kuzuru his fun. The marching tide offered them a wide berth. Occasionally a darkspawn would stray from the horde and be quickly brought down by Morene’s vigilance. Her steely eyes hyper-focused on the waning cloud of dirt that Kuzuru had shrouded himself with.

Inside the cloud she caught sight of a silhouette and fired. Once more the bullet hit dead center, filling the air with a wet squelch. However, the figure did not stumble, and in fact pressed forward. In one hand Kuzuru held the now lifeless corpse of a darkspawn, raised in front of him as a shield. His other arm hung limp at his side, weighted down by the thick, cleaver-shaped sheet of metal that jutted outwards along his forearm. He trundled forward as fast as the weight hanging at his side would allow.

Morene fired again, but Kuzuru’s fleshy meat-shield absorbed the impact. Ebony’s eyes went wide as she saw him approach, but she did her best to ignore the almost overwhelming sense of dread. Her hands set to work crafting a spell.

Once Kuzuru was within spitting distance he tossed aside the battered corpse and rushed forward. His legs cried as they tried to compensate for the massive weight now strapped to his arm. He ignored them. The demon swung his cleaver arm in a high arc, bringing it over his head and crashing down in one thunderous motion. Morene side-stepped the guillotine and it buried itself into the ground. Using the weight as an anchor, Kuzuru swung his body around and delivered a flying kick to the Liberator’s ruined arm. She screamed and toppled over.

“You two numbskulls are so worried about each other,” Kuzuru commented as he freed his arm from the ground, “it’d be cute if it didn’t make you fight like shit.”

He raised the gargantuan blade over his head and stepped towards the fallen Morene. Her eyes stretched wide as the weapon’s shadow bisected the sun. Kuzuru grinned.

Ebony stepped forward with a shout, a roiling mass of magic rocketed from her outstretched hands. The spell broadsided Kuzuru’s raised arm, the sudden impact mixed with the shifting of weight sent him tumbling over. A gut-wrenching pop resonated from his shoulder as it dislocated from the socket.

Claptrap's metallic voice called over the din of battle, “Don’t worry bossman, I’m on my way!”

Kuzuru will counter Ebony’s super move with his own defensive super move “Demon Lotus” Kuzuru now only has 1 sp remaining.

The effects of the DARK BURN darkchip have faded.