Kill the Numbers [Dark Data]

[Summer]

For the first time since he’d set out on this mission, ever since Sun Ogong had first uttered those words way back in the Endless Dunes, Sonny didn’t feel some little twinge of annoyance, or worse, at Ebony’s complaint. There wasn’t a note of impatience to that voice, no boredom, no energy. It was the voice of someone who had one hell of a day, who only wanted to lay down and sleep. There wasn’t anything in those words that the sun spirit could be annoyed at. It would simply be hypocritical of him. That was a tone he used far too frequently, after all.

“Summer, switch,” the youkai mumbled under his breath. “But let me talk.”

His request was met by silence, his other half giving him no confirmation, no derisive snort, not even the slightest hint of what he was thinking. Until he felt the flow of magic. The sun spirit’s being shifted subtly, his body disrupted, and soon he was back in the passenger’s seat. A thick blanket of Summer’s telltale fog clouded their shared vision, which was swiftly chased away by yet another burst of hell-heated wind. It seemed as though his other half had developed a flair of his own for when they switched. Sonny watched on, vaguely amused. The storm spirit always did have a penchant for the dramatic. No sooner had the mist cleared away, that his vision began to erratically over the path and the rocky cliff face, his other half glancing around awkwardly, not sure what he was supposed to do next. Despite his apparent confusion, Summer remained stubbornly silent.

“We’ve got a fair bit of walking to do yet,” Sonny said after a moment, and at last his other half’s gaze settled on Ebony, still perched up on that rock, chest heaving with weary breaths. Her eyes turned up to meet his for a moment, betraying her exhaustion, before she quickly looked away. “But...” he continued. “I can walk enough for the both of us.” Or rather, Summer would. The storm spirit’s body tensed up, as if to ask if his other half meant it. No words or orders followed that statement, finally prompting him to trudge forward those few inches separating the two.

“U-um...” Ebony stuttered, tossing her scythe to the side with a feigned hesitancy. Summer's eyes flicked over to watch it for a quick moment, catching sight of it just in time to see it dissolve into a black and purple mist. “I-if you insi...” she began, and he turned back to face her.

“Hold on,” the black-haired spirit interrupted her gruffly, right hand delving into his pocket. He pulled out a roll of bandages, one of the last three items from his first-aid kit. A subtle shift in the air swept over the sun spirit’s senses, something cold and humid appearing in this dry, desolate hellhole, and all of a sudden that roll of bandages was soaked.

“W-what...?” The timid girl stammered, her hood falling back as Summer’s bandaged stump pushed her chin up.

“Just hold still, please.” Though he spoke politely, the storm spirit’s tone remained as vaguely dangerous as ever. Ebony suddenly stiffened up, sitting still as the stone she was perched on. With an unexpected precision and gentleness, Summer wiped away the darkling blood covering her face with the damp bandages. Only seconds later, she was spotless once again, not even a trace of demonic blood left. He dropped his hand away from her chin and shoved the bandages back into his pocket. Sonny cringed internally, dealing with a damp pocket later was not going to be fun.

“Alright kiddo,” Summer said, his voice almost paternal, as he pulled her hood back over her hair. “Let’s get going.” He turned around and kneeled, just low enough that the girl would be able to crawl onto his back with ease.

“I-I’m an adult!” The young mage protested, climbing onto his back nonetheless.

“Sure you are,” he responded sarcastically, straightening back up and starting down the path once again. Sonny smiled internally, unable to show it on the face of his other half. He didn’t need to do the talking after all.

“Am too! I’m almost nineteen!” She emphasized the number.

“A fledgling! Fresh out of the nest and ready to see the wonders of the world.” Summer responded dramatically, skipping across the shifting gravel with a sure footing born from fighting against raging winds.

“Oh yeah, how old are you then?” Ebony shot back, giggling at his fervor in spite of her endless protesting.

“Two thousand six hundred and eighty seven,” he spouted off an entirely random and probably incorrect number, completely caught up in the moment. “And still a young’un compared to some out there!”

“No you’re not!” To Sonny, it sounded like she was getting swept along by his energy too.

“Okay, you’re right about that...” he admitted, keeping up his pace. “It’s actually closer to twenty four hundred. Give or take a couple hundred. It’s hard to keep track of.”

“Sure,” she drawled, not believing a word of it. The foot was on the other hand, now. Sonny simply laughed silently to himself as his other half continued on energetically. It was good to finally see everyone in high spirits.

879 words
Summer’s in control since Sonny can't carry

[Miranda Frost]

How long was it? How long was the white haired angel allowed her fury? It seemed to have gone on an eternity, her claws tearing through them with ease. Too many of them perished for her to keep track of, not that she cared. She was prepared to give her life, and yet an army of these puny insects could do little more than scratch her. Her wings shone a blinding red and her fist burned through their numbers one at a time.

 However the brighter a light becomes, the greater its shadow. 

 The portal in which the betrayer had fled grew and consumed the battlefield and Miranda with it. Everything became black and then there was light. The Ashen was already a hellish place but when the place gained a new coat of paint, it was horrifying. The lakes of fire around her would give the environment a terrifying new look. This place was the darklings' home? It was sickening. 

 Despite the pressing issue at hand, she couldn't help but feel a nagging voice struggling in the back of her skull. Her body felt light, her balance thrown off. There was something missing, but what exactly? Miranda couldn't remember. She dug back and back, deeper and deeper, but couldn't find anything but an endless desert and a dark lonely basement full of horrors. Who exactly was Miranda Frost? What made up this complicated soup of memories? 

 What the fuck was the Terremoto?

 She was the captain of that vessel right? No, that didn't feel right at all. Those people she summoned, Miranda could not remember, yet she commanded them as if she did. The more she fought, the more she did here, the more she lost. Frost didn't even notice her wings fade away,  her halo silenced.

 She wasn't alone in this place though, Kuzu was there. It seemed he was suffering from the side effects of whatever he plagued his body with. He tried summoning something to deal with his chills but to no avail. Miranda sighed, her blood dripping claws zipping down the heavy coat she wore, slipping out of it. Her arms shone a crimson hue, the silver and rust surface covered with what remained of that darkling army. She couldn't bring herself to say it but, Miranda hated this man far less than she did a day ago. He was maniacal, crazy, and mentally ill at times, but there was something about seeing him in this state.

 Frost walked behind the man, her crimson eye avoiding him a she draped the heavy coat over his shoulders, watching him buckle over in its weight.
 
 "This is the weight I bear all day every day, but it keeps me warm and keeps me safe... " She'd murmur, her eyes flickering back to him. She could see it all within him, those countless souls drowning in their own madness and agony. Perhaps that was his own weight to bear, but unlike her coat, all of that dark shit within him is liable to get him killed or worse.

 "I don't know why I went into battle for you, drenched these arms in darkling blood for you. Every time I look at you I can't just see your handsome exterior. It sickens me to no end, but maybe its not because all the anguish of others you carry. Perhaps its because I cannot find you anywhere in that mess.", Miranda began, moving in front of him, zipping the heavy coat that covered him. "I'm starting to lose everything before this fucking hellhole Kuzu and even  then I keep losing. Dragonfire scorching the earth, Primes banishing themselves, all of this killing, it never ends."

 Miranda sighed and turned, her cybernetic eye changing from a crimson color to a deep blue. "I swear one what remains of myself: I will drag you back from hell."

 The moment to her was touching if not a tad bit embarrassing. If she didn't know any better she could have sworn she was crushing over him.... kinda like she crushed over Zack Fair and Drake Onier. Sure Kuzu wasn't quite the hunk they were but, he had his own qualities, even if she couldn't quite name them off the top of her head.

 The arrival of another would somewhat ruin the moment for her, this giant , ripped catfish looking motherfucker arriving to spread his ego over them. She almost laughed, but she almost launched herself at this... thing. Probably what saved this being's life was the irony of going from being able to kill millions on a mere whim to a relative pissant. 

 "I think I hate this guy worse than you Kuzu-boy", Miranda would bite out, holding back what she really wanted to say. It was funny how he was able to get close without her noticing. She could see in all directions for a good distance, yet here it was clouded immensely. Hell, she couldn't quite read this guy without looking at him. Being as repulsive as he was, Miranda would rather not have to lay her eye on someone as repulsive as him.

 "Let's... just go... please."

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

A few thoughts had run through Ebony's mind, parading through and leaving no serenity in their wake. A slight theme of contentment seemed to prevail, although individually most seemed to leave confusion behind, shrouding any direct mental activity. Despite cold hands brushing against her face, she'd felt a slight warmth and relief. Was that because the thing was gone? Was that because someone else had removed it, to actually show care for her? Or, under a face flushed red from exhaustion - definitely exhaustion and nothing else - she'd considered the possibility that it might have been due to Sonny, or Summer, being the one to do it.

And then there was the carrying. Summer was cold, like an ice pack. While Ebony preferred the warmth of her scythe (and Sonny by extension) - even in heat like this, she had to admit the coolness of his hands against her legs, and her chest against his back, was comforting. From a mixture of physical exertion and burying herself under a black cloak, her body had reached near feverish temperatures. Briefly, she wondered if she felt warm to him, as Sonny had to her. The comfort was debatable in its origin. Again, it could have simply been due to her finally being able to rest, the sense of safety it provided, the cool feeling of his body. Or maybe because someone was showing her sympathy and compassion in such a bleak looking world. 

Regardless, for the time being, she was happy, at least in part. And somewhat excitable due to the recent exchange, even if her mind was tired. She wanted to know more about her new friend. Strange personality quirks aside, he was nice. She liked him. He was the real deal. An actual hero, unlike the fictional one she pretended to be. Without a better idea, Ebony found herself copying his questions for her.

"How did you learn your magic?" Her tone started off more excitable, but slowly drifted off towards the end, showcasing her fatigue. Despite her body's betrayal, she did really want to know.

"It took a lot of trial and error," he said, cheerfully.

"E-error?" Ebony asked. While worry for his safety was entirely unnecessary due to this being a past event, Ebony couldn't help but feel a slight fear. She herself had to deal with unreliable magic on occasion.

"There weren't many other people, or any at all, that researched magic where I came from. I was one of the first, so I had to pave my own way." He grinned, trying to be modest.

Nonetheless, Ebony was still amazed by his claims. With her head filled with wonder at the fact he'd discovered things by himself. It always confounded her how people could be the first, at least to their knowledge, to learn something. Even though she found all the maths theorems boring, and never liked having to learn physical laws, she saved a special level of respect for the first people to discover them. Sure some seemed obvious, but it astounded her nonetheless. Especially the obscure and complicated proofs or strange experiments. "Wow! That's so cool. Are you really smart? Like a famous scientist? Could you turn lead into gold? Or build a time machine? Or..."

Sonny's voice laughed lightheartedly. If his hands were free he'd likely have waved dismissively. It took him a short while to compose himself while Ebony's praise trailed off. After calming herself, she waited expectantly, eyes wide open under her hood.

"It's... not that impressive. I mostly learnt weather magic, I'm more like a two thousand-year-old professor than a proper scientist." Sonny spoke happily, obviously flattered by the praise but perhaps not thinking it was fully deserved.

Ebony grinned sheepishly at the rebuttal. "Nuh-uh. That's still really cool. That means you can make it sunny whenever you want... right Sonny?"

Ebony - One; Sonny - Nill.

A deep, quiet, chuckle resonated from Summer's throat. Ebony could feel the slight vibrations from her position on his back as the man's ribs shook slightly. Eventually, the noise subsided as Ebony was left in slight confusion over the change in voice. She considered it must have been the other 'personality'. He'd looked grim before, so she was glad her comment made him happy.

After a pause, Sonny spoke, "As a matter of fact, I can." 

Ebony smiled, but couldn't think of anything else to say. She wanted to talk and share stories with her new friend, but none came to mind. It was frustrating, and she was sure the second such an opportunity became unavailable, ideas would come rushing to her head.

Sighing, she shrugged lightly, thinking about her day. Ebony hadn't kept track of the time, but it couldn't have been longer than half a day, from dawn to midday, at most. That was how long she'd been in the Omniverse. Although the time comparison had been hard to make, it was the middle of the night when Omni had taken her, so a more appropriate approximation would have been midnight until dawn. And now that the adrenaline had fully left her system, her lack of sleep and drained mental state truly became apparent. Regardless of any specifics, she had been here about eighty times less than Sonny, likely an even shorter time than that. He was barely experienced with the place, but just by comparing herself with him, she knew this reality wasn't for her. For Ebonywood Hellscythe maybe. Like a grand chapter of an adventure novel, but not for her writer. The fights she'd reluctantly participated in had already shattered the idea that she could ever hope to be that ideal self.

She wasn't that girl. Nor was she the girl from the orphanage, or the one from the tower. She was a nobody in her mind. A nobody that wanted to go home, back to the ship, to a place that no longer existed. She had to hope, and through great willpower, she'd denied, refused that the harsh truth of the situation could be correct. It was just a dream. It had to be.

Nonetheless, she still found herself entertaining a life here. There had to be a good place somewhere, rolling hills, cool rivers, and a shining sun. Her, Morene... and Sonny. Together and friends. She shook her head, hair falling forwards out of her hood and onto Summer's neck. She couldn't get comfortable here. Morene and the others actually liked this - liked the fight against the darklings. Ebony couldn't hope to find a place in a world like that. Again, she waved her head slightly from side to side, mumbling slightly. Not even Sonny and Morene would make it worthwhile.

"Is everything alright?" Her slight shaking had prompted a response, the shivering in her legs halted by a reassuring grip from his hands.

Ebony slumped against the mans back, resting her chin on his left shoulder and gently gripping around his chest. All with the aim of simply leaning against him further. The cold felt nice, but it also kept her awake, calming her mind. Her eyelids begged her to let them close. What harm could it do? She wondered. Just for a minute. Only a moment...

She blinked, waking up almost instantly from a rest she didn't know she started. Her back straightened abruptly, and her arms tightened briefly, nearly brushing against her carrier's neck.

"Ebony?"

Sighing, she slouched again, holding herself against him by pinning her arms around his broad, strong, shoulders - except this time her chin rested on the other side. One might have found it amusing how her strength almost mirrored his. "I'm... fine." Her tired voice mumbled into his ear, slow and careful breaths rolling down his shoulder. Pushing her neck and chin into him, she mumbled, not caring that her hood had fallen down in the recent movements, although the faint warm breeze made it hard to focus on anything. "W-why are there two of you? How-how come you can s-share a body?" She stumbled over the words, speaking faintly and close to the embrace of sleep. While his body was still cold, she'd grown accustomed to it - it did little to keep her alert anymore.

Looking up from her position, using his shoulder as leverage to move her chin, she noticed they were probably about half way up the mountain. For some reason, they seemed to be travelling very slowly, or perhaps the path was simply longer than it looked.

In the back of her mind, she was grateful for that. 

1418 words. Wew. 

I do not regret that bad pun. Sonny had it coming to him.

Eb is pretty sleepy, if it wasn't obvious.

[Summer]

Slowly, the weight hanging off of Summer’s back began to feel more like dead weight, as the girl on his back steadily nodded off. Her chin rested on his shoulder, and though she was still talking, asking him about his past, it was barely coherent over the sound of her yawning. It was only thanks to her proximity to his ear that he was able to hear her questions. 

Why was there two of him? Why did they share a body?

“It’s a long story...” the storm spirit mumbled half-heartedly, plodding along up the mountain at a steady pace. His head turned up, and he gazed upon the summit, drawing closer but still so far.

“We have time,” Ebony responded sleepily, her grip slowly growing slack. Though the youkai did have a hold of her legs, as he was carrying her in the traditional pickaback style, he was still a bit worried about her passing out. He didn’t need her dashing her head against the ground out here in Nebula Space.

“Well, it was a long time ago...” he began hesitantly, pausing for a short bit while he tried to work out the best way to explain. “I was a bit of a troublemaker back in my youth. Wild and carefree as the wind.”

“Mhmm...” the mage hummed along, barely paying attention.

“I got on the bad side of a magician, not unlike you,” his own tone picked up hints of world-weariness. “It wasn’t much of a fight. I’m a natural when it comes to magic. There aren’t many out there who can stand up against the might of my storms. But she....” his voice trailed off for a moment. “She was a downright prodigy, I’d say. My centuries of practice and research and specialization in weather manipulation paid off as much as it could that day. She couldn’t fight my storms, no matter how she tried, and she couldn’t redirect my lightning, no matter how she willed it. But she didn’t need to, there were plenty more tricks up her sleeve. You still awake?”

“...yes,” Ebony mumbled after a moment, somehow still there.

“Well, she just beat me down with every other trick she had. I haven’t seen a human with that extensive of a mastery over magic since then. She didn’t need a grimoire, a staff, a scroll, nothing. She soundly defeated me with only her will. And when I was down, she cast a spell. Actually, ‘cast’ probably isn’t the right word. She created an entirely new spell then and there, tore my consciousness, and my ability to use magic apart right along the divide between a ‘storm’ and a ‘clear sky.’ Hadn’t seen magic like that before then, haven’t seen anything like it since.” He wasn’t quite sure why he was telling her all this. It wasn’t something he liked thinking about, let alone telling people about. Well, it wasn’t like she would remember most of it, with how out of it she was. Or at least, that’s what he hoped.

“N-nothing like it?”

“Only thing that comes vaguely close is telepathy,” Summer muttered, almost inaudible as he slipped into his own train of thought. “But that fucks up the mind of the user, not the victim. Unless...” Recounting this story brought new thoughts with it, things he hadn’t considered before. And suddenly an epiphany struck, flashing in his mind like lightning. “Unless she was proficient at segmenting minds before she split me! If she split her own mind into a few part and created a temporarily impassable divide somewhere in there...”

“Then she’d have been able to read our mind without succumbing to the amnesia, the insanity, or the organ failure.” Sonny continued where his other half left off. “Which would have allowed her to get a good enough read on me to know where to split.”

“But that doesn’t tell us how she split minds in the first place.”

“It gives us a lead at least.” Though stumbling across a lead like this was cause for celebration, Summer’s voice betrayed a level of annoyance. “Fuck... Using telepathy to deal with mind fuckery... We’re trying to heal ourselves with a bottle of rat pois-ON!” His voice suddenly rose into a shout as the weight on his back slipped backwards. That boring back-and-forth between halves had taken its toll on Ebony, and she’d finally fallen into the sleep she’d been tottering on the verge of. Summer pitched his body forward, shifting all that weight just in time and keeping the girl from smashing against the ground, at a price. Her forehead bounced off the back of his skull, and the two let loose a simultaneous “Ow!”

“Shit!” The storm spirit exclaimed almost immediately after, stumbling forward but somehow keeping his balance. “Sorry! Sorry.”

“I-it’s okay,” the young mage stammered quietly. “It h-happens.”

“You wanna take a small break?” Summer suggested once his stumbling had ceased. Not only would carrying her while she was sleeping be difficult, what with all the treacherous terrain they had yet to cross, but facing the Darkloid while she was nodding off? That was a recipe for disaster. “Get comfy somewhere for a bit?” His gaze slowly shifted across the mountainside as he said that. That had been a dumb suggestion. Where the hell were they gonna get comfy on a rocky mountain in a desolate, volcanic wasteland?

“We d-don’t have... time,” she said tiredly, burying her face into the back of his jacket. “W-what about Morene?”

“You’re in no state to fight the big dude up there,” Summer responded quietly. The only answer to that the girl could muster was a half-hearted and unintelligible mumble into his back. “Come on kiddo, we’re gonna find somewhere to relax.” He set off up the path once again, footsteps echoing dully off the cliffside. His eyes darted all around, taking in their surroundings. Rocks to one side, boulders to the other, gravel all around, ubiquitous stone.... What a friendly and inviting place this was.

After trudging a fair distance, he finally came upon something out of the ordinary. The path veered just slightly away from the nearly vertical mountainside, and nestled right in that crook in the road was a decently-sized divot. Just large enough to give him an idea. Rock may not be comfortable, but water was. Especially hot water. It just washed away all your fatigue.

“Hey Ebony, you’re pretty talented. You know how to summon up water?”

1076 words.
where doing this man where MAKING THIS HAPEN

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

"W-water?" Ebony yawned, trying to blink some of the moisture out of her eyes. "Why?"

Summer began to crouch, slowly releasing her legs and lowering her to the ground. With tired strength, she hung on, dangling slightly in the air. Sonny spoke cheerfully, although a small hint of fatigue was layered over his voice. Not that one such as him would use Ebony as an excuse to laze around. "Just humour me for a minute, I have an idea."

"Y-yeah. I can." She mumbled into his back, her mind not quite following his lead in its sleepy state. Reaching Ebony's hands, Summer gently pried them apart, crouching down further until her feet met the ground. Her legs bent as she slumped, still leaning against him.

Turning around in her feeble attempt at a death grip, Summer moved her hands off him, clasping them carefully between the duo. He squeezed them lightly through her fingerless gloves, her hands clenched slightly around his and the motion served its purpose of waking her up slightly - at least making her more alert and aware of her surroundings. "Why don't you try and fill this hole?"

"O-oh. I... I get it now." Ebony reluctantly let go of his hands, moving to sit on the side of the rocky basin, her legs dangling in. Her mind hadn't really considered what was actually going to happen, besides her getting to soak in warm water. "Should I try and make the water hot?"

"If you can, yes." He smiled, filling Ebony with a warmth despite the cold that lingered from her prior physical contact with him. She felt useful, appreciated, and that was a nice feeling. Being dead weight didn't sit well with her, and that seemingly being her designated position in this world was one of the many reasons she wanted to leave. With that lingering feeling lost, at least for a while, Ebony was free to smile back.

"Wait... I dunno. That might cost you extra, Mister Sonny." Ebony grinned, waking up a bit more and trying to make a more comedic comment.

Summer raised an eyebrow, speaking quizzically. "What kind of 'extra'?"

She hadn't thought that far. "Umm..." She blinked, continuing on an impulse. "You have to be my friend."

Two voices fought for dominance as they both tried to laugh with the same mouth. Summer shook his head, forcing them to subside, as Sonny spoke. "What? Am I selling myself into slavery now or something?"

"Yup."

Ebony fiddled with her boots, undoing the many, many, straps. Despite how they looked, all of the buckles were actually functional. At least there would never be the damage of them falling off. Taking them off along with her thick black socks, she placed them by the side of the soon-to-be hot spring, letting her bare feet bounce against the rocky ledge she'd sat down on. The rocky hole was fairly deep. Not as deep as Ebony was tall, but if she sat down on one of the layers inside, her head would just poke above the outer rim. The rock itself was sleek and black and appeared to actually be fairly clean, not having been weathered much. It was perfect for Sonny's intended purpose.

She mumbled under her breath, not putting as much care into the words as she usually did; almost immediately a fine stream of water started flowing out of the first-finger on her right hand. Even as the one creating it, it felt very warm. Small amounts of steam even started to rise from it. Not quite hot enough to burn or scald someone. But hot nonetheless. Except it was too slow. At this rate, it'd be hours before the pool was a usable level.

Shaking her hand, she mumbled again, trying to speed up the process. She could feel her magic flowing inside her, but for some reason, it wasn't bending to her will. Not uncommon, but this wasn't about her. She'd taken on a task for Sonny, and she was going to complete it to the best of her efforts. Regardless of her demands, the flow stopped completely. Leaving only a small puddle - enough to warm her feet should she fall off the edge and hop in. That wasn't good enough.

Ebony examined her palm, playing with the fingers slightly. Wait... my gloves. She shook her head, finding first-hand how out of it she was. Her gloves had stopped the water coming out fully. Slightly flustered, and all too aware the man had been watching her from behind her back, she pulled off the fabric around her left hand and tossed it by her boots, then began to do the same to the right.

The second the last glove left her skin, warm water rocketed out of her palm, flying straight over her shoulder and out of her sight. She yelped, not expecting her magic to have built up that much and quickly clenched her hand into a fist, halting the flow. Suppressed coughing and spluttering met her ears as a result of the accidental blast of water. Yelping again in surprise, she turned around quickly to see Summer drenched in water. His clothes sagged and his hair fell down, plastered to his face.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Sorry! Sorry sorry sorry. I didn't mean to. It was an-"

A hand waved in front of Ebony's face, silencing her as the man shook his head. A magical breeze pushed against him, ruffling and drying his hair somewhat. "Don't worry about it, I'll be getting wet again soon, anyway."

"B-but, your clothes-"

"Will dry, yes." Again spoken with his omnipresent sunny tone before crouching down and sitting next to her - taking off his coat as he did so.

Ebony relaxed her fist, allowing the torrent of water to follow. Summer placed a hand on her shoulder, supporting her from the recoil. From Ebony's perspective, it didn't feel like long for the water level to eventually rise up to her toes, then the middle of her shins, and finally a few inches away from the top.

The... situation had finally dawned on her. She'd have to take off her clothes. Summer would take off his clothes. She and Sonny and Summer would be alone, naked, together, in an artificial hot spring by the side of a mountain. Heat rose to her face from the delayed revelation and the now steamy air. The sound of clothing rustling prompted her to turn her head. It was times like these where Ebony was glad for her long hair. It provided something to hide behind even when her hood was down. 

Although both residents of the body could probably still see her blush through the black mess of locks, there would be a slight mystery as to where her eyes were looking. The answer to that was the floor. Definitely the floor. "W-w-w-w-what are y-y-you d-doing?"

That question had a fairly obvious answer. Summer was taking off his shirt, and now he was looking at her with slight amusement.

"G-g-go b-behind..." Ebony looked about the area, quickly pointing out a finger in one direction to emphasise her point. "That r-rock." She paused, briefly thinking. "A-and don't come out until I s-say so. And n-n-no p-peaking." Her arms crossed themselves across her chest.

"Hey, I wanna rest a bit too," Sonny complained. Despite his statement, he offered no further resistance, opting to pick himself up and follow her demands.

Ebony's eyes followed him from under her hair, stalking his movements until she was sure he was gone. Her clothes eventually found themselves neatly folded up in a small pile next to her boots, all of them then wrapped up in the interior of her cloak and moved far enough away from the water to avoid any risk of getting splashed.

She shivered, giving a quick glance around the area once again before slowly stepping down into the water. Sighing, she leant down against the far wall, her back facing the direction Summer left. Hot mist filled the air, making it hard to see in too much detail. 

"Y-you can come in now. B-but no l-l-looking," Ebony called out over her shoulder, quickly snapping her head back forwards after speaking. 

While still nervous, her body didn't care. It slumped and relaxed in the warm liquid - the only things visible above the water level was the top of her head, her nose sitting just above the surface. She breathed out through her mouth, blowing bubbles in slight amusement.

1418 words.

We are doing dis, boi. Hotspring Filler Arc time. Meanwhile all you other filthy primes haven't even had your bi-yearly showers.

A/N: I'm sure my parents are very proud of me.

[Morene Fellon]

It didn't take long at all for Morene Fellon to realize what had happened just moments ago. A groan escaped her lips before she even knew where she was at this point.

Another teleportation mishap wasn't something the woman wanted to deal with today. Opening her eyes, Morene felt the air to be strangely moist, cool even. It wasn't like the Nebula Space within the factory of Coruscant. Morene's eyes adjusted to the dark surroundings once more, and it didn't take long for her to realize the rock formations beneath her feet and above her head shaped a cave system.

Standing upright, Morene turned her head to observe the stalagmites looming over her. Something about them didn't seem right.

Either way, the woman felt strangely comfortable. It had been a long time since she'd been stuck inside of a cavernous maze. Even in the context of this cave being within the realms of Nebula, Morene felt no worry. After all, caves were just a system of corridors, no place to ambush you beyond two places. The huntress felt something near, however.

The slight comfort was immediately lost upon finding the strange robot known as Claptrap behind her, looking rather... confused.

"Hey, big lady, you awake?"

Morene winced slightly. It wasn't like her to judge, but... that voice. It was like listening to a tire burnout. Of course, the woman wouldn't judge, but she was already dreading ever so slightly. A response came from her lips rather quickly.

"Clearly," she stated, looking back for a moment. She finished, avoiding the awkward silence she knew would follow. If there was any situation she did not want to be in at the moment, it was most certainly discomforting silence in a cave.

"My name is Morene Fellon. Yourself?"

Claptrap would have blinked if he could. He was admittedly surprised at her professionalism, even if... well, he did try shooting in her general direction not too long ago. He quickly dismissed the thought, processing that the two were allies at the moment.

"Hellooo! My name is Claptrap, nice to meet ya!" the robot enthused, his voice echoing throughout the dark and damp abyss the two Primes found themselves walking in, or rolling if one would prefer.

The huntress was this close to placing a palm onto her face. She expected hissing and screeching of Darklings to follow that obnoxiously loud introduction, but... thankfully for the both of them, nothing happened. Morene sped up her walking pace, sighing.

"Please, keep it down. We are in the realm of Nebula at the moment; I'd like to save my energy," Morene explained as calmly as she could.

"Oh, oh," Claptrap toned his voice down by only slightly, "sorry, I should know better!"

The two walked for a moment. Claptrap seemed to be analyzing his surroundings. Morene noted his confusion, trying her hardest to listen beyond the whirring of his fusion-fueled motors. It didn't take him long to ask the inevitable.

"Say, Morene, how do you know exactly where we're going?" the robot asked, scratching at his "head" to emphasize his inquiry. The woman walking beside him thought it was cute for a moment, but she eventually responded cold as stone.

"In this instance, I'm not entirely sure. We are in a plane of dark energy, after all. Any information I could use could lead me into something completely different than expected on my home world," she whispered. Morene had to be honest however, she did know what she was doing to some degree.

"But," she continued, "I just listen. Walk around for a little while in a place so dark, and you'll eventually hear what you need to move around."

A strange laugh came from the bot's general direction.

"Like a bat? The uh, echolocation thingy?" he quipped. Morene really wanted to chuckle, but she quite honestly didn't have the energy to force one out. Her shoulder was still killing her, and five minutes alone was something the woman wished she possessed at the moment. Instead, she sighed, looking on at Claptrap with a rather forced smile.


"Yes, that's generally how senses work. Also, your jokes discomfort me slightly. Please cease."

694 words.

[Summer]

The sound of splashing water, light and faintly audible, settled over the mountain side. Summer stared blankly over the vast hellscape the mountain overlooked, his eyes darting from one useless pool of lava to another, paying close attention to the sounds coming from the hot spring. At Ebony’s request, he hid behind a nearby rock, his bare back pressing against the warm stone as he waited. And also as per her request, there was no peaking being done whatsoever. 

A small frown crossed the spirit’s face. He didn’t really understand it, being shy like that. Well, humans were weird in that way, he guessed. There was no point in pushing back against the girl’s demands anyway. While there was that part of him, a growing storm in the back of his mind telling him to disobey everyone and everything, he pushed it down for now. It just wouldn’t be worth the anger, arguments, and alienation which lied down that path.

The idle noises from the hot spring died down, and the quiet voice of his companion replaced them. He had her permission to take a dip, and that’s just what he’d do. Without wasting a moment, he pushed off the stone and stepped around the corner. His eyes focused on the gravelly ground beneath his feet, giving him just enough leeway to see where he was walking without drawing the mage’s ire. He silently slipped into the artificial spring, an almost inaudible splashing signifying his presence as the pleasantly warm water engulfed him.

A contented sigh escaped the spirit of storms, and he closed his eyes, tilting his head back and resting it against the ground behind him. From the neck down, all his muscles relaxed as he made no effort to fight the subtle, shifting currents in the water. His mouth turned up in a slight grin as he half-floated, just enjoying the little respite.

Friend, huh?

That was a thought. He couldn’t exactly say he saw it coming. It was strange to think that a timid little girl like her actually wanted to be friends with an ageless spirit of the weather. Certainly, had they met anywhere besides the Omniverse, such a thing probably wouldn’t have come to pass. Getting along with humans just wasn’t his thing. He was supposed to terrify them, devour them, not befriend them. And yet here he was, soaking in a hot spring with one, and enjoying it at that. He sunk deeper into the water, head tilting back to normal as he submerged up to just below his nose. An unexpected twist of fate, to be sure. But he wouldn’t dare say unwelcome.

Somewhere vaguely on the other side of the spring came a yawn, followed by the quiet lapping of water. Right, Ebony’s still tired. That little thought rose to the forefront of his mind, quickly followed by the realization that sleeping in a water probably wasn’t the best thing. Summer opened his mouth, ready to ask her if she was fine, but hesitated. She needed rest, so perhaps he should just let her be? Letting her drown was also out of the question though.... He turned over several different thoughts in his head, mulling it over, before hopping back onto his initial decision. At least that’d also help pass the time.

“So, Ebony....” the storm spirit lifted just far enough out of the water to speak.

“Y-yes?” A surprised squeak escaped the girl soaking across from him.

“Back when we first met I told you to call me Sonny, right?”

“U-um, y-yes?”

“Well, that really only applies to Sonny,” Summer said unhelpfully.

“O-okay?” Ebony stuttered out a nervous response, sounding almost overwhelmed.

“Sonny is a nickname only for Sonny.” The monster spoke something that couldn't even be considered an elaboration, though he phrased it as one.

“Black hair is Summer, blonde hair is Sonny, is what he means.” The sun spirit interjected after a painful moment of silence. “Makes it easier to keep track of who you’re referring to.”

“G-got it. S-so r-r-right now y-you’re....” By now, she was almost a nervous wreck. All that stammering was making the youkai feel bad about bugging her.

“Summer,” he answered plainly, and fell silent.

“B-but w-why is Sonny t-t-talking i-if it’s S-Summer’s b-b-body?”

“Iunno,” Summer admitted. “I assume it’s a fail-safe by Omni or something. We used to be two separate bodies, but we got shoved into the one upon arrival, and with telepathy’s rather... lethal... downsides, just having us talk through each other was probably the safer option.”

“I-I s-s-see...” the young mage mumbled after a moment. A lull passed over the two, neither of them quite ready to talk more just yet. Summer really didn’t want to keep her talking. To say she was nervous was an understatement, and forcing her to keep going in spite of that just felt cruel. He slumped down slightly deeper into the hot spring.

820 words

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Ebony was starting to regret doing her hair up before entering the water. Sure if she let it down it'd take forever to dry, even with air spells; and in the water, it'd flop about and go everywhere. But with it fixed up, it left nothing for her to hide behind. And it wasn't like she could have worn her usual attire while in the water. Well, she could but that would have created another set of problems, and, more importantly, prevented her from actually relaxing.

Although, given the current situation, it was increasingly difficult for Ebony to clear her mind. Should she have been alone, she'd have felt guilt at doing nothing while Morene was potentially struggling out there. Either isolated or stuck with their former aggressors - neither of which was a good thing. With Sonny (and Summer) also here, that feeling was lessened slightly; partly because he was relaxing as well, but mostly because he was right. She had to rest otherwise stepping into a fight would result in a disaster. Without any proper sleep, that fact wouldn't change. Her body, however, found the situation refreshing. The hot water prompted the relaxation of muscles she didn't even realise were tensed. If she had to, she reckoned she could walk to the top of the mountain, then all the way down, then all the way up again. Considering she rarely walked further than a mile in a day, and never helped with physical work back on the ship, that would have been a reasonable achievement for her. 

Yet, while easing the guilt, the men's presence made her very nervous and on edge. He was, after all, right behind her, naked, and sharing the same water she was. At first, she'd tried to ignore him, closed her eyes, leant forwards against the warm rocks, and pretended she was relaxing alone. But then he started talking to her as if everything was normal. Ebony's voice had squeaked, and cracked, and stuttered in her failed attempts to reply - only barely churning out the words. She shook when he spoke, face plastered with the red of embarrassment. He could have been looking anywhere: at her, or at the scenery, or just staring down into the water. He said he wouldn't look, and Sonny was her friend - he wouldn't lie. That thought alleviated some of her wariness, calming her mind somewhat, although not completely: he was still close. Now that she'd been reminded of that by his talking, it was impossible to remove him from her mental image of the surroundings.

Sighing through the water, she wondered what it was really like for Summer and Sonny, to share a body like that. They would have to agree on everything, otherwise, they'd get nowhere. But, in a strange way, the knowledge of there actually being two people inside that head made her happy. She wasn't happy the two were stuck together, but she was warmed by the feeling she'd actually made two new friends, instead of just one.

As usual, Ebony was a very fickle girl. Mere moments after Sonny stopped talking, leaving the air silent, she decided, or simply realised, she actually still wanted to talk to him - despite the situation. And Summer too. Slumping, she sat there, blowing bubbles through her mouth every so often while trying to work up the willpower to say something. She wanted to sleep, but that was never going to be an option. That didn't stop her from simply shifting her position to rest - leaning and relaxing her head on arms by the side of the small pool after she'd grown tired of the bubbles. If she had washing supplies, she'd have busied herself with cleaning her hair. Resting without sleeping was hard, and it was only due to Summer and Sonny's presence that her mind stayed active enough to prevent that.

Eventually, however, she did muster the determination to speak. "W-w-what S-summer l-l-like? Bec-c-cause I've been t-t-talking to Sonny haven't I? C-c-can I talk to him as w-w-well?" It didn't come out smoothly, but being the only sound besides the occasional faint splashes of water generated by Ebony's fidgeting, it didn't give Summer's body any problems when it came to hearing it.

"I've actually been doing most of the talking recently..."

"H-huh, but I t-thought... T-then I want to t-talk to S-sonny, or whoever I haven't been talking w-w-w-with."

"I've also been doing some of the talking as well..."

Ebony leant forwards again, trying to lower herself into the water as much as possible while still keeping her chin on her arms. She groaned. "This is conf-f-f-fusing."

"You can ask for clarification any time, Ebony."

"S-so which one of you s-said that?" She paused very briefly before continuing before Summer of Sonny could answer, blurting out the following statement. "W-wait. Don't t-tell me. It was Sonny, right?"

"No, it was me, Summer."

"Argh." She leant back slightly, waving her arms around for emphasis. Although, presumably, no one saw this beside her. "This is haaarrd... Say s-s-something else."

"S-s-something else," he commented, trying to mimic her stuttering by pronouncing and emphasising each 's' at the start individually.

Ebony blushed, submerging herself down to her chin. "T-that's not what I m-meant."

A pause followed before the man spoke again. "When it comes to the dangers of storms: It's not that the wind is blowing. It's what the wind is blowing."

She rubbed her forehead. "Umm... Summer?"

"Nope. That one was Sonny."

She considered it might have been easier had they switched bodies to indicate. But even if they did, she wasn't exactly going to look right now. "This is impossible." Again, Ebony sank back into the hot water, resolving to blow bubbles in a mixture of annoyance and as an attempt to keep herself awake.

966 words.

You should probs write them getting out Summer. Or we might not make it to the top in time.

[Kuzuru]

Kuzuru rubbed his temples and groaned. Just what was this sappy shit? Still, Miranda’s moment of intimate vulnerability was oddly comforting. He did not shirk the coat, but instead wore it as one would a cloak; that was to say he pulled the coat around his body, but did not put his arms through the sleeves. Kuzuru shifted beneath the weighted garment, redistributing the weight as comfortably as he could. While weighted training gear was far from foreign to the demon it still surprised him that the girl would carry such a thing for as long as she did. Then again warriors were a strange sort and their rituals were as varied and colorful as a chameleon’s skin.

The demon’s ruby eyes flicked over to the towering dragon-like being that stood before them. An arrogant and unashamed butcher, looking for cooperation and then gloating about the slaughter of millions. Kuzuru smirked, brazen was an adjective he liked in a person. In his mind people often spent too much time hiding their true nature behind morals and ethics, and so when offered a cool drink of sociopathy the demon drank as deep as he could. Or, well, he would have were it not for the wailing misbegotten souls clawing at his innards. After all, that kind of thing tends to put a damper on one’s appetite.

“Well, you’re free to join us, name’s Kuzuru, aka numero uno headhunter this side of the Underverse” Kuzuru said, taking his time to make sure his voice didn’t crack, “though, Mr. uhh, Shenron, you caught me at a bad time, maybe once this is all settled we can chit-chat, maybe have some nice lemon meringue or something.”

Before Shenron could respond another wave of glass hail buffeted them. The three instinctively covered themselves and ran ahead. Eventually they escaped the treacherous hail, but found themselves deeper in the lava pits. Thin spiderweb strands of rock spread across the molten landscape, offering paths to those foolhardy enough to take them. Gouts of magma occasionally spewed forth from the pools of lava and splattered the pathways with pyroclastic spackle. Diminutive creatures seemingly made of fire crawled out of the pools to lap up any spilled lava and, having gorged themselves on fire, retreated back into the fiery lakes.

Kuzuru frowned.

[Summer]

“Don’t let it get you down, kiddo,” Summer said, a small reassurance to hopefully help against the girl’s dejection. “All it takes it a bit of getting used to. Give it a week or so and you’ll easily be able to recognize the little differences in our voices.”

“O-oh y-y-yeah?” Ebony stuttered after a moment of silence. “W-w-what l-little d-differences?”

“Well, it seems our introduction was a bit confusing.” Water splashed around him as he rose up just a bit out of the hot spring, setting his elbows on the ground behind him and leaning back. “By that, I mean the meeting between me, Summer, and you. That probably gave you the wrong impression of who sounds like what. The big thing to look out for is how cheery I sound. Don’t ask me how he manages, but Sonny’s just about always in a good mood. So if I sound super happy, it’s probably him talking.”

“S-s-s-so l-look o-out f-f-for t-things li-like that?”

“Yup. There’s more than just that,” he answered, voice low and calm. “But like I said, it takes getting used to.” With those words of encouragement uttered, silence fell over the two once again. Summer tilted his head up, eyes cracking open to gaze at the sky above. Just like in the Steppes before, everything was covered up by a thick blanket of ash and soot. Debris billowed and flowed through the sky, creating electrical energy as it moved. Frequent volcanic lightning flashed in the ash clouds, arcing around in every which way. The spirit of storms admired this process. It was almost unmatched by traditional storms in nature, making it something to envy.

“Well, I’d say it’s about time we get going.” Summer said after a long pause. Somewhere high above them, waiting on the top of the very mountain they were resting on, was the Darkloid. Their ally, along with an assortment of temporary co-workers, were all scattered amongst this verse, likely converging on the dragon as they lounged about. If they stuck around too long then they’d miss the final battle, and that just wouldn’t be any fun.

“Yeah...” the young mage mumbled in response. A moment passed, and something suddenly seemed to click in her head. “Y-y-y-you n-need to g-get out f-f-first th-though!” In spite of all the stuttering, her voice came out with authority, likely the most she could muster. “G-go behind y-your r-r-rock! A-and no coming out u-until I s-say so!”

“Saw that coming,” Summer sighed, water splashing loudly all around him as he stood up. “You know where I’ll be if you need me.” With that said, he turned and stepped out of the hot spring, gravel shifting beneath his bare feet as he wandered back over to the rock. Once he was safely out of the way, hidden from Ebony’s prying eyes (so as to not give her a heart attack if she looked the wrong way by accident), he began to channel the power of the wind. The storm spirit turned to overlook the barren landscape visible just over the cliffside and planted his left foot behind him, bracing himself solidly against the ground. The air slowly began to stir, starting with a light that barely tickled the monster, and quickly ramping up in power. A strong breeze washed over Summer, whipping his already messy hair back and drying him off in no time.

With that done, he gathered up his clothing, which he had simply tossed haphazardly into a pile against the rock, and slipped into them easily enough, one by one. That is, until he reached his shirt. His grey button-up hung over his frame, swinging open in the breeze. The spirit cast a glance at his right hand, still fractured and difficult to move. Then another glance towards his left, which just flat out didn’t exist anymore. And finishing it up with a look at the buttons on his shirt.

“Hey Ebony!” He called over his shoulder, voice echoing off the mountain.

“I-I’m n-not ready y-yet!” She yelled right back. Summer opened his mouth, ready to call back, but decided against it. It’d be easier to explain when he could show her his hands. Leaving his shirt unbuttoned for now, he shrugged his jacket on, shoved his hands into the pockets, and waited. While he was waiting, it occurred to him that this problem had occurred two separate times already, and given that his MO was punching things until his hands broke, it would probably happen again unless he took precautions against it. He made a mental note to only summon things that didn’t require fine motor control to work.

“O-okay!” Ebony finally gave him the clear, and without further ado, he rounded the corner. Nearly the same instant he came into view, the girl’s face turned beet red, and her head snapped down towards the floor with absolutely astounding speed. “Y-y-y-your sh-sh-shirt...”

“Yeah about that,” he said, lifting his stump out of his pocket. “You think you could lend me a hand?” A morbidly amused tone entered his voice. Her head briefly turned up at his question, her eyes widening as his injury came into view.

“Um... O-okay?” she responded hesitantly, and the spirit frowned. He’d been hoping for at least a giggle or something. The mage pointed an unsteady finger in his direction, and with some very impressive telekinetic precision, she had him buttoned up in no time.

“Wow...” the spirit muttered under his breath, eyes darting between Ebony and his shirt. “Really gotta hand it to you, that’s some nice control you’ve got there.”

“Th-thanks...” she mumbled, pulling her hood over her head even further and staring at the ground at her feet. Summer stepped forward, quickly closing the distance between them.

“Thank you,” he returned those words, planting his right hand on top of her hood as he stepped up and rustling it all over the place. The girl made a few indignant noises as the spirit messed up her look. “Now...” he lifted his hand from her head and dropped into a crouch. “Hop on. We’ve got a dragon to slay.”

1021 words
Alright Eb, finish us off. I probably won’t be able to make another post before the deadline >.>

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Similarly to Summer, Ebony had also dried herself with a blast of air. After relaxing and cleaning herself, she was reluctant to don the same set of dirty clothes, deciding to spend a small amount of time brushing off any dirt she could with the aid of her magic. It wasn't perfect, but it'd have to do. While in the hot water, Ebony had expected to be walking the rest of the way, with Summer not carrying her anymore. She'd assumed that, since he'd stopped to rest as well, he wouldn't be so keen to have her on his back. Because of that, she'd attempted to psyche herself up, so to speak, in an attempt to push herself the rest of the way.

Although, if she was being honest, even while carrying her Summer was still able to move faster than she was. And she wasn't completely opposed to resting on his back. It was for the first of those reasons - and definitely not the second - that she found herself flopping onto his back, arms hanging over his shoulders and knees helpfully bent inwards for him to grab. Her baggy hood fell down, still slightly out of place from Summer's touches, but she pulled it back up with her magic and eased it over her head. Being less physically tired than before, she pushed herself slightly higher than when Summer previously carried her in an effort to get a stronger grip. She shivered at the contact, having forgotten how cold his body was.

She knew that much, at least. Sonny was blonde and hot; Summer had black hair and was cool. But despite there apparently being key signs in their voices, the only part she could really distinguish was their bodies. He'd mentioned it might take her weeks, and while she wasn't opposed to spending another week with him, Ebony still wanted to go home. She didn't want to have to spend any more time here than she had to. Her new friends may have lessened the mental blow she'd taken from the transition between worlds, but they didn't make the move worthwhile. Nothing could, she thought. Summer has been here longer than me. Maybe he knows a way back?

Absentmindedly, Ebony found herself mumbling. "I want to go home." It was quiet. Nearly silent. And over the rumbling of the surroundings, it was inaudible even to Summer's body. That said, he did still notice the fact she'd said something from the slight vibrations of her against his back.

"What was that, Ebony? Something wrong?"

"N... nothing. I was just... thinking..." She sighed. Her voice was still subdued, however, but this time it was more refined.

Sonny and Summer didn't add an immediate reply, letting her have some peace. To them, she didn't seem as dangerously close to sleep as before, and both were unable to decern the contents of her mind. Thus they deemed it wasn't dangerous to leave her alone, and doing so was probably for the best. At her core, she may have been a scared human girl, but she was still an enigma.

Surprisingly to all three of them, Ebony continued to speak after the pause - it was long enough for her words to seem out of place, but short enough for them to still have context. "...about home. I want to go back." In this case, it was gentle, yet unwavering.

Silence reigned again; Ebony nuzzled into Summer, making an attempt to hug him from behind and bury her face in his shoulder, while Summer and Sonny's minds whirred. Used to rain or otherwise, they didn't want this type of water on their back; they didn't want Ebony's waterworks to start.

"This is your first day here, right?"

"Yeah." Ebony didn't mumble, still speaking as clearly as she could, although her voice was still by Summer's jacket.

"So you probably haven't heard of this, but there are some rumours around about a way to meet Omni."

She raised her head, shuffling herself up Summer's back - she didn't quite catch where he was going with this but made an effort to listen. She was wearing her brave face - not knowing how Sonny kept up his cheery nature, this was her best way of mimicking it.

Summer, or Sonny, continued. "It won't be easy, but I'd wager if there's a way back it'd be through him. I'd been meaning to go meet the bastard myself at some point."

Ebony flinched at his language, and presumably, he noticed her reaction. Nonetheless, she still replied with a smile. "So, after we stop the dragon thing, I can go home?"

She didn't want to follow a false hope. Her short time in the Omniverse had made her wary of such things, but given it was the only thing she had, Ebony mentally grasped onto it. Holding onto it, and Summer and Sonny by extension, refusing to lose them. 

"It... might not be that easy. And there's no guarantee..." He sounded reserved - as if internally debating whether to potentially deceive Ebony unknowingly or to try and raise her spirits.

Ebony grinned, answering happily. "But you're really strong - both of you." She briefly tightened her grip around his shoulders, giving him a good squeeze. "I bet we could make it. Together."

879 words.

Triggering all the death flags. You can't stop meeeee.

(Eb may have a "brave face" on, but that's probs gonna disappear the second someone gets hurt)

[Claptrap]

The pair wandered through the dark corridors for a while, Claptrap oblivious to whatever it was Miranda was doing. He would have loved to hum a tune to himself to pass the time, but even he could tell this wasn't the time. There would be plenty of time for music when they got out of here. 

After a while of walking through the gloom, Claptrap noticed something when the pair stopped for a moment. As he stood idly, waiting for Miranda to do her work, he started to roll backwards slightly. The robot engaged his brakes and inspected the floor. It wasn't steep, and it wasn't easy to pick tell, but there was an incline in the floor.

"Hey, Lady." Claptrap 'whispered', "The floor isn't even here." Morene raised an eyebrow at the robots comment.

"Very perceptive of you, but what does it matter if a cave floor isn't level?" 

Claptrap shook his head, or tried to at least, vigorously. "No, I mean we're going up." 

"Going up?" Morene knelt down to get a better look at the floor, then walked from one end of the corridor to the other. She let out a "hmm" before turning to the robot. "Looks like someone wants us to go up... Wherever that is." 

The pair continued on their way, before Claptrap decided to break the silence. "So, why'd you decide to help out those turtle guys?" Morene gave him a slightly tired look before turning back towards where they were walking.

"Well, I am no ally of Nebula. I won't just let him take whichever verses he pleases. A better question is why did you help the darklings? Surely you knew you would be betrayed."

Claptrap thought for a moment. "Well, it's two rakks with one sniper round. Get the turtles out then send the darklings packing with them. This was, uh, not part of the plan." Morene looked at Claptrap slightly incredulously. How did he expect to take on the Koopas and Nebula one after the other?

The floor slowly but surely got steeper as the pair continued down the path. Finally, they came to a small ledge. It wasn't very high, only about a meter and a half tall, but it marked the beginning of gradually rougher terrain. Morene huffed as she tried to pull herself up, but the pain in her shoulder made it a burden.

"Here!" Claptrap chirped as he rolled up beside her and retracted his wheel. "Use me to boost yourself up." Morene hesitated for a moment, before thanking Claptrap and shakily climbing onto his head. With the extra height, she was able to pull herself up and turned to see Claptrap unsuccessfully reaching for a handhold. 

"Come on." Morene said as she reached down a lifted the small robot up with her good arm. Claptrap twirled a rounded excitedly and raised his hand at their minor triumph. "Put her there." Claptrap said, holding out for a high five. Morene looked at his hand for a moment before turning and starting walking again. "You might get one if we make it out of here in one piece." 

Claptrap lowered his arm dejectedly as he watched her walk. He had no idea if he was making progress with his ice-breaking or not. Lost in thought, Claptrap was roused by a call from Morene. She was waiting at the end of the hall, barely illuminated by Claptrap's eye. "Come on, quickly." She half whispered. "Wah, wait for me!" Claptrap 'whispered' back as he raced down the hall.

600 words.
I didn't mention it every time, but they are pretty much whispering the whole time so they don't draw any darklings.

        .

[Nebula]

The Dragonborn Darkloid was standing in the Nebula Mountain's highest cavern; his War Room.

He was standing on a balcony which overlooked the rest of the room, with an exit out to the mountain-top proper right behind him. The room itself was wide and open with two tables towards the center: a long clean conference table and a small round one littered with maps and other various papers. The perimeter of the room had pillars holding up the cave ceiling and some counters holding various equipment. It was clear he used this room as more then just an exit to the top. This was where he worked. Lived.

There were three entrances down on the ground floor. As if it were timed just perfectly, all three were filled at once. A woman and a small jittery robot came out of the center. To the right came three figures, two humanoids and one big, towering figure behind them. To the left was a two smaller figures; one child-like and the other only slightly more imposing.

Only one of them noticed the Darkloid first. All of the others all rushed to each other and had a quick reunion. But it was the swordsman who stayed vigilant, a hand on the hilt of his blade as he made eye contact with the Dragonborn Spellcaster. Once the others realized what he was looking at, they too all huddled up and paid attention.

"Welcome to the Nebula Realm, my friends. Your new home!"  He stretched his hands up. One of his clawed palms gripped a purple tome, which seemed to glow darkly as he channeled energy. His other hand shined a different, brighter color. Underneath him, around the conference table, appeared seven different versions of himself. They all looked the exact same in terms of body size and demeanor, but each had a different set of armor and weapons. They all moved to stand in a line in front of the table, facing off their adversaries. "The game continues, my little Darkspawn-soldiers-to-be! Give me your power, now!"

The seven Darkloid copies rushed forward.

You are all reunited! You are now facing off with copies of the Darkloid. He himself is a Spellcaster, but the copies are all different versions of himself: Warrior, Monk, Gunslinger, Archer, Samarai, Necromancer and Paladin. The Darkloid may jump in and out of the fight too. Make sure you guys are coordinating at the ends of your posts which Darkloid goon(s) you are fighting.

His overall goal is to sap you of your power to make himself (and his army) stronger. Your overall goal is to beat his copies and corner him.

Once again we'll do a one week round. You have 2000 words to spread across up to two roleplays.

You all have 18 Order Points (OP) from which you can use SP-related moves. These are all shared, so use them wisely.

[Summer]

Alright Mr. Magician, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve? 
Seven clones of the Darkloid flashed into existence around the conference table. An instant meeting, right at the big guy’s fingertips. Summer’s eyes flicked over each new figure for a moment, making little notes about how each one looked like it would act. Clones? Or Splits? If it was the former then those would be some pretty useless conferences, what with everyone agreeing on everything. It certainly wouldn’t be an environment conducive to hatching grand schemes.

That would definitely explain the setting at least. As the Darkloid’s little minions shuffled into place, Summer found himself absently putting himself between them and Ebony. The dragon in charge seemed a lot more like a LARPer or something than an actual agent of darkness. Who actually carved out a mountain like this for what basically amounted to a surveillance room of doom? And he just up and lead a huge group of primes right into his poorly constructed evil lair. The storm spirit threw one last glance at the pillars before plunging his right hand into his coat’s pocket and turning his attention to his foes. His palm and fingers closed around the kangaroo leather of his whip, holding it with a powerful grip. This silly little spellweaver was going to have to learn about practicality the hard way.

All at once the dragon troupe surged forward, moving as a group but lunging for one on one matches. Two robed and weaponless enemies took aim at Summer and Ebony. The one dressed in the more dreary attire hung back just a bit, arcane energies taking shape in its clawed hands, while the other made right for the storm spirit. Electricity crackled to life in his body, standing the monster’s hair on end and swiftly coursing down through his left leg. He tore the whip free from his pocket, liberating a few useless items with it, and shifted his stance in the face of the barrelling behemoth.

CRACK

The youkai spun on his heel in an instant, right foot carving a brilliant, electrical arc through the sky behind and around him, and before he could even comprehend the dazzling display, the Darkloid received a wicked heel to the side. Faintly audible over the rolling thunder was the distinct crunch of bone. Ribs shattered beneath his heel, and waves of pure agony rolled up the spirit’s leg as several bones in his foot and calf cracked. Summer’s kick carried through, sending the lizard sailing to the side. His back slammed against one of the pillars with tremendous force, hammering a series of spider-web cracks into it. Spinning back into place, he took up a strong stance against the second, biting back the electric pain coursing through his right leg.

His hand, still holding onto the handle of the bullwhip, dove once again into his pocket, and quickly his fingers found purchase around his penultimate syringe. He ripped in free in one powerful motion, and after tearing the needle cap off with his teeth, he plunged it right into his lower leg. The healing salve immediately set to work, mending all those new breaks in his bones and then some. Tossing the spent medigel to the side, Summer kicked forward, good as new-ish, hoisting his whip as he got ready for the smackdown. A bolt of black energy slammed into his chest dead-center. His breath was sucked right out of his chest, along with with a fair bit his resolve. His vision wavered as he stumbled forward, teeth clenching desperately as he tried to regain his balance. Before he could recover and repay the Darkloid for that tenfold, a blast of air sailed just to his left, crashing into it and tossing his enemy across the room like a ragdoll.

“Thanks!” Summer shouted unsteadily, before sucking in a burning breath, steadying himself, and throwing a thumbs-up over his shoulder. He cast two quick glances between the black-robed enemy to the front, quickly recovering, and the brown-robed one to the side, slowly peeling himself out of the crater in the pillar. “Ebony!” he barked.

“Y-Yes!?” she responded with a loud stutter. The storm spirit spun on his heel and leapt back to her.

“Help me take out the pillars,” his voice dropped, quiet enough that the big guy wouldn’t hear him. Or so he hoped. “Collapse the ceiling and I’ll show them the wrath of a storm.”

“W-what if it crushes us?” she asked nervously, eyes flitting anxiously between all the brawls.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly, tone brightening up as Sonny spoke. “I can protect us. But if that’s not enough.” Once again Summer spoke. “Only take out the right,” he jammed a finger towards where the first agent of dark had left his mark.

“G-got it!” her resolve seemed to strengthen.

“Alright Sonny!” His voice rose back up to his usual boisterous self, and he spun to face halfway between the two foes that had targeted them. “Show them an unyielding force of nature!”

“You got it!” Sonny shot back. The storm spirit’s eyes jumped from one foe to another, one readying more heretical attacks, the other shakily charging him down. Mist sloughed off his body, becoming light, and soon Sonny was on the field, standing strong. Before he had a chance to even react to having a body, an ineffectual fist bounced off his temple, tilting his head slightly to the side. The sun spirit shot the monk a pitying glance, something that only served to piss it off even more. A shaky kick tapped his side, accomplishing little more than stinging a bit, and in response Sonny lashed out with the whip. The leathery rope wrapped taut around the Darkloid’s left arm, and the youkai deftly wrapped the handle end around his right arm.

“Alright!” Though he cheered that in his usual, diplomatic tone, a smug grin plastered the sun spirit’s face. “You can’t escape the light of the sun, darkloid.”

1000 Words
Necromancer took aim and Monk bum rushed Summer and Eb.
Summer fucked up Monk with a Lightning Strike and used One (1) (一) Medigel.
Necro hit Summer with magic. Eb hit Necro with Elemental Blast.
Summer asked Eb to raze the roof.
Switched to Sonny. Sonny and Monk are bound by the red string of fate Bullwhip

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Ebony smiled at Summer and Sonny's display. Despite her weariness, they made her feel safe. Any initial battle panic was spared the moment they gave her orders. They were smart, and while Ebony was definitely not accustomed to any sort of command chain - often feeling frustrated whenever others had demanded her magic to be used in the past - she trusted them. It lessened the feeling that she might do something wrong, although that still dragged on her mind. Her friends had asked her for a favour, so she was going to fulfil it to the best of her ability. Especially since they were both risking their lives on the front line of the combat to protect her.

Slamming the ebony staff of her scythe onto the floor, Ebony planted her feet, driving her boots into the rock while standing still and channelling her magic. Her eyes glanced over the room, briefly locking onto Morene. She wanted to call out, but seeing the woman was already joining the fight, she decided not to. They both had a job to do.

Ebony brought a hand up to her face, twisting her arm inwards. I can do this. A faint grin twisted upwards through the shadow of her hood, confidence brimming in her words. "Darkness, spring forth from my insanity. Shroud and destroy, channel my power."

Her gloved palm was thrust forwards, false fire springing from exposed fingertips, slowly coalescing into a dark purple orb. Sweat dripped from her brow, body heating up under the strain. Continuing, she pumped more mana into the spells, almost oblivious to the roaring fight.

"Crimson fires of hell, incinerate all vanity. Use my strength, let the chaos flower."

Releasing her hold on her scythe and shifting it to the crook of her arm. With her now free hands, she clapped them together, squashing the forming orb and marvelling at the sparkling display of red-orange and purple flames spraying around her, harmlessly dissipating into the air. Smirking, she unlinked her fingers from each other, bringing her palms apart. The malleable magic felt warm and comforting - contradictory to its purpose. Glaring assertively at the glowing putty, Ebony watched it reform into a ball. "This magic is mine, blessing or curse it will obey." She muttered.

She split it, grabbing the darkfire in one hand and the hellfire in the other. Twisting forwards, she leant her shoulder and body into an overarm throw, sending the dark orb crashing into one of the pillars on the right of the room, and glancing off the other. Before both could begin to topple, Ebony transferred the other orb to her right hand, this time simply punching her arm forwards in the direction of another column. The magical fire wasn't heavy, but the force of it leaving her body pushed her backwards. It pierced through her target, going so far as to drive into the rocky wall behind it.

Staggering, she clasped both hands around her scythe, examining the nearby fight as her spells took their effect. Sonny and the Monk were locked in a close brawl, but she had faith in her new friend. 

Heads turned, momentarily distracted from battle by the damage. A dull, deep, rumbling echoed throughout the room, lava slowly poured out the gap in the wall and chunks of rock fell from the cave ceiling - the sky slowly becoming visible in the gaps to the right. Ebony shuffled, solidifying her safer position behind Sonny.

Slam.

A particularly large segment of rock found itself driven into the floor by gravity, splitting one of the large tables in half. Fragments of wood splintered into the air, creating a fine misty spray before falling to the ground. Fire and smoke rose into the air from the right of the room as the molten rock ignited the wood. 

The enclosed battlefield was quickly shifting into a harsh environment. It was a good thing Summer had told her to only damage one half, but even then the rest of the room was still in jeopardy. Nonetheless, the many hazards had inhibited or harmed some of their opponents, but in the chaos, she was unable to confirm the safety of Morene - or her former foes.

Grabbing a chunk of fallen rock with her magic, Ebony hurled it towards Sonny's opponent. In their locked position it collided with the minion's head, sending him sprawling backwards and temporarily removing him from the fight. Sonny, however, was dragged forwards as well, being shoved into a table. He grunted.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean-"

Ebony's apology was rudely interrupted by an ethereal blade planting itself into the very table Sonny had just vacated.

"I'm fine."

Their other opponent, the one with the dreary and totally lame cloak, had lurked in the shadows while Ebony had been channelling her prior spells. Happily revelling in the limited darkness of the room, crafting his power towards minions of his own. Each wielding sickly green greatswords, the two skeletons advanced on Ebony and Sonny, protecting their master with little care for themselves. 

Sonny grunted, pivoting his body and weight towards a flick of his whip, cracking it against one of their ribcages. Dark red lightning arced past Sonny's should, but he twisted to the side, evading the attack and planting himself in front of Ebony at the same time.

"Well, these guys are certainly the life of the party," Summer commented, grinning with Sonny's body.

As swiftly as she could, Ebony collected her magic into her palm once again, chanting under her breath. An orb of raw mana punched into one of the skeleton's rib cages, pushing a spray of bones out of its body, each found a place decorating the floor behind it.

Wisps of light flaked of its damaged body, removing the ghostly connection between the remaining bones. Only dust and ashes fell to the ground, drifting with the faint breeze, unheard over the crackling of flames.

Unsteadily, Ebony ran forwards, quickly closing the short distance and placing a sharp magical blade in the other construction's neck. The force of her whole body we behind the blow, allowing the silver to easily push through the bones. Without missing a beat, Sonny kicked - his weak strike was enough to tear off the lower body. The foe disintegrated.

While more ghostly particles floated to the floor, Sonny once again moved in front of Ebony, allowing her to peek around his side. Sticking out his arm in front of her, a thump rose from his fist.

Ebony couldn't help but mirror the motion, making sure to plant it in the corner of her friend's vision.

1100 words.

Eb used Elemental Blast (Dark + Charged and Fire + Charged) to smash down the supports on the right while Sonny tanked stuff and brawled the Monk.

Ebony has used 2/12 uses of charged thing for Elemental Blast and won't regain them until she's able to rest.

Necromancer dude made two ghostly skeleton minions (not written about until later in the post).

Eb knocked down most if not all of the support for the right side of the room. Thick lava is slowly pooling in through the wall (and started a fire). The lava probably won't spread very far, since it'll cool quickly. Then again, it might. Rocks are falling. The roof to the left may also be unstable now.

Eb used her telekinesis (half basic range since Nebula Space) to throw a rock at Monk, freeing Sonny up, but also sending Sonny into a table as the two were connected. Sonny attacks one Skeleton. Eb destroys the other then helps Sonny with the last one. Both then get ready to double team the Necromancer.

Eb is closer to the center of the room now, but still behind Sonny.

[Summer]

Bits of rock and dust plummeted to the ground all across the room, shaken loose by the brawl. Smoke and as slowly seeped in from the ever-expanding holes above, and from the fires that sprang to life around. Fighting in smoke was always a dire thing, especially to those who needed to breath. Sonny wasn’t sure if the magician’s illusions were beings that needed to breath, or were just plain used to the rancid air, but it wasn’t something he wanted to learn too late. If he guessed wrong, that could lead to more casualties than he’d be comfortable with. Fortunately, along with the soot and dust flowing in, there was a certain tell. Airflow, temperature, humidity, all the little signs that told him just what the weather was like beyond the war room.

“Ebony.” The sun spirit said, holding steady in front of the Necromancer. A black magic bolt washed over him, weakened by his naturally dispersing aura and becoming a pathetic strike he could easily shrug off. 

“Yes?” The girl responded, an air of vitality to her voice. He was glad to hear her confidence. 

“Hold still.” He ordered, already beginning to weave together a defensive spell for her. Another bolt fizzled against his chest, sucking just a bit of his breath away, but otherwise not doing a whole lot. “Summer and I are going to switch out. When we do, I need you to protect him for half a minute. Can you do it?” A new, light breeze sprung to life as a magical anticyclone coalesced around his comrade - a high pressure system to drive away the smoke. A faint grunt sounded from just off to his side, barely audible over the din of the battle. Monk was getting back up.

“I-I can!” She responded, resolve quickly strengthening along with the barrier around her. 

“Good. I’m giving you a defensive spell right now.” In front of him, the Necromancer backed away, beginning to chant something other than the ineffectual bolt spell. “It deflects any attack that isn’t a direct hit,” he said, and with a final snap, the system sprang entirely to life. With an unspoken cue, Summer initiated the switch. “So get right up in their face.”

Mist billowed out from their shared body, and suddenly the black-haired half was standing there. Without wasting a moment, the storm spirit leapt to the side, throwing himself out of Ebony’s way and beginning to channel his own spell. Tumultuous winds began to rage across the mountaintop, singing a whistling song as the jagged spires outside parted them. A blurry mix of light and dark raced through the space the split spirit had just been. Three black masses of arcane energy coalesced between the girl and the dragon, materializing three sword-wielding skeletons.

Summer raced forward, keeping one absent eye on the Ebony as he bent the weather to his whim. More rocks tumbled to the ground, jostled loose by the whipping winds outside. A silver blade flashed out, tearing the rightmost summon asunder. This was met in kind by a stab from a twisted sword, an attack that at most threatened the young mage’s kidney. A mysterious force pushed the strike to the side, turning a would-be cut into a complete miss. That skeleton’s skull jerked to the side as the scythe’s ebony shaft slammed into it, causing the undead soldier to stumble back.

With a dreadful cracking noise, another huge section of the cave roof gave away, crashing to the ground in a downburst of rock and dust. Summer faintly heard some swearing from off to his left as the collapse narrowly missed one of his allies. A powerful tempest dipped in from the new hole, sweeping away all the papers still remaining. Another blade was thrust in Ebony’s direction, and another attack was swept aside by the aura. The mage surged forward, just in time for a black bolt to sail just past her head, and buried her weapon deep into the offender. It crumbled into dust with little flair. 

“When I say go...” The storm spirit was suddenly at her side, eliciting a surprised peep from her. “Get all the Liberators to cover.”

“Got it!” She responded, batting aside a strike from the final skeletal warrior and quickly finishing it off. 

“And not just ‘under a table’ cover.” He specified, ducking behind her before the Necromancer decided to strike him. “Like, ‘behind a wall’ cover.” Small drops of rain began to splatter against the duo. “Okay. Go!” 

“A-already?” Ebony stopped her rampage for a moment and turned to him in surprise.

“Yup!” 

“O-okay!” With little else she could say, she set off, but not before giving the Necromancer a parting gift in the form of a solid whack upside the head with the shaft of her scythe.

“Alright you silly little Magician!” Summer seized the opportunity Eb left him with, lunging forward and quickly locking up the dazed Necromancer with his superior strength. His voice rose above the tempest, booming out with a thunderous grandeur. “It looks like you’ve put quite a lot of planning into this little game of yours!” Dragging his prisoner along as a meatshield, he hopped up onto the last remaining unsmashed table. “But lemme give you a little crash course on logistics!” An arrow whizzed past his head, as the Archer was no longer distracted from a Liberator. With a quick turn, he put the Necromancer between him and his ranged opponent. “Even if you’ve assembled the most powerful army in the world!” A fireball slammed against his exposed side, almost throwing him entirely off his feet. “They can still be routed by!” He powered through it, raising his free hand to the cloudy sky above. “A!” The howling of the wind began to sound more like a train roaring through. “Storm!” The storm spirit tossed his captive to the side, lifting his face skyward and welcoming the maelstrom with open arms. 

991 words.
Used Microburst (17 OP remaining)
Sonny granted Eb High Pressure System for a bit. Eb wrecked face. Summer charged attacks.
All Liberators are safely out of harm's way if they heeded Eb’s warnings.
Everything not literally attached to the floor shall become a missile that ruins one of the Clones’ days (including other Clones).

[Kuzuru]

And just like that Kuzuru’s world was torn asunder. The scythe-girl had shouted something about the need for cover, but the demon’s sluggish reaction left him lagging behind. A beachball sized chunk of stone slammed into his gut and sent him soaring across the room. His hearing degenerated into a nonstop cacophony of explosions followed by ringing. Gale force winds battered him with debris and tossed his body around like a ragdoll. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best, but after the third or fourth impact his thoughts turned into scattered mush. As suddenly as it began the veritable wind tunnel ended, leaving behind the tranquil, and almost comforting, pattering of raindrops. Kuzuru found himself buried beneath a sizeable pile of rubble. In his tumbling he had managed to get caught in one of the corners of the room, and were it not for the bulwark that this structure provided he would’ve been sent over the edge.

Warm blood trickled down the demon’s face and wormed it’s way through the network of debris that hugged him. It took a few moments of struggling to realize that he had ended upside down. His hearing hadn’t quite returned yet and the screams of his imprisoned souls screeched between his ears. He wished for death, and even though the wish was ephemeral he meant it with every fiber of his wicked being. Kuzuru stretched, reaching his one free arm outwards. His fingers played with a sheet of rock, eventually getting enough leverage to slide the piece out of the way. Fresh air mixed with the cool drizzle of rain greeted his fingertips. He tried to pull himself free using this newfound leverage, but found himself thoroughly stuck.

As he was getting ready to surrender his body to whatever Omni willed he felt a portion of the weight shift off of him. Miranda’s hand wrapped around his and pulled. Claptrap worked frantically, grabbing stones and throwing them off. Kuzuru coughed as his head breached the surface. A several inch long gash across his forehead oozed blood. The rest of his body was covered in bruises and cuts, but none of them were quite as grievous. Once he was free he sat deflated against the pile of rubble. He tried to chuckle, but the pain in his ribs only made him wince.

“Well fuck,” he groaned, “friendly fire ain’t so friendly.”

His vision drifted upwards towards the tumultuous storm overhead. Thick fingers of red lightning stretched across the heavens and threatened to smite anyone foolish enough to abhor shelter. Unfortunately shelter was in short supply now that the roof was quite literally blown off. Rain came down in sobering waves, warmed by the volcanic atmosphere. Steam billowed off exposed bits of pyroclast and enveloped the mountain in a shell of fog.

The darkloid was the first to recover, standing on a ruined stretch of stone that once served as a balcony. His constructs laid scattered across the rubble, some of them half-crushed or completely buried. He held up his hand and beckoned towards the heavens. And in response the heavens sent down a bolt of crimson lightning. His arm acted as a lightning rod, absorbing the awesome power set against it. Once the energy was absorbed he turned his crackling limb outwards and the same magic that created his doppelgangers, rejuvenated them. Their once-battered forms rising once again to meet the Liberators in glorious combat. Again the Darkloid spent a few moments concentrating before turning his magic against the mountain itself. The remains of his fortress twitched and shifted as the debris began to float. He stepped off the balcony and was caught by one of the floating formations, rising several feet above the battlefield.

Kuzuru groaned and motioned towards his fellow blades, “go take care of that please, I’ve got just the worst migraine.”

Miranda raised her eyebrow, but nodded and turned to fight. Claptrap followed suit, shouting some kind of battlecry.

The demon rolled over and fished into his pocket. He retrieved a darkchip and held it between his blood-soaked fingers. For a moment he closed his eyes and listened to the chittering lamentations of his prisoners. He felt their every cry and wail. He smiled. As one would a tab of acid he placed the chip onto his tongue and held it in his mouth. Choke on this you crybabies he said inwardly before swallowing the chip. A fresh wave of agony scratched at the inside of his head as the darkchip slithered down his gullet. He stood and used his forearm to wipe away the fresh coat of blood over his eyes.

In his hands materialized the slick black body of a guitar. Violet tones shimmered beneath the ebony sheen and the strings seemed to be made of ink. The entire thing seemed to shift and pulse as if it was created from a gel. A shoulder strap wrapped across his back and let the instruments hand lazily at his hips. He ran a bloody hand across the body and bridge, leaving behind a trail of smeared red. Kuzuru licked his lips and smiled.

“Alright baby, time to fuckin’ rock and God-damned roll,” he said.

Before he could lay into his first solo a bullet whizzed past his head. His ears twitched and he focused in on the culprit. High up on a floating piece of terrain stood a cowboy hat wearing version of the Darkloid. It carried a lever-action rifle and with a practiced motion chambered the next round. Kuzuru pointed the neck of the guitar at the gunslinger and laid into a riff. The sound that the guitar produced was a barbaric sort of cacophony that only those clinically insane would enjoy. Physical waves of sound cut through the battlefield and slammed into the construct’s body. It dropped the lever-action and brought both hands up to it’s ears, wincing as the waves of rock washed over it. Once the short riff was over the thing rushed to draw the two revolvers holstered at its hips.

Kuzuru watched in glee as the gunslinger began to take aim and fire at anything that moved, including its fellow doppelgangers. The demon threw up a set of devil horns and shouted, “it’s time to shred you sorry motherfuckers!”

And shred he did. It was hard to say whether it was the discordant nature of the instrument itself or his own inherent lack of skill that shaped the ungodly cacophony that followed, but one thing was certain -- he was having the time of his life. The voices that plagued him still screamed, but instead of being hampered by their incessant baying he incorporated them into his own hellish chorus. The screams of the damned were now, quite literally, music to his ears.

He fired a blast of sound past Morene, slamming it into her sword-wielding opponent. The samurai-esque shade began to swing with the intensity of a berserker, forcing Fellon to adopt a defensive position. However the shield-bearing copy strayed too close and attracted its attention. Using the momentary distraction Morene struck out with her halberd, scoring a solid hit against both of them. Kuzuru howled in excitement and turned his gaze upon the true Darkloid.

In response the Darkloid held out his hand and closed his eyes. Bright red orbs crackled into existence. There was about a hundred of them, each the size of pinballs. He clenched his fist and the marbles rained destruction down upon the guitarist. Kuzuru yelped and tried to dive out of the way. The fusillade of magic pelted him and the ground around him, each of the supercharged orbs exploding upon impact. His scream was overshadowed by the relentless hail of magic. Once all was said and done he remained standing in a smoldering crater, his entire body covered in burns and bruises. He threw up a middle finger and fell to a knee.

Activating Darkchip: DISCORD
Upon activation, this darkchip will form into the shape of a guitar, composed of some shining black substance, with a slick violet sheen. It looks faintly damp or moist, but is completely dry. When played, it produces a jarring, discordant melody, which drives anyone you deem as a hostile target into a frenzy. They lose ability to tell friend from foe, regarding everyone as a target, while heightening aggressive urges to make them bloodthirsty and eager to attack anything around them. Each time, these effects last for fifteen seconds, and the effect may be used up to four times before its power expires.

Activating T1 power-up “Strength of the Damned” for one round

Kuzuru’s new stats
ATK - 6
DEF -1
SPD - 4
TEC - 4

Kuzuru has 2 more uses of DISCORD left, feel free to have him use them as you see fit.

15 OP remaining

[Claptrap]

Claptrap's eye darted around the room as the clones phased into existence, sighing to himself dejectedly. 

"Body doubles. Great. It's Jack all over again." 

Before he had time to make any clever quips, however, the boy and the girl burst into action before burying Kuzuru in rubble. Rushing to help the leader of the blades, Claptrap and Miranda hastily pulled him from under the rubble. Once his boss was free, Claptrap turned to the darkloid clones to pick out an opponent. He was unsure about who to target for a moment, before his eye settled on the paladin. 

The paladin began to charge the boy and girl before a bullet whizzed by his head. He turned on a dime and began rushing towards Claptrap. The robot yelped as he discarded his pistol and summoned his shotgun for more stopping power. The paladin's mace careened over the robot's head as he retracted his wheel, ducking under the blow before discharging a blast into the darkloid clone's stomach. 

The darkloid's armour combined with his tough scales stopped the blast from tearing through him, but didn't stop the blast all the way, winding him. Claptrap fired another shot at the clone, the pellets impacting the plate of the paladin's armour with brutal but still not lethal force. 

An arrow flew uncomfortably close to Claptrap's head, which would have given the paladin enough time to recover if it weren't for the gunslinger firing a wild shot into the paladin's back. The darkloid knight staggered forwards from the force of the blow, his vision blurring for a moment. When it came back into focus, he was staring at a dark hole. It took him a moment to realise this hole was the barrel of a quality Hyperion shotgun. 

The robot pulled the trigger, the glorious Pandoran made pellets smashing into the clone's face. It didn't blow the darkloid's head off, in fact the damage wasn't that substantial, but the paladin's head snapped back violently and it fell backwards with a groan. 

"BOOM! That's gotta be a critical hit, right?" Claptrap quipped, narrowly dodging another arrow aimed at his 'head'. The robot desummoned his shotgun and summoned his pistol once more before returning fire at the archer. Unlike the paladin, the archer was at the other side of the room, firing from a more or less safe distance. 

Claptrap and the archer skirmished for a bit before the robot turned his attention to the true darkloid. Switching his weapons one more time, Claptrap threw himself at the darkloid, shotgun at the ready. The dragonling sneered at the robot, or tried to at least, as he leapt between his boss and the darkloid. 

"Ah, how courageous. I didn't think you had much use past being a footstool at first, but after seeing you fight I realise that you shall make as fine a darkspawn as your friends." 

Claptrap shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "Well, I mean, I don't know about that." 

The darkloid cackled. "You cannot resist Nebula."

"Actually, I meant that you'll probably be disappointed by my darkspawn performance. Also, can too resist Nebula!" Claptrap cried as he relied his shotgun.

545 words.
Just general fightiness.

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Ebony yelped as the gust of air pushed against her, but her grip on the tunnel walls remained true. While not directly hit by the blast of air or any of the fast moving rubble, there were limited paths for the high density of air to take as it sought to equalise the pressure. She'd taken refuge in one of them.

Crashes, grunts, and screams tore at her resolve - reminding her how easy it was to take injuries in combat. It was never as simple as her books made it out to be - she couldn't 'beat someone up' and have both sides come out of it OK. Nonetheless, she forced herself forwards, back into the fight, flinching at the raw destruction as she tried to make her way through the rubble. What remained of the ceiling before had come crashing down with the wind, now forced to the far edges of the room. Using her magic, Ebony pushed a large chunk of rock to the side, clearing the way for her to rejoin Summer.

Her friend had wasted no time in continuing his assault, having hooked his whip around the archer and pulled the dragon towards him - dragging the foe through sharp pieces of rubble as he did so. Spotting Ebony, the storm incarnate spun the bow user around, pinning his arms behind his back using both his whip and brute strength to do so. Despite the resistance, Summer forced his opponent to remain still, although the strain was clear on both of their faces.

"I'll hold him steady." Summer shifted one of his arms up to his captive's neck, holding his forearm and wrist across the archer's throat. His thumb knuckle dug in just below the jaw, causing the archer to shift onto the tips of his toes to alleviate the strain. Summer's other arm remained to pin the captive's arms against his back. He grinned, "Light 'im up, Eb!"

"O-on it." It felt strange and almost wrong to her, yet she began preparing the spell regardless. She knew the archer wouldn't hesitate in hurting her or her friends, but something about harming a visually defenceless opponent rubbed her the wrong way, even if it was a monster. A vicious, evil, monster with a terrible taste in fashion - those leathery boots looked disgusting. Ebony dawdled, waiting to actually fire the bolts of magic just slightly longer than she needed to. Arm steadied, she braced herself for what she was about to do.

Deftly, in those short moments she delayed, the archer manoeuvred his weaker body, hopping slightly and freeing his right arm. As he fell, eyes bulging from the sudden strain on his neck, he drew a thick steel dagger from his waist and drove it down into Summer's right leg. Summer grunted, cursing. Ebony yelped, almost losing focus on the magic, but managing to keep the mana steady by sheer force of will. Her magic would do as she wanted. She closed her eyes briefly, releasing the stored mana. In the close proximity, the attacks had no chance of missing - and her target was still pinned despite his attack against Summer. One after another, three glowing purple orbs planted themselves in archers chest, driving craters into his stomach. Ebony saw none of this, and from the screaming, she glad she chose not to watch.

The archer fell to his knees as Summer relaxed his grip on his neck. Carefully, Summer freed the knife from his leg; it didn't dig too deep, but it did bleed. Just as Ebony tentatively opened her eyes, still looking at the floor, the storm incarnate stomped down on the monster's back, bending its body forwards and plunging the steel knife into its back. There was a strange gurgling noise in the back of the creature's throat before it slumped, relaxing against the ground.

Grunting, Summer used lightning to cauterise his new wound.

His injury was her fault. Her hesitation. Guilt gripped at Ebony, causing her to visibly shrink slightly under her cloak. With the aid of her magic, she pulled her hood up, grabbing onto her scythe with both hands. "S-sorry. If I'd attacked sooner-"

BANG!

The bullet didn't pierce her deeply, but it drove a hole through the side of her cloak, digging into the right of her ribs. Coughing, spluttering, and simply trying to breathe through both the shock and pain, Ebony fell her knees, holding her hands around the impact site. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands felt wet - she weakly tried to press her palms against the wound in an attempt to hold the blood in but pushing down hurt. Instead, it looked more like she was hugging herself. She whimpered quietly, not thinking of anything - just wanting the pain to stop.

BANG!

Ebony didn't even flinch at the sound of a second bullet, although this shot hit no one. While its target was Summer, her friend was already on top of her attacker, dodging easily in the close range. Lighting flared from his hand at the sacrifice of the bones in his two smaller fingers, shoving the gunslinger back and breaking his jaw. Without missing a beat, Summer flicked his whip pulling his opponent back to him before they could react. A vicious grin curled up his face as he eyed up the hot pool of lava, gradually pushing the gunslinger towards it.

900 words (2000 total this round)

Summer uses his whip to pull Archer towards him.
Archer is dragged through rubble and then pinned by Summer.
Archer frees an arm and uses it to grab a dagger to stab Summer's right leg.
Eb shoots Archer in the chest with elemental blast. (Multispell, magic + magic + magic, i.e. 3* 5 second change attacks - all pure damage)
Summer smashes Archer on the head, pulls out the dagger, then shanks Archer with it.
Gunslinger shoots Ebony in the chest (bullet is probably in there, fairly shallow wound, maybe a fractured rib - otherwise just some blood and a lot of brusing - she didn't take it well).
Summer fucks up Gunslinger with Lightning Strike. 
Summer grabs Gunslinger with the help of his whip and starts making his way towards the lava (and is planning to shove the dude's face in it).

[Professor Sunshine]

As Syn saw the Darkloid and how he split into multiple different beings, he was somewhat confident on how easy it would be to take out the being, since he thought that if the dragon was split into multiple beings, that the power would probably be split between them as well. Before he ran out to attack as many of the other Darkloid clones however, he noticed that there one of them was already trying to flee from the battle and, taking it as a sign of weakness, Syn quickly turned to the spellcaster and shot a Negative Finger Beam at the guy, hitting a rib from behind but not doing any major damage to the Darkloid.

With the Darkloid now noticing the Shadow Dragon, Syn quickly rushed at the guy, both fists clenched as he reached the Darkloid and ready to fight. Once he arrived, Syn quickly said to the guy "Hey, I saw you trying to flee earlier, so for now I assume your the weakest of these multiple bodies of yours, which means it should be real easy to kill you! Now take this!" Upon finishing those words, Syn quickly began to throw a punch at the Darkloid, but to his utter surprise the punch was caught by the Darkloid Spellcaster's staff, with Syn's fist slightly aching from the punch's collision.

Angry at the punch being a failure, Syn screamed at the top of his lungs, while continuing to throw a frenzy of punches to try to hit the Darkloid Spellcaster, only for each punch to connect to the staff or miss entirely. Getting even angrier since none of his attacks were connecting, Syn continued to scream louder and louder, but eventually after a couple of minutes of screaming and punching, the roof of the cave began to collapse, and as a section collapsed in between the two, Syn ignored it and continued to scream as the cave continued to crumble.

Eventually though, once Syn's anger finally reached a peak from continuously missing and getting hurt by the Darkloid, the cracked Dragon Ball moved down on his body from his forehead to his chest, and as 3 more cracked Dragon Balls formed on his chest as well, Syn could feel a modest boost in power and energy from his body. As Syn Shenron started to throw some punches in practice to see how they would do in combat, he could feel that they were quite a bit faster than before, and now that he could throw this fast, then perhaps he could actually hit the Darkloid without resorting to beams and other attacks.

Before he could finish turning at the Darkloid and try to attack it though, one of the Darkloid copies, this one looking like a samurai, quickly intercepted the Shadow Dragon's attack using his blade. Angry at how the copy interrupted their battle, Syn said out loud to the Samurai "Hey, don't you dare interfere in our fight, or you will be the next to die. And I promise, if you think I am bluffing about that, I should let you know that I have casually killed many people during my life." As Syn said those words, he quickly threw a punch at the Darkloid, only for the punch to connect to the Samurai's blade.

"So be it." As Syn Shenron said those words, he had already began to launch a Negative Finger Beam at the Samurai to try to disorient him, and as the beam managed to hit the Samurai, it hit him in the eye, and as he clutched his eye in pain while trying to look out the other eye, Syn Shenron quickly went in on the offensive, throwing a wide variety of punches at the Samurai. Thankfully for the Shadow Dragon, most of the punches connected to the Samurai rather easily, unlike the Darkloid who he originally tried to fight. Because he was beginning to connect more punches on the Samurai, Syn was beginning to get happier as he managed to hurt the Samurai more and more.

Before Syn could finish the battle with the Samurai however, he noticed that the samurai was beginning to look in a bit of a poor shape, with his limbs shaking up a bit in pain, and that another piece of the cave roof was collapsing which the Darkloid fired at. Taking this as a opportunity, Syn quickly ran below it and began to hold in his breath a bit to charge up the Mystic Breath. Upon finishing his charging Syn quickly blew out a powerful breath as the spellcaster's attack collided with the piece of ceiling, and as the pieces were launched back at the Darkloid from Syn's breath, he was waiting to see how the Darkloid would respond, while continuing to fight against the Samurai.

817 words out of 200. Sorry it took so long.
Syn used Negative Finger Beam on the Spellcaster and Samurai.
Syn mostly missed punches against the Spellcaster, but was succesfully hitting the Samurai.
Syn used his T1 Power Up, Imperfect Omega Shenron (+1/0/2/2 to Stats).
Syn used Mystic Breath to blow some debris from the destroyed roof back at the Spellcaster.