Harmony of Dissonance

[Gin Yatreg]

Gin walked out of the gate and into a town of brick and stone. The streets seemed empty save for a few people walking in a group towards what seemed to be an inn. This place amazed Gin, he hadn't seen anything like it before, not even during his short time on Earth. Gin calls out to the group of strangers, "Excuse me! Could you tell me where I am?"

The strangers stopped and looked at Gin, before turning back and walking inside. "Thanks a lot." Gin said sarcastically.

"Well that was rude. Maybe someone else can tell me where I am." he thought. Gin looked around for anyone else on the street, but there was not a soul in sight. Gin moved to the end of the street to and peered around the corner, still nobody around. "Where the heck is everyone? Have they all gone inside?" he pondered. Gin continued down the next street, still nobody in sight. This was starting to seem familiar to Gin, it felt as though he was back on Kingdom-R53 wandering the long corridors alone. He reached the end of the street and took a left, staying on the sidewalk.

Gin was starting to get the feeling he was being watched, but by what? Nobody was around, on the streets or at the windows. He stopped and looked over his shoulder, nobody was there. Yet for some reason he still felt someone watching him, following his movements. Gin started to walk faster, and soon broke into a full run. He wasn't sure how, but he felt the presence of something he did NOT want to meet. As he ran down the sidewalk, a door flew open in front of him. Unable to stop in time, Gin slammed into the door and fell to the ground. Dazed, he felt himself getting pulled inside the building with the door closing behind him.

[Gin Yatreg]

"What the hell were you doing out there?! Don't you know it's not safe at night?" a voice said to him.

Gin looked up and saw a boy standing over him. He looked to be about the same age as Gin was. "Hey, I would've been fine if somebody hadn't opened a door in my face!" he retorted.

"Oh really? Is that why you were running away?" he said back.

"I wasn't running! I sensed something somewhere nearby, so I decided to get out of sight." Gin said.

"That sounds a lot like running away to me." the boy said bluntly.

"You're one to talk considering you're hiding in here." Gin said, crossing his arms.

"Well of course I am! I'm only a secondary, if I was a prime I would totally be-" the boy paused. "Wait a second, did you say you were able to sense something?" he asked.

Gin gave him a curious look, "Yeah, I've never felt anything like that before, it's part of the reason I ran. What was it?".

"I see what's going on now, you're a new arrival aren't you? No wonder you were wandering around outside like an idiot."

Gin groaned at the insult, "Are you going to tell me what's going on, or are you just going to insult me all night?" he asked the boy.

"Alright, alright. let me explain..."

The boy, who introduced himself as Bern, proceeded to explain to Gin the basics of the Omniverse such as the multiple Verses, Primes and Secondaries, as well as the feats Primes can pull off. Bern then moved onto the history of the Omniverse, the rivalry between Camelot and the Empire, and finally, how the town of Darkshire came to be what it was. Finally, Gin had the chance to speak, "So this Dracula guy showed up out of the blue, and after that the Moors have been in decline ever since."

"That pretty much sums it up, yeah." Bern said.

"So why doesn't someone go to his castle and stop this?" asked Gin.

"Nobody that's gone there has ever returned. Plus, we're just secondaries with a few Primes coming to help us once in a while. We'll never defeat Dracula, so all we can do now is defend this town until the last of us are stolen away in the night." Bern said, in a somber tone of voice.

Bern's words struck a chord in Gin, he thought of his home, how they were trapped behind sealed walls while monsters ravage the outside. When he thought about it, if things had gone differently, Kingdom-R53 could have easily ended up like Darkshire. A place with no hope, where its a struggle to get by day after day, with the threat of death just outside the walls. But then he remembered what made his colony different from this place, they rose up against the monsters. They fought against their aggressors and started taking back their home. They never gave up.

"If you think like that, there's no hope for this town." Gin said.

Bern opened his mouth to speak, but Gin continued on, "But...just because things look bleak, doesn't mean you should just give up and never try again. Some things are worth risking your life for." Gin walked to the door and grabbed the handle. "Thanks for helping me out Bern, I hope we meet again." Gin opened the door and stepped outside.

"Wait, where do you plan to go now?" Bern called out.

Gin turned to Bern, "I dunno, I was thinking about doing some sightseeing. I hear the castle is great this time of year." and with that, Gin closed the door and walked off.

[Gin Yatreg]

Gin looked up at the sky, it seems the sun the had risen behind the clouds during his talk with Bern. If he was going to pay a visit to Dracula's castle, he'd better start his journey while it was daytime. He could hear the hustle and bustle of people exiting their homes to do their daily rounds before night comes again. Gin stopped a passerby, hoping they would be at least a bit more civil than the first group of people he met by the Inn, and asked for directions to the closest town gate. They pointed to the northeast and quickly went on their way. "Well, at least they actually helped me this time.", Gin thought to himself. He made his way to the gate and was let through by the guards, who warned him not to eat or drink anything he found out there.

"Why's that?" Gin asked.

"You don't want to know." the guard said back.

Gin left it at that, and walked through the gate into the open fields. He looked out onto the horizon, and saw what looked like the outline of a castle in the distance. The land between the town and castle was covered in wetlands, dotted with forests and hills, and a large river running through the center. What seemed to be an abandoned town lay near the river's edge, It might be a good idea to stop there and search for supplies. Gin realized it would take quite a long time to get to his destination on foot from here. "Hm, if I can create a sandwich with Omnilium, could I make something to ride as well?" Gin pondered. "Might as well try!"

Gin sat down and closed his eyes, he had to concentrate for this to work. He thought of something that would be able to traverse the wetlands and forests with ease. A horse was his first thought, but then his thoughts drifted towards something the scientists on his space colony were working on at one point. A genetically modified flightless bird capable of carrying passengers across great distances. It was going to help colonize other worlds had they been successful in making more than just one of them.

Gin concentrated on the appearance of the creature, it's abilities, as well as the sound it made. Ten minutes went by, and Gin was beginning to feel a bit tired. Suddenly, he felt something lick his face, followed by a "Waarrk" noise. He opened his eyes to find a black bird with a yellow beak and blue eyes staring down at him. "Hey, it worked!" Gin said with excitement. He stood up and petted the bird on the head, it let out a pleased "wark" in return. "I guess you need a name now huh, big guy?" Gin said to the bird. The bird simply tilted its head at Gin. "Hmm, I'll call you Tonic!" he told the bird. Tonic made a happy wark noise and gestured for Gin to get on its back. Gin climbed on, "Alright Tonic, let's head towards that forest over there!" he told the bird. "Wark!" Tonic said in response. And with that they were off.

[Gin Yatreg]

Gin and Tonic pass through the forest with little trouble and exit out of it near the edge of the river, just downstream from the abandoned town he saw from Darkshire. Gin pointed towards the town and gestured for Tonic to head that way. Tonic nodded his head and took off towards the town.

"I still got some time before we reach the town. I should probably try using Life Detect." Gin thought. Gin closed his eyes, concentrating on feeling the life energy of everything around him. He had used it subconsciously back in Darkshire but, thanks to Bern, Gin now knew what it was. It felt like Gin had a radar in his head, stretching all over the verse. He could sense multiple energies to the south, most felt ordinary, but two of them felt much more powerful. He turned his focus to Dracula's castle, he could sense two huge powers in that direction, along with several weaker ones. "Wait, did a weaker one just get snuffed out? What could be happening over there?" Gin thought. He decided to worry about that later however, as he was nearing the town.

Tonic ran through the town entrance way and stopped in the center of the main street, letting out a loud "WAAAARRRK" to signify that they had reached their destination. "Great job Tonic!" Gin said to the bird. Gin stepped down onto the brick road to give Tonic a break from carrying him. He looked around, some buildings had fallen down, leaving heaps of stone and mortar in their place. Windows were smashed in on those still standing, from what, Gin was not sure. Random objects lay strewn about the place, from mattresses to charred cupboards, it seemed as if the town had been ransacked. Gin walked further down the street, with Tonic following close behind.

----

Meanwhile, in a building nearby, a soft groan is made. Something moves to the second story window and peers out at the street below. It sees a boy with red hair, and a black-feathered bird following behind. It begins to move quietly towards the stairs, preparing to stalk its next meal before its taken from him by another.

----

Gin peeked into a building, it seemed to be an old bar, maybe an inn. He hopped through the window a moved to the counter, searching for anything that might have been preserved in the attack. He bent over and looked underneath the counter, and spotted what looked like a silver coin. Gin picks it up and stared at it up close. It was covered in dust, stifling the shine and polish it used to have. Gin rubbed it with his shirt, trying to get some of the shine back. He then stuffed it into his pocket. "I am going after a vampire after all." he thought to himself. Gin then hopped back out of the window he came in through, and back out into the street.

----

The creature moved into an alleyway as the boy hopped out of the inn. Hiding in the shadows, the creature eyed its prey. Watching its every move. It must be quick, else the noise attracts unwanted visitors. The creature begins to move once the boy turned his back again. It's first step is loud, but the creature remains undetected. It is about to exit the alley when it bumps a trash can, knocking it over.

----

"Alright Tonic, let's move on....Tonic?" Gin looked down at his bird, it was laying on its back cross-eyed.

"Waaa *hic* aark." the bird groaned in response.

"Tonic what the heck happened while I was inside that..." Gin's voiced trailed off as he noticed something next to the bird. He picked it up, it seemed to be a partially eaten fruit of some sort. "Oh no." Gin looked at Tonic, "Please tell me you didn't eat something off the ground." Gin groaned.

"Waarrk.." Tonic whined.

Gin sighed, "What am I gonna do with you?"

Suddenly, a noise came from the alley behind Gin. He spun around in time to see something move into the shadows. He wasn't alone. Gin concentrated, using Life Detect to make sure he wasn't seeing things. There was indeed something in the direction of the alley. Checking the rest of the town, Gin found that he could sense things in every direction. "Well, this is just great." He looked back at Tonic, still on the ground. "You'd better get well soon Tonic, cause we're about to have company."

Gin turned back to the alleyway he heard the noise from, ready for a fight. "No use hiding, I know you're there!" Gin shouted at the creature. It seemed to understand Gin's words, as it soon stepped out into the daylight. It was a grotesque creature, it stood on two legs, covered in a blue tar-like substance which appeared to leak from its pores. Its face, if you could call it a face, seemed to have no definite shape to it. The only features one could make out were the glowing yellow eyes and open mouth. Two green energy shields enveloped Gin's fists, he was ready to fight.

[Gin Yatreg]

Creature DP: 0
Gin Yatreg DP: 0

ROUND 1
BEGIN

The creature began its charge, trailing blue tar behind it as it ran. Its mouth was agape as if it was trying to eat Gin on the first attack. "Others come soon, MUST EAT NOW!" it thought to itself. It lunged at Gin, ready to bite own on this new morsel.

Gin crouched down and focused on his shields, they began to expand until Gin was surrounded by a bubble like energy shield. The creature latched its mouth around the shield, attempting to bite down on it. The shield remained intact however, forcing the creature to release its grip and step back, letting out a roar of annoyance as it did so.

The shield dissipated and Gin quickly stood up. "Now it's my turn, ugly!" Gin shouted at the beast. Gin reeled his fist back, preparing to punch the monster in the chest. Gin summoned an energy shield around his fist, and launched it forward as fast as he could. The creature had no time to dodge at this range, forcing it to take the hit from its foe. Gin's fist hit the creature dead center in the chest, sending the creature sliding backwards a few feet.

Not missing a beat, Gin ran forward to give the creature another punch. However after a few steps, he found himself unable to move. He looked down, his foot seemed to be stuck in the blue tar the creature had left on the ground. "Dammit, not good." Gin said as he tried to pull his foot out.

The creature saw its chance, it charged forward, ramming Gin with its arm. Gin felt the wind get knocked out of him, as he flew backwards into a pile of rubble. Gin staggered to his feet, breathing heavily after that last attack. He was free from the tar, but from now on he'd have to watch whee he was stepping. Less he get caught like that again.

It was then that a loud howl began to echo through the streets, and was joined by several more soon after. The creature lifted its head and looked around. The others were on their way. "NO! NO TAKE PREY FROM ME!" it screeched in a raspy, almost snake like voice. It let out a loud high pitched roar and charged Gin.

[Gin Yatreg]

Creature DP: 4
Gin Yatreg DP: 3

ROUND 2
BEGIN

The creature charged forward in a blind rage. Gin jumped out of the way, letting the creature run past past him. "That howling is getting closer. I'd better take this guy out soon." Gin thought. Gin dissipated the shield on his left fist, leaving only the one on the right activated. "I'm only gonna have one shot at this."

The shield on Gin's right hand began to change color, turning from green to orange. He ran towards the monster, who had just stopped its charge, and punched it square in the back with his shield. "REVERSAL!" Gin shouted. The shield disappeared upon hitting its mark, its job accomplished. The monster seemed to hardly react to the punch. It then made an about face, intending to swat Gin with its arm. However, instead of hitting Gin, the monster's arm moved in the opposite direction. It tried to use it's other arm, but got the same result. While the monster stood there confused, Gin reactivated his shield fists and gave the monster two more punches to the chest, sending it tumbling backwards into a building.

The monster stood up, finally able to move normally again. It let out a frustrated roar, it was tired of this fight. It listened to the howling growing ever closer, and realized its meal would have to wait until later. They would soon arrive and try to steal its prey. "NO! PREY BE MINE!" The creature roared. It ran past Gin, towards the street corner. It began to expel a large amount of tar from its pores, creating a line of tar across the road. It then ran to the other intersection and did the same for that corner. Just as it finished, a horde of giant grub-like monsters emerged from around the corner. They ran straight into the tar, getting stuck in the process. The tar monster turned back and looked at Gin, with an almost pleased look on its face. It ran towards Gin as fast as it could, and snatched him up in its claws. The monster's grip was too strong for Gin to break free.

This was the end.

[Gin Yatreg]

Creature DP: 13
Gin Yatreg DP: 7

FINAL ROUND
BEGIN

Gin struggled with all of his might, but to no avail. He was trapped in the creatures claws, unable to escape. The jaws of death drew closer and closer, and Gin couldn't do anything about it but watch. Suddenly, a scream of pain cut through the air, and Gin felt himself falling. He landed on the ground a looked up, a grub had attached itself to the creature's arm and had bitten into it. "A grub? How did that get over here with getting stuck?" Gin thought. He looked over to where he last saw the horde of grubs, and to his surprise, it seemed they had begun crawling over the bodies of their fellow grubs in order to get across.

The creature tore the grub off its body, taking a chunk of skin with it as he did so. He crushed the grub in his hand and threw it to the side. Before the creature could do anything else however, he felt another sharp pain on his back. Another grub had chosen to feast on the creature. The creature tore that one off as well with more force than the last. The open wound revealing a yellow organ laying just underneath the skin. Unfortunately for the creature, more and more grubs began to attach themselves to him.

While the grubs kept the creature busy, Gin got out of the Creature's reach and summoned his shields once more. While the creature was tearing grubs off left and right, Gin saw the exposed yellow organ on the creature's back. "Well that looks important." Gin ran around to the other side of the creature, luckily, the grubs had decided the creature was more of a meal than him or he wouldn't have been able to move this freely. Gin ran towards the creature and jumped. He reared his fist back and pushed it forward, hitting the creature's exposed organ dead center. The creature lurched forward, shrieking in pain. The organ began to pulsate and grow. At the same time, the tar that covered the creature began to recede back into its body.

It was then that Gin realized what he hit, "That was the organ that made the tar the creature excreted from it body. It's getting bigger. Oh. OH SHIT."

"TONIC!" Gin called out.

"Waaaark" Tonic replied, still in the same position he was before.

Gin ran over to his avian companion and stood him up. "We have to get out of here, snap out of it!" Gin slapped the bird with his right hand. Tonic shook his head and blinked, letting out a confused "Wark?".

"No time to explain! We need to go NO-"

It was too late, the creature exploded. The shock wave blew Gin and Tonic into the air at an astonishing speed. Meanwhile, a geyser of blue tar rose a mile high, before crashing down. Gin and Tonic flew through the air, out of the town, and straight into the river.

[Gin Yatreg]

Gin made quite the splash as he landed in the river. He felt himself get pushed along its channels as he struggled to the surface. He paddled his arms as hard as he could, fighting against the current that pulled him. Finally, he broke the surface, taking a deep breath as he did so. Soon the current pulled him under again, forcing Gin to hold his breath while he tried to swim back up. Just as he was about to break the surface once again, Gin felt a sharp pain run through him. He had just run into something in the middle of the river, most likely a rock. His mouth opened in response to the pain, letting all of the air he was holding out. Gin's lungs filled with water, he tried to get back to the surface, but it was too late. His movements slowed, and came to a halt. Gin began to sink, the world around him was starting to turn black. At the end of his vision, he saw something moving towards him, a shadow of some sort. It seemed to be shaped like a bird.

That was the last thing Gin saw before he blacked out.

To Be Continued in: Camelot