The Hunt Begins (Dark Data)

[James Knight]

210 Words 

King Sombra was in a world of hurt. His fur had been burned in places by the acid of the creature. He also had several minor injuries that were not serious but could be a problem later. If they encountered another one of those things, Sombra knew he was going to need more help. Revan had bandaged him, but the bandage hurt to have on. Using his telekinesis, Sombra managed to unravel the bandage and remove it from himself. For now he wasn't going to allow his wounds to be treated. They could wait until the situation had been resolved once and for all. Sombra started to slowly trot over to the dark crystal. Eventually he made his way to the dark crystal, and managed to pick it up. 

"I'll hold onto this."  Sombra was doing this for two reasons. One, if the creature could regenerate from the crystal Sombra was prepared to destroy the crystal. The second was that if it did something else, Sombra wanted to discover what it could actually do. "Celestia, when you get a chance send out a blast of magic from your horn to signal for help. We all need it, if I am to be honest with you." 

[Celestia]

The creature proved simple enough to defeat, between the combined efforts of Celestia and her companions, and the arrival of a mysterious...ally?  Whoever he was, he hadn't caused them harm, but he'd also chosen to wait until his power could have the most impact.  Was this someone who wished to conserve his strength until it was most needed?  Or was this someone who timed his entry for when it would leave the biggest impact on the rest of them?

That was a secondary concern, for simply defeating the creature didn't quite prove the end.  Whether a last ditch effort with its final breath or a natural process that occurs with its demise, the creature practically exploded with bone shards and acid fragments.  Caught off guard, Celestia was momentarily dazed and tumbled toward the ground.  She was able to recover somewhat, but she still landed hard.  After getting back her footing, she settled onto her haunches to get her wind back.

Between the plummet and standing back up after she'd momentarily stumbled, Celestia hadn't noticed Revan calling her name until he was practically on top of her, and began fussing with her wounds.  “Revan.”  She tried to gently push him away, but he was insistent.  “Revan!”  He finally noticed, although he was still looking to her with concern.  “Calm yourself.  These wounds are not serious.  I have suffered much worse, and I survived then.”  Still, Revan was not content until he had bandaged her up somewhat, and Celestia decided to let him rather than argue the point, even if she felt Revan should have be looking himself first.

Meanwhile, Sombra went to inspect the remains of the creature, and retrieved something glowing from them.  Celestia had half a mind to object.  She didn't really trust him as is, and giving him the first grab at some potential dark magic didn't seem the wisest course of action.  However, on further consideration she realized that the former king had more exposure to such things than any other member of the group to her knowledge, and would probably suffer the lease changes if there was some corrupting influence contained within.  She remained silent, for now.

It was a matter she would set aside for later.  Both Sombra and Revan suggested contacting the other two primes in the area, who they were hoping to find before the creature's attack.  It was an idea she agreed with in general, though not with the method.  A fireball of the size needed to be easily detected as a signal, was not a trivial expenditure of energy, to say nothing of how it could be misinterpreted.  Still, she'd agreed with the overall sentiment, that was just a detail.  “You're right,” she said after a moment, “we should get in contact with the others in the area.”  They could surely all benefit by working together, and it would curb changes of accidentally attacking one another.

Celestia had a better idea than a fireball, one that was less likely to be misinterpreted.  She launched herself skyward, used her horn to general a bright light, and then using her compass' scanner as a guide began flying toward the other two primes.  When she caught sight of them, she'd call out a greeting, explain she'd been travelling with a group, and try to lead them back to where her companions were resting so the two groups could join together.

Wordcount: 563

[Ash Williams]

Ash was resting his shotgun on his left shoulder while still having his Chainsaw hand attached and looked back at Chara after seeing how many they killed from her question.

"We should continue forward; my radar is going off for more of our kind ahead. I Didn't really think more would show up to venture in this verse." Responded Ash reloading his shotgun with one buckshot to replace the last one that was shot. He detached his chainsaw limb and replaced it with his metal hand as the weapon disappeared into omnilium.

After reloading, he put his shotgun back in the holster and summoned his horse after the fight. Before they got on their horses, Celestia descended from the sky and caught the attention of Ash and Chara. The bright light her horn glittered and sparkled was like a beacon for the fog. She looked down upon the two strangers while hovering above them.

"Greetings, my name is Celestia and I'm a fellow prime. I have been traveling with a group of three including myself. Since we've noticed you on our trackers, we figured that you are part of Dr. Regal's team to stop this evil power. We just got ambushed up on the road ahead but most of us are ok after the attack. It would be best for us to stick together. Follow me and I will lead you back to where my team is at." said Celestia with her voice being smart and soothing.

After introducing herself and her request, the princess pony began to ascend to the sky and was ready to be their guide along the road. Ash and Chara got on their horses quickly and followed Celestia down the dirt path.

"What... the… hell… did I just seen a fairytale magical flying unicorn pony that can talk?!? Am I high right now?" questioned Ash while they followed Celestia.

Celestia couldn't hear the words that came out of Ash due to how high she was flying. Chara didn't really think it was weird that they just encountered a talking pony that looked to be out of some Children's show since she was used to talking to beings that were like her presence.

"Please don't try to freak out if we meet more of her kind. They can be really useful to us." stated Chara as they rode side by side to be able to hear each other while their horses were running.

"Right, got it. Everyone sees talking ponies every day in their lives! It's not like I'm crazy!" said Ash talking like he's insane.

The royal child sighed in frustration from Ash's attitude but didn't make a big deal out of it. They slowed down as Celestia did and made it to the group that she was talking about. Their rides stopped and the both got off their horses and walked up to the others that were standing by the road. Ash noticed another pony like Celestia but had more of a dark appearance.

"I should probably stop smoking what the soldiers been giving me lately that they call Darkshire's Finest." muttered Ash as they approach the others. 

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[Yu Kanda]

The thread was neutralized, no longer would that beast terrorize the moors. It felt good contributing towards a safer verse, It's what his order was all about. Whilst the other primes were recovering from their battle with the gargoyle, Kanda slowly descended from the heavens. Once returned to the ground he released his angelic form. This form granted to him by his innocence was strong but impossible to maintain for long period of time. Like fallen leaves Did pieces of energy disperse from the swordfighter, revealing his natural form underneath. It felt like a relief to Kanda, almost as If he was set free from the innocence once more.

The gathered primes were a bit weary of the exorcist's presence. Perhaps it was his angelic form or Perhaps lack of communication. He decided to introduce himself to the group, he stepped towards them in his black uniform with the silver crest on Its chest, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is general Kanda of the black order, stationed here within the pale moors. Thank You for your assistance against this creature. What Brings your group to This verse?" He Spoke with a strict and cold voice. His facial expression Did Not change at all, it was still as calm as when it was revealed from behind the energy coat.

It was Revan that broke the following silence, They clearly never heard of him or the black order. " Thank You for -your- assistance as well Mr.General. We are here on a mission, but I need to attend to my ally first." while Celestia took to the sky searching for the other nearby primes, Kanda observed as Revan took care of a small horse like prime. He had seen similar creatures in ambrosia, but there was something different about This one, something Kanda couldn't quite put his finger on it. Once Revan took care of his comrade the exorcist approached him, "Now can you tell me what's going on, what mission were you referring to? Why have this many primes gathered? Were you looking for this beast? Do you know why it was here?" The exorcist had many questions. While the three were still waiting for Celestia to return both Revan and Sombra started explaining the situation to the General who was listening to the story. It seemed another evil had shown it's face in the Omniverse.

"I see, and your group is currently on a mission to investigate all of this? I'm sure my Commander would want me to see this through, if there aren't any objections I'd like to accompany you on this investigation."


Revan shrugged, "we've seen you can take care of yourself, extra muscle is never a waste. I don't mind." Sombra kept quiet, perhaps his wounds were more severe than initially thought, but he was up and still moving.

In the distance the trio noticed Celestia making her return, she was accompanied with other primes. It seemed the group has grown allot. Usually Kanda wasn't much for large groups but in this case he would make an exception. He knew nothing of this new thread, for the sake of the order he had to see it through. Even if it meant making an alliance with these odd primes. Kanda was getting annoyed already, 'The Commander better know what she's doing, sending me on a mission like this.'

562 words

[Nebula]

The group of primes, their number bolstered by a new addition, were stronger than ever. Battered by a first encounter with Nebula's forces in the already dark, dreary verse, but victorious all the same. They were well on their way to tracking down the source of the corruption in the verse. As the group joined together, it was only a few moments before the liberator aides of the group flickered to life again, and set to work digitally constructing another of the devices for the new arrival, and in only a minute, there was one made, for Kanda.

And no sooner was it completed, than did the devices all light up, once more displaying the radar function the device was intended for. A bright red symbol for Nebula's forces, sitting on the north edge of the radar screen. It blinked slowly, making a clear signal 'NEBULA IS HERE'. Looking off into the distance, to the north, the group of primes could actually see some sign off that way, well, well into the distance. Thick clouds of dark, black smoke, curling into a pillar and rising high into the sky, over the fog and mist shrouding the moors.

There was something brewing a real mess up there, alright.

Onward to the next part of the adventure. Everyone has five days to make as many posts as they like. You have a limit of 2000 words per person, collectively, spread over however many posts you desire. Happy traveling, liberators.

[Revan Noctis]

Revan had spent a few minutes recovering a bit from the fight, he had managed to repair most of the damage to his armour with his Omnilium including his cape. Despite this the heavy fog was leaving everything a bit cold and damp. Regardless the pieces of technology made it clear they needed to travel onward supposedly more monsters awaited them. He sat up from a log he had been seated on as they got to know Yu Kanda the new addition to their team and explained to him what the threat was.

"So I suppose we should get moving." Revan realised Chara and Ash had been using horses and he doubted Sombra and Celestia would be capable perhaps it was even wrong for them to see their use of domesticated equines.

"I do not suppose you two would be ok with walking?" He whispered to Ash and Chara preferring not to accidentally cause any awkward situations.

He was unsure how far they would have to travel and it was possible they were in fact running out of time to stop Nebula from becoming a very real threat to those that lived here. For a moment his mind did wander to thinking of how the other teams in the other verses were faring. Nebula had amassed quite a fair amount of power, certainly it was odd for such a corrupted land to then be corrupted by yet another invading force. Anyone with somewhere better to go would have probably have abandoned this verse ages ago, he knew though that if the last good citizens of this verse were to leave this verses corruption would surely seep through the gate to other places.

Nebula certainly had a shot here at corrupting the entire Omniverse including potentially the Nexus, he had no idea if Omni would allow Nebula to achieve such a thing yet there had been no sign of intervention by anything other then Regal and themselves. They had to now travel to some other even more terrible place to stop this threat once and for all but he was unsure if they were going to make it. He would do his best to defend those who lived here and his friends, Nebula was going to be stopped.

Word count 377

[Yu Kanda]

The ominous signs in the distance, the pillars made of dark black smoke, reaching for the heavens, did not sit well with Kanda. If there was an entity strong enough to influence the verses like this it might even be powerful enough to challenge Omni himself. Too many unanswered questions remained, yet one thing was clear. This thing had to go. His communicator went off mere moments after the sky changed its appearance.
 
"General Kanda, come in! What's happening out there?!" Klaud's stern voice demanded immediate attention, she was not the kind of person you would put on hold. The primes near him heard the loud message he received. Ash poked his companion , "Look at this guy, a General even." The exorcist reached for his communicator and replied to his commander, "This is Kanda, a powerful being has arisen once more within the Omniverse, apparently its not just here, its everywhere. We need to stop it, I've joined a group of primes who were in the middle of dealing with this thread. I will join them on behalf of the Black Order and see an end to this."
 
"Do you require assistance from the Order?"
 
"No, the secondary's within the order would only be putting their lives at risk. I shall continue with the primes gathered here already."
 
"Very well, Godspeed on your journey Kanda. We can't lose you again." She actually sounded a bit worried there for a moment.
 
Kanda put his communicator back within his coat, Ash looked at him and simply replied, "That's one stern woman you got there."
 
"She's my commander, not my woman. She runs the Black Order here in the Omniverse." He replied slightly annoyed at the insinuation.
 
"Black order? Doesn't sound ominous one bit." The cursed adventurer replied with a light breeze to his tone.
 
"It's an organization stationed here within the Moors, we hunt monsters, evil primes and akuma. Nothing Ominous about that, unless you fall under one of the above categories?"
 
"No no, just never heard of you guys, that's all."
 
Kanda ignored that last bit and addressed the group of primes gathered within the ashes of battle, "We should get moving, standing around here doesn't help anyone." The group took a minute to summon their form of transportation, for Kanda that was a tall black steed. Hair as soft as silk, the reigns were beautifully decorated with a silver line walking up to it. The saddle had a piece of cloth attached to it, upon it the same symbol that resided on Kanda's uniform, the silver crest of the order. The strong beast neighed as it pranced upwards in all its magnificent glory. Kanda walked around the horse, moving his hand over its head before mounting up in the saddle. "Let's go!" And he spurred the horse to move. The beast replied with another neigh and started running towards the pillar of smoke in the distance.

525 words

[Marisa Kirisame]

    As Chara opened her mouth to introduce herself, she saw that the Liberator aides roared to life and she could see that they showed a large symbol of Nebula. And as she looked to the north she could see some unusual weather patterns way, way in the north. Her eyes started to go pure red in slight anger and annoyance at the Black Order.

    She knew how wrong it could go if this plan could go if one just one monster died by a human’s hand. “Who ever you are that kills monsters. There is a capital of monsters i run.” her eyes go dark red and flash in the dreary light. “Because if you do kill one monster just one, there will be hell to pay for both sides for that is what caused them to go to war with humans in my world last time.” her eyes changed back to normal as she shrugged it off like nothing happened and smiled weakly.

    She began to move with the party towards the thing in the north, hoping Yu kanda would not go and attack her settlement or her tries to be more pacifist would be for naught.

word count is 250 words

[Revan Noctis]

Revan took what Chara had said quite seriously, a city of monsters that didn't wish harm on anyone would benefit this verse greatly. He had not been aware of any black order members when Darkshire was invaded and he hoped they could be trusted. Truth was after becoming friends with two talking ponies he was open to a lot more then what he would have been in the past. He had to now provide some form of transport for his pony friends and he knew they needed a small rest.

"I will try to figure out some means of transportation." He said knowing using horses would be awkward with the ponies for multiple reasons.

Spending further much needed minutes on thinking of transport he finally created what he thought would work best. Omnillium it seemed in a way was a type of magic all on its own as he created a large wagon. Revan knew better then to go creating living creatures that he'd have to take care of later so instead the wagon would be steam powered a type of technology that in his own world was only in a very early phase and was not yet meant for transport, only here it seemed the Omnillium did most of the work for him. The black painted wagon with old fashioned wheels and a pipe sticking into the sky at the front made it quite a scary machine but Revan took the lead climbing in.

"Time to get going." He said to Celestia and Sombra hoping they would naturally climb on.

There was a huff and a puff as the black steam wagon began to turn on, a few moments later they were off chugging through the dark Pale Moors forest. The steam wagon was also equipped with two bright lights that helped scare most creatures out of their path. It would only be a matter of time before they arrived at their destination, the mysterious and potentially dangerous pillars in the distance.

Word count 335

[Ash Williams]

The whole crew gazed at the horizon that became darker than the Pale Moor's weather. All of them had a bad feeling for the bad moon rising ahead. After speaking to Kanda, Ash kind of had a feeling that this kind of prime was the most determined and serious minded. The title of his faction at first sounded like a sinister organization but Ash was relieved when Kanda told him the goals of the Black Order. After all good or bad, they still need to team up and stop this alternate dark force that threatened everything of the Omniverse besides itself.

They began summoning mounts but Ash and Chara still had their horses out. Still having his water canister, Ash takes a good drink out of to feel hydrated after the fight. After what Chara just said to Kanda, he seemed to become even more slightly annoyed from the threat.

"Excuse me your highness, but I don't think it's smart to threaten others now while more of them still lingers and threatens our existence. C'mon guys, I know we can be all misfits to each other but we all need to come together and fight this evil." said Ash looking at all the liberators.

Chara shook her head in agreement from Ash's statement about them.

"Exactly, we shouldn't be fighting each other if we all have different opinions. Only trust can help us stopping Nebula." stated Celestia concerned about this teamwork.

All of them looked at each other with agreement on their faces and forget about the bickering that had gone on. They all got on their rides and head off toward the area of the Pale Moors that was engulfed unnormal darkness. Ash tried to catch up with Kanda who was taking the front of the group. Having the same speed, they rode next to each other.

"So… you fight evil. Well, I'm experienced in that kind of field too. The name is Ash, Ash Williams and I been helping Darkshire trying to survive and hope that maybe one day I can get back in my time where I came from." said Ash loudly to Kanda over the series sounds of the horse's hooves smashing the ground.

Kanda looked over to his left side realizing Ash was talking to him.

"Good. We won't have a problem with each other then." responded Kanda looking back ahead of him, trying to focus on the road ahead of them.

"Say, where were you guys when Darkshire got invaded by primes that were no good doers." questioned Ash.

"I died and was absent for long time to come back into the Omniverse which all of the operations were put on halt until my return." stated Kanda.

As the liberators followed the road, they were getting closer to the nature of Nebula.

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[Yu Kanda]

The fellowship of the nebula traveled through the wasteland towards the unknown, no one knew what to expect. It became rather quiet as the primes raced through the fields of dead grass, animal carcasses, it was truly the definition of despair. Kanda could never get used to this sight, he hoped someday the moors would be able to transform into a well flourished land that would rival even the beauty that is Camelot. But before a goal like that would be able to become reality the black order has to work hard cleansing the moors.


Chara's threat did not sit well with him, as it looked now this so called ally could become a foe in an instance. It was clear her love for monsters would become an issue as their mission continued, it was clear this nebula, whatever it was, provided plenty of monsters to slay. And no one will stop Kanda from executing his mission from god, an exorcist is chosen for a reason, that reason is to destroy in His name. The exorcist refused to get pulled in to the discussion earlier but it was obvious it was on his mind. He would have to inform the commander about this safe haven for monsters, she will decide the Black order's stance regarding this.


The swordsman was riding his steed, the sound of the machine Revan summoned started to get on his nerves, luckily it was Ash that broke the repetitive sound the machine made. During their travel the two primes started to share experiences, both within the Omniverse and from their own world. Kanda explained how the Black Order had observed the fight of Darkshire but weren't able to send any primes to the town's aid. It was a heavy blow for the organization not being able to get involved and make a difference, things might have played out differently. Allot of speculations that won't do anyone any good. All they could do now is make sure something like that never happens again. The stories Ash shared revealed he had his share of fights against evil as well. Finally Kanda found someone he could consider an ally, besides Revan he was still wary about the others. Time will tell whether his guts was in the right place.


The group started to get close to their destination, Kanda took a moment to observe the others. The long travel started to take its toll, without knowing exactly what was awaiting them at the pillar it would be a tactical move to catch their breath before jumping in a dangerous situation blindfolded.  "It would be wise to take a break." The exorcist suggested towards Ash.


"A break? Are you mad? We need to get our asses over there."


"Look at them! Some are wounded and we are all tired from travelling. If we were to go in now and we are not at our full strength we are no good to anyone. We need to get our energy back up before going in."


The swordsman words made sense, Ash nodded in agreement. Seeing as he and Ash were in front of the group they started to slow down.


"What's going on?"Revan shouted from behind them.


Ash returned a shout, "We're taking a break!"


"A break?!" The response Ash got was exactly his own first thought.


The group came to a halt at a hill. Kanda got off his horse and tied it to a nearby tree stump.


"Why would we stop now?!" One of the ponies spoke from Revan's machine.


"Because we need to regain our Energy. We don't know what's up ahead." The General replied as he sat down upon a fallen tree. The bark crumbled to the ground as the prime placed it weight upon it, just as most things in the moors, this piece of nature's gift has been dead for a while.


Chara did not agree one bit with the General's decision, "Who are you to decide whether we take a break or not? We should keep going!"


Kanda got fed up with her and snapped back, his voice stern and loud, "If you want to go in half assed and get killed then go ahead. I hope Omni sees the stupidity within this decision and leaves you in ashes. You have no idea what kind of creatures and primes are out there!" The exorcist outburst surprised the other primes, Revan decided to stay out of it. Ash walked up to get between the two but it was help from an unexpected corner that was the voice of reason. It was Celestia who calmed the discussion before it escalated, " stop your bickering, Kanda is right, if we go in without knowing what to expect we might all find ourselves in mortal danger. Let's be of use to this verse, the innocent people living here and defeat this threat together. " These with truth filled words silenced all primes gathered and allowed them to take a breather.


Ash sat down next to Kanda, "So what did you mean when you said we had no idea what kind of creatures and primes are out there?"


Kanda stared intensely in front of him, taking a few seconds before responding, " There are primes out there with powers you can't even imagine. The prime that killed me, known as harbringer, was a fusion between four primes. I've never seen anything like it. We gave it everything we had and more. But in the end we barely scratched it. My innocence powers allowed me to fuse with one of my allies, together we entered the angelic form, also gifted to me by my innocence cube. With all that strength we were able to keep up speed wise but the end result was the same. In the end darkness set in and my body grew cold. It was a nightmare, a dream where you keep running but never move an inch. If we are hunting an enemy that comes even remotely close to something like Harbringer we are screwed. That's why I want to give us every advantage I can think of, whether its a rest or a kick in the ass to wake up."


The group listened to the exorcist's story and realized they didn't know what kind of danger this Nebula was, nor how to fight it. The depressing thought started to sink in. But before things got worse Ash stepped in, "Lucky for us we have some experienced people here, together we will prevail." Celestia immediately jumped on the positive tone, "Darn right we will!"


Finally the primes started to act like a team, preparing themselves for the battle ahead. Though the Nebula had different plans. The earth below their feet started to shake, it started out slow at first but it got more intense. Attempting to keep their balance the primes got up and secured their horses. after mere seconds the shaking stopped. This earthquake was a clear warning, evil is here and it's not waiting any longer.


"Alright everyone, let's move out!" General Kanda shouted. It was time to see this thing through. The next chapter of this quest was about to be unfold.

1248 words
total words this round:1773

[Revan Noctis]

The decision to stop was probably for the best and Revan brought his machine to a halt as the wheels came to a stop. He decided to stay out of any disagreements that Yu Kanda and Chara were having though he did understand how each side felt and he hoped Yu Kanda could accept Clara's point of view. A chance to plan how to enter their upcoming situation was the best. It shocked him certainly to learn that some primes could even form together, he certainly didn't like the idea of sharing a body with anyone.

Suddenly an earthquake occurred, it proved to be a frightening experience for the horses but Revan himself had already battled so many horrific creatures he felt more numb to the shaking. He realized then his machine was perhaps too loud for the final approach upon Nebula's forces. He decided then that he would go the rest of the journey on foot, possibly taking his enemy by surprise. He decided he would share his intention with the others.

"I think it would be best if we approached more quietly and scouted the area out a bit before going in." Revan hoped his pony companions would agree with him but he was less sure what the others intended.

215 words

[Nebula]

Onward, the group of primes pressed, through the dreary, decrepit scenery of the pale moors. Their break had been for the better, a chance to rest and regroup and gather their senses and strength again. A violent tremor in the earth had spurred them onward again, and they carried on through the darkness and fog, toward the distant, ever-crawling pillar of smoke.

Eventually, they drew near enough to see its source. Perhaps it had once been a town, or village of some sort. A remnant of a time before Darkshire had become the last bastion of civilization in the moors. Here and there, buildings could be seen, patchwork and rough, crumbling in places, but still standing and strong. Around the whole of it, wooden palisades were built, rough and decaying wooden stakes, higher than a man is tall, lashed together with ugly, dripping purple vines. And everywhere, torches and fires burned in the settlement, giving off an eerie purple glow, and belching out thick, ghastly plumes of dark, black smoke.

All save for in the center, where a single structure stood. Pristine, white, untouched by the murk and decay of the moors around it. Some semblance of life grew up near it, a lawn of grass, gray and withering but desperately struggling toward life, ringed it for ten paces in all directions. Trees, with some small amount of leaves clinging to them, stood at either side of the massive double doors of the building. A courthouse, by the look of it. The doors stood wide open, with a heavy, lush purple carpet visible just inside in the edges of the torchlight, before all else was lost to shadow.

The radar of the group pointed right toward the structure. The massive house of law, standing immaculate and strong among the squalor and struggle around it, was the seat of Nebula's power in the moors. There was only one entrance to the town around it, on a roughly carved road through the muck, leading through an opening in the palisades. Patrolled and watched by several individuals, all of them with burning, red eyes. And within the settlement, countless dozens more, all of them hunched and shuffling around, weapons clutched in hand or lashed across their backs or at their belts, each one of them with the beady, burning red eyes of Nebula's soldiers and minions. None of them looked all that strong, but they were terribly numerous.

And now, my friends, it is time for a challenge.

Mission: Reach the Courthouse

There is only one route into the small town, guarded by a squad of eight guards. They are reasonably skilled, tough combatants, but nothing special aside from their cohesion as a fighting unit.

Within the town, there are sixty-seven additional pawns and minions of nebula. They all have weapons, and will try and fight to stop you, but they are not particularly strong. Aside from having the survival power and weighing down on you with sheer numbers, they won't pose much of a threat.

Infiltrate the town, or just carve a path through the defenders, and reach the courthouse. Don't expect it to be easy, as while the defenders are not terribly strong, they are entrenched and well-fortified, and know the backstreets and paths of their position very well. Expect ambushes and surprise attacks.

Everyone has one week and up to two posts, with 1500 words total between them, to overcome the challenge. Happy hunting.

[Revan Noctis]

Revan's black cloaked form lay in a prone position in the grass overlooking the Nebula base of operations doing his best to scout out the location that seemed to be full of fires and smoke and seemed to be giving off a strange purple light that made him feel uneasy.

The radar had lead them to a small entrenched position, seemingly a small town with a pristine large white building in the center that appeared to be doing well in contrast to how terrifying the rest of the town appeared. This place seemed to be the main meeting place for Nebula's forces though it had not at all been what he was expecting with the burning fires and crumbling buildings, still the red eyed guards confirmed what they had already suspected, this place was crawling with the forces of Nebula. Eight guards protected seemingly the only entrance through the fortifications as such they would need to be taken out first, they had the element of surprise he just hoped they didn't waste it.

"So we have a choice we engage them or we can try sneak around, though that may only waste time." Revan had seen wooden palisades like these before and knew they were not invulnerable.

Looking around at the odd team of primes that had been assembled he considered their possibilities before deciding upon a course of action he hoped they would all agree with. He knew this base was going to be full of troops and he had no intention of charging in unprepared so instead he decided they needed to split up but for a minute.

"If only we had another way through those palisades we would be able to hit them from multiple directions." Revan knew being forced into one entrance way could easily get them killed, plus it was a possibility that the enemy would hear them if they attempted to just charge the eight guards at the entrance.

"I could lead a few of us over the wall silently and engage the guards at the front from behind." Said Celestia surprising him.

"Then the rest of us will wait here, then we will engage from the front once you are in position." Revan knew they had only one chance to do this properly.

"Once we do this there is no turning back, we must get inside, once their forces come for us we're going to need to do everything we can to keep them separated so I am hoping you will all do what you do best." It was time to win a battle.

---

The objective was simple enough but completing it could end up proving to be the teams undoing. Never the less Revan sent out hand signals as everybody separated under the cloak of darkness. The smell of the fires burning were incredibly powerful as they got closer to the entrance. Revan in his black cloak was one of the best suited for the first approach as he found one of the guards patrolling the wall.

Revan Unsheathed his sword and waited a few moments as he looked around as his companions got closer doing their best to be sneaky. Quickly Revan leapt up at the Nebula soldier who held an axe in his right hand. Revan quickly slew the abomination as he sent his blade through the chest of the bipedal form as he held it easing it quietly to the ground.
He then moved on toward the next guards as he prepared to back his teammates up if something went wrong.

731 words

[Celestia]

The journey was restful enough.  In other circumstances, Celestia might have refused the offer of the vehicle.  And she had contemplated doing just that, but decided against it.  There would be plenty of time to make sacrifices later, for now it would be better to conserve her strength.  After some tense debate, the group was convinced of the logic of such an approach.  The group paused to rest, and then after a short pep talk and another earthquake, they were ready to move.

It proved far easier to agree on the need for reconnaissance, and the group slowed again shortly before reaching their destination to scout.  It would not be wise to rush in without knowing their enemy first.  While Celestia thought they would likely survive such an attempt, survival would not be enough.  They had a mission to complete, and as long as it was not finished the Omniverse was in a unique sort of danger, if Dr. Regal's claims were to be believed.

The group crept up to a nearby hill to get a look at what they were facing, Celestia with them.  Though perhaps not as suited for stealth, at this distance and with the ambient darkness of the Moors, Celestia would be able to use patience and attention to avoid being spotted.

The detectors had pointed the group to a small town, or what was at one time a small town.  The broken remains of what presumably used to be houses and shops littered the area, a few worn down to just a few bricks or an outline on the ground.  All the structures were in such a state of disrepair, save one: a conspicuously pristine courthouse situated in the middle of the town.  Whatever there was to be found here, it would be in that structure.

Of course, the structure was not undefended.  A crude wooden wall had been erected around the town, allowing easy access only from an opening to one side.  A group of creatures stood by this entrance keeping watch, vaguely resembling humans identifiable as being of Nebula by their misshapen forms and glowing eyes.  Many more populated the town behind them as well, although only the ones at the entrance looked particularly alert.

Attacking a fortification directly was always a difficult prospect, which is why Celestia proposed leading a group over the wall.  She herself could fly, and after the battle previously she knew at least one other member could make it as well.  This second group would attack the gate guards at the same time as the first, and in doing so gain a vital foothold into breaking through their lines.  No one objected.

---

Celestia stood at the base of the wall.  Their enemy had posted no sentries, indeed the wall's design didn't have space for them, which made reaching it without being noticed fairly straightforward.

This was the last chance to speak before the chaos of battle began, and Celestia took advantage of it.  “Remember, we're here to divide the enemy, we don't have to defeat them ourselves if no such opportunity presents itself.  Fight well, and let's all make it back in one piece.”  She kept it short, it wouldn't be long before the main group launched their own attack.

Without another word, Celestia spread her wings and launched into the air, although it was only a short flight.  She angled down and landed heavily on the opposite side, setting aside grace for speed.  After hesitating just a moment, confirming that her allies had made it over the wall as well which they had, she nodded in the direction of the gate a short ways away and started charging toward it.

The noise of Celestia's galloping proved irrelevant as the main group had already started their attack.  She was behind.  But it was no matter, the battle had just started, and she was no less dangerous from a distance.  The creatures at the gate were still trying to scramble into position when she lined up, and wordlessly fired off a ray of heat at the rearmost guard while it was still trying to raise its own weapon.

It went down with a screech, not expecting the attack from the side.  Celestia couldn't be sure if it was dead, but it would not recover she or more likely one of her companions could get to it.  The unsubtle nature of the attack worked toward Celestia's main goal as well, as the sudden light drew the attention away from the main thrust.  Still, Celestia would get at most one more easy opening, she she wasted no time firing again.

785 words, although some address the approach rather than the attack itself.

[Marisa Kirisame]

As the demon who comes when people calls it’s names looked at the rest she felt a sense of regret. If she didn’t have such painful memories of her past she could perhaps let Yu talk about it, but given how she caused so much pain. She wasn’t willing to give them the chance to threaten her people. She talked to herself quietly as she waited for the others to be ready to head out. “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice well who am i kidding there won’t be a second time.”


As she closed her eyes and let the voices in her head wash over her they started to get bitter. “You know the first step to change is knowing the problem . . . that's good you took the first step but can you continue walking? I think not.” her breath grew ragged as she talked to herself in a hushed voice. “I’ve changed.” She heard the voices grow louder and stronger. Stupid, demon, genocidal freak, megalomaniac they grew worse and louder still.


No one loves you or cares about you, not even your subjects. You are a mistake, a glitch and yet you still wonder how good it would feel to kill them all . . . to even free the lord of terror. Once again she spoke quietly in angst. “I . . . I have changed, If Tin-man thought i could change then why can’t I?” Because your sins will never make you any better. She opened her eyes and sighed. She felt that everyone was looking at her but that was not the case in reality.


She knew that if she saw Asriel she would run away from him. The pains of the past were still fresh. And her death still hurt, hours of pain to free the monsters from the underground all in vain because of humanity's fear of something better, stronger, and faster than them. She saw some tears drip down onto the ground. She whispered to herself. “You don’t know me, my life, for humanity defiles anything they touch."


When the earthquake happened, she jolted out of her thoughts and began to head with the others to the base of operations in the Pale Moors for Nebula’s forces. She got off her horse once the area came into view and saw that there were wooden spikes that were taller than most men with a single dirt road in and out of the fort. A few guards were stationed by the gate of sorts with glaring red eyes. She shuttered as she got off her horse and took the omnilium from it.


She moved on foot with the other people after talking about the battle plan with the others and waited for the sign to go. It did not take long as Revan moved towards the guards to strike


As she watched Revan attack the first guard she looked at the wooden spikes. Everything was a blur as she felt her body tear at the seams trying to end its corrupted life. She jumped after moving away from the wall a bit and ran to gain speed, and used the momentum to teleport above and over the spikes.


    She felt the ground under her feet and pulled her knife out of a sheath, and had the chef’s knife in a back stab position. “Forgive me if i go crazy from the love i gain.”


She rushed one of the guards catching him by surprise and cutting the jugular and stabbing the head for good measure. By the time she had taken out the first of her targets; a guard and a person had taken their place. They forced her back fighting in unison the guard swinging a axe much like the one Dogamy had, while the blacksmith by the look prepared to swing a crude sword to protect the other.


    She ducked under the axe as it would've sliced her head off and killed her. She ran forward changing the way she held the knife to a sword grip and swung at the axe wielding guard only to be repealed by the blade of the sword. “God damn it.”


The crude sword was swung and almost shattered when it hit the knife. The axe wielder laughed as he swung with vigor aiming at her leg. The thick iron blade hit the dirt as she dodged to the side quite clumsily and then began to stab over and over the guard to make sure they were dead.  She picked up the axe and tested its weight as she comically held the fire-axe after sheathing the knife. Sure the Axe was a unusual weapon for her due to not having any training with it but it would do for now.


She swung clumsily due to it being much heavier than her knife. Though she did get hit she returned the blows, till each person fell by her blade. And she carried her axe by dragging it on the ground much like a horror killer would. She broke off from the rest of the group to do her chaos to get the others a clear shot to the law house. She trudged past the ruined houses sighing as she would of wanted to keep these houses for her people but in this state it was not probable to be fixed.


She saw a couple of people living here rush her each with a pair of combat knives at the ready. She readied her axe to swing horizontally but dropped the axe when one of them slammed into her and crashed into a nearby building. “Ow, can you not?”


The demon bristled with anger at her ignorance. She cleanly pulled the knife out of the sheath and got up grinning with cruelty. “I’ll gut you both like fish now.”


She strided forward as one of the two civilians ran at her screaming a battle cry. The genocidal maniac pointed her knife stiffly, at the assailant causing it to turn bright red. She then “painted” several slashes in the air stopping at five and firing them at point blank range at the person. The other one crouched to the ground tense and ready to pounce at a moment's notice. “You don’t understand why we do what we do. We will liberate the Omniverse and free everyone.”


Chara sighed as she rubbed the wooden handle of her chef’s knife. She could wait for this crazed follower of Nebula to attack. She sat down and pulled out the chocolate bar eating it slowly. She knew that she would probably die as she mulled over her deaths and low points. It happened how many times now? There was Dante’s Abyss where she drowned not her greatest moment. There was Cyborg and Claptrap who beat her, also a low point in her career. Outside the omniverse there was her suicide (Quite painful) her second death because of humans.  And the things THEY did.


She got up and put the three fourths of a chocolate bar back in her bag and saw that she was surrounded by five new people. She tipped her head to the side as she talked bluntly. “I wonder if you six even bleed? I wonder if you have souls worthwhile?”


She threw the bag at one causing the one to drop their weapon grabbing the sack. She teleported right next to him and slashed her knife across the body diagonally for greatest damage.


The others rushed in though one might cut her or bludgeon her but she retaliated with greater vigor.  One by one each assailant fell to her knife though not without a price to pay. Her sanity is as unstable as it’s strained, her fight to stay sort of pacifistic was failing. She decided to head towards the courthouse.

Word count is 1,307 on word counter

[James Knight]

The bastards that had spread the dark chips had erected crude fortifications in the form of a wooden wall around the town. When Sombra noticed Celestia go up and blast at the individuals he had to admit he was a little impressed with her. She had maintained the power she needed, and honestly dealing with the enemies in that way was more satisfying than sneaking around. Sure they did need information but it was nothing they couldn't gain after the fact. It was for that reason, that Sombra had followed Celestia. Normally he would never follow the Princess of the Sun into a battle like this, but these were not the circumstances to which he was accustom. Lives were on the line including those of his future subjects when he managed to murder Omni and take over the Omniverse. Of course, he knew he couldn't do any such deed until he was superior to how he was right now. Right now his powers were limited, and he'd need to truly evolve to handle this madness. 

Becoming an Alicorn later might be a good idea, keyword: later.  Right now he had a task to focus on and that was helping Celestia with the mess she had found herself in. Summoning his scythe, he'd trot at a brisk pace towards the enemies. As she blasted them more and more, the dark king had to admit that he was impressed with Celestia. She was certainly a skilled combatant. Perhaps Omni had not weakened her as much as he had initially thought. With a grunt of effort Sombra swung his scythe with telekinesis at any enemy who tried to get close to Celestia, and said to her. "For the here and now, Celestia we are allies. We both have reasons that we don't want the Omniverse to fall." 

(309 words)

[Celestia]

The initial steps of the battle were going well, all things considered.  Any reservations Celestia might have had about how well a team with such differences from each other could coordinate proved unfounded, and the strategy worked.  The attack from the side had provided enough distraction and confusion, for the main group to savage the group.  Particularly that child prime...Celestia frowned as she watched Chara work.  Commitment to battle was one thing, bloodlust the likes of which was seen there was another.  It was something Celestia would like to discuss with her later, such an attitude presented many dangers.

Such a talk would have to wait however.  The group still had a battle to win and a threat to remove, which was made all the more apparent by the remaining Nebula in the former town, which had made up the bulk of their presence here no less, reacted to the commotion at the gate.  They lacked a leader, which showed in the haphazard way in which they took up their planned positions and formed battle groups.  They had more than enough numbers to make up for it however.

The primes could try to simply fight their way through, in an impressive test of strength in numbers versus the strength of individual skill.  However, it was a risk, and even winning that could easily come at a heavy cost.  No, there was time, resources and potentially even lives to be saved if one could break the formation.

“I'm going to try to draw them out,” Celestia announced to the team.  If they weren't prepared for it, they might think her next action was crazy, or worse fail to capitalize on it should it succeed.  She launched into the air once again, although this time instead of landing again she stayed airborne, flying briefly toward the enemy lines before banking and beginning a wide circle around.

Several of the Nebula noticed her approach, but too slowly, and too many were concerned with preparing with organizing their defense to respond just yet.  Celestia wouldn't have long to weigh her possible targets, so she simply chose the first group she saw that was fairly close together, which happened a number of them running down an alley.  They were aiming for the next street corner, so she did as well.  Still mid-flight, she charged up for a moment before releasing a flaming ball of rock toward the group, which arrived just as they were reaching their destination and exploded in their midst.

That got the creatures' attention.  They didn't quite give chase, several that were armed with ranged weapons took shots at her.  She banked to the side, but was only fast enough to avoid most of the projectiles.  She grit her teeth as a few impacted her side.  It was hardly crippling, but it was a painful reminder that she needed to be careful when playing the distraction.  She fell back, to give herself a moment to breath and find new targets of opportunity.

From there, she'd keep strafing their enemies as the need or opportunity arose, picking targets which would draw attention away from a beleaguered ally, or create opportunities for her team.

[Revan Noctis]

Revan sliced through the thorax of the final entrance guard, the creatures red eyes blazed furiously for a few moments before dimming as the body joined its fallen comrades slumped to the ground.
The town began to be further hazed by the fierce black smoke and almost enchanting purple glow that emanated from the buildings inside the town. Now faced with a large force of the corrupted warriors they needed to make their next action quickly or else they risked being overwhelmed by the large force that was now mobilising themselves in defensive formations. Revan chose then that using the palisades as cover even if for the moment was the best option as a number of arrows began to hit the ground near him telling him that the town was about to be transformed into a large combat zone.

"Take cover!" He yelled to the others not wanting them to be hit by the deadly missiles.

Many of their opponents had their own bows available to them as they fired his way though the vast majority stayed back prepared to use their own blades against them if they attempted to move toward the mysterious building that was so heavily defended. Revan summoned a fireball in his palm that warmed his hand before he threw it sending it into one of the dark soldiers engulfing him in flames. Revan hid himself behind cover for a moment more before again launching another fireball in the direction of his enemy. They could have stayed in this constant back and forth struggle for hours but Revan had no intention of waiting that long.

"Yu Kanda we must get in closer!" He yelled to his fellow swordsman before diving out of the wooden entrance toward some of the towns buildings that still stood enough to serve as new cover.

Revan found two of the red glowing eyed warriors in an alleyway waiting for him, he blocked a blow from one of his opponents before breaking the lock and sending the sword through the arm of his opponent leaving one of them disabled. His next strike quickly took the head off of another one of the attackers before he brought his blade down upon the other wounded target finishing off that one as well. 

As more of Nebula's troops made their way toward him he knew that this was going to be a fairly tough fight but he had no intention of failing to hold his ground. Quickly he found a group of the corrupted troops working to surround him, bringing his sword up ready to block he charged toward the group knowing that to be victorious they were going to now have to push themselves harder. Revan brought his sword down horizontally sending one of the group back before slashing vertically at yet another. He swung his sword around and stabbed it through the chest of another opponent before withdrawing it and positioning it to block the next coming blows, he hoped with his allies assistance this battle would be victorious.

591 words

[Yu Kanda]

What a mess, this plan was a total mess. This was no way the best way to get through this madness. Kanda's thoughts about the assault was clear, an amateuristic attempt at a small war. At first he was to slip the wall and start peeling off guards one pack at a time, but everything went to shit faster than even he imagined. Their pony ally was flying through the air getting attention of every single unit out there. The frontal attack was sloppy and barely a success, granted Revan hold his own against these strong fighters but this was nothing compared to what was still to come. Masses of underlings gathered and prepared their counterattack, they were well organized and armed to the teeth. Kanda could no longer sit idly by.


Ash found his way to the exorcist, his weapon covered in blood and already exhausted by battle, "What are you doing? We need to help the others!"


Kanda sighed and with an annoyed tone to his voice he replied, "It was a shit plan to start with, who's bright idea was it to call upon the wrath of the entire military of this place? They better get their shit together or ill leave them behind and deal with it myself!" Ash noticed how Kanda's eyes and the vibe he gave out changed. The exorcist's pupil split into three different dots. He unsheathed Mugen and immediately activated his double illusion blade."Let the innocence within me guide me through this battle." Ash took a step back and observed what was happening. From within the shadows the sword wielding bringer of death emerged. Like a dancer on stage he stepped through the battlefield, gracefully guiding his deadly weapons through their victims with grace and murderous precision they fell one by one to the divine swords. His speed and power both increased after allowing the innocence to run its course through his body. Blood colored his uniform and skin dark red, before all too long he was barely recognizable, his hair started to stick together, his uniform started to shred and tear by the desperate attacks of the troops loyal to Nebula. None of them were skilled or fast enough to keep up with the warrior of God. It was their sheer overwhelming numbers that allowed them to scratch or even hurt him.

During their battle Kanda noticed Revan near the gate shouting at him, more of the troops gathered at him and provided an actual threat. This was the moment they had to work as a team if they had any hope of getting passed these creatures. A large crowd surrounded the prime at the gate and closed in on him, for a moment it looked like a dark moment until the loud noise of Ash's chainsaw roared over the battlefield, violently cutting a soldier in half. Another one of the warriors found his end by a katana being pierced through his chest, Kanda joined in near the gate. It wasn't long before Chara and Celestia joined the group. After disposing of the remaining guard that were surrounding Revan, all primes gathered for one final brawl. Each taking their own iconic fighting stance before charging in another massive wave of enemy forces.

Words:554
Used Transformation Triple Illusion stats:
ATK: 5
DEF: 1
SPD: 6
TEC: 5