Continuum Aegis OCT

[SuperCommando]

“What would you do if you could control time and space?”

SPOILER: Click to show

^ OPTIONAL BACKGROUND MUSIC


You couldn’t help it. All it took was one look at the simple yet elegant medallion and you just… knew. You could sense that it didn’t belong. But even so, it possessed a certain indescribable allure, almost as if it had been waiting for you and you alone. What you didn’t know, what you couldn’t have known, was that it would react so violently.

At your touch, the mysterious object began to vibrate and shake, levitating into the air in front of your very eyes. The white crystal orb in the center sparkled and glowed. The medallion encircling the orb began to spin around it erratically like a gyroscope, rotating and even abruptly changing directions. The whole time, the orb in the center shone brighter, and brighter, and brighter.

Then the very ground began to tremble. The sky began to darken. Objects in the vicinity began to rise up and float in mid-air, including yourself. All the while you could feel an electrifying rush of energy coursing through you.

In a dazzling flash, the orb shot out a multitude of intense beams of light in all directions that danced wildly over the surroundings. Everything the beams passed across was cut as if by a laser – the ground, surrounding objects, the sky, all of it. All around you, reality was being sliced to pieces. And as these pieces drifted apart like parts of a jigsaw puzzle, all that remained was the vast cosmos.

The medallion continued to shine like a beacon in the distance. And then, there was one final burst of light that exploded outward, rippling through space with such force you were sent hurling with the blast at mind-blowing speed. As if trapped in a raging river of rainbow colors, all you could do was tumble dizzyingly for what felt like an eternity, but also mere moments...

Welcome to Continuum Aegis, an Original Character Tournament where your character building skills and creative writing abilities are put to the test in an exciting new Yappa’s community event! Part PvP tournament, part writing contest, part RP, this unique experience is not something you want to miss!

The main focus of this contest is character building. As an RP website, this is an important skill to develop not only for RPing, but also writing in general. If you like making characters, if you’re interested in flexing your imaginative skills, or if you’re looking for an excellent creative writing exercise, look no further!

This is the official thread where the main rules and tournament posts will go. So unless you’re a contestant or judge making a post for the contest, please do not post in this thread. (Invalid posts will be deleted). For additional information as well as OOC discussion or questions, please use the other thread here…

yappashalorpg.proboards.com/thread/11144/original-character-tournament-ooc

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The basic process for how this contest will work is as follows:

- First you will design an original character.

- Once all characters are approved, a preliminary “intro” round will take place.

- Then the actual tournament starts. You will be assigned an opponent’s character, and you will proceed to write a “fight scene” involving those characters against each other.

- Your opponent will also write their own version of the confrontation.

- After that, our judges will pick which post was better, and whoever wins gets to continue on in the tournament and receive a new opponent.


That’s it in a nutshell. It’s a fairly simple concept, but of course there are a few more details than that.

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The World of Continuum Aegis

In the story behind this tournament, everyone’s character occupies a separate dimension – their own version of reality, with their own universe’s timeline and history. That all changes once they come across a certain strange object.

This object is a golden medallion about three and a half inches wide, shaped like two crossed infinity symbols surrounded by a ring of glass-like crystal. There is a hole in the center of the medallion, inside which is a pure white orb. It isn’t actually connected to anything, but no force can remove the orb from the surrounding medallion. The medallion is also completely invulnerable to all damage and remains sparkling clean no matter what happens to it.

This mysterious object, as your characters will learn, is called a Continuum Aegis. And it has transported you all to a space between spaces, an interdimensional nexus for unknown reasons. Something will soon be made clear, however…

Every Aegis must be reunited under one owner.

And if you do not have a Continuum Aegis in your possession in this strange world, you will cease to exist.

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Character Creation

To participate in the OCT, you first need to make an original character. The key word here being original. Again, the point of this contest is to practice character development, and that starts with using your own creativity to come up with something brand new. This means you cannot use any fictional character, such as Master Chief or Darth Vader. It also means you cannot use your RP characters, since they are part of the Halo universe. Use your imagination and make something new and unique.

What kind of character you create is entirely up to you. It can be anything. A normal human high school student, an android bounty hunter, a talking cat with necromancy powers, it’s all fair game. They can have whatever kind of special powers or skills or equipment you want too. And most importantly, give them their own personality and behaviors, because that’s what the judges will be looking for the most.

In order to enter a character for the tournament, write up a profile for them that includes everything needed to understand who they are. Be as detailed as you can. I’m not going to give you a template for you to fill out, you need to organize it yourself.

Pro Tip: Details about a character's personality is more valuable than their biography. Some backstory is nice, but don't spend most of your time and effort dragging out their life history. It's more important to understand how they act.

Also while creating your character, keep this question in mind… “What would you do if you could control time and space?” Maybe your character has something in their past they wish to change, or a dream that could be accomplished with that kind of knowledge or power. Be sure to include this in your profile.

DO NOT include an image of any kind in your profile. Grabbing something off of Google Images and saying "I'm this person" is NOT original. If your character is inspired by something, keep it to yourself. (The exception to this rule would be if you create some original artwork yourself).

DO NOT include an “RP sample” kind of section in your profile. The profile should contain info only. A demonstration of what your character is like will be provided in your intro post.

Once you write up your character’s profile please PM it to me, SuperCommando, so I can check to make sure nothing is overpowered or if something just won’t work. I’ll also be more than happy to help work with you to design your character if you have questions or if you’re not confident in your character building skills.

Finally, people can create up to two separate characters to use in the tournament if you want. It’ll be a little more work, but it’ll also give you better odds as well as extra practice.

After I approve your character(s), you have only one more thing to do before you compete, and that is to write an “intro post” describing how your character discovered their Continuum Aegis. You can think of this like an RP sample, and it is designed to show the other contestants what your character is like in context.

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Character Battles!

This is the bulk of the contest, where your place in the tournament is decided by your ability to get inside characters’ heads and write creative scenarios about them. That is what this whole event is all about. However, the process for determining a winner is a little different than anything done on this site before, so allow me to explain.


Terminology to keep in mind:
Contestant: a member of this site competing in the Continuum Aegis OCT.
Original Character (aka OC or just character): the persona created and played by the contestant during the tournament.


When the event gets underway after the intro posts, all the approved characters will be randomly assigned to tournament brackets. For each round, you must check to see which character yours is up against and carefully read their profile. It is extremely important to know all about your opponent character because you will have to write about them too, not just your own OC.

You see, this is not the kind of tournament where you PvP against the other player by exchanging posts like you’re actually fighting. Instead, you and your opponent have a writing contest. Both contestants must write a “fight scene” between the two characters, and the winner is whoever wrote the best story.


“Fight Scene” Details:
So far I’ve mentioned several times that the characters in your posts for each round must be featured in a fight scene, but that’s just for lack of a better term. Your story doesn’t actually have to involve much combat or even fighting at all if you really don’t want to (or if you can find a creative way around it).

All your post for each round must include is your character receiving your opponent’s Continuum Aegis in some way.

Your post can be as long and detailed or as short as you want, just remember two things. One, the judges will pick the better story so you’ll want to put some effort into your work. Two, they will decide which story is better by looking for which one was more interesting/creative, and most importantly which contestant did a better job writing BOTH characters. It’s one thing to get inside the head of a character you created, but part of good character building is how well you can work with one that you didn’t make yourself.


Tips for your posts:
Be creative! You can acquire your opponent’s Continuum Aegis in lots of different ways. You can take it from them after an epic battle, and depending on the characters involved you may kill the enemy or let them live, or the defeated character might offer their Aegis willingly. You might steal it from the opponent without them knowing. Maybe they just talk for a while and they’re so moved by your cause that they simply offer to let you have it as a gift or something. It’s all up to you. Just make sure you stay true to each character’s, well, character. In other words, you won’t win over the judges by making your opponent act against their nature.

And one last thing… if you win your round, your story will become the “true” version of events and will be added to the canon of the tournament’s overarching plot. If you lose, the events in your story will be like it never happened.

After the final round, the tournament grand champion is the last contestant standing. So good luck all!

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Other Rules

- (Contestants) In your intro post, please include a spoiler box at the top of your post containing your approved profile.

- The tournament shall begin when everyone who declared interest in participation completes their profile.

- If you make more than one character for the tournament, please post for each character separately. (Including separate PMs for each profile approval). You have permission to double-post in this thread.

- Once the tournament starts, the deadline for each round shall be 10 days. Rounds may end early if every contestant finishes their posts before that time is up.

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JUDGES:
SuperCommando
Llau
Faclan


CONTESTANTS:
MrKill
Spartan 999
Samuel Murray
@tracker
Guardian Cat of Yappa's
Remnant
BasedGoody
BetaWülf
Huka

[Spartan 999]

SPOILER: Click to show

Name: Random
Gender: Male
Height: 6'
Weight: Unknown (Possibly varies)
Appearance: At first, Random looks like a normal human with a lithe build, light brown skin tone, and short salt-and-pepper hair. However, his eyes are what mark him as very, very different. To explain, his entire eyeball is dark blue, almost black, and has what looks like stars or snow falling in his eyes. Whether not the bright little spots of (occasionally colored) light fall back into his skull, down towards his chin, up, to the side, or even just chaotically dancing in all directions depends on your point of view coupled with Random's mood. Even still, one can never be sure where or what he's exactly looking at--that is, assuming they're not compound eyes that can take everything in anyway.

He wears sleek sunglasses that more than adequately concealed his eyes (so he doesn't freak people out, you know?), and his attire is simple. Interestingly, despite being modeled after peasant clothing, they are made from fine, high-quality materials. He has a brown coat/jacket (that has lots of pockets) over a maroon shirt, which is tucked into a pair of navy-blue trousers secured by a black leather belt with an electrum buckle.


Equipment: Random doesn't carry any weapons or noteworthy items with him, instead relying on his unique powers to take enemies down. Then again, he often likes to pull a Jackie Chan and use improvised weapons in a deliberate shout-out to the martial artist's fighting style.


Powers and Abilities: Random's main ability is...unique, to say the least. To summarize it (which doesn't really do it justice), he is so dexterous, precise, and nimble that he can achieve truly ridiculous feats by, as he says, “Dodging the laws of physics and such”. Think Legolas' feats taken up to 11,000.

At the low, simple end of things, he's able to do things like: flip out a pair of glasses and don them with one hand without poking himself in the eye; throw a flashdrive into a USB port so it slides in perfectly on the first try; drive above 100 mph and then drift into a tight parking spot (Like a GLOVE) while using his feet to steer and his hands to push the pedals; hurling an object just right so it curves over and around an obstruction to hit a sprinting person in the face while wearing a blindfold; balancing on the end of a thin treebranch without it bending; find the precise spot on an enemy's body and hit it just right in order to cripple them for life or even kill them (think shatterpoint); and so on.

At the higher, downright scary end of the spectrum, he can do things like: running up a waterfall; slowly cartwheeling up and down the side of a building; dodging a point-blank nuclear blast; balancing or running on air; become invisible by dodging light photons (don't ask how that works); dodge through dimensions to essentially quick-teleport or flashstep some distance away (don't ask how that works either); diving through a keyhole without any adverse effects (nor this); healing himself by dodging the wound (or this); restitching/repairing damaged clothing and items by pushing them together “just right” (uh-uh); creating a sort of clone/mirror image that can move and eventually dissipates (nnnope); riding on a cannonball (wait, that was Baron Munchhausen); dodge sound and smell to move silently (hold on); and one of his personal favorites, playing hopscotch across a solar system from planet to planet while dodging the effects of hard vacuum (srsly, the hell); and so on.

While he might have (slightly) exaggerated some of the more ridiculous feats, he is still capable of “dodging” well enough to be a serious threat to anyone he comes across. His “dodging” sort of borders on reality warping at times (or a lot of the time), though the methods are quite a bit different, and some of what he can do might be contributed to him somehow moving through time (most prominent example is probably being able to heal injuries).

That being said, he also has a few extra abilities that supplement his main one. In short, he has superhuman strength, durability, practically-endless endurance, and his reflexes are off the chart; and while he can't run as fast as, say the Flash, his reflexes and speed are definitely high enough to qualify him as a speedster.


Personality and Tactics: As befits his name, Random is a whimsical trickster type, chaotic in nature with a joke or quip always at the ready. At times he just won't shut up unless he's deliberately attempting to be stealthy, and is quirky in a manner reminiscent of the Eleventh Doctor and Deadpool. He's not malicious, and when he's not poking fun at his foe, making a non-sequitur, or rambling on about aglets or space peanuts, he occasionally throws in an apology every now and then; he's actually a decently nice guy, albeit talkative to annoying levels. He never gets angry when even the worst insults are thrown his way, never shows a hint of discomfort or pain aside from a sardonic “Ow!” after being stabbed or the like, and always has a playful grin or smirk on his face.

When fighting an enemy, he prefers to go with his instincts or what seems the funniest course of action at the time. He dislikes planning or strategizing too terribly much, which can work both in his favor and against him, depending on the situation. That being said, he can and often does do things so unexpected it can throw off even the best tacticians. He doesn't like meeting his enemies head-on, instead relying on using their attacks against them, using the environment to his advantage, and avoiding opponents until he can hit a weak point. Even then, if he has an opponent completely at his mercy, Random never goes for the kill, only to disable and render inoperative, helpless, and/or unconscious. Which is actually quite fortunate, because if he actually wanted to pull his mind together to focus entirely on a fight and use his abilities lethally, Random would be virtually unstoppable to any conventional methods of beating him.


Motivation: In response to the question “What would you do if you could control space and time?”, here is his answer in his own words: “Now, assuming that whatever allows me to control space and time is some sort of object, I would return home and--well, I'd go back anyway, but whatever--and then I would bathe it in the seas of Chaos and merge it with myself. Well, if the power became part of me, I'd bathe in Chaos anyway, but I digress. The power, my powers, would grow exponentially. After that, there is nothing I could not do. I could explore the cosmos, learning what it is to be...something. A cook, farmer, writer, general, scientist... I could learn it all. But there are also creatures out there I cannot face alone, that no one can face alone, that no one should ever have to even hear about. There are plenty of good people who should be alive that I would be able to save, good friends lost to cruel universes. I might even become a real-life Doctor Who (yes I know that's not actually his name, shut up). Plus, playing hopscotch across the multiverse while time traveling? Awesome as all hell.”


Brief History: Random is more than happy to make up a ridiculous fake backstory on the spot when/if asked, and often throws in bizarre and highly unlikely (then again, considering his abilities...) tales he either saw or took part in. He also has no problem with contradicting himself in his stories, and if questioned, insists almost everything in them is true. Thing is, he probably is telling the truth most of the time, at least from a certain point of view if you turn your head and squint while submerging your head in a tank of syrup that's on fire.

The ground rumbled and shattered, a testament to the raw power the two combatants possessed. They charged at one another again and slammed into the other. The force sent dirt flying in all directions, and one roared from the effort as he was rapidly pushed back, feet digging deep into the ground. After a second, the one being pushed was hurled back quite a distance.

Curiously, apart from a few other onlookers, there was one who stood apart from the rest. He was located atop a plateau overlooking the battleground, lounging on a lawnchair perched on the very edge of the cliff. A beach umbrella shielded his body from the sun's rays, and he had a bucket of what could be called popcorn in his grasp. His sunglasses more than adequately protected his eyes from the midday sun, but that wasn't the point; he was there for one reason: to watch the fight between the strongest man in the world who was as powerful as he needed to be, and the man who was unstoppable and immovable if he so wished.

Needless to say, it was a rather...interesting fight. However, the spectator who called himself Random would have bet the life of his newborn kitten on the Paragon of might to win. Random himself was similar to him, after all, just with a different focus and far superior abilities at the moment, though the latter was just because he'd had far more practice to hone said abilities.

He chuckled when the Paragon briefly succeeded in actually slowing his implacable opponent down, but froze suddenly.

What...was that taste? Random stuck his tongue out, brow scrunched in concentration, as he tried to discern the alien taste in the air. Something weird and totally unfamiliar was happening (which was saying something, considering the place he called home), and he wasn't quite sure how to take it.

Did the origin have some sort of ill intent, or was it just so foreign to his senses that it naturally stuck out? Also, where in the hell was it?!

Random stood and tossed the popcorn bucket away, though it landed perfectly on the ground without spilling a single piece of the popcorn inside. He started to move away, pausing momentarily when he heard the sounds of the ongoing fight. He really wanted to stay and watch it play out, but he also really wanted to investigate the new thing, whatever it was. The man heaved a dramatic sigh before sidestepping into another dimension.

The emanations from the object or being were magnified in this parallel, overlapping plane, which allowed him to better follow its trail. He slipped through the seams of reality one layer at a time in pursuit, his mind focused entirely on navigating closer to it. The object seemed to be moving, and fast, but he was faster.

Finally, he emerged into what could be likened to an ocean current, sweeping everything along in one direction that was simultaneously all directions. Dimensional physics were weird like that.

As Random drifted along, he turned and squawked when something hard and metal slammed into his face. He flung his hand out to grab it, and that was the interesting thing: he hadn't really consciously tried to do so, and he felt a sort of compulsion to take it anyway. When he looked at his prize, he saw that it was a medallion with an unfamiliar sigil emblazoned on it.

And that was when everything got even weirder, and what happened next would be burned into Random's memory forever.

First, he realized he couldn't let go of the medallion, no matter how hard he tried, not even when he tried shifting it or himself into another plane. It just wouldn't go! Then it started to vibrate, the white crystal at the center glowing brightly. He figured it wasn't meant to have been grabbed, as the medallion started to rotate around the crystal like a gyroscope, making Random spin around along with it in comical fashion.

“THIS! IS! VERY! NOT! GOOD! FOR! ME!” The Paragon shouted to himself.

An all-pervasive noise seemed to drown out the noise from most everything else around, but it wasn't really a buzz, hum, thrum, tinkle, ring, whine, growl, shriek, scream, howl, meow, or anything else like that. It was both the purest noise he had ever heard and the most discordant, the most pleasant and the most intense.

I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up in a tsundere relationship with that damn, sweet noise. Random thought to himself in one corner of his mind that he didn't need his inside voice to “hear”. Oh crap, it's actually starting to happen! Quick, think about something other than that noise, just ignore it and think about kittens! Kittens, with soft fur and fluffy bellies and bloody sharp claws that can tear one's flesh to ribbons, just like how this song is. DAMN.

The gem's fractals caused the light coming from it to shoot several thin beams out, sort of like sunlight through cracks in the wall, though how he was able to see said light beams carve through space like it was butter was a mystery, given the crystal was glowing brighter than a supernova. And no, that wasn't an exaggeration--Random had once experienced the full fury and majesty of a supernova, called it pretty, and decided to surf its shockwave across the galaxy.

However, this was much different, and much more terrifying.

Eventually, once reality had been cut to ribbons enough to the medallion's satisfaction, it flew off in an unknown direction, towing Random along behind it.

“Also not very good for me!” Random's eyes were wide as he was dragged across planes, past dimensions, and through multiverses.

He was going far, farther than he had ever gone before. The things he glimpsed on the other side of the barely transparent partitions separating the various layers of reality sent bone-chilling shivers down his spine.

The journey came to an abrupt end after seeming to go on long enough for Random to become a wizened old man. He went tumbling to the ground, and upon regaining full use of his senses and motor control, checked to make sure he hadn't aged. Fortunately, he hadn't...but then again, if something could warp space like that medallion could, it was probably capable of manipulating time as well.

Random pushed himself up and looked down at the medallion, which was now lying still on the ground.

“You done?” he asked the medallion. It didn't answer. “Good.” He looked up to take in his surroundings. “Now...what is this place you brought me to?”

[BetaWülf]

SPOILER: Click to show

Continuum Aegis Character.

Species: Gohl-hon

Name: Dur-Shon, the Emperor.
Age: 167.

Height: 8' 9".
Weight: 856lbs.
Tail Length: 8'.



Appearance: Dur-Shon is on the larger side of the Gohl-hon, a pure blooded Emperor of the first Dynasty. His scales are forest green in color, while his scutes are a rich emerald green. His eyes are orange with slit pupils(the pupils are rimmed with red, while the outer edge of the iris is rimmed in gold.) He wears thick steel-like armor on his entire body save for the head. The armor on his hands possess a trio of forward facing blades.

Personality: Dur-Shon is a Fierce Warrior, strong-willed and Noble. He places the well being of the citizens of the Empire above all else, and is generous to them and considerate of their hardships and needs. He is not prone to amusement or outwardly recognizable displays of emotion, and even if he were to do so, the intense subtly of it compared to the more recognizable expressions of other species would render it ineffective anyway.

He is aggressive and extremely proud, and a zealous worshiper of the Stars(which are worshiped by the majority of the Gohl-hon). While he is aggressive, he is also kind. He devotes a fair amount of his time to the children of his species, visiting schools and orphanages frequently to check the well being of the youthful populace, reading ancient Sagas to entertain them during his visitations.

Background: Dur-Shon is the Seventh pure blooded Emperor of the First Dynasty. He was brought into being when second descendant Emperor of the Sixth Pure Blooded Emperor died in battle against a Rebel faction. Since the Second of the Sixth had no descendants of his own, it was declared a Seventh Pure Blooded Emperor was needed. The brightest and best of the Gohl-hon scientists were given access to the preserved remains of the First Emperor, and from a sliver of his heart they cloned Dur-Shon.

From the time he could live outside of an incubation chamber, Dur-Shon was trained to lead the civilian and military of the Gohl-hon. He was familiarized with every blade and projectile weapon currently in service, advised and coach by the trio of Generals whom made up his Military Council. When not training for future Military engagements he was being taught how to run a society spanning a whole Solar System and then some. By the age of sixteen he was actively fighting in the name of the Empire, quelling three rebellions by the age of forty.

He was praised as a Godsend by his people, as the Empire had fallen into anarchy during the reign of the Second of the Sixth. He has ruled unchallenged, nobly and proudly, with a decorated Military career at his back and plans for peace and Imperial expansion in the future.

SPOILER: Click to show

Loadout:
-Hard Light Scimitar
-Air Compression Scatter Gun: It has four small tanks on the body of the weapon, each shot fired is taken from a different tank to prevent the weapon from losing significant pressurization. There is an air compressor built into the stock of the weapon. The barrel is pretty much a pipe that you shovel whatever you have available into, as it can fire things like metal pellets, broken glass, rocks and so forth with deadly force. It has a large bayonet on the underside of the barrel, designed for both slashing and stabbing.
-4x Metal throwing knives
-Elongated octagonal armshield(Oakenshield style ftw.)
-Full set steel-like body armor over a triple layered body suit(innermost layer is thermal to retain heat, middle layer is a shock absorbing gelatine compound, and outermost layer is a kevlar-like material.)

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Biological Abilities.


Ocular Abilities.
Keen vision: Their large eyes far exceed the capabilities of any human, nearly comparable to those of a bird of prey. This allows them to see in detail over great distances, zooming in like binoculars.

Night Vision: Their eyes also allow them to see in the dark, an adaptation developed from living in the craggy depths of the deserts during the hottest part of the day, and the cold nights as well(as the underground retains heat during the night.)

First, Second, and Third eyelids: Their first eyelid is simply like those of a Human(though more resilient due to the scales), a pair of fleshy eye covers.

The second eyelid is a clear membrane that slides over the eye itself(from underneath the First eyelid), a protective layer used underwater or in arid environments to prevent ocular dehydration.

The third eyelid is the most complex, and slides over the eye as well(it is thinner and can slide
under the second eyelid.) It works in conjunction with the Pit Organs of the snout that allow the detection of body heat through the air(they must move their head from side to side for it to work), the third eyelid paints the picture visually for them, but requires either themselves or their prey to be in motion for it to work.

Olfactory&Facial Abilities.
Pit Organs: The Pit Organs reside in the snout and are essential to heat detection, they detect the discrepancies in the ambient temperature within a fifty-foot radius of the individual. This also allows them to detect someone behind them so long as they are in movement and not behind thick cover.

Tongue&Scenting: The tongue is incredibly important to the sense of smell, it flicks out and scent particles cling to it, the tongue is then retracted into the mouth and inserted into the nasal cavity where the primary Olfactory Organ is. This sense of smell is keen, comparable to that of a hound dog.

Dermal Features.
Scales: The entirety of the body is covered in small, hard scales. They are resilient to physical trauma such as blunt force and piercing trauma, though not immune either. They posses spike-like scales that resemble a beard around their cheekbones, brows, and lower jaw. They also posses these on the backs of their fingers, though these ones are better rooted in place.

Scutes: A heavy body armor made from bone and covered with a scale-like material. They cover the top of the snout and head, running down the neck, back and top of the tail; along with the tops of the arms and legs.

Spines: An uninterrupted row of Iguana-like spikes run from the top of the head, neck, back and down the middle of the tail. They grow out of the Scutes and help accumulate body heat, and are easily trimmed down.

Teeth&Claws.
Mouth: The bite force of a Gohl-hon is three hundred pounds of pressure per square inch. They posses a great many teeth, designed for the biting and tearing of meat. They also have tooth-like ridges in both the upper and lower jaw that in the back of the mouth(the equivalent area of a Humans molars, for tearing plant matter.)

Hands&Feet: The hands and feet of a Gohl-hon posses large, sharp, and lethal raptor-like claws, used both offensively and defensively.

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Dietary Requirements&Restrictions.
Dairy: Gohl-hon not only are incapable of processing dairy products, but find them disgusting and some even refer to them as unholy.



Meat: One of the staples of the Gohl-hon diet is meat, both raw and cooked. The consumption of living insects, fish and other small animals is common, though only as snack foods. A proper meal of meat is already dead and from a larger animal, preferably cooked(though if someone is tired and rather not bother they will eat it raw.)

Longevity: The oldest recorded individual lived for 372 Earth years. Most only last to be around 300 Earth years in age(give or take, but usually more on the side of give.) One century old is considered middle-aged. Forty years of age is considered responsible enough to do things such as use controlled substances and procreate, though individuals can join the military at ages as young as sixteen as they have developed well enough physically by this point.

Size Averages.
Average Male Dimensions: Height 6'5"(extremely short) to 8'9"(tall.) Weight 214 lbs to 857 lbs.
Tail Length 6' 4"(extremely short) to 9'(tall.)
Average Female Dimensions: Height 6'4(extremely short) to 8'7"(tall.) Weight 214 lbs to 850 lbs.
Tail Length 6'(extremely short) to 9'(tall.)

Dur-Shon could not resist it. He merely had to look once upon the beautiful pendant to know. It was not meant to be here. I should not have been there. Where did it come from? Why was it on the balcony of his palace? Regardless, there was a pull from it. Not a physical force dragging him towards it, but an increasing desire to posses it. It was so beautiful, so perfectly made. How incredible it would look upon the Emperor... surely only he was worthy of wearing it?

He was so enthralled with the thought of possessing the medallion that he could not have even thought about any consequences of taking it. His finger had barely touched the glorious thing when it began to shake and slowly rise into the air before his very eyes. The brilliant white orb in the center of the medallion shimmered with a resplendent luminescence, Dur-Shon’s eyes glimmered not only in reflection to the light but also in delight.

The pendant surrounding the orb began to spin independently, going in so many directions it was hard to discern any sort of pattern to its movements. The orb itself just continued to brighten, the greater it shown, the greater Dur-Shon desired it....

Suddenly the ground began to tremble and quake. The very sky began to darken as if a great thunderstorm loomed threateningly overhead. Planters and statues began to levitate, and with a surprised his, so did Dur-Shon. In a brilliant flare of light, the orb emitted a great many beams of light. The streams of light were like the pendant, moving all about with no apparent rhyme or reason, but there was a difference. Anything the beams touched was sliced perfectly, nothing was safe from them.

The balcony, the palace, the very sky was cut into pieces! Dur-Shon watched as he was left floating in the beauty of space with nothing, save for the medallion that brought this religious experience to him, as he floated among the very God Stars of his people.

The medallion continued to shine on, beckoning to him distantly. Then without warning an apparent final explosion of light issued forth from the pendant, rippling fiercely in all directions as if it was collapsing sea stack in a sea of stars. Dur-Shon was sent flying by the force as a speed so great he was certain no ship could match it, a veritable rainbow of colors surrounded and enchanted him. It felt both like a lifetime and mere seconds went by all at once, and for the first time in his life, the Emperor cried. Tears of utter completeness and divine purpose poured from his eyes....

[Huka]

SPOILER: Click to show

Name: Khiron
Race: Saggitarius
Occupation: Bowmaster of the 9th Ring and Watchlord of the South Fringe
Homeworld: Ti of the Antares System
Physical Age (Calculated Solar Years): 63
Height: 7’ on all four hindlegs, circa 9’2" on rear-legs
Weight: 1055 lbs by Terran Standards

Appearance:
Khiron is a fine representative of his species’ stallions, both by appearance and personality; an war-scarred raptor that bridges the familiarity of both reptile and avian origins-with more of the latter in outer appearance-bearing a strong martial trained humanoid torso and lower legs of an alien equine, covered in metallic-like scales and leathery skin with pelts of environment-adapting feathers cresting his hawk-like head and broad shoulders.

Where his hands end in claws with three dexterous middle fingers and a pair of thumbs on either side of the palm, the Bowmaster powerful lower legs end with flexible bone-crushing talons that curl into sturdy hoof-like footing for long journeys and social politeness. Depending on the gravity, he can stand on his rear-leg and reveal that his front legs are capable of being pseudo-arms. The power and digitigraded structure of the rears can handle Khiron’s weight and bodily structure. To keep that important balance is a long-docked tail ending with wire-like fur adapt that same metallic-like sheen as the rest of its body.

The Saggitarius beaked face possess two sets of evolved eyes: one large reptilian pair on the near sides of his head for a wide awareness of his surroundings and better visual colors while two smaller dense-lidded front pair sit just over the nostril slits are more keen to distance, products of starting as prey animals before evolving into apex predators on their deadly planet. Where there are small nostril slits as previous mentions, the rows of plates running the bridge of his beak are also stronger nostrils to inhale during the homeworld’s harsh storms, breathing practically upwind while his smaller pair has a somewhat smaller range downwind. When unneeded, the upwind filters close shut.

---

Commonly, Khiron wears a skin-tight yet flexible environmental suit underneath a connecting harness of sea-green reconnaissance armor that gives adequate protection to ballistics and energy attacks but excels more in physical-enhancing mobility and stealth. On the back of his harness is an armored ‘hump’ that hold space-efficient energy core that provide the power of his harness’s scout shields, filter, and stealth system, as well as possess compartments to hold his foldable composite Ti’an bow and personal scutum-blades. His helmet is retractable; from resting in his ‘hump’ to a full facial plating with long slit-visors optimized for both eye-sets with heads-up display, bio-scanner, hardened communications and a half-week’s regulated oxygen before forced to filter the alien atmosphere. With his rank of bowsmaster, the Saggitarius veteran’s crest is seen as a deep blue bow pointing three arrow-heads skyward and herdic markings on his helmet.

On his lower body’s midleg satchel is a standard Fringe Ranger’s medical and survival kit for Saggitarii anatomy, included with a week’s supply of rations and replacement parts for his armor. Attached to it is a twin-holster for dual curved handgripped ballistic pistols in the rare case of energy deflecting technologies. His lower body-plating has built-in repulsors to help lessen his mass on most weaker perches or in danger of falling great heights that his limbs can absorb. His feet are armored similarly to his hands under sleek-and comfortably padded-metaled plates ending with vibro-capable talons for climbing, trekking and last resort combat situations.

Personality:
Khiron is a being heralded by a culture of hunters and curious explorers bond by a code of honor, discipline and benevolence that pushed back the dark heritage of his pre-space ancestors, who desired little more than dominance of mighty herds and their heightened drives satisfied, hinting the dangers if provoked.

A strong-spoken individual with a wise outlet for his experience as a high-honored graduate of the Antaresian Space University and accomplished senior of the Saggitarius-controlled Fringe Rangers, visiting dozens of planet in the name of exploration and warfare against aliens and rogue factions of the Zodiac collection. Open-minded with the wide variety of aliens he’ve come to encounter over the Antaresian years, he have a tendency to try a diplomatic approach when his prey-instincts supports it. Befriended, Khiron is a man of good humor and mischevious eagerness

When forced into combat, Khiron proves to be an efficient warrior with a common devotion for the archaic-based Ti’an bow that became a mastery common amongst the Saggitarius snipers and elite Bowmasters, and this oozes down to his skill in firearms. On the rare occasion he comes into melee, the Ha’raian martial arts is expressed with use of the species-unique scotum-blades, his bow’s unique melee state and his hindlegs into a terrifying show of physical might.

Bafomaa Remnant-controlled planet #455-0B1-12: Saribonn II, Orab System

The exploration frigate hovered silently above the rocky planet’s acidic clouds, long and bulbous at its helm like a hunter-fish of the Aquarius ocean world in disquieting ripples of its powerful anti-gravity emitters between its coiled tentacle-like structure. Under electronic stealth, heightened by the acidic storm below, it was safe from enemy exposure for now. The bubble-like screen of the bridge doors slip open to allow a trio of tall and proportionally fit Saggitarius rangers to stride on through with their bottom legs strutting in militant discipline.

The raptor horsemen were dressed in the sea green armor of their station, mimicking the lust beauty of their seemingly endless grassland and plains, almost similar in appearance if it wasn’t for the first’s larger mass and markings denoting to the elite of their bowmen. “What is the scanner’s report?” He questioned in the Virgo lingua franca of the Zodiac, his larger eyes falling upon the living biped shape of water moving its multitude of fingers over conduits to a aquatic-resistant console as electronics pulsing through the atoms.

A harmonic sound rippled from the contained body to a audible understanding to the ear-drums, “The Enemy hides well but the sensory of our ship have managed to sense their presence at an ancient temple emitting a strong presence piercing through the acidic storm.” At the conclusion, a tendril shifted and summoned a holographic screen across the one-way visor of the bridge to behold the yellow sky and orange clouds underneath them. The screen created the rocky surface littered with sparse vegetation evolved to handle the rain, leading to a running hill and crop that held a somewhat melted temple of simplistic design, the metals long eroding yet remaining strong from the storms over the ages.

After a brief vertical scanning, the screen zoomed down to a underground chamber that hold something sitting on the far pedestal between two alien statues of obvious reverence. It was glowing in a contained yet...strangely alluring light that hide any details that not even the ship’s advanced scans could dim it. Moments like this was rare, there were four life-forms dwelling in the room as well. Three members of the Aries species, dressed in armored robes and ground horns, and something rather big behind them worshiping this idol. That was never good, whatever it is. They had to recover it.

“Interesting...I will personally lead the party down to the surface.” The Bowmaster concluded before backing up between his honor guards and turned around to march back from where he started. “Keep the ship cloaked and if our signatures are unreadable, report to the Council immediately and bring their wrath upon these warmongers.” He instructed.

The Aquarius responded with a long, poetic sound that he knew to be an affirmative.

---

It took a quarter-hour’s preparation before three troop transports dropped out of the frigate’s underbelly like newly born squadlings, angling themselves and diving into separate directions of the same destinations. Pushing through the raining clouds with adaptive film protecting the blue hull from the mid-acidic residue, hissing harmlessly as the swift transports vanished in a bend of light a second before piercing through to behold the miscolored landscape.

The strategy was simple; The Bowmaster and his band will take the honor to scout ahead and purposely devote attention on themselves while their fellows led by Leo and Taurus officers Phixus and Akakios will handle the true assault.

Khiron stride between the ‘stables’ of his fellow rangers, all in erect attention and handling their standard Ti’an bows in intimate knowledge. Created in memory of the Saggitarius composite bow, measuring at the length of the torso from the initial unfolding and capable of lengthening even more into a longbow that came down to the front leg’s knee. Hardened with a flexible metal with a slightly-similar core but more stiff and proper for its modern form as a staff-rifle when unable to properly use the bow and formed into melee combat. To the Saggitarius of the Fringe Rangers and other sects of military and exploration exploits, it was a ceremonial badge of honor as well as a deadly weapon to be respected enough to be individually built for a proper initiation into said-sects.

The Bowmaster’s crest of feathers twitched to the tighten of his long thick neck, coming to a immediate halt at a young ranger, who stiffened up in attention instantly. His nostril plates running up his beak-bridge flexed in deep intentional sniffs. “Is this your first assignment with the Watchlord Company?” He questioned with a inquisitive look that had all four eyes staring at the grown colt. Looked like he was fresh from the Training of the Nine Hunts, smelled like it too but so did he when serving in the Campaign of Terra. In that regard, Khiron could see the strong determination and experience buried behind bright eyes.

“Yes, sir. I was transferred from the Eighty-Third Exploration Herd of the Mid-Rim Quadrant to your unit by commendation from Herdmaster Oro.” He answered, brief and direct. “Oro...” Khiron mused on before his head tilted slightly in the species’ variety of visual acknowledgment, “He is a wise officer and I trust in your skill from your presence alone.” “Thank you, Bowmaster.” The youngster said with a humble bow of his head. The senior rested his hand over the other’s left shoulder by the claw-tips before walking with only the sounds of equipment being double checked until he came to the end of the stable line.

His back to his soldiers, wiry tail-ends fluttering with an audible whip and honed muscles lining his lower quarter’s armored flank flexed in idle exercise. Anxious to jump onto the alien ground and race along the rocky plains, that certain excitement of battle throbbed under his impassioned face. What felt like ages but honestly been at the least twelve standard minutes, Khiron’s head turned to the pilot’s voice via intercom, “We are approaching the designated landing zone in five, Bowmaster. No response teams located yet.”

With a huff from his stronger noses, Khiron made a swift brush over the collar of his cuirass and activated his helmet’s extension over his head and face in a few dramatic heartbeats. The four thin visors over his eyes flashed in activation of its heads-up display; shield strength, bio-reader, half-kilometer tracker, and weapon ammunition on the corners and top of his sight.

“Prepare to drop!” He said before thumping his right front-limb in rhythm and pulled his own bow from its place on his lower back. Behind him, all twelve of his rangers trotted out of their stables and made a fluid side-face in two columns at their commander’s flank.

One minute...

The herd started to stomp the Ranger song of Far Sight in unison. It was a custom that have lasted for several millenniums when the Saggitarius joined into the Circle after their Rite of Ascension, an old hunter’s pray via song to the Gods for long sight towards succession and survival, beating in tune with the nearly muffled pelts of the rain outside their hull.

Suddenly the entire transport shook, causing everything, including the less sturdy-legged to stumble, but the others kept to their song. “We’ve been hit! Scouts are appearing from camouflage, opening ramp now for quick exit.” The pilot warned before the wailing lights blinked infront of the herd, foreshadowing the hiss of sealed air and pulled the rear open like a gaping maw just in time to see an energy bolt zip by.

“Leave none alive to worship the Traitor!” Khiron roared out before pouncing out of the ship with a feral warcry under his helmet, amplified by his audio speakers. Turning his body in the originating direction of the earlier attack and nocked a manifesting arrow by the pull of the emitter string. The green energies shaped the deadly projectile at full pull and struck through the air with a whisp.

In the second consisted of finding, catching and aim, the arrow found its mark into the neck of an armored Aries trooper; Ironically known to all as the First of the Zodiac Circle, fierce and territorial beings of a former empire that would become the precursor of the wise society that they know of now. Where they were once bent to violently control their arm of the galaxy in martial conquest until the wisdom of the Virgo tempered their brutality that many say match with the fierceness of the Tauruses and Scorpii. Now, here are those who take their pride, sense of power and brutality to an uncomely level, one that was only marshal at the urges of an Ancient Enemy long-imprisoned and a few decades ago, defeated by the newly uplifted people of the Ophiuchus.

Today, Khiron is going to make this cult wasn’t going to join the rest of their scattered kindred.

When the armored body of the horned marauder fell in the dying bleats of its pierced throat, twitching in death those, two others shared his fate with their heavy cannons clanking onto the rocky surface before the Bowmaster hit the ground in a full-on sprint for a crescent.

“The Rangers come!” One of the remaining three cried, realizing what was pouring from the bypassing scout ship. It was needless to say they didn’t retreat far with a four-legged herd on their rear. Legs were the first to go before wicked curved blades separated their heads from their shoulders in their quaking pass.

“Swordsmen on my side, Snipers to the rear!” Khiron ordered in their stampede through the terrain, hooves unfolding to reveal powerful taloned front-legs with the debris picking up a cloud behind them and the rain doing little more than discolor spots on their harnesses’ armored covers. The four designated swordsmen splayed as other side of their commander behind each other to hide their numbers while the remaining eight-four in their splaying columns-readied their bows and transformed rifles. Their designation was a couple miles off but it mattered little for their swift ride.

Communications were decided to be limited to signals alone, well aware that their enemy might be monitoring with stronger comm capabilities on this planet.

“Sir!” One of the far-reached rangers called out, “Contacts speeding in aboard reconnaissance fighters!” Khiron took a swift look to catch the incoming arrow-like vehicles coming from safe locations to avoid the acidic rains until now. “Matters little, we press on. Dhalas, Matar: Deal with them!”

The ordered pair acknowledged with a nostril huff before breaking formation with curved shifts, using their bows’ rifle modes and blasting sharp semi-automatic bursts at the distant vehicles while fearlessly charging for the kill. However, the chasing four weren’t the only problem. Even know, even a near-sighted Saggitarius could see the heavy weapon placements setting up under the trees sheltering the temple. Hardly deterred or afraid of these shock-troop eradicators, Khiron lifted his bow and pulled back another arrow while looking down his far sights. Catching the Bowmaster’s movement, his snipers followed similar.

Six hundred and fifty-three meters and closing. Enough for the disruptor cannons to fire arcing explosive bolts at the Saggitarii in hope of destroying their foolish charge in such an open area. True, while the ram-like aliens managed to make craters and killed three of the hunters from splashes, even caught one in a direct hit; they remained steadfast like ancient suicidal calvary to a line of pikemen.

“Aim for the barrels.” The Watchlord ordered before letting his arrow fly into the form of a thin line of energy zipping and slipping between the furthest third’s cannon barrels into its operator’s cranium. On that que, eight arrows crossed the plains and pelted at the cannons with deep scars. Not enough to hit the targets but their overconfidence blinded them to significance of the attacks. Upon the pull of their trigger, the barrel sparked and exploded violently from energy coil containment failures. Khiron blinked his inner eyes, activating his electronic sights and looked for any more of the cannons; none that would obstruct their mission, allowing him to give his officers the needed signal- three arrows arching through the opening air.

Just then a loud, powerful roar ripped through the yellow-and-green plains. The Leo commander’s roar produced from his territory-claiming vocal cords alone was enough to give a fright to the aware Arieses for the temple defenses to start scrambling for sturdy combat, only for heavy artillery to befallen side positions while the Rangers kept their straight line to the stairs captured by overgrowth of the many centuries.

“Forward!” Khiron cried out at the appearance of an Aries trident-line, screeching out savagely before his swordsmen hurled wailing sonic grenades ahead of themselves. The ram-men stumbled at the warning sounds before bleating out in horror and pain to the explosion of various frequencies that stabbed into both ear-drums and along their horns’ extra-sensory ridges, effective disorientating the line.

Arrows flying and maiming their would-be skewers, the Bowmaster whirled his bow as it snapped into a stiff state with a particular squeeze of the thinner core, brushing his palm down its length to extend prongs of leaf-shaped blades, and made an awe-inspiring pounce with his front limbs extending out like a massive sky-diver. One taloned ‘hoof’ brushed the trident aside while the other snatched its wielder’s bearded face into a tight skull-squeezing grip before all of his heavy weight drove the stunned cultist down with a nasty snap of the spine against the edge of the stairs. Not quite satisfied to that sound, Khorin snapped the head one way then another absent-mindedly while his torso had its attention on two others at his side.

To his left, the trident-fighter managed to regain enough sense-or lack of-and trying fighting despite the sickly look on his fanged face, eyes and ears bleeding. The opposite side could just barely stand while the Saggitarius warrior slapped one thrust aside with a flick of his wrist. In three distinctive heartbeats in his primary and secondary systems, Khiron brought his foes down with a lightning-quick arc across the throat to his left and brutal thrust through the rib-cage of the right.

On either side, he knew his rangers downed their chosen opposition with efficiency and dazzling slash of their shield-hilted swords. To a biped, it would seem awkward to imagine the skill that the equine-bottomed Saggitarii display but anyone watched the power handed roughness of Lurimus and his adapt use of his forelegs, the powerful talons locked limbs and stabbed into soft spots of the hard weaponized skulls or the wild slashing that served to distract the bleating warmongers. Or the elegant finesse of Xehna, not a single move wasted for the sheer simplicity of finishing the job with precise slashes across the jugular or the stab through the eyes by blade or talon.

In reality, the mere destruction of the line took forty seconds, too long to their record but it was insure no survivors before the Rangers galloped up the stairs like Terran stags. Always in deep-rooted arrowhead formation to keep awareness of all corners, side troops hefted their rifles and fired against the leftover sentries amongst the barricades and trees while either side of the temple was quaking with explosive and real battle.

When they made it for the end of the long stairs, a message appeared on top of the herd’s HUD:

ACTIVITY IN THE TEMPLE DETECTED. 

Just in time to have the heavy doors slide open slow but surely, revealing not the expected entourage of the devoted warriors led by the war priests...but the immense bulk of a Taurus clad in copper-colored platemail protecting head to hooves with the familiar black sleekness of environment protection. The rectangular slits of gleaming orange visors burning with malicious intent and fingers clicking impatiently around the shielded handle of a kinetic heavy repeater!

“Move!” Khiron ordered before making a sharp turn himself with a shuffling movement of his legs, barely evading the stream of body-ripping projectiles that obliterated a line of trees behind them.

The Taurus laughed in thick-throat amusement, vaulting over the rest of the floor before the elevator could finish its ascension. “Come out, come out, Brave ponies. I have the proper weapon to end your annoyances.” He taunted out before the sound of something charging hit their ears.

Taking to either side of the open doors, Khiron and his second-in-command Kyllarus reached onto their grenade holster for a cyroban and pulse grenade each before tossing the latter hard into a roll.

An angered bellow responded to the high-pitched explosion with the sputter of failing technology was quickly replaced with the tremors of heavy hooves charging. The readied rangers aimed their bows and watched for the last second of the Gate-Keeper lunging out of the exit with his thick pauldrons and weapon up to take the energy bolts without fear.

While the repeater whirled its muzzle uselessly at the moment, the spinning blades of its axeheaded bayonet was in motion. Khiron ducked down in honed agility but the ranger behind him wasn’t so fortunate with half of his torso flying through the air.

Ignoring the sad arc of dark violet blood splattering onto his back, the Bowmaster pounced in a low stance under the returning attack with his primed grenade smacking on the back of the Taurus’ lower body. A loud wham exploded with the crackling of fast-cementing ice grabbed onto his left side, prompting more of an annoyed grunt at his sudden halt.

Landing on his forelimbs, Khiron reared his hindquarters up and shrieked out with a fierce buck-kick to the exposed lower back with his backlegs’ more thick talons curled into viced hooves. The sound of struck bone hit both combatants’ ears, forcing the massive keeper to an awkward fall before Kyllarus hurling her cyroban into the juggernaut’s face.

Roaring in terror of the weaponized ice wrapping and digging itself into the crackling armor like a glass bottle in a freezing compartment. “Now!” The female Ranger cried in her leap back before her kindred fired their bows and rifles at the Taurus’s head as he clawed helplessly. To his credit, he held strong in bucks and sputters as his armored hands tried to shield his horned head before one lucky shot from the youngest of the Rangers shattered it into a explosion of gory ice.

The armored cloven fingers twitched and the body shuddered as if possessed by a demon before collapsing under its armor’s weight, slowly encased in the progressive ice with ear-twitching crackles.

“Brilliant work.” Khiron congratulated to the youngster, coming around the body with a ten foot distance from the body as if it would get back up to fight again.

“Thank you, Bowmaster...but I mourn for our fallen brother.” He said sunkenly, glancing at the body nearby in a heap, only to be comforted by his commander, “As do we all, young brother. His death will be avenged in the success of this mission.”

On that, the others agreed with rapid flicks of their tails or the talon-tap codes of three knuckle raps. “Kyllarus, you and most of the team will remain here to stand guard for the rest of the assault to finalize our occupation. Lurimus and Arashk will join me to retrieve the artifact.” Khiron instructed, checking on his bow’s core and folded it away since the chambers would be of small space. His fingers brushed upwards and grabbed on the curved handles of his twin ballistic pistols.

“You know my protocols.” He said, turning his head to look his second-in-command, who nodded and saluted with a raise of her right foreleg and fist to her right breastplating. “May your nobility strike truth, Watchlord.” Kyllarus responded, mirrored by the rest of the defensive unit. To this ritualistic say, he replied with; “And your dominance remain steadfast to our foes.” With enough said, Khiron and his strike team pranced forward for the large platform of a elevator. Where there was a control panel on its end, there was a translation device to turn it into a more simplified variety that required just a press of a button.

Unholstering his weapons when the elevator started its descent, Khiron’s inner eyes moved and used visual signals to bring up the herd biosigns via the blinking dot in the corner of his shield systems.

Out of the twelve Rangers to live his transport, four have fallen for the mission, and their names shall join with the memorial of the Watchlord’s personal shrine in their honor for their natural sacrifice as the galaxy’s fearless watchers and explorers. Soon...Khiron knew he will amongst those countless names and he will not have a single regret. He’ve served his society and people the best he could, he had a legacy in both trained soldiers and children that will continue his teachings...and he was amongst to see a new society rise for the greater good. There was no better honor.

Then Lurimus made deep, loud sniffs that wheezed through his helmet’s filters before his gruff voice complained, “I can smell their disgusting rituals from here.”

Khiron didn’t need to mimic the smell, he knew what he was speaking of: the stomach-churning stench of morbidly wretched decay and fresh blood of various origins, the mutilation of bodies to create sickening idols and totems in honor and undying zealotry to the Unspoken’s mistaken beliefs and barbarism of begotten occultism as much as a truly disturbing psychological warfare. He’ve seen more than his share on Terra. “Be ready and kill them quickly. This place was already defiled when they stepped onto its sacred stone. They don’t deserve a honorable battle.”

Easier said than done with Aries War-Priests. Unlike most cultures, priesthood was a sign of innate marital birthright as much as worship to their people’s Blood Star. For Zealots of Him...it was brutality manifested.

The life-sign tracker didn’t give any indication of the priests even being there...but it certainly gave off the still ebbing life of their grotesque ‘redecoration’ of the chamber, bio-technology keeping their victims alive in their states of impalement and flaying while the hive of spilled remnants and pulsing structures running around the floor and walls like the resin of a viral species.

This sect was deprived and it made Khiron itch to burn this entire chamber of this evil.

“Camouflage.” He signaled in hindsight when the first crack of the elevator pushing into the room. In sync, they vanished into thin air, just in time to have a hooded figure turn around to greet its assassins.

It was indeed an Aries, standing with a slight hunch but the physical power was pressing against the soiled robes. Furs collaring his sleeves were discolored in aged blood and gore, cloven claws of hands and hooved feet covered in leathered gloves and armored talons moving in a regal movement. A long bearded face peaking through the draped hood with two...no, three glowing red eyes peering in a malevolent intelligence. Two normal horizontal-pupils and a third slit-pupil eye staring between his brows, artificially inserted with the scars still weeping.

His jaw rolled with a pop before black lips curled in a sneer-or a smile-lined with grinding flats and carnivorous fangs. “Welcome, Rrrangersss.” He hissed with a touched voice. “There is no need to hide from me, I can see you as clear as I can taste your hate. It is deliciousss.”

Slowly stepping from the miraculously untouched pedestal, one hoof after another as the light of the Artifact shined off his crimson cuirass and pauldrons, until the wet squish of biomass hit his hooves.

However, Khiron nor his Rangers themselves in their very slow, careful spread into the room, ignoring the worshipper. While the Watchlord directly opposed the Priest-Chief, his fellows kept a eye for his comrades, who were standing by two large handmade idols of the Unspoken-the large shape of bloodied bones and reshaped metal to form a mighty Aries with a lifted trident, the bones that gave his shape and horns were roughly carved to depict the tattoos, and eyes of rubies staring down to the floor; personally Khiron could at least give them credit of getting that right.

“Have you come to pay tribute and kneel like our deceased guardian? Or are you here to challenge a beautiful Martyr’s cause?” The chief questioned with a ugly smile as he grabbed a long-shafted maul from the back of a fallen brother, who looked shocked and pained, with a sharp seemingly-weightless yank.

Khiron suddenly uncloaked and fired a flurry of shots from his twin pistols, catching the occulists by surprise as he bucked and roared out to the bolts stabbing into his armor and exposed limbs as they were bouncing off or straight zipping through his personal shields, no doubt expecting bow-bolts.

Charging into the distraction with all twelve bullets of each handgun made a bloody mark into his foe, the Saggitarius unleashed a war-cry at the recovering priest-chief as he lifted his maul and swung hard to break the insolent Ranger’s frontlegs. However, Khiron knowingly lept over the swing with his well-fed underbelly brushed over the murderer’s shaved horns.

Despite the sounds of other battles around him, Khiron knew better than lose focus on the chief. The milisecond he landed, his pistols were holstered and his scotum-blades drawn with a sihk of their metallic extension as his rear talons kicked a solid body behind them before making quick turn to see the chief moving to collect his weapon.

Snarling bestially, the Bowmaster pounced like a wild cat and slammed all of his weight down on the horned warmonger, armored talons stabbing down into the chief’s armored shoulders as they vibrated into micro-slicing weapons with the tightening pressure crushing down in the skewer. The warpriest made a odd noise that was both of pain and something less than agreeable before his attacker heaved him up into the air with the rear of his back-legs before slamming the wriggling body right back into repeated slams with calculated movements away from the hammer. Khiron was quick to catch the arm reaching down to a possibly hidden weapon, squeezing for a snap of the wrist while his wild talons tore into back and skull like a mad beast.

Suddenly a loud cry broke the Bowmaster’s frenzied assault, snapping his head up to see one of the priests impaling Arashk through with a serrated glaive. Snorting out, Khiron sprinted through the gore and biomass like a mad stallion in a readied stance.

Catching the noble charge for possible rescue and vengeance, the priest ripped his blade from his victim’s chest and swung across the exposed throat for fatality. A mere taunt to the failed commander to keep his warriors alive that any would recognize. However, Khiron didn’t fall into a mad frenzy like most would have, he kept his charge while the Aries returned the same with a heavy stride before making a surprising acrobatic flip with his glaive aiming to cleave the Bowmaster in two.

Snapping his blades up into a X-shaped guard, Khiron caught the assaulting blade with his body rearing up again into a ‘biped’ stance. “Down, Bowmaster!” Lurimus warned, instinctively making the other suddenly flop onto his side as if his more-than-stable rear feet slipped onto the gore.

The warpriest, still stuck in mid-air in an attempt to snap the Saggitarius’ long spine with his powerful legs, bleated out in surprised annoyance as he flailed. Helpless to the hurled bow-rifle impaling its twin blades into the large body’s head, sending the spasming body tumbling awkwardly against the far wall.

Khiron had the somewhat embarrassing situation of trying to move his own bottom legs; while the Sagittarii were a formidable race, their lower bodies’ legs were more forward with little left-to-right mobility, excluding the back limbs. Rolling onto his front as quick as his bulk would allow while keeping his flanks covered, talons gripping at intestine-like growths and pushing upwards for a standard stance. His head looking around to check for any more dangers.

There were none; the chief was laying face-down in gore and his comrades were either beheaded or impaled through said-head. Unfortunately Arashk was on his flank as if sitting down in rest and upper body slunk back with his armored head rolled back against his armor’s hump with dark blood oozing over.

Lurimas approached with a deep cut on his bicep and the side of his visor damaged but looked capable...as always. “Are you alright, sir?” He asked with a softness of concern. Khiron was silent for a moment before flicking his tail in irritation. “No, not until this evil is over with.” He said, trotting over towards the glowing artifact. Just barely passing over the priest-chief, the damned occulist sprung up with a curved sacrificial blade in his hand aimed to disembowel the Bowmaster.

However, Khiron predicted on the priest’s unnatural endurance and watched the still-useful wrist in one talon while snatching the throat in the other. Then he slowly lifted the squirming creature up off its hooves as his own body stood up onto its back-legs for the second time today. Savage, bloody-teethed words spewed out of the mad priest’s lips but the Bowmaster wouldn’t suffer another second hearing the dark speech. His wide hands grabbed on muzzle and horn with a iron vice and tensed muscles while his four eyes stared into the War-Priest’s three before snatching his head one way, then nearly twisted it the other with a sickly sound of splintering bones out of place.

“Free the prisoners of their pain and go up to the others, I will collect the artifact.” Khiron finished with a sigh of personal relief and dropped the body like a sack of rotten apples before trampling over it without a glance.

Finally, this bloody skirmish was done for the Rangers. Their objective was right before their herdmaster. Glowing with a unnatural...alluring light. Finally Khiron could see it for what it is; a medallion of simple but alien design. Something about it made all four of the veteran ranger’s eyes blink in confusion and growing emotion. Want? Desire to take a material possession as if it was made for the First Uplifter himself!

As he drew closer, this want grew and his fingers flexed as if already imagining the object between them. Then the thought of it in this place disgusted him terribly. It didn’t belong in this perverted place. The sound of the elevator’s machinery was muffled, only the sound of his own hearts beating.

Reaching, only a single brush of his fingers against the pearl-like heart was enough to cause a terrible reaction that made the very temple, if not the planet, shake in wrath of a mere mortal touching its possession!

The Medallion began to vibrate and shake, levitating into the air in front of the two shocked Ranger’s very eyes. The pearl-like orb sparkled and glowed. The frame encircling the orb began to spin around it erratically like a gyroscope, rotating and even abruptly changing directions. The whole time, the orb in the center shone brighter, and brighter, and brighter.

Then the very ground began to tremble as if signaling the end of this planet much ahead of its intended lifespan. Unknowing to the pair, the skies darkening as communications tried to reach the Ranger to no prevail. Everything-and everyone-in the medallion’s sight was thrown up and down. All the while Khiron could feel an electrifying rush of energy coursing through his very being, his HUD going wild with alien information.

In a dazzling flash, the orb shot out a multitude of intense beams of light in all directions that danced wildly over the surroundings. Everything the beams passed across was cut as if by a assembler's laser – the ground, the corpses, the roof, all of it. All around, reality was being sliced to pieces. And as these pieces drifted apart like parts of a simplified Capricorn hatchling’s equation, all that remained was the vast cosmos.

The medallion continued to shine like a supernova that threatened to blind Khiron, yet it didn’t. And then, there was one final burst of light that exploded outward, rippling through space with such force you were sent hurling with the blast at mind-blowing speed. As if trapped in a raging river of unimaginable colors, all he could do was tumble madly for what felt like an relating, yet unrelated, moments...

[BasedGoody]

SPOILER: Click to show

CHARACTER - Dr. Vile

WHO HE BE? - Imagine the most evil person in the world. Now imagine about two notches above that. Make that person a doctor slash evil mastermind. You have Doctor Vile. He owns a bank, therefor giving him the funds to build and create many evil devices. The Doctor's creations spread fear throughout the city, and he is notoriously known.

WHAT HE BE LIKE? - I'll tell you what he be like. Vile used to be a lovely and nice man, but one day he went absolutely mad. Nobody knows why, one day he just snapped. Before he was calm and collected, saving lives like nobody's business. Now, he stays hidden in his office while he works on inventions. Employees who have walked in claim to have seen sketches all over the walls.

Strange enough, his attitude hasn't changed. He is still calm and not easily angered, but now is evil. Like super evil. Multiple times he has tried to take over the world. The first time, he used an army of robots. They overcame all of the US, and Canada too. Vile had not planned for the combined power of the Cartels of South America, along with the overwhelming amount of large beetles and spiders. This halted his first attempt. Others included poison nukes, un-extincting the dinosaurs, and even taking over daytime television for his own propaganda. While being a doctor, he is still super evil. Seriously. Wicked evil.

BUT WHAT HE USE? - Dr. Vile is a man of many inventions.
-One includes the 3V1L Ray-Gun. It's a personal design that has stayed with him through thick and thin.
-Another includes the 3V1L Syringe, which can induce paralysis. He rarely gets to use it, given that he must get in really close to stab. When it works, however, he acquires a great chance to gloat over the twitching body of his enemy.
-Third we have the Stethoscope of Evil. It looks like a perfectly normal tool of a doctor, but it can pack a punch. Other than measuring the heart beat of his opponent, it is also rigged with an explosive.
-Fourth would be the 3V1L Pocket Protector. It takes the form of a normal pocket protector, but when thrown onto the ground, it expands into a hexagonal glowing-red laser wall.
-This is what he will always carry into battle, but he is an inventor. He can create things out of any material on the fly. How evil.

Dr. Vile 

"Sir. What is the importance of this location?" The robot in front of the Doctor asked. Vile looked up from his clipboard towards the mechanical soldier. Truly a marvel in engineering and science, an electronic body along with a pearly white set of armor and a blank face plate. The scientist shook out of his narcissistic trance for a response.

"Ah, yes, D3. We are here to continue our excavation. Have a not programmed you with a sense of remembrance?" At the Doctor's remark, D3 snapped to attention, shaking it's robotic head. Vile smirked lightly, before turning his attention back to his clipboard. On it was a map of the location. The scientist had been on the hunt for the source of the magnetic pulse that had been shot off earlier in the week. Him and his 'antibodies' were on a relentless hunt.

On that day, their hunt took them to a thick jungle in South America. The Doctor had a tough time finding a cargo plane large enough to store 234 mechanical soldiers and a drilling device, but after a tiresome search he decided to just create his own plane with materials found in a junkyard.

Vile wandered over towards the excavation site, glancing over the large drill that dug into the earth. His antibodies were either tapping away at computers, or guarding the area. The Doctor had been under heavy surveillance by the government after his most recent world domination attempt. Drilling into the bottom of the white house wasn't the best plan, but at least the president got the message.

Dr. Vile checked his watch. Twelve forty five. The scientist stared for a second, before the watch stopped ticking. It froze.

"Hmm? A7! Have you incorrectly created this time-checking device?" Vile shouted out, turning towards the drill, occupied by A1-9. They refused to move as well.

"What is happening...?" The Doctor wondered out loud, looking around. D3 still stood at attention, as a fly hung suspended in front of his pale blank face.

Suddenly the scientist came to a realization - the dig site! They must have discovered something. With diligence, Dr. Vile ran to the drill. Only a few feet were gained before his leg caught an overgrown root, and he was thrown to the ground. His hands shot out to protect him, landing the Doctor inches from a shiny medallion. It gleamed in the sunlight.

"What ever could this be...?" The Evil-doer sputtered out, reaching for the object. His fingers wrapped around it, yet he couldn't lift it. It felt heavier than the world but still looked lighter than a pastry. Vile couldn't keep his eyes off it. Literally, his eyes felt glued to the object. His bloodshot eyes refused to blink. Dirt clung to them and dryness at at his corneas. A burning sensation radiated off of the confusing piece of art. Soon everything collapsed around it, like blocks falling into nothingness. The grass, trees, the drill, his robots, all disappeared into nonexistence. All that was left was him and the stars.

His pupils were still aimed at the medallion. Not out of force but rather out of curiosity. Vile's confusion was piqued. Fear drooped away and only science remained. The Doctor's mind raced with ideas, but they were all lost as reality was rebuilt around him. This time, however, he was no longer with his soldiers. The jungle was but a memory. This was something else.

[Remnant]

SPOILER: Click to show

Name: Xelius (No last name, never bothered giving Erai last names. I might, though.)

Race: Erai (A race of my own creation, I'll give a detailed description further down the line. Pronounced: Eir-eye. Like Heir, but without the H.)

Gender: N/A (Okay, this is a tricky one. I haven't sorted out the whole Erai reproduction process, so whether or not they have "Genders" is debatable. I'll leave it N/A for now.)

Age: 2,792

Height: 10" (Out of Armor), 12" (In Armor)

Weight: 497lbs (Out of Armor), 605lbs (In Armor)

---

Birthplace: Elysium

Rank: Sovereign

Occupation: Supreme Leader of the Erai

(Rank and Occupation differ in the fact that Occupation is what his position is, while Rank is just a title for said position. Ex. A Military Commander would be an Occupation, while General would be his Rank.)

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Appearance:

(Okay, this next part is a bit tricky. Erai actually have two appearances, their Dimensional Form, and their Organic Form.)

Dimensional Form:A good way to describe it is, very, very, VERY, advanced. The armor is a metallic and shiny, and the helmet is like a crown helmet. (Look up Sci-Fi Crown Helmet on Google Images to see what those look like.) Four "eyes" appear on the Helmet. On his upper back is a Personal Shield Generator. Not very big, but not very small. It generates the Xelius shield. On his lower back, at the waist, is a teleporter device. Smaller and compact, it is mentally linked, allowing Xelius to teleport with a single thought.

Erai armour, could be considered ExoSuits/ExoSkeletons. The inside of them is basically hollow, except it contains the essence of an Erai, which is pure blue energy. Whenever they're out their dimension, the Erai rely on these ExoSuits to protect their essence. Their armor is completely bulletproof, and laser-resistant. And by bulletproof, I mean that if you want to crack the armor with bullets, you are going to need a lot of ammo and patience. And hope the Erai doesn't move. All unlikely.

Erai Armor also utilizes personal shields, with each shield being stronger, the higher the rank. Because of the importance of the individual, the leader of the Erai, the Emperor, has the best equipment available. He is equipped with the strongest shields, which can take a heavy beating before finally going down. Bullets and Lasers have an interesting effect on the shields. Bullets, or other projectile weaponry, are normally disintegrated upon contact with the shields. However, it takes power to disintegrate the bullet. No power, then shields are offline, leaving the armor vulnerable to bullets and such. Even though the bullets are disintegrated, they still have a lasting effect.

Their kinetic energy is distributed around the shield, as to reduce the stress inflicted on the spot hit by the bullet. Every spot on the shield takes an amount of stress before cracking. If the spot ruptures, the entire shield goes offline, rather than leaving a new opening. To reduce stress, kinetic energy is distributed around and dissipated, rather than being absorbed on the spot. It takes power to distribute and dissipate this energy. Again, no power, shields go offline.

Lasers are a different story. Lasers, because of their energetic nature, are absorbed and dissipated, since they can't be disintegrated. It takes more power to do this, as Lasers are more advanced and lethal than bullets. Kinetic energy is negated, however, since Lasers aren't physical, like bullets, rather just a lesser form of energy. (Last sentence is from my point of view, will change if needed.)

Erai armour does not come with cloaking. Cloaking among the Erai is seen as an unfair weakness, due to their "noble" philosophy, and so they disapprove of anyone using it, even other races. However, Erai armor does come with a "short range" rapid teleportation system, with about a mile wide radius. It can be used for quick escapes, also can be used to annoy the opponent just for fun, though this is generally frowned upon.

Xelius' armor utilizes nanotechnolgy. The armor will attempt to self-repair will damaged. It 

Organic Form: Whenever the ExoSuit takes heavy damage, a portal will form behind the Erai and sweep him into it. Inside the portal, the Erai will be reassembled. The armour and the essence will begin to mesh together and turn into organic material. Once they're back inside their dimension, and the transformation's complete, the Erai is entirely organic. 

After the transformation, the once shiny and metallic armor fuses with the essence inside, meshing into organic armor. It's basically extremely hardened and durable flesh. The organic armor, or "outer flesh", has no pain sensors, and like I said, is extremely durable. Bullet resistant, but not laser resistant. The organic armor can mesh into various shapes, allowing spikes to grow anywhere, and arm blades to appear on the forearms.

Underneath the hardened skin is the "Inner Flesh", which is softer, and rather raw. They have pain sensors. If you can crack his armor, and harm the flesh underneath, it'll cause quite some pain to Xelius. Also worthful to note, Xelius has razor sharp teeth, that form three rows. They are all carnivorous, in nature. They'll slice through flesh like a hot knife through butter. Xelius also has long, razor sharp claws on his six-digit hands. They can also slice through flesh like a hot knife through butter. Yeah. Same phrase twice. Got any better ones?

However, inside the Continuum Aegis dimension, the transformation is a completely different process. Due to the nature of the OCT Dimension, the space time energy whatchamacallit conflicts with the transformation process. Instead of slipping through a portal to transform, the badly damage Erai actually transforms on the spot.

The area around the Erai, along with the opponent, is drained of energy, as the process requires a massive amount of energy. All types of energy are drained from the opponent and the surrounding area, including nutrients. The opponent's lifeforce is also sapped, to speed up the process. This will leave the opponent exhausted, hungry, thirsty and weak when fighting Xelius Stage Two.

Their Outer Flesh is like the Erai armour, incredibly resilient, but it's lost it's laser-resilience and a little bit of it's bullet-resilience, meaning they're weaker in this form. When in this form, the Erai are a bit more...brutish. They usually ditch their weapons, and resort to hands, claws, even teeth. Since their armour is spiked, they can also use the spikes on their armour to impale opponents. Even their organic armour can morph into weapons.

They have two sets of Flesh in this form. Outer Flesh, which serves as Organic Armor. No pain sensors are located here, making it seem as if Erai feel no pain. The Inner Flesh is more vulnerable, and looks raw and soft. Pain sensors are located here. If you can break through the Organic Armor, you can actually cause the Erai pain. 

Dimensional Equipment:

-1x Hard Light Sword (The sword looks like a medieval sword, except a lot more futuristic. The blade is made of hardened light, and power cells in the hilt charge the blade so that it burns/melts most things that it touches. The hilt is made of a durable metal to protect the power cells. One power cell activates the blade, and the other power cell charges it. The blade is mentally linked with a specific user, as with all Erai weapons. The blade will activate upon Xelius' mental command, so that others may not use it. Blue blade.)

-1x Energy Rifle (I forgot how to describe this weapon, but I do remember that I did take inspiration from the Mass Effect 3 Particle Rifle. The energy fired is wispy, to say the least. Just imagine the Particle Rifle, and the energy it fires. Very wispy, and unstable looking. Exactly how the energy for this Rifle is, except it's not shot in a continuous beam, it's semi-auto. Also, the energy causes splash damage upon impact, easily melting away most armour over a short period of time.

The energy is fired from power cells. The power cells discharge unstable energy out of the weapon, however, the user can "charge" this energy, so that when it is discharged, the energy is more concentrated and less unstable. The result is an armour piercing discharge, that melts deep into where it impacted, rather than causing splash damage. The power cells can discharge a select amount of energy, armour piecing discharges using more, before deactivating to recharge. Works the same way as the blade, in terms of who can use it. Only Xelius through a mental link. Blue Discharges.)

-1x Energy Whip (Xelius is one of the few Vru'shl, Pronounced: Vroo-Shull, in Erai society. Vru'shl are practitioners of the Energy Whip, utilizing it with extreme efficiency. So few are seen because the art is incredibly hard to master, because of the Whip's erratic nature. However, Xelius has mastered the way of the Vru'shl. The Energy Whip is like the Hard Light Sword, it's hilt is durable to protect the Power Cells However, instead of being made of Hard Light, it's made of Energy. Magnetic fields give the Energy form, but the Magnetic fields are flexible, so that the whip can flail about without losing form. Only one Power Cell is used, that produces the Energy. Given it's nature, the Energy can easily melt through most materials without the need to charge it.)

-1x Erai Armour w/ Personal Shield Generator (I already explained the armour and the personal shield generator in the appearance section. Extremely durable, both assets. PSG is located on the armour's upper back.)

-1x Teleportation Device (Located on the lower backside, at the waist, this device can teleport the user at "short" distances, up to a mile in radius.)

Organic Equipment:

-2x Claw Sets (He has six claws on each hand, due to his hand having six digits. They're razor sharp, and can shred flesh almost effortlessly.)

-2x Sword Arms (Xelius can morph his forearm dorsals to form blades that run down the length of his forearms, extending over the dorsal of his hands at about a foot or two long. The blades are razor sharp, and are used to cut through armour and impale/torture victims.)

-1x Organic Armour (Outer Flesh is extremely durable. Resistant against bullets, but vulnerable to lasers. Spikes protrude out the armor, giving Xelius a menacing presence.)

---

Misc: Erai Lifespan, on average, is 2500-3750 years. Anyone beyond the age of 3750 are considered Elders, anyone below the age of 2500 are considered Young Adults, minus the children. Those in between are considered Middle Age. Erai have been known to reach ages such as 4000, but it is a rarity. Oldest Erai was of 5,037 years of age.

Erai live in their own Dimension, on their own sentient Planet, Elysium. Since the entire explaination of Elysium would be long, I won't describe it unless asked. Anyway, Erai are dimensional travelers, as you should have noticed. Erai are VERY advanced, in Technology terms. In Halo terms, Erai would be at Tier 0, minus the Transentience thing. They aren't Gods.

---

Personality: Like all Erai, Xelius has a sense of honor. He won't engage unarmed opponents, unless they attack first. He dislikes the use of cloaking, and scolds enemies that use it. It's considered dishonorable to use Cloaking in Erai society, and those who do use it are discriminated against and heavily looked down upon. However, like most Erai, he has a slight split personality between his dimensional form and organic form. His organic form prefers brutal fighting, using claws and teeth to rip apart his opponent, while his dimensional form prefers a less primal, elegant way of fighting.

He has years of experience of leadership, considering he's been the leader of his race since age 2542, meaning his rule has lasted for 250 years. He is not easily persuaded by anything, and is an expert at close quarters combat. He isn't likely to make a mistake on or off the field. He can be rather intimidating to opponents, considering he's really tall, and he enjoys taunting and intimidating his opponents.

Backstory: Xelius has been present a long time, fighting for the Erai cause. Well, not really fighting. The Erai isolated themselves from the rest of the universe after establishing their own dimension long ago. But a civil war broke out, and the Corrupted Erai faction was born. The Corrupted Erai retreated from the dimension, never to return. Fearing for the rest of the Galaxy/Universe, the Erai hunted down the Corrupted Erai. The Civil War was long, lasting around 400-600 years. Late into the war, the Erai unleashed a bioweapon: The Xelials. They were a race of...well, it's not really sure what they are. Bioweapons is the easiest way to describe them.

They were meant to wipe out the Corrupted Erai, but they turned on their creators. A three way war was waged, a very bloody one at that. The Xelials were made to kill Erai, so it can only be imagined how hard it was for the two sides. Eventually all sides retreated, never appearing again until recently. Xelius now leads his people, with war on the horizon. Not only is the Xelial and Corrupted Erai threat reappearing, but a new potential threat emerges: Humanity.

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OOC Info on Backstory: Xelials vary in appearance. Some appear as insectoids, including their Queen and her guard, while some appear more Humanoid. Some serve as living ships/transports. But they are a bioweapon, made to kill Erai. If not contained, they could easily wipe out all life.

---

Abilities:

-Telekinesis: On his left arm, more specifically his left palm, is a device that manipulates the environment around him by "grabbing" objects in the vicinity. They can be moved around with a flick of the hand. Even opponents can be grabbed and thrown, making it a dangerous weapon.

-Energy Drain: Grabbing his opponent with telekinesis, Xelius will lift them in the air. His hand will arc with blue electricity, and then flare up as it's enshrouded by bright blue fire. The electricity will arc out of the fire, and hit the floating opponent. The results are...shocking. As the electricity hits the opponent, it will begin to spread across the opponent, until they are arcing all over with electricity. Again, they will flare up in blue flames.

A beam of energy will shoot out from the opponent's chest and into Xelius' palm, virtually draining them of energy, leaving them in excruciating pain. The energy drained can be used to recharge weapons, such as the Energy Rifle. Or it could be used to gain a simple boost, such as speed/agility. After using Energy Drain, the opponent will be incredibly exhausted and tired. It should be noted that they electricity and flames are virtually harmless to Xelius and the opponent. It's the energy transfer that leaves the opponents in excruciating pain.

-Electrokinesis: By charging his telekinesis device with energy, Xelius gains the ability of Electrokinesis. Electrokinesis is the power to manipulate energies, electrical currents, and generate electricity via the charged telekinesis device. Xelius is able to absorb, conduct, generate and manipulate a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons) which gives Xelius control over electric fields, electric charges, electric currents, electronics, and electromagnetism.

-Telepathy: On the back of his crown helmet, is a device neural linked to Xelius' essence. The device is capable of reading brainwaves, and translates it into thoughts. This allows Xelius a way to essentially read/hear an opponents thoughts. This makes life hard on the opponent, considering Xelius would know their battle tactics, strategies, and etc. Any hope for a plan to be formed in an opponents head would be immediately diminished, as Xelius would be able to intercept said plan.

-Repulse: Making a pushing motion with his left hand, a large pulse of high speed kinetic energy will be projected from the telekinetic device situated on his hand, launching his opponent away at high speeds. The opponent will usually be flung 75-100 feet away, however, the distance will be shorter if they are launched into a building or an object that can stop their flight.

-Shockwave: Slamming his palm into the ground, a large shockwave will be discharged outward from the telekinetic device. The resulting area becomes unstable, as large cracks begin to run along the ground. The opponent will be propelled backwards, but not too far. The instability radius (Where the ground becomes unstable, and large cracks appear) is 20-30 feet, while the knockback radius (The distance the opponent is flung away from Xelius) is 10-15 feet.

Intro Post:

Entering the large cave, Xelius took extreme caution. In was a Xelial Hive, one of the most lethal places in the Galaxy, mainly because of it's occupants. A large force of Erai were invading, not just this Hive, but the whole planet. Hives were all over the planet, but this one happened to be the largest.

Drudge after Drudge walked in, followed by Legionnaires, followed by Captains, followed by Wardens, followed by Centurions. Xelius activated his sword. It's brilliant light showed the danger around them. Swarmers, Humanoid yet Insect-like creatures, were pursuing them. They had no mouths, and ate by ripping apart their prey, and then absorbing the nutrients through their skin. They could also absorb nutrients through the ground as well.

The Erai were hunting the two leaders of the Xelials: The Queen, and The Overmind. Killing both would end the Xelial threat, once and for all.

The swarmers quickly swarmed the approaching Erai. Xelius began cutting them down, piece after piece, limb after limb of the Insect-Humanoids went flying. But he was soon overwhelmed. They climbed on top of him, there were so many he was forced in a kneeling position. Luckily, his shields were still holding up. Slamming his palm into the ground, he created a shockwave that launched the Swarmers away from him.

Looking around, he saw the other Erai. The Drudges were fighting hard, but some were quickly overwhelmed. Noticing a Centurion nearby, engaged in a fight with a more insectoid-looking creature. It had 8 legs on each side, 16 total. It was like a giant spider. He bared it's fangs, and spit out a continuous stream of acid at the Centurion.

Xelius charged the beast, and climbed on top of it's abdomen. It thrashed around like an angry bull, stopping it's attack on the Centurion. Holding his energy sword in a reverse grip, he held it above the beast's head, and plunged it into it's skull. The beast quickly fell to the ground, throwing Xelius off, and became motiionless.

"Centurion, how are you?" Xelius asked.

"I am fine. Thank you, Sovereign." The Centurion replied.

"Centurion, gather your troops. Lead a charge deeper into the Hive."

"Yes, Sovereign." The Centurion said, and began facing a few troops behind him.

"Legionnaires, Captains, and Wardens! Muster your troops, we charge deeper into this wretched Hive!" The Centurion bellowed.

Xelius watched them charge deeper into the Hive, watching the darkness consume them. But some caught the corner of his vision. He looked to the right to see a Drudge being grabbed and dragged away by a tentacle.

"You cannot hope to win this, foolish Erai." A telepathic voice said. It was the voice of The Overmind, speaking directly to Xelius.

Xelius joined the charge. They cleared out the Xelials along the way, and passed through a Labyrinth of tunnels. They came across a dead end. Before the went back, Xelius noticed a medallion, situated on a pedestal. He approached it, and so did a few Guardians, Erai who's role were the protection of higher ranks.

"Do not touch it! I've seen these things before. One of my best Centurions, Actraeus, disappeared after touching one of those, as if he was transported somewhere." Xelius said, stopping a Guardian from touching it.

Xelius turned around as he heard the roar of Xelials. They were approaching, fast. He quickly took out his Energy Rifle and took aim. He fired a stream of energy as Swarmers sprinted at them. The stream melted a Swarmer's torso completely, via splash damage. He fired more streams, attempting to suppress the incoming wave. The other Erai did the same, to no avail. However, the Xelials were stopped as they were attacked in the rear lines by another menace. Other Xelials had started attacking the incoming wave, resulting in what appeared to be a civil war.

"What?! How can she be here?! KILL HER, AND HER PETS!" The Overmind screeched in Telepathy, both to the Erai and his Xelials.

Apparently the Queen was here, however, it was clear the Queen and the Overmind were on different sides. Xelius charged, as suicidal as it was. The Erai force followed. Stretching his left arm out, Xelius projected a pulse of kinetic energy at the Xelials, flinging away some of their lines.

The Xelials got closer and closer, until the two forces collided and clashed. Utilizing Electrokinesis, Xelius sent out arcs of electricity, electrocuting three Swarmers. They stumbled on the ground, their lifeless corpses fried. He kept firing his Energy Rifle, until he noticed the power cells getting low on energy.

He quickly grabbed a Swarmer with Telekinesis, and watched as his left arm and the Swarmer glowed with blue fire, and began arcing with electricity. A beam of energy was extracted from the Swarmer's chest, into Xelius' palm. The energy recharged his Energy Rifle at a increased rate. Tossing the thing aside, he continued firing. Unexpectedly, he felt his right arm being wrapped up by a tentacle, and he was quickly dragged into the air. Xelius teleported to a nearby ledge, hanging on the wall of the carven-like Hive's dead end, out of the tentacle's grasp.

He looked at the clashing Xelial armies, the Overmind's Xelials versus the Queen's Xelials. He noticed that above them were lots of stalactites on the ceiling. He telekinetically grabbed them, though it was a tough process, since so much was being grabbed. It required a lot of energy. He pulled down the ceiling, along with the stalactites, causing the cavern to cave in on the Xelials, virtually crushing most of them. A tentacle grabbed his leg, and flung him off the ledge. He landed near the medallion. Before he could react, he was grabbed again, by the leg, and was being dragged into a nearby opening in the walls, where it was pitch black. Thinking it his only hope, he telekinetically grabbed the medallion, and pulled it towards him. Once he was able to physically grab it, he was teleported from the tentacles.

Everything around him turned blue. Like he was inside a hollow stream of blue energy. It ran downwards, while he was floating upwards. Beyond the blue stream was pure blackness. He knew the feeling all too well. It was the feeling of being transported across dimensions, a process he and his race liked to call "Dimensional Rifting" or "Rifting" for short. Rifting allowed him to be transported across dimension, or simply appear at another place in the same dimension. Though, it only worked with ships, and the fail safe. For example, if an Erai ship was on Earth, it could open a Rift and appear at Venus in a near instant, considering how close they are.

Looking up, he noticed a white light, signaling the end of the stream, and the entrance to a whole new dimension. Everything turned white as he got closer, until he couldn't see anything, not even his own self. Then reality came back. He fell on the ground, Medallion in his left hand. He didn't bother looking around, but something told him that the Medallion was important. The top layer of his chest armor deconstructed, forming a cavity that could perfect fit the Medallion. Placing the Medallion in the cavity, the top layer of the chest armor began to reconstruct, overlapping the Medallion and hiding it from view, as well as protecting it from external sources.

And with that, Xelius got out of his kneeling position, and stood up.

"Where have I ended up now? This is unlike any dimension I have explored so far. How odd." Xelius said, speaking to himself.

---

Misc:

Erai Ranks:

-Drudge, equivalent to a Soldier/Grunt/Private.
-Legionnaire, equivalent to a Lieutenant.
-Captain, equivalent to a Captain.
-Warden, equivalent to a Major.
-Centurion, equivalent to a General.
-Guardian, protects high ranks such as Centurion or Sovereign.
-Sovereign, highest Erai rank, is leader of the Erai.

[Guardian Cat of Yappa's]

SPOILER: Click to show

Origin: Earth 2245
Occupation: Experimentally Augmented Skunkwork PMC Soldier

First Name:Richard
Last Name: Hastings
Race: Caucasian
Age:26
Height: 6'2”
Weight:245 lbs

Appearance: Hastings is a muscular body type, with somewhat long black hair, and brown eyes. His body has been augmented and is visible in certain areas on his body, the most predominantly visible augmentation is in his back. Where it appears as though his upper back is metal.

Weaponry/Abilities
1 Three round burst pistol, hollow point 18 round magazine. (4 mags)
1 select fire mode assault rifle (Semi, 2 round burst, Full auto) 28 round mag (4 mags, 7.62mm rounds)
1 Katana Strapped on his back.

Full set of Combat armor, minus the helmet, Combat armor is made out of different polymers, highly resistant to small arms fire.

Augmentations:
Emergency arm cannon, that has been surgically placed inside his arm, the barrel extends out of the Palm of his hand when activated, one time use though.

Back Exo-skeleton/ Booster: The booster allows Hastings to charge his opponent quickly, Surgically implanted, it also serves as reinforcement to the bones it's attached to. Boost range 10-20 meters. Boosters extend out of his back when used appear as metal wing.

Hunter Killer Implant:Improved his hearing and sight, but at the cost of weakening his sense of smell and taste. Pain Threshold slightly decreased as well.
Strengths:
Surgical implants: Surgical implants have increased combat abilities.

Close combat training: Trained to fight in close combat scenarios with weaponry from ancient times, (Swords, Bo Staffs)

Trained Killer: Trained to kill anyone that he engages, does not take prisoners.
Weaknesses:

Surgical Implants: some of his combat abilities are reliant on his implants, Implants have messed with his threshold for pain.

Hunter/Killer mindset: Hastings deploys with the intent of killing whatever is in his way, doesn't think about how it will affect him to kill an enemy.

Experimental project member: Tools to repair/ Rearm himself unavailable due to his implants being experimental.

Biography:

Hastings was born into a world of desperation, created by the decisions of those before him. The world as we know it today died off by the end of the 21st century. The superpowers of the world had decimated each other through a series of cyberwarfare campaigns, along with various terrorist attacks across the globe, the world had become a very harsh place to live in. Major cities across the world suffered from extreme levels of poverty, due to the harsh effects on infrastructure by the cyberwarfare campaigns. The Majority of the 22nd century was spent by humanity trying to survive this new “Dark Age.” Meanwhile governments attempted to repair the damage done by their ancestors, as they held summits and other meetings. They came to a conclusion that many proclaimed was impossible, the outlawing of standing military forces and cyberwarfare campaigns.

Thus militaries around the world were slowly disbanded over a 20 year period, by 2185, all standing military forces from across the globe ceased to exist and a “time of peace” came to be. Of course, by the turn of the century, human nature took over, and so countries found one major loophole in the agreement that had been made years earlier. Countries were not allowed to have thier own standing armies, but the agreements never said anything about Private Military Contractors and so, war returned to the world. By 2219, Cities in countries all over the world were either ruins from battles, or being turned into war zones by PMCs hired by the governments of superpowers. The PMCs became a hub of economy for area’s they were located in, producing their own arms and vehicles, but they came at a risk, for other PMCs were constantly hired to attack locations that were being used as staging points for campaigns.

This was also the year Hastings was born in. Born and raised in the city of Detroit, he was one of the still 28% of people in Detroit living in extreme poverty. So he spent his early childhood as a street rat, having to scavenge for food and fight other kids for it, he learned quick that in this world it was kill or be killed. Hastings continued to roam the streets with his parents as a street rat until 2235, with the Sacking of Detroit.

In the year 2234, a British PMC set up shop in Detroit, they had been hired to launch a series of attacks on Canadian cities. They bought a good amount of the old manufacturing plants located throughout the city that had be abandoned years ago, and set to work. Towards the end of the year, Armored cars could be seen traveling across the city as the PMC prepared to assault it’s targets. In January of 2235 however, A Canadian PMC launched a strike against the PMC though, and the city became a warzone. After the first few hours of fighting, an american PMC called “Nightclaw” was hired to insert teams into the city and rescue american civilians. Hastings was recused on the third day by a Nightclaw ranger, and because his parents had been killed in the initial sacking of the city, hastings ended up joining Nightclaw. He Volunteered for the Elite Hunter Killer project (EHK) and spent eight years as a test subject, until 2243 when they determined that he was combat ready after running simulation after simulation after simulation.

Hastings has been deployed on 6 combat missions since then, the hatred and anger from his childhood combined with the mental effect of being turned into a tool of war, has turned him into a killing machine, his only want is to make the people suffer that made him suffer for his entire life.

Richard Hasting, Titan-1 

Frankfurt, Germany 

Operation BrassWing 

March 2245 

The hum of propellers filled the bay, everything within soaked in a blood red light, and dominated by the smell of sweat. Deployments always made the other soldiers tense, but Hasting never had a problem with them. He found the adrenaline rush to be the greatest feeling in the world, it was what he lived for now. His body instinctively running over his weapons, making sure everything was set for drop. He strapped his weapons onto him, the only sure way to make sure they didn't fall off during the drop. The occasional Flak round could be heard outside the ship, which meant the enemy knew they were here, and that they were almost on target.

"30 Seconds to drop!"

The other men inside the dropship prepared their suits, modified wing-suits that allowed them to control their descent speed well they fell. Murmurs from the other soldier filled the cabin as the back hatch opened. The air filled with explosions from Flak rounds that surrounded the craft. "10 seconds to drop, let Hastings go first." A smile crossed his face at this fact, as he brushed his air beside and crouched slightly. The sound of metal moving as two wings climbed out of his back and filled the area behind him. "See ya on the ground ol' man." Was all he could yell to the nightwing giving the orders, the same one that had saved his life.

The wings on his back slide forward slightly as the thrusters in them activated. Hasting went flying out of the aircraft, gliding forward with his arms spread out like he was a bird. for a few seconds from the propulsion from his suit. His body felt as light as a feather for a second, for others it would have been surreal, by Hasting wasn't like the others. He ducked his head to roll himself forward, mentally activating his thrusters when his body was pointed towards the ground. A flak round passed by him as he continued his roll, angling his thrusters towards the ground. His feet under him as he prepared for impact with the ground. The heat from his thrusters warmed his back as he made impact with the earth, shattering the asphalt underneath his feet. "Titan-1 is on the ground." sounded off over the radio, as Hasting moved towards his target. His thruster-wings hugging his body so they could be used quickly, well his mind processed the information that his enhanced hearing and sound collected. The target was inside a factory two blocks away, and Hastings was determine to reach it.

Cars and trucks littered the road ahead of him, soldiers from both sides moving between the cars, rounds pinging off the chassis off cars and structures of buildings. In his mind though, Hasting was ready to kill. He started running towards one of the cars, climbing over it and jumping as he reached the roof. The heat from his thrusters warmed his back as he went flying towards his target. He drew his sword as he rolled again, this time putting his feet forward as he connected with a soldier that had popped up from cover. The german was crushed under his weight as he sliced the soldiers around him with his sword. Their bodies dropping as he rolled over a car just in time to dodge a burst of rounds.

"Titan-1 to command, there's alot of baddies down here, they kinda got me pinned." Honestly he was only stopping to allow the ol' man to catch up, he felt like he took all the fun out of it for him.

"Stop Bulls***ing command Titan, move towards the target, we got the goons if you don't want to deal with them."

I couldn't help it ol' man, you're just to slow to keep up, Hasting thought, "Copy that, moving towards the target."

He turned and started running, less than a block away from the factory now. Guards were dug in behind sandbags in front of the factory, nothing he would have to deal with though. He ran up onto the side of the building* and angled himself towards a second story window the factory had. He pushed off and went flying as the thruster flared for only a second again. His body was basically a flying bullet as he crashed through the window, and tumbled down the hallway, the wings on his thrusters tearing apart everything they impacted with, until he finally stopped rolling. Alright, I'm in, the target should be someone around here, awe there it is. The H.U.D. in his vision showed that the target was about 20 feet away. So he pulled out his pistol and made a mad dash for it, as the soldiers from downstairs rushed up to reach him. The hallway made a sharp left, and without thinking he ran into the turn and came face to face with two guards. "Oh s*** sorry my bad."

Hasting dropped back into cover, as they attempted to shoot him, before popping out and letting the gun talk to them. "Hmm I guess they can't handle a heart to heart talk." He muttered as he stormed into the room, that surprised Hasting completely. An Amulet, was just sitting in the middle of the room, encased in a plastic shell.

"Titan-1 to command, I found the target, it's...it's different, I'm gonna try to pick it up." Before command could even respond, the ol' man cut in, "Richard, hold on, don't touch anything until we get there, just ho-" The comm line had cut off, because Hasting had gone and picked up the plastic rock holding the amulet and smashed it against the ground breaking the only thing protecting him from it's power, and when his hand made contact, he was warped to an unknown place, surrounded by unknown people.

[MrKill]

SPOILER: Click to show

Onyx the Black

"This winged beast destroyed my home, killed my family. Tens of billions burned to a crisp, our armies are nothing but molten metal and charred skeletons. Our people stood and fought, but fell in now silent graves. Onyx the Black is a wicked and destructive fire-drake from beneath my planets crust, and if he's arrived on your planet, either leave or make peace! Legend says...it's born from fire and raised in hatred. This is my final recording, may the gods have mercy on my soul, for I have been proven unworthy - and if you see it, may who ever you talk to the heavens too have mercy on yours."

- Proximity radio frequency recording embedded into the drakes thick hide.

Appearance

"Okay, good. It's working. If you're hearing this... That is. If that so is the case, then I'm assuming the build in translator is working, as I doubt that we'll have the same language. You're picking up a signal embedded into a very dangerous creature. One thing that is shared with all humanoid races is the fact they have myths. Legends. Creatures from the depths themselves, rumored to rise when the civilization has become aggressive... war-like. Well, this creature was my civilizations undoing, our irreversible lesson.

If you haven't already, you're about to come face to face with a gigantic creature, hundreds of meters in length. *Long exhale* It was as long as our best warships. This creature is almost pure black. On our planet it was like the color of a certain material, so it gained the nickname 'Onyx'. That used to be a solid metallic black ore on my planet manufactured into making powerful weapons capable of firing hard light bursts.

Regardless, this is to help you either fight it, or accept the fact your race is about to be culled. If you have yet to detect the creature, but are hearing this transmission, it is not a hoax or a joke. My name is -unintelligible-, but the translator likely won't be able to translate that. I don't have proof, but I know you'll start listening when you see this creature.

Let's start with it's appearance..."

Onyx is a mythical fire-drake from the planet Kedelsdorf (Kepler-440) that arose many nights ago, equivalent to four Earth years, and stayed far beneath the surface where the planets magma was. Due to her presence around the planets core and molten rock the scales of this mythical beast have both hardened and darkened. Nearly born and raised from heat and flame itself, the fire-drake has rhythmic pulsating red irises surrounding a smoke colored pupil, making it look like her eyes are on fire from the distance, further being surrounded by the remaining darkened white parts of the eye itself.

The fire-drakes proportional neck, body, legs and tail come together to measure a length of seventy five units, or roughly one hundred eighty seven meters for human mathematics. The fire-drakes width is roughly thirty seven units, or roughly ninety three meters, with its wings folded. Total combined wing length is roughly ninety units, or two hundred and twenty five meters - one hundred twelve meters for each wing at full expansion.

Onyx has sharp talons, with six talons on each leg, four talons on the front and two on the back for superior gripping abilities. Along the top of the fire-drakes back is large, bone like defensive spikes that protrude from the scales and remain the same length throughout the body of the beast, only getting smaller around the horns near the head. At the head of the fire-drake, large canine like teeth are hidden behind a scaled mouth, with only the fore fangs revealing themselves near the tip of the jaw.

At the top of the beasts head is two inwardly curved to progressively outwardly curved horns that run nearly perpendicular with the skills angle, though these aren't very large in comparison to some of the spikes along the fire-drakes back. Her body is built like a building, large and well structured. The creature is naturally well muscled, being both surprisingly thick and - despite already looking strong - being stronger than appearing.

History

"Okay, good. You're still alive after learning about your new adversary. Great, now you will notice what a one hundred and sixty unit creature looks like, if you've managed to miss it. I'm not being rude, it's quite hard to spot at night, at least on my planet. You might have already seen it, but missed it in the blackness of the night, where it likes to roam and hunt.

Let's move on to some history of this creature. It first arose on the four-five-eight cycle (human year, 2013?) on the twenty seventh daybreak, and because we had only heard of this beast in our myths as being destructive and murderous, we eventually took military action and engaged the fire-drake with all the military forces we had available in the region. The creature retreated back to a mountain peak to far in height for anything but our fighter craft to engage, a mere four hours after it appeared.

When we did send the fighters, they were all destroyed by an immense heat that melted everything in its path. Over a hundred fighter planes crashed into the mountains while the fire-drake hovered within the cover of the clouds, thermal pictures spotted the entire creature aglow from within. The flaming wreckage from an entire regional defense airforce destroyed and burning for the public to see caused an uproar and they demanded it dead, but the creature retreated back to its mountain. For eleven daybreaks we sent search parties looking for the beast, but it never emerged from its den.

Four daybreaks after the last search party our entire civilization came to a crushing end. The creature emerged after we fired hardlight* bombs at the mountain, completely obliterating the rock and stone, yet our bombs didn't manage to kill the creature. It came in hard and fast, hitting military garrison after garrison. Millions died within the first daybreak, and at the setting dusk of the first day, a large minority of our military had been wiped out - just over one million dead.

Civilians took their place during the second day and took up arms against the creature, but what cost us our civilization was using the remnants of our military to engage the drake instead of rebuilding and retraining our troops for this new enemy. We sent in over nine million warriors - and after numerous hours of heavy fighting - the drake emerged victorious.

The survivors of our military fled towards our most heavily defended city, a mere one million warriors returned, then were tasked with defending the rest of our heavily populated cities. That was just ten percent of what our military was just a few daybreaks before. The following day most of those cities were anything but the cities they had once been - melted and destroyed - and marked the day we were judged by a force we had neglected to respect.

The drake continued to lay waste to city after city, killing the entire planet, melting entire cities and halting a once technological species because we forgot our prophecies of peace and religion. We were exterminated because we resorted to violence as a first contact scenario, and we paid the unmistakable price. Right now, as I speak these words, our last city falls to the flames and fire of the drake, but I still have more to say before my time too is up."

Onyx was born from a much higher power than any mortal could imagine, beings that have shed from the physical limits and watched over the galaxy as protectors of the universe. When a race became to war-like or destructive to their own species, other species or individually to themselves they summoned creatures born from fire but mortal, not because it is solely destructive, but because fire represents purity. Fire represents cleansing, passion... but it also destroys the darkness and replaces it with light.

Onyx was created as a miracle of nature - a mixing of fire and mythical creature, spewed and placed near the heat and warmth of the magma of a planets core to develop and grow. Born gender-less until it decided to be female by choice, realizing she was the spawn of a new race of mortal creatures. She also realized that, while knowing what she had to do, she did not represent destruction and death.

While a significant creature to the history of the milky-way galaxy, the drake had to gain intelligence just like any other known sentient creature. She learned the basics, like flying and hunting to feed herself, but reached a peak where her creators passed down the required knowledge and dismissed the drake from their care, she was independent. It was her decision if this race she had been sent to judge was too destructive.

At first, when the humanoid creatures first launched an attack with their powerful mechanical aircraft, Onyx realized that they were scared and attempting to defend themselves - but she too had to defend herself or die. She was aware of the myth surrounding her species, the destroyer of worlds, a fire-drake - and knew this race of beings would need time to adapt to the fact the myth was genuine. She had the intention of being peaceful, but realized the race of humanoids were to warlike when they destroyed her home within the mountains.

She proceeded to destroy the race, leaving only a few survivors to rekindle the once flourishing civilization. She didn't completely wipe them out, seeing signs of peace and regret, but the message hand to be sent. Perhaps now they wouldn't turn to destructive ways anymore.

Personality

"Before I perish, I must warn you about this creatures personality. It is mortal, understand that, who ever you are. And if its mortal it has a personality, a soul. I hope that my information I'm about to tell you either saves you, your race... or helps you defeat this creature. Over the course of the last ten daybreaks our top researchers have put a trumenous amount of research into this creature.

We were once a selfish and arrogant race, the majority of us, but when our top researchers on the mind and body and relevant relationships came together we quickly begun to break down the creatures personality. We figured out it was being defensive rather than offensive, only retaliating when we attacked it. We figured out that it was protective and, despite us trying to kill it, it only attacked after we eventually destroyed its home. It has patience, it has understanding.

But that's not saying a lot, however. This creature is extremely smart, it is intelligent. Make no mistake, do not assume you're smarter than it, because you'll start to under estimate it or over estimate yourself... and you will pay the price. Do not assume that because it is calm at one point it will not realize an ambush is coming. That will be your undoing.\

This winged beast destroyed my home, killed my family. Tens of billions burned to a crisp, our armies are nothing but molten metal and charred skeletons. Our people stood and fought, but fell in now silent graves. Onyx the Black is a wicked and destructive fire-drake from beneath my planets crust, and if he's arrived on your planet, either leave or make peace! Legend says...it's born from fire and raised in hatred. This is my final recording, may the gods have mercy on my soul, for I have been proven unworthy - and if you see it, may who ever you talk to the heavens too have mercy on yours."

Onyx is not an overly aggressive fire-drake (Dragon), possessing both patience and understanding. Though she will defend herself defensively, she will not attack aggressively unless provoked. Due to her recent encounter and extermination of a race of beings, she is more hostile than she was before. She will quickly judge a warlike species and the moment she decides they are too warlike she will proceed to wipe the military's around her off the face of the planet they stood.

Onyx has an extremely sharp intelligence, half of it because of her brains ability to hold information and pure size, while the other half was the information granted by her creators. She uses this knowledge to judge a race reasonably. If a race has a corrupted armed force, she will exterminate only those who fight against her, while leaving those who surrender alone to live in peace.

While not naturally aggressive or hostile, she does remain calm.

Weapons, defenses and abilities.

Weapons:
- Breath of Fire: This breath of fire is almost like a burning flaming liquid acid, melting nearly anything in a steady stream of fire. In order to maintain the heat and destructiveness of the flame Onyx has to frequently burrow underground towards a planets molten rock.

- Talons/Claws: Sharp, pointy and huge... Not much more needs to be said.

- Tail: The bluntness of her tail is a defensive weapon to those who've managed to get around her. The extra spikes nearby work well against flesh or armored targets as a bonus.

Abilities:
- Flying: Naturally, this fire-drake/dragon can fly.

- Burrowing: Like a mole, Onyx can dig a hole extremely fast with her powerful legs. This is used as a defensive measure, almost like a worm, where she'll burrow deep down into the planets crust for protection.

Defenses:
- Defensive Scales: Her hide is protected by extremely thick, interweaving scales. This is her armor, but they're not indestructible. They can get destroyed and fall off, but eventually - like hair on an animal - they will grow back.

- Defensive Spikes: Along her back and tail are defensive spikes, extremely sharp and various lengths.

---

Hardlight* - In my story, the 'race' of beings is equivalent to the 1990's humanity in terms of technology. However, instead of powdered projectiles, this race used protons to make a solid projectile from electric powered weapons. They were also slightly more advanced in terms of electronic technology because of this, but the translator in the profile above is the 'pinnacle' of their electronic technology.

The fire drake flew over the blistering, boiling city below her in a circular pattern - waiting for the rise of automatic weapon fire to meet her predictable flight patterns - but no rounds came to intercept her path. She continued to fly circles around the destroyed city of Thellaisa, what the inhabitants had once called it, to make sure the warlike filth below had been exterminated. It remained silent and eventually the blackened dragon moved away from the liquefied population center.

But something within it's molten steel caught the fire-drakes eye, something that had an undeniable lure to it. Her curiosity was drawn towards the object the moment she saw it shining through the super-heated metal. It felt as if it was controlling her mind even as the dragon attempted to disconnect her attention to focus on the movement she had spotted in her peripheral vision. With a twisting plunge the massive drake dived towards the planets ground at tremendous speed and leveled off with a mighty push of her enormous wings, leveling trees that had been standing underneath as the pressure to keep the drake from crashing created hurricane winds for a brief second.

With a sudden thump the drake landed on all fours, excitement radiating throughout her body. She had landed just beyond the city, the intense rising heat making the horizon look like a red lake. As she approached someone opened fire on her, the hard-light ammunition the humanoid species on this planet impacting her thick scales. Within a moment the drake had turned, ignited her inner fire and sent a steam of her acidic weapon towards the militant. She heard him scream but fell silent shortly after, a survivor of the city most likely. It mattered nothing to her and within moments she had reached the city limits. Many of the species on this planet would die instantly at the touch of the molten metal but the drake, who made her homes near the core of the planet, was comforted by the heat.

She navigated towards the mysterious item buried underneath hardening metal. She reached out with a claw touched the object. It reacted to her touch, breaking through its molten restraints. Hot metal teardrops rained down from the object and splattered as it hit the cooling surface, sizzling at condensation begun to form around the drake. The object vibrated as it rose high into the sky but the Drake recoiled in suspicion for a moment, defending herself by curling into a defensive ball by presenting her head and tail towards the glowing item.

When the ground begun to tremble, growing more and more violent as seconds past, the drake pushed her wings down and left the ground with a near effortless push. She scanned around, the item in front of her not holding her curiosity any longer, and noticed that trees shook aggressively and damaged buildings that still remained upright collapsed, but suddenly rise up to join the drake in flight.

The drake was no longer curious, but rather intimidated. Was this her punishment for misjudging this race of beings that she had all but exterminated? The sky had darkened. Including the feeling the intimidation she felt there was also an uncontrollable rush of energy surging through her body.

Uncontrollable energy. Flame shot out of her opened mouth as the object begun to slice things apart. The sky seemed to split apart, followed by the city that lay destroyed underneath. Eventually, when only the device remained, it poorly lit up the dark surroundings it had created. With one final pulse of light the device sent the dragon through a magnitude of colors at speeds she had never experienced before.

It was dizzying, her mind lanced with irritation and confusion, but there was nothing she should do. All she had control of was her eyes, so she closed them in hopes that what ever this was would be over soon.

[Spartan 999]

SPOILER: Click to show

Name: Unknown
Moniker: “Orion”
Gender: Male (Probably)
Height: 11' 3”
Weight: Somewhat Light
Appearance: Orion is most definitely not human. From a distance, in a black and white picture, he almost looks human. He stands almost twice as tall as an average human, and has hard greyish skin and no hair; one might mistake him for a statue that came to life, and they wouldn't be far off. His eyes shine brightly like floodlights, illuminating the entire area in front of him. Last but not least, on his forehead is a rune-like sigil or hieroglyph that translates into “ORION”, but whether that is his actual name, his creator/master, or something else is unknown.

His attire, or what little he wears, is mostly dark and nondescript. The gloves are about elbow-length and flared a bit at the end; the calf-length cloak is held by two straps that run diagonally across his bare chest from shoulder to waist, crisscrossing the other, and it has a hood that, when pulled over his head, completely obscures his face in shadow (unless he opens his eyes); the pants are nothing special, but that e boots have no laces, straps, or anything else to secure them to his feet--they just seem to have been perfectly molded to his feet.


Equipment:
~He favors a recurve bow sized appropriately for him. It can be summoned on command (and can have an arrow already nocked if he so wishes), and if it is damaged, he can reflexively will it to vanish, but he cannot summon it again for several seconds while it repairs itself. That being said, it is very durable and able to withstand quite a bit of punishment before actually breaking. It also has a dart launcher built in, which can launch darts that change based on the situation (some might be poisoned, others could be flashbangs, a third might be a spy device that listens in and watches events in the nearby vicinity, and such).

~The arrows and quiver for his bow can be summoned and dismissed on command. They seem to be endless, though in reality Orion has simply created/found and subsequently stored a lot of arrows into the magically-enhanced quiver. Whatever type of arrow he desires is can be drawn from the quiver. Speaking of which, he almost always uses a trick arrow. Their effects/traits vary from being seeking, explosive, phasing, and thermite-esque to poisoned, grappling (essentially an arrow bolas), sonic/soundburst, and EMP/dispelling arrows. Note: Arrows will also not harm or seek after him, at least not without interference; if a seeking/homing arrow, for instance, if following its target, was maneuvered in the process so it was aimed at Orion instead, would dissipate upon coming within a few meters of the hunter. In short, he has an arrow for every occasion.

~His cloak, boots, and gloves are all made and enchanted for optimum stealth. They dampen sound to practically nothing, leave no tracks, and obscure him, especially in dark environments. His boots also allow him to adhere to almost anything if he so chooses.


Powers and Abilities: Orion is, appropriately, much stronger and more durable than a human. However, even still he is quite a bit stronger and tougher than his size suggests. His physiology is also quite unusual, in that he doesn't breathe and doesn't need to eat or rest; this makes him that much better of a hunter. If he was cut or a limb was severed, a dimly glowing mist-like substance would drift out and quickly dissipate, apparently in place of blood. Also, his instead of blood vessels, muscle, and bone, there are just several hollow vein-like tubes running through his body that hold the glowing mist-blood in. Whether he's an actual animated statue or some alien being is unknown--not that he'd tell anyone.

Of note is also his abilities of perception and foresight. As having eyes akin to the sun isn't that great for concealing one's presence, Orion has adapted. He is able to sense the nearby environment and feel the slightest vibration, sound, or change in air current as well. Even with his eyes closed, he is an expert marksman. That being said, if he chooses to open his eyes, that's when things get a lot crazier. Somehow, he has the ability to more or less predict what will most likely happen if he can see things with his eyes. That grants him unparalleled accuracy and battlefield control, and gives him the opportunity to drastically increase his rate of fire.


Personality and Tactics: The one thing you must understand about Orion is that he may not actually be sentient, at least not in the traditional sense. He does nothing unless it has to do with the Hunt; he does not rest, does not speak, does not recognize any known laws or morality. If he thinks something is worth hunting, he will pursue it relentlessly until it has been slain. One cannot reason with him, whether they be his prey or a simple bystander--though heaven help said bystander if they try to interrupt his work. He has no qualms about killing “innocents” if they get in his way or attack him, but will not spare them a second thought if they just do nothing or flee.

From what a telepath tried to discern about Orion's thoughts, they learned that he doesn't really think in the same way a human does. There are no words, barely any emotions, just distorted images and a drive to continue the Hunt, and even then the definition and goal(s) of “the Hunt” are rather vague at best (at least to an outside perspective).

As for actual blow-by-blow battle tactics, Orion is an absolute master of practically all forms of archery, and he's quite flexible with a bow. When in stealth, he generally relies on single-shot kills, and so goes for nocking the arrow on the side opposite his non-bow arm while canting the bow at an angle. However, he can change in an instant to a far more aggressive pattern where he holds around 3-6 arrows in his non-bow hand and fires them rapidly before grabbing more from his quiver; he generally does this when in the heat of actual combat, where he doesn't fear being discovered by his prey. He is also comfortable with using the bow in each hand. (For reference, see this: )


Motivation: Were Orion to gain power over time and space, he would use it to become the ultimate hunter, finding some of the deadliest creatures at all points in history and making them his prey. He would find his long lost steed again and ride it as in the days of the Wild Hunt of old. Nothing could escape him, nothing would be able to stop him (so far as we know, anyway). And if anyone interferes with his quests to gain this power, he will show no mercy.


Brief History: The entity commonly known as Orion has been called many things throughout his existence (such as the Hunter, Venator, the Bowman/Archer, the Stalker, Theron, and more), but no one knows what exactly he is or how he came into existence. The mystery will go on, as he isn't exactly talking. However, one thing that is known about Orion is that he was part of an epic Wild Hunt that spanned the planes in eons past. Evidently that experience stuck with him for one reason or another, and he seems fully intent on continuing the Wild Hunt all by himself. Why? Who the hell knows, but it doesn't change that fact that pondering on his backstory too much will get you an arrow in the face for your trouble.

The creature snuffled as it peered down its long snout at a plant growing from the volcanic ground. Deciding the fluffy red fern was edible, it swiftly bit off and swallowed the more nutritious parts.

Observing the beast from afar was a figure cloaked in shadow--almost literally, as his cloak was specially enchanted to conceal him. He was perched on one of the pointed rocket outcroppings overlooking the sparse wasteland-like environment, but interestingly, his eyes were closed tightly beneath his hood. Not that one could tell, seeing as how said hood cast an impenetrable darkness over his face.

The observer was still, listening to the noises his quarry made, smelling the scents carried on the air, and feeling the vibrations in the earth. Slowly, he reached forward with one forearm and formed his hand into position where it looked like it was gripping something invisible. An instant later, a bow materialized in that hand, and it had an arrow already nocked.

He canted the bow and drew back the arrow, aiming it at the grazing creature some distance away. With the scouring wind blowing strong across the landscape, he shifted his aim to account for the wind. The observer, actually a hunter, let the arrow fly.

Perhaps sensing something amiss, the beast lifted its head and turned to survey the immediate vicinity. Fortunately for it, doing so saved its life. Though the arrow curved slightly from the homing magic infusing it, it wasn't enough to make it a lethal hit.

The creature bellowed in surprise when the five foot-long arrow slammed into its flank. It reared on its hind feet and howled momentarily.

The hunter, having anticipated such an event occurring, pointed his bow and pressed a little key on the side of the grip. From a few inches above where he would nock an arrow, a dart was launched out. Its trajectory arced in the wind, but it still hit true.

The beast heard the minute sound of the dart imbedding itself into a rock nearby and swiveled to look at it. A mistake, as the dart detonated in a flashbang-like way. Startled and partially blind, it dropped back to all sixes and started galloping further into the forest of rocky spire-outcroppings.

Its pursuer gave chase, first sliding to the edge of the outcropping he was on and dropping off so he hung from it by his knees. He pulled an arrow from the quiver that had materialized on his back and fired it through an opening between two protrusions in order to hit his quarry in the shoulder. But its hide was thick, and despite the size of the arrow and its force, the creature was barely wounded. It definitely noticed the attack, though. It cast its gaze about wildly, but saw nothing.

The hunter lifted himself up in a crunch, then moved one leg so it was poised between himself and the rock face, and used it to kick off. He flipped backwards through the air, twisted, then drew an arrow. He tossed his bow to the arrow hand, allowing him to grab the ledge of another outcropping with his newly-freed hand and hang there. Not wasting time to clamber up to the top of the outcropping, he lifted one foot, hooked it inside his bow, and held it there as he pulled the arrow back and loosed it.

When the arrow landed in front of the creature, it detonated and threw a series of cluster bombs into the air, which exploded in a firework-like manner. That spooked it and diverted it towards its hunter and a denser area of the stoney outcroppings. He tossed his bow up with his foot, then momentarily glanced at the underside of the ledge he was holding. The brief flash of light didn't reveal his location, but it did give him a good look at the structural integrity of the stone, as well as its weak points.

He drew another arrow and rammed it into the underside at a certain angle, causing it to crack and break apart. A small, thin piece of the rock dropped from the underside. The hunter let go of the ledge and took hold of the shale-like piece before hurling it like a discus in the direction his prey was running. That done, he grabbed the bow that was descending beside him, drew and nocked an arrow, and shot it into the fleeing creature's lower back.

The cable connected the arrow to the bow snapped taut, violently yanking the hunter along after the beast. He bounced after hitting the ground, but was apparently unfazed. He stuck his legs out so he landed on the disc-esque piece of stone as it spun and skidded on the ground. With his new-found “surfboard”, he was able to maintain a steady balance while being pulled along by the beast.

The hunter wasn't fully able to move his bow so it was aimed at his target, so he made due with a few seeker arrows, which he sent rapidly one after the other. Equipped with what could best be described as magical thermite, once they imbedded in one of the creature's legs, they unleashed a payload of the intensely burning material, which weakened its.

It made a sharp turn through the forest of rock fangs, causing the hunter to skid and slide up onto higher ground. He went up off a ramp and landed on one of the lower outcroppings and a jutting piece of rock. The makeshift surfboard cracked almost completely in half when it hit the ridge, making it useless for the hunter. He pushed off the slate with one leg, then jumped off the edge of the outcropping using the other.

He went for height, mainly, and once more tossed his bow up. He rolled forward in the air, pulled out two arrows from his quiver--one in each hand--and plunged them into the beast's flank after descending. The hunter used his arrows to help him climb along the side of the monster, but it did something unexpected.

Since it felt the hunter moving on its body, the creature tried to dislodge him by coming to a screeching halt and shook violently. It needn't have bothered with the latter action, however, since the hunter had pulled one of the arrows out to continue his climb. The lone arrow imbedded in the creature's hid snapped off where the hunter held it, and his momentum propelled him forward.

The hunter planted a foot on one of the creature's leg joints and kicked off, giving him some upward velocity. He spun in the air and hurled the remaining arrow at the monster's face, and it cried out in pain and rage when it suddenly went blind in one eye.

Meanwhile, the hunter grabbed his bow, which had arced up and over the creature. He held tight, even when the cable snapped taught. When that happened, he disconnected the cable and flipped backwards mid-air. He landed in a crouch, bow at the ready.

However, just as he pulled out six arrows and readied one to fire, an ominous pulsating hum filled the air, and a split-second later a stream of oscillating energy of some kind issued forth from the creature's triple horns. The shockwave it made upon hitting the ground staggered the hunter.

The creature bellowed and tried to focus in on its attacker's location with its good eye, but with pain shooting through it and the hunter still mostly concealed by his cloak, it didn't have much luck. All it could figure out was the general direction he was in, but that was enough.

Several more streams carved into the ground, one of them coming close enough to knock the hunter off his feet, bow clattering away to be destroyed by another wild beam attack. The creature charged a moment after, and the hunter couldn't help but slam into its stampeding legs. It felt the impact and whirled to slash with its paws, and the talons tipping one of said paws clipped the hunter. Now the creature was able to tell where the prone hunter was, and attacked accordingly. Its viciously-spiked tail swept along the ground and easily whacked the hunter away.

He slammed into one of the outcroppings and fell ungainly to the ground. A prolonged beam attack shattered the outcropping and a couple adjacent ones, sending an awful lot of rubble down on top of the hunter.

The beast lifted its head and howled in victory. It turned and started to shamble away, limping heavily because of its many wounds.

Before it had gone too far, it perked up at the sound of stone scraping against stone. It turned and saw the pile of rubble shifting, moving, as the hunter pushed his way out.

Heavily battered, with his attire coated in stone dust and rent in several places, the hunter rose to his feet. Faintly glowing white mist seeped from a couple gashes in his chest. It wasn't really quite mist, though; it had more substance and density.

The creature bared its sharp teeth and crouched low, ready to fight with the much smaller hunter again. The hunter moved as well. He lifted both hands into the air, and opened his eyes. The immediate area suddenly became as brightly lit as day, his eyes shining like twin stars. His hood slid down from his bald head, revealing a runic symbol on his forehead that could be translated to “ORION”.

In the left hand, his bow formed, and in the right, three arrows materialized. Orion (as he was commonly called due to his forehead symbol) dashed towards his prey--seemingly none the worse for wear despite his injuries--as it, in turn, charged. He nocked an arrow when he heard the familiar building hum and fired it up at the creature's head.

The arrow exploded on impact, destroying the monster's horns. That created a flare of energy which blinded and stunned it.

Orion shot his second arrow at the ground in front of the creature. The entirety of the arrow unfolded when it hit, creating a wide vine-like spread of caltrop-brambles with long, sharp thorns on each tendril. When the creature landed on the brambles with both of its front paws, it shrieked; despite the thorns not being able to fully pierce its flesh, they did send a nasty shock up its victim's nerves, causing intense pain.

The creature jumped to avoid stepping on the rest of the brambles and to, hopefully outmaneuver its hunter. Unfortunately for it, this was not to be.

Orion ducked low and leaned on his bent right leg, turning around to aim his final arrow up at the beast's underbelly. He let fly, and the armor-piercing arrow did as it should. The arrow, now lodged deep inside the monster's upper torso near its hearts, created a rapid and contained gravitational pulse. It alternated acting as both a repulsion field and a singularity in quick succession, with the combined result being the liquidization of the beast's internal organs, more or less.

The creature was dead before it hit the ground.

When Orion approached it, blood spilling freely from its gaping maw, he took a second to savor his kill, basking in the moment.

Then he felt something strange. He looked down and saw something small and circular on the ground, apparently having slid out from somewhere within the beast, most likely its stomach. But after a second, he paid it no further heed and turned to walk away.

Still, though... Orion felt an inexplicably pull towards the object, a compulsion forcing him to turn and regard it once more. He fought against it with every ounce of his will; investigating something like that went entirely against what he was.

And still, he reached out a foot and nudged the object. Judging from its outline in the monster's blood and mushed organs, it was a medallion of some sort.

With a tremendous amount of effort, Orion turned his back on it and took one step away. Then another. And another. So intense was his concentration that he didn't notice the sounds and vibrations happening behind him, at least until the entire world was sliced asunder by beams of light.

He summoned his bow and quiver and tried to draw an arrow back, but his weapons faded again into insubstantiality, their forms pulled backwards to where the medallion was now spinning around the crystal at its center.

Orion was turned to face the medallion, and he felt himself being pulled towards it despite his best effort. Feet sliding across the uneven ground, he saw everything open up before him.

With the world now in tatters, the streaming ribbons of his dimension gave way to a vast cosmic all that seemed at once as an immense area of space, a limitless ocean, and a narrow tunnel that stretched on forever into the depths of creation.

After a time, the medallion shot forth, moving faster than literally anything as it plunged into...whatever it was, and Orion found himself dragged after it to who knows where.

The rift snapped shut, and all was still in the wasteland once more.

[Samuel Murray]

SPOILER: Click to show

"I don't Fear Death, it fears me.." 

"You believe that makes you stronger?" 

"Yes..." 

"How so?" 

"I understand it's affects, I can harness it to stop the injustices in this city..." 

"The same injustices that killed your daughter?" 

"Don't mention Irene..." 

"I will mention Irene, she was my granddaughter, you are my son. I know you have seen things in your life, you believe that this ability you have makes you stronger. But, it makes you weak, it doesn't make you what you truly are-human." 

"You're weak...You think I don't understand what it meant to loose her, I protect this city, I protect it while thousands of citizens like you simply sit here and let these injustices continue..." 

"Then I have truly lost you, like I have lost your mother, and my granddaughter to this city. It owes you nothing-There is nothing for you here, but you continue to fight, why? You served your country and now you're attempting to serve your city...I know what this means-I know you will never stop fighting, hunting, hoping that every crime you stop that it'll bring back Irene-but, it won't." 

"You don't know me, you were never there for me, you were never a true father figure..." 

"I know and I know what this means...Goodbye my son." 

-Richard Morrison speaking to his Father (Issue #1) 

---

Name: Richard Morrison
Alias: The Raven
Appearance:

SPOILER: Click to show

History:
Richard Morrison is a man that holds a troubled past. Coming from a relatively poor family-he spent most of his younger childhood fighting and attempting to defy the odds. He is considered very intelligent, but without the proper resources or money, Richard was never to further his education into college and beyond. Instead, he joined the military-serving in the United States Army. With his intelligent mind and driven ambition-Richard found that there wasn't money to be made in the government sector.

After leaving the military, he quickly joined a private military company which traveled all throughout the world. He was married and had one child-a young daughter named Irene. Though it began to seem that Richard had everything he quickly found himself involved in criminal activity in various parts of the world. Realizing that he was too deep, Richard wanted to look for a way out, but was quickly betrayed by his contractor's-The Kaloon crime family-and was left for dead deep in the Scandinavian Mountains to die.

Luckily for Richard he would be found by a mysterious group of monks known as The Eyes of Equatis, who successfully were able to bring Richard back from the dead-signifying that he was one of only four individuals in the world known as The Reclaimers-or the fists that the Equatis would use to bring their sense of justice to the world. When Richard arrived to the monastery he began a four year journey into training his body and mind to harness his special abilities-to communicate and harness the souls of murdered men to further is mission.

After being instructed that he was the third Reclaimer he would travel back to his home city where he would use the art of shadows and deception to bring an end to the various other mutants that inhabited the city, thus empowering the Equatis to rule various parts of the world. Richard quickly dismissed the idea and fled from the monastery and the insidious order.

When arriving home, he would quickly find that the city he once called home had fallen to darkness, various groups of mutants and villains had begun to attack the various parts of the megalopolis, though there were other heroes in various different districts, the lower slums were left unguarded and vulnerable-but, making things worse, Richard had learned that his wife had left the city two years prior after the death of his daughter in a convenience store robbery. With no one to turn to, but his father, he quickly moved home and vowed to use his powers he learned to bring an end to the injustice within the city. With the help of his employer-Gregory Sutton-an influential business man aspiring to become a famed political hero recognized Richard's special abilities and vowed an oath of secrecy and began to quickly fund Richard a set of assets and a suit to fight crime. With the tools in place, Richard dawned the name: The Raven-which signified he was the soul of a murdered man-and began to dive into the depth of combating the city's crime.

Special Abilities/Skills:
Communicate with the Dead: Richard has the ability to speak to various dead entities through the squawking of crows and various dark birds. These birds help keep Richard informed on various events that they witnessed in particular areas.

Harness the Dead: Richard has the special ability to call on the various crows and dark birds to swarm and confuse an enemy-thus striking fear into their souls. This is a rare ability that takes a lot of energy to use and he would only use it when needed.

Hand to Hand Expert: With years of studying and training under his belt, Richard has lighting quick reflexes and can go toe to toe with just about anyone.

Human: Though Richard has these special abilities he is not considered a mutant like some of the other heroes. Instead he can still tire somewhat and he can be killed like any normal man.

Personality:
When I created The Raven a long time ago I was fascinated with a more centralized human based superhero. One that maybe people could relate to, but he still had unique abilities that would fascinate and captivate the readers. Now of course this tournament is going to put him out of his element per say, but the ideas of his core personality will still be there.

The main idea that drives Richard is his ambition to serve justice towards the unjust. In a sense he is similar to batman because they both come from troubled pasts and vow to break the law in order to better their areas. But, what makes The Raven so unique is his circumstances that led him to become a hero in the first place. He was once a criminal himself in the international scene-though it was unintentional-he does grasp the way they think and operate which really helps him when he's trying to solve a case. He operates almost like a detective and is very thought based oriented before he strikes.

When glancing at his value system I would have to say that he understands the idea of right and wrong-justice vs injustice, but he knows that sometimes to serve justice he must be unjust himself. He will kill someone if he believes that they are too evil to be left alive, but he for the most part tries to keep people alive if he can. What really drives him as a character is his obsessive passion with redeeming himself and the loss of his daughter. He believes that if he can clean his part of the city from crime that he will somehow find satisfaction for himself that will allow him to move on from his daughter's death-but, for the most part this is an unachievable goal-as there will always be evil. Another constant theme with the Raven is the idea of Death and dying. The Raven and the Crow embody the notion of murdered men. Richard claims he is not afraid of dying and that instead he can harness death to help himself. But, deep down inside Richard is very afraid of dying and always has been-he knows that someday he will most likely have to die to bring justice to the city he calls home, but in a sense he fears dying a worthless death.

This may seem like a giant ramble, but this is what makes up the physical/mental processes of the character. In closing I suppose I should say that he is a very careful person, so when writing his character he wouldn't simply jump straight into a fight and use all of his abilities. That's not really the character he is, instead he will try and find ways and clues that can lead him towards your character. He tries to analyze your weaknesses and judges your character on whether or not you're a good or bad person. He won't kill you if he thinks that deep down you're a good person, but he will kill you if he believes you're too dangerous to be left alive. He is human and he has human emotions and I think that's what makes him such a good character when I created him a long time ago. I hope you enjoy using him and I can't wait to see what you guys do to him or the way you write him.

[SuperCommando]

In an instant, the wild and bizarre fall abruptly ended.

The frentic chaos of your journey was instantaneously replaced with calm, quiet serenity as you became aware you were somewhere completely different then where you were when you encountered the mysterious medallion you now found yourself clutching. As the artifact pulsated warmly in your grip with a slight twinkle of its central orb, you took in the unfamiliar surroundings.

You realized you were all alone on a vast open deck made from some unknown kind of smooth steel-colored stone stretching out to a mile-long radius of where you stood. This vast deck appeared to be positioned in the middle of a flat grassy plain. Small beautiful flowers you’ve never seen before dotted the landscape, swaying with a warm gentle breeze as their pure white blossoms reached for the radiant golden sun shining up above in the peaceful partly cloudy sky. Aside from the soft whistle of the occasional gust, everything was completely and utterly silent.

Behind you, you discovered a massive spire that extended skyward for as far as the eye could see. Despite its unbelievable size, it sported merely a simple cylindrical shape and was constructed from the same stony material as the deck beneath your feet. At exactly seven feet from the surface of the deck, a series of carved reliefs in the side of the spire was immediately apparent. It looked to be a pattern of thirteen circles, but what was most prominent about it was the fact that the very center carving was filled with something – a medallion exactly like the one in your possession.

Upon noticing the second medallion, both it and the one you had briefly flashed their center orbs once in unison. They began to vibrate and hum, the noise eventually turning into a whisper-quiet “voice”. Or rather, it sounded more like multiple “voices” all whispering at the same time.

“Continuum… Aegis…” said the thing in your hand.

The orbs gave another synchronized flash. The hushed “voices” continued, as if the two medallions were having a conversation with you. Their hum resonated in your mind in a way that translated the message perfectly.

“The Aegis is the key,” spoke the one in the wall.

“Seek out and reunite the Lost Twelve,” yours then instructed. “Retrieve them from their guardians, drawn from beyond the Horizon. Return them to this Alter.”

“Reassemble the Shield to break the Seal and end the Cycle.”

“The Timestream is fragile and convoluted here, a knot in the fabric of fate. Relinquish not your Continuum Aegis, for it is your only tether.”

The transparent crystal ring surrounding your medallion then began to glow. The orb flashed, the ring flashed, and then the light became concentrated in just one spot along the ring. After that, the artifact in the wall finished with one more cryptic statement.

“Whosoever ends the Cycle shall inherit dominion over all of Space and Time…”

With that the humming stopped, and you were once again left in silence.

The World of Continuum Aegis – Extended

Your characters have now found themselves caught up in a mysterious quest on a strange and foreign world. With nothing else to go on but the words whispered by the Aegises, your adventures and inevitable battles have now begun!


Functions of the Aegis
Your Continuum Aegis is your most important tool in this unusual place. It has three major abilities. The first is that it acts like a compass, with the light along the ring pointing in the direction of the nearest Continuum Aegis not in your possession. As the target moves, the light will slide along the outer ring to follow its movement. This is how you will find your opponents (or how they will find you!). Note that as you collect Aegises from your opponents, they will not all start pointing at each other. If you were to hold a Continuum Aegis in each hand for example, they will not point at each other, they will both point in the same direction, that direction being the nearest opponent’s Aegis.

The second ability is that it will occasionally talk. It does not respond if you try to interact with it, instead it seems to be triggered by approaching certain landmarks (like the Continuum Alter as you’ve seen or the ruined temples, more on those later) or, most often, it just spouts a line at random every so often. The things it says can be categorized into three broad categories: “Mysterious/Cryptic”, “Advanced Scientific Mumbo-Jumo Relating to Time Travel or Parallel Universes”, or “Quotes from the Past/Future”.

Examples:

(Mysterious) “Can you hear their cries? The ghosts of a future gone horribly wrong…?”

(Scientific babble) “Quantum entanglement… Dark matter inversion… It is a wonder the Horizon can even be breached at all.”

(Quotes) These can be anything your character has said in the past or future, or anything somebody else has spoken to them. For instance, the Raven might be strolling along when his Continuum Aegis randomly says “Don’t mention Irene…”. That’s something he himself said in the past. Or his Aegis might say “Ha, is that all you’ve got!?” for seemingly no reason, and then later in battle his opponent uses those exact words.

The third and most important power of the Continuum Aegis is that it keeps you in this world. (That’s actually why it is called what it is). You can wear it as a necklace, stuff it in a pocket, hold it in your hand, doesn’t matter. But if it leaves your possession for more than a few seconds, the interdimensional forces holding the world together will reject and expel you, sending you back through that cosmic whirlwind and you will end up back in your own world, at some point in time a little bit before you first touched the Aegis. (Except then the Aegis will be gone and you will be the only one who ever knew it had existed in the first place). If you have defeated several opponents and thus have multiple Continuum Aegises in your possession, you only need one to receive its protection. This means you can hang on to them all or stash the extras somewhere, it’s up to you.


A World Far, Far Away
The land your characters have arrived in is not normal by any means. Many aspects of it defy the rules of nature and/or physics. This is because it isn’t entirely a physical place at all. Whether your characters figure it out or not, this world is actually an interdimensional nexus: a convergence of multiple realities and parallel universes, a space between spaces, an isolated plane of existence. Its origins and purpose remain a mystery, yet here you are.

Everyone starts alone by the indestructible and infinitely tall spire known as the Continuum Altar, and must venture forth into the world to find their opponents and collect each Continuum Aegis (note: An Aegis placed in the altar cannot be removed). The world is rather small compared to a normal planet. One could walk in a straight line nonstop for a whole day or so and circumnavigate the entire sphere, ending up right where you started. Characters with advanced mobility could do so in even less time. However, the world is jam-packed with at least one of every terrain type imaginable: the flower-covered plain you start in, a desert, a sea, a volcano, a forest, a glacier, etc. These places are all mismatched like jumbled up puzzle pieces. For example, you could be in a desert zone and walk three steps into a zone filled with a raging blzzard.

There is no limit to the sky, either. Flying characters could go straight up towards the sun for hours and not get any closer to it or to “outer space” (since here there isn’t any). Similarly, there is no end to how deep down into the ground one might dig. The bottom of the sea does have a limit, although it is still extremely deep.

In addition to the bizarre geography, the world is also peculiar because although there is tons of natural plant life (including various “alien” or “otherworldly” plants nobody has ever seen before), there are absolutely zero signs of any creatures or other living inhabitants. Your ten characters are the only beings on the entire world.

That said, the only things to be found on this otherwise vacant world are some kind of ruined temples scattered few and far between. They are made from the same not-quite-stone, not-quite-metal material as the Continuum Alter, and feature simple yet bizarre architecture. They are all in various states of collapse or disrepair, and appear to be nothing more than empty, hollow buildings. At least at first glance.


Character-Specific Effects
Since this world is different from where your characters come from, some of them might be affected differently here or have to adapt to the new environment.

Xelius – Instead of slipping into a portal to transform when the ExoSuit is heavily damaged, he will instead transform into Organic Form on the spot.

The Raven – Since there is no wildlife on this world, let alone dark birds to channel the Communicate With The Dead and Harness The Dead abilities, The Raven (and he alone) can instead see, communicate directly with, and command ghosts that haunt the ruined temples. These ghosts look like someone took a life-sized humanoid cookie cutter and cut a hole out of reality, leaving nothing but a void in which outer space and stars could be seen within. They mumble phrases just like those the Continuum Aegis would say, but can also inform the Raven on recent activity they have witnessed and perform various tasks he asks them to do, such as scout for or attack enemies.

Random – He can still warp (dodge, sidestep, that crazy stuff he does) only within the confines of the world. The power of the Continuum Aegis prevents him from leaving to any alternate or parallel dimensions or anything else beyond the current nexus. If he tries, it would feel like stretching a rubber band too far, it just snaps right back before he can exit. If he pushes too hard and breaks that metaphorical rubber band, the results would be the same as if he dropped his Continuum Aegis, effectively disqualifying himself. The cosmic location of this world is too far beyond even his powers to travel to alone, meaning he would be unable to return if he were to try to do so.

Dr. Vile – There may be a distinct absence of power tools, computers, or modern supplies with which to invent evil inventions of evil in this world, but surely such a dastardly mastermind can use the gear he has along with the abundant natural resources to creatively create new creations. Of evil.

---

OCT Round One

So here we go! The prelude stuff is finally out of the way and you guys can now do what you entered this contest for – to write epic character battles! The following image displays the tournament brackets and first round details!

Round One matchups:

Tracker (@tracker) VS Random (Spartan 999)
Dur-Shon (BetaWülf) VS Khiron (Huka)
Dr. Vile (BasedGoody) VS Xelius (Remnant)
Hasting (Guardian Cat of Yappa's) VS The Raven (Samuel Murray)
Onyx (MrKill) VS Orion (Spartan 999)

Opponents were determined by “fate”, aka by the order in which contestants posted their characters. (I made the image before Sam reposted, so that’s the order we’re sticking with).

This shall be the first of four rounds. Each round shall last for 10 work days, or until all battles have been posted. Round two will begin after all judging for round one is completed.

You may notice that in the second and third round an additional slot has been added, indicated by the “Aegis” placeholder word outlined in red. This is to even out the numbers. We started with ten characters, meaning an uneven five characters would be remaining in round two. To counter this, ONE OF THE LOSING CONTESTANTS WILL BE GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE and re-entered into the next round. Our judges will determine this contestant by who, out of all the losers, had the single best, most enjoyable story with the best characterization. So no matter what, don’t give up! Write the best story you possibly can and even if you happen to lose your battle, you might not be out of the fight!

ROUND ONE ENDS ON FEB. 19
FEB. 23
FEB. 28

If your story is not in this thread after the 28th when the judges post the first round results, you are automatically disqualified and your opponent wins by default.

---

Final Tips and Reminders

- Your story must depict both characters, yours and your opponent’s. So read their profile and intro carefully. Really get inside the other character’s head and try to imagine what it would be like from their perspective, and incorporate that into your story.

- The other contestant will be doing the same thing. The judges will pick which story had the better-written characters to be the winner.

- For maximum success, glorify the other character as much as possible. Keep them true to their nature and make them awesome, even though your own character eventually defeats them. Think of it this way: Your job is to write that character better than the person who created it.

- You have free reign to use the entire world in your story. Study the “World of Continuum Aegis – Extended” section and try to incorporate elements from that into your story too.

- Be creative! Try to come up with interesting interactions between the characters, cool locations, and unique scenarios for their encounter. Do whatever you can to stand out and be unique, because that’s what you need to do to impress the judges.

- Your post must include your character receiving the opponent’s Continuum Aegis in some way (as explained in the rules in the first post).

- Note: Having the characters agree to work together DOES count as “receiving their Continuum Aegis”. If your story wins, as a bonus you will get to use both characters against your new opponent in the next round.

- There is no minimum/maximum length requirement or word count for your stories. All that matters is how well you write the characters.

- Try not to seek advice from your opponent character’s creator on how that character might act in certain situations. They should have done that in their profile. It’s one thing if you get confused on a specific detail and would like them to clear it up, but remember it is YOUR job to depict them in your story.

- If you read your opponent’s story and do not like something about how they interpreted your character, please do not complain about it, attempt to “correct” them, or demand they change their story, or anything like that. Be a good sport.

- Have fun with it! That’s probably the most important thing. If you’re having fun, it will show in your writing.

---

Good luck to all!

[Remnant]

"The one who breaks the cycle will be able to control time and space?" Xelius whispered to himself.

"If I could have this power...my race, and I myself, would be unstoppable. We could truly protect the universe, as we have tried before. Without the intervention of idiotic races who want nothing but war. This power belongs to us." Xelius spoke a little bit louder.

A light shone from the Aegis, like a compass, and pointed to the north, in the direction of a grassy plain. At the horizon of the plain seemed to be a temple, and the Aegis pointed at it dead on. He looked in the other directions, and noticed a few different environments. A Volcanic biome, a Desert, even a sea.

"How is this possible? Has interdimensional travel somehow brought these habitats together?" Xelius wondered.

"The effects of this interdimensional nexus is truly splendid! Quite beautiful, I might add." The Aegis spoke.

"You can talk?" Xelius asked it.

No response.

"This is truly magnificent. If this is the power of space and time, truly wonderful things could be made with this power in Erai hands." Xelius said, awed.

His chest armor deconstructed a layer, revealing the same form-fitting cavity from before. He stuck the Aegis inside of it, and the chest armor reconstructed the layer, covering the cavity and the Aegis. It was now embedded beneath his armor once more. Xelius set off and began the long walk towards the temple.

He strode past the grassy plain. Flowers of all shapes and sizes dotted the landscape. As he got close to the temple, he saw a figure go inside of it. He took a good look at the temple. It was in ruins. There were several openings to the second floor of the temple, a place where he could ambush his prey.

He quickly teleported into one of the openings, arriving at a balcony. He looked down to see a Human standing there, looking around the large room, interested in the ruins.

"How marvelous! I wonder, where do this ancient ruins originate? Who created them? What are these odd symbols? This would be a great place to study. Perhaps it contains more artifacts, like this Aegis..." A crude voice spoke aloud.

"Hatred is thick in this place...a murderer awaits thee..." The Human's Aegis spoke cryptically.

"Huh? What's that you say? Bah, you make no sense. What happened to your sciency personality earlier? You were so interested in this site when we first arrived." The Human spoke.

This Human would dare defile this place? This place is ancient, and holds secrets that must be preserved. No pathetic Human, or any race for that matter, should have the privileges of studying these places. Xelius thought.

Xelius pulled out his energy rifle, it making a loud noise.

What's that? The Human thought, Xelius' telepathic device picking up the brainwaves.

The Human quickly pulled out a type of gun, a ray gun to be specific. Xelius fired his weapon at the Human as it jumped out of the way. The energy melted the stone behind where the Human once stood. The Human fired back, but Xelius simply teleported from harm to the opposite balcony. He quickly holstered his energy rifle and drew his energy whip, activating it. The Human fired once more, and this time, Xelius teleported on the ground level, at the end of the room.

He swung his whip at the Human's weapon, the energy slicing it in half, the kinetic force flinging it into the air. He swung his whip once more, diagonally lashing across the Human's chest, leaving a already cauterizing burn. The Human stumbled backwards, and started crawling backwards as well, as Xelius approached him.

"You Humans...even in other dimensions, you're still as pathetic as you always are. You're arrogant. Idiotic. You would slaughter my people, because we're "too powerful"? We keep the peace. You simply start wars. Honorably, I would spare you at my mercy, take your Aegis, and let you live. But you Humans don't deserve anything honorable. You will perish." Xelius spoke and an irritated voice.

"W-What do you want?! Who are you?! What are you?! I-I've done nothing! I swear!" The Human spoke nervously.

"Don't you know who I am? I am Dr. Vile! The mastermind of evil! You should be grovelling to me, scared out of your mind! I deserve and demand respect!" Vile said, quickly getting to his feet.

The doctor lunged with a syringe at Xelius, but to no effect. Because it was a slow object, it passed through his shields, however the needle simply snapped when it hit the lower armor, and the canister shattered it's contents, splattering Vile and Xelius' armor.

Xelius towered over Vile, and smacked the puny Human in the chest with his forearm, sending him flying backwards at about ten feet. Vile threw his pocket protector, and it began to expand into a hexagonal platform. Xelius walk forward, ignoring it, however it encased him in a containment field.

"Pathetic." Xelius said, teleporting behind Vile. He held his hand out in the air, and grasped Vile with the telekinetic device, and pulled the Human towards himself. A beam of energy shot from Vile into Xelius' left palm, and Xelius began draining Vile's energy for future use against more challenging opponents. He then used a repulse to fling Vile across the room into a wall.

Xelius approached Vile once more, and he began clenching his ribs as if his bones were broken. Xelius lifted him up once more with the telekinetic device, and sent an continuous electrical arc of lightning into the Humans chest. He stopped the electrical discharges and slammed the Human against the wall with telekinesis.

Please...please don't kill me... Xelius' telepathic device picked up. The Human was barely able to speak due to the electrical trauma. He lifted the Human up the wall about five feet, now head to head with Xelius in height.

"You Humans, you cruel Humans, deserve nothing more than extinction. If only you could aid in ending the Xelial threat, rather than trying to extinguish us, might you be forgiven. You will have no mercy from me, Vile." Xelius said.

He activated his Hardlight sword, and plunged it into Vile's stomach, electric lighting still arcing around the man's body. Xelius let go of Vile telekinetically, as the Hardlight sword now held him in place. He grabbed the Human's head with his left hand, squeezed it, crushing the skull very easily, and pried the Human's head off it's body.

He tossed it to the ground, and deactivated the Hardlight sword, letting the corpse slump to the ground. He turned around, and stomped the Human's head into a bloody pulp. He plucked the Human's Aegis from the corpse.

"I am victorious. Now I need the others. The Erai will prevail, as we always have, and I, their Sovereign, shall see to it." Xelius spoke.

His chest armor's top layer deconstructed once more, and the current Aegis sunk deeper into another layer of the armor, allowing the cavity to fit two Aegis'. He put the second Aegis in the form fitting cavity, and the chest's top layer reconstructed over it, embedded a second Aegis in his armor.

In the meantime, Xelius decided to stick around, and study the temple for himself. Only the Erai should have such a privilege.

[Spartan 999]

ROUND ONE
Random vs Tracker

“Too quiet?” Random mused as he took in the environment. “Yeah, too quiet.”

He knew, even without trying to slip through the dimensional seams, that he was in a place which was not exactly “real”, or physical at the very least. It was definitely artificially made, somehow. He saw the plains give way to mountains in one direction, vanish behind a tiny horizon in another, and be replaced by a lake (or maybe it was an ocean?) in a third.

And that wasn't even mentioning the ridiculously huge spire behind him. The medallion that had brought him here now lied a few paces from the spire. He approached it and nudged it with his foot, but it did nothing. He shrugged and kicked it up and caught it between the index and middle finger of one hand. It had an unusual weight, but also seemed much lighter than it ought to have been. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the unfamiliar sigil on the medallion looked like infinity signs overlapping one another in a sort of cross pattern.

“Of course that's the symbol,” said Random. “Wouldn't go without it, obviously.”

That was when the thing spoke. Sort of.

Apparently due to their proximity, the medallion he held and the one imbedded in the carving flashed. Random's felt like it was being pulled closer, like metal to a powerful magnet. They hummed in unison, and the noise settled into a droning whisper that could be recognized as words.

“Continuum… Aegis…” That was Random's medallion 'talking'.

He didn't say anything, just listened.

“The Aegis is the key,” spoke the one in the wall.

“Seek out and reunite the Lost Twelve,” Random's instructed. “Retrieve them from their guardians, drawn from beyond the Horizon. Return them to this Alter.”

“Reassemble the Shield to break the Seal and end the Cycle.”

“The Timestream is fragile and convoluted here, a knot in the fabric of fate. Relinquish not your Continuum Aegis, for it is your only tether.”

The transparent crystal ring surrounding the medallion then began to glow. The orb flashed, the ring flashed, and then the light became concentrated in just one spot along the ring. After that, the artifact in the wall finished with one more cryptic statement.

“Whosoever ends the Cycle shall inherit dominion over all of Space and Time…”

With that the humming stopped, and Random was once again left in silence.

“...Huh. That's...not what I expected.” He sighed. “And of course the directions are vague and mysterious. I hate quests and prophetic crap that's worded like that...”

Random moved the medallion around and saw the light shifting so as to point in the same direction regardless of how he handled it. So it was a compass, then. Presumably the light showed his nearest opponent's direction, whoever they were.

“Well, I suppose I'd better get moving.” He flipped the Aegis high and opened his jacket so that it slipped neatly into one of his inside pockets upon falling back towards the earth, then buttoned the pocket shut. “All in all, I'd say this is a real lovely place you've brought me to, Spinny.”

The Aegis made no retort to his sardonic words.

He walked a bit, all the way to the edge of the stone deck and the plain surrounding it. The ground was more or less completely flat, and he saw nothing overly large protruding from the earth. Too bad; that meant he'd have to go even farther to find something that would make a suitable chair.

Random traveled even further, to a forest bordering the plain. Its trees were tall, but not massive, and there was literally no evidence of any kind of animal living there. No sounds, no smells, no signs of disturbance amongst the foliage and whatnot.

“Hm. Good as place as any to do it.”

He rapidly scaled the tallest tree in the immediate vicinity and sat on one of the upper branches. It was no lawnchair, but it was a suitable replacement under the circumstances. He stretched his legs out and leaned his back against the trunk, then threaded his fingers and moved to place his interlocked hands behind his head. Random paused for a moment to sense his nearby surroundings.

Satisfied he would not be interrupted for a good amount of time, he closed his eyes and rested against the tree.

“...I've figured it out, I know what is happening here, I know the truth behind all things. And I will show you...I will show everyone...”

Random started momentarily at the unexpected voice, but calmed once he realized it had emanated from the Aegis in his jacket pocket.

“Oh Paragon of Intellect, how far you have fallen...” He mused to himself, a wry half-grin spread across his face.

His features relaxed, then tensed. The world around him blurred and started to shift away as he mentally tested the limits of this place.

***

“Do this and do that, space and time and crap, blah blah blah,” muttered Tracker as she hiked across the uneven terrain.

She was rather irritated at the Aegis, which had first said something about borders, rifts, and capsules, and then part of a conversation with one of her instructors had come from the medallion. She vaguely recalled the moment the Aegis had repeated, which meant it was somehow able to give voice to certain moments in her past. Not...exactly something she was thrilled with.

The compass on her medallion seemed to be leading her in the direction of a forest, which was just across the rocky ground she was currently traversing. It hadn't moved all that much in the past several minutes, which meant the nearest Aegis holder was either going in the opposite direction, coming right at her, or staying put. Probably not the first one, and if it was the third she'd have to be careful of potential traps. After all, she didn't think they would give up their Aegis willingly, even if the current situation was ridiculous.

Then again, control over time and space? If the medallion had “spoken” the truth, that would be a hell of a thing. But...what exactly would she use it for? Well, that was obvious, it would make her that much better at her job. She might not even have to use a weapon anymore if the power was potent enough.

Or at least, that's what first came to mind. The next thought that came to Tracker's mind was the whole time thing. Would that mean she'd be able to actually time travel, even into the past? Then...then maybe she could...

The thoughts slowly died in her mind, partly due to the loyalty chip implanted in her head. She shook her head once to come out of her revery, and briefly looked around to make sure she wasn't about to be ambushed or something. When nothing stood out, she relaxed and continued walking.

Now, where was the other Aegis holder already? She was losing patience, and quickly.

Soon, she stepped foot into the forest and felt an odd presence.

The other Aegis bearer, her opponent, was definitely nearby. Or...so she hoped.

“Show me your determination!” The unfamiliar voice came from her Aegis, almost as if it had responded to the proximity with the other Aegis holder.

Strange...

***

The world felt like it was a band of elastic all around him, pulling more taut the further he pushed. Random couldn't go that far, but it was more than he'd hoped. Right now, he figured the most useful--and really only--option as far as dimension-hopping went was a sort of shadow plane overlapping this one; a twisted reflection or echo of this artificial world. That would make traveling around much faster, allowing him to jump to a nearby location almost instantaneously should the need arise. Teleportation, of a sort.

Well, it was better than nothing, and at least he wasn't completely prohibited from using that particular aspect of his power.

Something sent a rush of alarm down his spine. The other Aegis holder was here, very close now.

Random slipped back and opened his eyes. Yes, he heard them. Faintly, but they were there. He put on his most mischievous grin and slid off his perch to greet the other person.

***

“Almost...almost...”

Tracker halted when the compass light abruptly moved to her side. She turned and moved a couple feet in another direction, and it continued pointing in the rough direction of a tree right next to her. Weird, she didn't see anyone there. Maybe they were hiding behind the tree or invisible or something. Or-

“Figure it out yet?”

She jerked her head up at the sound's origin, which had come from above. Tracker was met with the upside down face of a man wearing strangely designed sunglasses and with a grin that was more cartoonish than threatening. His legs were hooked over a tree branch, allowing him to hang upside down.

“Hi!”

Tracker backed away a few paces, activating one sword and storing the Aegis as she did so. The digistructed blade pointed right at the man's throat, but it didn't seem to perturb him at all. She made no threatening action other than that, however. Getting into a needless fight was just stupid, especially if she didn't know who this guy was or what he was capable of.

“Oh dear, I was hoping we might resolve this amicably.” He did nothing, just hung there like a human bat or something. “...You can understand me, can't you? If the medallions don't translate languages, I'm gonna have to take up such a gross oversight with the management here.”

“What the hell are you on about?” said Tracker, a little confused by his attitude.

“Lovely, they do translate!” he brushed off her words with a chuckle. “Excellent, now I don't have to mime everything. That would get ever so tiring, even though it might actually be a bit fun-”

“Uh huh,” Tracker interrupted, unsure if he was merely quirky or just plain insane. “Get to the point already.”

“Ah, yes, an amicable solution. But first, I must introduce myself: I am Random, the Paragon of Agility. And such.”

Yep, it was clear the guy was nuts.

“What should I call you?”

“Ghost Tracker Two-One-Two.” The response was automatic, having been ingrained into her mind over countless training sessions until it was pure reflex.

“Come now, that isn't your real name.” He saw Tracker's eyes narrow minutely. “Touchy subject, I see. But if you insist, I'll call you Ghost, even if you aren't a floating little cyclops.”

“It's Tracker, actually.”

“Of course, of course!”

Random dropped to the ground, and Tracker was immediately struck with the grace and perfection of the move. Seriously, it was; muscles and limbs moving in synchronization allowed him to rotate in the air and land square on his feet without even bending his knees.

He turned and approached, crooked grin still visible.

“We both want the other's medallion, right?” Random clasped his hands before him. “Thing is, I'd rather not have to kill you in order to take it. Then again, I suppose killing you isn't actually needed if I recall correctly...”

“Kill me? As if,” Tracker scoffed. “You have no weapons and I'm the best at what I do.”

“Oh, and what would that be, pointing a toothpick sword at friendly men seeking peaceful resolutions?” His tone made it sound like an actual friendly jab more than anything, but Tracker was still irritated at him.

“Sure, if they haven't gotten anything better to say.”

Random giggled once. “Hm...you have the look of one who is quite unlikely to just hand the medallion over to me, and attempting to persuade you would most likely be futile.”

“And the same goes for you, I assume.”

“Of course! Mastery over space-time, how could I resist?”

They stared at one another for a few moments more. The thought of working together briefly crossed both of their minds, but Random dismissed it in favor of...a different approach.

“To be quite honest, I'm rather interested as to what you're capable of,” said Random into the silence. “Human, but...” He sniffed thrice.

“What, have a cold or something?”

“Don't be silly, I can't get sick. No, you smell like a human who has been...changed. Or empowered. Maybe augmented by a minor power, or possessed by something...” His gasp was so exaggerated it was almost painful. “OH NO, YOU'VE BEEN POSSESSED BY A DEMON LORD OR A SHOGGOTH--wait, no, not a shoggoth, those things are idiots. OR MAYBE A...”

“You're talking a lot of nonsense, man.”

“...But regardless of whether or not you're possessed or whatever, it's still not nearly at my level.” Random finished, evidently not hearing what Tracker had said or cared about it if he had.

She was getting fed up with his scatterbrained motormouth way of speaking, and the (perceived) patronizing last sentence was the last straw. She so badly wanted to cut the prick's head off, if only to get him to stop talking already. “Fuck that, I can put you down faster than you can blink.”

“Ahahah! Ah, I love little firecrackers with a short fuse. Hm...so. That was a challenge I heard, yes?” Random's grin widened and he opened his arms as an invitation. “Would you care to test it?”

Before he had even finished the word “test”, Tracker teleported behind Random and stabbed at his kidney. Her sword met only air, however. Somehow he had managed to sidestep the strike and turned to face her. He'd moved so fast, it was practically inhuman.

“Aaaand time's up!” Random declared as he blinked. “You have failed your challenge, Miss Tracker.”

“That won't matter when you don't have a head!”

She activated her second sword and attacked with both, and still she missed. He had very good reflexes, that was for sure.

“Aw, your hostility is so cute!”

“Hos...cute?...what?!” Tracker was practically at a loss for words. She had never encountered an enemy this quirky, this crazy; it was throwing her through a bit of a loop.

“Here, have a berry, that should help you calm down.”

Random flicked something small and yellow right at Tracker, and because of the brief moment of confusion, she wasn't fast enough to knock it aside with her sword. The berry flew right into Tracker's partially gaping mouth, making her falter and gag. She spat the berry out and looked back at Random.

“Son of a bitch, what the hell was that!?”

“I told you, a berry.” He tilted his head at her livid expression. “What? They're quite tasty. Thought you might like them. Mid-battle snacks are always the best.”

Random dodged and backpedaled when Tracker teleported beside him and attacked. Her swords made faint ringing sounds as they cleaved through the air, always missing their mark. That only served to anger Tracker more, who swung faster and fiercer.

“Oh sure, like I'd be bloody stupid enough to eat poisonous fruit my enemy gives me. Or throws into my mouth, as it were!”

“Poison!? Oh, as if!” Random backflipped and landed on a branch a few meters above the ground. “To think I would stoop to such levels; you wound me with your words!”

“I'LL WOUND YOU WITH MY FUCKIN' BOW YOU PRICK!”

Tracker deactivated her swords and shoved them into their holsters, then drew her bow and pulled one of the newly-digistructed arrows from her quiver. Random had continued ascending the tree while she did so, but that didn't deter her. She nocked the arrow and let it fly, hopefully accounting for the wind and Random's speed.

“Oh!,” exclaimed the Paragon, one hand clutching the arrow which had hit him in the heart.

He wavered on the branch he stood on, then tilted over and fell.

“Ow.” Random hit one of the branches on the way down, which acted like a spring and made him bounce up and to the side before falling again. It was...cartoonish. Yes, that was how it could be best described as he bounced off no fewer than six branches in rapid succession in the same fashion as the first, saying “Ow” every single time in a bored tone.

Tracker, despite being utterly baffled at this whole ordeal at this point, still retained the sense of mind to draw and nock a second arrow. Her eyes followed Random as he fell...and bounced...and fell...and bounced...until he landed in a fluffy snowdrift.

Indeed, the forest's climate where he had fallen was not mid-spring or early summer like where they had just been, but instead was snow-covered and quite cold. Winter, evidently, held sway over that particular section of the forest. This world was a peculiar one, that was for sure.

All Tracker could see sticking out of the snow was the arrow protruding from his chest, and one of his feet further to the right. She approached cautiously, bow and arrow still at the ready. Icy snow crunched underfoot as she entered the winter area. Had she really shot him down, finally?

Maybe she should put several more arrows into him, just to be sure...

“Just kidding!” Snow exploded everywhere, and she shifted her aim slightly before firing. He had faked being hit by the arrow, of course. Having seen it coming, he'd caught it in between his fingers over his heart and pretended he had been shot.

Back to the present, in mid-air, a thrown snowball of all things was cut in half by the arrow, which continued on towards its target. The snowball halves impacted Tracker in the face, and only by quickly closing her eyelids and shielding herself with her bow-arm did she prevent getting hit in the eyes. She still recoiled as some of the cold snow slid down her shirt.

Meanwhile, Random had easily dodged the arrow and was rapidly circling around. He threw a second snowball, which nailed Tracker in the forearm. The precise amount of force applied just in the right way by the snowball caused her grip to spasm, forcing her to drop the bow.

Random swooped by and snagged the weapon out of the air before continuing to run. Behind him, Tracker wiped the snow off her face and looked around for her bow momentarily. Upon realizing Random had it, she drew her swords and started towards him.

The Paragon, however, was not paying attention to her. He was inspecting the bow, which had deconstructed after leaving Tracker's hand.

“Tech? No, no buttons,” he muttered to himself, the words coming at a rapid-fire pace. “Well, then again... Maybe a DNA scanner or something? Nah.” He brought it up to his ear and flicked it twice. “Ah yes, requires energy from the wielder to power itself. Simple, yet lacking in finesse. I could probably use it myself if I can just-”

Random leaned back to dodge Tracker's furious attack. He saw that she was now shrouded in flame, its tongues a deep purple. Snowflakes hissed softly when they neared Tracker, and the snow she stepped on melted fairly quickly as well.

“Give! Me! Back! My! FUCKING! BOW!” Each word was punctuated by a duo of strikes.

Random merely cackled mischievously as he sprinted away.

Eyes practically glowing gold now, Tracker launched herself towards Random. She teleported behind, beside, and in front of him, and even above him once, and yet he still evaded her. It was utterly maddening how easy it seemed for him to just avoid her despite the almost nonstop barrage. She wanted to blow his head off with her wrist-mounted blasters, but she didn't want to use them until she was in a very good position to do so--that and she was so angry she couldn't really stop trying to cut him to ribbons, at least for the moment.

“Come and catch me if you can, Miss Tracker!”

Random made a sharp turn to avoid another strike. He jumped up and grabbed hold of a low-lying conifer tree's branch, bending it towards him. Tracker teleported again, but she hadn't seen what Random had done and so was caught off-guard by the branch that suddenly whipped back towards her after Random let go. It hit her in the face and would have broken her nose were it not for the protective flames.

She squawked and flipped back onto her stomach and slid a meter or more after landing. The snow on the branch had showered all over her and doused most of the fire on her upper torso, and the rest had been extinguished by her fall and tumble.

“I've seen similar self-immolation abilities, but I must admit, yours isn't particularly noteworthy or powerful compared to the others. A pity, really, otherwise this might have been interesting. Oh well, win some ya lose some, I guess.”

Tracker sprang to her feet and attacked Random with wild abandon, her fire springing to life once more. He didn't run, but instead slowly backstepped while leaning and ducking to dodge her strikes. Eventually, she figured she was close enough to him, and went for a double-thrust at his abdomen. He hopped back, and she twisted her hands so her wrist blasters were aimed at Random.

She fired, and he briefly seemed taken by surprise; evidently he hadn't expected that. Still, Random dodged both of the energy bolts with a neat jump-spin. Energy exploded and sparked behind him as one of the bolts hit a tree.

Too angry to be disappointed, Tracker lunged to close the gap and swung twice. The first sword missed as usual, and the second...made contact? Except it wasn't what she had expected. The blade, or more accurately its side, skipped off Random's out-thrust chest and continued traveling. At the same time, he slid one foot towards her and used it to dislodge her forward-most foot, forcing her to stagger forward to avoid tripping.

The sword cut through a tree trunk, and the half-second delay where she needed to recover from the stumble meant Random had already moved out of reach by the time she'd turned and swung. She took a step towards him, and a groaning crackling-crunch behind her made Tracker freeze.

The tree, having already been weakened by the energy bolt, had finally been felled by Tracker's sword. She stole a look back at the tree and saw that it was falling down towards her, bare branches reaching out like greedy skeletal fingers.

“Timber!” Random called, but she paid no attention to him for the moment.

Instead, she focused on pumping her legs and sprinting out of the tree's way. She waited for a moment or two to teleport away so she wouldn't use as much energy as she otherwise would have. Even still, she felt a branch rake across her shoulder just as she teleported.

She stumbled to the ground after rematerializing and held one hand over her wound. Her tracksuit there had been rent, and the fire shroud had been extinguished as well. And while it had still protected her a good amount, the branch had drawn blood.

Fortunately, the wound wasn't very deep or serious, just very painful. Tracker gritted her teeth and cast her gaze about for her opponent, panting hard. A scraping sound drew her attention, and she saw Random easily vaulting several meters up to a tree branch. He sprang up off it, twisted in the air, and threw something up high towards the canopy.

“Allons-y!,” said Random.

That was when things got even stranger. First, Tracker saw Random vanish out of the corner of her eye. Yeah, definitely vanish, like he was never even there. It wasn't even like the active camouflage tech back on Earth, no. It was far different, probably more advanced.

Regardless, that was actually the least of her problems at the moment. The acorn (acorn analog, more like) that Random had thrown was, well...it would probably just be easier to describe what it did.

Space distorted around the acorn as it pushed the dimensional boundaries. There was an awful groaning, like the world was dying or being torn asunder, except worse. Then, it snapped.

Essentially, the rubber band-effect Random had tested earlier was being used offensively. The acorn was sent hurtling back to the primary plane of the Continuum Tournament, and the journey turned a small portion of its outer shell into energy. Needless to say, even then the results were...explosive. E=mc^2 and all.

Having realized that something very bad was about to happen, Tracker turned and ran again. The explosion's shockwave caught her, and she teleported mid-air. She avoided the worst of it, but she had still been injured by it.

She spun in the air for a long moment. When she hit the ground, she had no control over her ensuing tumble. Tracker finally skidded to a stop on her back, arms splayed out spread-eagle like. She felt that she still held the right sword in her hand somehow, but the other was missing. Most likely she'd dropped it before teleporting, or during the tumble afterwards.

As she tried to rise into a sitting position, her wounds and fatigue finally caught up with her. Groaning from the pain, she heard her ragged breath and figured that she couldn't go on much longer. Still, as she rested there on the muddy ground, she couldn't help but think back to what Random had done. His skills, reflexes, and abilities were...superhuman. There really was no other way to put it. He completely outclassed her in almost every way, but damned if she didn't give it her all to beat him.

The comforting coolness of snowflakes landing on her face helped refresh Tracker, though only a little. Her rage faded away, exhaustion preventing her from remaining angry, or at least as much as she had been. Deciding she had rested enough, Tracker slowly turned over and pushed herself up on to her hands and knees. Arms wobbling, it took an inordinate amount of effort to push herself upright.

“Nice dodge.” Random materialized before her, hands in his pockets with that irritating grin still plastered across his face.

Tracker activated her sword and swung, but she wasn't nearly close enough to even graze him that way.

“Come on, by now you must realize you have no chance against me. I'm just way too far out of your league.”

A wordless growl escaped Tracker's lips in response.

“You know, I haven't even been using the full extent of my abilities. I wanted to see how strong you were, how powerful. Evidently, the answer is: Not very.”

“You sadistic son of a bitch!” She aimed both wrist blasters at him and fired a couple times each. He sidestepped them with ease as usual.

“Hm...very well.” Random cocked his head again, his smile fading slightly. “You believe I am a cruel entity, acting out of spite and maliciousness? Toying with my prey before subjecting them to abject humiliation and absolute agony that would make them wish they were dead? Talking non-stop so much it goads and enrages my foes? I can assure you, Tracker, I am none of those things. Well, except for the talkative bit, but I digress. See, I simply wanted to push you to your limit, to witness just what you could accomplish--that was why I taunted you, because you're stubborn and quick to anger; it was a surefire way to make you go all-out to try and kill me.

“I sought not to be mean, but to try and...encourage you to give it your all, in a way. Sort of. I love to see people go up against the impossible and still believe they can win, even if everything seems to be stacked against them; that is one of the qualities I like about humanity. That and I like fooling around--this was, actually, quite an enjoyable experience for me. You get what I'm saying?”

“Wha...you talk like you're...not human. I think?”

Random approached Tracker and knelt in front of her. He pulled off his sunglasses and let her look into his eyes. She blinked at the sight of stars falling and dancing in a dark void.

“Do I look human to you? Sure, I was one, once, a very long time ago. Probably. Maybe. Possibly. Though there was the whole thing with the elf and the temple and the Titan...”

“...You're...still an asshole.”

The Paragon burst into laughter at her words. That was her chance. Tracker abruptly stabbed at Random's heart, but he again foiled the attack, this time by grabbing the sword blade in between his thumb and forefinger and guiding it up and away from his person. He held it there until he had finished laughing, then stood and backed up a couple steps.

“Here is your other sword and bow, if you want them.” He tossed the handles to Tracker. “Would you like to give it one last go?”

Tracker briefly fumbled the handles before securing them in her grasp. She pocketed the bow and lifted both swords up. Flames engulfed her, easing her wounds and giving her some more strength. Her eyes were at their “max gold”, and she felt more ready for combat. She stood and bared her teeth, waiting a few seconds while she assessed Random.

She still couldn't believe he wasn't human, or that he had far superior endurance to one even if he wasn't. Even still, he had to have his limits, right? He must be tired after all that, but he was just good at concealing it from her to throw her off her game. Yes, that must be it, he had to be tired.

...Didn't he?

“Come on, Ghost Tracker Two-One-Two! Show me your determination!” Grin back in full-force, Random beckoned to his opponent.

She lifted both swords and readied herself. Now was not the time for an all-out rage. She had to keep focused, waste as little energy as possible. She would beat him, she would beat him!

Random let a single chuckle escape as Tracker rushed him. He resorted only to dodging and avoiding her attacks instead of using his more advanced abilities in order to make it a fairer fight. He was impressed with her drive, but both of them knew it would not be enough, even if it was just a small thought in the dark recesses of Tracker's mind, pushed back so she wouldn't be distracted and discouraged by it.

Tracker occasionally interspersed her strikes with blaster shots, and one of them even singed Random's coat once, but she came no closer to actually injuring him in any way. She teleported once or twice, but the energy required swiftly drained her to dangerous levels. Her swings gradually became slower, her steps shuffling more against the ground.

Sensing the fight was nearing its conclusion, Random jumped up and over Tracker's head and pulled down her hood to block her eyesight. She swiped rapidly at where she thought he had gone, but no luck. She yanked the hood back and looked over at Random.

A metallic cling or plink made her ears perk up, and she saw a small shining circle neatly spiraling up into the air.

The medallion, Random's Aegis! Was it...could she really get it?

No, it was a trap! Random sprinted at her, and she tried firing her wrist blaster at him. It whirred and shot out sparks; since she was so low in energy, it had started malfunctioning. Still, she had enough for one more teleport at point-blank range, at the very least. She swung once, teleported to his rear-right, then chopped with her second sword.

Random anticipated the move and flowed around the blades. Once he was behind Tracker, he poked her in the back of the head with his extended forefinger and middle finger. He hit it just right to scramble her thoughts, as it caused various memories to activate and cloud Tracker's mind. Unknown to Random, he had inadvertently destroyed the loyalty chip in her brain as well.

This two-fold mind-affecting attack made Tracker stagger, swords dropping to the ground as her knees wobbled and buckled. Before she fell, Random reached into her pocket and took her Continuum Aegis. He inspected it, and because he held it, he was no longer in danger of being pulled off this plane. He caught his own Aegis as it fell, then pocketed both medallions.

“Don't worry about it, Tracker,” said Random as he looked down at her. He could see her form flickering, being pulled away like an anchorless boat in a typhoon. “I'll swing by and toss you a cupcake or something after I win.”

Finally, she vanished, yanked out of this world and into the swirling cosmos beyond. Her swords, which she had dropped, went with her, and the pulse radiating out from her point of departure restored Random to full health and being. Not that he needed it, of course, but at least he now knew he could be healed in the future if he banished his opponent. Still, it did fix the burns on his clothing, so that was something.

“Hm...” Random stared at the point Tracker had vanished. “I really hope she isn't torn apart during the journey back. Oh well, time to move on.” He took out one of the medallions to reveal the direction he should next travel in.

[Spartan 999]

ROUND ONE
Orion vs Onyx

Orion trudged across the marshy landscape, fog hugging the ground as though it were a billowing blanket. The fog parted before him as he maneuvered to the most stable areas of the marsh. A light drizzle of rain wet the exterior of his cloak and sent several rivulets of water running down his bare chest.

Going back in time about an hour, at first the hunter had just tried to find a way to return to his own universe so he could continue with his hunt. After all, there wasn't anything native to this place that he could effectively hunt. However, once he had investigated the altar and the medallions had spoken, a realization dawned upon him: Here was a challenge to test his abilities, for only the strongest would be called. Only the strongest would survive. Only the strongest would claim victory.

Now, with a renewed sense of purpose (or as much as was possible given what he was), he walked inexorably onward to his first opponent. It was taking quite a while to traverse the unusual landscapes, but he was nothing if not patient. After all, that was one of the defining marks of a true hunter.

Untiring, indomitable, he walked on.

***

Most curious, these circumstances he found himself in. Onyx was unsure exactly how he would use his “dominion over all of space and time” if he ended up collecting all the medallions, nor what would happen once he came into contact with one of the other Aegis holders. He had to admit, his appearance didn't exactly scream “friendly”, but he would do his best to solve things peacefully.

Hm... Maybe he should wait here, and try to conceal himself to avoid attracting much attention. Then again, suddenly appearing in front of someone would be liable to startle them, but he figured it would be better to do it that way.

Still, either way he'd have to practice his cheerful, non-threatening face. It would be difficult, maybe impossible, but his body language and mannerisms ought to help out with that...

***

A mountain range was next, the craggy peaks appearing powdered with snow. This obstacle might have daunted even an experienced human mountain climber, but for Orion, it proved to be but a minor challenge. At the top, he had a bird's-eye view of the area all around for kilometers. He opened his eyes to inspect his Aegis' medallion compass light, as well as to scan the land for signs of his opponent.

Nothing, absolutely nothing for as far as he could see. Granted, the other bearer was probably concealed by a tree or boulder or something, but there was not even any signs typical of one's passage through the wilds, or at least none that he could see in the immediate area. A likely explanation was magic, reality warping, or some form of flight.

Regardless, he walked on.

“...may the gods have mercy on my soul, for I have been proven unworthy--and if you see it, may whoever you talk to in the heavens too have mercy on yours.”

He heard the words issue forth clearly from the medallion, which was secured inside a pouch on his belt. They meant nothing to him, and consequently he paid no attention.

However, he did slow down about two minutes later, but for a completely different reason (or so it seemed to him). He could sense a very strange vibration in the earth, but it was so faint he wasn't quite sure what it was. The hunter continued walking, albeit more cautiously.

Finally, Orion came to an area where the vibrations seemed to be strongest. He knelt and placed one hand on the ground. After a long moment, he deduced what it was: breathing. The respiration of a large creature, massive in size and buried not too far underground. He was familiar with such vibrations, but that meant his opponent must be this creature, whatever it was.

***

Glowing eyes inspected the small medallion, which showed the direction of the closest Aegis holder as it lied on massive paw before said eyes. The compass light occasionally shifted a fraction to the left or right, but that was to be expected.

After a long time, it veered quickly to one side. Eyes narrowed, then looked up. The other Aegis holder was here.

***

The creature didn't seem to be doing anything other than lurking there, so he stood and started off in another direction. Controlling the battlefield was essential when dealing with these kinds of creatures, which meant he had to set up traps, and a lot of them.

Just then, the ground rumbled and crackled, and he felt the vibrations of the creature moving. Further down the mountainside's incline, part of the terrain turned out to not actually be part of the terrain. No, it was the tail and part of the spinal spikes of the monster, which meant all it had to really do to emerge was stand up.

It moved quickly, despite its size. Orion was caught out in the open practically right in front of the creature. He summoned his bow and nocked an arrow while backing up. Knowing that stealth wasn't exactly an option at the moment, he opened his eyes and stared up at the creature. It was built like a tank, stocky and powerful.

Onyx the Black, a legendary fire drake, caught the brilliant light shining forth from Orion's eyes from the corner of his eyes. He turned and, surprisingly, sat down on its haunches. It resembled a dog, in a way. A giant...scaly...winged...lava-breathing...dog. That killed civilizations for breakfast.

The drake, true to his disposition and purpose, didn't want to attack the lone hunter standing before him unless absolutely necessary. Diplomacy, or maybe intimidation given the circumstances, would be preferable to gain the other Aegis. And so he tried to show a non-threatening pose and give off a vibe of friendliness.

Unfortunately, neither spoke, and Orion was most certainly not the kind to pass up the opportunity to fight such a mighty beast.

However, the hunter stayed his arrows for the moment. When Onyx did not attack, but instead just...sat there, he used the opportunity to look for weak points. The drake's armor was very strong and thick, and the creature radiated sheer power.

That being said, Orion had experience dealing with dragons before, though almost all instances were when he was accompanied by at least a few other members of the Wild Hunt or had time to set up numerous traps across the battlefield before the battle. Here, he was at a huge disadvantage. Out in the open, sparse cover in the immediate vicinity, and the fact that Onyx was faster than himself and possessed fire breath.

The dragon's medallion had somehow fused to the back of one of its paws, probably to make up for how large it was and a lack of a better place to put it. However, the concept of separating Onyx from the medallion never even occurred to Orion. He was going to kill the fire-drake, that was for certain. He just needed an opening...

Onyx made a growl-whine and rocked back and forth a couple times in an attempt to get the hunter to speak at the very least. Despite the fact that Orion was quite a bit different than most sentients Onyx had come into contact with, he nonetheless held a mere bow. There was nothing to be frightened of, even if the arrows he utilized were quite a bit larger than what a human would use.

Orion took a few cautious steps back, and in response Onyx lied down in a manner reminiscent of a cat. The dragon shook the paw his medallion had fused to, just in case Orion hadn't seen it. He just wanted the hunter to talk, to engage in a peaceful and intelligent discussion (as much as one could have with a dragon who didn't speak), but Orion's face had not changed in the slightest.

Onyx chuffed and shook his head slightly, which was the opening Orion wanted. As the fire-drake had opened his mouth somewhat, Orion took advantage of that to loose his arrow. It swerved and skidded across Onyx's tongue, scraping somewhat but not really doing any damage. However, that was just the arrowhead. The real attack was an explosion that stung the interior of Onyx's mouth and spread a sticky glue-like substance all around.

That would hamper Onyx for at least a few seconds, allowing Orion to beat a hasty retreat towards the treeline further down the slope. He turned twice while running to loose his other two arrows, one of which hit its mark next to one of Onyx's eyes and creating a sphere of darkness that obscured its vision. It wouldn't last very long, but it would be enough for the moment.

The fire-drake growled and thrashed instinctively, tail carving long furrows into the ground. It tried to open its mouth, but the glue was strong and unyielding. So, he breathed forth a small spurt of flame from deep inside its body, which melted and burned the glue. The precious few seconds required to do so allowed Orion to vanish into the somewhat sparse forest, his cloak aiding in concealment.

Even still, Onyx didn't want to fight; he'd probably frightened the hunter, and who could blame him? A massive dragon out of legend emerging from the ground before someone didn't tend to leave one in a very calm state of mind. That being said, he hadn't really noticed a change in expression...

Regardless, the knowledge that Orion's arrows packed a much heavier punch than previously expected made him wary. He would chase down the hunter, find him, and grab him. Not kill him, just give him another chance, to try and show that Onyx didn't mean any harm, or maybe force him to give up the Aegis that way. But, if Orion continued to fight against him, Onyx intended to eliminate the hunter with fang and claw and fire.

Still partially-blind in one eye due to the globe of darkness, Onyx turned and cantered after the hunter.

By then, Orion had shot several arrows out at the trees and other such protrusions. Each arrow split in two which were connected by a very thin practically-invisible wire. Once Onyx came into contact with one of the wires, it would detach from the arrows, adhere to him, and wrap around his legs or part of his body. When Orion needed to use them, the wires would be able to sort of channel energy used on them and magnify it while constricting tighter and tighter. He'd used such a strategy before on other large prey, where it had worked to great effect.

As Onyx was so large and heavily armored, he didn't even notice when he came into contact with the wires. However, also because he was so large, the wires weren't able to, say, wrap around his forelegs like the snowspeeder vs AT-AT battle on Hoth. Instead, he had two wrapped around his right foreleg and one around his left, with another attached to his lower chest. That last one would be practically useless once Orion got around to using it, however.

Onyx swept his head back and forth, attempting to spot a glimpse of the hunter in the forest. No luck, and there were no tracks he could try and follow--not that he was a brilliant tracker or anything, just that when he momentarily tried to find any, Orion's boots ensured that none were left.

Meanwhile, the hunter was busy firing several trap arrows as he continued moving away from Onyx's path. Once he had figured he was at a good distance, he shot a homing arrow out at a ridiculous angle. Its curve and flight path would make Onyx think the hunter was actually far right of where he currently was, or at least that was the idea.

And sure enough, after a short delay, the arrow hit Onyx in the side of the head and created a miniature fireball. It didn't harm the dragon, but it did grab his attention. He made a sharp turn and sped up in the rough direction it thought Orion's arrow had come from, all the while looking out for possible traps.

He did come across several bramble spots, but they were a mere nuisance. Once time he found his tail snagged by several concealed cables connected to a large boulder, but that was solved in a few seconds by a quick tail-flick that smashed said boulder to pieces.

Still no sign of Orion himself, until Onyx came close to a ravine. An arrow whistled out of nowhere and imbedded in the side of Onyx's head. The following rapid gravitational pulse stunned Onyx and cracked several scales.

Next, Orion came sprinting out of the trees--still mostly concealed by his cloak--and swiftly clambered up onto Onyx's back by way of his back leg. He drew an arrow and nocked it, aiming for Onyx's wings: eliminating its ability to fly was a crucial part of fighting a dragon.

The fire-drake sensed something was wrong, and when he felt the slight sensation of Orion on his back, he acted surprisingly quickly. Onyx rolled over to try and dislodge Orion, smashing several trees to pieces in the process. The hunter had about two seconds to react, which mostly consisted of jumping off the dragon's back and tucking and rolling upon hitting the ground.

However, he was clipped by Onyx's tail in the process. The inadvertent blow sent him skipping across the ground and over the edge of the ravine. Instead of summoning his bow again, he drew a grappling arrow, hooked it to his belt, and threw it into the cliffside. He then rappelled the rest of the way down.

Evidently, Onyx had noticed him and followed, because the sun was blotted out all of a sudden. The ground broke beneath Onyx's paws when he landed, sending shrapnel-like fragments flying everywhere. The hunter was forced to one knee from the impact's shockwave, and white mist leaked from a scratch on his chest. He was still able to summon his bow and ready an arrow.

The fire-drake growled and coiled his body. Orion was cornered and Onyx knew exactly where he was. Before he could so much as run three meters to one side, Onyx pounced.

Orion barely avoided the first paw swipe, shot an armor-piercing arrow at Onyx, and slid on his back to dodge the second paw before shooting another arrow at Onyx. However, the first paw came swinging around and slammed him in the back. Onyx basically caught Orion with a paw and smashed him against his chest, then backed up to give Orion some space as he fell.

When the hunter crashed into the ground, Onyx lifted one of his forelegs and placed his paw on Orion to immobilize him. He growled, but otherwise tried to make it look like he didn't want to kill the hunter. And since he no longer had his bow, Onyx believed him to be disarmed. Orion, however, had other ideas.

Brilliantly shining eyes now open, he summoned his bow again and loosed an arrow. It flew and sunk into a hole caused by one of his armor-piercing arrows and unleashed a prolonged nerve-affecting shock. Since it was located on Onyx's neck, close to his spine and brain, it jolted him a good amount. He reared, tail thrashing and wings beating.

Orion, now free from the grasp of Onyx's claws, once again climbed up the dragon's body. He narrowly avoided being hit by a chunk of the cliffside when Onyx slammed into it in an attempt to ward off the taser-like arrow's effects. He actually succeeded in that regard, ending the shock about halfway through its lifespan.

With his wings already flapping, Onyx pushed off with his hind legs and took flight. He was aiming to put some distance between himself and the hunter, then swing around and raze the entire mountainside forest with his fire. However, for the moment he wasn't aware that Orion was on his back.

Speaking of which, Orion stayed on Onyx's back thanks to his boots, but that didn't prevent the wind from threatening to flatten him against Onyx's hide, thereby rendering him practically impotent. To combat the high-speed winds, he shot two grappling hooks into Onyx's back and attached each to either side of his belt. Unfortunately, that also had the side effect of alerting the dragon to his presence.

Now that Onyx was aware that Orion was on his back once more, he abruptly rolled over mid-air. Still Orion held on, biding his time for the opportune moment. Soon, the dragon shot up into the sky, flying higher and higher in an attempt to force Orion off. He underestimated Orion's determination, however.

The hunter pulled several more arrows from his quiver and shot two at the base of each wing, each of them splitting apart to wrap a wire around the vulnerable joint. Next, he shot four at each wing, or at least made sure four landed on each one. Those arrows unfolded shortly after impact and latched on, creating a sort of star-shaped pattern. They'd act as explosive laser charges, for lack of a better term, damaging the wing membranes and possibly creating tears in them.

Onyx twisted his head around to look back at Orion and roared, his maw lighting up as he prepared to breathe fire. The hunter drew two arrows, knelt, and jammed them into Onyx's hide. They created protective spheres that shielded him from the worst of the lava breath, but even then some got through. His cloak was burned almost in half, and part of his upper arm and torso had been seared.

With everything in place, he pulled two identical arrows out and shot them, one after the other, at the wires wrapped around Onyx's wing joints. They turned into bolts of magical energy and the wires acted as their magnifying glass. The wires shone brightly and constricted, slowly cutting through the armored skin. They didn't really do that much damage, but they sure hurt a hell of a lot.

Onyx roared again and turned back, flying over in an arc so he was now pointing at the earth far below. He plummeted with the intent of landing quickly and burrowing into the ground to dislodge Orion. However, his plan had a spanner thrown in the works in the form of the charges on his wings. Orion activated them, damaging each wing.

Normally that might not have caused much of a problem for Onyx, but when he was dive-bombing the earth and needed his wings to slow down, it was another story. He flapped hard, hoping to slow down enough so he wouldn't hit the ground too hard, but Orion had other ideas.

The hunter poured armor-piercing arrow after arrow into Onyx's wings, each with similar designs as the laser charges. Onyx was, indeed, slowing down, but it wasn't good enough. Shortly before impact, Orion drew six arrows and shot them each into Onyx's hide in a rough half-circle pattern about himself. He pulled six more out and did the same to complete the circle, then pulled another one out and knelt like before.

Thirteen overlapping shield bubbles enveloped the hunter, which would hopefully protect him from the impact.

Onyx roared right before he slammed into the earth with an all-mighty boom. He landed in a hilly area, which is notable because it didn't have any hills after the landing.

Shield after shield broke, failing from the intense and numerous impacts as Onyx rolled uncontrollably across the landscape.

Finally, after several frantic moments, the dragon slid to a halt. Wings now damaged beyond use, several bones fractured at best and broken at worst, Onyx had been in better shape.

Orion, on the other hand, suffered relatively few injuries, though he now bore several new cuts all across his body, and his hood had been reduced to tatters. Fortunately for him, the shields had been just enough to protect him from the worst of the impact.

Onyx growled and tore at the ground with his claws, swiftly burrowing deep beneath the surface. Orion was no longer on his back, but instinct told the dragon to go down to the planet's core and heal there. However, there was no molten core, just an infinitely deep crust. Frustrated by this whole turn of events and angered at how just one person had managed to hurt him so badly, Onyx started making his way back up to the surface.

He figured he knew Orion's tricks now, and if he could just keep the hunter off his back, be aggressive, and actually go for the kill this time, he would win.

The hunter felt the ominous vibrations of Onyx's coming, and pulled six arrows out to prepare. Instead of fully surfacing, Onyx went just high enough to expose the spikes on his back and tail. The earth split and headed in Orion's direction.

He started running, twice turning to shoot an arrow in the ground. The first was another glue arrow that smeared across the top of Onyx's head when he came into contact with it, and the second was another gravitational pulse arrow.

Both to avoid the worst of the pulses and because he was royally pissed at this point, Onyx fully emerged from the ground and went after Orion with everything he had.

Claws scarred the earth, and every time Orion avoided and retaliated with an arrow or two. His tail dug several more long furrows, and every time Orion sprang over it or dodged to the side. The dragon used his fire breath liberally, and the third time his opponent avoided it by jumping down the side of a steep sand dune a couple hundred meters in height.

Orion slid down the dune, acutely aware that Onyx was following closely. The fire-drake jumped off the top of the hill/dune and landed in the desert sands in front of Orion, obscured for several seconds by a plume of red-tan sand. Moments later, his tail lashed out at the hunter, parting the sand in the air and causing it to make rather cinematic swirls that framed Onyx nicely. Orion slid to the side to dodge the strike, and he ignored the shower of sand that was flung out by the impact. He launched several more retaliatory arrows before he reached the bottom of the massive dune.

However, here he had to exercise much more caution when dealing with Onyx, as the sand provided unstable and treacherous footing. That being said, he avoided most of the dragon's attacks for almost a full thirty seconds before something went wrong.

When he was sliding around Onyx, attached to the dragon with cable and grappling arrow, he shot arrow after arrow at his prey. Knowing Orion was using his momentum against him, Onyx decided to turn the tables. He jumped to the side, pulling Orion off his feet and into the air after Onyx. With that, he delivered a powerful wing strike that snapped the cable and sent Orion flying. He sunk deep into the sand upon impact, and he struggled to free himself.

Onyx chased him, and this time Orion was truly put on the defensive. Well, less “defensive” and more like he was a mouse being tossed about by a particularly angry fire-breathing cat. Still, he held his own until the inevitable happened.

The sand betrayed his footing and stance at exactly the wrong time. His leg was clipped by one of Onyx's claws, sending him in an uncontrolled roll down the side of a dune. Near the bottom, he pulled out of it and crouched low to better distribute his weight. Unfortunately for him, Onyx seized the opportunity.

Orion tried to jump away, but the sand wasn't solid enough to provide an adequate platform for such. Instead of being completely eaten by Onyx, he merely had his left arm caught in the deathtrap that was Onyx's teeth.

The fire-drake thrashed his head about wildly. After the third shake, Orion was sent flying again, this time even farther than before. He bounced across the sand twice and slid to a stop most of the way down a dune when it turned suddenly into a rocky hill.

Onyx spat out the arm and inspected it momentarily. It had no taste, and the mist that leaked from it was unpleasant to his oral and olfactory senses. The hunter was a most unusual enemy indeed.

Orion pushed himself up, and in so doing noticed that he was missing his left arm from the elbow down, as well as his left eye. Even with such grievous wounds, he had literally no reaction to the pain whatsoever. He limped down the hill and saw what seemed like a temple made out the same material as the Altar. It was highly unusual and looked like a Jenga tower that was rearranged by someone with no regards for the laws of gravity. It featured a large entrance in the middle, big enough for, say, a dragon's head to fit into.

The hunter made his way inside, rapidly acting as he did so. He drew arrow after arrow and shoved them underneath what remained of his left arm, using his cloak to bind them together in a big bundle. When he had about twenty, he finished tying the knots to secure them with just the one hand.

He heard Onyx coming, and drew three more arrows and stabbed them into a pile of dirt near the back of the entrance hall. Orion summoned his bow again and half-sat half-lied on the ground, and put the bow sideways in between his feet. The right boot adhered to the bow, keeping it from falling, while the left had the toes hooked on the opposite side to better provide stability.

Orion nocked and arrow and drew it back, then waited for his prey to appear.

The fire-drake soon did, and noticed the light shining from Orion's right eye. He turned and stomped towards the temple, then stuck part of his head. All the better to flood the space with fire breath, you know.

But as the first stream of fiery liquid started to spray out, Orion released his arrow. It hit true, imbedding itself in between two of Onyx's teeth. A shield bubble appeared a split-second after, blocking the lava-like breath and forcing it to spurt out the side of Onyx's mouth or be pushed back down his throat.

Needless to say, Onyx was...taken aback by this turn of events. And that was putting it lightly. He jerked his head back and stepped away from the entrance. His head whipped back and forth while he chomped on the shield, attempting to smash it.

While he did so, Orion nocked and fired a second arrow. It was another wire one, splitting and wrapping around Onyx's jaws. He shot the third arrow right after, and it turned to energy before impact. The result was when Onyx finally shattered the shield, his jaws were forced shut. Since the muscles used to open his mouth were far weaker than the ones used to close them, he had a hard time dealing with it.

By that point, Orion rolled to his feet and bolted up a staircase leading to one of the upper levels. There, he was roughly at head-level with Onyx. He had pulled out two of the arrows held under his arm--one was held in his teeth, the other in his right hand. Onyx didn't know Orion was up there, and was busy trying to destroy the painful energy wire entangling his mouth anyway.

The fire-drake tried to cut the wire with one of his claws, but Orion intervened. He threw an arrow, and it also turned into energy before impact. This one sent magical energy coursing through the wire on Onyx's foreleg, causing even more pain.

Orion grabbed the second arrow from his mouth and hurled it at Onyx's other foreleg, and the same happened. However, there were two wires wrapped around that foreleg, and so they inflicted more damage.

Half-crippled by the wires, unable to use his fire breath, Onyx rapidly backed away to put some distance between himself and the hunter. Before jumping off the second level, Orion threw another arrow.

It was similar to the gravitational pulse arrows, but instead of rapid pulses going out and in, it created a single powerful repulse-effect. It activated upon nearing Onyx's head, and the force staggered him. The dragon roared and turned away, tail swinging around in an arc to try and ward off Orion. He ran in the same direction of the tail, then jumped at the last possible second and threw a grappling arrow into the tail.

He was pulled along by Onyx's tail for a moment, going up at a steep angle. When he had reached the best spot, he detached himself from the grappling arrow's cable. He soared and arced down towards Onyx. The dragon turned to quickly look behind it and see where Orion had gone, then noticed the telltale sun-like eye when it was already too late.

As he fell past Onyx's head, Orion threw an arrow that sunk deep into his eye. It was another repulse arrow, and it completely liquidized the fire-drake's eye in addition to damaging his brain. The latter wasn't that serious considering the size of its brain, but still, brain damage was brain damage. It stunned Onyx and sent him into a state of shock, wings flapping weakly.

The dragon stumbled and staggered onto its side, a pained moan escaping its jaws. Orion pulled out an arrow and rushed in for the coup de grace. He hopped up on Onyx's paw, quickly analyzed the underside of his prey's chest, and drew his arm back to throw. There was a small section where the scales had been torn off or otherwise destroyed, probably by the crash-landing from earlier. It was just what he needed to end this combat.

Instinctively, Onyx jerked his arm, catapulting Orion away, but not before he had thrown the arrow.

This arrow was, in fact, two arrows lashed together. The one whose arrowhead stuck out farther than the other was an energy armor-piercing arrow, while the second was a Heartseeker. They worked in tandem, the former drilling through the dragon's tough hide while the latter guided it to his heart. Once the arrows had pierced the vulnerable area that was unprotected by scales, it was just a matter of seconds until they reached Onyx's heart and slew him.

Onyx screamed at the pain, the wires binding his mouth shut snapping. He writhed on the ground, churning the dirt and throwing copious amounts of it high into the air. In his death throes, the medallion fused to the back of his paw detached itself and fell to the ground. As its bearer was dead, it no longer needed to remain bound to Onyx.

Orion, meanwhile, slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. Having lost an eye, an arm, with his attire mostly destroyed and several deep gashes crisscrossing his body, the hunter had definitely had better days.

As he was assessing the damage to himself, Orion missed Onyx's dematerialization and the subsequent shockwave emanating out from the point of origin. It swept across Orion and mended his wounds and restored his clothing.

Cloak fluttering in the breeze, he inspected his newly-returned left forearm with both eyes. Satisfied, he stood and walked over to the Aegis. He took it and went to put it in the same pouch as the other, but not before checking where the light compass was pointing to next.

With that, Orion began another trek across the strange world, eagerly anticipating his next encounter.

[BasedGoody]

INTRO - CONTINUUM AEGIS 

The Doctor’s eyes lazily opened as he thumbed the medallion in his hand. In front of him a structure sprouted out from the steel colored stone that lie around him. As Vile’s vision focused, he noticed the surrounding ‘world’. The sky was a deep blue, beautiful yet different than that of his home. It was clearly daytime as the landscape was illustrated by light, yet a sun was nowhere to be found. The stars were visible and numerous yet the sky’s color was fair, not dark and intimidating. It reminded the scientist of his many test tubes and the colorful liquid in them. Clouds also seemed to be non-existent as well.

Vile’s attention went back to the cylindrical structure in front of him. It protruded out of the stone and appeared to be tattooed with a familiar symbol. Slowly the Doctor lifted up his arm, wincing as a soreness spread over it. He looked over the object that caused the rift in his dimension. It gleamed in the lack-of-sunlight, causing the physicist to raise an eyebrow. The questioning glance soon disappeared as voices whispered around him. The noise resembled a conversation, yet one of nonsense. The words that the medallion strung together made little sense in any context.

“Continuum... Aegis…” Muttered the object in his hand. Rather than flinch in fear, the scientist cocked his head to the side, squinting at the medallion. He wondered what that could be interpreted to, yet the ideas in his head were flurried and jumbled. For the first time in a long time, the Doctor was perplexed. It excited him, causing a large grin to appear on his face. Rarely had his intelligence been questioned by any human or robot; now a whole new dimension to play with had been splayed in front of Vile.

“The Aegis is the key...” Spoke the symbol on the spire opposite him. This furthered the physicist’s interest. A cough rattled from inside the Doctor’s lungs, clearing the path for a sentence of his own.

“You speak of an Aegis, yet do not tell me of what it is? Please, explain.” Vile politely asked. The symbol in both his hand as well as the one on the wall refused to acknowledge the request. Instead, they continued their conversation.

“Seek out and reunite the Lost Twelve,” continued the one in Vile’s possession. “Retrieve them from their guardians, drawn from beyond the Horizon. Return them to this Alter.”

“Ah, I feel I understand your task. You are the Continuum Aegis you speak of, one of twelve.” Doctor Vile smiled as he spoke, proud of his realization. Another thought bugged him; guardians. It was clear this could be more convoluted than a game of hide and seek. His hand came to his chin, waiting for the conversation to continue.

“Reassemble the Shield to break the Seal and end the Cycle,” replied the symbol in the wall. Vile frowned in confusion. The seal? The cycle? It was clear he must acquire the remaining medallions to complete the objective, yet what seal was he breaking? What cycle would be completed? The questions circled around in Vile’s mind. The thoughts were pushed aside as the Aegis in his hand continued.

“The Timestream is fragile and convoluted here, a knot in the fabric of fate. Relinquish not your Continuum Aegis, for it is your only tether.”

“Yes, I figured as much. No cheating. You really have thought of everything, haven’t you?” The Doctor cracked a smile, followed by a small chuckle. The symbols again disregarded the statement. It seemed like an automated message to Vile.

Before the symbol on the wall had a chance to speak, the medallion in the scientist’s hand began to glow. The ring lit up, shortly followed by the orb in the center. Doctor Vile’s eyes wandered around the object, searching for a pattern of any kind. Before anything could come of his observations, the glowing shrunk to a stagnant location on the ring, to the northwest.

“Whosoever ends the Cycle shall inherit dominion over all of Space and Time…” Finished the spire. This caused Vile’s grin to spread to a toothy smile. Rule over space and time intrigued him. With such powers he could run all the experiments necessary to explain the universe. Not just that, it seemed to be the only way he would find out where he is. The location was unlike any he had seen before. It was clear he was no longer on earth as he had never researched a place even remotely close to the area he was in now. Plant life bloomed like he had never seen before, the structure in front of him was enough to leave him in awe. It took a full minute of utter silence to realize that the voices had stopped. Vile was alone.

PART ONE - SCIENCE 

Doctor Vile stepped on to the grass and inhaled deeply through his nose. He put the spire and the stone surrounding it to his back, facing northwest. He figured the glowing of the medallion would signal him to another. In front of him lied an open plain, dotted with plantlife. Even farther, barely visible on the horizon, was a wall of trees. From his location, the protagonist concurred it must be a jungle. The only sounds he could hear were of the wind whisking around and that of the dancing fauna that swayed alongside it.

Five feet in front of the Doctor resided the first of many discoveries. It was a plant, one Vile had not seen before. It was a neon blue, almost that of the stars above him. He kneeled beside it and observed. With a quick flick of his wrist the physician produced a notepad from his labcoat. He filed through the pages, scanning the numerous entries and sticky notes. Red indicated an animal, green for a plant, and yellow for technology. Each note held a description and drawing of something that intrigued the Doctor. After a small search he found a blank page.

Vile sat back in the grass and pulled out a pen from his pocket protector. He tapped it on his forehead for a minute before placing it on the ground. With a click of the button on top, it glowed a vibrant orange and lifted into the air. The scientist nodded to his invention and began to speak.

“I have found myself in somewhere quite peculiar,” he began. As he spoke, the pen flew to the page and wrote in a neat font. It copied his words exactly, from the capital ‘I’ to the comma to finish. Vile continued on as his creation worked.

“My first encounter with the paranormal began on a simple dig-site with a few of my robots. I was visited by a medallion of sorts, which I now know to be the Continuum Aegis. It teleported me apparently to a different dimension. I cannot describe the landscape without extreme devotion. It would take years to document what I have seen in the last five minutes. For that I will put things simple and conclude my discoveries after completing my task.” Dr. Vile breathed in as his pen floated next to him in attention He turned his gaze to the only evidence of life he had. The neon plant appeared to bloom right in front of him. The stem led to a now vibrant red flower. It looked almost similar to a sunflower, yet so different. The petals were dotted with thorns and the center dipped into a tube leading into the ground.

“When I first got here, I was greeted atop a stone platform and a tower adorned with the same symbol I found on my medallion. They, the medallion and symbol, spoke with each other. This itself has shattered all scientific theories I know of! They informed me I must collect the other Continuum Aegis, twelve there are. All guarded by others. I am still yet to discover if the guardians have been here for all of eternity, or rather if they are like me. Is there anyone hunting me right now? This gives me good enough reason to conclude my notes for now and keep moving.” The scientist finished as he continued to stare at the plant next to him. It looked like a small gaping maw leading into the soil, accompanied by thorned petals. The doctor, curious, plucked a few strands of grass. Gently he placed them on the thorns. Just as he had expected, the petals clamped together.

“I have already encountered a carnivorous plant. With no animals in sight, another question expands in my mind; what could it be here to eat? If my hypothesis is correct then these are meant as traps. This one is only around a foot tall, leading me to wonder how big they will get in maturity. With no signs of reproductive organs in action, I can assume it is juvenile.” The Doctor finished, closing his notebook. He pushed himself to his feet and stretched his back. A harmonious group of cracks followed and his pen hovered next to him, slowly making it’s way back into his pocket protector.

Vile continued on his walk Northwest, cataloging new plant life as he came across them. Still he found no animals or other signs of life. The jungle slowly grew closer, the trees becoming more and more visible. They were giant, the scientist compared them to Redwoods of earth. The comparison stopped at the height however, as these trees had trunks of a dreary gray and leaves of vibrant oranges and reds. As the Doctor approached the forest, he turned around. In the distance he spotted the spire from which he came.

“Nothing to do now but push forward,” the physician muttered, spinning back to the new biome in front of him. He stepped past the bushes and over the puddles of murky water. Occasionally he passed the carnivorous plant he found earlier. Doctor Vile was correct, they had indeed gotten bigger. These were three to four feet tall, with a mouth large enough to swallow a human’s arm.

His Continuum Aegis continued to gleam in the same direction. The Doctor wondered truly how large the world was, and if he could ever find the other medallions. As he walked, he hummed a tune. Slowly he began to clap along to his own beat, and then burst out into a full acapella. The melody was calming to his ears, as he didn’t feel so alone. His ink-based comrade slipped out of his pocket and clicked along to the beat. It was apparent that the scientist had stopped looking where he was going.

“Oh joy, take it away pen!” Vile smirked while the small cylindrical writing utensil happily continued it’s rhythm. Suddenly the protagonist’s outstretched leg found it’s way onto a hard substance.

“Ah! Oh for the love of Science!” The Doctor yelped out as he stubbed his toe. He opened his eyes to find a large brick of stone in front of him. His pupils continued upwards to find that the one stone was rather part of a pyramid of them. It appeared to be a temple, or shrine of sorts. Vines entangled the run down building, and it was in a state of disrepair. The pen floating next to the physician hid back in it’s home, quivering at the sight of the ancient structure.

Vile did not speak, but rather slowly walked around it, circling the entire thing. It had similarities to the Aztec temples of earth. He found a doorway on the eastern side that led into darkness. The Doctor hesitated for a brief moment before decided that entrance into the building would prove useful for science. It showed evidence of intelligent life. Ever so gingerly, he took a step onto the hard stone floor of the destroyed building. The pitch black darkness overcame his eyes, he could no longer see. With a snap of his fingers another robot came to his rescue. The lighter emerged from his labcoat and flipped open in front of him.

Vile watched as the technological masterpiece flicked back it’s flint wheel, causing a spark. The gasoline did not catch, however. Again the invention attempted to light. This one was more successful, and a fire light illuminated the walls around him. They were covered with alien-esque symbols. The Doctor studied them for mere seconds before picking up a torch from it’s holder on the wall.

“Z1PP0, please light this,” Vile whispered as the robot followed orders. The torch ignited into a beautiful glow of orange. The lighter, understanding it’s job was complete, returned to the labcoat. Now the Doctor could see a larger area around him. He continued to make his way through the temple, lighting torches on the wall as he went. Symbols dotted the wall in no apparent pattern. They were written in the fashion of cave writings, yet the scientist could tell they were not the same as the ones found on Earth.

Carefully he rounded a turn, but as he placed down his foot he heard a click. It echoed through the stone hall and Vile froze for a moment. He looked down and saw his sole firmly planted down on a trigger plate. Before thinking, the Doctor pulled off his pocket protector and slammed it down on the ground. From it, a serious of transparent red hexagons expanded out in front of him. Through it, he found a series of arrow-like projectiles whizzing through the stale air. One by one, they fizzled out on the laser barricade. Ashes slowly floated down to the ground. The scientist remained as still as the water where mosquitoes rest. Only his eyes nervously jumped around.

“Hm. Some security system they have here,” Vile mused out loud. With a tap of his dual-functioned device on the ground, the shield dissipated. He picked it up and returned it to it’s place, protecting his pocket. The protagonist cautiously moved forward, looking below him for any more tricks or traps. The symbols on the wall grew more demonic and unfinished. The physician eventually stopped focusing his attention on these cave-writings as the images of hangings and executions started to look eerily close to a doctor.

As he rounded another corner he found a staircase. It spiraled down to the depths below, yet a faint light gleamed out of the bottom. The Doctor’s interest piqued, causing him to begin down the descent. Whether he noticed it or not, his torch began to die down. As the steps became more uneven and creaky his flame got dimmer and dimmer. Once Vile placed his feet on the stone and off of the stairs, he was left back into the darkness. Worriedly, the physician tapped his coat pocket. The lighter emerged from it’s hiding placed and instinctively popped itself open. Before lighting, however, the Doctor placed up a hand signalling to stop. The robot let out a curious ‘beep’, yet Vile’s gaze was focused on the gleam of blue in front of him.

Resting on a pedestal a few feet away lied a sphere. On said sphere were blue radiating symbols. The Doctor was again perplexed by the situation. This clearly proved that some form of intelligent life, yet he had not found any thus far. Was this the remanence of some extinct being?

“Take it…”

Vile jumped in the air at the whispering voice. He spun around but found no one near him. He was alone with the orb. His fear grew, something which had not surfaced in a long time. Goosebumps popped up on his forearms, sending shivers up his spine. After a minute of pure silence, he lifted up his Continuum Aegis.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” The physician questioned with narrow eyes. Slowly the fear drained out of his body and the goosebumps receded into his skin. The shivering of his spine ceased. The medallion had directly spoken to him, and told him to steal the sphere. The Doctor hesitated, pondering if it would be a good idea. He came to the conclusion that the relic in his hand would probably be on his side. There is no gain for an inanimate object to harm him.

Quietly, the protagonist approached the sphere. The light blue hurt his eyes, yet he could not look away. His hands hovered above the object, medallion around his neck. As Vile’s fingers wrapped around the orb he lifted it up. As he did so, the plate below it lifted. He had walked directly into the trap. The gleam of the sphere burned his hands but he refused to let go. He stood in shock as the temple rumbled around him. Stone dropped from the roof and came crashing down next to him, sending up dust.

Vile coughed into his lab coat before spinning around to the staircase. It was already crumbling. The Doctor sprinted to the only means of escape and leaped up two steps at a time. He made it halfway before the stone gave out below him. Vile gave out a yelp as he fell, flailing out for a hold. His hands caught the step above him. Each finger scraped and bled on the sharp rocks. The sphere he had tried so hard to collect rolled carelessly on the edge.

The Doctor began to lift himself up, keeping a watchful eye on the orb. Pain shot up through his damaged arms as he hoisted his body onto the next step. Vile snagged the sphere and continued to bound up the staircase. Stone continued to crash around him, occasionally missing by a margin of inches. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the hallways. Dust had shot up and the physician could barely see a foot in front of him. Nevertheless he continued his dash through the temple. His feet seemed to snag every root and upturned stone, halting his escape precious seconds at a time.

Vile rounded a familiar corner, hearing an even more familiar click. His eyes widened as the whiz of arrows became apparent through the crashing building around him. The Doctor’s attempt to dive away was rendered futile as the projectile cut through his labcoat and stuck into the wall. He tried to pull away, yet the arrow was too deep into the stone behind. Vile spun to the culprit of his standstill and wrapped his fingers around it. The structure continued to break and crumble away around him.

With a hefty and primal growl, the Doctor ripped out the arrow. Dust continued to fog up his path, but Vile refused to raise the white flag. His speed grew as he gave every last ounce of adrenaline into his legs. He could see the daylight out in front of him. The boulders smashed down centimeters to his side and sweat drenched the hopeless survivor. As his legs gave out he pushed for one final dive into the open before blacking out.

PART TWO - TECHNOLOGY 

Again Vile pried open his eyes, this time staring up towards a deep orange and red treeline. A couple of blinks restored his vision. Raspy coughs followed as he sat up. The Doctor’s back ached and his stomach felt as if it had flipped. Memory flowed back into him as his head swiveled towards the clogged door of the temple.

“Would you look at that!” the Doctor chirped happily, “I have survived! How stupendous.” Slowly yet steadily he rose to his feet, glancing down towards the vibrant orb covered in dust below him.

“And you have survived too!” He smiled, picking it up. Suddenly the burning sensation he faintly remembered returned to his fingertips and he dropped the sphere. Vile shook his burnt hands in the air before reaching into his tattered lab coat for a pair of blue surgical gloves. The Doctor pulled them over his wrists, letting them audibly slap into place. With a more determined look, Vile grasped the foreign object.

A few wipes returned the sphere back to it’s formerly glowing state, as dust had contaminated it. Vile eyed the object, looking at every visible part. The whole thing was made up of similar yet different symbols that shined a luminescent blue. The scientist wondered why it was so heavily guarded by traps.

“Open the armor…” His medallion spoke. In response, Vile flinched. He had not expected such an helpful hint from the mysterious object. The Doctor took little time to question the all-knowing jewelry and dropped to his knees. On the dirt in front of him he unrolled a slew of tools. They ranged from scalpels to screwdrivers. Carefully he lay the orb adjacent to his devices.

First, the Doctor attempted to find a button or latch to pry open the sphere. After minutes of fruitless search he moved on to the next option. Using the back of his hammer, he attempted to force it open. Again, his attempts failed miserably. Finally, with one option left, Vile produced a new invention. The Doctor grabbed what appeared to be a Swiss Army Knife; yet as he flipped open the sharp tool it proved to be different.

The blade was made out of a controlled plasma-esque material. It had cut through anything Vile had needed to slice with no problem, why would this be any different? The Doctor’s hope had shown through as the blade dipped into the orb. His incision cut deeper and deeper until it finally reached the core. Suddenly the sphere popped open into two even pieces. The semi-circles rolled on the ground before halting a few feet away.

A crystal of the same blue color was left floating in the air. Vile eyed it cautiously as sparks bounced off of it. It clearly had electrical properties. Slowly the scientist brought up his knife, hoping to poke it and observe what happens. Before he could get close, however, his blade shorted out. It fizzled and retracted. The Doctor frowned in dismay at the sudden breaking of his device.

Luckily for him, he had many other things to poke with. He whistled out into the air, calling upon his trusty writing utensil. It appeared next to him, ready for use. The Doctor nodded towards the relic and the pen nervously inched towards it. Before the robot could get close enough, however, it fell straight out of the air. Vile again was taken aback by the strange lack of working tools.

“Unless… This crystal is causing the problem!” He exclaimed at the realization. It was not faulty devices, but rather the relic had properties of an EMP.

“But of course… How could my inventions ever fail?” Vile cockily remarked. Before his narcissistic rant could continue, he heard a noise. It was faint, the crackling of leaves a small bit away. The Doctor knew, however, that there were no animals in these lands. It could not have been a plant because plants do not rustle leaves. More importantly plants don’t run, which is what the noise implied. Footsteps coming his way, and fast. He glanced at the medallion now in his pocket. It shone the brightest glow he had seen yet, and pointed right in front of him.

Quickly the Doctor grabbed the crystal out of the air and turned around, breaking into a run. The other guardian was right behind him and closing. Vile rarely had to think on his feet, but now was certainly a time to do so. He outstretched his arm, in his hands the medallion. It was reflective, and through it the physician saw his opponent. Only a mere glimpse was caught, but what it revealed was nothing to scoff at. A huge being chased him from not far behind. It stood at least 12 feet. It rested in a suit of robotic armor.

Before Vile caught a better glance, it stopped. The physician did not falter on his escape but rather spent a second wondering why his enemy had halted short on it’s path. His question was answered by a sudden blast of energy to his right. Leaves bounced up into the air in fright as the beam sliced through them. A second beam smashed into the tree trunk adjacent. More followed, smacking and crashing into various fauna and shrubbery while narrowly avoiding the protagonist.

The enemy let up firing for a miniscule moment to whisk away from it’s previous position. Now it took form thirty feet ahead of Vile, still aiming it’s weapon. The Doctor slowed, as the act of teleporting had rendered him less energetic. Clearly it had required the energy in the surroundings to use.

“Oh for the love of Science, teleportation!?” He yelped out, skidding in his tracks. He turned around on a dime, booking it in the opposite direction. It was not long before the familiar crash of energy-beams returned to his ears. They wreaked havoc upon the land, destroying all the unique wildlife that Vile had come to enjoy.

The Doctor continued his helpless running, leaping over upturned roots and bushes all while beams blasted the landscape. Finally, one landed at his feet. The burning sensation rose up his legs as he was sent slamming into the grass ahead. As his eyes clenched shut in fear of what would happen next, his brain began to sputter to life. It coughed up smoke while the hamster lazily climbed onto his wheel. It started to turn, slowly at first. Then it began to pick up the pace. Soon enough, the little mammal was moving as fast as the physician was mere seconds earlier.

Now Vile had a plan.

PART 3 - END-GAME 

As his opponent approached, it cocked it’s head to the side. The all-powerful being was perplexed to find it’s enemy jogging in place. Sweat drenched Vile and his clothing was wet and sticking to his body. A light smile crossed the tired practitioner of medicine’s face as the alien approached him, whip in hand. Nevertheless, the Doctor continued his exercise, breathing heavily.

The monster cracked it’s whip in the air before speaking.

“Your mind is clouded with thoughts of speed and running… what exactly are you doing?” It said, slightly growling. Vile spoke not a word but didn’t stop. His feet sped up, drenching himself further. Bile arose in the Doctor’s throat as he was about to throw up. Shaking his head, he swallowed the puke and refused to let up.

“You are not entertaining me. Human, are you going to fight or not?” Vile’s opponent uttered. The Doctor was convinced he had reached a good state, and launched his attack. With pinpoint accuracy, he threw the crystal. It was clear his enemy attempted to teleport away, but the effects of the EMP had already overcome him. The impenetrable suit clunked on to the ground, stiff as a board. The armor was still, and Vile slowly stalked over to his enemy, still heavily breathing.

The EMP continued to take effect, pinning down the completely electronic armor.

“Oh boy! I bet you want an explanation why you aren’t teleporting out of your suit right now, don’t you?” Vile triumphantly laughed, resuming his in-place running. It must have looked comical, a sweaty doctor jogging in place over the still body of a huge monster covered in plating.

“Don’t worry, it was a rhetorical question. Of course I will tell you!” He continued through heavy breathing, “You see, I have come into ownership of a crystal with the means to disable your suit. I’ll assume that part is obvious. I understand it takes a lot of energy for you to teleport, no? In fact, I am sure of it, as I felt the energy being drained from me as you whisked in front of me earlier.” The physician grinned, “When I first got a good look at you, you’re suit appeared to be completely enclosed. How would you get out then? Through teleportation of course!” He laughed through the sweat.

“BUT. What if there were no sources of energy for you to use? I’ve calculated four possible sources of said energy, photosynthetic plants, carnivorous plants, my tools, and me. I’ve observed no sun even in clear daylight. That means there is no energy for the photosynthetic plants. No food source either! Guess you can cross the carnivorous plants off your list too. That’s right, no animals for miles. My little EMP-friend has already sapped the electronics I have on me. There goes that one! And finally, me. Well you can’t take energy from me if I have none! That my friend, is why I’m running. I guess the fact that I see your medallion around your neck means that I have just about won.” Vile finished as he jogged over to the lifeless shell of a body in front of him.

“What, no response? Hmm? EMP got your tongue?” He laughed as one hand ripped off the Aegis from it’s place on his opponent’s neck. Slowly the armor and body with it began to fizzle out of reality. Vile stopped his running and placed his hands victoriously on his hips.

“Let’s not forget. You made one very important mistake, mi amigo.” The Doctor yelled out as the guardian disappeared.

“YOU. MESSED. WITH. DOCTOR. VILE!” He finished, laughing maniacally into the air.

[BetaWülf]

Dur-Shon, Seventh Pure blood extant; Emperor of the Gohl-hon.

Dur-Shon hissed to himself as he wandered about this strange place, following his devine talisman which seemed to be guiding him(or so the tower and medallion said). He was disturbed by all that had happened in recent memory. The tower, the shared symbol of his amulet and the tower. And of course, the tower and amulet having spoken to him would have been disheartening. Would have been, if he had not taken it as a sign, which simply served to strengthen his resolve through religious fervor.

His clawed boots scraped the immense stone dias he found himself on(or so it seemed like to Dur-Shon) as he moved along at a lazy pace, he did not wish to be caught unawares in this place, especially if he exhausted himself by running or jogging beforehand. As he walked, he contemplated his current dilemma. Firstly, where was he? The land was foreign to him, not a sight, sound, or smell was familiar to him.

Secondly, when was he? From what he could tell he wasn’t really in a ‘when’, at least not in the traditional sense. Thirdly, and most importantly, when would he get back? Would his Empire, his Dynasty, his species even still be there when he returned? That is... if he ever returned. This troubled him the most, what would happen if he united these... things that the voice wanted. Was he merely a pawn in some greater power’s game? And if so, who was at the other end of the gaming board from the Tower?

---

Dur-Shon continued his walk, his tongue flicking out occasionally to check for any fresh scents. It was during one of these tongue scentings that a new smell came to him, utterly alien and not like anything else of this place. While its scent was alien, it did carry a certain familiarity, not unlike his own scent. It was more Avian though, far less of a Reptillian pungence to it, and a feathery smell as well. After zigzagging for several minutes, Dur-shon determined the direction of the alien smell, and after a quick check of his Aegis headed off to the South.

It was not long before he caught sight of a small dot in the distance, which seemed to be moving. Dur-Shon slowly drew two of his throwing knives, one in each scaly hand. He dropped to all fours and skittered across the ground, to hopefully avoid early detection now that he was off the steel-like rock. The fact it was a grassy plain helped to conceal him, though being a nearly nine-foot tall reptile didn’t usually require or aid in stealth. As Dur-Shon drew nearer to the creature he had seen from before, he decided to chance a look.

What he saw shocked, disturbed, and amazed him. The creature wasn’t as tall as him, or at least not on its four lower limbs... four out of six limbs. He’d seen only two species before that possessed six or more limbs, the Eight flippered Sea Titans of the Second Sea of Xol’von, and the Six limbed Repto-Primates of Gohl’aurn.

But neither were like this... pseudo-Equine Avian creature he now watched. This creature was armed and armored, apparently sapient. Dur-Shon only knew of three other Sapient species besides his own; the dwarf lizard-men of Buhdon, the Rhinocerine builders of Rekhar, and insectoids that attempted to invade Thendar in centuries long past. But this... Equine-Avian was new and utterly alien to him, from its four eyes to its six talon ended limbs.

---

As he watched it, he realized it too was watching. Watching him. Immediately upon this realization Dur-Shon’s throat sac puffed up, the razor sharp spines that adorned it bristling, whilst his pupils went to thin slits. The Alien turned on its lower four limbs and in its taloned hand it held a bow, while Dur-Shon was only wielding throwing knives from too great a distance for them to be of use. He quickly sheathed the blades and raised his open hands in the air.

He cautiously edged his way from the tall grass he had been in, and sighed as he did so, as the Alien had not fired upon him, thank the stars. He stopped a good distance away from it, before clearing his throat.

“Greetings... friend of maybe, I am Dur-Shon. If it offends you not, may I know your name or equivalent title?” Dur-Shon said, using a caution and civility not generally associated with the Gohl-hon in potentially dangerous situations.

It was a long pause from the Alien Horse-Bird, with nothing from it save for a curious look like it was listening to something besides Dur-Shon while it stared at him. Frankly, this annoyed Dur-Shon thoroughly.

“The least you could do is respond in... whatever language you speak! Be it vocally, by way of the hands, or rhythmic vibrations. I am Dur-Shon, Emperor of the Gohl-hon, Seventh pure blooded extant, and... have I a request of you...” Dur-Shon said, at first heatedly, then resigned to having a need for aid from this Alien.

“I am stranded here as I imagine you are, and my entire Empire is dependant upon me for guidance, in War and Spirituality. I need to return to them, and the only way I know of is to follow this... Aegis to acquire more of them. I do not desire to battle you, but will if I must” Dur-Shon explained, with little response beyond subtle visual hints of what might be going through the Avians head.

“I implore you, please give me your Aegis so I may continue my campaign to return to my Empire, my people, they need me. All I can offer in return here is eternal thanks and perhaps companionship, but if we can get away from this place, I will reward you greatly, even offer an alliance to you and your species if you would have it” Dur-Shon said, growing desperate.

He slowly and deliberately unsheathed one of his knives, before slowly drawing it across the crease of his palm. Blood trickled from his clenched left fist as the Alien watched him curiously, “I swear to honor what I have said” Dur-Shon said adamantly.

After a moment of what looked like deep contemplation from the Alien, the Equine-Avian’s hand shot forward and its Aegis flew through the air towards Dur-Shon with impeccable aim for the distance. “Take it” the Alien said as Dur-Shon caught the Aegis, a look of undying gratitude upon the Gohl-hon Emperor’s face.

[Huka]

Watch-lord Khiron of the South Fringe

Finally, in a mind’s blink, it was all over as soon as it began...

The madness of the unnatural travel shaken Khiron enough to make his usually-sturdy hindlegs quake like a newborn till he collapsed on his knees with his upper body bent over to comprehend it all. His mind reeled and his being seemed to been slowly recovering from the touch of possible gods. To compare it to his knowledge, it was like being bodily heard through the stream of slipspace and now...here he was, sitting in the serene stillness of an alien world.

Looking down, he found his hand clenching to the mysterious medallion that have brought him to this place, as tight as a Scorpio’s claws upon its own possession as it pulsated like a ebbing heart. His multiple digits flexed before finally lifting his eyes to look at the setting that he have been dropped in;

He sat upon a large deck consist of some kind of alloy-like stone. Similar to the training stones and carved totems of the Taurus, reaching a clear simple mile-long disc in the middle of an admittingly eerie flat grassy plain that reminded him of his homeworld. A perfect galloping grounds that made Khiron almost hope he was home but the pillar began him spoke otherwise. It rose high and mightily towards the infinite heavens, yet simplistic in appearance. Humble but powerful.

As his head reached as far as it could, Khiron took the time to scan the atmosphere and despite the inability to actually coordinate or even find a signal from his communications, he already knew he was far from Zodiac space to hope for help. Sighing in morbid resolution for a moment, the Ranger took this moment to finally raise to his talons before just noticing the carvings into the monolith’s surface.

A series of carved reliefs, cut into a pattern of thirteen circles...with the same internal design as the medallion that the Saggitarius had in his hand. That he just consciously reminded was in his grasp. Looking down upon it, Khiron tilted his head and tried to find a logical reason why he even grabbed it.

In the breeze of a spiritually-stale wind, he found none.

Upon noticing the second medallion sitting in the heart of it all, both it and Khiron’s briefly flashed their center orbs once in unison. They began to vibrate and hum like Aquarii speaking their harmonious language, the noise eventually turning into a whisper-quiet “voice”. Or rather, it sounded more like multiple “voices” all whispering at the same time.

“Continuum… Aegis…” said the thing in your hand.

The orbs gave another synchronized flash. The hushed “voices” continued, as if the two medallions were having a conversation with the Bowmaster. Their hum resonated in his mind in a way that translated the message perfectly like the mouthless Virgo.

“The Aegis is the key,” The medallion resting on the monolith whispered.

“Seek out and reunite the Lost Twelve,” Khiron’s held artifact then instructed. “Retrieve them from their guardians, drawn from beyond the Horizon. Return them to this Alter.”

“Reassemble the Shield to break the Seal and end the Cycle.”

“The Timestream is fragile and convoluted here, a knot in the fabric of fate. Relinquish not your Continuum Aegis, for it is your only tether.”

The transparent crystal ring surrounding the held medallion then began to glow. The orb flashed, the ring flashed, and then the light became concentrated in just one spot along the ring. After that, the artifact in the wall finished with one more warning.

“Whosoever ends the Cycle shall inherit dominion over all of Space and Time…”

With that the humming stopped, and Khiron were once again left in silence.His three fingers tapped onto the medallion a couple times and he was about to put it away into his satchel, the ring’s light glown. A inquisitive huff wheezed from his helmet before tilting his head, moving the artifact abit before looking in direction of the pointing light.

”Thus a new quest begin.”

Rearing up on his hind legs in a readied energy, Khiron made a mixture of a trilling cry and neigh before speeding off in direction of his prey.

***
The plains was far and seemingly endless but it mattered little to Khiron’s seemingly boundless stamina. Minutes were feeling like hours at the moment after an approximately a hour and thirty minutes in standard twenty-four hours passed before he found the edge of a forest ahead of him, entering it in awe and instinctive caution. Beautifully dark green with healthy looking bark and no touch of time’s decay. However, the lack of bird songs or wood-eaters signaling through the flora, even he noticed the pure lack of grazing animals unnerved the well-aged veteran somewhat. Only time he’ve seen a lack of animals on a planet was a dead planet. The cycle of life felt incomplete and the perfect balance of things here warned Khiron this place might not be natural in the first place.

“Beauty frozen. Life here but never. Death? Death shall never sully these motherly grounds.” The medallion’s ghostly voices whispered.

Shaking his tail and slapping his own hindquarters with the metal-like skin of his individual hairs to focus himself and hopefully find some meaning to those words, Khiron snorted and stepped through, unknowingly, his first battlefield.

Pulling his bow from its resting place, eyes slowly scanning past the numerous trees and into the unknown while the weapon twisted and snapped from its retracted state with a muffled thunk. Its ammunition reading thankfully appeared onto the corner where it belonged. “Thank the Divine Herds.” He whispered to himself, making very slow and careful steps. One moment his talons were curled and walking on their knuckles but the crunch of dried leaves proved irritating for Khiron enough to uncurl and practically walk on his talons with a heightened stance.

If a human saw him now, they would have mistaken him for a very odd-looking deer, even down to the erect neck and intense stares. Only thing he could hear was his own hearts beating, very quiet steps and breaths silenced in his mask. Nothing alive in sight in any direction but the medallion continued to point the same direction. West. If it wasn’t for his innate sense of direction and the medallion, Khiron wouldn’t tell anything apart in any direction.

He had to get up high.

The Bowmaster strided towards a tree, his front legs reached up like a taloned cat and clasped tight into the bark’s skin with a crackling crunch of bone-crushing power before putting his bow aside to use his hands too in the initial climb up. Six limbs, all powerful and heaved a little over ton of tuar weight with acceptable speed, pushing the limbs and leaves without breaking branches off in the scale upwards to the tip-top. One hindleg gripped onto a thick-enough branch, the other holding onto the body and front-limbs gripped onto the lower legs’ thighs tight to support himself while Khiron straightened his entire body in mimicry of the tree and ancestral posture.

What he saw next confirmed his fears...

Around him there was a unnatural variety of environment that shouldn’t be neighboring a plain or forest; from one side there was a orange desert running away from the plains, separated by the forest’s reach. On another was a gray blanket of vengeful winds and fogs with crackling lightning muffling behind the unknown veil, barely seeing the floating blocks of stone or rather ice in its midst as if an eternal hurricane kept them suspended. Ahead was the forest going far enough to be landscape on its own with few sparse opening and the distant sight of another monolith reaching for the heavens like his own. That is where he must go perhaps...and another holder of these medallions awaited.

Double-checking the atmosphere, finding it breathable to his biology, Khiron pressed a barely visible button on the side of his armor’s collar before his helmet hissed out sealed air and retracted back to reveal a nearly hawk-like face with a down slopped head. From the tip of his curved beak, along the ridged break and up to the erecting mane of multi-colored feathers hardly dulled with age, a mask of metallic skin shinned off the sunlight and two large circular eyes blinked with multiple lids to adjust. Sharp oval pupils narrowed into light-resisting slits, the Saggitarius chirped out and went into a meditative trace.

Hands out and palms down, all of his nostrils flaring and sniffing the passing breezes down and up-wind. His mane moving to the brushing air. The smells of nature was pure and dominate...and in the multitude of smells, he caught something.Head turned in its direction. It was down-wind of his attended destination and smelled reptilian.

All fours narrowed before his helmet extended back over his face and resealed with a hiss. Bow back in his hand and bio-scanner dotting along the forest as far as three kilometers, the red pulsing body of a large biped moved along none the wiser...or it looked that way. Curling his middle fingers at the forming energy string, Khiron started to pull his arrow and get into proper stance. A hard elastic pull, a thought to the Medallion’s words...then release!

The arrow arched through the air and dived like a hunting raptor with little a sound before a loud shout of surprise caused at least a small sound of amusement from the huntsman. The reptilian creature drew a pair of blades quick and searched around for the origins of the projectile pinged against the bark next to its head. Its large head looked up and Khiron felt he was looked upon. It tilted its head in confusion of what it was seeing. A long extension of the tree? A mirage?

To further that thought, the Bowmaster vanished like the latter via his camouflage before making a pouncing jump along the tree tops and his anti-gravity repulsor glided his heavy body along to a graceful land and immediately trotted along for the closest opening in the forest. Calculating and plotting his moves as he went. From his observation, Khiron saw the creature was more of a sturdy fighter from its bulk, reptilian advantages of scales and spines, and had well-crafted armor. He had a chance to combat it in close-quarters but couldn’t measure on outright appearances. Distance was going to be his factor of victory as always and he made sure his enemy knew that.

He had the greater eyes.

It was a ten minute stride but finally he finally found a spot, strutting up slowly along the upward slope of a protruding rock before cutting off his camouflage. Changing his bow into its staff-mode, Khiron waited for his current opponent in the open. Eyes slowly scanning around his front. Mind sharp with a corner dulling at the thought of his herd now...possibly looking for him. Looking for some kind of residue or imprint from where he stood. Was he even alive? Or is his real body still there, perhaps frozen while his mind was trapped in a possibly virtual or otherworldly realm beyond normal sense. From talks with Capicorns and their ever-wondering minds or Virgos and their spiritual attachments to places beyond typical comprehensions, there was endless possibilities for the universe is as endless as time itself.

Suddenly a twig snap made the hunter’s head aim straight at the disturbance while keeping his weapon in neutrality. He could see the stocky but imposing creature now, standing in between the trees, perhaps knowing stealth wasn’t its strength but still cautious after the earlier warning.

“Ba-lu’daan.” Khiron greeted with a vertical sway of his free hand as if depicting a running field. His native tongue’s words meaning ‘Welcome along the running plains’ but he honestly doubted that the creature understood even with the simple gesture. There was a moment’s time that the pair regarded each other, understanding each other’s potential danger and no doubt debating to kill the other before that threat become fatally real. That was the sad way of even advanced life; the desire to kill a threat or lesser creature was inherit from basic beginning.

Finally, the Reptilian stepped into the light and Khiron’s helmet retracted back to reveal his face in social welcome. Both armed but neutral for each other at the moment. Both were on the edge of their side’s light and wary.

The face of a creature that evolved with the moderation of reptile and bird, head crested with a mane of green-blue feathers, a sharp meat-piercing beak and two sets of eyes looking into the Reptile’s orange slit-pupiled set. Both were skinned with the color of livid nature but on different varieties of the predatory foodchain. Where the Saggitarius were predators born from prey, the Reptile looked to be grown to apex from a middle-chain.

Nodding softly to himself, Khiron produced his medallion and tapped its center with one of his fingers. The Reptile blinked before carefully producing his own and his fanged maw spoke a deep, guttural language. The bio-implants in the back of his skull buzzed and repeated the phrase again with growing clarity, working and carefully connecting to the Virgo’s telepathic language that seemed to agree with all languages in one way or another. At last, when the Reptile seemed to repeat himself and started to give out more thankfully;
“So you have one too, do you know how we got here?”

“Do you know how we got here!?”

“If you are going to try and shoot me before deciding to go like a statue, at least cripple me before leaving yourself open!”

On that, Khiron’s mane stood up in erect alert and a huff ripped from all nostrils with his front-talons uncurling enough to stand on their knuckles. His beaked maw started to speak back with a translated response, “If I wanted to kill you, Stranger, I would have.”

That was a fact.

“But that is not my way unless you wish it to be. Yes I have one and no, I don’t know sadly. I hoped the same from you.”

The Reptile calmed down slowly with a look of disappointment on his face, that a reptilian could allow anyway, before blinking once. “I am Emperor Dur-Shon of the Gohl-hon and I need to return to my people as soon as I can. I don’t know how yet but I could pay good for your help in returning me back to my...place.” He said with a moment’s time to find a good way to use for this setting. Khiron drummed his claws once over his staff at the thought of being hired like some common mercenary. It was insulting to say the least but it didn’t last, knowing it wasn’t meant to be as such.

“I am Watch-Lord Khiron of the Saggitarius, while my services aren’t for hire, I will require assistance myself. If people of our stature was summoned in this world, there was no doubt other fierce dangers dwelling around...and working alone may not be our destiny’s path.” The Ranger said before he leapt down to the grass with a thump of weight. “I am willing to work with you if you are willing not to strike my hindquarters.”

The Gohl-hon took that speech for a moment and sneered abit as if he was insulted himself but calmed down, at least frontally, before nodding. “Then an alliance. I will say your bow will be a great asset...”

“And your blades will prove welcoming and formidable against our foes.” Khiron added with his hand lifting. Dur-Shon looked down at the offered limb before stepping out into the light with a slight glance around as if expecting a trap. The Saggitarius would have done the same if he was last to appeared and his stoic tone perhaps didn’t help. Finally face-to-face with the Reptilian larger than the Bowmaster while he was on all fours, he reached his own big hand and grasped the typical warrior’s agreement.

[MrKill]

Onyx shifted in position, her internal flame all but gone - it was faint, distant; her energy drained. It was her life source, so to speak - if her internal flame died she'd go with it not long after, unless she was able to hunt for enough food to sustain herself. Without her internal flame ignited she would have no fire to cast into the shadows, and her main resource extinguished.

The area that surrounded her was not familiar, it was new. The mere scent of the planet had changed - a scent she had never experienced before, had she been teleported to a new world by her creators to judge a new race of species? Had she been teleported to the land of the damned because she incorrectly judged the former race? Or perhaps the device she had found had sent her to this place. She picked it up with her claws and examined it for a moment before hanging it on her horns.

She slowly stood up, opening her eyes for the first time in what felt like minutes. She was standing on a stone like platform. She swung her head backwards, greeted by the large cylindrical building with the same construction material as the platform she stood on. Curious, the fire-drake approached the building.

She found a glyph of sorts, with slots for other devices similar to hers to be returned spreading away from a centered object - the same thing as the object she had found moment ago. She raised her paw and recollected the device - it flashed, and the devices started to speak to each other. She listened, understanding the words they were speaking; though it was hard to follow the hushed whispers, but it suddenly clicked as the message crew clear - she could hear them talking, communicating with each other.

She knew what she had to do, acquire all twelve and 'return them to the altar', but how was she going to accomplish this? She examined the object that had embedded itself into her scales, seemingly shining bright in the sky sky. Lowering the device, she knew she must gather her strength before doing anything - or it would be suicidal to attempt to acquire the keys from the 'Guardians' that would probably be unlikely to give them up without defending themselves.

---

The world was surprisingly big, but ultimately small. She had flown 'across' the planet only to arrive moments later to the same platform she had started on. Realizing that this was a new planet she had to locate the most logical source of heat. She saw no stars, no space. The sky was either bright or dark, nothing in between.

She had passed a volcano flying around the planet and decided to return to it.

The smoldering rocks below the volcano glowed with not only the heat of comfort, but the warmth to rejuvinate the fire-drake. She dived down into the pit of the volcano, landing on a clearing the magma had not reached yet, but it was nearby. The volcano's crust had caked over but beneath the black lay the tendrils of the ruby red magma rolling underneath, meaning most of the heat was buried under the cooled layer.

She located the largest boulder and tossed it it. A small, but sizable hole cracked through the surface. The magma bubbled up and rolled out, the air shimmering with an intense heat now. It would take a while, yes, and during the time the drake would study the device. She laid down, sending dust into the sky, mixing in with the rising ash being produced by the volcano.

"The silence of the dead sing songs only you can hear," the device next to Onyx's ear spoke in a quiet tone. The fire-drake pulled it off her horns and examined it, questioning the device and what it had said. "But do those words fall on deaf ears?"

What do you mean, device. Explain yourself! Onyx thought, but knew it could unlikely read her mind. She ignored what it had said, focusing on the brightly lit part of the 'key'. The building she had started out on said it was a 'Continuum Aegis', but then she had assumed it was just the shine from the lighting - but now it appeared to be something completely different. It was pointing in a direction, perhaps another key.

This is my only tether to what? Onyx questioned, this... fabric of space; No, fate. Fabric of fate. What is this place and where am I and what is this 'time stream' the other key spoke of?

---

It would have been an eight daybreaks by her standards, but ultimately the fire-drake had regained enough of her internal spark that it was strong enough to head into potential battle. The glowing light on the edge of the key had moved, and it continued to move aggressively. Someone was here, the nearest holder of the key.

Above, near the lip of the volcano, a beam of powerful light illuminated a section of the rising ash. It moved swiftly from side to side then disappeared, almost like a sporadic search - someone or something was trying to find her. Ash had enough density to actually block light from illuminating through it, thankfully, or she would have been discovered. The glow on the key continued to move around the rim, just like someone had been standing on the lip of the volcano's cuff.

If her key was giving away someone else's location it would be illogical to assume it was not doing the same for her location, but she already had the advantage. The sheer heat magma and lava produced was fatal to most creatures; but it was the same heat that gave her strength. She had the optimal engagement zone, at least in her mind. The rising heat would give her the strength to battle indefinitely.

Extremely thick ash rolled out of the volcano, an with it, Onyx. She had made the initial effort to gain some velocity but had coasted up using the thermal heat on the bottom of her wings as lift, to conserve as much energy as possible, and to remain as hidden as she could. She peered out of the edge of the rising ash, but enough to stay camouflaged as he kept rising with the heat, but she knew eventually she wouldn't be able to rely on her method of lift for much longer.

An arrow flew through the sky, hitting her scales and bouncing off, despite the fire-drake still being concealed within the rising ash. With a healthy push of her wings the fire-drake propelled herself from the ash with significant velocity - firing forward like a round out of a rifle. She peered back at a single combatant standing on the volcano and its lip. The volcano's climb was fairly void of cover, and Onyx planned to use that to her advantage. Other than some outcropping of rocks and a few trees there were no placed for the strangely dressed man to hide.

Onyx turned around and begun her dove, but more arrows rose to meet her. A few of them slammed into her scales but never penetrating. As the drake passed over she let loose with her fire, bathing the area the combatant had been standing. In a quick manouver she banked to the left to catch a glimpse of what it had done. Rock melted, a tree had been turned into an inferno, but the combatant had managed to survive.

Impressive, Onyx thought. Very impressive.

The combatants... cape had been burned at the bottom and some of their attire had been melted away, such as the footwear they had donned. Onyx dived for another pass, arrows rose to meet her, and she turned sharply to avoid their path. They turned, adjusted to her new trajectory, and struck her left horn. It broke off, plummeting towards the ground. The heavy bone cracked loudly on the rocks but the strange assailant did not check to see what it was.

In fact... they hadn't looked at all. Onyx realized the man was using his senses to depict her location. When someone had a lack of one sense they developed stronger to another one. She had seen it before on the planet of her past, in which she destroyed. More and more people begun to rely on her predictability to indicate where she would strike next, and she had to admit it got tougher and tougher to fight. Perhaps this was her punishment.

The silence of the dead sing songs only you can hear... but do they fall on silent ears? Onyx questioned as she gained some distance. More arrows curved towards her path, struck her armor, and some of them pierced. She let out a painful roar as the surprise of being injured startled her - but at the same time she had just let her potential assassin of her weakness.

A bright light, even in the middle of the day, shot up at her. The creature was looking at her, continued to look at her as she gained some distance, before closing his eyes once more and and fading from view. Where had he gone, and where was he going to show up next time she did not know, but she did know what ever it was... was intelligent. With little cover this high up on the volcano she knew it wouldn't risk loosing its only advantage at the moment.

She wasn't about to let her only place to restore herself - that she knew of anyways - slip away though. She landed with a thump and started to dig into the ground, the only way to stay replenished was to find alternative sources of heat. As she dug she angled towards the volcano. By the time she had reached a suitable depth to normally find rising lava it was well below the crust of this new planet. She dug forward, scratching into the pool of rising lava, and retreated a bit as the pressure flooded the hole. It filled immediately. Satisfied she started to dig upwards - towards the surface - but stopped herself at an estimated depth and begun to dig with careful precision. She was aware of the sense of hearing and touch.

---

Orion crouched low, both hands on the shifting rocks. The dragon was below the ground, burrowing towards the most likely area: Him. She had disappeared and it had been a while since he felt any drastic changes with his senses. He knew what he was up against now, and knew how to deal with it. From his quivers of arrows he would summon armor-piercing and organ-seeking missiles. He didn't even know if this creature had organs but from the other dragons he faced in the past it was a good assumption.

He continued to feel the surface vibrate slightly. He'd never met anyone who had better senses than him, they were - at this moment - incomparable. As it grew more and more aggressive a cluster of rocks fell inwards, massive claws swiping away at the area. He sensed the creatures head poke out of the hole but disappear back into the tunnel it had created. The Fire-Drake had reappeared, but Orion was left waiting for a moment to see what it was up too. He realized as the ground shifted and fell that he had made a mistake, he didn't perceive the creature to set a trap for him...

---

Onyx waited until the platform she had created fell into place, lava overflowing onto the grounds immediately and starting to shoot up from their exits like a fountain. It had surrounded the bowl and in a matter of days it would over flow. Even now the lava had begun doing what she wanted it to do. One end of the bowl was steeper, while the other was not, but it was pretty even. The lone combatant stood up as Onyx flew out of one of the holes she had created, her plan was to use the rising heat to block her movement. The magma was more liquid than the one found in the volcano, but not by much. The shimmering air blocked the air currents, even for her, and the only thing that surrounded the lone combatant was rising heat - or at least that's what she hoped.

She passed overhead, igniting the shrinking ground below. The combatant moved out of the way, fired an arrow that froze some of the lava, only to see it replaced by more. Though it slowed it down it didn't stop it it gave the archer enough time to fire at Onyx. She attempted to dodge but felt an arrow slice through her scales, another one seemed to bounce off but the pain was phenomenal. The archer fired again, this time the sky between her and him filled with the arrows he had released. Onyx rolled, blocked a few of them with the angle they hit, but roared as others drove home.

Excruciating pain shot out from her side as her left lung felt heavy and broken. Her breathing was strained, labored, but she had already begun the dive. She coasted the area in fire again, unbelieving as the man stepped aside to dodge the fire. It melted rock, creating more molten liquid to join the rapidly approaching flow of lava. Onyx retreated behind the wall of heat and collided with the ground, rolling to a stop.

She heard the hissing from the other side of the heat, the combatant had figured out what to do. With a heavy effort Onyx pushed herself into the sky, dove in, and grabbed the combatant. Her claws had broken his bow, which disappeared like a mist, and Onyx chucked him into the rolling lava. He man stood up, his clothes igniting, as his bow reappeared with an arrow ready to fire.

Onyx growled, ignited her flame.

The combatant drew his arrow.

... But Onyx was quicker, her own flame coating the man in an acid like flame. His arrow, however, had shot. A flaming, melting arrow exploded in her face. Her right horn, the one that kept her key on it, broke off. On the way to the ground she started to phase out, the reality she was in slipping in and out of existence. She reached for the device and picked it up from the rising lava.

The world stabilized; and in front of her nothing but lava remained, the man had disappeared. In the middle was a glowing device exact to the one she had, slowly slipping beneath the molten rock. She plucked it out and examined it for a moment... and then she took a healed breath.

The dead don't sing, she said. But they do haunt me. She added to her thoughts, finding nothing but respect for the thing she had just fought.

[Llau]

--- ROUND ONE RESULTS! ---

TRACKER VS RANDOM

---

SuperCommando:

@tracker
You have a great ability in your writing not just to describe what's happening around your characters, but also to get inside their head and allow the reader to feel like they are that person. That to me is the best thing about your story.

Another thing I really liked is that after reading both your and 999's stories is how similarly you interpreted each other's characters. The things the characters said and the way they acted was perfectly in line with their personalities, even both depictions of their initial meeting was strikingly similar. It felt like both stories were two sides of the same coin, which is exactly the way it's supposed to be if both authors do a good job understanding both characters. I greatly commend you for grasping Random's personality so well. I was honestly grinning to myself a lot reading how Tracker and Random interacted.

Spartan 999
What I said to Tracker applies here as well. In addition to that, it was so cool to see you implement the world of Continuum Aegis in your story so much, almost like the world was a third character you set out to depict. You included multiple Aegis quotes, several environments, and even used the physics of the world to creatively weaponize that acorn. Plus your fight scene was super entertaining to boot. When I advised people to "glorify their opponent's character" in the rules, this is exactly what I meant.

WINNER:

SPOILER: Click to show

Random

---

Faclan:

Track:
Yey - I believe you described 999's character amazingly well in his reactions and how he presented himself. The more serious tone also made it flow better I believe as each section had its place.

Ney - There wasn't much of a fight unfortunately, which was a big part of the contest as far as I'm aware. You also have large breaks in time, ten-fifteen minutes, often in the writing. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that it does happen quite often.


999:
Yey - There was a lot of fun reading to be had as the commentaries were pretty funny and there was a proper battle that was interesting to read. The powers were also interesting to read about and clever use of them was good to see.

Ney - I would imagine the loyalty chip stops Track even considering that going back to fix things would be an option, or if she even knows there a past to be fixed at all. Also while you're sections were more fun to read to be sure all the non sequitors and random quips sometimes made it had to follow what precisely was happening (In the profile as well). While having them is fine they happened a bit too much for my liking.

SPOILER: Click to show

Track wins that round for me with her better descriptions of 999's character, but only barely as there is no fight.

---

Llau:

My thoughts: Both were pretty entertaining to read, and I thoroughly enjoyed them, especially how the both of you wrote the other's character – their personalities in particular. Tracker and 999, you two are pretty good writers, and I'm glad I had a chance to read your entries. From the personalities and the character interactions, you two have what it takes to fully understand another person's character. Although, there wasn't much going on in your entry, Tracker, which is fine, considering the contest is more about how you write another's character, and not really about the fighting, I have to say that I enjoyed 999's entry more.
Winner:

SPOILER: Click to show

Random

---

SCORE: (2/3) RANDOM ADVANCES TO ROUND TWO!

DUR-SHON VS KHIRON

---

SuperCommando:

BetaWülf
I really like how you convey Dur-Shon’s personality through the way he talks, since how a character speaks and behaves is a big part of showing who they are. I also think it’s cool how you opted for a peaceful encounter since, based on their profiles, that’s how these characters would probably act. That shows a good awareness for understanding the characters. The only thing really holding you back is that there wasn’t enough content in the story to get enough depth to the characters.

Huka
Your story was very similar to Betawolf’s, but to be fair yours did have much more descriptive detail. Not only that, but what really shines through in your writing is how everything in your story is described from Khiron’s point of view. Rather than being a neutral omniscient narrator, your descriptions are all related to his culture, makes comparisons to knowledge he has, and filled with unique anatomic and behavioral mannerisms that all do wonders to really flesh out the Khiron as a character. That right there is a vital element of quality character-writing, and you’ve definitely got it.

WINNER:

SPOILER: Click to show

Khiron

---

Faclan:

* BetaW
Yey - YAY LIZARD DUDES, also dawwed at his personality and back-story to see that he wasn't just a cold hearted hisser. I was also surprised, pleasantly, when your character (just like he sounded like in his back-story) tried to have a peaceful outcome to the battle. It was a very nice chance from the norm of all the other stories and one that fit really well with the character.

Ney - While the peaceful outcome was awesome I don't think that Huka's horse/lizard/bird dude would so easily give up something that he 'owned'. Especially to a stranger that could be lying. But other than that I thought it was nice and concise for a semi alliance possibly >.>

* Huka
Yey - YAY KIND OF LIZARD/BIRD/HORSE DUDE, the character was also described really well and seemed both spooky/scary and awesome/majestic (as frak). Unfortunately I read BetaW's first so when you had a peaceful end it wasn't as o: as then, but I still liked it. The descriptors in the lead up to the alliance were also amazing, especially how a centaur type creature would climb up a tree. Also like how practical your dude is at seeking help in a completely alien environment from your FELLOW SCALE KIN YEAH!

Ney - Would an Emperor be all about saying he would pay for a guide? I would think he would be more about 'you should help me because of blankety blank and because I can offer these boons' not just flat payment.

Winner:

SPOILER: Click to show

Both? Are they allowed to work together for great justice? D: If not then I guess I would have to pick Huka for the more compelling story.

---

Llau:

My thoughts: Not only does action move the story, but dialogue can be just as important than what a character or characters do; though, it depends on the type of characters and what the story is about. I really liked how there was a peaceful encounter, instead of a fight, BetaW and Huka. Although, the one thing I wish you did BetaW, is that I wish you wrote more than what you posted, as I find your writings always an interesting read. Maybe next time, no? It was a hard choice to make, not saying that writing a short one was bad, as it was still a quality post, like Huka's, but increasing it more would probably have made it much harder.
Winner:

SPOILER: Click to show

Khiron

---

SCORE: (3/3) KHIRON ADVANCES TO ROUND TWO!

XELIUS VS DR. VILE

---

SuperCommando:

Remnant
You do an excellent job of depicting your own character and the way you use descriptive language makes your story clear and easy to follow. It may not be very long, but it doesn’t have to be in order to be good. I do also realize that you were the only one to post by the original deadline before any extensions, so I greatly commend you for that.

I can only find one single issue, otherwise you did everything great. Unfortunately, that one issue is a big one. Basically, I don’t feel you used your opponent’s character to their max potential. With an opponent like a genius mad scientist, there’s so many ways you could have made the encounter bigger and more climactic. Since Dr. Vile is so smart, he could have already built an army of robotic minions that Xelius would have had to battle through, or a giant mech, or he could find clever ways to avoid fighting Xelius until he could build things like that. But instead, in your story Xelius found him right away and took him out before any of that could happen, so it was pretty much no contest which made the scene feel a little flat. I think your story could have been much stronger if it had a little bit more to spice things up.

BasedGoody
As usual, your writing style is just jam-packed with personality! You seem to be in your element writing a mad scientist, because that zany kind of character matches the fun tone of your writing very well. It also helps that you have Vile make some very scientific observations in your story that I myself, having created the world, never thought of. This makes him feel all the more believable to me. In fact I’d have to say that Part One – Science was my favorite part of your story because it was so cool to see how you depicted Vile investigating and exploring.

Like darknal, I believe that you could have done a little more to highlight your opponent’s character, but given the plot of your story your interpretation of Xelius wasn’t necessarily lacking. I just think you could have made him even cooler if you really tried. The way you had Dr. Vile defeat Xelius was very interesting and clever though, gotta give you that.

WINNER:

SPOILER: Click to show

Dr. Vile

---

Faclan:

* Darknal
Yey - While your character was at first confusing after reading through alllll of the info I can see you spent a lot of time on it, well done. The powers of your character were also used to goof effect to do the murdering and taking of the aegis. He also seemed to have a very defined personality of how awesome he was, and it did well to explain his personality.

Ney - The way you described Goodys Doc didn't seem to quite line up with how he was shown in his bio and sample. Also a evil mastermind I would hope would have some more backup plans against armor and probably wouldn't be all nuuuuu as much. Just imo. There also didn't seem to be many chances for the Doc to fight back or do much, as if he had no chance.

* Goody
Yey - I liked your simple character with his simple tools of mass evilness...so evil. But to counter that you had him play the fight intelligently of waiting until he had observed his enemy before moving in to execute the plan. Also a big fan of the dancing pen.

Ney - Some of the connections made by the Doc were a bit of a stretch but because he was so evil and diabolical I just went with them. Also like Dark when the actual altercations came between both of your characters it seemed that his skills and powers were downplayed a bit. But considering how massive of a physical power gap there was it was understandable.

Winner:

SPOILER: Click to show

Goody

---

Llau:

My thoughts: Dark and Goody, the two of you wrote your characters pretty well, especially you, Goody, but I feel that the two of you could have done more when writing each other's character in your entries. I believe, the more you read about someone's character, the more of an understanding you'll have of that character and their potential. Needless to say, Dark, your writings have certainly improved since joining the site, and I thought your entry was easy to follow. And Goody, your writings have personality, which makes them entertaining to read, but the both of you could have done more, like I said, and I hope you two take that into consideration. It's always good to have an understanding of not just one character in a story, but all of them.
Winner:

SPOILER: Click to show

Dr. Vile

---

SCORE: (3/3) DR. VILE ADVANCES TO ROUND TWO!

ONYX VS ORION

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SuperCommando:

Spartan 999
Another excellent fight scene is what stands out for me in this story. You displayed great character knowledge (minus the fact you somehow overlooked that Onyx is female, lol) by having both characters utilize their full range of abilities and skills, and each character had some really cool moments. But more than just awesome, well-done action, you did work in the characters’ personalities too. That’s no mean feat considering Orion is emotionless and Onyx doesn’t speak. My only criticism is that for some reason the fight to me felt dragged out and forced in some places, possibly due to the actions becoming simpler and less descriptively detailed as the fight went on.

MrKill
Between your story and 999’s, I have to admit this is the closest battle I’ve had to judge so far. Like, razor-thin close. Your fight scene isn’t as intricate, but it still showcased both characters very well and did them justice. You both did a great job capturing the other character’s personality, but you each did a better job depicting your own character. I think what worked in your favor is since the story wasn’t so long, you were able to put more consistent attention to detail in your descriptions throughout the whole thing.

WINNER:

SPOILER: Click to show

Onyx

---

Faclan:

* 999
Yey - You really do enjoy a good text fight you do, and showed a great understanding of your own powers (I would hope so since you made them up) and also of Kills person, good jerb. I like how it wasn't a wash over on either side as both characters had their time for sweet moments. All in all a really solid job.

Ney - I can see that you really wanted to give each character equal shares of sweet moves, but it made the fight a bit toooo long unfortunately. Small but its still something to point out - however I did not hold it against you as although it got a bit weaker during the end I saw this as the fight naturally winding down from the explosive start.

* Kill
Yey - You as well seem to be a fan of the fighting stuff, and considering you told me it was 'oh god gota finish' type of writing I'm pretty impressed with how well it turned out. You also gave each character a equal chance to be awesome and it seems only because it was kind of your job to win you were able to edge out at the end

Ney - I think its because of your time constraint however that theres a few spelling and grammar errors as well as it not flowing quite as well as 999, but damn if both of them weren't really good and I had to decide on a winner after looking over each story twice.

Winner:

SPOILER: Click to show

999, but just by a hair

---

Llau:

My thoughts: I have to say this first, after reading both entries, it was super hard for me to decide on the winner. 999, I loved the fight scene. Despite it feeling as though it was dragged on in places to me, I feel you did an excellent job writing it, as well as depicting Onyx, as well as your character, Orion. For some, depicting characters who have no emotions or do not speak can be hard, but you have a knack at writing them pretty well. Kill, where you lacked in the fighting, you gained more in the way you wrote each character, nor was it as long and dragging in places.
Winner:

SPOILER: Click to show

Onyx

---

SCORE: (2/3) ONYX ADVANCES TO ROUND TWO!

[SuperCommando]

OCT Round Two

Thank you for your patience everyone! As you can see above, our judges have posted the results for round one. Congratulations to everyone who won their battles! And if you did not win, please don't feel bad. Everybody's story was wonderful in their own way, your characters are all awesome, and I know I'm speaking for Llau and Fac as well as myself in saying that it was tough to cut anyone out of the OCT. 

Moving on to round two, things needed to be reorganized a bit due to the fact that both Draken and Sam decided to opt out. What this did is remove an entire bracket from the tournament lineup, making things easier but also harder at the same time. On the one hand, our roster went down from ten characters to eight. This divides much easier, going from 8 to 4 to 2 over the course of three rounds. But on the other hand, it also forced me to revise a rule that some of you might have been counting on...

Feb 9, 2015 23:09:25 GMT -6 SuperCommando said:

We started with ten characters, meaning an uneven five characters would be remaining in round two. To counter this, ONE OF THE LOSING CONTESTANTS WILL BE GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE and re-entered into the next round.

I established this rule to ensure that everyone would have an opponent despite running into an uneven roster as the rounds progressed. But now that we only have four characters left, allowing one defeated contestant a second chance will now cause more problems than it will solve.

I considered ways to make it work, but ultimately I decided that since this is our first Yappa's OCT, I would prefer to keep things simple and make sure we finish the tournament instead of dragging things out by adding crazy rules. So if you were hoping to continue just in case you lost, I apologize. I really do hope people are enjoying this event enough to have wanted to try again, but for now I think we should save that for another OCT and just finish this one.

Thus, here is the revised outline for the tournament flow and your round two matchups:

Round Two matchups:

Random (Spartan 999) VS Khiron and Dur-Shon (Huka)
and
Dr. Vile (BasedGoody) VS Onyx (MrKill)

The winners of these two battles will go head-to-head in the OCT finals! In Huka's case, since the characters agreed to work together in his previous story, they will continue together against Random, so both contestants must keep this in mind! It should make for a very interesting 2v1 dynamic.

All contestants must also keep in mind that Random, Dr. Vile, and Onyx now possess two Continuum Aegises, meaning you must secure them both in order to defeat those characters. They will remain in the world as long as they're still holding one of them. IN ADDITION to that, there is one more detail you must now include in your stories:


At some point before, after, or during the next fight (during would be most interesting), your character(s) must discover an unclaimed Continuum Aegis somewhere in the world, but they must succeed some sort of challenge in order to acquire it.


This "challenge" can be a puzzle of some sort, or really anything interesting you guys can come up with. Remember that this contest is about character writing, so how you depict they overcome this challenge will be a factor in the judges' decisions this round. It might make the difference between winning and losing, so make it awesome!

(And yes, the reason I'm having you include these "challenges" is because the story calls for thirteen Aegises, but notice how if you add up the ones owned by characters it only makes eight. There needs to be a way to introduce more, and doing it like this makes the stories more interesting and creative by adding that extra factor).

ROUND TWO ENDS ON MARCH 22

That gives you guys a two-week work period not including today. The original deadline for round one was 10 days, but we required multiple extensions, so based on that I decided to make the original deadline for round two longer.

Work hard, have fun with it, and looking forward to this next batch of stories!

[Spartan 999]

[Note: Sorry for the length, but I am dealing with 3 characters and a challenge to boot, so please bear with me.]

ROUND TWO
Random vs Khiron & Dur-Shon

Standing atop a treacherous glacier looming over a storm-wracked sea, Random chuckled with glee at his idea. He glanced over at the steep incline off to his side, a thin dusting of snow covering the mirror-smooth surface of the ice. If everything went according to plan and he got into a fight with his next opponent, they'd be in a very slippery situation.

He threw himself off the glacier, fell for a few moments, and landed in a harsh desert. The wind was blowing, sweeping the sands across the desert in a scouring sandpaper-like current. A dust devil swirled off in the distance, but he paid it no mind. Taking off in a mad dash to cross the desert and reach the jungle on the other side, Random disturbed fewer than twenty sand grains on his way.

If an observer were able to perceive the subtle fluctuations in space around Random, they would have seen something stretching around him. One could say it resembled a rubber band of sorts, with Random at one end, and the other end back where he had previously been standing on the glacier...

***

Khiron and Dur-Shon jogged alongside one another, though each gave the other some distance. It wouldn't do to be felled at the same time by a single sneak attack, after all. Apart from the expected talk about tactics and such, the two aliens filled the unnatural silence with stories of their respective cultures.

Dur-Shon retold the exploits of his Empire, focusing particularly on glorifying the military campaigns against the numerous rebellions he led across the solar system. There was also the occasional explanation concerning genealogy and religion thrown in for good measure.

To be honest, Khiron was surprised at how low-tech Dur-Shon's equipment was, considering the Gohl-hon had advanced far enough to be able to travel practically across a solar system (or at least, that's what he gathered from what Dur-Shon told him). Sure, he had a bow, but it also doubled as an energy rifle, and his scotum-blades weren't used too terribly much outside enclosed spaces and emergency situations.

For his side of the conversation, Khiron recited part of his favorite epic, in which the adventures of the greatest Bowmaster in history were recorded and recited. It was undoubtedly exaggerated a fair amount by the scribes and probably the Bowmaster himself, but it still provided Khiron with an idol he could aspire to be like, even if such a goal was virtually impossible.

Dur-Shon's expression was mostly inscrutable throughout the retelling, though from his subtle body language, Khiron thought he was interested in the tale. Not quite enraptured, which was probably a good thing considering they were on a world where enemies could be anywhere.

Near the end of his recitation, an unfamiliar voice spoke from within the compartment that held Khiron's Continuum Aegis. “Oh, this is cinematic as fudge!”

Dur-Shon looked at him questioningly, and Khiron explained the voice's origin. The Emperor shrugged it off, but Khiron puzzled over it a bit longer. Eventually, he returned to finishing up the section of the epic he'd started.

Their conversation dwindled as they approached a jungle and their medallions' light compasses expanded to encircle almost half of the circumference. The nearest Continuum Aegis bearer was close, probably deep within the jungle. [Note: Think Assassin's Creed multiplayer compass to get how this works]

Speaking of which, in an interesting development, the moment Khiron and Dur-Shon decided to work together, their medallions' compasses shifted to point in a different direction than one another. Apparently whatever power was at work behind the medallions was aware enough to alter the compasses based on such accords between the so-called Guardians.

The primeval jungle was thick, practically choking with underbrush and ferns, and the canopy overhead was so dense it blocked most of the sunlight...er, just light, in this case...from reaching the ground. This was actually sort of a blessing for Khiron, since the shade would help further conceal him from the other bearer. As he had done before, he activated camouflage and scaled one of the trees to get a better angle and viewpoint, repulsors activating to stabilize his perch.

The trees' branches were close enough together that he was able to traverse the jungle without actually touching the ground fairly easily, though Dur-Shon was not quite so fortunate. He was forced to wade through the underbrush, which did nothing to increase his stealthiness. Eventually, the underbrush thinned, allowing him to crouch low and move much more quietly than before.

While scanning the jungle, Khiron noticed the wind start gradually blowing in their direction. As they were downwind from the third bearer, both he and Dur-Shon scented the air. Moments passed before the smell of the third reached them. It was undoubtedly mammalian. To Dur-Shon, it was an alien scent. Khiron, on the other hand, recognized it; he had been familiar with humans for decades. That being said, there was some...distinct undertone to the odor, something neither of them could place. It was strange and almost immediately put them on edge, though they weren't quite sure why.

“Greetings, fellow Aegis bearer!” The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. “I see you're trying to sneak up on me. Not very effective in that noisy foliage, though, sorry.”

At first Khiron was tense, hearts beating hard in his chest, but he calmed himself and let his body loosen up. Bow at the ready, he held himself completely still in the hopes that this third Guardian wouldn't notice him as well.

Dur-Shon reluctantly stood after a moment, scatter gun held casually in his arms. Before he could say anything, the voice spoke again.

“I should get introductions out of the way first, Lizard-dude. Don't you agree?”

“I would be more inclined to talk if you met me face-to-face,” Dur-Shon rumbled, head swinging gradually side to side as he slowly walked forward. “Only cowards and deceivers hide from such things.”

“So aggressive. Kinda reminds me of the last one... Anyway, my name is Random, occasionally known as the Paragon of Agility when I'm feeling fancy.”

Dur-Shon's throat sack puffed up momentarily. “I am Dur-Shon, Emperor of the Gohl-hon, Seventh pure-blooded extant.”

“Wow, that's a mighty pompous title you've got there. Best of all, I haven't met an actual Emperor, or someone claiming to be one, in quite a while!”

“Are you insinuating that I am a liar?” said Dur-Shon heatedly.

“Not at all, Your Majesty,” said Random sardonically. One could almost hear the mock-bow he gave as he uttered the words. “Or would you prefer 'Your Grace'? Maybe 'My Liege', or 'My Lord'. Maybe 'The Most Honored and Revered Emperor Dur-Shon'...”

“Get on with it,” Dur-Shon snapped.

“Alright alright,” said Random dismissively. “Now, on to business, yes?”

Dur-Shon was noticeably more irritated at this invisible insolent entity when he spoke. “The Continuum Aegises.”

“Yes, these lovely talking medallions,” Random remarked.

“Will you listen to my words, first?” asked Dur-Shon sharply.

“Of course.” Random's voice turned condescending. “Anything His Majesty wishes.”

The Emperor inhaled deeply to calm himself before continuing. “My Empire is dependent on me; I am their guide in matters of both war and spirit. I cannot leave them forsaken for such a length of time. If you would but relinquish your Aegis, or do me the honor of joining my side, I will reward you greatly after I win all the Aegises.”

“Three would be a crowd, though,” came the reply. “Wouldn't it?”

It took a moment before Khiron realized what the voice meant by that.

“Yes, Sir Dino-horse, that means I know you're there and that you're allied with Lizard-dude. Your camouflage is pretty advanced to have kept you concealed from me for as long as it did.”

Khiron sighed, but remained on high alert. He still had no idea where this “Random” actually was, which would be problematic if the situation turned violent. And that was looking more likely with every passing moment.

“Now, here's the thing: I'm fairly certain you can go back to your people at any time.” This time, the words were directed at Dur-Shon once more. “All you'd have to do is part from your Aegis until you are pulled away from this world and deposited back in your home universe where you last were. At least, that's what I believe happens. Kind of hard to actually know without doing it myself.”

Dur-Shon's pupils narrowed, and he paused to consider Random's words.

“Then again, that would mean surrendering the great power that would come from bringing all the medallions together. Control over time and space would be a boon to most civilizations, I'll bet.”

“I feel as though you are attempting to goad me into a fight,” said Dur-Shon through partially-bared fangs. “I do not desire to do battle with you, but I will if I must.”

“Yeah, well, I'm bored. Now, while I am sympathetic to your cause and think that it's noble--that is, assuming you aren't an evil tyrannical dictator, of course--I am not going to be giving up my medallions anytime soon. At least, not willingly. Now, to negotiate this impasse, there are three possible courses of action that immediately spring to mind.

“They include: A) Forcing you to surrender your Aegis, B) Stealing your Aegis from you, and C) Fighting you for it. Out of those, the third one would be the most fun. Now, while I'm usually opposed to violence, since the prize is so good and the consequences are minimal, I'm fine with getting into a fight. If nothing else, it should provide a modicum of entertainment at least.”

“Then we are done talking.” Dur-Shon lifted the scatter gun and let his finger hover over the trigger.

He saw the compass light on his medallion grow to encircle the entire edge, which meant he was right on top of Random. However, he felt something hard beneath his boot as he took another cautious step forward. When he glanced down, he saw the familiar sparkle of a Continuum Aegis lying on the jungle floor. He reached down and picked it up, confused by this turn of events.

Khiron, meanwhile, drew his bow back, causing an arrow composed of wispy green energy to form. A throwing knife, stolen from Dur-Shon, spun through the air and cut through the bow's string. The arrow immediately dissipated as per the bow's failsafe function, but the high-tension string whipped and lashed at Khiron's unprotected face. Blood sprayed as one of his larger, primary eyes was destroyed. He shrieked and stumbled off his perch, causing Dur-Shon to whirl around at the sound.

“Ooh, sorry about that,” whispered Random's voice, seemingly right next to Khiron's ear. He didn't see anyone or anything through the haze of pain, though.

Immediately after Dur-Shon turned, a human wearing strange sunglasses and odd clothing materialized before the Emperor. One instant he wasn't there, the next he was.

“Hey there!” A cartoonish grin was emblazoned on his face, and he had one hand on the discovered Aegis in Dur-Shon's grasp. “You've fallen into my trap.”

The next second, space warped and twisted, yanking Dur-Shon and Khiron into an elongated vortex of swirling matter. From an onlooker's perspective, the three Aegis bearers, and a large section of the jungle around them, were violently torn into the air and spirited away into shimmering nothingness.

Basically, Random had used the world's rubber band effect in an offensive manner yet again. This time, he'd created an anchor point back at the glacier and stretched it out as he went to the jungle. Then, he let the rubber band (now quite taut) pull him back to the anchor point. In the process, it dragged Dur-Shon and Khiron after him, along with the numerous ferns and the trunks of several unfortunate trees.

“Buckle your belts, 'cause this is gonna be one hell of a bumpy ride!” Random's voice drifted to them as they plummeted through space.

Next thing they knew, Khiron and Dur-Shon were falling from a few meters up in the air. Below was a steep slope, and at the bottom there were at least three beautiful waterfalls spilling into a clear lake amidst a lush, fertile valley that was so picturesque and photogenic it hurt. The slope they landed on was rocky in places, and the dirt was loose. This turned out to be a bad thing, as large objects weighing a couple tons each bouncing and rolling down such a hill could cause a landslide.

And that is exactly what happened.

Panic shot through Khiron and Dur-Shon, and they scrambled to avoid being crushed by tons of rock and dirt. A massive, thick dust cloud enveloped the slope, obscuring vision farther out than a couple meters, if that. Khiron was lucky, as he was able to extend his sealed helmet to protect him from inhaling the dust, but Dur-Shon was not so fortunate. While his eyes were protected by multiple eyelids, he could do nothing to prevent the dust from sticking to his tongue and the inside of his mouth, coating it completely. He hacked on the dust while he tumbled and slid, his sense of smell completely inoperable for the moment, though that was the least of his concerns at this point.

“This isn't a glacier,” said Random matter-of-factly, absentmindedly running atop a tree trunk as it rolled down the slope. He pocketed his second Aegis, the one he'd used as a lure and that Dur-Shon had picked up. “Why did the anchor point shift, I wonder...”

“Alert! Anomaly detected! Unbidden Seal raised, and disruptions tear through creation!” This was practically screamed out by all the medallions on the slope. Khiron and Dur-Shon weren't able to pay their medallions much attention because of obvious reasons, but Random quirked his head at that.

“I wonder...”

Since Random was currently the farthest down the hill, he experienced it first. To an observer, he seemed to rapidly slow as though time was warping around him or he was suddenly running through molasses. Next, he spaghettified as he was yanked forward, and vanished.

To Random, however, he felt something go very, very wrong. Teeth gritted, he entered an area of complete and utter blackness for an instant, then went tumbling across hard ground. He was simultaneously confused, intrigued, excited, and worried by the fact that he wasn't able to avoid being pulled in by the mysterious force.

How could that have happened to him, of all people? Well, sure, the Aegis he'd found had brought him to this world, but still. It had felt similar to that time, but also very different in its own way.

“Alert! Unbidden Seal has enveloped multiple Aegis bearers! Origin point unknown, must be interrupted and nullified immediately!” Again, this came from his medallions.

Random's head snapped up and swiveled so he could get a good look at his surroundings. The paradisiacal oasis-like valley he'd seen earlier that should have surrounded him?

Gone, nowhere to be found. This place, where he stood, was a sunken, flat, blasted and baked wasteland, ever so slightly concave downwards like a lens. Wait, that wasn't quite right. This was more than just a wasteland, this was a massive battlefield of epic proportions. What else could it be, with weapons, debris, vehicles, and other tools of war scattered around as far as the eye could see? The ambient lighting, much darker than it had been just a moment ago and with a slight reddish tinge, just served to make it look even more like a warzone.

“Well this is creepy,” muttered Random. “I didn't even hear someone praying for unlimited blades.”

The next thing he took note of was the...sphere?...that enveloped the entire battlefield. Except it wasn't quite a sphere, though it was at least a three-dimensional...thing that surrounded the place.

Then it clicked, all the pieces fell into place, the light went off, the toaster dinged, etc. This was obviously the Seal the Aegis mentioned. It was unnatural and man-made, that much was for sure; its function was to create an area separate from standard reality wherein the creator could empower herself and hamper her foes. It could probably also function as a trap for nearby Aegis bearers and forcibly pull them in, which is probably what happened to him. That was also why the anchor point for his rubber band trap had moved--the Seal had passively moved said anchor closer to itself.

The Seal had separated itself from the mainstream reality of the Continuum world, which is why it was still active and all the weapons remained, since the Continuum world wasn't able to shunt them out and away back to their universe of origin. At least, that's the explanation he came up with, but he knew it was more or less on the mark. Now, the point of origin for this Seal...he had no idea what or where it was, but he had a feeling he'd know it when he saw it.

Curiously, as an apparent side-effect of the Seal's existence, Random felt that this separate reality was suppressing his abilities. It's hard to comprehend, but it basically created a “tone” that resonated negatively with the Chaos-gifted power within him, making him much, much weaker than he had been before being pulled inside. It felt as though heavy weights were filling his bones, oppressively shackling his power. It was uncannily similar to what were known as Nullifiers back home: rare individuals feared for their ability to suppress and negate another person's power. It wasn't identical to a Nullifier, but it did operate on similar principles.

Random looked over at where Khiron and Dur-Shon had been deposited inside the Seal.

“Hey, either of you still alive? I've got space peanuts to share if you want 'em.” He lifted a small plastic packet into the air to display said space peanuts.

A green energy bolt came hurtling through the air at Random. It missed him, but completely obliterated the packet of space peanuts.

“I'll take that as a 'Yes' and 'No, thank you'.”

He took off running for cover. More specifically, the cover in question was a mobile missile launcher. While considerably weakened, he was still damn fast. He rolled into cover, then momentarily glanced out over the battlefield again.

“I wouldn't be surprised if all this crap came from one guy's hyperspace arsenal or something,” Random muttered.

He inspected the launcher he was currently taking cover behind. It had a rack of missiles along the top, though several of them were missing, presumably fired during the battle that had taken place here a while back. Three remained, however.

“Hm...” Random mused over the launcher, and an idea sparked in his mind. “AHA!”

Grinning like an idiot, he jumped up on the rack and stood with each foot on a different missile. He briefly juggled three small rocks he'd picked up, dodged an energy bolt sent his way by Khiron, then threw each in turn at the control panel. Each rock depressed a different button, and immediately the missiles' ignition engines sputtered and roared to life.

“YEEEEAAAAAHHHH, HAHAHAHAHA!” Random let out an exultant shriek and maniacal laugh as he rode the missiles up into the air. He flew away from the edge of the Seal and towards the middle of the battlefield.

Khiron lowered his Ti'an staff and relaxed as he watched Random literally rocket across the battlefield. It was a strangely memorizing sight. Yes, Random was definitely the most bizarre and crazy opponent Khiron had ever come across, which was saying something. He shook himself out of his quasi-trance and turned to give Dur-shon a hand.

The Emperor muttered his thanks after being helped to his feet. He growled as he popped his dislocated shoulder back into place, teeth bared at the pain. His armor was scarred and dented, and his unprotected head had its scales damaged and torn out in several places. He moved with a slight limp which gave away his injured leg.

“You good to fight?” Khiron inquired.

Dur-Shon pulled his shield out and drew his hardlight scimitar. “With the Stars as my witness, I will make that arrogant bastard pay.”

Khiron himself was in better physical condition than Dur-Shon, though not by much. His helmet's filters had allowed him to focus entirely on maneuvering through the landslide, during which his repulsors had been of invaluable help. One of his front ankles was twisted, though, and he had at least two fractured ribs.

Back to Random. When he'd flown about 700 meters on the backs of the missiles, he kicked off of them and flipped several times in the air. He twisted right before landing and skidded backwards for several meters before coming to a halt in a neat three-point landing of sorts. The missiles, meanwhile, spiraled down and smashed into the ground a decent distance away. A brief shriek heralded twin explosions of massive proportions that threw gratuitous amounts of fire into the air.

The shockwave made Random's now-singed clothing billow around violently, heat making him shimmer like a mirage over desert sands.

I even have sunglasses on! If this moment isn't like it is in the movies, or even better, then I don't know what is, thought Random.

He quickly looked around at the items lying around him. A black military combat harness/vest with several useful gadgets and devices on it stood out, and he spied a magnificent longsword imbedded in the ground about halfway between himself and his opponents.

“You're lucky, my friends!” he called to Khiron and Dur-Shon, voice faint but audible to their ears. “This Seal is making me weaker than I've been in centuries, so this should be a much more even fight!” He grabbed and buckled on the combat harness over his clothes, quickly adjusting the straps to fit him snugly. “Actually, now that I think about it, I take back what I said about this merely being a 'modicum of entertainment'. This is going to be EPIC!”

Something slammed into the ground, bounced, and rolled to a stop near Random on his right, probably having been thrown up into the sky from the explosion. It hissed and warbled, then what was undoubtedly a song started to issue forth from the dynamic music player's speakers.

Random inhaled and opened his mouth to say something, but he thought better of it. Instead, he shook his head, sighed, and delivered a swift kick to the music player. It teetered, then stabilized and switched tracks multiple times before settling on one. It didn't start playing for a few seconds, though.

Random laughed heartily after glancing at what the song was. “Ah, now that one really appeals to my despotic egomaniacal Final Boss side.” He leaned forward and knelt low in imitation of one about to start a race as Khiron and Dur-Shon steadily made their way across the battlefield in his direction. “Now...I believe the phrase was: Let's get dangerous.”

At that moment, the music player kicked in at full volume. Music filled the air all throughout the Seal, permeating the entire battlefield and giving it a truly awesome ambiance. Random's grin became almost wolf-like for an instant, and his eyes would have glinted had they not been covered by sunglasses.

The ground beneath his launch point cracked and splintered, hard chunks of earth flying back in his wake. With his keen eyes, he spotted Khiron lift up a scavenged rifle and take aim at him; Dur-Shon, meanwhile, had his scimitar and shield out and was charging to meet Random. It took but a split-second for the rifle to charge before a bright, powerful beam lanced from the barrel at Random. He was far enough away to be able to dodge it with a few feet to spare.

More beams sought to burn through his chest, and he avoided all but the fourth one. By then, he had reached the aforementioned longsword, which was imbedded in the ground. It was at a perfect angle for him to reach out, take hold, pull from the earth, and swing in a wide arc to bat aside the incoming beam. Said beam split and scattered with a sound like glass being cut, hazy fragments making small explosions when they impacted the ground behind him.

“I haven't used a sword in a fight for so long, this is so exciting! Almost like riding a bike, except it's pointy and deadly.”

Random cut the next two beams into similar firework-like blooms, then noticed Khiron aiming low. He'd finally gotten the memo about how the beams were explosive, apparently. Random jumped to avoid the explosion, again in a way that made him look like he was straight out of an action movie. Dur-Shon was close now, close enough to land on.

So with blue-white flames licking at his back, Random drew his sword back and casually brushed Dur-Shon's hardlight scimitar aside with one foot. He didn't touch the edge, of course, just the flat of the blade. He planted the opposite foot on the bottom of Dur-Shon's octagonal shield and rammed his sword into the shield.

With a terrifically loud and cringeworthy metallic squeal, the longsword's blade pierced the shield, biting into Dur-Shon's forearm and face in the process. The force of Random's descent and strike completely stopped Dur-Shon's charge and slammed him onto his back. The longsword buried itself deep in the ground beside his head, and his shield arm flared with pain. Were it not for his armor, his arm would have undoubtedly been broken. As it was, the pain from the blow combined with his still-aching formerly dislocated shoulder made his world go fuzzy and indistinct.

“Stick around,” said Random with his trademarked crooked smile. “Or...maybe I should have said 'You stay here, now'...” He dove forward off Dur-Shon to avoid another beam from Khiron.

As for the Emperor, it would take several seconds to recover and then extricate himself from being pinned beneath his own shield. And even if he wanted to continue using the damaged shield, one of its straps had been severed by Random's longsword, rendering it all but useless in most practical situations.

Ahead of Random was a large banner lying on the ground. From how its woven fibers sparkled slightly in some places, he figured out what it was almost immediately. When Khiron fired again, this time he hit Random. However, Random had grabbed the banner and wrapped it around himself with a half-second to spare. The beam fizzled out of existence, and Random, now looking like an oversized caterpillar, performed several gymnastic-like flips towards a sheathed sabre he'd seen on the ground. He shouted something muffled and indistinct, and Khiron wasn't able to understand the words.

Khiron fired once more, again to no effect. After shooting, he felt the scavenged rifle vibrate and beep to indicate it had overheated. He tossed it aside and drew his Ti'an staff, and by then Random had unraveled the banner and drawn the sabre. The energy bolt sparked and buzzed after he slapped it aside with the sword.

“I said that that thing is called an Indomitable Banner!” Random called to Khiron, blade gleaming as he darted closer. “The name's more than just for show, you know?”

Despite his superior size and reach, Khiron was swiftly driven back by Random. Despite his using an unpredictable style that would have been impractical had he been a normal human, Random's speed and strength more than made up for it. His virtually unlimited stamina didn't hurt, either.

Dur-Shon finally hauled himself up to his feet and pulled his scatter gun out. It was banged up from the landslide, but it still functioned well enough to shoot accurately. Though Random and Khiron were a decent distance away and approaching what looked like a cylindrical spire, the former spotted Dur-Shon and did something unexpected.

“Four legs might have some advantages, but it also has its weaknesses, like this!” To demonstrate, Random ducked under one of Khiron's swings and actually slid beneath him, threading his body in between Khiron's legs. He elbowed the back of Khiron's right foreleg, causing him to stumble momentarily. After that, Random kicked aside his tail before rolling to his feet in order to avoid being clotheslined by the shiny, wiry wire-like hairs growing from said tail.

“Gah! That was entirely unsportsmanlike, and probably dishonorable as well!” Khiron squawked in indignation.

“It also worked like a charm!,” called Random without looking back.

He had something in his hand shaped like a teardrop, which he'd previously grabbed and shoved into one of his tactical vest's pouches sometime in the past thirty seconds or so. He hurled it with surprising accuracy and shouted, “What ho, free upgrade for you, m'lord!”

Before he knew what had happened, Dur-Shon felt his scatter gun jerk. He looked down and saw the teardrop separate into several different parts, which then floated around, unfolded, and attached to the weapon. The advanced technology, sleek metallic parts glistening softly in what light there was, had several indicator lights wink on. That, well, indicated it was active and ready to be used, or so he surmised.

Still, Dur-Shon hesitated for a moment. When he saw Khiron regain his balance and turn to fire several bolts of energy at Random, he figured he might as well throw caution to the wind at this point. He aimed the scatter gun at Random and pulled the trigger. Small pellets of brightly glowing scarlet energy shot at Random, coming far closer to actually touching him than the previous, slower projectiles Dur-Shon had been using. This upgraded, powerful version of his scatter gun made him feel...empowered. With his resolve renewed, he charged, scatter gun in one hand and hardlight scimitar in the other.

With Khiron and Dur-Shon both firing at Random, he was actually having trouble dodging and deflecting their projectiles. Numerous bolts from Khiron's Ti'an staff accompanied by a spray of energy pellets from Dur-Shon came closer to their mark with every shot. To make it worse, they were closing on him, fast, moving in slight diagonals compared to one another. While others in his position might have panicked, fled, or surrendered, Random merely laughed in exhilaration as he came closer to possible injury and death with every passing second.

Finally, he was in a very tight spot. Khiron and Dur-Shon were almost on top of him, practically point-blank range. He'd just deflected a bolt from Khiron and was swinging the sabre around to do the same to Dur-Shon's pellets, but at least half of them were bound to get through, and he wasn't in the best position to dodge them adequately. Fortunately for him, there was a katana lying directly at his feet.

He stomped on the tip of the katana's blade with his heel. It flipped and rotated so the hilt was in a perfect position for him to grab with his free hand. In one smooth motion, he swept aside a few of the pellets with his sabre, and the katana, held in reverse-grip, followed immediately after. Interestingly enough, even then he felt two pellets burn through his jacket and impact his back.

Random being Random, he tanked the hit, grunted, and rolled with it. “Congratulations, you've scored the first hit on me since I got to this world.” The damage didn't seem to faze him in the slightest, which was rather off-putting to Khiron and Dur-Shon. He lifted both swords to block Khiron's staff blades and Dur-Shon's hardlight scimitar, then corkscrewed, forcing them somewhat to the side and away from him.

Now, with the two on either side of Random, he hummed a little tune that was so off-key he had to have been doing it on purpose. “Lizard-dude to the left of me, Dino-horse to the right! Here I am, stuck in the middle with me~.”

Despite coordinating and attacking in concert as best they could, Random held the upper hand in the fight, if only barely. Still, they were managing to hold out fairly well--for the time being. He attacked in a whirlwind, both blades moving in harmony to combat Khiron and Dur-Shon. The clash of blade on staff and hardlight rang out, nicely complementing the music.

“Though you are a mighty foe,” growled Dur-Shon, “we will—”

“Oh, don't call me a foe,” Random interrupted, his tone one of a berating parent or something. “Words like that, along with enemy, adversary, and nemesis all have much too negative a connotation for my taste. I prefer the word opponent. You know, because in a game you compete against an opponent.”

“This...is not...a game!” Dur-Shon roared, slashing as fast as he could.

“Of course it's a game! If it isn't, then what is?”

In a sudden burst of speed, Random dashed from Khiron to Dur-Shon and back again three times in half as many seconds. He struck with both swords each time, and the force behind each blow drove them back even more. At the end, he tossed his sabre up at Khiron. Caught off-guard by the move, the Ranger flinched when the sword's pommel smacked against his helmet.

Random went low and delivered a horizontal cut to Khiron's abdomen with the katana. It parted the armor and the outer layer of Khiron's flesh--not much damage, but it hurt a lot. Random hopped and planted his foot on Khiron's shoulder, grabbing his sabre out of the air in the process, and sprang backwards off him.

Dur-Shon took the opportunity to lift his scatter gun to try and get a clear shot at Random. However, though Random was still in the air, he was close enough to swing his katana and hit the scatter gun's bayonet, forcing it down. Instead of hitting Random, the spray of energy pellets rammed into Khiron. The Ranger gave an exclamation of surprise and alarm as he stumbled and fell back.

Random rolled over, landed, and somersaulted upon hitting the hard ground. He pivoted and flung the sabre high into the air, where it spun and arced around like a boomerang, heading right towards Khiron. Dur-Shon, in the meantime, took a step back and aimed his scatter gun at Random again. Too late, as Random had thrown the katana as well, though this time it was more like a javelin aimed at Dur-Shon.

The katana's blade sunk into Dur-Shon's scatter gun, neatly piercing several pieces of the attached upgrade tech. The indicator lights flashed brightly and an unmistakable hum ascending in pitch filled the air. Dur-Shon immediately hurled the scatter gun away, not even wasting part of a second to direct his throw at Random. It was a good call, otherwise he'd have been injured for sure. As it was, when the scatter gun detonated, only a few pieces of harmless, if hot, shrapnel bounced off his armor.

“I give, and I take away,” Random smirked.

Khiron retracted his damaged helmet as he drew a ballistic pistol. His armor bore several new black scars thanks to the redirected scatter gun's pellets, but he hadn't been physically hurt aside from gaining a few bruises. The sabre came spinning from above at an angle just then, and, since it was on the side of his destroyed eye, he didn't notice it until a half-second before it hit. He instinctively yanked his arm back, which probably saved his hand. The pistol, though, was neatly bisected by the sword's blade, and the tip did actually create a shallow cut on the back of his hand.

The Emperor turned to face Random, who had his back to him. He drew his scimitar back and lunged. Not a good idea, as it turned out. Random whirled, a thick, stubby gun in his grasp and aimed at Dur-Shon. As he was fully committed to the strike and at point-blank range, Dur-Shon could only watch as Random pulled the trigger.

A kinetic blast slammed into Dur-Shon, catapulting him backwards into the cylindrical spire whose shadow they now stood in. As it turned out, said spire resembled a militaristic construction vehicle combined with a tank. It had large treads, and at the base of the cylinder was a small operating platform with raised rectangular consoles on three sides. It was there that Dur-Shon landed after hitting the spire, making a loud bang upon hitting the metal grate that was the platform's floor. He lay there, limp and unmoving for a short time.

The song projected by the music player finished up at around this point.

Random heard the telltale scrape just in time. He turned and lifted the gun into the air to block an overhand chop from Khiron's staff, and the staff's blade cut into the gun and imbedded in it. Random was thrown back by a quick double-strike from both of Khiron's front legs, talons tearing through his shirt but only making shallow wounds on his skin.

“Nice hit, but ya dun goofed with the staff,” said Random. As if to accentuate his statement, sparks sprayed as the gun overloaded and went into meltdown. The end of Khiron's staff, which had been imbedded in the gun, was reduced to slag along with the gun. Khiron growled, feathers stiffening in anger at how much damage had been dealt to his Ti'an staff.

When Dur-Shon eventually came to, he heard explosions in the far distance. But as he regained his senses, a fog seemed to lift from his mind, and he realized the explosions were much closer than he'd first thought. That being said, he still felt groggy and weak. Probably the result of a concussion. He pulled himself up and looked over the control consoles at the fight between Khiron and Random.

The former had a multi-barrel grenade launcher-type weapon in his hands, though each projectile launched was a miniature homing rocket of sorts. Random, meanwhile, was darting around to avoid the blasts. He had two short falchion- or dao-like swords sheathed and belted on, and had just picked up a chakram to throw at Khiron. The launcher, sliced in half by the chakram, tumbled out of Khiron's hands.

Dur-Shon glanced around at the spire tank's consoles, teeth bared in frustration at the current predicament. He figured that since they were on a battlefield, this had to be some sort of weapon, or something that gave its user's side an advantage; he only had three throwing knives left, which weren't going to be helpful at all against Random. The machine was already active, so he tried fiddling with a control stick. The cylindrical spire moved in response to the commands, so he moved it down in the direction of Random and Khiron. The dish-esque device on top of the cylindrical spire swiveled and pointed at the ground.

He looked around the consoles again, this time in an attempt to locate what counted as the control to “fire” the machine. Over to the right was a prominently displayed red button that was protected underneath a clear plastic safety box. It was as good as anything, so he tore the box off and slammed the button. He prayed to the stars for something, anything, to happen. Nothing did...for about three seconds.

The side of the cylinder started to glow as spiral lights lit up, and the air around the top of the spire and the dish-thing there rippled and contorted. After a long build-up, the dish released a massive pulse aimed at the two combatants. The machine slid back several meters from the recoil, almost throwing Dur-Shon from the platform.

“Forgive me, Watchlord,” said Dur-Shon. He looked on with apprehension, hoping that Random would at least be seriously injured and that Khiron would come out of it with minor injuries.

No such luck, however. Sure, the ground shattered when the pulse hit it, and both Random and Khiron were thrown away from the impact site in opposite directions, but the former was still very much intact and not pulverized like Dur-Shon had hoped. Instead, quakes started shaking the area, long cracks formed and spread across the battlefield, and large chunks of earth lifted into the air. A dim orangey light flickered from within the cracks, and a faint sound could be heard: bubbling, and a strange hissing? He couldn't quite place it, but it made him uneasy.

“Wait...is that what I think it is?” Random sheathed his swords and stood, eyes wide and mouth open in a perfect “O” shape as he witnessed the phenomenon.

The cracks grew larger, and the quakes became even more violent.

“HAHA! IT IS, IT IS!” He was jumping around now, ecstatic. “That's an actual, bonafide Volcano Maker!”

Khiron heard Random's shout and looked at the crater. At the rate everything was happening, not to mention this “Volcano Maker” was a tool of war and therefore had a practical purpose, he surmised that the volcano itself would grow far, far faster than a natural one would. If the quakes and floating chunks of earth were any indication, the end result would be sudden, violent, and cataclysmic. That meant he had to find a way to get out of this area, and fast.

While frantically searching for a high-powered jetpack, speeder, or pogo-stick, he came across something large jutting out of the ground. He didn't think much of it at first, but when he leaned and placed a hand on it to look underneath, what felt like static raced along his entire body. The object, formerly dull and caked in dust, now shone bright gold as though exposed to a brilliant sun. It started rising from the ground, humming and vibrating louder as it did so.

Concurrently, Random made a mad dash towards the volcano maker's control platform. Dur-Shon saw him coming through a haze, and drew two throwing knives in preparation. Though a confrontation with Random in his state and with such weak weapons was most definitely hopeless, giving up and meekly accepting defeat and death now would be an insult to his station as Emperor--nay, it would be an insult to the entire Gohl-hon race.

He moved to strike when Random vaulted up to the operating platform in a single bound, but the Paragon kicked the left blade out of his hand before landing on his torso and clinging to him like Spider-Man. Dur-Shon stabbed at his throat with the other knife, and again Random foiled the attack by casually catching his arm by the wrist and holding the knife at bay. Random brought up his right hand and jammed a small canister in the collar of Dur-Shon's breastplate, lodging it firmly between his armor and scales.

“Message for you, sir,” said Random as he pulled the pin and jumped away. Dur-Shon, in a last-ditch attack, bit down hard on Random's forearm, but since he was weakened and Random had an exceedingly tough body, his fangs only tore off part of his jacket and scraped across his skin.

“Damn, you could crush a soup can with those things,” Random remarked on Dur-Shon's jaws as he shook out his arm.

The next moment, thick, noxious gas hissed out of several holes in the grenade, filling the air around Dur-Shon's head. He choked and coughed, falling to both knees, spittle and a small amount of Random's blood dripping from his maw in ropes. He scrabbled at the grenade with one of his hands and successfully extricated it from his person, but by then it was too late.

“All your Aegis are belong to me,” said Random in a robotic monotone, having pilfered Dur-Shon's Continuum Aegis a moment ago. Of course, since the Seal was in place, Dur-Shon didn't vanish.

The quakes stopped for a second, instantly putting Random on edge. The floating pieces of earth fell back to the ground with a bunch of thuds and crashes. Silence reigned for what seemed like a long, long moment. Realizing what was about to happen, Random turned and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the Volcano Maker.

An instant later, a huge column of lava erupted from the crater. The ground abruptly shunted towards the sky in a funnel shape and grew at an unbelievable pace, as though someone had reached deep into the earth and was pulling a mountain up from beneath the surface. As volcanoes are, after all, conical, that meant its base was rapidly expanding as it grew taller. With that on his tail and lava shooting out from the innumerable cracks crisscrossing the battlefield, Random would be lucky if he got out of this situation with only minor burns. The Volcano Maker was forced up and onto its top as a wave of molten rock enveloped it.

Random felt a presence approaching from behind, and shot a look over his shoulder to see what it was. Blinding brightness met his gaze. Its design was a golden oval-shaped deck rimmed all around by a short bulwark, with wing-sails on the sides and back. It resembled a flying ship of the sea, albeit much more advanced and quite a bit smaller. Standing before a throne-like seat at the back of the deck was none other than Khiron. His armor now had polished gold parts attached, and his Ti'an staff was likewise enhanced.

The skyboat came up on Random's left, and he took the opportunity to jump onto the deck. Khiron made no hostile move yet, though his staff was in a good position to block any sudden attacks. He didn't even pay attention to the wave of lava and the rapidly growing mountain that chased his newly-acquired vessel.

“Nice, I see you snagged yourself a personal vimana,” said Random, hands resting on his sword grips. “Looks like it came with a free upgrade to your gear, too. Not bad at all. By the way, Dino-horse, I don't think I got your name.”

Khiron made what sounded like a chortle, feather mane rustling. “If it isn't already too late for such introductions, I am Watchlord Khiron of the Sagittarius.”

“Hm. Neither title nor race rings a bell; too bad. Still, hell of a thing your friend did there with the Volcano Maker, huh?”

“Indeed, though I doubt he still lives.”

“Well that's a given; kind of a shame he went into a meltdown at the end, though. Hey, he did get the first hit on me, so that's something.” Random paused as he looked Khiron in the eyes. “So judging from the way you're not wildly attacking me and foaming at the mouth--or beak, as it were--I take it you're the more level-headed and stoic teammate.”

Khiron rocked his head side-to-side. “More or less, I suppose.”

“I mean, you did lose an eye and all. Though I guess you did get even with me by destroying my space peanuts. I mean seriously, such a discourteous manner of refusal is virtually unforgivable.”

The Ranger whicker-chortled. He obviously had a better sense of humor than Dur-Shon. “To be honest, I had almost forgotten about it during the fight.”

“High pain threshold?” Random queried.

“The overwhelming desire to not die has something to do with it as well, I believe.”

“Yeah, I kinda experienced that myself, today. Not as much as you or Dur-Shon, I'm sure, but there was a lot more adrenaline flowing than usual.” Random licked his dry lips. “The air seems to have gotten very...hot and arid...all of a sudden.” He looked over the side of the vimana at the lava current that was, at the moment, right under them. “Guess that's why.”

Khiron lowered his staff and grasped it in both hands. “Shall we finish?”

“A fight atop a vimana flying over a river of lava next to a massive volcano? I didn't even know it was my birthday! Although, you could make this a whole lot cooler if you turn this thing around and fly it up the lava towards the summit of the volcano.”

Khiron snorted. “That sounds highly dangerous, but also greatly intriguing as well.”

“I know, right?”

The Ranger tapped his staff on the vimana's deck once, causing it to slow, turn, and take off in the opposite direction. His helmet slid over his face to protect him from the toxic fumes rising from the volcano.

“Oh, this is cinematic as fudge!” Random exclaimed as he beamed up at Khiron.

There was a pause, and in the distance, the dynamic music player finally played the track it had switched to after the last one.

They moved as one, staff swinging, twin swords unsheathed and moving to intercept. Several powerful blows met one another, each one causing the vimana to shake. Random lost the first bout by way of a haft to the jaw, but recovered and pressed Khiron. The Watchlord was much stronger and faster than before, thanks to his augmented armor. Random blocked a diagonal slash with both swords in an X-shape and forced the staff out and down.

That was when everything got a whole lot crazier. The staff fired inadvertently, destroying one of the side wing-sails. The vimana wobbled and its speed became more unsteady; it even started listing to the side and scraped against the “river”bank. The two fought at an angle, not too terribly bothered by the vimana's sudden tilt.

Khiron and Random both moved left in a circle as they fought, so by the time they separated again, Random was in front of the throne. Khiron fired his staff, this time intentionally. Random slid on both knees and deflected it with a sword, making it bounce up and hit the top of the throne; in the process, the bolt came close enough to partially melt his sunglasses. Half the seat was vaporized, and the vimana's sudden jolt aided Random in moving under Khiron's guard in order to make a gash on his side. With a twinge of remorse, he flipped the sunglasses off his face using the tip of a sword.

Random was kept at a distance when Khiron started using his staff more like a spear. The repeated clangs of their blades was nearly continuous alongside the roar and murmuring of the lava. Khiron stepped back for a moment after Random forced his staff away, then leveled it and fired again. This time, Random had a...unique, shall we say, method to counter it.

He angled both blades and caught the bolt on them, rotated, making sure to keep the bolt steady between the flats of the blades, completed his turn, and pointed both swords at Khiron's feet. Random jumped backwards as hard as he could right as the vimana split in half from the energy bolt's impact. Smoke and shrapnel filled the air around the vimana, and from within the cloud, Khiron rocketed out. His repulsors, having been augmented by the vimana's tech, were powerful enough to grant him pseudo-flight capabilities.

Staff at the ready, Khiron aimed it right for Random's heart as he closed rapidly. The Paragon, unable to adequately dodge while in the air, swung his right sword with all his might. What came next happened faster than the blink of an eye. Blade met blade, and Random's sword shattered.

First, the sword released a contained localized shockwave that completely disintegrated Khiron's staff all the way down to his hand. Like the upgrade tech used on Dur-Shon's scatter gun, the staff cracked and exploded as the energy inside was released. The destroyed sword's fragments swirled rapidly around the energy, forcing it into a tight orb of roiling power. The sphere exploded an instant later as the blade shards shot out in all directions.

Both combatants were hit by a few of the shards, not to mention the energy's blast. Random himself caught five; two on the torso, one in the thigh, one in his left forearm, and another lodged in his cheekbone. He was sent hurtling back, trace spurts of blood trailing after him in the air. An outcropping crumbled when he rammed into it back-first. He tumbled through the rubble, bounced a couple times, and landed on a steep incline.

As the volcanic soil was loose, Random started sliding down the hill. He jammed his sword into the ground to halt his momentum so he could tug the chunk of steel out of his face.

“Ack...those swords are ridiculous.” He glanced over his shoulder at the second sword. “Now...how can I use this one to my advantage...”

The hill exploded right next to his head. Random sprang away and looked around. Khiron was hovering up above, augmented ballistic pistol in hand and aimed down at his opponent. Random slid down the hill to avoid another shot. Each round hit the mountainside with the force of a small bomb, and if one hit him, it would probably cause serious damage. He placed both feet on the back of his sword and used it sort of like a cross between a snowboard and an ice skate to facilitate a faster retreat.

Khiron emptied his magazine into the side of the volcano in an attempt to kill Random, but aside from some rubble hitting Random's back, he didn't succeed. He clacked his beak and activated camouflage. When Random next shot a look up at the skies, he didn't see anything. He thought he caught a glimpse of something in front of him and slightly off to the side, which he recognized too late as Khiron.

The Ranger smashed into Random with the full force of his repulsors driving him forward and into the mountainside. He pushed Random through almost ten meters of volcanic rock before emerging again on the other side, scotum-blades extended and slashing. Blood squirted from the laceration that appeared on Random's left shoulder. The two plummeted together, the side of a sheer cliff next to them blurring from the speed.

Khiron shot at Random, repulsors increasing his velocity. Random contorted and plucked his sword out of the air a second before Khiron reached him. Khiron struck with both scotum-blades when Random came within reach. Random moved his left forearm to intercept Khiron's right blade, and it probably would have been cut to the bone were it not for the blade fragment imbedded right where forearm and blade met. The scotum-blade scraped against the shard while Random hooked Khiron's left blade on his sword's spine and hand guard, allowing him to deliver a thrust to the Sagittarius' undefended head.

Random's sword cut through the helmet and drew blood. Khiron shoved Random away, repulsors shifting to slow his fall. From Random's perspective, Khiron was suddenly yanked up and away, which was fine by him. He switched to reverse-grip and stabbed his sword in the cliff face, then shoved his feet onto the craggy surface to further decelerate before he hit the ledge at the bottom. After a few moments, he hit the ground. It cracked slightly from the impact, but Random was physically unharmed from the landing.

Now that he was firmly at a stop, he saw that the ledge overlooked a flat arena-like area, surrounded on two-thirds of its edge by the rest of the cliff. The remaining third of the arena's edge overlooked another sheer drop almost directly across from the ledge Random stood on. Numerous hairline cracks from which orange light glowed ran across the arena's floor like a web. Khiron landed nearby shortly after Random, looking a little rattled and worse for the wear.

“This is the second time you've destroyed my helmet,” said Khiron. He brandished the helmet in question, which he'd had to physically pull off, it was so badly damaged. A long gash ran along the side of his head, and blood caked his feathery mane.

“Hey, if you don't get ahead of yourself, that won't happen.” Random was slouching a bit to the left to make it seem like that arm had been disabled by the injury on his shoulder.

Khiron tossed the helmet away and readied his weapons. The two charged and met in a flurry of steel, sparks flying every few blows. Random tried to counter, but learned that the move was actually a feint when Khiron abruptly turned and kicked him with one of his hind legs. The strength behind it sent him over the edge and down into the arena-esque area.

Flames danced and sparks flew out from the cracks when Random hit the ground. He rolled back to avoid a falling stab from Khiron, which damaged the ground a decent amount. The air was roiling from the heat, and Random could tell that Khiron was only barely able to withstand it.

“Convection shmonvection, am I right?” Random held his arm up in a 'What are you gonna do?' pose. The next second, his clothes ignited. “...And now I'm on fire.”

Without wasting any more time, they met again in the center of the arena. Random could more accurately gauge the distance with his superior eyesight, which gave him a useful edge against Khiron. He got some strikes through Khiron's defenses as they fought, more than he'd been able to in the same amount of time earlier. He palmed a small rod with his “incapacitated” left hand from within a pouch on his tactical vest, slid up to Khiron, and performed a roundhouse kick that shoved Khiron's right scotum-blade down and into the ground as the Ranger performed a thrust.

That gave him the perfect opportunity to jam the hand-held personal disruptor into a gap between Khiron's golden armor plating. The rod buzzed and sent forks of electricity arcing across the armor, turning it dull. Random made a tremendous leap backwards to put plenty of distance between himself and Khiron. He drew back his arm and hurled his second sword at Khiron with a single thought overriding his entire mind: Shatter.

And shatter the sword did. Khiron, while spasming from the disruptor and without the augmentation's full benefits, nonetheless was able to put his left scotum-blade's bracer between himself and the flying sword.

Random didn't actually see what happened, as he had turned and dashed for safety after throwing the sword. Still, he figured it happened similarly to last time, with the bracer being disintegrated by a pulse emanating from the broken sword, the blade's fragments rotating in a lethal globular whirlwind. He knew the moment the fragments shot in all directions, because he was driven to the ground by a shard to the back. That and the distinctive sound of the thin ground splitting apart, releasing a geyser of lava that spewed out in a torrent.

The arena's floor crumbled and sunk into the lava right beneath it, as the flying shards had damaged it so much. The part of the arena that overlooked another cliff crumbled, allowing the pent-up molten rock to flow out and over the edge like a waterfall. Random made it to the edge of the arena and slid onto a ledge overlooking the newly-made lavafall a mere two seconds before the rest of the ground was enveloped by the lava. The music player's soundtrack ended around that point, practically on cue.

He pushed himself up onto his knees and stretched out his back and arms. His clothing, blackened and burned almost to a crisp, was almost completely gone. His jacket was still mostly intact, as it was made from more durable materials than the rest of his attire. That was a plus, since he wouldn't be losing the medallions he'd collected so far. As for his body, he had burns all across it, not to mention the numerous wounds inflicted by Khiron and Dur-Shon.

Click.

Random pulled a spare combat knife from the tactical harness and spun, rising to the balls of his feet.

A momentary booming noise filled the air. Blood sprayed from Random's abdomen and lower back, and he dropped to one knee. The knife blade clattered to the ground, followed shortly by the hilt.

“...You are one sneaky bastard.” Random looked up at the Watchlord as his camouflage deactivated.

Khiron stood a few paces farther along the ledge. His left arm was mangled and bloody, courtesy of Random's shattering sword. Most of his feather mane had melted, and he tucked one of his injured forelegs up closer to his body. With his intact hand, he held a gun that had the aesthetic of a flintlock. It was sleeker and higher-tech, though, so that meant whatever it was, the gun was far more effective than actual period flintlocks were.

“Only one type of gun could hit me that fast and make that clean a hole through,” said Random. Khiron cocked the pistol again and aimed it at Random's head. “I see you got your hands on a real instant transmission gun; it creates a path for the bullet wherein time is sped up almost infinitely, allowing said bullet to hit its target instantaneously. One of the few types of weapons I have trouble dodging, especially like I am now. However,” a sly look came over his face as he spoke, “you're bluffing--that particular model is a single-shot one. So unless you have another bullet, it's useless. Though you could club someone with it, I suppose; pistol whips do tend to sting quite a bit.”

The Ranger sighed and lowered his arm. “It was worth a shot.”

“I've always had a knack for seeing through empty threats--even if I didn't know how many bullets my opponents have, for instance.”

“Oh well.” Khiron tossed the pistol to the side, where it plopped onto the lava current a few meters away. “Incidentally, it was cunning to act as though your left arm was disabled. I should have anticipated it.”

“Relax. A lot of my endurance is driven by my willpower, which is utterly indomitable. The only way to ensure I wouldn't be using my arm again would have been to completely sever it.” He shrugged. “I have to say, you have a good eye for weapons, don't you?”

Khiron made the equivalent of a shrug. “I saw it and thought it looked promising, so I took it.”

Random chuckled. “You know, you and the Emperor have been giving me such a hard time that I haven't been able to make nearly as many quips and jokes as I usually do; I've had to focus more on not getting skewered or having my head blown off than I have in decades.”

“So you usually talk even more? Now that is a pity,” said Khiron drily.

“Granted, most of it is the Seal's doing, but there are still very few who can claim such prowess in combat.”

“You are a strange one, Paragon Random.”

“You flatter me.”

Khiron scoffed good-naturedly, or as much as he could considering the circumstances. “I think...that I should compose a poem, or maybe a song, of this battle. It has truly been one of, if not the greatest I have ever experienced.”

“Ah, so you're from one of those cultures.”

“Indeed.” Khiron reached his right hand back and pulled something out of a storage compartment on his back.

Random saw and swung his hand diagonally from the upper right. The roll of gauze he'd covertly extricated from the first aid pouch on his tactical vest unraveled towards the Ranger. Khiron cocked the second instant transmission pistol and brought it up to fire at Random. The gauze roll wrapped around Khiron's forearm twice, which was good enough. Random pulled the gauze taut and lifted his leg high into the air, then brought it down hard on the gauze that ran between him and Khiron.

Khiron's forearm was forced down and to the right. The pistol fired, sending a powerful round straight through the ledge and the cliff. Cracks spread and the ledge started to fall apart, crumbling into the lava next to it.

Random turned, jumped, and flung a grappling hook at a higher point on the cliff side. It successfully attached to the rocky cliff, with the cable connecting it to the reel-like device on Random's tactical harness. He dangled there and swung back and forth. However, when he swung back towards the now-destroyed ledge, he felt five powerful digits clamp around his ankle. Khiron hung beneath him, holding on as tightly as he could. Random pulled his last grenade out, pressed the activation key, and...fumbled it. The grenade spiraled in a neat arc up and over to the side.

“Sorry,” Khiron said as he lunged up and sank his right scotum-blade into Random's chest. He used the blade imbedded in Random as leverage to haul himself up.

Despite having the wind knocked out of him by the blow, Random retained his presence of mind. He lifted both hands, each one with the index and middle fingers stiffened, and poked Khiron in the eyes. The Sagittarius shrieked and almost lost his grip.

“So am I.” Random grabbed Khiron's beak in one hand and forced it shut, and with the other he took Khiron's armor by the collar and pulled him to the side. “Kinda.”

The grenade, in actuality, had not been fumbled--it went right where Random wanted it to go: into the lavafall. When it detonated, it threw a large amount of lava in their direction. However, with Khiron strategically positioned between himself and said lava, Random was shielded.

A hideous hissing filled the air when the lava slapped against Khiron's back. As his armor was almost completely dead, he had no protection of his own against the molten rock. He shook, spasming from the pain, eyes rolling back into his head. Random gently undid the mechanism attaching the scotum-blade to the Khiron's arm, then let go of his opponent.

The Watchlord dropped unceremoniously and vanished into the smoke some meters below.

“Hot damn, that had to hurt.” Random inspected the Aegis he'd taken from Khiron for a second, then pocketed it.

***

A half-hour later, give or take, Random tirelessly trudged across the battlefield. The volcano, which would put Mount Doom to shame, had stopped growing almost completely. It still spewed smoke and lava, but he was far enough away that it didn't bother him. His shoes had long since fallen off, and he'd had to fashion new makeshift trousers so he wouldn't be completely exposed below the waist.

The Seal's focal point still eluded him, but he didn't give up. It was imperative for him to bring down the Seal as soon as possible.

As he walked, he had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. On a whim, he took out one of his medallions and looked down at it. The compass light was broad, more than halfway encircling the edge of the Aegis. It pointed to his left, so he followed it. A few more minutes passed before the entire edge finally lit up.

Random looked around, but saw nothing. He pocketed the medallion and checked under a shield, an overturned speeder, and a ridiculously large greatsword. Finally, he came across a small box buried beneath a mounted machine gun. He popped it open and stared at its contents.

“Origin point identified!,” said his Aegis. “Immediate action required to prevent imminent catastrophic breakdown of dimensional boundaries!”

Lying there, inside the box, was a Continuum Aegis. It had what looked like a leather strap wrapped all around it, with arcane symbols of some kind etched on said strap.

“Of course the focal point was an Aegis.” Random smacked his forehead. “That's how the Seal so easily prevented the Continuum world from expelling the Seal itself and everything inside--it was using the Aegis as an anchor. It also must have pulled me in using the medallions I had on my person by simulating the way I was brought to this world in the first place, which is why I wasn't able to dodge it.” He peered at it closely. “I suppose the power suppression thing really was a side-effect; then again, if the creator had come across another person empowered by Chaos, they might have set it up like this intentionally.”

Either way, he had to destroy this Seal, and that meant freeing this fifth Aegis from its bonds. Random worked a couple of his fingers underneath the straps. He could feel the latent energy within; they weren't going to break so easily. He gave an experimental tug. The strap didn't even budge.

Random pulled harder, and he felt some of the defensive wards on the strap kick in. His fingers and hand were suddenly put under an immense amount of pressure. It hurt, but his will was absolute. The harder he pulled, the more the pressure increased. His bones fractured, skin split, but still he pulled.

Overhead, the Seal started wavering. Minute cracks appeared in the dome-like structure, through which the light of day shone. Teeth gritted, Random pulled harder. His joints dislocated, capillaries burst, and fingernails tore off, but still he pulled.

Until finally...

“GOTCHA!”

The strap split with a satisfying snap. Without the strap resisting against his pull, Random fell back in a heap.

The newly-freed Continuum Aegis emitted a bright sphere that expanded in all directions and went all the way out to the edge of the Seal in under a second. The volcano was completely flattened before the shockwave, and the Seal burst before fading into non-being.

Random awoke around a minute later. The light was back to normal, and though he was still lying in a slightly concave wasteland, there was no Seal. The weapons and tools and such had also vanished, and he realized that his clothes and wounds had been repaired and mended. He felt lighter as well, like a great weight had been lifted from all of his limbs; his powers were back in full.

“I might have to stop by Khiron's place later and check out the poem,” said Random as he pocketed the fifth Aegis and stood. “And to make him eat some space peanuts.” He sighed. “I still can't believe he just shot them out of my hand like that...”